Present Day--Capsule Corporation

He came awake slowly, mind banked in a deep, heavy fog; body groggy and weak.

Sitting up, he looked around trying to recall how he had ended up on the living room floor, naked and sore. Closing his eyes, he felt something black and sickening touch his mind, and the memory of the previous night burned through his mind like hot coal.

Awake so soon, mate? The derisive voice sounded loudly in his brain, causing him to wince and bringing back a tidal wave of stomach-turning memories. This is a neat trick, being able to communicate this way. The sardonic voice brought back more than he cared to remember and along with it the consequences of his actions. I’ve learned a lot through your mind.

"Oh god," Vegeta whispered, struggling to get up off the floor, afraid he would be ill. What had he done? He could remember Bulma, he had been making love to Bulma, holding her, bonding with her and then it had not been Bulma at all, but that witch. She had done something to Bulma, hurt her somehow and taken her identity, her form and tricked him. How could he have let this happen?

Get out of my mind, bitch, I have no interest in what you have to say to me. Vegeta clutched at his head, wishing he could go back in time. What in the hell was he going to do now? He had waited three long years to have his woman, faced everything he had needed to face before he could finally accept her as his mate and in one sick, twisted moment he had lost her forever.

Bonding was forever in the Saiya-jin race, unbreakable even in the after life, or at least that was what he could recall from Raditz’s words to him. The lifelong commitment had been the reason that the idiot had avoided them. He could also recall Nappa sparing him a few words on the subject—something about the depth of the bond and the strength of the mind, but the memory of the conversation was elusive to him, much to his dismay and no amount of force could bring it back.

He knew that the bond he had started with Bulma had been one of great depth, going much farther than was the norm for Saiyan society. Vegeta had not had the intention of bonding so fully and intensely to her, but had been unable to stop himself when it had come down to it. Bulma had been there and he had been lost for so long and then he had lost himself in all that she had offered him, in all that he needed to take and before he had known what had happened he was connected and had been unable to stem the tide or fight against the rush of raw feeling that had threatened to overtake him.

It was to his great misfortune that she had not had the chance to return the bond—no thanks to that idiot human and now their half-bond had been broken by the stronger one and he was doomed to spend his entire existence tied to a sick, perverse being that thrived on causing him pain. That he had even touched her was enough to make him physically ill, but worse, he had dishonored himself and his woman by laying hands on another. How would he ever be able to explain this to Bulma?

Was this his penance for his actions under Frieza? Was it his punishment that he never know a moments peace? He had been haunted for so long by the specter of Kakkarot, of being able to avenge his honor and his pride and had been forced to watch the fool sacrifice his life for this miserable planet, dying not as a warrior, but as a hero—a martyr, leaving Vegeta to suffer for the rest of his life with the knowledge that he had not been able to defeat him, that he would never get the opportunity to try and that in some small, demented corner of his brain, the third-class bastard would always be better than he. Only when he was with Bulma did he get the idea that there was another being who looked past all the shame and disgrace and saw him for the warrior that he was, saw the honor that had once been his and knew him for the Saiya-jin that he was, and not the dishonored shell of a warrior he had become. And now, just when he had been able to let go of some small piece of his shame, enough to share his life with the only other being that haunted him—Bulma, he had gone and fucked things up so badly that he would be denied even her.

Feeling sorry for yourself? You shouldn’t. It is a great honor to be my husband. That is what we are, isn’t it—according to your way of thinking? You are lucky. If you had been given your way, you would be the property of that foolish girl. Hardly a fit companion for a warrior of your stature. She laughed lightly, the lilting, wicked sound of it leaving him ill.

I said get out of my brain. You will never have me as a mate. For all that you have done to me I will see you dead. He spat out the words, his mind lost within a red-tinted fog of rage. And what was worse was that the bitch had Bulma. He did a quick ki search, hoping he had enough of a connection left to her to be able to pinpoint her whereabouts, but came up empty, not even registering whether she was dead or alive. If she had been close he might stand a chance of sensing her, but Teya had apparently put distance between them.

Oh, she’s still alive--for now. I can hardly wait to tell her all that has happened. You know I made sure to find her mind last night when we were… she paused for effect, wrapped up in each other. I can hardly wait to see if she was able to pick up on any of the action.

Damn you bitch. Vegeta growled, prepared to seek her out and kill her where she stood, but instead finding his mind mercifully empty of her presence as she pulled away. What had the purpose of that been—to goad him and cause him to do something stupid? He needed to get his shit together and search her out. Wherever she was, he would find Bulma. He didn’t doubt that she would no longer want him, but he could at least attempt to make her listen, though he had long ago learned that trying to force Bulma to do anything was like pulling teeth.

With a growl of rage, he launched himself towards his room. Bulma be damned. He would find her, and make her listen to him. He was almost positive that Nappa had made mention of some way that unwanted bonds could be broken—if only he could remember the conversation. He had been foolish enough to pay it little mind, believing that he would never be bonding anyway. He was almost tempted to never bond again. He had never had the intent or the desire to bond with any woman, until he had met Bulma and just when he decided the time was right, this had happened. If this is where having a bond got you, he would just as soon not have one at all. Still, bonding was necessary now. He had to find Bulma and get her to finish it if he had any chance of breaking free of Teya.

*******

Omar jolted awake, cold and soaked to the skin on the deserted street outside his hotel. With a groan he popped his head up and looked around. They had taken Bulma; he could recall that easily enough and he had seen Teya—face to face—no doubts about it. So she had come all this way seeking vengeance on the girl that had helped defeat her. Still, he had been the one to read his ancestor’s curse, the one who had sent them back to the Hell that they belonged, so why leave him alive? Did she not know who he was, that he was had the blood of Nefertit, herself, flowing through him? That could be the only answer, though it made no sense.

Struggling to stand, he made his way back to the hotel. It no longer mattered. He would gather his belongings and head back to Egypt. Teya was undoubtedly taking Bulma back to Seti. He would go back to his palace and look through the ancient texts he had managed to gather with some hope that he might find a way to undo the curse and make them mortal, or put a new one on—one that would send them to Hell to stay.

Making it back to his room, he stepped over the demolished door and entered, quickly going to gather the few belongings he had brought with him. Running a hand through his long, black-hair, he sighed. What an incredible failure of a guardian he had become. The mummy had been released not once, but twice now on his watch. He had failed his bloodline. His only hope for redemption was being able to finally put Setihamentep and Teya away for good. To that end, he would do whatever was necessary to see an end put to their terror. Already he could sense them coming and if they were up to what he thought they were up to, the end of the world would be upon them soon. He could prove nothing until he looked through some more of the texts.

Throwing his stuff in the overnight bag he had brought with him, he gathered it to him and exited, not bothering to look behind him. Time was of the essence, there was precious little of it left and what was there was running through his fingers like the fine, hot sand of the desert he called home. He could only hope that it wasn’t already too far-gone from him.

*********

With a low moan, Bulma rolled over, her body stiff and almost unresponsive to her brain’s command. What had happened to her? She felt as if she had been ran down by a steamroller and or something much larger and meaner. Kami, why did her head hurt so much? Popping open an eye, she shrieked in horror. Looming above her was a face… a face she had come to dread and in one fell swoop, everything came rushing back to her in a monumentous blur of information, tangling and untangling in her brain.

Above her the face smiled, a cool, depraved smile, full of malicious intent. "Have a nice rest, my dear Bulma?" The voice was detached and mocking, setting Bulma’s nerves aflame and leaving her with a sick, unsettled feeling deep in her belly.

"Wh-where am I?" Bulma managed to stutter out, sitting up. She was in a tent, lying on a low mat, the air around her warm and dry. The only answer could be Egypt, but how in the hell had they gotten here so fast? "What are you going to do to me?" She asked, trying to mask the terror that ran rampant through her body. A sudden blurb of memory flashed in her brain and with some difficulty, she could remember Teya’s mind locked with hers, could recall her face where Teya’s should have been and some veiled threat… Vegeta.

"I see, that the memories are beginning to come back to you." Teya smiled frostily, reaching out to stroke a lock of blue hair. "It is always that way with the spell. It will all come back to you in time and when it does, you will wish that it hadn’t. And now to answer your question, my esteemed slave—Abdallah, flew us here. Perhaps you are familiar with him? He is the curator for the museum of Ancient Artifacts in your city. He seemed to know much about you, the revered Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corporation." Her smile twisted, contorting her features cruelly, and making Bulma’s blood run cold. She leaned back, taking the woman’s measure. What did she know and how would she use it against her. Bulma prayed to Kami that she hadn’t found out about Trunks.

"Vegeta… what did you do to Vegeta?" Bulma wished she had the strength to push the monstrous woman away from her, but she could barely lift her hand, let alone summon the might to go up against Teya physically. She shivered at the woman’s touch, tolerating it although it made her skin crawl.

"I see you recall much more than I thought you would. Your mind is strong, such a shame we must be on opposing sides. You could do great things for me—" Teya broke off and stood, not finishing the thought, moving instead to the opening of the tent. "Do you recall any dreams you had last night?" Her voice remained casual, yet there was the barest hint of interest in injected into the tone, so faint that it was almost not there.

"Nothing." Bulma frowned, looking down at her lap, wishing she could rid herself of the revulsion this woman made her feel. Perhaps she would be able to be braver if she didn’t feel so frozen with terror. She had fought her before, but it had been with Nefertit’s help, now she was alone. She couldn’t sense the Egyptian Princess’s aura anywhere near her. She would be damned however if she would share her memories or dreams with this creature. "I can recall nothing at all." That wasn’t quite true, but the bitch didn’t have to know that. She actually had the slightest memory of a dream—nightmare really, of that she was certain. It hovered on the outskirts of her brain, just within her grasp, but far enough away that no amount of trying could reel it in. Some small voice in her mind whispered that it was better that way, that the true image of the nightmare would be more than she could take.

"You’re lying, I can sense it." A small, half-smile twisted her flawless features. "You can’t quite recall what it is, yet it is there, lurking in the deepest recesses of your mind. " Teya stepped back towards Bulma. "I am quite certain that I can fill in the details. I am, after all the person responsible for its existence."

Bulma wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging her body tightly. She wasn’t certain that she cared for the malevolent, dissolute gleam shining brightly from the black, slanted eyes that seemed to penetrate straight through her. What possible evil could she be up to? "I don’t know what you are talking about. Where is Vegeta? Have you hurt him?"

"Oh, my sweet girl, I assure you that the last thing Vegeta felt was pain—in fact I would go as far to say that he was quite happy with what he felt. " Teya laughed lightly, sending sharp tendrils of ice sliding down her spine. "Come now, if you think, really think about what you felt last night, it will come to you."

"Why don’t you just tell me, you bitch?" Bulma snarled, anger flaming up within her, melting the ice and sending her to her feet. "You want to, apparently, its something so horrible that you think I will die when I hear it."

"He’s mine now, Bulma—all of him." Teya smiled evilly at the look of desolation that swept over her rivals face, quickly masked with an angry look and a spark of brave defiance in her blue eyes.

Bulma felt her world spin askew, but she pushed it away, steeling herself with resolve. She could recall now, Teya taking her memories, her face, telling her that she would take Vegeta, but surely he would have known the difference, wouldn’t have been deceived by anyone pretending to be her. Vegeta would never have touched this piece of trash, not willingly.

Oh, but he did, Bulma… he came to my arms willingly, bonded with me. Teya’s voice echoed through her brain. He’s mine and so is this. She caressed her flat belly gently, thrilling to the wide-eyed look of horror that the blue-haired woman shot her. It was so wonderful to vanquish one’s enemies in the most painful way possible. These two had been so connected that separating them in this manner was the worse possible thing she could have dreamt up for them, worse than any torture she could have doled out. Proof was the small, influx of emotions she could feel trickling into her brain from the man she had so vilely stolen from the girl. There was pain and rage—a completely black void as he slipped back into the darkness that had once held him; exactly what she had been counting on.

Bulma shook her head, pressing her hand to her mouth, pain shooting through her and curling into every fiber of her being. No, this couldn’t be possible, she was Vegeta’s mate, she was the one he had wanted to bond with, and she was the only woman that had carried his child—the only one that ever would. Somewhere, lost in the distant recesses of her mind she thought she felt him, numb and angry, thought she heard him call her name.

Vegeta… she moaned in her mind, how could this have happened? How could you have done this to me? Where his emotions once would have raged through her, she felt nothing, not even the faintest flicker of his thoughts, confirming the words that the bitch had said. "No…" She whispered.

"Oh yes, Bulma, Vegeta was more than willing to help Seti and I bring forth Set and his vision into this world. By taking him, by denying him that which was his salvation, I have ensured that his soul will always be black and soon he will be mine completely, willing to serve our master. " She tilted her head back, chortling with malevolent glee. "Even now, I can sense him raging inside me. What a glorious soldier he will be." She snapped her head back down, leveling Bulma with her evil black gaze. "I will make him immortal." With a flip of her long black hair, she turned and left, the barest hint of a smile scrawled across her face. It was so good to cause pain and suffering in others.

Bulma slid to the floor anguish lancing through her. No, Kami, this couldn’t be happening, not to her, not to Vegeta.

"Vegeta…" She whispered brokenly. "Vegeta."

*********

Vegeta stopped in his tracks when he heard her voice and sensed her feelings as they burst through him in a potent rush of despair, anger and sadness. "Bulma…" He whispered in awe, before the fleeting sensation left him, replaced by a much stronger sense of dismay—more to the point, Teya’s dismay. He growled first in anger at the intrusion, then in joy at the thought that he had been able to communicate with Bulma for the briefest of moments, well perhaps not so much communicate with her, but feel her. Judging by the fury and dismay he was getting from his new mate—she had felt the same thing and had not liked it.

"What’s wrong wife?" He sneered? "Worried about our marriage so soon?" He chuckled out loud at the sharp burst of anger his words drew.

Laughable. He snorted in her brain. My bond with her is unbreakable, and once I get to her and finish it, you will be destroyed.

Not if she’s dead. Teya snarled in his brain. Not if she’s dead.

Vegeta felt his blood run cold as she withdrew from his brain. Surely Teya would keep his woman alive, it was all that she had to manipulate him with. He had no more time to waste. It was time to go on the hunt; it was time to find his mate.

********

"Slaves, all of them." Seti barked to his commander. He watched the mummified soldier motion to his subordinate and smiled as the once very human man, turned his decrepit face to the horrified, howling people, moving them on to the shelters that would hold them. The cities he was conquering was yielding a great plethora of peoples, some fitting for sacrifice, others for building the massive statues that would pay homage to his master, the great God, Set. His army was proving once again invincible and this time there would be no guardian to curse him and end his life. Perhaps now was the time to impregnate a wife and bring forth the God Set. If he used the right witching spell, the God’s soul could be born within the child he created. He wondered, for a moment if he could convince Teya to carry a child, if she knew their master would be brought forth.

Looking around he smiled at the handiwork of the slaves that he had captured with the city’s conquests. Ahh, when Teya returned they would have their first sacrifice to their God in hopes that he would deem them worthy as his followers. To that end, Seti had made sure to begin several large statues in the God’s likeness, certain that it would bring him favor. Perhaps, though, it was time for more than that… perhaps he should go into a meditative trance and see if he could contact the God and ascertain his will. Only through intense prayer and thought could he truly know what Set desired. Perhaps he wanted the mass populations enslaved to his very will.

Standing, he looked at his commander. "I am going to meditate. Do not disturb me. See to it that the slaves work until dark. " Whirling, he stalked off to his private chambers to prepare his mind for the contact. It was said that he who was not worthy and he who was prepared would be driven crazy by the touch of Set’s mind. With pride, he could say that he had never been ill prepared. His contact with Set brought him nothing but joy or exquisite pain—depending on how you looked at it.

Yes, and soon the entire world would experience what he already knew to be great.

***********

Teya grabbed her up by the collar of her shirt, dragging her along to the fire that crackled in their camp. She had given this much thought, communed with Set and had come to the conclusion that despite Setihamentep’s desire to sacrifice the woman at Telerahad, now was the time to rid the world of this girl’s presence. Vegeta would never succumb if she didn’t.

Bulma struggled against the woman’s iron grip, locking her hands around one, slender wrist and digging her heels into the sand. "You are not going to get rid of me this easily, Teya." She screeched, oblivious to anything around her but saving her life. It had been obvious when the woman had burst into the tent, as if Hell were nipping at her heels that something had set her off and now something bad was going to happen to her. Bulma was too much of a survivalist to go to her death this easily, however, something Teya was going to be realizing here shortly. Perhaps it was some built in trigger, but when push came to shove, she would fight to her last breath.

"Oh I think I am. I have meditated for the better part of the day; attempting to figure the right path for Set… you are too much of a liability. The sacrifice will happen now and not at Telerahad, as Seti had wished it.

"Gee, won’t that piss him off?" Bulma choked out as Teya drug her along, the material of her shirt cutting into her skin and throat. "Speaking of Seti, isn’t he going to be upset when he finds out you’re pregnant." Bulma looked desperately around, searching for anything that she might use to help herself. How in the hell did one stop a mummy, hell-bent on killing you? Drawing her hand back, she made a tight fist and threw it forward, clocking the woman square in the jaw. She was smart enough to realize that it would do her little harm, but if it could just distract her for a moment maybe she could run for it.

It worked. She watched with bemusement, the look of shocked horror that crossed the woman’s face before she felt herself falling. Scrambling up, she barely had time to see Teya gingerly holding the side of her jaw that Bulma had hit. Running, she leapt over the fire unsure where she was going, only knowing that she had to get the hell out of there. If Teya had been determined to kill her before, she would be on fire to see her end now.

"You little bitch!" Teya shrieked in anger. "How dare you lay your hands on me?"

Bulma glanced back, watching as Teya stalked towards her, rage distorting the features, making her seem truly monstrous—much more than before. Bulma wasn’t certain what was more frightening, the way she had looked as Seti had first awoken her, or the way she looked now, as if the devil himself possessed her.

Her attention turned completely to the menacing figure that was moving towards her, she didn’t see the unmovable object that landed directly in her path until she had crashed headlong into it. With a gasp she threw her hands out to catch herself, only to find a pair of warm, gloved hands grasp her shoulders and hold her in place.

"Miss me?" The deep, rich voice shot through her brain, firing through her sense and with a sharp cry of relief she collapsed against him, relieved as two strong bands of steel encircled her for the briefest of moments. Looking up, she saw him, face lit by the fire, smirking down at her. "Get out of here." He murmured softly, allowing his black gaze to scorch over her before they smoldered into her own blazing blue gaze.

Like clear water, he thought reflectively, reveling in the crystal blue gaze for a moment before steeling himself to let her go and shove her away. "I will deal with Teya myself." Vegeta regarded her for the briefest of moments, remorse and some other softer emotion flickering in the depths of his eyes before they turned hard and cold, devoid of all emotion save the desire to kill and focusing completely on the woman that approached him.

"Vegeta…" Bulma started, panic racing through her and unsure of what to say, but he laid a finger to her lips, silencing her and she inhaled deeply as he turned his black orbs to her once more. Kami, there was so much regret shining in them, acres and acres of regret shadowing the depths of those beautiful black eyes, enough to make her want to sob.

"Not now, woman. There is much we have to say to each other, but now isn’t the time." His voice remained cool as he dropped his finger from her mouth, settling his face into the mask of neutral disinterest he reserved for all his opponents. With a push, he sent her along. "Go." He rasped, attention turned completely to the woman that had approached them. "I will find you in a bit, after I have dealt with this bitch."

"Vegeta," Bulma whispered, backing away, "you can’t beat her. "

"She has taken my honor from me, Bulma." Vegeta said quietly, pride and anger laced through the words. "As a Saiya-jin warrior, my pride will not allow that. You should know that by now. Now go. "

Swallowing back a sob, she whirled, stumbling out of the camp and running as fast as her legs could carry her, knowing that he would need no distractions from his battle and not stopping even when sharp pain lanced through her side, telling her she was overtaxing her body. Half-blinded by tears that she could not allow to fall, she ran on, not looking back once. What happened then, after this fight was done? Would she be able to face him, knowing what had transpired between them? Would she be able to look at him and not see him making love to Teya? Worse though, what if something happened to him, or Teya got her wish and he succumbed to her and lost his soul? She caught her breath as another image of Teya and Vegeta lanced through her mind like a spear. Why had he slept with her? Sure she might have had her face, but shouldn’t he have been able to tell the difference? Breath hitching painfully and lungs burning, she slowed her stride, bending over and gasping for air, unsure how far she had run or even where she had run to.

Collapsing to the ground, she bent over laying her head against the grainy sand, shivering suddenly as a cool breeze wafted over her. It was so cold here, burning during the day, but freezing now and she was not dressed for it and her sweat-slicked skin, wet from the run did little to improve that situation. In the distance she heard nothing. She couldn’t have run that far from Vegeta, maybe a mile—maybe. How could she have just left him like that? His soul was probably at its most vulnerable right now and she had just deserted hi in the blink of an eye. Standing, she determined to go after him, to find some way to help him out, but as she looked around at the flat barren nothingness, she realized with a sickening jolt that she had become turned around, and every direction she turned looked the same. She had run up and down more than a few dunes, some big, some small. Perhaps if she climbed up one she would see the glow from the fire. She couldn’t be that far from the camp.

She couldn’t be lost in the desert, she just couldn’t be. Suppressing a shudder, she half-ran, half climbed up the nearest dune and looked around. There was nothing, not even a light show from Vegeta to tell her anything. Did that mean they had not started fighting yet? Or had he already succumbed to Teya? She slid to the sandy ground as if she were boneless, wrapping her arms around herself. She had little choice but to wait it out and see what happened and hope that she was far enough away from any action that she wouldn’t get hurt or killed or worse—she swallowed painfully, her throat parched and dry, she would be lost out here and die slowly and painfully. Why did Vegeta always have to battle first and help her later? It was just like the android battle, when she had been left to die in her airplane, while he had stood calmly, looking for Gero. And this time, she couldn’t even claim foolishness as the cause of her being in the thick of things, this time it went beyond her control. Moaning softly, she huddled into a ball, waiting any sign, any portent of things. "Please, Vegeta, you have to be alright." She whispered shakily, into the night air. "You have to be alright."

***********

"So you found me, husband?" Teya smiled maliciously at the man who stood, battle ready, before her. "I am touched that you missed me. Did you come to help me sacrifice the little witch to Set?"

Vegeta’s lips curled up into a mocking smile. "Sacrifice?" He spat out arrogantly. "The only sacrifice your God is going to get is you. "

"You are full of yourself aren’t you, Vegeta? Tell me, where was all that confidence earlier when you had me by my throat? I certainly seemed to escape your grasp then and you were so angry and so certain that I was going to die. Besides to kill me would kill you wouldn’t it? Isn’t that how the bond works? I sense a great amount of confusion on the subject in your mind. Can you afford to take the chance?"

"Hardly." Vegeta ground out, furious that he knew so damn little about the fucking bond. Why had he thought to do something he didn’t know how to control? How could he have been so utterly stupid? Fury gripping him, he growled in rage, firing several random blasts at her, smirking as he watched each one hit its mark. "Stupid bitch. Think you could dodge out of the way. " Watching he waited for the smoke and sand to clear and land around him, not surprised to see to her standing before him apparently unscathed.

"Surely you can do better than that." Teya smirked, enjoying the look of annoyance that crossed his face. She could use some more of her powder and render him unconscious, before she went and retrieved the girl. Reaching into her pouch, she watched as he approached her, body straight and proud. By Set he was a magnificent creature, but one nearly impossible to control—completely unmanageable. She would have to find a way to take his soul completely. She had to purge what little goodness he clung to. Somehow, she was fairly certain getting him to do the things he had no desire to do was the key. Perhaps he could be the one that killed the girl he so desired. Maybe if she could trick him into that, it would be the final blow to his already diminished honor and pride. Losing the woman was the key, she was almost positive of it.

Vegeta watched her reach into her pouch and grimaced. Dammit, he could not fight if she was going to blow some more of that shit into his face. "Are you such a weakling that you must rely on that poison to win your battles." He sneered, backing away from her as he spoke. He needed to get away from her before she incapacitated him again. He had already experienced that shit once, he had no desire to go through it again.

"There is no escape for you, Vegeta." Teya whispered icily. "Even as you flee from here, I will find you… my army will find you and you will face the destiny that is yours." Dammit she had no choice but to allow him to go. She could hardly fly after him. She smiled triumphantly. She had this bond that he had created between them, he would be easy to find with that and she had the connection to the woman’s brain, though she was still unable to fully explain how or why. She was positive it had something to do with Nefertit. Besides even if he were able to talk the girl into attempting to re-bond with him, she would have to prove stronger and that was an impossibility. He would attempt and fail, of that she was certain.

"Whatever, bitch." Vegeta spat, furious that he was being forced to flee. He didn’t have many options with the witch using her damn potions and poisons. She could easily raise that damn undead army of hers and keep him fruitlessly occupied while she went and killed Bulma, or worse she could render him helpless with the powder she had polluted his system with earlier and do God knows what to him. No, it was a chance he could not take, not now. First he needed to go and break the fucking bond that bound them together—if it was possible, and then he would return and kill her, catch her unawares.

"Run, Vegeta." Teya laughed viciously. "Run to your little mortal plaything and see if she is strong enough to break our bond. Her mind is nothing to mine, nothing and once you realize that, you will willing come to all that Set has to offer you—power, wealth, glory, unimagined strength—it will all be yours." How could she have been so worried? Of course the little girl was nothing compared to her.

You are too weak to win, Bulma. Not even Nefertit can help you. She tossed back her head and laughed throatily. What a day this was turning out to be. She would simply rise up her army and send them after him. He would be devastated after his attempts to bond failed and his soul would be ripe for the pickings.

With a sneer of contempt Vegeta rocketed into the sky searching for some sign of Bulma’s miniscule ki. With her being so near to him, she would be far easier to find, than she had been before. Sensing her a short distance away he raced to her, wanting to grab her up and put as much distance between them and Teya as he could so that they could have the time they needed to re-form their bond and break the one that he had formed with Teya. Despite Teya’s words, he had little fear that Bulma couldn’t break the bond. The damn woman had to have the strongest will of any woman he had ever met, stubborn and tenacious, passionate and willful. If anyone could do it, it was her and she was all he wanted.

Spotting her from the air, he swooped down, landing softly behind her as she lay quivering in the sand. What was wrong with her? "Woman?" He growled cautiously.

Bulma’s head shot up at the sound of his smooth voice and she watched him silently as he walked stealthily towards her. "Vegeta?" She whispered, teeth chattering from the cold. "Vegeta, are you through with her already?" Shakily she stood, watching as he stopped a few feet from her. She had thought she had heard Teya’s voice echo in her brain, taunting her.

"Bah!" He spat, clenching his fists to his side, anger flowing through him again. "The witch fights with potions that I cannot beat, as much as it pains me to admit that and with this damn, fucking bond—" He broke off, black eyes darting upwards to gaze into her intense blue gaze. Dammit, he should not have just blurted it out like that. She was likely furious with him over it in the first place. Calming his ire, he tried again. "What did she tell you?"

"I’m not sure you want to know." Bulma whispered, glancing away. "I am not sure of exactly what happened myself. I had wanted to believe that it wasn’t real—the things she said." She frowned, looking back up at him, surprised that she wasn’t shrieking and crying to the heavens at the sheer injustice of it all. "I assume by your own words that you’ve bonded with her."

Vegeta strode to her, taking her in his arms. "I’ll explain all shortly, Bulma, first we need to get the hell out of here before she finds us. This is far too close to where she is to take the chance. We need time and privacy."

Bulma nodded, unresisting as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted them into the sky. She had long ago grown used to the speed with which the man flew and had resigned herself to the idea of trusting him with her neck on the rare occasions he had deemed it appropriate for them to fly together. Truth be told, she found it rather thrilling to be able to experience flight and at such amazing speeds. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she allowed his body heat to seep into her chilled bones, warming her quickly and leaving her more than a bit lethargic. For a time, pressed against him like this, she could almost forget all the troubles that seemed to be following them, and she could almost forget that he was the haughty Prince of all Saiyan who would never show her one bit of affection in public.

Vegeta felt her body relax against him and smirked, pleased that she still trusted him, enough to fall asleep in his arms. He hadn’t been sure how she would react after learning the truth about he and Teya. So far she was taking it fairly well. Still, the thought of having to ask her to bond with him after he had so dishonored her by touching another left him cold and shamed. He should not have to wallow in shame and remorse for this, yet he had little options thanks to that damned bitch. It was not the Saiyan way to dally after a bond had been formed. Never mind that he had been tricked… he should have known better, should have not been so desperate to mate with her that he had lost all reason and judgment. That he had, left him feeling nauseated. It was against his code to act in such away, yet where this woman was concerned he found all his hard fought truths and beliefs being challenged and tossed aside. It was something he could not explain to himself, no matter how hard he tried, and as much as he wished he could simply turn his back on her and their brat, he found that he couldn’t do that either. He wanted to parent Trunks, wanted to train the boy and he wanted to share his life with this woman, the mother of his son.

Bulma wasn’t certain when she dozed off or how long she had slept, all she was really cognizant of, was Vegeta shaking her awake gently. Opening her eyes, she saw him leaning over her, black brows drawn downwards in annoyance.

"Woman." He grated out impatiently. "I’ve been shaking you for awhile now, are you ever going to get up?"

"Where am I?" Bulma sat up, looking about her surroundings. He had apparently found some ruins to camp in, for around her were pillars and thick stone walls carved with faint hieroglyphics and painted with faded murals. Kami, she hoped he hadn’t stuck them in a tomb. He had even started a small fire and cooked something up over the flames, something that looked disgustingly like a lizard—if the shape of it were any indication.

"Where are we, Vegeta?" She murmured again, moving closer to the fire to warm her aching body. The damn ruin was damp and chilly. "Is this place safe?"

"For now." He replied dispassionately, turning back to the fire. "It will do for the rest of the night. Tomorrow we’ll need to leave." He had meticulously chosen the spot, after hours of flying, deciding that he had more than enough space to carryout what needed to be done tonight with Bulma. The bond with Teya had been carefully blocked so that she wouldn’t be able to get any sense of him until he decided it was time. He wanted to be sure that she was surprised. "Eat." He commanded, watching the look of disgust that crossed her face and smirking. She was so predictable.

"You know," She replied, after a moment, "this reminds me of the Dragonball hunt I went on with Goku. He hunted and ate everything, bugs, worms, lizards…" she gulped, "wolves. I never understood how he could do that."

"Saiyans will eat anything when they need to." He looked pointedly at the spit. "Now eat."

"What about you?" Bulma asked dryly, not really wanting to eat what he had prepared for her, yet she couldn’t deny the rumbling if her belly or the desire to assuage it.

"I ate mine raw." He smirked, watching her already pale face blanch whiter still. "I cooked yours because I knew you would never eat one raw and you are going to need some strength. Now eat." His voice brooked little room for argument.

With more than a little apprehension, she reached for the spit and pulled it away from the fire, blowing on it gingerly. Oh Kami, could she really do this? Could she actually eat whatever this thing had been? At least it was cooked. The whole idea of eating it raw left her with the desire to puke, but she swallowed the urge down, inhaling deeply before quickly taking a bite and nibbling on it. To her surprise, the meat was tender and almost pork flavored. Vegeta had managed to roast it to perfection.

She ate in silence, uncomfortably aware of Vegeta’s close scrutiny and trying to not act self-consciously because of it. She could tell he wanted to speak to her, and she knew what it was he felt the need to talk to her about, trouble was, she wasn’t certain she was prepared to hear it.

Laying the spit down, she looked up at him, shocked when he suddenly leaned forward and captured her mouth in a hard kiss. Pulling away just as suddenly, he stood and walked to a pillar, leaning against it, arms crossed across his chest.

"You didn’t wear your armor." She murmured shyly, seeing him clearly since they had first reconnected back at Teya’s camp. A simple dark blue training pants and shirt, something similar to his old battle shirt and pants, but remarkably casual and low key, had replaced the usual Saiyan armor he favored. The Saiyan boots and gloves completed his look.

"There was no need for it. This is an enemy that uses subterfuge and cunning to kill, not ki blasts." He remarked casually, brows drawing downwards again.

Bulma wasn’t sure of it was exasperation or annoyance at her that had him looking so cross. He wanted to talk about this—about them and she wasn’t sure she could handle what he would say. Fortifying herself, she took another deep breath before speaking, opening the subject for him. "What happened with Teya, Vegeta?" Though she was fairly certain, based on what she could piece together from her own memory and the small taunts that Teya had thrown her way, that she could guess. Teya had tricked him.

Vegeta opened his mouth before promptly closing it. What in the hell was he going to say to her? How was he going to explain to her that he had fucked another woman, believing it to be her and had in the process managed to tie himself to her for all eternity? He was only now just recalling the few things that Nappa had told him about bonding. How in the hell was he going to explain the intricacies to her? Why had he ever thought he needed to bond with her?

"There was a fight at Capsule Corp." He began, forcing the words out. "After the fight you showed up—or at least what I thought was you. I already felt strange, but I brushed it off…and then you came on to me…"

"Wait a minute here, Vegeta." Bulma stood and approached him, brow creased in irritation, knowing full well that Teya had mimicked her, yet feeling the desire to play the devil’s advocate and get him to admit something. Her anger was unreasonable, she knew, but no less potent for that knowledge. "How could I be coming onto you when I had been kidnapped by Teya?"

"I didn’t know that at the time, woman." Vegeta grated out, teeth clenched. He had known this wouldn’t be easy, still to have her look at him that way, as if he had secretly known who it was and desired her all along was enough to make him ill. "She looked like you, talked like you—"

"Did she smell like me too?" Bulma asked quietly, sarcasm rife in her tone. "I mean you who have such superior senses, shouldn’t you have been able to tell the difference?"

Vegeta pushed off the pillar, eyes flashing as he grabbed her arms. "I would have known, I just—" He broke off, unsure how to go on. What did he tell her, that he had been so desperate to have her he had ignored every single instinct he had? He would never admit that, not in a million years. No, she could never know that he had any sort of feelings for her beyond the most basic or she would manipulate him and use him to serve her own ends and worse, something far worse, like Teya, would and could use him if they knew he had feelings for her.

"You what, Vegeta?" Bulma asked quietly, staring into the midnight black eyes. She could see the indecision, the torrent that swirled around them and she wanted to reach out and assure him that everything was okay. "Vegeta, I love you." She spoke softly, never looking away. "And I will be damned if I leave you to this bitch, but I’m not sure if things will ever be the same again. I—" She broke off as his mouth descended harshly across hers. She felt his arms slip around her and tighten, crushing her against his chest. She struggled against him, hoping he would relax his grip, thankful when he did just enough for her to breathe while his mouth plundered hers almost desperately.

"Woman," Vegeta whispered against her mouth, mortified that it had come to this, but knowing he had no other options. In this he needed her help. "I need you to fight for me. Will you do that?"

Bulma pulled her head back and regarded him for a moment, noticing for the first time the hesitant look lurking deep within his eyes and the horror at having to ask another living being to aid him. " You know I would, but I need to understand all this more. Vegeta, she told me she was pregnant." She regretted the words immediately as he released her and staggered back.

"What?" He gasped, feeling as if the air had been knocked from his body by a tremendous fist pounding against him. "That’s not possible, I—" Oh God, it couldn’t be, he couldn’t have gone that far with it, could he have? Disgust ran through his body at the idea that he had fathered a child with another woman. Surely she was lying, toying with Bulma to make her pain worse. Glancing up, he looked at her, noticing the stricken expression on her face. Reaching out to her, he drew her into his warm embrace and held her. "I—I’m sorry," He gasped. "I didn’t mean for that to happen, I thought I was bonding to you. We had talked about it and I decided I wanted it done before anymore shit went down with that damn bitch. If I were bonded to you, I would be able to tell what was happening to you and I—" He faltered as he felt her shake in his arms. "Bulma…" he whispered brokenly.

"You know Vegeta." Bulma’s voice vibrated against his chest, thick with unshed tears. "You are the most difficult man I have ever been with and the only one who has caused me this much pain. I mean granted Yamcha cheated, but he never once left me to die or fathered children with thousand year old mummies." She shuddered in his arms.

Vegeta felt as if she had doused him in ice-cold water. Reacting he shoved her away from him. "Fine," He snarled, slipping back into the comfortable blanket of his anger. "Then perhaps you should run back to your little lover and have him take care of you." His lip curled up in fury at the images the statement invoked.

Bulma felt her temper ignite and she lashed out, blue eye blazing into him like the hot desert sun. "Well excuse me, Prince Vegeta. Let’s see, my so-called husband let his son and wife fall from the sky to their deaths while he just hovered near by. Thank Kami my future son was there because we would have been dead had he not been. Then the same husband, up and leaves me alone, letting me think that he was never coming back, only to come back and say, I want to bond with you. There are no words of love, or affection, just this intense thing pushed at me and now he goes off and fucks a mummy who was disguised as me, fathers a child with her and expects me to be alright with this? Did you ever think for one moment that any of that might hurt me, Vegeta?" Her voice, which had started off taut and hard, had risen with each syllable she uttered until it was a full-out furious yell.

Vegeta clenched his fists, torn between shame and fury at her words. What the hell did she want him to say, that he loved her? He’d say that when hell froze over, the damn bitch. It should be enough that he wanted her as his mate, he the Prince of all Saiyans had chosen her as his mate and she dared to throw it back at him. His eyes narrowed as he watched her chest heave and her eyes flash like blue fire, glowing with an almost unholy glow. Even now, after all the things she had just hurtled out at him, after the way she had trampled his pride, he wanted her and that knowledge cut through him like a knife. "Damn you bitch, I am the Prince of all Saiyans. I honored you when I chose you as my mate."

"I’m sorry, Vegeta, am I supposed to thank you for that honor? Especially considering that I never asked to be with the Prince of all Saiyans. I wanted you Vegeta, the man, not the damned title. Newsflash: Your planet doesn’t exist anymore. Your on Earth now, where royalty doesn’t matter." She whirled around, unable to stare into the furious black eyes any longer.

Vegeta took a step towards her, prepared to throttle her for her words. Maybe he could just kill her now and end his misery. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he cringed, knowing he would never be able to lift a hand to hurt her. He did love her, though he would be damned if he would ever let that little bit of knowledge see the light of day. It would be best to keep the shameful admission completely to himself. Still, watching her and her anger, it was painfully clear that she was not going to be willing to bond with him or accept him. He had known it would be this way and yet he had lowered himself even deeper into the mire to ask her. With a grimace he turned away from her.

"I’m sorry, Vegeta." Bulma spoke quietly, attempting to gather herself. "I just don’t know if I will ever be able to not look at you and see you in bed with that damn bitch." Bulma swiped at a tear, not wanting him to see it. "I know you thought it was me, that she tricked you, but this one is going to take some time to get over. I’ll help you out however you need me to, but it’s going to take some time for things to be all right again. I need some answers. I need—" What did she need? She wasn’t sure. Kami, rationally she knew that he had honestly believed it to be her, knew that he would never, in a million years, give himself to Teya, yet her heart was broken and she couldn’t make it seem to understand what her mind knew. "Vegeta?" She asked when she got no answer. Turning around to look at him, she found herself alone. Panicking she ran to the entrance, calling his name. "Vegeta!" Where had he gone? Why did the damn man have to be so temperamental? Why had she had to go off on him like that? She should have known something like this would have hit him hard and her anger would have only made it worse. Still, did he expect her to just blithely go along with whatever he said and did and never express her displeasure? She had never been possessive of her men until she had met him and now suddenly she found herself feeling and thinking things she had never felt before. Yamcha had deliberately cheated on her, had been unable to control himself and she still had never gotten as angry as she was now, knowing full well that there had been no malicious intent on Vegeta's part. Maybe if she could go and rip Teya apart with her bare hands, she would feel better. He had not bothered to explain or help her deal with the flood of new emotions, merely expected her to follow his lead like a lamb to the slaughter and he had another think coming if he thought for one instant she was going to be easy.

"That’s it, you bastard. I am done with you." Bulma spat the words out into thin air, angered at his selfishness. Why did he always have to run when things got tough?

"Nefertit?" Bulma squeaked, surprised by the intrusion into her mind.

"It’s not that I want to let her have him, but I don’t understand anything, and I’m not sure now, that I can fully tie myself to a man that can’t love me back." Why was she talking to a dead woman about this?

Bulma sunk to her knees. "Oh Kami, you’re right. What if he goes back to her now? Knowing Vegeta, he will be so angry that he will do something stupid and get himself killed.

There are worse things than death, Bulma. You must not waste any time. I will guide you to Teya. I fear you are right. Vegeta is a prideful man and he has had it stripped from him by her hand. You did not help things. The voice held the barest hint of reproach and Bulma flushed, more than a little irritated to be receiving a rebuke from a dead woman.

"I suppose you would have handled things differently?" She snapped, knowing full well the ghost was right. She had taken several hits at Vegeta’s pride and honor—the two things he had managed to cling to throughout the entirety of his tumultuous life. Realizing that small fact did little to make her feel better.

My situation was far different from yours. Nefertit responded calmly. Your man is loyal to you, Seti was turned against me—slowly, They poisoned his mind until he went insane from it and now—" She broke off, now he is this monster that you fight to destroy.

"I’m sorry." Bulma said contritely, voice low she cast her eyes downward, feeling remorse run through her. "How did they do this to you?"

*********

Vegeta stood on the outcropping of rock and watched his mate as she trudged across the sand. Where was the little shit going? He had left her to cool off and think things over, only to come back to find her gone. Was she really that disgusted with him that she was leaving? His fist tightened against his side. He would find Teya and kill her and the unborn abomination that he had unknowingly fathered. There was a chance of his death, but if Bulma would not bond with him and attempt to save hi, death was the next preferable thing to living with Teya in his mind for the rest of his life.

"Alright woman, let’s see where you’re going. If you want to play this game, fine… let’s see how you do on your own." Vegeta crossed his arms and waited as she made her way. The little hellion seemed to know where she was going and, his brows drew downwards as his eyes narrowed, it seemed to be in the same direction he could sense Teya. Surely the woman wasn’t that stupid.

"I’ll just go and kill Teya." He muttered to himself, lifting upwards into the air. "What does it really matter anyhow? Kakkarot is dead, Bulma doesn’t want me… if I have to go to Hell, I might as well take that damned bitch with me. "

Ahh, husband, the taunting voice filled his head. Does that mean you’re coming home? The little woman rejected you did she. Soft laughter trilled in his head. Did she tell you about your son—the one that I carry?

I’m coming bitch. Vegeta spoke into her mind with deathly calm, before shutting her from his mind all together. You’d better be ready.

* * * * *