Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or its characters, and am merely borrowing them for this Alternate Universe story which begins during episode 71, "The End of Vegeta". This is a Bulma/Vegeta story. The rating is NC-17 for some nice, romantic love-making. There are also, however, some references to torture and abuse in Vegeta’s childhood, but they are extremely vague. If you are under 17 or would prefer not to read anything with sexual situations, please do not go any further. Please send comments/criticisms to queensaiyajin@aol.com. I love feedback of any kind!

Vegeta grew cold with a terror borne of one close call too many with his former Lord. This was it, the moment he had prepared for and dreaded, the decisive point in time, which would decide his fate and Bulma’s, and perhaps that of the entire galaxy. But damn it, it was too soon! He’d grown stronger, yes, but strong enough to defeat Frieza?

But as he looked into his woman’s eyes, and saw his fear reflected in her own, he knew he had to be strong. For once in his life he had something, no, someone to fight for, other than himself. He would take on Hell itself to keep Frieza from harming her.

"Bulma, I want you to encapsulate everything—the house, Kakarot’s ship—and run. As far away from here as you can." His voice had taken on a calm for her sake as well as his own. He could not let Frieza see his fear. The bastard would sense it and exploit it to his advantage.

She hesitated. "What about you?" she asked needlessly. She had to know what he must do.

"Do it, now!" he commanded her. She grabbed her satchel and he pulled her from the house, taking the dragon radar and placing it in her hands. "Don’t forget this."

She obeyed his wishes, and in moments all that had been their little world was encapsulated in her hand. He watched as she placed the capsules in her bag, securing it to her belt. Good. She would have everything she’d need to survive if—

"Vegeta!" Her eyes were filled with tears as she threw her arms around his neck. He was caught totally unawares, and for a moment dreamed he could escape the next few moments in her arms. "I won’t leave you," she wept.

"Woman, you have to go!" he hissed impatiently as Frieza’s presence drew nearer. The thought that this might be the last time he would ever hold her brushed through his mind, and he felt himself grow weak with despair. If he died today, Hell would be his fate. His angel would be lost to him for all eternity. "It will be all right," he lied, trying to convince himself as well as her. Throwing his pride to the wind he brought his lips to hers one last time, kissing her tenderly. "Now go," he said softly.

He didn’t look back as he took to the air, hardening his expression and his heart as he powered up to meet his foe. Her voice whispered in his mind, but he shut it out. If his emotions had weakened him, then he would have to expel them now. There would be no time for weakness.

The black energy that had polluted his youth and haunted his dreams grew more intense as the Tsiru-jin Lord drew near. He was nowhere in sight, yet the lizard’s foul stench had begun to fill his nostrils. He was close, so…

A blow to his head sent Vegeta reeling through the air. He righted himself to see the object of his nightmares standing before him, a hideously vindictive smirk on his face.

"So, my little Prince, you survived. And I thought I’d seen every last monkey dead. My, this is a pleasant surprise."

"I’ve always told you that we Saiyans are stronger than you could ever imagine," Vegeta replied.

"Oh, please, don’t start with that same old story about Super Saiyans," Frieza said rolling his red eyes. "You must know your friend Kakarot died just as easily as his father."

"They were third class soldiers," Vegeta said with disdain. "Neither of them was destined to be the Legendary reborn."

"Not like you, right? The Prince of all Saiyans?" Frieza mocked, knowing just which buttons to push. "Tell me, ouji-sama, with every other Saiyan dead, who’s left for you to rule?"

Vegeta could feel his blind fury beginning to rise, but he knew that was exactly what Frieza wanted—for him to lose all reason. He held his temper in check, responding instead, "You seem to have lost more than a few followers yourself. What happened to the Invincible Ginyu force? We swatted them like flies. Is that the best you have?"

Frieza growled in consternation. "You and your Earth friends cost me my best forces—not to mention the dragonballs. But all that will be remedied soon."

"Oh, really? And how is that?"

"I didn’t come here to find you, Vegeta. As far as I was concerned, you were dead. I came here to find the secret to the other dragonballs that are rumored to be on other planets. Somewhere on this forsaken place there have to be some kind of records. I’ll find them. And when I do, my second wish will be to bring back my armies." He paused, studying Vegeta’s carefully guarded expression. "I suppose I don’t have to tell you what my first wish will be."

"To be reborn as a Saiyan?" Vegeta suggested blandly.

"Oh, I do miss your humor," Frieza replied. "It will pain me to kill you…again."

"I’m sure you’ll have just as much success this time as the last!" Vegeta said as the blue ki around him began to glow with his rage.

"Why don’t we see about that?" With that he aimed a death blast as he had at Goku straight at Vegeta’s chest…

…and Vegeta deflected it away and into space.

Frieza shot again, and again, and each time Vegeta met his blasts with more ease. And as Frieza’s frustration grew, so did Vegeta’s confidence, until he began to laugh out loud.

"So, you have grown stronger, Monkey. But I don’t have time to play with you." With that he began to transform into the sleek alabaster form that had nearly taken Vegeta’s life just months before.

With new self-assurance and the thrill of battle pounding in his heart, Vegeta began the meteoric rise to the new heights he had reached in the gravity chamber. The ground below began to quake, and the sky began to darken as he cried out in a glorious rush of power.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

Through the flashing electricity of his own ki and the swirling gusts of wind that he himself had generated, he saw Frieza staring at him in utter astonishment.

And he laughed, maniacally this time. How had he ever doubted that he could do it? He lunged at Frieza then, grabbing the lizard by his tail and swinging him around at such speed that he became nearly invisible to the naked eye. Then, with a final roar, he tossed him into the rocks below.

Frieza was stunned, and anger flashed in his eyes. At light speed the beast was coming towards him…

…and Vegeta sped past him, leaving him punching at the air.

For an eternity it seemed they continued like that, the Tsiru-jin’s frustration turning into rage each time he failed to land a punch. But even as Vegeta seemed to expend his energy, Frieza seemed to maintain or even increase his own, until finally the weakened Saiyan Prince could no longer evade every attack. Suddenly the devil’s tail found its way around his chest, and Vegeta groaned as he felt his ribs crack. He cursed himself silently for not having thrown on his armor, damaged as it was, for it would have protected him better than the Earth clothes he’d been wearing. With a last push of strength he broke free of Frieza’s grasp, long enough to distance himself sufficiently for his finishing move. Gathering the last of his energy into huge glowing spheres, he brought his arms forward, taking aim…

"Final flash!"

Blinding streams of energy poured from his hands, sapping the last of his strength into what he hoped would be enough. He watched through squinting eyes as the blast seemed to envelop Frieza in its brilliance, then shoot out into space…

He collapsed on the ground breathing deeply. His strength was gone. It had taken everything from him. And as he looked up to the spot where Frieza had been, he caught his breath and grew cold with fear.

Frieza floated down, landing just feet from where he sat too spent to move. The Tsiru-jin was bloodied and had one swollen eye shut. But he was in one piece.

"It can’t be…" he breathed in utter disbelief. I put everything I had into that attack. I don’t even have the strength to blast him.

"My, you have grown beyond my expectations. I have to say, I’m very impressed, Vegeta." The real admiration was even more sickening than contempt would have been.

Bulma, I’m sorry…Please…stay away… He didn’t want her to see what would happen next. Gods, he didn’t want her anywhere near here…

Frieza was looking down at him pensively.

"What are you waiting for?" he spat at the Tsiru-jin. He knew he was beaten. Why was the son of a bitch dragging it out?

"Maybe…I have a better use for you."

The mere words made him shudder within as he the horrors of his childhood came back to him. "Just kill me, you sick bastard," he said with disgust.

"You were right about one thing, Vegeta," he continued, ignoring him. "I’ve had a pitiful lack of strong warriors at my side since you and your friends decimated the Ginyu Force. And as much as I hate to admit it, you’re probably a hundred times more powerful now than Captain Ginyu

himself was."

"And you murdered Saiyans for having less power than mine," he reminded him. "So what’s your point?"

"You’re just one Saiyan, and quite honestly, I don’t have any concern that your power will ever come close enough to mine to be a threat." His words stung at Vegeta’s pride more than the blows to his body had injured him. And Frieza damn well knew that.

"Your point?!" Vegeta growled once more, slowly standing to face his adversary.

"I’m willing to give you a second chance."

Vegeta could not have been more surprised, but he needed no thought to answer. "Go fuck yourself."

"Don’t be so hasty, my old friend," Frieza said, nonplussed by his hostility. "Isn’t this precisely what I trained you for? I favored you, Vegeta, because I saw in you a future lieutenant. With you at my side we would be unstoppable. Think of the power and riches that could be ours—"

"I’ve no desire for those things, Frieza. If you don’t finish me now, then just let me live out my life in solitude and peace on this barren rock."

Frieza looked at him slyly. "You’ve changed, Vegeta. Do you expect me to believe that not even the lure of the dragonballs and the immortality they could give us both means anything to you?"

"You’ll never find the dragonballs, Frieza. Don’t you think I’ve searched for some clue as to where they are? There’s nothing left of the Nameks." His voice took on a tone of disdain as he added, "You and I saw to that."

With satisfaction he noted that Frieza seemed to consider his words. "Besides," he added, with a knowing smirk, "Do you expect me to believe that you would allow anyone but yourself a wish?"

"The Namek dragonballs had three wishes," Frieza reminded him. "Two should suffice for me—at least the first time around."

"You’ve become obsessed with these dragonballs," Vegeta commented, as an idea began to take shape in his mind.

"You might say that. I even went to that pitiful planet Earth that your friend Goku grew up on, but it seems that when I destroyed that weakling Namek Piccolo, the dragonballs went with him."

Vegeta’s heart stopped, for Bulma’s sake. "You’ve been to Earth, then?" he asked quietly.

"Just briefly. I was so pissed off when I found out the dragonballs had disappeared that I blew it out of the sky."

A soft gasp reached Vegeta’s ears, and he froze in terror as he realized that Frieza had heard it too. They turned as one to see Bulma poorly hidden behind an outcropping of boulders. Vegeta tensed as Frieza stepped towards her, ready to attack if he got too close.

"Well, what do we have here, Vegeta?" Frieza asked in amusement. "So much for your peace and, what did you say, solitude?" He took a step towards Bulma, looking her over from head to toe. "No, you obviously have not been alone."

Vegeta resisted the urge to strike out, knowing that his words and actions would determine not only his fate, but Bulma’s. Lying was not his forte. But he’d spent a lifetime masking his emotions, and he mentally resurrected that wall once more, knowing that it was his only hope to save her.

"A bed slave, Frieza. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Really?" Frieza reached out with one hand to touch her trembling cheek, and Vegeta willed himself restraint, knowing that the slightest show of jealous rage and protectiveness would give Frieza just the leverage he needed. "And just where did you find her?"

"She’s an Earthling. I killed her master and took her, along with the rest of his possessions." Thankfully, Frieza seemed to accept his answer. "Now forget about the girl! We were discussing your offer."

Frieza turned back to him, and Vegeta struggled not to make eye contact with Bulma. He could feel her fear turning to rage and confusion, but he dared not even send his thoughts to her, lest Frieza sense their contact.

"Well, what do you say, Vegeta? Join me, and fight by my side once more?"

Vegeta looked him in the eyes, his face a mask of stone. "Why not?"

Bulma simply stared at him in shock, too horrified to speak. She had seen Vegeta slowly begin to lose to Frieza, and had seen the realization of imminent defeat in his eyes. She’d listened to him lie about her, knowing it was to protect her…but this? The man she had loved here on Namek would rather die than return to Frieza’s service. Had his fear of this creature so warped his reason that he would return to a life he loathed? Or had everything he’d told her, everything she’d felt through their bond been…

a lie? She reached out desperately with her thoughts trying to touch his, but she could feel the link between them being consciously severed, as if a barricade to his heart and his soul had been suddenly erected. He was rejecting her, shutting her out, and the void where his presence had been wrenched at her as if she were slowly dying inside. The grief was overwhelming, and she fought back the tears as she watched him transform once more into the impenetrable beast he had been when she’d first met him.

"Good," Frieza said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

"Just one condition," Vegeta added, much to the lizard’s surprise. "I take the Earth girl with me. Not for your garrisons, or for you. For me. My personal bed slave. No one touches her but me."

Frieza looked at her as if appraising her worth. "She’s that good, eh? Selfish boy, you wouldn’t even let me try her out just for fun?"

Bulma cringed in revulsion as he reached out a cold hand towards her, but Vegeta’s voice prevented the contact.

"No," he said sharply. "Earthlings are extremely weak. Ten minutes with you and she would be useless to me, if she even survived."

Frieza raised an eyebrow but withdrew his hand. "Something that delicate can’t be much fun."

"She’s sufficient, and I’ve broken her in. That’s good enough for me."

Frieza stepped away from her and faced Vegeta suspiciously. "You’re quick to give conditions, but you know very well that I could simply force you to go with me."

Vegeta shook his head arrogantly. "Not this time, Frieza. There’s nothing left that I truly care about that you could hold over my head. My father, my planet, my race—they’re all gone. As for myself, I could go with you or let you kill me. At this point, either would suit me."

Frieza eyed him carefully, digesting his words. "And the Earth girl? Do you care about her?"

Vegeta laughed. "As much as you ever cared about your countless whores. She’s a decent bed-warmer. Doesn’t your lieutenant deserve that much?"

Frieza shrugged. "Take her, then. You can keep her in your quarters. But I will need to see some proof of your loyalty."

"You want proof? How about this?!" Bulma gasped as he came at her, grabbing the dragon radar from its clip on her waist, and handing it to his enemy turned ally.

"What is this?" Frieza asked, looking it over.

"A dragon radar," Vegeta told him. "It will help us track down dragon balls wherever they are in the galaxy."

Bulma could no longer contain the rage and humiliation that had been building with every disgusting word that spewed from his mouth. Any doubt of his intentions vanished with this ultimate betrayal. "Vegeta, you son of a bitch! I hate you!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

For a moment she thought she could see hurt flash in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant as he raised his hand as if to strike her. She shrank from him in real fear as he shouted, "Be silent, woman!"

Frieza was ignoring them, apparently too intrigued by Vegeta’s gift. "And where did you get this? You’re not going to tell me that your pretty little piece of ass made this?"

Vegeta laughed, scoffing at the idea. "You’re not serious. Her master was the one who developed it. I killed him for the radar, and just got her in the bargain."

"Not a bad deal," he commented. "Well then. This has indeed been a profitable day. Let’s not waste any more time then. We have dragonballs to find."

Vegeta nodded and turned to her, grabbing her by the arm. "Come on, girl," he said roughly, but she pulled free of his grasp.

"Never! Just get the fuck away from me, you bastard!" This time he grabbed her around the waist, apparently unperturbed as she kicked and scratched at him.

"I think you need some sleep," he said to her with an evil smirk, and with the blow to her head, darkness fell gratefully upon her.

"Bulma…Bulma, please, wake up…"

Vegeta’s voice was soft and loving as he caressed her cheek, and for a moment she dared think it had all been a horrible nightmare. But as her eyes opened and she looked at him, dressed in fresh Saiyan armor, she recoiled from his touch. "Get away from me!" she cried, the pain of his betrayal stinging her anew. She looked around wildly to see that they were in unfamiliar surroundings, a dark room with metal walls and sparse furnishings. The stars speeding by through the porthole told her that they were in space. There was no escape.

Grief turned into rage as she struck out at him once more, pounding wildly on his chest until the armor bruised her hands. "I hate you! I hate you! How could you do this to me!?"

"Bulma, listen to me!" he begged, grasping her arms to hold her close.

In exhaustion and defeat she fell against him, sobbing. "Why? Why?"

"Because there was no other choice."

She looked into his eyes, trying to see who lay behind them—the man she had fallen in love with, or the monster who had sold out to Frieza. The exterior was cool and resigned, but inside she could see his anguish.

"I tried to fight him, Bulma. I almost believed I could kill him. But I wasn’t strong enough," he admitted with shame. "I was prepared for him to kill me. But then you were there."

"But why join with him, Vegeta? The man I love would rather die than do that."

He looked at her with hurt in his eyes as he said emotionlessly, "You hate me, remember?"

She cursed herself for her choice of words with a man who found declarations of emotion so sacred that he could barely voice them. "I love you," she said with such feeling that her voice broke with tears. "I just don’t understand. We would have been better off dead together than here."

He shook his head. "When I die, I will be condemned to Hell for all I have done. You and I won’t be together."

She didn’t want to even contemplate that eventuality.

"You said yourself that we never would have gotten off that rock without a ship. We have one, now. And Frieza will take us right to the dragonballs."

"And then, what?" she asked, failing to see the logic in his plan. "Let him wish for immortality? That monster destroyed both our planets, Vegeta! By giving him the dragon radar, you’ve given him the tool to become indestructible!"

"He’ll never get to use them," he assured her. "I’ll help him find them, then you’ll encapsulate them before he can summon the dragon. He doesn’t know about all your gadgets. Everything you have is still right here, in your pouch."

"That’s why you brought me along?" she asked, still resentful.

He shook his head, and took a deep breath. "Bulma, I couldn’t leave you on that planet. He destroyed Namek the moment we left, just as I knew he would."

She nodded her head in understanding. "And your description of me as your bed slave? I have to say, you made me wonder if that wasn’t how you thought of me all along."

His cheeks flushed crimson. "Bulma, if he knew what you were capable of doing he would take you for his own use. Your mind, your body, and your life would be his to do with as he wished…"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," she said, not needing to hear more.

But there was more. "I’m sorry for the things I had to say," he said with a sincerity that was passionate. "I had to pretend that you meant nothing to me. If he knew my feelings for you…" His voice broke at the possibilities he had conjured in his mind. Very real possibilities that only he could know. "He would destroy you…but not before he had completely broken your body and spirit with his…perversions." His eyes seemed haunted, full of fear. His voice was a hushed whisper as he said, "I will not let him do to you what he did to---"

The unspoken word, "me", hung in the air. He looked away from her eyes as the shame of his admission overwhelmed him. Bulma reached with both hands to turn his face towards hers once more, the anguish of his unshed tears tearing her apart. "I love you," she said tenderly. "And I understand. I’m sorry about what I said. I do love you." She crushed her lips against his, kissing him passionately as he let his mind and spirit flow into hers once more, interweaving with her own, filling the void that he had left when he had pushed her away on Namek. And as she saw his heart she knew why he had done so. He had not trusted himself to obscure his love for her from Frieza. Had he not resurrected the wall around his being that had been there since childhood, Frieza would have known. She had irrevocably changed him, and the only way to hide that fact had been to separate himself from her completely.

It hurt so much, she thought to him. Being separated from you. It was as if…

As if I had died? he finished her thought. I know. That’s how I felt too. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for all of this…

"You did the right thing," she whispered aloud, looking into his eyes. "As long as we’re together. I love you. And I trust you." I should have always trusted you…

He kissed her deeply again, and they lay together in each other’s arms. It might be weeks or months until they could be free of Frieza. But they were alive and they were together, and that was all that really mattered.

Vegeta pounded his fists into his sparring partner with the same viciousness that he had displayed in every match he’d fought since resuming his training on Frieza’s ship. Until the dragonballs were located, there was very little else to do. He missed the challenge of the GT Chamber; the ship’s gravity was pitifully low compared even to Namek. He’d taken to sparring instead as a way both of training and releasing the aggression that was becoming so difficult to mask the more he spent time in Frieza’s company. He would imagine that each opponent was Frieza, just as he had his entire life. But something was different now. Distancing himself from the disciple that Frieza had trained him to be, he would always stop short of killing his challenger. He’d told Frieza it was a waste of strong warriors, joking that he could decimate the entire lot in a day. But he’d still beaten the hell out of each and every one, lest his sudden compassion be taken as weakness. To be perceived as weak was something he could ill afford—especially if he were to keep Bulma safe from harm.

He’d showered and was changing into fresh armor when one of his last sparring partners came cautiously up to him. A young man, probably the same age as he was, with humanoid features but an amazingly strong ki. Vegeta had beaten him to a pulp, then called an end to the match when the man had begun bleeding profusely from the head. Some of the more vulgar onlookers had been yelling for him to finish him off, but Vegeta had proven his superiority over and over. He could afford to let this one go.

"Excuse me, Prince Vegeta. May I have a word with you, please?"

The man was definitely more well-bred than the majority of Frieza’s soldiers. Few of them acknowledged his title, though they all knew who he was. He glanced around to see that they were alone, and nodded.

"My name is Rossdark. I was one of your opponents today—"

"I know. What is it you wish to speak to me about?" he asked brusquely.

"Your lady, sir. I wish to warn you that she may be in danger."

Vegeta’s eyes widened, but he willed himself not to belie his concern. "You mean my bed slave?" he asked, trying to maintain the charade. "Tell me how you know this."

"The other warriors, I’ve heard them speak of her. They rumor she is a great beauty, and they claim you have no right to keep her to yourself when there are so few whores on board. Some of them have boasted that they will have her when you are away, and have already taken bets on who will be the first to—"

"Enough." He couldn’t bear to hear any more. He wasn’t sure he could contain his rage. "Tell me who has dared challenge my property in this way!"

Rossdark shook his head. "Almost everyone, sir. Even…Lord Frieza."

Vegeta could feel his blood beginning to boil. He reached out to Bulma with

their mental link, calmed to sense that she was safely asleep. He looked the other man in the eyes. "Why would you tell me this?"

The man hesitated. Vegeta sensed that Rossdark was afraid of him, and he asked again, more calmly. "I am indebted to you. I would just like to know why you’ve chosen to tell me."

"You spared my life today. When they ordered me to fight you, I was sure you would kill me. I have…a reason to live." At Vegeta’s questioning silence, he continued. "My woman and I were both taken by Lord Frieza in a raid of our planet. He forced me to fight for him, but he took Melza and—"

The man’s voice seemed to break, and Vegeta put a hand on his shoulder. "You don’t have to tell me any more. I can imagine."

Rossdark looked at him with haunted eyes. "They used her, all of them, and by the end of the night, when Lord Frieza was through with her—" He shook his head. "It was a blessing she died. To have lived would have been worse than death. Most days I would just as soon join her, but I promised I would find my way back to our planet, Korwal-sei. We’ve got two children there—"

"I will help you get back to them, if I can count on your faithful service," Vegeta told him, feeling a sudden compassion for this alien who was trying to spare him the same anguish.

Rossdark’s eyes opened wide in amazement. "Anything, ouji-sama," he said eagerly, hope springing in his eyes.

"You will stand guard over my woman whenever I am gone from my quarters, and let no one near her." He paused. "Especially Lord Frieza."

"I will guard her with my life," the man promised.

"You’d better," Vegeta warned. "If anyone gets by you and lays a hand upon her—I will kill you."

Bulma tossed and turned, wishing Vegeta would get back from his training. She’d done just about as much as possible on her special project with the parts he had scavenged for her, but there were still some tools she needed to complete her work. She’d been bored to tears for the first week on board, especially when she’d realized that she’d have to be confined to this small living space. Vegeta refused to let her be seen by anyone, even in his company. His worry seemed almost paranoid, but because he had spent time with Frieza’s men before, she assumed he knew best. Thus far, he had not had to leave the ship. He’d assured her that when the time came to search for the dragonballs, he would take her with him. But his over protectiveness had made her begin to worry herself, which was why she had taken matters into her own hands with her little gadget. She’d convinced him to bring her the materials she needed, and had spent the next week hard at work. Soon it would be finished, and then she would be able to sleep even when he wasn’t beside her.

A sound at the door, and she heaved a sigh of relief. It was him. But…why hadn’t she sensed him? "Vegeta?" she called in the darkness.

Suddenly a rough, calloused hand covered her mouth, muffling her scream. Even as the intruder pulled her from the bed, she could see in the shadows at least two more armored brutes leering at her.

She closed her eyes, in her mind screaming, Vegeeeee-taaaa!! Help me!!!!!!! even as she struggled to break free from her assailant’s grasp. One of the others came nearer and she saw him, a huge seven foot beast with pale white skin and flaming red hair.

"So this is the little whore Vegeta won’t share with the rest of us," he sneered, ripping at her robe, exposing her breasts. He grabbed at her with a talloned hand, making her cry out in pain as his claws pierced her flesh, drawing blood. "Make sure nobody else tries to join the party, Halpo," he said to his companion. "By the time we’re through with her, there might not be anything—"

He never finished his sentence. A blinding blast of ki turned him to charcoal before he even knew what had hit him. In fear the man behind her released his grip, and she ran from him even as Vegeta grabbed him by the neck with one hand, blasting off his head with the other.

The third was trying to escape, but another man had grabbed him.

"You wish to do the honors, Prince Vegeta?"

With murder in his eyes Vegeta nodded, and the other man stepped away as Vegeta turned him to cinder.

He turned to Bulma, looking her over with real fear in his eyes, seeing the blood-stains on her robe where she had covered herself.

"Rossdark, leave us. But stand guard outside." His voice was hoarse with emotion.

The other man nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Bulma threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her to him tightly. "I never should have left you alone. I’m sorry…I’m sorry…"

"Thank goodness you heard me…" she sobbed, still too much in shock to imagine what might have happened if he hadn’t.

He separated from her gently. "You’re hurt, Bulma. You’re bleeding. Let me see." She let him gingerly lift the blood-soaked robe from her skin. The bleeding had slowed, but there were gashes in her right breast. Vegeta took in a breath, and a slight moan escaped his lips. "Did they—?"

"That’s the worst of it," she assured him tearfully. "But if you hadn’t come in—" She shuddered at the thought.

"Just lie still," he said tenderly, as he set to work with her first aid kit, washing and disinfecting her wounds, and bandaging them. He found her clean clothes, dressing her and making her comfortable in bed. Once she was under the covers, he went to the door, calling in the man who had helped him subdue her attackers.

"Bulma, this is Rossdark. He’s pledged loyalty to me, and is sworn to protect you. He will stand guard outside at all times if I’m not in here with you."

The man nodded pleasantly to her, and she thought she saw compassion in his eyes for her ordeal. "I am at your service, my lady."

"Now please dispose of the remains of these three, and make sure it’s known among the men that I will not hesitate to do the same to anyone who tries to take what is mine."

"Yes, ouji-sama," the man said bowing his head in respect, and proceeded to carry out his orders.

When they were alone again, he explained. "They did to his wife what they tried—" He couldn’t finish the sentence, but she understood. "She’s dead. He heard talk that this might happen, and came to warn me. I’ve vowed to help him return to his children on his home planet if he serves us faithfully."

She said nothing, touched by the compassion that Vegeta had shown this man, and glad that he had found that kindness gets repaid in kind. He was looking at her with such worry that she reached out for him, and he lay down next to her, gathering her in his arms.

When I heard you cry out for me…all I could think was that I would go mad if something happened to you. It was easier to think than to say, but she could almost hear the unshed tears in his voice. My gods, woman, if I hadn’t gotten here in time…

You did. That’s all that matters. Traumatic as it had been, in his arms now she felt utterly safe, and ironically she found that it was he who needed reassurance. For in his thoughts she could feel the guilt that he could not shake, blaming himself for everything that had happened and that might yet befall her. Self-doubt nagged at him once more as he questioned the choice he had made that had put her in such danger. It’s not your fault, she told him. And I’m okay.

He sighed deeply, hugging her to him. "I love you," he whispered. The most difficult words of all, yet he had felt the need to say them aloud. He’d never uttered them since that day she had asked, though she knew what was in his heart. She kissed him deeply, letting him know just what that meant to her, then clung to him tightly as they fell into a much-needed sleep.

The next day Vegeta chose as his sparring partner one of the warriors Rossdark had told him had been particularly explicit about what he would do when he got his hands on Vegeta’s woman. The man’s eyes were full of fear. Vegeta smirked cruelly as he realized that word of

his retribution had definitely gotten around. "So you, too, wish to have my woman?" he snarled.

"It was only talk—" he stammered.

Vegeta made sure he would never talk again. The others looked on in fear as he walked from the gym, the remains of his victim still smoking. He cursed himself for not having done this the first day he had sparred with these low-born animals. They hadn’t taken him seriously, and for that Bulma had nearly been—

"Impressive show, Vegeta." He turned to the lisping voice he knew so well. Frieza wore a look of amusement that sickened him. "I hear you did the same to three fools who tried to have your little bed slave."

"I needed to show them that no one takes what is mine," he said with a thinly veiled warning.

"A good show of strength. No one will dare now," he said approvingly.

Vegeta glared at him. "Anyone who does will regret it."

Frieza’s smile faded as he realized the threat was directed at him as well, but said nothing more on the subject. "I’ve come with good news. Your dragon radar indicates we are close. We should make planet fall in two days. It’s a place we use for slaves from time to time, but luckily we’ve left it intact. Korwal-sei."

Vegeta nodded, careful not to react as he heard the name of Rossdark’s planet. "Good. If we have any slaves on board from Korwal-sei we should take them along as guides."

Frieza agreed, and Vegeta took his leave, satisfied in the knowledge that this whole nightmare could be over very soon.

Vegeta reached the door to his quarters and forgot about the dragonballs as he found Rossdark gone, and the door wide open. He ran inside to find his ally bent over Bulma’s unconscious form on the floor. He shoved the man away as he knelt before her. "What happened?!" he roared.

"I came in to check on her, as you bid me to, and found her like this!"

The man’s real fear that Vegeta would think he had betrayed him and done something to Bulma, convinced the enraged Saiyan that he was telling the truth. Vegeta scooped her into his arms, setting her gently on the bed. There were no outward signs of injury, and her breathing was normal. "Leave us, but wait outside for my orders."

"Yes, ouji-sama." The man hurried outside, well-aware that Vegeta’s trust in him had just spared his life.

"Bulma, wake up!" he pleaded, caressing her cheek. He sighed with relief as she began to stir, then slowly opened her eyes.

"Vegeta?" she asked in confusion.

"What happened to you, woman?" he demanded. "Rossdark said he found you on the floor—"

She took a deep breath. "I’ve been getting very dizzy, and when I stood up from my chair, the room started to spin. I must have fainted."

"But why?" He was relieved that she had not been the victim of another attack, yet he knew this was not normal for her.

"I’m okay, now," she said, sitting up to face him, and he immediately knew that there was something more.

"There’s something you’re not telling me," he said simply, though his worry was as evident as his hurt that she was keeping something from him. Immediately she paled, and he knew he was right. "What is it?" he insisted, the fear of a million possibilities driving him mad.

"I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure," she began cautiously. "I was afraid you would be angry—"

"Tell me, woman!" he implored her, his imagination and panic beginning to consume him.

"I’m pregnant, Vegeta."

She could not have shocked him more had she slapped him in the face. Yet relief flooded him as he realized that she was not suffering from some horrible illness. His face softened to a look of wonder as he took in her revelation. A child. She was carrying their child. He reached gingerly to touch her abdomen with his fingertips. "Are you certain?" he whispered.

Her blue eyes pooled with tears. She nodded. "I realize now that’s why I was so sick and irritable before we came here. I was already late, but I forgot about it with all that was

happening. But so much time has passed, and—" Her voice broke off from the nervous ramble. "Are you angry?" she asked in a small voice.

Her question astounded him, and he took her face in his hands. Angry? She couldn’t be serious! He kissed her tenderly, feeling her calm at his touch. He couldn’t even tell her how elated he was. Words to express such emotions were beyond him. To even say that he was happy would fall pitifully far short of the truth. He only hoped that his kisses were telling her what his words could not.

They fell back onto the bed together, and for a long time he held her, just kissing her deeply. When they finally separated, he smiled at her like a fool, not caring. The bright smile she returned him told him that he had gotten across what he could not say. But worry still touched her eyes. "What will we do, Vegeta? I can’t have a baby here—"

"You won’t have to," he promised her. "We’ll be gone long before it’s time. We’ll be in range of the dragonballs in two days. And once we leave this ship, we’re never coming back."

"You’ve found them?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. And they’re on Korwal-sei, our friend Rossdark’s planet. It seems I’ll be able to fulfill all my vows at once."

She smiled as she cuddled against him. "I always knew you would," she whispered.

Rossdark had been thrilled to hear their destination, and had told Vegeta and Bulma all he knew of the dragonballs. Like the others in Frieza’s service, he had had no idea what the Tsiru-jin had been searching for, but it turned out he knew a great deal about the legend on his own planet. A powerful Namek named Payson had made his way to Korwal-sei long ago, and created a dragon capable of granting four wishes. The catch—those who summoned the dragon must remain on the planet for a full year after making the wishes, or they would be undone. This had been done to prevent anyone from making a wish that would prove destructive to Korwal-sei or its inhabitants. The dragonballs had only been used once, to repair the damage of a natural disaster. But Rossdark intimated that he had dreamed of using them himself. "To destroy Lord Frieza," he told them.

"Then we share one wish in common," Vegeta replied darkly. He was sure he knew what the man’s second wish would be, but he asked anyway.

"I’ve seen your love for your lady," Rossdark replied, much to Vegeta’s embarrassment. "So I’m sure you understand that my second wish would be to bring my beautiful Melza back to life."

Vegeta said nothing, still too unnerved that he had let even this man he trusted see what Bulma meant to him. But Bulma spoke up instead.

"That leaves two wishes," she said. "Would restoring the Earth and its people be one or two?"

"I don’t know, my lady. But at the end of the year you must spend on our planet, the dragon will return to grant one more wish. So that leaves three wishes after Frieza is destroyed and Melza is returned to me."

"Let’s worry about getting the dragonballs first," Vegeta cut into their speculation.

"How will you keep Lord Frieza from using them first?" he asked.

"Leave that to me," he assured Rossdark. They had not told him about the capsules, and Vegeta preferred it that way. He wouldn’t risk tipping their entire hand, no matter how much he genuinely liked and trusted this man. "The first thing I need to do is make sure Frieza takes the three of us to the planet. If so, everything else will fall into place."

He found Frieza in his throne room, looking out into space as the planet Korwal-sei loomed near. "Lord Frieza," he said with forced subservience that ate him up inside. "I request permission to take a party down to Korwal-sei to search for the dragonballs."

"I see," Frieza replied. "And just who would this party consist of?"

As if you don’t have an idea, you bastard. "Myself, my slave girl, and the slave known as Rossdark. He is from this planet, and will serve as a guide."

Frieza nodded. "I had him in mind. But why take the Earth girl along? Don’t you think you’ll be too busy to fuck while you’re down there?"

Vegeta seethed inside, but remained calm. "She is fluent in the Namek language. When we discover the dragonballs, she would be helpful to communicate with the dragon. On Namek, the boy Dende had to speak to him in his own language to make their wishes."

Frieza seemed to consider his words, but looked at him slyly. "That’s not the only reason you want to take her," he said plainly.

Inwardly Vegeta was terrified as he wondered just what Frieza was getting at. Could he possibly know of her condition? But with a cool veneer he responded, "It’s true, I don’t trust the low-born scum on this ship. I wouldn’t want to return to find her dead."

"Have your way, my little Prince," Frieza replied. "Just remember—I will be on Korwal-sei too."

Vegeta glared at him, the threat more than evident, but said, "Of course, Lord Frieza. Thank you." He took his leave of the loathsome creature before he became totally sick to his stomach.

Bulma checked her gear, making sure her satchel filled with capsules was securely attached to her belt. The belt itself was becoming snug, and she realized that it would soon be uncomfortably so. Vegeta had brought her a blue flight suit similar to the one he wore under his armor, and she looked in the mirror noticing with more fear than vanity that her tummy had already begun to swell. Throwing her own jacket over it, and satisfied that her secret was well hidden, she added the finishing touch.

Her shield. A flick of the switch on her wrist and anyone who tried to touch her would get the shock of their life. She heard Vegeta enter and switched it on, knowing that if it worked on him it would certainly hold off Frieza long enough for her to escape from him.

A tinge of guilt shot through her as he came to take her hand—and jumped back, literally shocked. "What the—?"

"Sorry, but I had to test it out, and I didn’t want anyone else to know." She motioned to the bracelet she wore.

He looked at her with a smirk of appreciation for her genius, tentatively reaching out to grab her and being repelled once more. "So that’s what you’ve been working on."

She nodded proudly, then switched it off. She went to hug him, but he stepped back. She giggled. "It’s okay. It’s off."

He drew her into his arms, kissing her delicately and whispering in her ear, "Then why do I still feel sparks flying?" His hands smoothed over the tight fit of her flight suit. "I like you in this," he murmured. "Even though it covers way too much. It’s going to be torture holding you on my lap in that space pod for two hours without being able to—"

A signal at the door and he separated from her. "Come in," he said, regaining his composure.

Rossdark peered in. "It’s Lord Frieza, ouji-sama. He’s ready."

The flight was as torturous as he’d predicted, but it was a blissful torture. Cramped in the little pod, she sat on his lap, feeling his arousal strain between them as he held her in his arms. She couldn’t help but think wickedly that it would be perfect if they were stark naked. The thought alone made her shiver with want for him as he brushed his fingers over her breasts, rubbing her nipples through the light material.

"Don’t do this to me, woman," he breathed, kissing her neck.

"What am I doing? I’m just sitting here," she said truthfully. She’d just been lying with her eyes closed, enjoying his caresses.

"Your wicked thoughts are driving me insane," he said in frustration, and she turned crimson.

"You knew…what I was thinking?"

"Every glorious detail," he said, pulling the flight suit off her shoulders.

She gasped as his hands roved over her flesh, heat against the cold of space, reaching down to peel her clothes from her until she was naked in his arms just as she had fantasized. His fingers slipped into her warmth, his gentle but rhythmic caress fueling the burning need that had been building as he’d been holding her. "I want you…" she breathed, but he ignored her pleas, delving deeper, rubbing faster, until she cried out with the explosive climax that shook her entire being.

For a long moment she lay against him, catching her breath, then turned to face him, kissing him deeply. Even as she kissed him she caressed his arousal, reaching for the waistband of his clothes to set him free. "Bulma, wait," he said, holding back the desire she could see in his eyes. "Are you sure this is safe—for the baby?"

"Of course it is," she promised him, knowing now why he had chosen to give her pleasure first, and loving him even more for it-- if that were possible. He helped her lower his pants and she took him into her hands, stroking him lovingly as she kissed him again. Then she slowly lowered herself onto him, straddling him, moaning in ecstasy as he filled her completely.

"We’ve still got an hour," she said softly as he began to move inside her.

"I won’t…last…that long," he murmured between his groans of pleasure.

You’re the Prince of all Saiyans, she thought to him, too breathless to speak. You can do whatever you set out to do.

He kissed her passionately, holding onto her tightly as she strove against him. With you in my arms, woman, I can almost believe that…

Thus they spent the last hour before the most difficult task they would ever face together. To find the dragonballs, destroy Frieza, and bring life to two whole worlds.

* * * * *