Dragonball Z: Unlikely Romance
By Eric Jacobson
Chapter 8 - Winter Wonderland

Yes! Here it is! The long awaited 8th chapter of DBZ:UR! I know it's been forever since I've updated this, my most well-recieved fic. But I've been a busy boy, with work and life taking over and writing taking a back seat. But now, it's on! I actually have time, and this is the result! Please enjoy, and as always, please review ^-^



The Prince of Saiyans stood looking out his window, disgusted. Of all the things he still hated about the planet Earth, it was what he saw outside. It made him think of the time before he came to live in the Capsule Corp. compound, when he roughed it in the woods in the West District.

If he still had a tail, it would have been aggravated to no end. Saiyan tails, being the ultra sensitive organs they were, would react to the slightest environmental changes. But here on Earth, there was nothing subtle about this change. In the back of his mind, he found himself thanking that fat little waste of DNA, Yajirobi, for cutting it off during his first battle with Kakkarot.

As he watched the sky, he cursed under his breath. There was nothing about his new home that he hated more than what was falling on the other side of the glass.

Snow.

"To hell with this nonsense. Vegetasei was never like this." His home planet wasn't like Earth in the slightest. The red skies and patches of clouds colored orange by the near eternal sunset. "Damn this white nightmare. Damn it to hell."

"What was that, 'Geta?" Bulma had just walked into their room as Vegeta was cursing the cascade of frozen precipitation.

"Must you call me that? I don't call you 'Ulma, do I?"

"Oh, calm down, grouchy. I know you hate snow. But it's Winter! It's not like we can control the changes in the weather."

"Humph. On Vegetasei, if this ever happened, I'd get that weakling Kakkarot's father to come up with a way to control it. The man was a genius, too bad his son is just a third class ninny."

"You just can't give that up, can you? What is it with you and Goku? Why do you always have to be at odds with him?"

"He's a third class..."

Bulma had heard this nearly a thousand times before, and it never changed. As of late, she found herself finishing this thought for her Prince more and more, even sometimes imitating his sharp, raspy voice, as she did this particular time. "Nobody, and I'm the Prince of All Saiyans. Vegeta, you never change in that respect, do you. Oh well. You'd better put that childish idea out of your mind soon, because everyone will be coming over in a few weeks, including Goku."

"And why are they all coming here?" He continued to look out into the falling snow, his gaze unbroken as his mind continued to shoot insults at the falling menace before him.

"Well, Vegeta, it's almost Christmas time! Don't tell me that you've been on this planet for this long and not heard of Christmas."

In fact, Vegeta had heard something or another about this Christmas. It was a mostly western holiday, widely celebrated among the people of North America and Europe. While it was the observance of the birth of a particular religious icon, it was also known as a time of fellowship and gift exchange, two things he didn't particularly care for.

"Yes, Bulma, I know what Christmas is. And to be perfectly honest, I have no desire to spend it, or any other time, with Kakkarot. The only gift I'll ever give to that loser is my fist rammed down his throat."

Bulma smacked her Prince on the ass, which drew a small grunt of displeasure from him. "Well, grouchy, this time you don't have a choice. There's no way I'm missing my first Christmas with you, and you'll just have to deal with the fact that all of the Son family, including Goku, will be here for it. Not to mention the others will be here. Krillin, Tien, Yajirobi..."

"The little fat guy who cut off my tail? That little waste is coming here?"

"Yes, Vegeta, he is. He's our friend. And he'll be bringing Korin with him as well."

"Who the hell is Korin?"

"Nevermind, Vegeta. Just try and get rid of the 'bad boy' attitude in the next two weeks. They're all spending the week before Christmas Sunday, and you'll have to just behave yourself."

"The entire week? You mean I have to put up with this bunch of freaks for an entire week?" His lips curled and a frown started to form. But before he could go any further, Bulma came around in front of him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and planted a kiss that was right on target. "Well, given this new information, I suppose I could at least try..."


Later that night, Vegeta found himself where he always did, it the GT, working on his technique and trying like mad to improve himself. Whether Bulma wanted him to behave himself for Christmas or not, he was still going to reach his goal. He was still going to surpass Kakkarot.

As the training drones buzzed around his head, he tried to picture what Christmas with that bunch of misfits would be like. He chuckled as he imagined himself decking each and every one of them one by one, giving them each a "Merry Christmas" to go along with it. That would be a gift to remember he thought. As he continued to defend himself from and attack the drones, he secretly wished that Yamcha would be there. How grand it would be to have another go-around with that particular human. Their last encounter had been the night Vegeta told him to get out of Bulma's life and never return.

Now, he wished he'd never said that. Not because he was starting to like that moron, far from it. But he wanted to be able to drill him through the wall again, hang him several hundred feet in the air, and say it all over again. He'd played that incident over and over in his mind since then, and each time he pictured it, it amused him more and more.

Reality set in then, and he realized that Yamcha's chances of showing up were very low. He knew that weakling feared him, and rightly he should. The only thing that kept Vegeta from ripping his head off and feeding it to a wild animal was Bulma. Such is the price of love, I suppose. With such feelings must come restraint. But I think it's worth it.

Of course, the idiot might indeed show up. And if Vegeta could resist the urge to pummel him into oblivion, he would get a good laugh out of the squirming he would see every time he was around Yamcha.

A blast from behind shocked Vegeta back to reality and away from his thoughts. Damn. I lowered my guard and it got the best of me. I mustn't do that anymore... Resuming full concentration, he placed the matter in the back of his mind for future deliberation. After all, he had a few weeks...


"Oh my Kami. Two weeks to figure it out. All this genius, and my mind draws a blank on something that should be so simple!" Bulma was in a panic, that was for sure. While she tried to keep calm and cool around Vegeta, she couldn't escape the enigma she had set before herself.

What do you get for the Saiyan Prince who has nothing?

Half frustrated and her mind flooded with lame idea after lame idea, she picked up the phone receiver and dialed. Maybe Chi Chi could help her. After all, she had a Saiyan husband, who would know better than she would? While the line rang, she reached down and held the small charm Vegeta had made for her several months before. The tiny chunk of her lover's once-mighty home planet felt warm in her hand, like it always had. Finally, there was a click, and Chi Chi's voice came across the phone.

"Hello?"

"Chi Chi? It's Bulma." A few minutes of small talk and catching up on recent events ensued, and finally Bulma decided to bring up her little problem. "Anyway, Christmas is coming, and I have no clue what to get for Vegeta. I mean, what do you get for a Saiyan Prince? Or even just a Saiyan for that matter?"

"Well, I know how you feel. My boys aren't the easiest people to shop for. Gohan, well, he's a little bit easier since he's young. But Goku, well, since he lived alone with his Grandfather for all those years, I guess he became immune to Christmas. Every year he says 'You don't have to get me anything, Chi," and every year, I manage to come up with something."

"Wish I had your creativity, Chi Chi. We all know how Vegeta can be, and I'm afraid that if I get him the wrong thing, he'll rush out in a huff and lay waste to a small city. What the heck am I supposed to do?"

Ideas were thrown back and forth for what seemed like hours. Fishing equipment, a bust because Vegeta had no patience for such a thing. Forget a weight set, he could toss those around like paper airplanes. A new car? He had no clue how to drive, and besides, could fly to wherever he wanted to go.

He certainly wasn't the typical male, so tools, ties, and other such nonsense would be pointless. Chi Chi even had the insane idea of getting him a Hickory Farms Cheese Sampler, a popular Western gift for men. But Bulma scrapped that in a heartbeat. It was too corny. She needed something rather unique, seeing as how Vegeta himself was just as such.

After another round of gift discussion, the girls decided that a shopping trip was in order. But how to get Vegeta to go along without trying to kill anyone? They'd managed to get him to go on vacation, though that turned out rather sour. But he'd still managed to function in public without beating the ever-loving heck out of the first person that rubbed him the wrong way.

"The answer to that is obvious, Bulma! My Goku will go and keep him in line, and we might as well bring Krillin along, too. Those two got along pretty well on vacation, didn't they?" Chi Chi always had the knack for last minute solutions in the extreme.

"Yeah, he and Krillin really did work well together, at least that one time. But I don't know about taking Goku. Vegeta's always going on and on about fighting him and, well, you know the drill."

"I think Goku will keep him calm, Bulma. Vegeta wouldn't dare fight him now, not with the Androids coming."

"You're right. He had a real problem with the little bit of that kid's story, the part about him being killed. I doubt he'd want to risk that in a fight with Goku. I have faith in him, Chi, but I doubt he can take your husband. He hasn't managed to yet."

The decision was made. In three days, they would all hit the biggest mall in the East District. Now came the daunting task of getting Vegeta to cooperate and go along.


Out at Kame House, Krillin sighed as he hung up the phone. Oh great, he thought. Now I gotta try and deal with Vegeta in a mall. What the heck is it about me, anyway? Why do I get stuck with all the oddball jobs? And why is it that they suddenly all involve Vegeta? He was still recovering from his adventure with the pompous Prince during their supposed vacation. Another trip on the Saiyan Rollercoaster might just drive him over the edge at this point.

"Something on your mind, Krillin?" Master Roshi didn't look up from his "entertainment", simply speaking up without even looking at his discouraged student. He, as always, was watching the all-aerobics channel, stuck on the couch and glued to the plethora of cleavage and tight-fitting clothes on the screen.

"You know, Master Roshi, it seems like I'm the only one Vegeta will get along with long enough to try and do anything normal. Bulma and Chi Chi just roped me into taking him to the mall in East District in a couple of days."

"So what's wrong with that? I hear you and he made a pretty good team against those Amazons."

"Yeah, but that was him acting on his emotions. This is just plain old Christmas shopping. He isn't being wronged, unless he takes being drug through that whole process as an insult to his pride." He paused for a moment, letting out another sigh. "And as if that wasn't enough, Chi Chi mentioned that Goku would be going along, too."

"Well there, you have nothing to worry about, Krillin. With Goku there, Vegeta doesn't stand a chance of going off his rocker."

"Sorry, Master Roshi, but I can't agree with ya. Goku is the whole reason Vegeta does what he does. With him there, the chances of Vegeta flying off the handle pretty much quadruple. And I know why I get to go. It's so I can play referee. Here I am, Goku's best friend, and the only guy, for some reason, that can work well with Vegeta one on one. Jeez, you teach a man to dance and suddenly they think you can train him to do anything."

Roshi had lost his concentration early. The girls on the tube had changed their routine, and this particular one had really caught the lecherous master's attention. "What was that Krillin? Who'd you teach what?"

Krillin suddenly realized that he'd just blurted out the one secret he had promised Vegeta he'd keep. Thankfully, though, Roshi hadn't been paying attention, and Krillin let out yet another sigh. This time, it was in relief. "Nothing, Master Roshi. I gotta go get ready for all this."

"What the heck do you have to do three days in advance of a shopping trip?"

"I have to meditate. I want to be as calm and clear-headed as possible if I'm gonna be baby-sitting Vegeta in public again." With that, he walked out of the door and took off into the sky, headed for the only place he knew he could get any peace and quiet at: Kami's Lookout.


Vegeta stood on his favorite hilltop, overlooking the city he now called home. Sometimes the thought would sicken him, to know that he'd actually grown somewhat fond of this place, of the people he shared his life with. Another thought that sickened him to no end. The once proud and reclusive Prince, now opening up to a bunch of humans, and one in particular.

That was one thought that, no matter what, always made him smile. The one person who loved him for who he was, not wanting him to change. Well, the violent nature was one change, but it was one that Vegeta didn't seem to mind. Now that he was no longer destroying planets for that tyrant, he had plenty of time to focus on his goal of becoming a Super Saiyan, and his goal of besting Kakkarot.

These were the thoughts that pleased him, and brought him to decide that this new life of his wasn't so bad, after all. He could stand to live in this world, and tried his best to function as a normal part of it, when he wasn't training, that is. It was a world he was preparing to defend, whether his pride liked it or not. After all, dying at the hands of a machine didn't sit well with him.

December in Japan was a very cold time, and Vegeta powered up his ki slightly to keep warm. He'd managed to gain enough control of his energy that he could do something like this without the glow being noticeable to the human eyes below. Once he again achieved a comfortable temperature, he looked out over the city below.

While snow annoyed him to no end, he noticed that it made things look somewhat pleasant, from a distance. The Capsule Corp. compound took on a different charm. The remnants of the crater left after the GT explosion were invisible now, covered by a layer of soft white, as if it were never there at all. The evergreens of the outskirts were now flocked, and the contrast of white on green didn't look nearly as inhospitable as they did when he once walked underneath them. That time, looking up and yelling earned him a pile of snow in his face, a moment Bulma wouldn't let him soon forget.

The odd towers capped in saucer like office dwellings looked like codgery old men with tufts of rapidly disappearing white hair, and lit windows resembling their eyes completing the picture.

"Hmph." He growled as he realized his thoughts were becoming soft again. This planet was both a blessing and a curse to him, preserving the delicate balance within him that kept his emotions in order.

Seeking something that wouldn't make him soft, he turned his thoughts to the coming Christmas gathering that Bulma had planned. The only person he was halfway looking forward to seeing was Krillin. The little bald monk had surprised him during the Amazon Conflict. Despite the fact that Krillin clearly didn't trust him, he still fought by his side, putting enough faith in his abilities to go along with his plan. Before that, Krillin had done the same on Namek. If the bald guy could trust him enough in combat, then he was worthy of his trust as well.

Gohan was another one he wanted to see. Kakkarot's son was progressing in strength even faster than his father. His growth as a fighter was even starting to surpass the Prince's own development under Frieza. This intrigued Vegeta to no end. There was something deep inside that boy that he wanted to see for himself. It was possible that he was the key to unlocking the ancient power of the Saiyan Race.

While the Namek was of no real consequence to him anymore, Piccolo was still on his "to see" list. Perhaps a little sparring match was in order as far as gifts were concerned. He respected Piccolo's fighting ethic and would welcome a challenge from him at any time. Vegeta was growing tired of fighting the drones in the GT and wanted a little live competition.

His ears caught the distant sound of a snowmobile drawing close to his location. There was only one person who could possibly know that he was here, and now they were coming to join him. He must have lost track of time, wandering through his thoughts, oblivious to the passage of time.

Bulma was coming. She must be worried about him again.

The lights of her vehicle became visible as she made her way up the hill to the spot where Vegeta sat. He laughed to himself, amazed at how nothing, not even this cursed snow, could stop her from getting her way. Especially when her way was to be with him. Her love amazed him to no end, and fueled his own just the same.

His gaze returned to the clouded sky above. Winter's cloud cover wouldn't allow him to see the stars from which he came. He rather enjoyed looking out there, remembering where he'd been, what he'd seen. And now that the season's dreariness blocked his view, he grew annoyed. But his thoughts still took his vision beyond the silver cloud line, out to the stars he once called home.

The whine of the snowmobile's engine drew closer, and within moments she appeared out of the path, shutting the machine down and walking over to him. She took off her helmet and looked at her Prince, smiling. "How'd I know you'd be here?"

"This is where I always come. And this is where you always find me when you worry about me."

"Yeah, but this time, I'm not worried about you."

"Oh really now? What brought you up here, then?"

Bulma threw her arms around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. His ki was always so warm and comforting. And given this particular circumstance, she could use all the comfort she could get. "Well, you know how we talked earlier about Christmas coming and all. And you know that everyone is spending the week at the compound. And, well..."

"What's the matter, Bulma? What are you getting at?"

"Well, we need to take you Christmas shopping, and..."

"Shopping? Now you want me to go shopping?" His anger raised a bit. Whenever she wanted him to go out in public, something always turned it to ruins. Their fiasco with the Amazons was proof enough of that fact. "Every time you want to take me somewhere, something always happens at the most inopportune time."

"Well, I doubt anything will happen now. Even Evil has to take a holiday, doesn't it?"

"Why are you asking me that question, hmmm?" He looked down at her with that smirk of his, halfway being sarcastic. "What makes you think that I know anything about being evil?"

"Oh Vegeta, knock it off. Look. Krillin's going, and so's Goku. Chi Chi, my mom and I are going as well, and we figured that we could split off by gender. That way you have a couple of gift buying coaches who think at least something like you do."

"Kakkarot, eh? Baldie I don't mind, but Kakkarot? He's not going to act like a complete buffoon, is he?"

"Well, I can't promise you that he won't. But I'm sure Chi Chi will make sure he knows to stay on his best behavior. She knows how you get when you're around him, and doesn't want him coming home with more scars than gifts, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I'll try and keep my actions in check. I can't make any promises. But as long as Kakkarot doesn't make a fool out of me in public, I'll refrain from what you'd call 'overreacting' and beating the living hell out of him."

"You know, Vegeta, it's getting easier and easier to talk you into doing normal things. Maybe I should be worried about you."

Vegeta laughed and pulled her closer to him, powering up a little bit more until his ki surrounded both of them. "I don' think you should worry, Bulma-Chan. If I'm going to live on this planet, I'd better get used to being able to function like everyone else. No matter how much it disgusts me, I don't need to draw any unnecessary attention to myself now, do I?"

"I guess not. It's bad enough the business news programs are trying to figure out who my mystery man is. They've got cameras all over the compound, trying to figure out who the 'Forbes 500's most eligible bachelorette' is seeing now that her baseball playing ex is out of the picture."

"Are you serious? They actually say that about you?"

"What, don't you think I'm desirable?" She glared at him a bit, trying to bait him into saying the wrong thing so that she could call him on it and use it to her advantage over the holiday. But he was quick on his feet, and it wouldn't be that easy.

"Of course I do. After all, I am attracted to the 'Forbes 500's most eligible bachelorette', aren't I? And while I'm on that subject, I think it's safe to say that you're no longer eligible, don't you think?"

All she could do was sigh and lay her head on his shoulder. "You never cease to amaze me, Vegeta..."


The next few days were relatively normal enough, considering all of the fuss over the coming holiday. The compound was being decorated by the employees and the Briefs, while Vegeta trained the time away in the GT. Finally, the day of the shopping trip had arrived.

Vegeta knew that this day would somehow go wrong, and his premonitions were first confirmed as he awoke to the ever annoying sound of Bulma's alarm clock blaring it's harsh tone at an insanely high volume. Before, they'd had normal alarm clocks, and he would simply smash them to bits if they woke him the wrong way. But Bulma hadn't let the data from the GT go to waste, and developed a casing that could withstand anything short of a good-sized Ki blast.

After cursing Bulma's high IQ, he rolled himself out of their bed and made his way to the bathroom for a nice, relaxing shower. The second confirmation of his bad feeling came when he stepped in to what he thought would be a nice hot stream of water. Instead, the shower head was producing nothing but icy cold water, which startled the hell out of him. Cursing the computer systems that controlled water temperature, he resigned to taking a bone-chilling shower instead.

A very stiff and angry Vegeta stepped out of the shower and toweled off. Checking himself in the mirror, he noticed he was growing a beard again. Reaching for his razor, he began the shaving process. A process, however, that ended with him putting on several bandages. Once again, he'd lost to the only enemy he could never defeat without losing his dignity.

With everything else going wrong this morning, how could the shopping trip with Baldie and Kakkarot go any better? I have a feeling that it's going to be very difficult keeping my promise to Bulma. Vegeta, his pride beaten down a little by the dreaded razor, went to the closet to pick out some clothes. Bulma always brought home outfits people wore in public, hoping that someday Vegeta would actually get out of the GT and wear something besides his training gear. His recent vacation fiasco was the first such test, and aside from the trouble they had, it had gone rather well.

A friend of Krillin's had once given the monk some of his old clothes, and somehow they made their way to his closet. Apparently, while Bulma was visiting Master Roshi's island, Krillin gave them to her, stating that "they might fit Vegeta better." Bulma had mentioned that Krillin's friend was something she called a "metal head," and the outfit consisted of a pair of black denim jeans cut off at the knee along with a black T-shirt. The shirt had a strange symbol on it, with the word Journey above it. On the back, it had a list of cities across the world. Vegeta figured that it was a record of someone's travels, otherwise it wouldn't say Journey on it.

The shorts fit well enough, though he noted that they were a little tight. Flexing his muscles a bit, he managed to stretch the denim enough to be comfortable. The shirt fit just they way he wanted, however. His training gear was always nearly skin tight, accentuating his ever growing physique, a constant visual measuring stick that proved he was surpassing that clown Kakkarot.

By this time, Bulma had awoken and begun to stir about the room, getting her own day started. She noticed Vegeta in the closet, and decided to pop in and see what he was wearing. What she saw nearly sent her body into spin cycle. There stood Vegeta, his back to her, wearing what she thought was the simplest yet sexiest thing he had ever worn. She remembered getting the outfit from Krillin some time back. Boy, that gift paid off. Krillin's going to freak out when he finds out how right he was. Well, at least in my opinion, anyway.

"Ready to go shopping, 'Geta?"

Vegeta put his head down for a moment, then turned to Bulma, smiling. "Now, you know I don't like that nickname you've given me. It isn't fitting of a Prince, and..."

She put her finger up to his lips, stopping him mid sentence."I don't want to have this conversation again. You're going to live with me, you're going to get used to it. Just remember who's always cleaning up your messes and fixing the stuff you decimate. You can handle having a nick..."

Vegeta put his own finger to her lips, catching her off guard and getting her to release her own finger's hold. "Got you. If there's anything more that I love about you, it's the fact that I can get a rise out of you with just a thought. Now hurry up and get ready. The faster we get this day over with, the happier I'll be." With that, he walked out of the closet and back into the room to finish getting himself ready.

Bulma remained behind for a moment. He'd baited her again, and she even initiated it. She walked right into his trap, and she fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. Flushed, she still managed to laugh at herself for being sucked into Vegeta's little inside jokes. "Oh, Vegeta." She got her wits back and resigned herself to picking out something that would at least halfway matched what Vegeta was wearing. She herself hadn't banked on his wearing that outfit, and found herself unprepared. "While I'm out, I'm going to have to find something for that. KAMI did he look good..."


After they had finished getting dressed, the pair made their way down to the kitchen, where they found that Goku and Chi Chi had already arrived, and were now sitting at the breakfast table. Bulma's mother was there, cooking a mountain of pancakes and bacon.

"Oh, there you are, you two. Look who decided to come a little early for the shopping trip! Good thing I know how you Saiyans like to eat, Vegeta dear. That way my food stuffs are always stocked in bulk, so I'm ready for almost anything!"

"Mom, don't..."

"It's alright, Bulma. I don't mind. In fact, I've grown rather used to her calling me that." With that said, Vegeta sat down at the table, keeping his eyes on his rival the whole time.

"Wow, Vegeta." Goku had a big grin on his face as he spoke.Who'd have thought that you'd get used to everyday life on Earth. You didn't even complain about being called Vegeta de..." He was cut off by Vegeta's icy glare, not to mention the Prince's palm in his face. His grin changed to a look of surprise.

"While I don't mind our hostess saying it, Kakkarot, you are a different matter altogether. So I suggest you drop that line of conversation, now."

"OK, Vegeta, calm down. I was just kidding you know. Anyway, I can't wait to go shopping! It's been forever since I've been to a mall! I wonder if they still have that place they called the Arcade."

"I'm pretty sure they do, Goku. The mall we're going to has the biggest one in Japan, I'm pretty sure." Bulma made her way to the table after piling a good helping of food onto her plate. She set it down in front of her chair and seated herself. Picking up her fork, she continued. "But remember, we're not going to play the latest games. We're going to take care of Christmas shopping, and you and Krillin are going to help the Anti-Martha Stewart over here."

For a moment, Vegeta allowed his gaze to break from Goku and cast itself on Bulma. How he hated it when she called him these names, especially in front of his hated adversary. But he had promised not to make a scene, and his hunger had taken over, anyway. All he could manage before getting up for his food was his trademark "Hrmph."

Goku leaned over to Bulma and whispered to her. "Are you sure he's not going to flip out and blow the place sky high? He doesn't seem to be in a good mood today, you know."

Bulma giggled a bit, and whispered back to him. "I made him promise to be on his best behavior. I don't think he'll be any trouble at all, Goku."


After breakfast, the women resigned themselves to the kitchen, while Goku and Vegeta retired to the living room to wait for Krillin. Flipping on the television, Goku started channel surfing until he found a martial arts competition on a sports network. "Check these guys out, Vegeta."

"Hmph. Humans who think they're the epitome of strength and skill. If they ran into even the weakest of our group, they'd take off in the other direction, screaming bloody murder."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So anyway, have you figured out what you're getting Bulma for Christmas yet?"

This caught the Saiyan Prince off guard. He hadn't really given a thought to getting Bulma something, let alone trying to choose something special. He felt himself going flush with embarrassment, and resolved to enlist his rival's help in making a choice. "Actually, Kakkarot, since I don't know much about this whole 'Christmas' thing, I was going to ask for your input on the matter." Deep down within him, his pride began to boil as it screamed in defiance of the move, but he kept the urges at bay.

Goku himself was a bit taken back by the request. He'd never known Vegeta to ask for help with anything since the day he landed on Earth. "Sure, Vegeta, I'd be glad to help you. And I'm sure Krillin wouldn't mind lending a hand, either. This being your first official Christmas and all."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I appreciate your help in the matter, Kakkarot."

"Don't worry. I won't hold it against you or think of you as any less an opponent. I'm still going to hold you to your usual standards, and you know I'll always see you as my greatest rival."

"That's good, Kakkarot. Because if you let down your guard at all when it comes to me, you know I'll overpower you in half a heartbeat."

"Well, let's put that aside, alright? Krillin's going to be here any minute. He said he was coming from Kami's Lookout. And here I thought he was living with Master Roshi out at Kami House." Goku knew that it was rare for Krillin to visit the Lookout at all unless something big was happening. And while the coming Android threat was a big deal to everyone, it was still over two years off.

Before Goku could sort out any more reasons, the doorbell rang. Bulma's mother came running out of the kitchen to answer it, and as luck would have it, it was Krillin. "Oh, we were starting to worry about you, Krillin! Glad to see you made it."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss a Capsule Corp. Christmas party for the world! Hey Goku!" The tone of his voice softened a bit as his greetings brought him to the Saiyan Prince. "Hey, Vegeta."

"Hello, Baldiie. Ready for another shopping trip?"

That response set Krillin back a bit. While he'd seen Vegeta's more sociable side once before, he never expected to see it again. "Um, yeah, I guess I am. But this is a little different, seeing as how it's Christmas. Guess you've never done this sort of thing before, right?"

"What could go wrong. After all, you and Kakkarot are coming to help me, right?"

Everyone noticed the sarcasm in Vegeta's voice, a tell-tale sign that, while he was annoyed with the prospect of Christmas shopping, he was still trying to make the most of it. In his own little way, of course. Most of the group had learned to deal with Vegeta's methods of handling social interaction since he had come to live with the Briefs.

Goku, ever the innocent, fun-loving soul, simply started laughing. "Well, I think it'll be fun, you guys. It's been forever since we all did anything like this, not to mention it's Vegeta's first time. I for one can't wait to get started!"

At that moment, Bulma, Chi Chi and Mrs. Brief came in to the living room. With the breakfast dishes done and clean-up completed, the group was finally ready to shove off.

"You boys ready? We have alot of shopping to do today!" Bulma looked at Vegeta, who was sporting his usual frown. She knew he really didn't want to go, but then again, she also knew that he wouldn't try and get out of his promise. There was no honor in breaking a promise, not even to the most evil of Saiyans. After all, a Saiyan's honor was everything.

Chi Chi, on the other hand, was looking at Vegeta with a fair amount of disdain. She didn't trust him any further than she could throw him (which, for her being the strongest woman on Earth, was quite a distance). No matter how many times Bulma and Krillin told her about what he did during the Amazon conflict, she still didn't care for his presence. But her husband was here, and she knew he could handle Vegeta with no trouble. Still, she knew she would find it very hard to keep herself from attacking the Saiyan Prince herself. It wouldn't take much for him to set her off.

"Alright!" Krillin's smile grew as he rallied the troops. "Let's do some shopping!"


The mall. Home to hundreds of stores, dozens of food stands, den of teenage popularity contests. The place where one goes to find, well, everything. There isn't a specialty store that the mall doesn't have. Well, except for one.

The mall most certainly didn't have a store to cater to the crabby Saiyan-no-Ouji.

As the group walked into the superplex that is the West City Mega Mall, Vegeta couldn't help but frown. He knew that he had promised Bulma that he'd be on his best behavior, but this, this was a little more than the Saiyan Prince wanted to even try to handle. There had been alot of people at Club Zero, but not like this. There were literally thousands of people crammed into the halls of the shopping complex, and this made him very uneasy. He turned to Bulma and whispered to her.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"Vegeta, if you're going to live on this planet, you'ld better get used to some of the customs. I can't have you blowing things up every time something new that you don't like comes along. Now, you and the boys go off and do your shopping. Chi Chi, mom and I will meet you at the food court around seven. And please, Vegeta, try not to lose your temper."

"Hrumph" was his only reply as he followed Goku and Krillin into the malls gigantic glass foyer.

The first store that the boys came to was a bookseller. Goku had gotten the third degree from his wife over getting books for Gohan, and he didn't want to tick her off. Despite being one of the strongest beings in the universe, Chi Chi was the only other person he truely feared. "Well, guys, I might as well get this out of the way. Help me pick out some good books for Gohan, would ya?"

Krillin went one way, Goku another, and Vegeta picked a random aisle for himself and began to see what this place had to offer. "Silly Kakkarot, afraid of his mate. 'Get a book for the brat' she says. She might as well have said 'jump,' because she knows he'll say 'how high.' Pathetic." Passing by books for teenagers, role playing game manuals, techno thrillers and refference books, he found it difficult to locate something that Gohan might like. "Now, what the hell do you get for a half-Saiyan brat?" It was then that he saw the book that he would get for Gohan, his gift to the son of his rival. He quickly snaked it up and took it to the counter. Thankfully, Bulma had supplied him with a Capsule Corp. credit line, so payment was swift and painless.

It was then that Krillin came up to his one-time partner and smiled. "Hey, Vegeta. Goku's going to shop for something for Chi Chi. This is the perfect time to go and get our gifts for him, don't you think?"

A gift for Kakkarot? "Alright, baldie. Let's go." He hadn't seen anything here that Bulma would like, and was itching to get somewhere where he could at least try to find something for her.


The Novelty Palace. The perfect place to get a gift for a dimwittted Saiyan, in Vegeta's opinion. Krillin thought it would be fun, too, and they headed there post haste. Upon arrival, they found hundreds of gag gifts, wannabe collectables, and other such nonsense. Krillin knew what he wanted to get for Goku, and ran striaght for it. Vegeta, on the other hand, once again resigned himself to looking around, trying to find something for his rival. It had to be something that would reflect what he thought of Goku, and of course, that was a baffoon. After a few moments of browsing, a clerk came up to him.

"Can I help you find soemthing, sir?"

Vegeta, for once, was impressed. This human had shown him the respect he thought he deserved, even though he knew that the man had no idea who, or what, he was. "Yes. I'm looking for a gift for someone, but I can't seem to figure out what to get him. What do you get for a blithering idiot?"

The clerk was a bit taken aback by Vegeta's remark, but composed himself and thought of something. "I think I have the perfect gift in mind, sir. Please follow me."

Vegeta cracked an evil smile, and raised his eyebrow a bit. This human didn't look too much smarter than Goku, so he thought that whatever he had in mind would fit perfectly. "Lead the way."

Krillin, in the meantime, had purchased his gift for his best friend, and was now looking around, trying to find the Saiyan Prince. "Jeez, you'ld think with a haircut like his he'd be easy to find." Up and down the aisles of the store he searched, untill, while walking down one particular aisle, he heard Vegeta's voice.

"Hey baldie. Come here and tell me what you think of this." It was coming from the next aisle.

Krillin looked back and forth, making sure noone was watching, and then lept up over the shelves seperating him from the next row, where he landed to find Vegeta and a store clerk, staring at an item and smiling devilishly. "What's up? Did you find something for Goku yet?"

Without breaking his smile or his gaze, he simple pointed his finger and spoke softly. "Do you think that works as a gift for Kakkarot?"

Krillin looked at what Vegeta was pointing to, and he himself smiled. "Perfect."


A short time later, the monk and the Saiyan were wandering the halls of the mall, looking into different stores for Goku. They finally found him in, of all places, a lingerie shop, standing in front of some racy underwear, scratching his head.

"Now this, Krillin, is just too much. Look at that idiot. Picking out some underclothes for his mate so he can get himself excited. Unreal."

"Now come on, Vegeta. You can't tell me you wouldn't like to see Bulma in some of this stuff, right?"

The Prince of Saiyans blushed for a moment, and then regained his composure. "Honestly, baldie, you're right. Now let's go see what's taking him so long."

They kept their power levels down to the point where Goku wouldn't notice them coming, not like he was paying attention anyway, and snuck up behind their companion. Krillin spoke first. "Hey Goku. I think Chi Chi would look good in that one over there."

Goku jumped, startled by his friend. "Uh, Krillin! Jeez you scared the heck outta me! Where's Vegeta?"

"Behind you, Kakkarot." Vegeta reached out and put his hand on Goku's shoulder, startling him again.

"Man, you guys are evil! Don't sneak up on me like that, OK? It's bad enough that I'm in this store and have no clue what to get for Chi Chi, which makes me nervous to begin with..."

"Oh, come on, Kakkarot. You know perfectly well that I expect you to be ready for me at all times. If I catch you off gaurd like that at the wrong time, you probably won't survive to reprimand me."

"Yeah, whatever, Vegeta. Now come on, guys, help me pick something out for Chi Chi."

They shopped around for a bit, looking at this and that, until finally, they decided on the ensamble that would best suit Goku's wife, and made Goku himself drool ever the slightest. After paying for it, the three left to do some more shopping. Just as they left the stor and headed down the mall's main hallway, Bulma came out of the shop's dressing room, carrying an armload of sensual garments.

"I don't understand it. We've been in here since we got here, and I can't find anything that I think Vegeta would like to see me in. Let's face it, Chi, I just don't have the body for this stuff."

"Sure you do, Bulma. Now come on, try this one on. I'm willing to bet it'll be the one, and we have to get done before your mom finds you in here checking out fancy lingerie to wear for Vegeta."

"Alright, Chi. Here we go again."

After finally deciding on a piece she liked, Bulma struck out on her own, trying to find a gift for Vegeta. While she had shopped for a Saiyan many times before, it was all for Goku, never for someone like Vegeta. In the months leading up to this day, she'd been dreading this moment. She tried and tried, but she couldn't come up with anything to get for him. She had hoped that browsing the mall's stores would give her some ideas.

For nearly two hours, she tried store after store, but came up empty. She'd easily found gifts for everyone else, but nothing for her Prince. At last, the time came to meet everyone at the food court. Dejected, Bulma headed off to meet the rest of the crew. She walked slowly down the monsterous hallway, people passing by her going both ways. But she was oblivious to them all, hanging her head low as she continued on. All these bags, filled with gifts for everyone, but the one gift she wanted to find the most was absent among them.

Arriving at the food court, she found everyone already there, waiting for her. Each of them had armloads of gifts, except for Vegeta, who had tricked Goku into carrying his packages.

"Did you find everything OK, Bulma dear?" Her mother's ever present smile and always cheerful attitude weighed heavily on her ears, but like it had every time before, it picked up her spirits a bit.

"Yeah, mom. Everything's good to go. Everyone ready to go home?"

"You bet! I can't wait to get this stuff to the car, get home and get some food. Standing around here made me some kind of hungry!" Goku lead the charge, and together the group left the West City Mega Mall, packages in tow.

As they walked out to the car, Vegeta cast a sly eye towards Bulma. He hadn't found anything for her, even though he himself had wandered the halls and stores. He wondered what she had gotten him, and felt a little down that he had not been able to do the same. As he crawled into the car, he closed his eyes and sat back, trying to figure out what he would do. Christmas was now only a few days away.


December 23rd. Two days before Christmas. The entire gang had gathered at the Capsule Corp compound for the holidays. Tienshenhan and Chaotzu had come down from their isolated mountain home. Master Roshi had taken the Baby Gammela and rode in, albeit a bit dizzy when he arrived. Yamcha, Puar and Oolong arrived just the day before (it had taken some persuasion on the shapeshifters' part, since Yamcha was still afraid after his altercation with Vegeta), and even the Ox King had made the trip.

Outside, the snow had finished falling for the day, and it was piled up in rather large drifts here and there. The air was crisp and cold, and a slight breeze carried some of the ligher snow around with it. All over the compound, decorations had been hung by employees and the Brief family, giving the entire place a healthy dose of Christmas cheer.

It was the perfect atmosphere, and everyone was in good spirits.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Brief, Bulma and Chi Chi were busy preparing dinner for the next night. Turkey always took a long time to prepare, and they wanted it to simmer overnight, just to make sure that it properly basted. Down in the GT room Vegeta sequestered himself, working up for a sparring match he wanted with his rival. Goku was training as well, in his own way: floating like a hawk around the kitchen area, waiting for extras and whatever else he could get his hands on, filling his neverending

Up in the living room, Krillin, Gohan, Chaotzu and Oolong were busy racing each other, playing a videogame while Puar, Yamcha and Tien looked on. The Ox King was busy trying to get his old Master's attention, since Roshi was glued to a TV in the den, watching a women's exercise program on TV.

The group decided that, since so much effort was being put into dinner for Christmas Eve, that this night's meal would be pizza. The delivery boy had a hard time bringing the boxes to the door, since there were so many. After all, they did have two full Saiyans and a half-Saiyan to feed. After two trips (that's to and from the pizza parlor, not just the car), the gang was ready to eat.

In their room that night, Vegeta and Bulma didn't say much. They weer both somewhat upset, having not been able to find each other gifts. But neither of them knew that the other had failed. Each was worried that the other had gotten them something, and they wouldn't be able to return the favor. After a while, the silence was broken.

"So, think you're ready for tomorrow's chaos, 'Geta?"

In Vegeta's mind, he resolved that this wasn't the time to be criticising her nickname for him. "I'm not sue. But as long as your moron ex and Kakkarot don't do anything stupid, I should be able to manage."

Bulma paused for a moment, thinking. "This is your first Christmas since you've been on Earth, isn't it..."

"Yes, Bulma, it is."

"Well, even though I know you're not into these sort of things, I hope you enjoy it." She rolled over and looked at him. "Happy memories are few and far between for you, and I hope you can at least use this time to make one for yourself."

Vegeta rolled over to face Bulma, and thought to himself. She was right. Happy memories weren't things that had occoured very often in his lifetime. He looked at her, and smiled. "As long as I'm here with you, I'll always have a happy memory. Now, get some sleep, Bulma-chan. We have a busy day ahead of us."

"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, 'Geta."

"Goodnight, 'Ulma." He chuckled to himself.

"Smartass." was Bulma's only reply.


At 4:45 AM sharp, the alarm clock on Vegeta's side of the bed sounded, and like a flash, the Saiyan Prince was on his feet, a smile already crossing his lips. Today, he would spar with Kakkarot, and today, he would not lose. And he wanted to get into his mind, so he chose the ungodly holiday hour of 5am to wake him up suddenly and get him into the GT. The moron had spent the entire day before hovering around the Kitchen like a jackal looking for prey. He had eaten almost one fourth of the food they had bought.

Bulma knew better, though, and everyone was thankful for it. She knew how Goku liked to eat. After all, she had known him the longest of anyone in the house. She had been there, right there fromt he very beginning. So she bought enough food to satisfy at least three hundred full course dinners. And in the day before alone, Goku had slammed down at least one hundred and thirty of them, give or take. Factor in Gohan and Vegeta, and you have the equivalent to a small army to feed in comparison.

Needless to say, Goku was well stuffed, and would be sluggish still. While a Saiyan can put down a mountain, it takes quite a bit to digest it when they're not fully active on a regular basis.

After throwing on his training gear, he made sure to totally supress his power level and opened his bedroom door, being careful not to wake Bulma up. Slowly, he crept down the hallway and managed to quietly gain entry into Goku's room.

Now it's my turn, Kakkarot. This is my Christmas Gift to myself. It's time to remind you who your greatest rival really is.

He powered up his Ki high enough to allow him to float over the still sleeping Goku. Chi Chi had fallen asleep downstairs with Gohan after spending the whole day cooking, so he was alone. He glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand and waited for the exact moment 5 AM hit. And when it did, he let go with everything he had.

"KAKKAROT!!! Time to get up, you pathetic excuse for a Saiyan! The Androids will be here soon, and I find you sleeping on the job! You need to be down in the Gravity Trainer room with me, now get up, get dressed, and move your sorry ass! Come on Kakkarot, double time!"

Goku, startled all to heck by Vegeta's tirade, shot out of bed, screaming bloody murder. He had no idea what was going on, he only heard the instructions the voice was shouting at him. Once he finally settled down (after getting all of his training gear on), he looked over his bed to see Vegeta, floating in mid air, laughing his head off.

"You know, sometimes Kakkarot," said the Saiyan Prince between fits of laughter. "It's moments like this that make me not want to kill you. If I did, who would I get some decent laughs from."

"Vegeta, you really are a creep, you know that? Now, do you want a sparring match or not."

"I thought you'ld never say that. After you."


Gohan awoke to the sounds of thunder and rumbling of the compound's main house unit.At first, his thoughts raced, and he looked over at his clock to make sure it was still Christmas and not the day the Androids were arriving. And then, he focused his senses and knew what was causing the disturbances.

"Wow. Dad and Vegeta are really going at it. Intense. They're not messing around at all."

Bulma had decided that, while the Gravitational Trainer was still of good use as a spaceship and part time training facility, it just simply not enough to suit Vegeta's long-term training needs. She knew that he'd need a bigger space to work in, and they just happened to have an underground lab that used to house the large-capacity storage capsule R&D unit. Leaving the original GT in it's old room, she copied the technology into a larger scale facility, about the cubic equivalent of two football fields. Here, anyone could work on their movements with greater freedom, and also face more opponents. From the original GT lab, she had an underground staircase built, leading to the new GT room, which was under the R&D Building itself.

Gohan had been given a new tour of the facility by Bulma earlier in the week, and found his way down to it's entrance behind the GT Ship unit. The door was already open, an oversight by his father and Vegeta. He suppressed his energy and made his way down the stairs, careful not to try and bother them. Everyone knew that Vegeta did not like to be disturbed when he was training. He reached the bottom of the stairs and into the locker area. Directly across from him was the entrance to the main chamber, a heavy, windowless door, no doubt locked. On the left wall, the entrance to the Control Room. From there, Gohan knew that he could watch what was going on within.

When he finally remembered the key sequence to bring up the monitor, he stood back and gasped at what he saw. His father and Vegeta were indeed going all-out, moving faster and fighting like Gohan had never seen before. Either they felt the urgency of the coming Android problem, or there was something more driving it. Their rivalry was strong and heated, this Gohan knew. But could it possibly take them this far?

Vegeta knew it would be time soon. The would have to end their match and rejoin the rest of the world. He wished he had more time, he was finally mathing Goku blow for blow. If it wasn't for his advantage in becoming a Super Saiyan, he would indeed have a chance to defeat him, once and for all. While that hope was lost to him at the moment, he did use the time to try and improve himself. Every time he fought Goku at his personal best, his strength increased by leaps and bounds. He longed for the day when the difference in their power levels would vanish in the blink of an eye, so he could finally challange his nemesis on equal ground.

His other worry, of course, was Goku's brat, Gohan. Even though only half Saiyan, he showed remarkable power. While he did not yet know how to unlock that power, he had shown glimpses of it many times. Even against Vegeta himself, Gohan exploded in a way that caught even his friends off guard. Could the halfbreed be stronger? Could it just be that when you cross a Saiyan and a Human, you get a brand new super species?

To have an offspring, Vegeta thought to himself as he reared back, powering up his ki for one last blast at Goku. A son that could challange Kakkarot's brat, one that would have the chance to be stronger and smarter in combat. A son that I could train, one that could carry on my legacy, the Saiyan legacy...

"Here you go, Kakkarot! An early Christmas Gift! Merry Christmas!" With everything he had short of his finishers, he let an incredible energy wave loose, and it headed straight for Goku. He was laughing now, thuroughly enjoying this last great effort.

At the last possible second, Goku powered up into Super Saiyan mode and caught the blast without even flinching, and collapsed it into nothing, ending the attack, and the match. "Sorry, Vegeta. But you still have a step to go. You'll get there, I know you will. You just have to get there your own way."

"One of these days, Kakkarot, it'll be you and me, for all the marbles. Someday, we'll fight on even terms. Until that day comes, I suggest you keep preparing yourself, because rest assured that's exactly what I'll be doing."

Goku powered down and reacquired his trademark childish smile and wide eyed expression. "Now come on, I've gotta get a snack before dinner, and the boys wanted to go outside in the snow for a little while. Are you going to come outside with us?"

"Certainly not. Why the hell would I want to go outside in that blistering cold, just to play with a bunch of frozen water molecules? Give me a break, Kakkarot. I'll see you at dinner." With that, Vegeta left the GT Lab and made his way back toward his room.

Goku himself left the lab and went into the locker area, still looking at the door Vegeta had left through. "Boy, even around the holidays, he's edgy..."


Thanks to Bulma's quick thinking, lunch on Christmas Eve turned out to be a foregone conclusion. She had purchased a large amount of lunchmeats, lettuce, and quite a few loaves of wheat bread in preperation for the defense of the main meal. Rather than have two and a half Saiyans attacking dinner before it was time, she decided that an abundance of sandwhiches could fend them off. It worked, and earned her a rare compliment from Chi Chi, who was impressed with her forethought when it came to living with a starving superbeing.

After Lunch, Vegeta found himself up in his room, tryind to decide what to do with the rest of his day. Everyone else had gone outside to roll around in the snow. He had already flipped through all the channels on the television, twice, and was quickly growing bored.

"Remind me to abolish holidays when I take control of the universe. This is insufferable."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by the quick turning of the knob. It could only be one person.

"'Geta?"

"What do you want?"

"Everybody's wondering where you're at. We're all outside. Gohan and Goku are building a snowman with Chaotzu, Tien and Krillin are..."

"Why would I care to go out into that frigid nonsense, and why should I care what the others are doing in it?"

"Vegeta."

"What did I say now?"

"Nothing. But you need to understand something."

"And what, praytell, is that?" He layed back on the bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

Bulma snapped. It wasn't the bad snap, though. She was hell bent on getting her point across to him, and it was all going to come out at once.

"I'm sure it's something you'll understand pretty well, actually. It's Christmas. Here on Earth, it's a time to be with loved ones, friends, and most importantly, family. And whether you like it or not, mister Prince of all Saiyans, you are now a part of this family. That's something you haven't had in a long time, Vegeta. You had your father taken from you, you had your entire race taken from you." She turned away from him and walked towards the balcony door.

"And now you're here, Vegeta. You're not without a family anymore. You have one right here.You have people who care about you despite all the hell you give them. Even Goku cares, Vegeta. But most of all..."

"Most of all, you care, Bulma. Right?"

She turned to see him sitting on the bed, staring straight at her. She hated it when he did that. When he gave her that look, she just couldn't help but melt. "Yes, Vegeta, I care. I want you to be with me this Christmas. I want you to be with me and all of my friends. I don't care what they think of us, Vegeta. They love me regardless. But I want to be out there with them." She paused, then walked over to him, kneeling down and taking his cheek in her hand. "And I want to be out there with you, too."

He couldn't believe what she was asking him. She was asking him to put his pride away, totally, even for just a little while, and go show the world that he loved Bulma, and cared enough to see her happy. Every part of his body seemed to say "hold up a second, here" as her words sank in. He questioned himself for the first time in a long time. Did he have the strength to leave his pride behind? Did he have the strength to show the world that the cold, heartless killer was in fact capable of an emotion such as love?

The answer came simply enough. He smiled, and took her cheek in his own hand.

"Let me get some gear on. It's cold as hell out there. But don't expect me to play nice with everyone, got it?"

"Fair enough. Now come on, hurry up!"


On the way down the satairs, Vegeta made sure that everything was in order. He didn't want to have to face another bitter cold Earth winter, and for the most part, he didn't have to. What he couldn't udnerstand is all the fun in going outside to fool around in the frigid weather. When he was sure that he was as air tight as he could get, he moved towards the sliding glass door that led out onto the western yard.

The west yard was nothing short of huge. Easily taking up enough space for a sports arena, there was plenty of room for shinanigans on this day. Large drifts of snow had piled up on the buildings bordering the yard, and had also blown up in smaller piles within they yard. Gohan and Chaotzu had abandoned their snowman in favor of digging tunnels and forts out of the drifts, aided by their super speed and strength. It didn't take them long to each hollow out a fortress.

Soon after, they had begun lobbing snowballs at each other, and for the most part, missed each other. But then, Chaotzu landed a shot right between the eyes, clouding Gohan's vision.

"I got you! I got you!" The marionette-like man laughed as he celebrated his small victory.

Gohan, sitll unable to see clearly, packed himself a snowball and prepared to fire back. "You're gonna get it good for that one, Chaotzu!" He couldn't see what direction he was throwing, but he let the snowball go anyway, and then tried to clear his eyes a bit.

And that snowball found it's way right onto the side of Vegeta's head, just as he was coming outside though the door.

Of course, Vegeta's first reaction was that of anger. After all, it's the way he'd reacted most of his life to most any situation. But then, he looked in the direction where the snowball came from. Closest to him was the little puppet kid, and beyond him he saw Gohan. So, Kakkarot's brat did this, eh? Quickly, he came up with his scheme for revenge.

Vegeta knew, as Goku did, that there was something about Gohan. They had both seen his incredible outbursts of power, and Vegeta even found himself on the receiving end of one of them. He dare not attack the boy, for he'd not only have him to deal with, but Bulma as well, not to mention Goku.

No, his revenge would be much sweeter, and he'd get everyone else in the process. The best part of it all was the fact that it'd be seen as nothing but harmless fun.

In a flash, Vegeta was on the ground, scooping up a handful of the cold, wet white menace he so dreaded, rolled it into a ball, and fired it at his rival's brat. Almost instantly, Gohan was knocked to the ground as the snowball hit him in the shoulder.

"If you're going to start a snowball fight, Gohan, at least tell me first! Now..." Vegeta looked around at the others in the yard, picking out his next target and preparing to make another snowball. "Who else wants to share some Christmas Cheer?"

With that began the biggest, most rowdy snowball battle that Capsule Corp., or the world for that matter, had ever seen. Snowballs flew wildly and at random, with the Earth Special Forces all going against each other. Hits, misses, splattered snow on the side of the house - it didn't take long for them all to dig up a good portion of the snow in the west yard.


Dinner that evening went off without a hitch, and everyone made their way to the living room afterwards to sit down and chew the fat. The standing rule this year was no talk of Androids, they were sure enough that they were coming and would pose a serious threat to them all. Instead, talk turned to memories of days long past, when the gang had first met and come together. And, in each and every case, it was Goku that had brought them to this point. He was thier common thread. Even Vegeta had to admit that.

Though it didn't really surprise anyone, Master Roshi managed to get in a few laughs after drinking too much egg nog. He pretended to fix his hair, or what hair he actually had left, in the reflection from Krillin's head, and then got the bright idea to get a marionette control and tie it up to Chaotzu, turning him into a puppet and having him act out comedic versions of ancient Japanese folk tales. Yamcha had a little too much nog himself, and soon passed out, sprawled out on the floor behind the couch.

As everyone talked, Vegeta remained on his chair, sulking just a bit. He didn't want to seem too unhappy to everyone, but he couldn't let his discomfort go unnoticed, either. Everyone else was being sentimental about thier times together in years past. But what did he have to wax nostalgic about? Christmas wasn't even a concept familiar to him until this past year, and the years prior to that didn't really yield many happy memories he could share with them.

Outside, the sky slowly grew dark, and a light snow began to fall. Vegeta turned his attention to this minor spectacle, thinking of how snow had never fallen on his homeworld. Despite the fact that he detested the white menace, he somehow found himself seeing it in a different light. If he concentrated his hearing, a feat not easily accomplished with Goku's mouth running, he could hear the tiny flakes of snow hitting the ground. In time, it came to sound like a tiny symphony of both chaos and serenity, causing him to relax a bit.

Bulma had begun to notice how distant Vegeta was, and had been turning to see what he was up to every now and again. She saw him looking outside, and even managed to catch a glimpse of the tiny smile accross his face. He never smiled much, and she'd learned to look a bit harder to try and find one on his usually sullen visage. It was small, but it was there.

Ever since the incident with the Amazons, Bulma had been trying to understand the bond she had with Vegeta. In the weeks following the debacle, she had spoken to Chi Chi at great lengths about her experiences with Goku, and had come to accept her connection with her own Saiyan lover. From what Chi Chi could gather, Saiyans developed a bond with thier mates through alot of one-on-one contact, something she and Goku had quite a bit of in thier younger days. When feelings began to develop, the bond only grew stronger, and it was then that she took notice of it. They could sense each other's feelings, even hear each other's thoughts from time to time. After thier wedding, the bond grew even more encompassing, giving them a nearly unbreakable link at all times. Not even distance could break this bond, and they could even feel each other during Goku's time in outer space.

Bulma's bond with Vegeta had grown by leaps and bounds since the Amazon incident, and she even figured out a way to control the ebb and flow of it, allowing her to create one way links to Vegeta. She never tried to pry into his depest thoughts, though. She figured that if he wanted to share those with her, he would, and he often did. But, at moments like this, she could sense what was going through his mind.

She felt his slight admiration for the falling snow outside, and how it made him feel more at peace despite the holiday insanity around him. At one point, she could even hear what he was hearing, and listened herself to the chorus of tiny ice crystles landing softly on the ground. Amazing, she thought. Sometimes, he never ceases to amaze me. He hates snow, and yet here he is, being lulled into a peaceful state of mind by it.

Deep in her own mind, she knew that tonight would be like no other night she had ever spent with Vegeta. What she had planned for him was beyond anything he would ever expect, of that she was certain. Tonight, after everyone else went to sleep, she would take her love of the Saiyan Prince to a level that neither of them had ever been. Tonight, thier love would break new ground, and she was bound and determined to make it magical...


By 11:30, everyone had found thier way to the spots where they would spend the night, and had fallen asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Bulma and Vegeta. Vegeta had gone to get a shower before he went to bed, and Bulma sat in her room, getting herself ready. The outfit she'd purchased the other day sat on the vanity before her, and she looked at it with a sense of hope. She wondered if it would make him happy, if she could make him happy. But in the end, she knew she would. If there was one thing Vegeta wanted more than anything in the universe, it was someone to make him happy. He'd gone his whole life without that, and now that he finally had it, she knew he wouldn't let go. Without delay, she began to change...


Vegeta reached down and turned the water off. He felt strangely good, given the fact that he had just spent this evening with Bulma's friends. Something compelled him to smile as he reached for his towel and began to dry off. Holiday sentiment. Worthless, but not at all harmful. You know, I could grow to like these silly Earth customs, especially if they mean I can pelt those weaklings with snowballs and not be reprimanded. His smile grew to a chuckle for a moment as he recalled the day's events, especially the snowball fight. He had managed to get in a few choice shots at his rival during the melee, but not without taking a few hits himself. Overall, though, he felt it to be a small victory, one of the few times he'd managed to get the better of Goku.

After brushing his teeth and throwing on his boxers, he turned off the bathroom light and made his way down the hall. Suddenly, he flet his bond with Bulma spring to life, and sensed her presence in his room. He tried to feel out what she was doing there, but she wasn't allowing him to sense it. Woman, you're deffinately full of surprises. What is it you could have planned for me this time? He reached the door to his room and, with a smile on his face, opened the door.

What he saw when he entered the room made his jaw drop. There, on his bed, was Bulma, wearing one of the more racy outfits he had seen the previous day at the mall. "Bulma..."

"Hello, my Prince..." She looked up at him adoringly. Hopefully, this would be the greatest gift he would ever recieve. They'd been together for a while now, and still they hadn't come together like this. Tonight, though, she would give him his gift. She whould show him how deep her love truely went.

Not another word was said for the moment. Once Vegeta made his way to bed, he and his mate were inseperable...


New Years Eve. Outside, snow covered the landscape, except in the yard where a late evening snowball fight, this time initiated by Vegeta himself, had decimated the three foot high drifts and nearly left the dormant grass below totally exposed.

Now the festivities had moved indoors. Everyone except Gohan was getting thier drink on, and a good time was being had by all.

Except for one person.

Bulma had kept to herself for the good majority of the day, and had resigned herself to a corner of the living room by this time of the night. She looked up at the clock. 11:45. In 15 short minutes, the new year would be upon them. Everyone else began to go back out to the yard to watch the city's fireworks display, but she stayed. How do I do this? What do I say? How will he take it? Oh Kami help me. Her mind raced with thoughts of how Vegeta would react to the news she had for him.

11:56.

Vegeta looked around and noticed that Bulma was not among his companions. "Where is that woman? Kakkarot, did Bulma come outside with the rest of us?"

"Gee," his rival replied, "I don't know Vegeta. Go check inside, maybe she had to run to the bathroom or something."

"Hrumph. Those fireworks had better wait until I get back out here." With that, he strode back accross the yard and reached down to open the door. After doing so, he stepped into the living room. "Bulma? Are you in here, woman? The fireworks are almost ready to start!"

11:57.

Vegeta checked the downstairs bathroom, but didn't find her there. He grew more and more annoyed as he searched the kitchen, living room, dining room, everywhere he could think of. No sign of her. She must be upstars, he thought, and took off flying to save time.

11:59.

He finally found her laying on her bed, crying. "Bulma, what's wrong?"

She managed to stifel back the tears for a moment, collecting her wits and trying her best to be brave."Ve... Vegeta? There's... There's something I... h-have to tell you..."

"What is it Bulma? Everyone's waiting for us in the yeard..."

"Vegeta..."

"Go ahead, Bulma-chan, I'm here..."

It was the last two seconds of the old year. These two seconds seemet to go on forever for both of them as Bulma turned her tearing eyes to meet her lover's gaze...

"I'm pregnant..."

Midnight struck, and outside, the night sky was instanly lit up with brilliant lights of all colors, the silence broken by the exploding shells...