It was the sharply exhaled swear word that awoke her. Bulma shifted under the mountain of cream colored downy comforters, turning to face Vegeta (who had stubbed his big toe on the corner of the dresser) with bleary-eyes. It was three in the morning she foggily registered. And as she slowly became more awake the more miffed she got. Why had her husband had come in so late?

"And where have you been?" She asked, sleep still thick in her voice.

Vegeta just grunted, choosing to ignore her as he shimmied out of his training clothes.

Normally, Bulma would have enjoyed her muscle-clad brooding husband getting naked, but after being awoken so suddenly it just left her angry. "Humph. Have a nice time? Good to know you'd rather be lifting heavy things by yourself than spending time with your wife." She tried again, this time letting her irritation get the better of her. Still, Vegeta didn't respond. He just shuffled off to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and then turned on the light.

Huffing, Bulma flopped onto her back, arms crossed over her chest. The gentle whoosh of the shower started behind the bathroom door followed by the smell of his shampoo. 'It smells good,' she thought. He had hated every single one she'd ever bought him, so she'd just made her own in the lab. It was earthy smelling, funnily enough: crisp like a winter wind, smokey like a fire and herbal like peppermint. She'd just left it in the shower one day, and when he came out wearing that scent around him like a cloud she'd just about buckled over from joy among other things. He never mentioned it, but the fact he washed with it everyday let her know how much he liked it.

The water ebbed and Bulma could hear him moving around the bathroom; The clink of his toothbrush, the opening and closing of a drawer, the crack of his neck as he rolled it. Each sound so familiar to her now. It had taken her a long time to convince him to share a bed with her, in fact he'd only started sleeping in it regularly after they'd gotten married. She'd questioned him about it once, and found his answer surprisingly old fashioned,

"Only a husband and wife share a bed."

Never mind the fact Trunks had already been born. But Bulma could appreciate the sentiment.

The light in the bathroom clicked off, and Vegeta stepped naked into the dark room. Bulma watched his silhouetted form make its way to the bed, lifting the covers and crawling into bed beside her. He smelled wonderful, his body still slightly damp from the shower. He was dead still, and probably could have passed for asleep if Bulma didn't know him better. She slid down further under the covers, turning on her side to face him, "Hey." She whispered.

He grunted.

"Why're you being so quiet?" She prodded.

Vegeta sighed, "I was trying to be respectful and let you sleep. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Bulma blinked. Wait. Her Vegeta was...being thoughtful?

He shifted, hand finding her bare hip under the copious amounts of blankets she slept under and squeezed lightly, "Go back to sleep. God knows you need every minute of beauty rest you can get."

"Oh, har har very funny."

Vegeta chuckled and she could practically feel his smirk.

"Seriously though," she whispered, snuggling closer to him, "why are you still awake? You never train this late." There was a long pause, and Bulma rolled her eyes, "forget it." She huffed, starting to roll away onto her other side.

His fingers tightened on her hip and she stopped moving, "I was...thinking." He said slowly, cautiously.

Bulma felt her heart began to pound. Vegeta was actually trying to communicate? What the hell was going on? Old fears of him leaving began to rise, why else would he be so willing to talk? Why wasn't he talking anymore?! Why was his pause so long?!

"...you're sweating." Vegeta grumbled, removing his hand from her and making a point to wipe it on the sheets.

"You're making me nervous!" She hissed, "I have no idea what is going on in that Saiyan brain of yours!"

"Woman would you shut up?! I'm TRYING here."

Bulma snapped her mouth closed, trying to keep the insults she had ready to escape contained. Vegeta sighed, his fingers finding her ribs now, brushing against her again, "I've just had a lot on my mind. Training helps me think. I...needed to work some thoughts out."

BA-BOOM went her heart, "Uh-huh..." she breathed.

Vegeta shifted, his strong arm drawing her closer against him.

BA-BOOM

"..."

BA-BOOM BA-BOOM BA-BOOM

He sighed, "I...don't know quite how to say it..."

Something hot began building behind Bulma's tightly closed eyelids, 'Don't cry!' Her mind screamed, 'Don't show him weakness! You can do this without him-'

"...I want to have another child."

BA-

Her heart stopped. Palpitated. Stopped again. And then took a nose dive straight into her lower intestine.

Vegeta huffed with irritation, "Well?"

Normally Bulma was a quick thinker, a genius of not only creating marvelous inventions, cracking codes and physics, but she was also pretty quick with a one liner for her surly alien husband. For some reason though, the connections in her brain were not functioning. The only thing she could manage to respond with was, "Guh?!"

"Tch." Vegeta clicked his tongue then rolled onto his back and crossed his arms, shutting himself out from her, "Forget it."

Bulma quickly sat up, staring bewildered down at him, "Who are you and what have you done with Vegeta?"

"Hmph." Though the room was dark she could still see the hot blush across his cheeks, "Nevermind."

"No no no!" She insisted, clambering on top of him now much to his irritation, "Say it again."

"..."

"Vegeta," Bulma said softly, her small hands framing his face. He stiffened, but didn't try to move away so she figured that was a good sign, "look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-"

"You didn't hurt anything." He snapped, but his tone reflected otherwise.

"Mmmhmmm," a smirk played on Bulma's lips, "of course. My mistake."

Vegeta averted his eyes, "Whatever. Forget it."

"No," she said, fingers now tracing one of his thick black eyebrows, "don't you think I'm to old for another baby?"

"Well, you're old that's for sure."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST,"

Obsidian eyes finally slid back over to meet her hot gaze, and Vegeta smirked.

Ugh. He was teasing her Bulma realized. Trying to change the subject. Avoidance thy name is Vegeta. "Listen here bucko," she poked him on the chest, "I've already had the pleasure of pushing out one of your babies and let me tell you it was no picnic! And where were you for that? Out traversing the galaxy training. Like always! If you think I'm going to do that alone again you're mistaken! And I think I look damn good now, you should be happy to have a wife that still looks this young after giving birth-"

"I know."

His quiet reply caught her off guard. Vegetas' arms finally uncrossed themselves, large hands gripping her hips, almost painfully as if making a point, "I... was a terrible father. And husband. I'm not a good person Bulma."

Bulma was effectively rendered speechless, and even more so when he continued, "As leaser of my people it is essential that I do what is best for their wellbeing. As I no longer have a planet to rule, that is you and Trunks. But..." her husband faltered, dark eyes closing, "I want to make sure that my legacy will live on... my peoples legacy."

Sighing, Bulma laid down on top of him, her nose buried in the crook where his neck met shoulder, "Vegeta, babies aren't just about procreation. You have to like, take care of them you know. They're hard work."

"Hmpf."

"Plus, it'll take time away from your training, and my work. I'm running the company now, you know that. And Trunks would be so much older. It's kind of unfair for him don't you think?"

"..."

Bulma sighed, "I just don't think it's a good-"

"Is it that you don't want another child with me?"

Startled, Bulma raised her head. He was staring at her, eyes hard. "Wha-what? Vegeta no!" She insisted, "you're taking this way out of context."

His eyes narrowed, "If you don't want another child by me then tell me."

Bulma groaned, dropping her head down onto his chest, "Oh my God this is not happening."

"You're my Queen," he said softly. This caught her attention. Raising her head back up she caught him looking at the ceiling, expression unreadable, "you're the only one I would even wish to have children with."

She waited for the punchline, the quip, the insult.

It never came.

The silence between them grew, became heavier with each beat of her heart.

"You mean it?" Bulma whispered, hot tears stinging her eyes.

Still silent, Vegeta gave a gentle squeeze on her hip.

Sniffling now, Bulma kissed his cheek. This earned her a wary grunt, but he didn't push her away. "So, I'm your queen?" She teased, wiggling her pelvis suggestively against his groin.

"That's what I said, right?" He grumbled, "that's what you agreed to when you made me go through that horrendous ceremony."

"Hmm," she hummed against his throat, pleased when she felt his cock begin to harden against her, "as your queen, you have to do what I say right?"

"Hardly. As the King, I have ultimate say."

"Well, in some countries women outrank the men." She said airily, fingers traveling down his bare abdomen and taking hold of his now very erect member.

Vegeta hissed through his teeth, "Not in this house."

"This is MY house remember," she whispered in his ear, "that makes me the boss."

Vegeta grunted, thrusting himself through her loosely gripped fingers, "You wish."

Bulma raised herself back up to straddle him, eyes drinking in the naked Saiyan below her. He was a fine specimen, all hard muscle and power. But now she saw something else that had only recently began to bubble unwillingly to the surface; humanity.

True, he was her husband and the father of their child. But until the last few years he'd pretty much ignored the two of them. His words and actions now however spoke something different. The change had been slow, but now he seemed almost content to spend time with her and Trunks, despite the grumbling and sometimes hostile nature he displayed he would almost always give in to her or their sons demands. Bulma took this as a way in which he had avoided arguments, but maybe it meant something different after all.

The corner of Vegetas lips pulled up into a predatory grin as she stared down at him, "See something you like?"

Despite her initial reaction to quip back, she gave him a tender smile, "Yeah, I do."

His smirk slowly melted away, a blush starting in its place, "Wha-woman why are you staring at me like that?"

"Let's do it."

"Well, obviously-"

"No Vegeta," she leaned down, touched her lips against his and whispered against his mouth, "let's have a baby."

His reaction was immediate. He flipped her over, arms trapping her beneath him, eyes piercing into hers, "Do you mean it? Don't lie."

Bulma smiled again, then raised her nightshirt over her head, "Are you just going to tease me or are you going to fuck me?"

Vegetas smirk grew wider, "I'll have you begging my Queen." His lips were on hers then, fingers ripping off the panties she had on. She was vaguely aware that she liked that pair, but what his hands were doing to her now quickly made her forget why she even bothered wearing them in the first place.