A/N: I know that some of you had requested I write more into this seven year period, and I admit that I was tempted because I have absolutely loved working on this fic. But I always envisioned this story ending here, with the end of this phase of Bulma and Vegeta's relationship.

Anyways. Many thanks for following my work this far. The support I've gotten has been wild, and I'm sincerely grateful for all of it! This story was the most I've struggled with Vegeta's character yet, so hopefully I did my favorite character a little justice. I also hope this last chapter is to your liking, and thanks again for reading. :)

"Aw, shit," Bulma miserably groaned. She sighed and took a drink of her iced tea, as though the headline would disappear when she looked back at the magazine.

It didn't. There she was, smiling and radiant from a photo shoot from winning her Nobel Prize, right on the front page of West City People. Next to her was a dark silhouette of a man, with a huge white question mark over the silhouette. The headline over them read: Who is Bulma Briefs' mystery fiancé?

She had tried to keep things as private as possible, but someone had seen her engagement ring, and now the gossip was beginning. The heiress shook her head while she read over the article. Vegeta was probably the most private person she had ever met, and now everyone in the city wanted to know all about him. The last thing she wanted to do was have people recognize him from the Cell games. Things would only blow up from there.

Vegeta opened the door into the kitchen from the backyard, done with training Trunks for the day. His dirty and sweaty son immediately raced inside ahead of him. The little boy saw Bulma and visibly brightened.

"Mama!" he shouted, racing over to her. Before Bulma could even react, Trunks had already leapt on her, with enough strength to nearly make them both fall to the floor, chair and all. Vegeta immediately phased in and held Bulma's chair steady.

"Wow, you've still got a lot of energy for having trained hard, huh?" Bulma laughed, rubbing Trunks' back while he settled down into her lap. "Hm, someone is definitely going to need a bath before bed."

"That same someone is going to learn how to control his damn strength, if he knows what's good for him," Vegeta growled in annoyance.

"It's okay. Trunks is little, he doesn't understand-"

"He can already overpower you, woman. You're frail and pathetically weak in comparison to our son. The boy has to learn how to interact with you properly."

"Isn't Daddy so sweet when he worries about Mommy's safety, baby boy?" Bulma teasingly asked Trunks, who was playing with a pen on the table.

"…on second thought, let him kill you. See if I care," Vegeta snarled.

"I love you too, Vegeta," Bulma sighed.

"Hn. Stupid woman," he grumbled under his breath. He was about to leave the kitchen altogether, when he finally caught sight of the magazine spread out on the table. Frowning in confusion, Vegeta stepped up closer, looking down over Bulma's shoulder. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"What's what?" Bulma asked, preoccupied with trying to pull the pen out of Trunks' hand before he put it in his mouth and ruptured the thing entirely. Vegeta reached out and put his index finger on the magazine, drawing her attention back to it. "Oh. That. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"What do you mean, it's nothing? I thought you said no one was going to know about this!" Vegeta yelled, snatching up the magazine to read more.

"Well, SO-RRY, your highness!" Bulma snapped, finally getting the pen out of Trunks' hands. "But I'm not perfect, you know! Someone figured it out, but it doesn't mean they're all going to line up to see us get married!"

"Bulma Briefs, the genius heiress of Capsule Corporation and wealthiest woman on the planet, is breaking the hearts of men all over the globe. The beautiful Nobel Prize winner has reportedly been spotted wearing an impressive engagement ring, which is making everyone curious: who is the lucky man?" Vegeta read aloud, before snorting in disdain. "This question should obviously be rephrased to, who is the unlucky bastard who has to live with a shrieking, annoying wench for the rest of his life?"

Bulma sighed, leaning her head back to stare up at the ceiling in exasperation. "You know, my mom always told me I should have dated the newspaper boy when I was a teenager. He was so cute, too. And so nice. But nooo! I had to fall for the most narcissistic alien in the universe-"

"Is it former pro baseball stud, the rumored father of Bulma's son Trunks, Yamcha? Or what about other rumors that it's Mr. Satan?" Vegeta stopped reading, leaned his head back and laughed loudly. "Are you lusting after that Satan fool behind my back, woman?"

"Are you kidding me? Satan and I got it on a bunch of times when you left for space. Didn't I tell you? I wore a leather outfit, and had a whip. It was super kinky."

Vegeta's laughter abruptly died. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "That is not funny."

"It's a little funny."

"It is not funny," the prince growled.

"Trunks thinks it's funny, don't you, sweetheart?" Bulma asked the little boy in her lap. Trunks looked back at her and smiled widely, and Bulma smiled back. "I thought so."

"You know what would be funny? Me blasting that Satan fool to bits."

"That would be very funny, but we'd have to wish him back right away," Bulma laughed while she stood up. She lowered Trunks down to the floor, and then turned to the prince. "Look, Vegeta. This is what the paparazzi does. They always need a story and now they have one. Don't worry about it. It's not like you go out often for them to spot you and harass you. If anyone is going to start getting harassed about this, it's me. It was the same crap when I was pregnant, so I know how to play this game. We'll deal with this, but not right now. I'm getting married tomorrow, and I'd like to enjoy the moment without worrying about them."

"Hn. They're not going to be there tomorrow, are they?" Vegeta asked, scowling as he looked back down at the magazine.

"No one knows where we're doing this. And if by chance someone gets too close, you can sense them, so we'll just play it by ear. It'll be okay, really."

His scowl deepened as he looked back up to make eye contact with her. Bulma hadn't seen that murderous flash in his dark eyes in a while, and she didn't like seeing it again.

"Wait. What do you mean when you say they will start harassing you?" Vegeta threateningly demanded. "Did someone say something, or do something to you when you were pregnant? Because if they did-"

"No, hey, it's not what you're thinking, okay?" Bulma quickly clarified. She reached out and placed her hand between his neck and shoulder. The prince relaxed a little at the contact. "It's a little annoying, but I know how to deal with it. I can take care of myself when it comes to this stuff, so don't worry about it."

Vegeta stared at her for a few seconds, unaware of Trunks trying to climb up his pants, before finally nodding. Bulma did know more about this than he did; if she said she could handle herself, then he believed it.

He watched her smile, before she leaned in and kissed his lips. It was just a peck at first, but she soon tried deepening the kiss, wanting to taste more of him. The prince didn't allow it though, turning his head away. As the days slipped away, his control around the woman was weakening. She could get him aroused in seconds, sometimes without even trying. Without a payoff, it was best to avoid that happening.

"Only one more night," Bulma whispered in his ear, practically reading his mind. The prince reached up to the hand that was still touching him, and he let his fingers lightly run down her forearm to her elbow.

"Yes. One more night, then you're mine. You won't have a voice left when I'm done with you, woman," Vegeta growled quietly in her ear, sending a shiver of anticipation down Bulma's spine. It wasn't any easier for her to stop having sex with him, and there were definitely moments when she was sorely tempted to just say "fuck it" and jump the prince. This moment was one of them. It was a good thing Trunks was right there with them, or she didn't think she would last.

"I'm going to go get Trunks ready for bed," Bulma shakily said, withdrawing from him for her own sanity. One more night, she repeated to herself. Looking down at her son, she smiled at him. "Come on, let's go. We have a busy day tomorrow, so you need your rest. And you desperately need a bath."

"No!" Trunks whined, his eyes already filling with tears. "No bath!"

"I don't want to hear it, young man. Now let's go," Bulma ordered, not surprised when she saw Trunks take in a deep breath to start bawling. The tantrums were starting to creep up more often, especially when it was time for bed.

"Stop that this instant, boy!" Vegeta barked down at his young son when he saw what was about to happen. Trunks immediately forced his tears back, choking his sob down before he could unleash it. "Now go with your mother, and I better not hear you the rest of the night."

Trunks pouted a little in defeat, but he slowly let go of Vegeta's pants and then walked over to his mother. Bulma raised an eyebrow when she saw that the tantrum had been neutralized before it even started. She shot Vegeta a smile.

"Thanks," she said, picking up her pouty son into her arms. "I'll see you upstairs?"

"I think I'll sleep elsewhere tonight," Vegeta grumbled. "For now, I'm going to train."

"Oh, okay. Well, try to get some sleep then."

Bulma flirtatiously blew him a kiss. The prince just rolled his eyes as he turned and walked out of the kitchen without a look back, while Bulma left in the opposite direction to tend to Trunks.

The butterflies were already starting in her stomach. Tomorrow was the day she had been waiting for, and it was going to be fantastic. It wasn't going to be a huge event – Vegeta wanted it to be family-only, and she had agreed on the condition that he wear his wedding ring for at least one month after the ceremony, and at least once a year on their wedding anniversaries. It hadn't been a trivial feat to convince the most masculine man she knew to wear "female jewelry", as he called it, but Vegeta had finally agreed, on the condition that he didn't have to help her pick out the rings. They had also nixed a reception or party afterwards per the prince's request, but only after he agreed to allow for photographs afterwards.

And so they had worked out enough compromises that they could both live with. Bulma was happy with that. She was more than ready for this.

She just prayed that he was ready too.

When the sun began to rise the next morning, only one person in Capsule Corp was awake – and his name was Trunks Briefs.

Trunks was perched on the window of his bedroom, having easily leapt up there. He had already figured out that if he moved about silently in his room without crying, his parents didn't come in to check on him. Unable to open the door (Bulma had secured it so it could only be opened from the outside, to keep her increasingly mischievous son inside his room), Trunks instantly set his sights on the window, easily leaping up there with no problems.

The window was closed and locked, but it easily gave out with one good push from the powerful toddler. Trunks smiled and slowly leaned out, looking down at the ground two stories below. He could easily jump down, but he didn't want to do that. He always jumped down from the roof. What he wanted to do, was climb up.

Several minutes later, Trunks was hanging off the edge of the roof with his hands as he slowly pulled himself up. The little boy was sweating profusely from his efforts, but he was fiercely determined to get on the roof. He finally swung one leg up. A very Vegeta-like look of triumph spread over his face. He was almost there-

"What the hell are you doing?" a very familiar gruff voice demanded from behind him. Startled, Trunks lost his grip, and would have fallen backwards right to the ground if Vegeta hadn't immediately grabbed him by the back of his onesie pajamas.

"Oops!" Trunks giggled as Vegeta held him up with one hand by his pajamas. Unbeknownst to the boy, his father was in tune with him mentally, and had woken up as soon as Trunks started climbing out of his window. Vegeta had just been curious to see what his son would do, and so he had simply observed. Now the prince glared at the boy in his grasp, which Trunks returned with a bright smile. "I love you, Papa!" Trunks chirped happily.

"Hn. Save the sentimental shit for your mother, since she actually falls for it," Vegeta scoffed. He levitated up higher in the air, and then unceremoniously tossed the boy onto the domed roof. "You wanted to get up here so bad, now stay up here."

He watched as Trunks slowly pushed himself up on his feet. It took him several seconds to find his balance, but when he did, he started doing laps around the domed roof, laughing happily while he did. If Bulma could see what was happening, she would have probably fainted. Vegeta, however, knew his son wouldn't fall, and so he went and took a seat on the edge of the roof himself, looking at the sunset.

Though Trunks had forced him out of bed, he hadn't slept well to begin with. For one, he wasn't used to sleeping without Bulma anymore, much to his chagrin. But worse than that, was the dream he'd dealt with all night, in which every Saiyan he could remember told him that he was a failure for lowering himself to marrying a human woman, and that he would shame them all if he went through with it. Hearing those comments was hard, dream or not.

Vegeta sighed, running one hand up through his hair in frustration. He reclined back until he was laying down on the roof, and he was falling deep into brooding thoughts when he felt two small hands on his arm. Vegeta lowered his hand and looked up, only to be met with Trunks' bright smile.

"Gooood morniiiiiing!" Trunks happily said in a sing-song voice.

"It is not a good morning, boy," Vegeta growled. "Now get the hell away from me before I blast you off this roof and pretend it was an accident."

"Look! Look! Sun!" Trunks shouted excitedly. He pointed towards the sunrise, urging Vegeta to look. "Sun!"

Vegeta grunted with indifference, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. Trunks looked his father over curiously, and then decided to mimic him. The little boy slowly laid down, resting the back of his head against his father's stomach. Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his son, which made Trunks look back at him with another bright smile. The prince might not have understood the love Bulma had for him, but he knew how a boy felt towards his father. He knew that too well.

Vegeta hesitated a second, before reaching down and putting his hand gently on Trunks' head. He supposed it didn't matter what others would have thought of his decision to marry Bulma. After all, his son was the only person with Saiyan blood whose opinion would ever matter to him now.

Later that day, Bulma was radiant with happiness. She was in her bedroom, which had been temporarily converted almost into a mini beauty salon, and she was surrounded by some of West City's best hair stylists. While her hair was being tended to, her nails were getting done in the best manicure that she could afford. Of course, none of them knew what the occasion was, and she wanted to keep it that way. Still, for all intents and purposes, she looked like a queen being completely pampered. She didn't care though. This was her day, goddamnit, and she was going to look fantastic for her new husband. And for the pictures, of course.

A few hours later, Vegeta was going to start getting dressed after having a late breakfast, when it occurred to him that his future father-in-law had yet to deliver the armor he asked for. Even worse, he had left his white boots in the closet of his bedroom. The prince had been forbidden to even enter that wing of the compound, since apparently Bulma had claimed it as the place where she would get ready. Not taking her warning seriously, he walked on into that wing anyways, heading straight towards his bedroom.

"Woman!" he called out, pounding on the door.

"You can't come in here, Vegeta!" Bulma yelled out. She cursed under her breath; she was right in the middle of beginning to get dressed, with her mother's assistance. She yelled again, "Damn it, I'm getting dressed!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Vegeta yelled back, completely bewildered. How many times had he seen her in the nude? And yet she didn't want him to see her getting dressed? Once again, she was proving how insane she was.

"Don't you remember when I told you yesterday that you can't see me in my dress before the wedding?"

"Did you tell me this while I was eating? What did I tell you about giving me important information while I'm eating?"

"Well, SORRY that I'm not more interesting than your DINNER, Vegeta, but you still can't come in here!"

"Ah, true love," Bunny happily sighed, while zipping up the back of Bulma's dress. "There's nothing like it!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" the prince growled. He then opened the door, but he couldn't take a step before Bunny was suddenly right in his face. Vegeta flinched in surprise, looking at her warily.

"Now, dear, you can't come in while Bulma's getting ready. You'll just have to wait for now," Bunny brightly told him, even as she firmly pushed the Saiyan back with strength he hadn't expected.

"Wha-" he blinked a bit, but he was promptly met with the door closing in his face. Vegeta stood there, stunned almost beyond thought. Had that weak, idiot blonde woman really just pushed him out of his own damn room? He growled again, and banged harder on the door with his fist. "Bulma! I need my goddamned boots, unless you want me to do this stupid thing barefoot!"

A few moments later, Bunny cracked the door open just enough to slide his white boots out. Vegeta grumbled curses under his breath, and then snatched the boots from her grasp. He marched away, going back to his old room to get dressed. He groaned when he finally walked in and saw Trunks sitting on his bed, with Dr. Briefs sitting next to him.

"Where are the things I asked for, old man?" Vegeta peevishly demanded.

Dr. Briefs chuckled, gesturing towards the bed. "Just stopped by to drop it off, dear boy. It's all here."

The prince looked behind Trunks, and saw that it was true. But even though it was exactly what he had requested, he hadn't been prepared for the actual sight of it. It had been so many years since he had worn anything resembling royal attire…the last time was the day he learned about the fate of his planet and his father.

"If you're not happy with it, we can find you something else to wear, Vegeta," Dr. Briefs said, not knowing how to read that dark look on Vegeta's face. "My wife and daughter can take a long time to get dressed…there is still enough time for us to find-"

"No," Vegeta cut in, shaking his head. The prince blinked a few times, forcing his darkest memories back. He had requested the damn armor set. He could handle wearing it. "It's fine. I'll wear it."

"Are you sure? This is your day too, and-"

"I said I'll wear it."

Dr. Briefs nodded, and then patted the prince on the shoulder. "Alright. I'll take Trunks, and then we'll see you there?"

Vegeta didn't respond. Taking the hint, Dr. Briefs motioned for Trunks to follow him. The boy immediately hopped down from the bed and scrambled after his grandfather, dashing out ahead of him. Once they were gone, Vegeta went over to close and lock the door. He took a few seconds to himself, and then he started getting undressed.

"He's late, dear," Dr. Briefs whispered to his wife later that day. "That might be a bad sign."

He glanced around, making sure they were at the right location. Bulma had wanted to get married outside, and had found a clear, raised grassy plain with mountains in the distance that offered a beautiful scenic backdrop to the day. The sun was low in the sky, and there were lights and lanterns in the trees, which all gave the area a soft and mellow feel, courtesy of some well-placed phone calls on Bunny's behalf. No, they were definitely in the right location. Aside from himself, Bunny, and Trunks, a minister and a young photographer were waiting. And that wasn't counting the live musicians they had on standby.

"Oh, you worry too much!" Bunny giggled, waving off his concerns with one hand. "He'll be here." She had Trunks in her lap. The little boy was dressed in a mini tuxedo, but he didn't seem to mind. He was calm and reclining back against his grandmother, happily drinking a bottle of juice.

As if on cue, Vegeta finally dropped in from out of nowhere, completely startling everyone who wasn't related to the bride. There was little doubt that the man was of royal heritage, even to the humans who were seeing him for the first time. The prince was in his usual white boots and gloves, with his blue spandex pants, leaving his arms bare. His refined white armor was engraved with his royal family crest on the chest, and it was completed by the crimson cape fastened to the shoulders.

Vegeta coldly eyed the minister next to him, and then lined up where he had been instructed. He crossed his arms over his armor and waited. With his posture and the serious and intense look on his face, he looked more like he was waiting on the status of a purge instead of waiting to get married.

"Hi Papa!" Trunks happily shouted over at him. Vegeta glanced at him in acknowledgement, and then turned his gaze forward again with Trunks going back to drinking his juice.

"Well, I should probably go check on our daughter," Dr. Briefs whispered, before slowly getting up.

He walked out of sight, and Vegeta exhaled through his nose with impatience. He had assumed Bulma would already be present, and was more than a little unsettled to find that he had beaten her there. He could sense her nearby; why hadn't she appeared yet? They were already behind schedule as it was. The prince's first natural thought was that Bulma must have come to her senses and backed out. But that was impossible, he reasoned. She wanted this too. She had told him that many times. He just had to trust her.

Vegeta was startled when the musicians suddenly began to play. He gave them an irritated look, and then finally started to relax when he felt Dr. Briefs approaching with the bride. He snorted. Good. The sooner they started this, the sooner it would end.

All of his thoughts came to a halt though, when Bulma finally made her appearance with her father at her side. Vegeta felt his jaw go slack at the sight of her. Bulma had never looked more stunning than she did now, with her flowing white dress, which was strapless. She had her hair pulled back, and a modest veil that was pinned behind her hair and out of her face. It was her smile though which stood out the most. The prince unconsciously lowered his arms, trying not to make his staring obvious, but he had never been more captivated by a woman in his entire life.

"Hi," Bulma whispered to him as she came up to him, smiling at the sight of how handsome he looked in his royal armor. Vegeta finally snapped out of his daze, and that indifferent look was quickly back on his face.

"Took you long enough," he grumbled under his breath as she hooked her arm in his.

"You were the one that was late, you jerk."

"Couldn't be helped. Had to wallow in my pain and misery over getting married to you."

Bulma shot him a glare, and then rolled her eyes a little when she saw the playful smirk creeping on Vegeta's face. They both turned their attention back to the minister when the music finally stopped, except the prince was only somewhat listening. All day, he had been brooding over this process, but now, all of that was gone. Now, Bulma was here, standing with him. Her happiness was practically tangible. And if he was being honest, he wasn't feeling half bad himself.

Vegeta was barely paying attention to the boring speech the minister was giving, but suddenly, his senses picked up something in the distance. The prince looked away, scowling as he tried to place it. He squinted into the distance, trying to figure out who was out there, when the minister spoke his name.

"Vegeta," he said, getting the Saiyan's attention immediately. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be her faithful husband, in sickness and in health, for better, for worse, to love and to cherish, 'til death do you part?"

Vegeta listened carefully to each word, mulling over what he was being asked. This was the first time he was hearing these vows, and so he gave it a moment of thought. He scowled a little at the part that requested his love, doubting he had it inside him to ever feel such a thing. He also wasn't sure about cherishing Bulma, not knowing what that exactly entailed. But the rest, the rest he could definitely do.

"I do," the prince promised, smirking when he saw Bulma visibly relax after his thoughtful silence. He then listened as the minister repeated the exact same question to her. Bulma pretended to think about it for a few seconds, much to Vegeta's annoyance, before she smiled.

"I do."

"The rings?"

Vegeta heard Bulma's parents whispering to Trunks, and then the boy immediately squirmed down out of his grandmother's lap, dropping his bottle along the way. He snatched up the rings and then ran over to his mother, stretching up on his tip toes to give her the rings.

"Thanks, sweetie," Bulma laughed as she took the wedding rings from him. Trunks smiled widely, and then moved over to stand next to Vegeta, latching onto his father's leg.

The prince sighed, grumbling curses under his breath as he removed his gloves, handing them down to Trunks, who immediately sat down and tried putting them on. Vegeta looked down, staring at the simple golden ring in Bulma's hand impatiently as she slid it on his ring finger of his left hand. Because of her technical work, and his intense training, she had settled on personally engineering simple golden rings that could stand the test of time.

Vegeta frowned. How she had gotten his exact size was a mystery for the ages, but what caught his immediate attention was the engraved symbol on it. It matched the engraving on his armor. He knew that her name was engraved on the inside because she had told him that much, but she hadn't told him about the engraving with his family crest. Vegeta looked up at her, unable to keep the surprise out of his eyes.

"This ring is my promise to you that you'll never lose us." Bulma gave his hand a squeeze, smiling over his reaction to the ring.

He lowered his eyes and did nothing for a few seconds. Finally, he took the smaller, matching band from her. Vegeta took her hand and put her ring on, admiring it while he did. Pride swelled in his chest at knowing that Bulma had chosen the ring design. She respected his background, not as a soldier working for Frieza, but as the surviving prince of his race. It damn near made him smile.

"And I promise that I will always keep you and our son safe," Vegeta finally said, as they both cemented promises they had already made each other long ago.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Vegeta was normally strongly opposed to public displays of affection, especially in front of Bulma's parents. But Bulma had easily anticipated this, and so she made yet another compromise beforehand with her prince. Give the kiss now, and receive plenty of lessons in how other foods besides chocolate and ice cream can be included with sex. Just like she suspected, he had agreed, and so she watched him anxiously as he stepped forward. Vegeta forced himself to ignore everyone who was watching as he leaned in and kissed his new wife.

"You're stuck with me now, woman," he whispered against her lips a second later, a smirk spreading over his face. "How sad."

"Damn. You're right. That is very sad indeed," Bulma solemnly agreed, even though her eyes were sparkling. The musicians started playing again, and Vegeta turned in their direction. He scowled as he looked past them, into the distance. He focused for a second, tilting his head to one side, and then groaned.

"Shit."

"What?" Bulma asked, frowning as she tried following his line of sight. "What's out there?"

"People with taping equipment and cameras."

"Wha- oh you have got to be kidding me! The media's found us?" Bulma yelled out, her good mood vanishing.

"Not yet, but they will in a few seconds. Good thing we're leaving now."

Bulma didn't get the chance to respond before Vegeta suddenly scooped her up into his arms, and then they were gone. Suddenly terrified, the heiress latched her arms around his neck, but just as soon as his impressive speed started, it stopped. A gust of wind rushed over them as Vegeta finally came to a stop in midair. Bulma nervously took a peek down over her shoulder, swallowing a little when she saw how high up they were.

"Little warning next time, please," she weakly pleaded.

"There was no time. It was either escape or kill them all. Did you prefer the latter?" Vegeta snidely asked.

"Don't ask me that when I'm having a bad day," Bulma snorted, starting to relax. "But what about our pictures we were supposed to take?"

"The camera boy took some. I heard it. You can speak to him about it later."

"Oh my god, we left Trunks! We left him with that mob-"

"Your parents are there," Vegeta snorted, rolling his eyes. She was so dramatic sometimes. "Besides, the humans will soon disperse when they realize they were too late to get a glimpse of true beauty."

"…did you just call me beautiful?" Bulma beamed as her blue eyes brightened with love.

"I was clearly referring to myself, you hideous wench."

Bulma's smile disappeared, and she shoved his smirking face away. "You jerk, I am FAR from hideous and you know it! In fact, you should be doling out compliments on how nice I look! Other men would kill to have a wife that's as beautiful, smart, funny, outgoing, awesome-"

"Increasing your already unhealthy vanity was not in the vows, woman. How unfortunate for you. Now, tell me where the hell we're going," Vegeta ordered. He leaned in so that his nose was just under her chin as he whispered, "Don't try my patience, or I might just take you on one of these mountains until the sun rises again."

"I got us a reservation in North City," Bulma breathlessly replied. She was just as eager to finally have her time alone with her husband. "It's right along the beach. It's private there, and-" Bulma yelped in surprise when she felt that rush that only came with Vegeta's speed as he ascended to his Super Saiyan state. She clutched him tightly, burying her face against his neck.

"Here is the beach," the prince finally announced when he came to a stop almost half a minute later. He looked down at the deserted beach. There was no one else there since it was night now, and the air was getting cool. The water looked dark from his altitude.

"Shit, Vegeta! You can't just do that without telling me, you're going to make me sick," Bulma moaned against his skin, feeling nauseous.

"If you vomit on me, I swear, I will drop you into that water," Vegeta growled. He slowly descended down a little bit, his eyes scanning the area. "Where are we going?"

Bulma took a second to regroup, and then looked, studying where they were. She finally pointed to a tall, brightly lit, expensive looking hotel further down the shore, and then ducked her head before Vegeta could take off again. This time though, the prince leisurely flew over there. The last thing he wanted was for his new wife to get sick from going at the speed he usually flew at. He didn't think he could handle one more night taking care of his own needs, not with Bulma looking as gorgeous as she was.

"I checked us in yesterday so we didn't have to deal with it today. We're in the penthouse suite, and it's ours for the weekend. Here, on this floor. Oh, crap, I forgot the key!" Bulma groaned as Vegeta lowered them on the highest balcony of the hotel, his hair fading back to black. "Ugh, I'm going to have to go downstairs to the lobby after all-"

Vegeta easily broke through the handle to the balcony door, and slid it open. He walked on inside, while Bulma sighed behind him. He paid her no mind as he took in his luxurious surroundings. There was a whirlpool, a bathroom that was almost twice the size of theirs back home, a mini bar with a fridge, and an enormous plasma TV in the living room.

"Impressive," he relented, finally turning back to Bulma. He took a seat on the sofa, and was almost taken aback at how soft it was. "Hn. Let's live here instead, and leave our demon seed with your parents."

"It is nice, huh? All the suites in this hotel are nice. This is the first time I've been in this one though."

"This is my first time too," he deadpanned, making her laugh. Vegeta casually raised one arm up onto the top of the sofa, giving her a slow once over and making Bulma's blood warm when his eyes lingered on her breasts.

"You know, I almost don't want you to get undressed," Bulma teased while she seductively removed the veil clipped into her hair, thoroughly enjoying how she had the prince's complete and undivided attention. He could say whatever he wanted about her looks, but she could see the truth in his eyes. As soon as she released the clip, her blue hair was freed, the loose curls flowing down while she added, "I like you with this royal look. I think it makes you look very handsome."

Vegeta absently looked away, shrugging a little. "This is very close to the original royal Saiyan attire that I had as a boy. This is what I would have worn on my planet when I finally took a woman as my mate and future queen. I thought it would be fitting attire for tonight, given the circumstances."

Bulma turned away so he wouldn't see her smile. To think she was worthy of such deliberation from Vegeta made her practically beam with happiness. She slowly focused on undressing with her back to him. "You never told me about mating, but if there's some kind of process, now would be the ideal time, don't you think?"

"Hn," he grunted, watching her hungrily. "It's nothing I can do with you."

"Why not?" Bulma huffed. "We're freaking married now! Don't you think I-"

"Bulma, it is not by choice. I literally cannot do it with you. To create that mental bond, you need telepathy and far more ki than you possess. The purpose was to share emotions through that bond, for protection. You could feel when your mate was in danger by feeling their heightened, distressed emotions, and then you could come save them," Vegeta informed her, repeating almost verbatim the words Nappa had told him decades ago.

"That's it?" Bulma asked, reaching back for the zipper hidden in her dress. Vegeta came up right behind her, and slowly brought the zipper down for her.

"That's it. Once that bond was made, that was it. It wasn't physically possible to do it with another. One time, for life."

She sighed, leaning her head back a little while she wistfully said, "I wish I could do that with you."

"Well, even though we cannot have that kind of mental connection, I do believe I agreed to stay with you for life," Vegeta whispered in her ear, gently pulling her dress down until it fell into a neat pile around her feet, leaving the heiress in her strapless white bra and matching silk underwear. He possessively snaked his arm around her stomach, holding her close to him. "In my opinion, that makes us mates. No one is alive to tell me any different anyways, and even if they were, I am the prince so I do as I damn well please."

"Well, I guess that makes me a future queen then, being mated to a prince." Bulma laughed when her husband suddenly lifted her up in his arms, making his way directly to the bedroom. "Man. I feel like a queen already," she teased as he gently laid her down on the king-sized bed moments later. "A queen for a sexy king."

Vegeta grunted, quickly growing tired of the conversation. He had thought about the ins and outs of this commitment for months. He was done thinking. What he wanted now was to ravish the beautiful female in front of him. The prince quickly pulled off his armor and the attached cape, carelessly tossing it aside.

"I will never be king, so do not worry about that," he mumbled, now in only his blue pants and his white boots as he started crawling into the bed.

"You're a king to me."

Vegeta had been slowly climbing on top of Bulma, but he blinked a few times at her words, stunned by them. He couldn't hide the emotion in his eyes as he looked down at her for a few seconds. When he remained silent, Bulma reached up to touch his face with her left hand. He could feel the cool wedding ring on his skin. There were no words he could say.

So he responded in a different way. Leaning down, Vegeta surprised her with a sensual and almost gentle kiss, a far cry from the overwhelming dominance he usually imposed on her. Bulma quickly found though that this was equally, if not more enjoyable. She pulled him closer, snaking her hand to hold onto the back of his neck.

Vegeta was supporting most of his weight on his hands, settled firmly on the bed on either side of her head, but he slowly leaned his body down completely against hers while they deepened their kiss. Bulma's heart rate sped up when she felt him slowly start rocking his hips against hers in rhythm with his tongue. She whimpered into his mouth when she felt how hard he was already, unconsciously arching up underneath him in a silent plea for him to provide the satisfaction she craved.

Their time apart was making this a more tantalizing experience than usual for both of them, but with his discipline, Vegeta somehow resisted the instinct to give in to her demand. Not yet. Tonight, he wanted to take his time and enjoy this. But more importantly, he wanted her to enjoy this. He had given this woman endless amounts of reasons to leave him, to walk away and never look back, but she was still here. She deserved a memorable night for making him feel like a king for the first time in his life.

Vegeta broke their kiss, tilting her head back with one hand as his hot mouth explored the skin of her neck. Bulma's hand moved up into his hair while he slowly moved down. He snuck his hand underneath her back, unclasping her bra. Bulma bit back a moan at the dark look of desire on Vegeta's face when he finally freed her breasts of the confining material. How he could still look at her like that, even after all the times they had enjoyed each other, she had no idea.

His breathing was heavier than usual when he reached up to cup one of her breasts in his hand, getting reacquainted with her body. "Gods. So perfect," he huskily whispered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Bulma breathlessly asked, making him raise his eyes to meet her bright blue ones. He smirked a little at the expectation on her face.

"Just from the neck down, so don't get too full of yourself," Vegeta teased, kneading her with his rough fingers.

"Bastard," Bulma nearly whined, trying to push herself closer to him. His fingers were wonderful, but it was his mouth that she wanted.

"I try," he chuckled, before lowering his head and latching his hot mouth to her breast, eager for a taste. Bulma grabbed onto his hair when he moved his hand down her stomach until it slid down underneath her underwear, his fingers expertly giving her what she wanted.

It only took minutes before he was drawing those delicious moans from his wife. Vegeta lifted his head, watching her as the sweat started to show on her skin. Unable to resist, he leaned down and captured Bulma's lips in a heated kiss, easily working her mouth open while his fingers worked her into a frenzy.

To the prince, it felt like only seconds passed before Bulma broke their kiss and screamed his name while she bucked underneath him. Without withdrawing his fingers, Vegeta knelt up completely and watched her through her climax, grabbing himself tightly through his spandex pants with his other hand so he wouldn't reach his own.

Bulma was sweating and shivering moments later when she felt Vegeta lay down next to her and take her left hand. He loved her hands, especially how soft and delicate they were for the hard work she did with them. But now, he admired the ring she was wearing.

"My name is inside this ring?"

It took a moment for her to recover enough to answer him, much to his masculine pride. "Your name and today's date."

"Hn."

"You like the rings?" Bulma asked expectantly, turning to look at him. He shrugged.

"They're decent. Hopefully this date isn't one you regret in the morning light though," he only semi-joked.

"Sweetheart, if I haven't regretted anything with you yet, I doubt it'll happen now…don't you dare take that as a challenge either!" she laughed, before turning on her side and moving closer to him. Vegeta let go of her hand and turn his complete attention back to her. She had rested enough, which was good, since he wasn't done with her yet. Not by a long shot.

Vegeta pulled up to her again, eagerly bringing his lips down to her neck. Their hands were lazily exploring the other's skin, both of them easily getting right back in the mood, with Bulma's hand wandering down to his pants. She pulled at the spandex at his waist, prompting Vegeta to reach down and pull off his pants completely before his impatient wife ripped a hole in the crotch. He finally kicked it off, knocking his boots off at the same time.

The prince slowly rolled Bulma back on her back, the scent of sex and sweat making it hard for him to think as he drank her body in. Equally impatient, he half pulled, half ripped her underwear off, and Bulma didn't mind in the least.

Vegeta settled himself between her legs, and leaned forward to taste her breasts again. Before he could though, Bulma reached up to him and took his face in her hands. The prince leaned down for a kiss, but he stopped when he saw the way she was looking at him.

"You won't regret this either, right, Vegeta?" Bulma finally asked, searching his eyes for the truth.

The prince stared back at her in silence, his features hard and unreadable. Bulma inwardly cursed, hoping she hadn't pissed him off with her question. They were so close. Going another night without having him was going to be excruciating, but she would never beg him if that was the route he wanted to take. Plus, she wanted to know that the man who had initially been so opposed to marriage, wouldn't reappear now that it was finally official.

After some time though, Vegeta finally leaned down and kissed her properly, easing her worries. He grabbed one of her legs and making her wrap it around his waist. Bulma relaxed, thinking this was his way of answering her question. She then forgot about her question completely when she felt him slowly – so very slowly – start to slide into her.

Vegeta grit his teeth, fighting the urge to start a frantic and hard pace as they both grew accustomed to each other again. Oh, it was tempting though. So damn tempting. He leaned his head back, stifling back a groan that started deep in his chest. Without a doubt, this was as close as he would ever get to paradise. Here, now, with his wife.

Bulma's resolve never to beg Vegeta for anything was crumbling fast as she arched up underneath him for more. But he remained still, torturing her by denying her that delicious friction that she so badly needed. If anything had been within her reach, she would have taken it and hit him with it. Finally, she reached up for her husband, and he obliged her, leaning down far enough so that his breath was right against her ear.

"Never," he finally whispered, surprising her by actually voicing an answer. "One time…for life."

"Til death do us part." Bulma wrapped arms around him to hug him close. He grunted his agreement. Once Vegeta saw that he had satisfied that need for her, he pulled back to begin satisfying other, more basic needs as they consummated their marriage.

The whole time, his words to her were on his mind. He meant them completely. The prince had lived a lifetime of regrets, but that was done now. This was a fresh slate, a new beginning for him and Bulma both. Vegeta genuinely had no idea what to expect from life now.

But he was definitely looking forward to finding out.

The End

Post-Buu fic is up now. Check it out if you'd like... it's called "To Live Again". Thanks for reading!