A/N
I had written this chapter over three years ago, but the flash drive I had it on got stolen, and a great many awful things have happened in my life since. I apologize to my faithful readers, and I encourage you to reread the first three chapters so you remember what's going on. Even I had to do that before I rewrote this. I've got a paragraph of the next chapter done. You may wait a while, but hopefully not too long. I still remember my original vision for this story.
Disclaimer: Over the last few years the rights to the Dragonball franchise has not fallen into my lap, but I did become a licensed massage therapist. Support the official blah blah blah, and pray I finish this damned story.
Only two more chapters max, and to the reviewer that asked about lemons I don;t write them. It just feels too awkward to me. I can have crazy, freaky, raunchy sex, but I can't write about it. Sorry. It would be like asking HP Lovecraft to write a story about happy fluffy bunnies, or a romance novel. It is not my strong suite by any stretch of the imagination. I do implied sex.
If you want really goo B/V erotica go read Tempestt's work. She is a fabulous erotic writer. She beats the fuck out of EL James hands down. I'm not fucking kidding. Go check her out... after you're done reading this chapter that is.
She sat on a chair by the door, and had been for the last hour. If she knew Yamcha at all he'd be here soon to try to smooth over what happened the night before and give his 'perfectly reasonable' explanation for what happened with Synthia.
Normally the Saiyan Prince would be holed up in the Gravity Chamber at this time in the morning, but he wasn't about to miss this. That loser was finally gonna get what he had coming to him, and he well deserved it too.
Because of his actions Vegeta stayed up most of the night listening to the woman cry to her mother about how all men are pigs. They watched those horrid things they refer to as "Chick Flicks" and ate 'ALL' of the ice cream. Even the "Chunky Monkey!" While he'd never admit that he liked it due to the name including a racial slur against his people he was quite fond it. His mind flashed back to the first time the woman got him to try it. This was back before he learned to read the local language. He'd known something was up when she couldn't keep herself from giggling as he shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his vacuous mouth. He'd blown apart most of the living room when he discovered the reason behind her amusement. As a means of apology she bought him another carton, swore she'd never say a word about it again, and got rid of the picture she took of him eating it. There was always some Chunky Monkey in the freezer, and it was just for him.
His ice cream was gone, and his night's rest was ruined. All because that moron was stupid enough to bring his floozy to Bulma's party. That loser was finally going to his just desserts for costing the Saiyan Prince his.
As predicted the knock on the door soon came. She jumped up from her chair and rushed to the door huffing all the way. She drew a deep breath as she wrenched the door open, and preceded to give her visitor hell before even laying eyes on him.
"You have a lot of nerve coming back here after last night you son of a...a...a Tien?!" she stammered caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her three-eyed acquaintance.
"I'm guessing that was meant for Yamcha." he said tentatively.
"How ever did you guess?"
"I'm sure even Goku could've figured it out." he chuckled
"It was pretty obvious?" she said mirthlessly
"I really am sorry." Tien replied.
"Don't feel sorry for me. I've let it go on for way too long." Bulma replied as she wiped a few loose blue tresses from her face.
"That's not what I'm apologizing for." he interjected.
"Then why are you apologizing?"
"For not sticking up for you like a good friend should."
She was taken aback by his pronouncement.
"It's all right Tien, really."
"No it's not. I kept waiting for Yamcha to say something, or at least Goku. Instead, of all people, Vegeta was the one to put that troublesome skank in her place. I'm ashamed of myself for not being a better friend. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course Tien. I forgive you, and don't worry about Vegeta. He's really not too bad once you get to know him."
"Well, I doubt I'll ever be completely comfortable with him on the team, but after he stuck up for you last night when the rest of us dropped the ball, I think I can handle it."
"Did you really come all the way back here to apologize for that?" she inquired.
"No, I kinda wanted to talk to you about something personal."
"Okay, you wanna go in the den? she asked
"Sure." Tien replied as he entered the Brief household.
This turn of events baffled the Saiyan who was sitting in the next room. He was surprised that three eyes came by, and was curious as to what he wanted with the woman. He reached out his senses to find the location the scarred moron. He was on his way, but it would be a while before he got here. Instead of going about to his usual training schedule he decided to let his curiosity win out. Something in him raged against letting the female alone with another man. Especially while in such a vulnerable position.
The two old friends retired to the den where Tien chose a rigid armchair next to the couch where Bulma reclined.
"So, what's up?"
"Did you invite everyone to last night's party?" he finally asked.
"What do you mean?"
He took a steadying breath. "What I'm trying to say is have you heard from Launch?"
"Not really. I haven't been able to track her down for a long time. Why?"
"When was the last time you saw her?" he asked.
"Not since Krillen and I picked you and Choutzu up to train at Kami's Lookout."
"Damn, so you haven't seen her since the last time I saw her." a hopeless expression played across his eyes.
"No I guess not. I went looking for her when we were gonna wish you back with the Dragon Balls of Namek, but everything was gone and there was no trace of her."
"Do you think she even knew about the trip to Namek, or that other Dragon Balls existed?"
"I doubt it." Bulma replied.
"So you think she might be out there believing that I'm still dead and there's no way to bring me back?"
"There's a good chance. Why so curious about Launch all the sudden?"
"I miss her. I feel like I really screwed up. I never told her how I felt about her, or how glad I was to have her there no matter which side of her was in control. I... I was so obsessed with trying to become stronger than Goku that I let the best thing that ever happened to me to slip through my fingers." His voice nearly broke as he continued. "There's a good chance she's moved on by now. It's been a good two years since I died, and three since I've last seen her."
"You never know. There's a chance she could be out there still dreaming of you, and shooting at every other man who comes near her." said Bulma trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, she always was a shy one." He said whistfully.
"Shy?!" she sat up straight.
"She was a far more complex person than most people gave her credit for." he explained.
"I guess you're kinda right. Shooting at people might have been her way of keeping people at a distance when she was blond, and when she was nice she always busied herself with taking care of people so she didn't really have to interact."
"Pretty much. Everything she did those last five years together she did for me. I might not have agreed with her methods, but even when she was robbing banks she was doing it for me. She wanted to take care of me, and give me whatever my heart desired. She couldn't because all I desired was to be stronger than Goku." he sighed. "I just couldn't see what it meant to me just to have her around."
"Don't know what you got til it's gone?" Bulma interjected.
"Exactly, and it's not like we parted on good terms either. Her blond side had just stolen a large sum and used the money to set up a big fancy meal for me and Choutzu. I threw the gesture back in her face. I didn't even bother to try to talk to her about why what she'd done had upset me. I just turned around and walked away. I think if I would have handled it differently things might have been different when I left for Kami's. Hell, her nice side knew what was going on. The next time she sneezed she apologized for causing so much trouble and she left for Kame House. I think she was afraid of her alter ego pushing me away even further. I'm afraid I'll never see her again."
"I'm sure she's still making headlines somewhere." she offered.
"I'd already thought of that. The last crime perpetrated by someone matching her description happened the day before the Saiyans arrived. After that she dropped completely off the radar. I can't afford to take any time away from my training for the androids to look for her. I really need you to help me, Bulma."
"I've got an idea. There's this guy my dad went college with. My dad lent him the money to start his own private investigation company about 30 years ago. It's grown into one of the most successful in the world. I'm sure I could cash in on a favor."
"You mean it?"
"Of course, Tien, you're my friend."
"Thank you so much. I'm so glad I came to you for help." He said smiling from ear to ear.
"I'll call him right now."
She rose to her feet, reached for the cordless phone, and grabbed the Rolodex from the desk. "Here it is!" Bulma exclaimed as walked to the phone in the kitchen. She could be heard punching numbers into the handset.
A short conversation later Bulma put the phone down.
"He seemed pretty optimistic. Launch isn't the kind of woman to go unnoticed for too long. Shouldn't take much longer than a few weeks to track her down."
"That's great, Bulma. You don't know what this means to me." he said as he stood to his feet wrapped his arms around the heiress and lifted her off the ground in a tight hug.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Yamcha, hey..." Tien began but was quickly cut off.
"You jerk! What do you mean by just walking into my house after what you did last night."
"So you're taking revenge by hooking up with Tien?"
"No it's not like that." Tien interjected.
"Sure, that's why she was so upset about getting caught with one of my best friends." Yamcha returned coldly.
"Actually," a cold unmistakable voice interupted, "This one keeps going on about someone named Launch. Sounded like a pretty interesting character to me." Vegeta said as he strode into the room. The prince had no desire to get involved, but when the idiot gained the upper hand something had to be done.
"Launch? She's a fucking psychopath. You would hit it off great with that crazy bitch." he laughed until suddenly he found himself hurtling outside through a newly formed hole in the wall.
"How dare you!" Tien bellowed. "How dare you speak that way about Launch!" he continued as he walked through the hole he had made with Yamcha's now supine body.
"What the hell was that?" Yamcha said sounding scandalized while rubbing a newly blackened eye. "What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Tien asked in complete shock. "What's wrong with you?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not the one who..."
Tien was quick to cut him off. "You're the one all right." he began. "You're the one who's talking trash about your friends. Friends like Launch for whom you would've once traded your life, and who would've gladly done the same for you. You're the one who's been ducking out of training when you know the world could very well end in almost 2 years. You're the one who's throwing away the best thing that ever happened to you for a complete bitch, and even goes so far as to bring that bitch to your girlfriend's party." the three-eyed warrior was absolutely livid at this point. "You let that woman humiliate Bulma! You just sat back and let her!"
"But I..." Yamcha began.
"But you what, Yamcha! You what?" Tien said as he drug Yamcha up by his collar. "You thought Bulma could handle herself. That woman, that, that Synthia, was your guest, your uninvited guest. She was your responsibility. Everyone knew it. Everyone thought you'd be the one to put her in her place, but you let Vegeta of all people step up and be the man you should've been!"
"I-I'm sorry." Yamcha said weakly.
"We finally agree on something." Vegeta interrupted.
Tien snorted a quick laugh at Yamcha's expense as the baseball player rose to his feet.
"Vegeta," Tien began, "I know we've never seen eye to eye. Maybe we never will, but I want you to know that you have my respect."
"Like I need your respect." Vegeta said as he turned his back and walked back into the house through the hole in the wall his arm accidentally brushing Bulma's as he passed. It snapped her out of the shock from watching the two men fight. She watched Vegeta until he turned the corner and chanced a glance back only to see her following eyes. He knowingly smirked at her and continued into the kitchen where Mrs Brief was fixing his breakfast.
Her eyes snapped back to the scene before her. Where Yamcha stood facing Tien, and looking as though he'd been slapped. "I'm sorry." Yamcha said again a bit more audible this time.
"Don't apologize to me." he began. "Apologize to Bulma. Apologize to everyone else you've hurt."
Tears formed in Yamcha's eyes as the walls of selfishness and self-justification he'd built around himself for the last several months melted away, and he was able to see for the first time what he'd really done, and what he had become.
"Bulma." He begun, saying her name in a way he hadn't for a long time, "I'm sorry. I love you, and I really don't deserve you, I'm going to make everything right. You'll see." with that he took to the air and disappeared.
The heiress watched him fly away until Tien finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, Bulma."
"Sorry for what? I've been trying to slap some sense into that man for months. It looks like I just couldn't swing hard enough." she laughed uneasily.
"I'm sorry about the wall. I can pay to have it fixed." Tien said sheepishly.
"Like money has ever been a problem for me or my family." she replied
"Good point, but I am good for it. I still have lots of Zeni left over from my win at the World Martial Arts Tournament all those years ago."
"Nah, after the first few months of having Vegeta here we put our favorite contractor on speed dial." her mood lifting.
"I see." Tien said with a chuckle.
"Why don't you join us for breakfast?"
"I wouldn't want to impose." he said quickly.
"It's no problem at all. Mom's already cooking for Vegeta." she said as she led Tien into the kitchen. "I swear he eats more than Goku."
"Of course he does." Mrs. Brief interjected. "That young man works so hard." she said as she set down another tray of bacon, sausage, and pancakes in front of Vegeta.
"Wow." Tien said in amazement as he watched Vegeta eat. "It's like watching Goku if he had manners."
Vegeta swallowed the food in his mouth, "Well, I am a prince."
"Let's hurry up before he eats everything." Bulma chided.
"Agreed," Tie responded as he sat down. Almost instantaneously plates of food appeared before the two newcomers.
Bulma and Tien continued their conversation about Launch oblivious to the gorging Sayain. Vegeta, however, was anything but oblivious to them. Somehow certain aspects of their exchange rang true in his heart, and he wasn't at all fond of it. Things like "The best thing that ever happened to me." and "Looking back, training to become stronger than Goku wasn't that important." seemed to stick in his brain. He shook it off and continued eating.
Tien was in shock to see that Bulma was still eating long after he'd had his fill, and it was only then that he noticed the very prominent bulge on her tummy.
"You're pregnant?!" Tien said when the realization finally hit him.
"Looks like Captain Obvious has finally come to save the day." Vegeta said as he grabbed another plate of bacon.
"Why haven't you told anyone?" He inquired.
"That's what last night's party was supposed to be for." she said begrudgingly. "Yamcha and I were going to announce it together, but then he." she began blotting her eye with a tissue.
"He started telling everyone it was for his big movie," Tien finished, "and used it as an excuse to have his 'co-star' with him."
"Did you know that there's a hole in the living room wall?" Dr Brief said as he entered the kitchen with his morning paper. "Vegeta, I know you can't always control your temper, but..."
"Sorry sir, it was my fault." Tien interrupted. "Vegeta had nothing to do with it."
"Really? I would've never guessed it was you." Dr Brief said as he sat down to his own breakfast. "I'm very sorry Vegeta."
"You better be." Vegeta snapped berween mouthfuls.
"How did this hole come into being?" the doctor asked.
"I kinda punched Yamcha." Tien said apologetically.
"Goodness, I'd hate to have seen the damage had you really punched him." Dr Brief chuckled.
"It won't happen again, sir." Tien promised.
"Don't worry about it." Dr. Brief replied as he picked up his news paper and sat down at the table. "Any chance you might have knocked some sense into the young man?"
"I can always hope." she said with a sniff. "Do you think he meant what he said about making things right?" Bulma asked.
"I hope so, Bulma." Tien replied. "I hope so."
"Well at least he'll be there when you go to your appointment this time, right?" Mrs, Brief interjected.
"I hope so, mom." the woman responded. "I'm starting to get worried. The doctor can't make up his mind about a due date. Every time we go he insists the baby is further along than just the two weeks since the last appointment."
"That's certainly odd." her father remarked.
"I know, I only found out I was pregnant three months ago, and the doctor said last time that the baby had developed to that of a five month old fetus. I doesn't make sense. He even asked me if I'd ever been around any strange chemicals, or if I'd tested any of Capsule Corps pharmaceuticals on myself to try to explain the baby's unnaturally fast growth. At this rate the baby'll be fully developed in six months instead of nine!"
As she finished the statement Vegeta broke out into hacking cough.
"That last piece of pancake must have lodged in my throat." he explained. "Did you just say the child should be taking nine months to develop?"
"Yes, why?"
"Nothing. I'd better go train."