Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Our Way ❯ Chapter 2

"Mom, I don't want a shower," Bulma complained. "There's nothing I need."

"But you have to have a bridal shower, honey. It's like a law or something."

Bulma stared at her and thanked Kami she had inherited her father's intelligence. She loved her mother, but sometimes wondered how she had survived her own childhood with this woman caring for her.

"There are no laws stating I have to have a shower," Bulma informed Mrs. Briefs.

"Well, I think we'd better go get you registered at the stores today," she continued as if Bulma hadn't spoken. "Have you and Vegeta picked out China patterns yet? How about silverware?"

"Vegeta could care less what's printed on a plate as long as it's covered with food. And as for silverware. . .let's just be glad he uses it every now and then," Bulma said with a grimace.

"And we've got to pick out a good photographer," her mother said. "So you can look back and remember your special day years and years from now."

Mrs. Briefs had hit upon a sore point for Bulma.

"Face facts, mom. Vegeta barely gives any of us the time of day. He could disappear one day just because there's a fight somewhere he wants to be a part of. He wouldn't think twice about leaving me or Trunks behind."

"He's stayed this long," her mother pointed out.

"He's training for the androids that kid from the future told Goku about," Bulma reminded her. "The only thing keeping him in this house is dad's inventions and your cooking. He'll probably just stick around until he finally gets his fight with Goku, then he'll either fly off in our spaceship or. . ." she stopped herself before voicing her worst fear. As strong as she knew Vegeta was, she was positive Goku was stronger. She was also positive that Vegeta would rather die than admit defeat against him again.

"Don't be silly. He cares more about you than you know. He's had three years to take that spaceship sitting out back. He didn't. I don't think he's even looked at it," Mrs. Briefs said. Then she leaned in close to whisper, "But I've caught him watching Trunks sleeping."

Bulma's eyes flew open in shock and her mother giggled. She could barely get Vegeta to acknowledge he had a son, let alone take any interest in him. Could there be feelings he was successfully hiding from her? Or had she been too busy with the baby to notice them?

"Now," her mother said, interrupting her thoughts, "let's talk about caterers."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Your earth customs are completely insane!" Vegeta said as he stormed into the nursery looking for Bulma.

"I can't argue with you there," Bulma agreed, picking the freshly diapered Trunks up from the changing table.

"Do you know what they want me to do??" they both said at the same time.

Bulma laughed at the way neither of them were enjoying their wedding plans. Although Vegeta didn't laugh, he couldn't help but let one corner of his mouth twitch upward.

"You first," Bulma said. "What is dad trying to talk you into?"

"Something called a 'bachelor party'. I don't know what a bachelor is or why I would want to spend a night looking at female bodies with a room full of other men. I didn't even consider it before mating with you, why would I want to do it now?"

She laughed at Vegeta's description and the look of disgust on his face. "It's an old earth custom for the groom to be able to spend a night with his friends, either celebrating or mourning the fact that he will be a married man. Think of it as a last chance to sleep around before mating."

Vegeta mulled it over and nodded his head. "I understand, but we've already mated. It's too late for this custom."

"Good answer," Bulma smiled, relieved to know Vegeta would not be going out to oggle naked women. "Here, hold Trunks while I change his sheet. He spit up during his nap."

Bulma gave Vegeta no time to decline as she thrust the wiggly child into his arms and turned her back to them. Even though he had never held him before, she trusted him to at least be able to handle not dropping him for a couple minutes.

"So do women have this custom too?" Vegeta asked, holding Trunks out in one large hand, his tiny hands and feet dangling toward the floor. "To sleep with other men before the marriage ceremony?"

Bulma snorted in amusement as she ripped off the soiled sheet and searched for a clean one. "No. That one has typically been reserved for men, although recently there have been things known as 'bachelorette parties'. . ." she paused, sensing rather than seeing Vegeta's darkening mood. "The custom women usually have is called a bridal shower?"

"Bridal shower?" Vegeta asked. "To cleanse yourself for your mate? We have a similar custom."

She laughed so hard, Trunks started kicking his feet in excitement. Vegeta held him out even further so as not to come into any more contact than necessary.

"A bridal shower is a party where the woman's friends give her gifts she may need for her new home with her new husband. But since we're not getting a new home, the party is senseless."

"This whole thing is senseless," Vegeta grumbled handing Trunks back to Bulma. "I refuse to do anything more than what is absolutely necessary."

"Trust me, Vegeta. After a day of planning more details for this wedding than I ever thought possible, I am beginning to agree with you."

~~~~~~~~~~

"It's too late, dear. Everything has been ordered and will be arriving first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then just call them back and cancel!" Bulma cried. "I am not going to be standing in the middle of a decorated hall next to a huge wedding cake without a groom!"

"Have you checked the roof?" Dr. Briefs asked. "Maybe he's just enjoying the view."

"He's not anywhere around, dad!" Bulma yelled in frustration. "I looked everywhere! The gravity chamber, the spaceship, the lab, the house, outside the house, on top of the house, under the house, everywhere! He. . .is. . .not. . .here!"

Bulma slammed her hand down on the table with each word which made Trunks start to cry. Mrs. Briefs picked him up out of the high chair and patted his back to soothe him. Bulma felt like bawling herself. Vegeta had disappeared sometime during the morning while everyone thought he was locked away in his training room. When he hadn't come out for dinner, Bulma went out to see if anything was wrong.

It was empty.

She had spent a frantic afternoon looking for him, a nail-biting evening waiting for him to come back from wherever he had obviously flown off to. It was now nearly eleven o'clock, and their wedding was only hours away.

"I'm going to bed," she declared and shoved herself up from the table. She cursed herself for letting Vegeta's natural character to upset her so much. She should have anticipated that he would end up disappointing her, something else always seeming to take precedence in his eyes. As she got ready for bed, she thought up what scalding things she would say to him when he finally came back.