Hi again! My authors note will be at the end…

Onward!

Disclaimer: I seriously, don't own it.

"Home sweet home," Goku announced.

Bulma smiled and walked passed him, further into the entry way of her newly remodeled home. Everything was clean and put back together. No more bullet holes or blood splatters. She stopped and looked around when she got into the large living room, surveying the new furniture and freshly painted walls.

Goku followed her in and dropped the two large duffle bags he carried in for his friend. He looked at her, noticing the distant look she'd get every so often. The softness in her eyes faded slightly and was replaced with sadness. He would catch her in the middle of the night on the patio when he'd come home working a swing shift, looking up at the stars with the same look. He'd only seen her cry once, maybe twice in the three month span she had stayed with he and his family. But only at night, when she thought she was alone.

He couldn't imagine what she had gone through in the months she was on the run with Vegeta… and he certainly couldn't comprehend losing someone so close him the way Bulma lost Vegeta. And, honestly, he didn't want to. The very idea of losing ChiChi made his skin crawl.

"Hey." He said quietly, wrapping his long arms around her shoulders. "You know you can stay with us a while longer. There's no hurry for you to move back here. There's plenty of room at our place."

Bulma gave him a quick smile and rested her head on her friend's arm. "No. It's time my life and your family's life gets back to normal. You've got enough to worry about besides me. You and ChiChi are expecting a baby in a few months and I need to get back into a regular routine again." That, plus the hormonal mood swings ChiChi was sporting, were bound to get worse as she got further along in her pregnancy, and there was no way in hell Bulma was going to subject herself to that.

Goku chuckled as if he heard what Bulma thought and nodded his head. "Well, if you need us, you know we'll be there for you."

"I know." Bulma squeezed her friend appreciatively .

"Alright. I call you later on tonight to check up on you." Goku said, and waved goodbye.

And then she was alone.

She hadn't been alone since the moment she landed home. She was whisked away by Goku. Her old friend acting as her bodyguard everywhere they went. The story broke when she was flying home and it seemed like Armageddon hit once it did. She was met by a horde of media the second she landed and if it weren't for Goku, they would have eaten her alive.

The days that followed were a circus. The phone at Goku and ChiChi's never stopped ringing. Larry King, Fox News, CNN, even Oprah wanted to be the first to interview her and get the full story about being on the run with Vegeta, who they were now calling a Hero. They finally had to disconnect the home phone and screen their cell phone calls.

She refused to comment. Even if she wanted to comment on the whole situation, she had to leave a few parts out, by request of the CIA. Most of the stories that the media ran with were inaccurate, some branding she and Vegeta Heroes, some accusing them of being a part of some sort of conspiracy theory.

The calls subsided after a while, but they never stopped. She'd give the media one thing, they were persistent.

She set forth, unpacking the boxes that housed her things while her home was being renovated. She eventually got to her bedroom, and decided to unpack the duffle bags she had lived in for the past few months. Halfway through, she blindly reached into the bag and froze when she felt the cold, wooden box she had managed to ignore for some time now.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and reached back into the bag and grabbed the shadow box she had only laid eyes on once before now.

Vegeta's familiar face scowled back at her in the military picture that was framed in the box. Along with the neatly folded flag and the various medals he was awarded after death.

That day was one that she wished she could forget, but unfortunately it was branded in her head.

Half of West City showed up at Vegeta's funeral, along with a few five star Generals, Cap, Piccolo, Seventeen and Eighteen and, of course, any and all media outlets you could think of. She stayed strong until the twenty one gun salute and the folding of the flag. She burst out into tears when the flag was handed to her, since she was next of kin. She held the flag close to her heart and listened on as one of the five star generals awarded Vegeta with medals due to his bravery and commitment to his country.

Long after the funeral was over, Bulma stood at the beautiful tomb stone of Vegeta's. It disturbed her that it was an empty grave. Something morbid he had told her a few months back, that he predicted his grave would be empty.

Piccolo had told her that they were unable to find his or Frieza's body and the investigators deduced they both were vaporized in the explosion.

She stood there, flag clutched to her chest as if her life depended on it. She stood there until Goku got her.

The next day, she found the shadow box in her room. ChiChi had his picture, flag and medals immortalized in it.

She looked sadly upon the frowning picture, running her finger across the glass, lovingly. "Jerk." She said and placed it on her nightstand, next to her digital clock, which read 11:30pm.

Bulma looked around her room and decided the rest could wait until morning. She dug through her half unpacked duffle bag and pulled out an oversized Capsule Corp shirt and cotton shorts she slept in. Out of habit, she took the ring Vegeta left for her on the night stand, tossed her hair up into a high, messy pony tail, and went to the bathroom to wash her face and prepare for bed.

Washed and ready, she hoped into bed and under the covers.

"Did I lock the door and turn off the lights?" She asked herself. "Ugh!" She groaned. No, she walked Goku to the door but got distracted when her phone rang and didn't lock the deadbolt.

She threw the covers back and stomped out of bed and down stairs to the living room, turning off the lights as she did. She paused when she got to the front door.

It was dead bolted.

She cocked her head to the side. She didn't remember doing that. Shaking her head, she mumbled that she was losing her mind and went back upstairs.

She could have sworn she didn't lock the door. She pinched the bridge of her nose and scrunched her eyes close. She was tired and obviously needed some sleep.

Bulma noticed something was amiss. She wasn't sure, but she something was. She slowly scanned her large bedroom, looking for something that wasn't supposed to be. Everything was as she left it. Boxes and knick knacks strewn across the room.

Stepping further into the room, her eyes locked into the single red rose that lay across her pillow.

Her heart raced as she slowly made her way to it. She picked it up and just about fainted when she saw her ring around the stem. Tears started to gather in the corner of her eyes.

Was somebody playing a sick joke on her?

"When are you going to learn to lock the damn door?"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her spine tingled, but she dared not turn around. She was afraid to see who stood behind her. The gravely voice told her who it was, but was afraid that if she did turn around, it would only be a figment of her imagination.

She scrunched her eyes shut, making the tears that gathered in her eyes spill over and streak across her cheeks.

Rough hands covered hers and gently plucked the rose out of her grip and then lightly grasped her chin, forcing her to look up.

"Open your eyes Bulma."

She shook her head, scrunching her eyes shut even tighter.

Lips landed on her forehead, giving her a light kiss, causing her eyes to flutter open. She couldn't help the shuttered gasp that escaped her lips.

Vegeta stood in front of her, complete with his cocky smile. He tossed the rose onto the bed and held up the ring and wordlessly slipped it onto her slender ring finger.

Bulma couldn't help but blink up at him. Words escaped her. She looked at him up and down. He looked way better than he did the last time she saw him. He had a light scar on his lip that ran from the bottom lip to the center of his chin, and she could tell he was favoring the shoulder Frieza had stabbed him in. His hair had grown out, although she could tell he had gotten a haircut, only the tips of his shortened flamed 'do had the remnants of the bleach.

"You're dead." She whispered.

He chuckled. "Is that so?"

Bulma nodded. "There was a funeral and everything."

Vegeta smirked and looked over to the shadow box next to him. "Yes, I see they gave you souvenirs."

She furrowed her brows and poked his chest. "But…I'm so confused."

"According to the government I'm dead. But as you can see, I am alive and well."

Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Are you here to stay?"

He smiled. "Yes."

"With me?"

He nodded.

"Forever?"

He grabbed her hand and fingered the ring he had placed on her finger just a few moments ago and then looked into her eyes.

"Forever."'

beta'd by Springandbysummerfall

Oh the feels and the corn-ballness!

I really hope you all enjoyed the journey. And to answer your question, yes, I know Recoome is still out there… and is Frieza really dead? What will Bulma and Vegeta do with their new-found freedom? Well, all those questions will be answered, but I want to finish DL Book 2 and get further into Complicated Hearts before I start it up… maybe. =) Anywho, thanks for all the wonderful reviews and thanks for reading! And if you haven't already, head on over to my profile and hit the link to mine and Mallie_3's Bulma and Vegeta community and check out our B/V Video PodCasts where we have special fanfic guests on =)

Also, shout out to my beta. Springandbysummerfall. You're pretty much amaaaaazing. (I said amazing in Vegeta voice btw…)