And Then There Were Five?

Usually the person wiping drool away as lunchtime aromas filled the house was Goku, not me. But there I was, wiping away an annoying, steady stream of saliva dribbling out of a corner of my mouth as I put the finishing touches on a feast that could feed a small army, but was meant only for four people.

My stomach growled and Goku chuckled behind me. "Hungry or something?"

Or something.

I bit my lip to hide my smile and simply nodded.

I slid the full serving platter off the counter and brushed past Goku with it. After the addition of the last platter on our very crowded table, lunch was ready.

"Please call the boys in, Goku."

He nodded and poked his head outside. "Gohan! Goten! Lunch is ready!"

In seconds, Goku, Gohan, and Goten were all seated and we dished ourselves up. I filled my plate, ate it all and went back for seconds. And then thirds, and three pairs of wide eyes blinked at me, their eyebrows raised in identical expressions of shocked confusion.

I set the two chicken legs I had in both hands on my plate and wiped my face and raised an eyebrow at them.

Gohan and Goten twitched their shoulders returned their attention to their meals, but Goku's gaze lingered on me before he shrugged it off and went back to his meal, too. The three of them shoveled food into the bottomless pits they had for stomachs, evidently already forgetting about my little display.

Close one.

I positively couldn't wait to tell them my news but I wanted Goku to know first. If they started pressing me for answers about the huge change in my appetite, I would have spilled the beans.

I paid close attention to my eating pace, being sure to keep it slower, but by the time I finished my third helping, I was stuffed to the gills and had to hide my yawn in my sleeve. I didn't want to alarm them any further.

As I got started on the dishes, Gohan excused himself upstairs to finish his homework and I inquired as to the state of Goten's homework.

Goten fidgeted.

"Then get upstairs and get it done."

He pouted a little bit. "Yes, Mom."

Goten hustled to his room as Goku brushed my shoulders with light fingertips, his chin settling on my shoulder. "I'm gonna go fishing for dinner tonight. I won't be gone long."

I nodded and tilted my face into his for a moment before I resumed scrubbing the dishes.

I didn't bother to hide my next wide yawn as the front door closed and I was left alone in the kitchen. Once the dishes were done, I decided I needed a nap, and that our couch looked quite inviting. I got myself comfortable and quickly drifted off.

An awful smell roused me from my peaceful, too-short nap – a smell strong enough to make me gag.

Fish mixed with stinky Saiyan sweat.

I pinched my nose and sat up – the culprit nowhere to be seen as I glared around the room. Until I noticed the light blanket I didn't remember covering myself with. I would have smiled at the sight of it if it weren't for the stench.

Heavy footsteps clomped into the room. "Welcome back, sleepyhead. Knocked yourself out from eating all that food?" He chuckled as heat flooded my cheeks and my glare deepened.

Nasally, I commanded, "Shower. Before you do anything else. And dispose of that foul smelling gi and your muddy boots outside."

He only chuckled again but went out to do as I ordered, returning stark naked – really, the man didn't have a shred of modesty – and headed upstairs to our bathroom, taking the stench with him. I took a few big breaths of fresh air and sank back into the comfy cushions of our couch – only to be disturbed again just as I fell asleep by a gentle hand on my forehead.

I cracked an eye open, noting the sweet concern written all over his face – as well as the nice, clean smell of soap, his damp hair, and fresh gi.

He withdrew his hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Nodding, I sat up and fixed what I was sure was a disheveled mess of hair. "Oh, I'm fine, Goku." The boys were still upstairs so I took my chance and added with a grin, "It's nothing nine months won't cure."

I left Goku alone crouched before our sofa to puzzle over that one, his eyebrows pinched together in intense confusion. I wasn't outside for more than a few seconds before he stumbled out the front door after me – his eyebrows getting to know his hairline.

After quite the pregnant pause – neither of us so much as twitching – Goku's mouth opened and closed several times in a fish-like motion before he finally managed to stutter with a hand vaguely raised toward me, "W-we-we're having a baby…?"

I nodded, tugging my lip up in my teeth, and awaited his reaction.

He didn't make me wait long because his lips stretched into a wide grin and he closed the small bit of distance between us in two quick strides and before I knew it, I was swept up in the air and spun around as he cheered and I laughed with him.

Struggling to catch my breath through my laughter, I wheezed out, "Shhhh, Goku! The boys don't know and I want them to finish their homework before I tell them."

He quieted down and set me on my feet but his grin remained. I swayed on the spot, momentarily dizzy from Goku's exuberance. His large, gentle hands on my shoulders steadied me and he reached down to place his palm on my stomach, his eyes closed in concentration.

I put my hand over his. "Goku… do you feel it?"

He nodded, his eyes still closed. "I feel… something. Your energy's definitely different. It feels bigger and there's something else right here–" he rubbed my stomach lightly "–that's so faint, I can't really get a read on it. At least not yet."

I smiled as he opened his eyes. "Well, of course it's faint, Goku. I only found out this morning. Don't tell the boys yet. We'll tell them together this evening." I stood up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. "Let me check the laundry and then I'll start dinner. And clean that fish you brought home."

His reply was a bright, "Already done!"

I nodded. That explained his earlier stench.

The clothes on the lines were dry so I set to work, folding them and placing them in a laundry basket that I had set outside earlier that day. But when I went to pick up the large basket full of neatly folded clothing for the four of us, Goku grabbed the basket for me with a smile and carried it inside.

It wasn't even that heavy. Something told me he was going to be insufferable. He sure was with Gohan, not really letting me do much of anything around the house – especially as my stomach grew.

Daydreams of pink, of lace, of dresses, and of all things girlie and cute floated through my head as fish fillets sizzled in the frying pan. A daughter. What a lovely thought that was. I sighed wistfully.

My stomach rumbled, yanking me from my reverie.

Goku chortled behind me and I glanced at him. His soft smile made my heart flutter madly in my chest. Those smiles always did that to me – even after our nineteen years of marriage. He had been staring at me and wearing that smile the entire time I had been cooking. I returned his tender smile with one of my own.

Loud rumbling shook the house as two boisterous sets of footsteps entered the kitchen.

"Mmm! Smells great, Mom!"

I threw Gohan a smile over my shoulder as he took his seat at the table, shortly followed by Goten.

Goku and I exchanged another brief, private smile.

The last bit of fish cooked to perfection, I scooped the fillet onto the serving platter and Goku jumped up to carry it to the table for me, making several more trips with a lot more dishes.

Our table was as crowded as it always was. As I admired my handiwork, my stomach rumbled again and Goten giggled while Gohan raised a quizzical eyebrow at me.

Goku and I exchanged another look as I took my seat.

Gohan scooped some rice onto his plate. "Say… Mom? Are you okay?"

I fought my smile, hiding the twitching by biting my lip as I grabbed a fish fillet, and then said, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

He finished chewing a bite and gave me a sidelong look, an eyebrow raised in a step above suspicion. He didn't believe me at all. "Well… It's just that your energy feels… kinda unusual."

He sensed his new sibling – my smart, perceptive boy.

With Goten focused on me, all I could respond with was a tiny shake of my head and slightly narrowed eyes in warning to not go any further. I wanted Goten to figure it out, too.

Finally, Goten piped up with his cheeks puffed out with food like a chipmunk's, "Yeah, Mom. It's like you have three energies."

He fell silent, a thoughtful look on his face, and I automatically corrected him. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Goten." Until what he said hit me like a sack of bricks and I sought confirmation. "Three energies…?"

Goten nodded. "Yep! Yours and two tiny ones!" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What does that mean?"

I stared at Goku who stared at me in return with a concentrated frown.

And then he jumped up so fast he upended his chair. "Holy crap… I don't know how I missed it. But it really is twins!"

I put a hand on my stomach before I even realized what I was doing as Gohan laughed lightly and turned to Goten. "It means Mom is having babies, squirt."

Goten's chopsticks clattered to his plate, his undivided attention on me. "Wait. What? Really? I'm going to be a big brother? Is it boys or girls?" His bright eyes and excited smile fell into one of faint annoyance. "Will they have to sleep in my room?"

I laughed and opened my mouth to answer his fast torrent of questions, but was cut off by a loud thump and the crunching, grating sound of wood giving way under weight. I didn't immediately see Goku when I looked in his direction, but Gohan's stare on the floor clued me in.

I leaned over the table and there he was, sprawled on his back over the splintered remains of his chair and my mouth fell open, my hand subconsciously covering it in shock.

And then I was at his side as Gohan went to dampen a washcloth and handed it to me – from my all my fainting spells, he knew exactly what to do. I lifted Goku's head onto my lap and blotted his face and forehead with the cool washcloth.

"I can't believe Dad actually fainted."

"Me neither, Gohan."

I looked at Gohan and we burst out in side-splitting laugher as Goten joined us on the floor.

"Think he'll be okay, Mommy?"

I got my laughter under control and gave Goten a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine, sweetie. He's just shocked. That's all."

Goku stirred in my arms and blinked blearily up at me, a dazed smile on his lips. "I had the craziest dream. You were pregnant with twins."

I giggled and continued blotting his face with the washcloth. "It wasn't a dream, sweetheart."

After a couple moments of silence, he sat up slowly and rubbed his back, wincing. "Ugh… I feel like I've been sleeping on a rock."

I raised an eyebrow and cast a meaningful glance at the ruined chair and then at him.

"Oh." He put a hand to the back of his neck and chuckled nervously and I just shook my head, but couldn't bring myself to be even a little bit annoyed.

We got up off the floor and I went and got our broom and dustpan and swept up the mess of splinters.

"Something tells me things are going to get really chaotic around here with two half-Saiyan babies getting into everything," predicted Gohan.

I nodded. "Oh, yes. Things will be quite crazy, indeed."

I put the broom and dustpan away and put a hand on my flat stomach – which wouldn't be that way for long.

Goku walked up to me, his warm hand settling lightly over mine and he wore that same soft smile he wore the whole time he watched me cook our dinner. "I can't wait."

I smiled up at him and he wrapped his arms around me as he leaned down. I pushed myself up on my tiptoes and our lips met in the middle, my arms snaking around his sinewy neck. Things would be incredibly hectic with two new additions to the family, but we were more than equipped to handle it.