Part two...

No POV

Bulma and Chichi were singing praises about the imminent arrival of their grandchild. Goku was trying to calm his wife down. The twins were watching Bulma and their grandmother, alarmed by their spastic behavior. Gohan stood up to help his father get his mother under control, and his wife watched, exasperated. Everyone was talking at once, shouting things about the baby and the imminent birth until Marron, sweet, quiet, demure Marron, stood up and shouted.

"My Kami, would you all just shut up?!" Everyone went silent as the blonde crossed the room to the shell-shocked couple, "you guys?" Bra and Goten were still frozen, staring at the slowing spreading stain on Bra's jeans. The youngest Son brother held the ajar velvet box aloft, the amethyst gem within glittering under the lights.

"Yes- huh?" Bra finally came back to herself, answering Goten's question as she did so, "oh, crap... Dammit, Aya, of all the times to not be lazy..." her now-fiance blinked and grasped her hand, "you're having our baby." The bluenette smiled softly at him, "yeah, I am."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to ruin Christmas," Bra mumbled, reaching out to touch his face, "now I've gone and ruined it... and Mom's couch."

"Hush, child," Vegeta finally spoke up, "the child wanted out of your body. You didn't ruin this ridiculous holiday that your insane mother was so intent on celebrating. The brat inside of you did."

"Vegeta," Mom snapped, "don't say that. The baby doesn't even know what Christmas is."

"Anyway," Marron rolled her eyes, "did you guys bring the tub and everything?" Goten nodded once, "I made sure we had everything."

"I've got some scrubs if you want them, Maz," Pan spoke up, and the blonde shot her a grin, "you'll be helping me. You've got your midwife license, too, Pan-chan. Goten," she turned back to the Son, "go get the tub filled with water and the solution. Set it up in a room that's not too open, we don't want to overwhelm Bra. Pan, let's go get into some scrubs. Bulma, Chichi, you guys help Bra get dressed in something more suited for giving birth. Everyone got it?"

"Look at you, Maz, taking charge." Krillin laughed, and Juuhachi rolled her eyes and smacked him in the back of his head, "let her do her job and stop distracting her."

Goten's POV

"Uncle G, what's going on?" Corra grabbed my arm as I rushed past, headed towards the kitchen to get some pictures to transfer water, and I smiled at her and knelt down to her level, "well, your cousin's about to make her way into the world. You and Chyna aren't going to be the babies of the group anymore."

"Oh, so she's in labor," the little brunette nodded, "is she going to marry you, though?"

"Yep," I ruffled her hair, frowning at her height, "dang, kiddo, you've gotten taller." She shrugged at me, "you'd know if you had spent some time training with Chyna and me instead of coddling Bra-chan. She doesn't like that, you know, Panny told us."

"Hey, now," I mock-warned, kissing her cheek, "where's your sister? I need you guys to help me out. I've got to fill the tub with warm water and I could use some extra hands."

"She's acting a little weird," Corra mumbled, "I think it's because of the baby she lost in June." She glanced over her shoulder, towards the sunroom. I could see my youngest niece lying on a chaise near one of the windows, watching the snow storm rage on outside. I sighed, I'm no good with this sort of thing... I'll find Videl on my way back up to the room...

"Alright, Corrie-chan," I stood up, "we'll leave her alone for now. If we come across your mom when we go upstairs, then we'll let her talk to her and see what's up with her." Corra forced a smile, though I could see she was still concerned for her twin, and followed me up the stairs. On the way up, my oldest niece appeared, on the phone with someone.

"Thank you," she murmured, hanging up the phone. She saw me then and raised a brow, "Goten... where are the pitchers?" I paused and looked down at my hands, surprised to find them empty, "Uh... Oh..."

"Yeah," Pan rolled her eyes, "Oh. Our Uncle's a little on the forgetful side, Corrie-chan."

"A little?" my little neice questioned her big sister, eyebrow raised, "are you sure?" My oldest niece giggled and patted her sister on the head, "guess what? The hospital just called and they're letting me stay home tomorrow because of the storm."

"That's great," Corra threw her arms around Pan's waist, "you can open presents with us tomorrow!"

"Pan-chan, where's Videl?" I asked firmly, "Chai-chan's in a little bit of a mood and I was wondering if she could talk to her." Pan raised a brow, "Mom's in Bra's bedroom, helping her get settled and, speaking of which, we're going to be in for a long night. The labor's progressing fairly slow. What's wrong with Chyna?"

"She's just in a funk is all," I responded, "I'll just get your Mom and send her down there. Corra, could you do me a favor and run back down to the kitchen and get some of those pitchers off of the counter. Bring them up to Bra's bathroom."

"Kay." The petite girl was off in a flash, and my eldest niece smiled at me, "I'm going to go tell Trunks the good news. You can go sit with your lady while we womenfolk handle the tub."

"Alright," I rolled my eyes at her, "as if I couldn't handle it."

Her responding expression was clearly skeptical, "right. Now, get a move on, I'm pretty sure Bra's wondering whether or not you've run away from her. You know how she likes to over-think things and work herself into a tizzy over nothing."

*in the bedroom*

"Hey, beautiful," I murmured as I rounded the corner, "how're you feeling?" Bra was reclining on top of the covers of her old bed, dressed in one of my t-shirts. The huge shirt dwarfed her small form, the only thing that was prominent was her bump. Despite her obvious discomfort, she was glowing just as much as she usually did, and had one hand resting on her bump, where Yami-chan was preparing for her imminent arrival.

"I'm fine, despite the fact that my uterus and our baby are trying to kill me," she responded softly, "come sit with me, Marron said I'm only dilated to a three so it could be a while until Aya-chan makes her appearance." At that moment, my sister in-law exited the bathroom, smiling wryly, "if you think you're dying this early into it, then I don't know how you're going to cope when you're finally dilated to a ten and Ayame's head is crowning, Bra-chan."

"We'll just have to wait and see," my now-fiancee replied, "but you're probably right. I don't know how I'm going to cope either."

"Videl," I caught her attention as she made to leave the room, "Chai-chan's in a bit of a mood. Could you head down to the sun room and see what's going on in that pretty little head of hers?" I decided not to mention Corrie's earlier suspicion about the source of her disenchantment being her miscarriage. That was something she needed to hear from Chyna herself. I settled on the bed next to Bra and laid a hand on her stomach, trying to quell the swarm of nervous butterflies in my gut.

I'm going to be a daddy...

Videl's POV *Sunroom*

As I made my way down to the sunroom, I had a sneaking suspicion about the source of Chyna's discomfort. It was stupid of me to actually think that she'd get over her miscarriage so easily, when my own was still a frequent star in my nightmares. My eyes warmed threateningly as I remembered the son Gohan and I never truly got to have...

(A/N: I decided that Gohan and Videl had gotten pregnant before Pan came along, as this flashback will explain. It's one of those, 'I didn't know I was pregnant' type things. At this point in time, Gohan and Videl are still in college and are about 23 or 24.)

"Gohan," I called out, only half aware of my surroundings, too busy listening to my communicator, "some idiots from the Red Daragon Gang are trying to rob the bank. I'm going to head down there and sort it out really quick, okay?"

"Are you sure you don't need Saiyaman's help, Saiyagirl?" my boyfriend asked cheekily from behind a stack of books, "I can study for Bio later if you want me to come along, and besides," he furrowed his brows at me, "weren't you feeling a little weird last week?"

"No, I've been feeling a lot better," I smiled at him, walking over to him and ruffling his spiky black hair, "and I'm not going to distract you from your studies. I promised your mother I wouldn't, remember? That was the only way she was going to let us get this apartment together, after all."

Gohan snorted sarcastically, "if only she knew what kind of things we get up to."

"No, she shouldn't know," I hit him playfully, "otherwise she'd start asking where the grandchildren are. Now, I'm going to take care of this and I shouldn't be long. You be a good boy and study for Bio."

"Alright, I'll see you in..." he trailed off, glancing down at his watch, "an hour or so?"

"Just about," I nodded, kissing him on his chin, "I love you."

"Mmm, love you, too," he hummed and kissed my forehead, "be careful, will you? You were really out of it last week."

*Satan City International Bank*

"Hey, Chief," I came in for a landing, "what's going on?" I glanced down at my wrist, expecting to see the watch Bulma made for me to switch into my Saiyagirl costume, but only found the straps for my fingerless gloves. Crap, I guess I'd have to forget the Saiyagirl persona and fight as myself.

"We've got an officer down, behind the car nearest to the bank doors," he pointed towards a woman, lying on the ground, holding her leg, behind a police car that had taken severe damage from a machine gun, "we've been trying to get her out of the line of fire, but theyr guns won't let us get to her and get her out of there. She's got a husband on the force and a little boy at home, they can't afford to lose her."

"How many goons in the bank?" I questioned, mentally drawing up ideas in my head for how to work through this all. The Chief glanced down at his notes, "there are at least seven inside, and five out here on the front steps with machine guns."

Twelve... I can handle twelve...

"Alright, I'll get her out of the way and then handle the gang," I told him at once, "don't worry," and phased towards the injured woman on the ground. She jerked and gave a surprised cry at my sudden appearance and I shushed her, "I'm here to help you. What's your name?"

"You're-you're Videl... Videl Satan..."

"Yeah, I know," I nodded once, "and your name is?"

"Lily. Lily Evans-Potter," she breathed shakily, and I carefully moved one of my arms under her legs, preparing to lift her, "how long have you been on the force?"

"Six years," she responded, "I joined the academy right after James and I got married."

(A/N: I haven't had the pleasure of reading Harry Potter yet, but I intend to. Lily, James, and Harry belong to J.K. Rowling. We'll pretend like the police force is a representation of the Order of the Phoenix. Other than that, this cameo ignores the cannon of HP.)

"How old is your son?" I continued distracting her, "the Chief told me you have a son. What's his name?"

"Harry," she whispered, "Harry James Potter. He's four years old, the cutest little thing. Poor little soul fell and hit his head on something when he was one, and now he's got this peculiar little lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead."

Lily, now fully distracted, didn't even notice when I phased back to the safe area, where an ambulance had a stretcher ready for her. As I laid her on the stretcher, her green eyes shot wide in surprise, "wait... wha-"

"Lily!" A tall man with black, unruly hair and worried hazel eyes rushed over to her side, "Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Lil," he leaned in to kiss her forehead before she was loaded into the ambulance.

I turned away from the relieved couple and darted back into the mix of things. I hid behind a car and carefully peeked around it, trying to see where all the thugs on the front steps were situated, only to find myself faced with the business end of a rocket launcher.

Time seemed to slow, and all I could do was stare as the thug wielding the launcher smirked at me and prepared to pull the trigger. Someone was screaming at me to move, but it seemed like they were yelling at me from a million miles away. My mind began to function again, somewhat, and I got up and began backing away. Deep down inside, I was screaming at my body to phase out and fly away, but it seemed like my body had disconnected itself from my mind.

The missile burst forth from the launcher and flew in my direction in a straight, deadly line. As I turned to run, the missile hit the ground near the car I'd been hiding behind, and a violent wave of heat and shrapnel burst forth as the car exploded, the force of it lifting me off of my feet and tossing me back like a ragdoll. After what felt like an eternity, I painfully belly-flopped onto the concrete of the sidewalk... and a horrid pain began to tear through my lower abdomen, and all I could do was scream as the force of it washed through me, forcing me to black out...

I woke up in a recovery room at Satan City Memorial Hospital with a line of staples running horizontally across the expanse of my lower abdomen, right between my hips. Gohan was sitting beside me, and I couldn't remember a time where I'd ever such an agonized expression on his face. Confused, I asked him why I had staples in my stomach, and he couldn't even meet my gaze. At that moment, the Doctor walked in and explained that I'd been pregnant for almost four months and hadn't even known. When the car exploded next to me and sent me flying, the force of the landing, directly on my stomach no less, had caused the amniotic sac to erupt. The baby, a boy, had been lost long before they could get me to the hospital.

"Hey," I took a seat next to Chyna and looked out of the window at the snowstorm, "what's going on, sweet pea?" She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder, curling into my side. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple, "your Uncle thinks something's up with you, so I thought I'd come and see if you were alright."

"Is... Is it my fault that that baby died?" Her soft voice was full of guilt and remorse, "did it die because I didn't want it? Because I didn't love it?" I gently pulled her away from me and turned her so she was facing me, "sweetheart, I'm going to tell you a little story. Did you know that you, Corrie, and Panny almost had an older brother?"

"No," she shook her head, eyes wide, "we did? What happened to him?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant with him until it was too late," I told her gently, "at that point, your father and I were in college together and I was still helping the police out whenever I could manage it. That particular day, your Papa had to study for a big test in one of his classes when I got a call about the bank being robbed. He offered to help me with it, but I told him that I could handle it alone and went out to do just that."

"What happened?" Chyna's voice was full of worry.

"One of the thugs had a rocket launcher, and shot it at a car I was hiding behind. When I saw him with, I froze and tried to run at the last minute. The car exploded and sent me flying. I landed on my stomach really hard, and the sac around your brother was ruptured. There was nothing anyone could do to save him."

My voice was shaking, "after that, your father and I grew distant. He blamed himself for not noticing your brother's ki mingling with mine, and I blamed myself for not showing any signs of being pregnant. All the self-blame led to horrible fights and weeks on end of nothing but silence. I ended up moving out of our apartment and back into Grampa Hercule's house, and your Papa threw himself into his studies to distract himself, but he wasn't taking care of himself like he should've been."

"One day, he was sparring with your Grampa Goku and passed out right in as Goku fired a Kame Hame Ha at him because he hadn't been eating like he should've been. If Goku hadn't noticed that he wasn't retaliating until a second later, you and your sisters probably wouldn't be here right now. That was a wake-up call for us both. Once he was better, your father and I sat down and had a long talk about losing your brother and how we should've handled the grief better, and our relationship is much stronger because of it."

"Now," I brushed a thumb over Chai-chan's cheek, wiping away the few tears that had begun to fall, "I know I can't possibly understand what it was like for you to carry a child that you didn't want, and I'm not going to pretend like I do, but I don't want you to ever feel like it was your fault that you miscarried. That was something I had to learn myself when I lost your brother. We can only control ourselves, and sometimes that's just not enough."

"Okay," she whispered, and I kissed her forehead, "what brought this on? Bra and Goten's baby?"

Chyna nodded once, "I hope I get to have a baby that I actually want when I'm older," she whispered, smiling softly, "they're lucky to have that much." I pulled her onto my lap, which was getting harder now that she'd started growing, and hugged her to my chest, "I hope so, too, sweet girl, you deserve the world and then some. How about we get some cocoa and watch the snow fall? Bra's not going to be delivering for a while now, so we've got time to spare."

"Cocoa sounds good, Mama," she smiled up at me and I took her hand, leading the way into the kitchen, "thank you for telling me about that, it helped a lot." I smiled in return and began to get the proper ingredients out for cocoa, "you're very welcome, sweet pea."

*meanwhile* Pan's POV

"Kami," I murmured to Marron as we were filling Bra's birthing tub with warm, treated water, "I just found out that I get two days off and I've still got to help deliver a baby during the holidays."

"Hey, now," Maz playfully warned, "we promised that we'd both help deliver the baby, so get over it," and then frowned at me, "are you sure you're up to it, though? I know you've been running yourself ragged at the hospital."

"I'll be fine," I responded, smiling softly, "sure, it wears the hell out of me, but I'll always love bringing new life into the world. It's a very fulfilling line of work." The blonde woman rolled her eyes, "I know what you mean. It's so surreal."

The tub was filled to the appropriate level, and I referred back to the list Bra had given us for how she wanted the room to be when she gave birth, "Now... Ocean-theme scented candles and incense, check... did you get the incense, Maz?"

"Yep," she removed the packet of incense from her bag, "I've got it. I'll set these and the candles up, you go check Blue out and see how everything's progressing." I nodded once and left the spacious bathroom, peering into Bra's old bedroom, "Blue? How're you feeling?"

Bra was curled into the fetal position, soft whimpers escaping her lips. Goten sat along side her, holding her hand and rubbing small circles against the skin of her lower back. I walked over to the bed and gently touched her leg, "do you want me to check and see how dilated you are?"

"Please," my friend whined, rolling onto her back. I gently spread her legs, "this isn't going to feel very pleasant, Blue, but you're going to have to try to relax, okay?" She nodded once, gritting her teeth and moaning in pain as I carefully checked her over, "Alright, almost done... you're closing in on a six. That's good. How far apart are your contractions and how long do they last?"

"About twenty to nineteen minutes, maybe a bit more," my Uncle responded, "they're only a minute or two, maybe three in length." I nodded, "at this rate, she'll be delivering at about midnight or later. Ayame's gonna be a Christmas baby."

"That's two hours from now," Bra whined, "and it's already so painful..."

"If you want, you can go ahead and get in the tub," Marron called from the bathroom door, "everything's ready, and the water's nice and warm so it'll be good for the pain."

"That sounds perfect," she breathed, "my back's killing me." Goten gently lifted his newly-dubbed fiancee into his arms and carried her into the bathroom at Marron's instruction, and I called after them, "I'm going downstairs to get some coffee. I think I need a little caffeine boost."

"Go right ahead," Marron poked her head out of the bathroom, "I'll call for you if anything changes." I nodded towards her and hurried out of the room and down the stairs. The nap earlier had helped somewhat, but I still felt a little tired. Hopefully a quick cup of coffee would fix me right up.

When I entered the kitchen, Mama and Chyna were in there, making cocoa. I smiled in greeting before promptly rummaging through the pantry for some easy-to-make coffee mix. One of the serving bots came up to me, and I breathed a sigh of relief, "could you make me a double shot espresso, no cream or sugar, please?"

The bot obliged me and began to gather the proper ingredients for the espresso while I promptly collapsed at the table, massaging my temples with my thumbs to ward off a headache that had been threatening to strike. A small hand touched my arm, and I glanced at Chyna, smiling wanly, "hey, sissy."

"You look sleepy," she observed in that soft-spoken way that she'd, obviously, gotten from Papa, "maybe you should go take a nap again." I snorted and tapped her little nose with my finger, "you're right, I should, but I can't right now. I have to help Bra."

"I thought you had to work tomorrow," Mama inquired curiously, and I shook my head, "Chief Koran called earlier, I've got the next two days off because of the blizzard. I get to spend Christmas with everyone else," the serving bot placed my espresso in front of me, "oh, thank Kami, liquid nirvana."

"That's good," my mother handed one of the freshly made mugs of cocoa to Chyna, "come on, Chai-chan, that snow's not going to watch itself." My sister giggled and kissed me on the cheek before leaving the room, hand in hand with our mother. I watched them go with a smile, she's feeling a lot better, now. I wonder what was bothering her...

Bra's POV

I bit down on my bottom lip, groaning softly as another contraction began to flow through my cervix, and responding waves of agony fluttered through my lower back. My fiance was holding my hand diligently, watching his watch to keep track of the time it took for each contraction to come and go. I could feel our daughter shifting around inside of me, obviously there was too much going on for her to sleep through it, and let the groan escape fully as the cramp wore on.

"Let me know when it goes," Goten murmured, brushing a hand through my hair, "you're doing so well, Bra-chan."

The pain began to abate, and I squeezed his hand once, "it's going," and leaned my head against his shoulder, "how long was that, Goten?" He kissed my temple lovingly, "nineteen minutes to come, and about three minutes to go. It's almost eleven."

"Thank Kami," I whispered, "not much longer now?"

"Nope," he nodded, "not much longer."

"I can't believe she's coming on Christmas," I blurted out, "the little sneaky thing."

Goten snorted, "Me either," he leaned down to kiss my belly softly, "you're a little sneaky devil, Yami-chan." The baby shifted a little bit more, but didn't seem to be overly bothered with her Daddy's claim. I laughed and reclined in the warm water of the tub as Marron re-entered the bathroom with a stack of towels in her arms.

"How're you feeling, Bra?" she inquired, "any different sensations?"

"Nope, just contractions and lower back pain," I responded, "what else should I be feeling?"

"The baby's head crowning," she responded, "you've probably dilated a little bit more since you got in the tub, but I'm not going to check again until your contractions are down to fifteen to ten minutes apart. Usually, you'll feel the head crowning by then, and the time between each contraction will decrease much faster."

"Where's Pan?" I inquired, "I thought she'd be done with her coffee break by now."

"Caffeine jitters," Marron laughed, "Trunks made her sit down for a while, but I think she's gotten them under control... Someone should've told her not to get an espresso, let alone a double shot."

"I wouldn't know, haven't had caffeine in ages," I rolled my eyes, "but, she would've been fine with a plain cup of coffee or a latte."

"Well, excuse me for being tired as all get out," Pan entered the bathroom, "how's it going, mom?"

"Hellishly," I responded, "lets leave it at that." Trunks peeked in the doorway, "hey, if she actually lied and starts getting jitters again, just kick her out of the room." I laughed as my future sister in-law blushed and scowled at him, "Trunks, I am fine."

"Mmhm," he rolled his eyes, "leave the espressos alone next time."

"Fine, now leave," she waved him off, "I'm pretty sure you don't want to see what's going on between your sister's legs, now get lost." We all shared a laugh as Trunks, suddenly blushing, ducked out of the room with a quickness. After that... things started to move along much faster.

*12 am, Christmas Morning*

"I feel something between my legs," I finally said, at around 12 am on Christmas Day, "good Kami, this baby is lazy."

"Alright," Marron took off her shoes, "contractions are at ten minutes, right?" At Goten's nod, she turned to Pan, "go tell Bulma, Chichi, Vegeta, and Goku that their granddaughter's about to make an appearance."

"Alright," my best friend shot me an encouraging smile, "I'll be back in a second, Blue." I waved her off as Marron kicked off her shoes and socks and gingerly climbed into the tub to kneel between my legs, "this might hurt a little, but it'll probably be nothing compared to when it's time to push."

"Harhar," I groused, "can't leave anything to the imagination can you, Maz?"

"Nope," she chirped, "would you rather I not tell you what's coming so you can be blindsided?"

"Touche."

Pan returned at that moment, with my mother and Chichi in tow. Both of them began gushing and fussing over me, and I breathed a sigh and bore it simply because I knew that it was all they could do for me at the moment. The familiar pain of a budding contraction swept over me, five minutes early, and I cried out at the force of it, gripping Goten's hand desperately as the pain tore at me.

I shifted so my arms were folded on the edge of the tub and squatted in the water, laying my forehead against my arms as I rode out the pain. Goten rubbed my bare back, I'd switched his shirt out for a sports bra, and kissed the top of my head, murmuring comforts as a few tears escaped my eyes. Marron's gloved hand slipped between my thighs and she touched my lower back with her other hand, "she's ready to come out. On the next contraction, I want you to push, okay, B-chan?"

"O-okay..." I managed to reply, voice trembling. A strange, all-encompassing fear flooded over me, but, along with it, was this resolve. Despite the fear, I felt ready. My body relaxed some as the long wave of pain abated, already hinting at the next wave. This new wave felt different, like there was more to it, and I realized that it was Ayame, ready to exit my body.

With Goten's help, I squatted in the center of the pool with him behind me, holding onto my hips to steady me. Marron was kneeling in front of me, and Pan was standing behind her, outside of the tub, holding my outstretched hands tightly. She smiled encouragingly, "squeeze as hard as you like." Mom's hand ran through my hair, and I breathed an even sigh... before nearly doubling over as this new, violent wave of pain struck.

Goten's grip on my hips tightened, and I felt it, that near-undeniable urge to contract my muscles and free Ayame from my body. Marron patted my thight, "I'm going to count back from ten, and I want you to push while I count, alright?" I nodded, body shaking violently as I fought against the urge. Goten's lips pressed against my shoulder, "I've got you, B-chan, hang in there."

"10..."

My vaginal muscles contracted and I gave a choked cry as the pain fluctuated once Aya finally began to move downwards. Gasping desperately for air, I continued to push, groaning and screaming from the indescribable pain of it all.

"9..."

I could feel myself stretching wide for her, and spread my thighs a little more to make sure that she had enough space to get out. Marron's hands gently cupped her head as she slowly made her way out of my womb and into her hands.

"8..."

Goten's deep voice was a soothing balm in the wake of all the activity taking place in my body. The metal, warmed to my body temperature, of my engagement ring pressed against my skin, a solid representation of his love for me, was also a balancing agent as my body bore this living, breathing piece of ourselves, our love brought to life in a body created by the two of us.

"7..."

"Her head's free," Pan told me with a small smile, "you've got the shoulders and then it's smooth sailing." I nodded, shaking violently, and took a deep breath to cry out again as I forced my muscles to keep contracting, keep pushing the little form out of my body. My hands clenched around hers, impossibly tight, but, through it all, she continued to smile at me and coach me through this ordeal.

"6..."

I felt like a something of a cocoon. I'd been wrapped around this precious little bundle for a long nine months, and now... now she no longer needed to be within me anymore. It was time for her to breathe, to see, and hear for herself, the things that this cold world had to offer her, all on her own.

"5..."

I felt her shoulders sliding down... down... down... but I was so tired, so drained... and I may have said so between my pained cries.

"4..."

Marron's eyes glowed, "C'mon, she's got black hair, Bra... Give me a strong push..."

"3..."

"You're almost there," Pan whispered, "Just one more push, B-chan. She's gorgeous."

"2..."

Goten's voice was in my ear, "Baby, I can't wait to meet her and see you with her... Just give it one more go and she'll be in our arms."

"1..."

I heaved with my last vestiges of strength, forcing my energy and power down into my muscles. They contracted powerfully, one last time, and Marron lifted her hands out of the water. Pan released my hands to grab a suction and hand it to Marron, and the blonde careful used the tool on the little, wriggling body in her arms... and a shrill, sweet little cry rang out, echoing off the walls.

She was here. Ayame, our precious little Princess was finally here.

Goten's POV

When I proposed to Bra, I told her that I couldn't love anyone nearly as much as I loved her... and I'd just been proven so very wrong. The moment that shrill cry began to emanate from the wriggling form in Marron's arms, I swore that my heart had doubled in size. The amount of love I felt for our tiny, newborn daughter was insurmountable.

"Here you go, Bra," Marron, having finished cleaning her off, gently wrapped Ayame in a soft towel and laid her in Bra's arms, "Ayame Son." My fiancee cradled the little form close to her chest, and I wrapped my arms around her to hold Yami with her, watching over her shoulder as the tiny lids, crowned with a slight dusting of ebony lashes, fluttered a bit before sliding open to reveal a pair of bright, cerulean eyes... eyes that I knew so well.

"Hello, Ayame," Bra breathed, brushing her thumb against her damp cheek, "I'm your mommy. It's so nice to finally meet you, little one." I brushed my own thumb over Ayame's cheek, "Hey, Princess. I'm your Daddy. It's nice to finally be able to put a face to the name." Her beautiful eyes fluttered closed, and she mewled softly, burrowing into her mother's breast.

"Merry Christmas, Goten," Bra whispered, lifting my hand to her lips so she could kiss the back of it affectionately, "I hope you like your gift."

"B-chan," I whispered, kissing her shoulder, "I couldn't thank you enough if I tried. You've given me the greatest gift of all."

*12:35 am, Christmas Day* Bra's POV

"She came into this world at 12:14 am, Christmas Day," Pan murmured to me as she filled out Ayame's birth certificate, "7 pounds, 9 ounces, 17 and a half inches long... You two can sign the certificate later."

"Thank you," I murmured, smiling down at the infant in my arms. Aya had Goten's wide eyes, my eye color and snub nose, his full cheeks, and my pink lips. The dusting of downy black hair had, obviously, come from her Daddy's side of the family. Her skin looked a little big for her, and she had a little birthmark on her back that looked like a bird, but she was, hands down, the most gorgeous little creature I'd ever seen.

At the moment, Aya and I had been cleaned up, dressed warmly, and tucked into bed to rest after the exhausting ordeal. Goten was lying next to me, eyes filled with affection as he watched me and our daughter. Our Daughter. Kami, it felt so good to say it and think it.

"Have you guys thought of a middle name?" Pan questioned, "unless she's not going to have one, that is..."

"Uh, no..." I murmured, "Goten, do you have any ideas?" My fiance shrugged, tracing the edge of Aya's chubby cheek, "no... she's so perfect."

"My mother was of saiyan elite class before my father chose her to be his wife," Daddy spoke up suddenly, and I looked at him, surprised as he continued, "one of the families that served her family was that of Kakarot's mother. If I remember correctly, she was great friends with your grandmother," this, he directed towards Goten, "her name was Gine. After my mother was chosen by my father, she joined your grandfather's group and became his mate. You," he pointed to Pan, "favor her quite strongly, girl."

"Oh, Geta," Mom gushed, hugging his arm, "are you suggesting a middle name for Aya-chan?"

"It's a name worthy of a saiyan Princess," Daddy shrugged, but I could see a slight flush in his cheeks, "if my mother was willing to befriend her, despite her third class status, that is."

"I think it's beautiful," Chichi spoke up, still flying on the high of becoming a grandmother again, "oh dear, now I've got four granddaughters, and one of them's going to be married and having her own babies soon..." Goku wrapped an arm around her waist as she sniffled slightly.

"Mom," Gohan spoke up from his spot next to Videl, "don't tell me you're about to start crying." His eyes drifted to Goten, and he smiled wryly, "fatherhood suits you, Squirt."

"Thanks, big bro," my fiance responded absently, obviously focused on Aya. I smiled, "I think Gine fits perfectly. Ayame Gine Son. It's got a certain charm to it." Goten nodded, still enamored with his baby girl. I kissed his forehead lovingly, "this is going to be a Christmas for the ages... I just know it."

No POV *HFIL*

"Bardock, look at how our son has prospered," Gine murmured as the saiyan couple stood before the crystal ball that allowed them to see the going on's on planet Earth, "he's got a family and he's friends with Queen Sosai's little son, Geta."

"And you said being an infiltration baby would be dangerous," Bardock teased, "I told you I knew what I was doing."

"Yes, and that's exactly why you charged Frieza blindly when he destroyed Vegetasei," the petite saiyan retorted with an eyeroll, and then glanced fondly back at the crystal ball, taking in the beautiful infant who carried her name, "I'm honored that Sosai told her son about me, and that he was willing to suggest my name for our grandson's beautiful daughter."

"He's grown a lot," Bardock responded, "the Prince used to be a hellion when he was younger."

"Oh, hush, you," Gine hit his arm, "he's grown up to be a wonderful man," she sighed, "to think that this could've never happened..."

"Oh no you don't," Bardock grasped his mate's hand and tugged her into his side, "you don't need to think about it not happening because it did happen. Our son is happy, and you should be, too, because, through him, we live on."

"You're right," she kissed his jaw, "come on, I promised Sosai we'd meet up today." Bardock let her drag him along, muttering something about women being "too social" and whatnot. Gine hit him in the head and continued on her way, a glowing smile on her face, and the memory of her son's beautiful, happy family fresh in her mind.

You did it, my Kakarot, she thought proudly, you survived...

And that's that. I'm not sure I got Bardock and Gine's characterization correct, but I did try. I hope you guys like this!

Sosai is the name we chose for Vegeta's mother, it's Japanese for vegetable, just like Yasai.

CloudSpires1295 & V-ChanUzumakiLSSJ