Jenny sat in one of the big, winged armchairs near the fireplace. She wore dressy black maternity pants and a flowing blue top. The fire crackled and popped, the only noise in the room. She knew that the quiet was to be short-lived. Within half an hour, all of her lady friends would fill the elegant living room, bringing with them mountains of presents. She was feeling a bit awkward. She prayed they hadn't planned any silly shower games.

The baby kicked and Jenny stared at her tummy as she watched it move. This baby was vicious, she laughed to herself. The baby went still for a moment as Jenny felt her stomach tighten – the false contractions were already starting. She was excited about the baby coming, but she longed to have her body back. It was infuriating trying to keep up with Catie during their training sessions and Piccolo was afraid to do more than give her the occasional hug, although he constantly told her how beautiful she was.

"I has a present!" Catie proclaimed, carrying a large package into the living room and setting it down next to Jenny's chair. "You're gorgeous." She planted a big kiss on Jenny's forehead.

"Ewwww," Jenny giggled, scrubbing her head with the heel of her hand.

"You like it," Catie said and flopped down in the chair across from Jenny.

"Hnnn!" Leelee grunted, pulling a ridiculously large present through the doorway as Sabriena pushed on the other side.

"What on earth?" Jenny asked.

"Yorgi… made us…" Leelee panted. She paused to catch her breath. "Oh, screw this." Leelee's hair suddenly turned to wisps of smoke about her face and shoulders and the gift went spinning into the air, landing nicely beside Catie's present.

"Nice," Sabriena said appreciatively.

"Now, girls, your powers are only for fighting," came Chichi's voice as the front door banged closed against the blustery cold air.

"Heh… sorry," Leelee blushed.

Chichi smiled nicely at them and set down the box she was carrying. "Well this will be fun. It's about time we had something to smile about."

Bulma and Eighteen added their gifts to the pile that was growing next to Jenny's chair.

"Thanks, you all," Jenny said, "you guys didn't have to do that."

"We wanted to," Bulma smiled.

The room was soon full of presents and friends, there had been a caterer hired for the event and the ladies sipped punch and champagne and munched on hor'd'ourves, some of them telling horror stories about their labor experiences.

"Twenty-six hours of hard labor, can you believe it?"

"She coded! I was in the room with her, and all of a sudden, she just stopped breathing! I thought my sister was going to die right there in front of me!"

"I didn't give a shit. I wasn't going into labor on an empty stomach. I sat right there and ate my fried chicken and mashed potatoes. He was mad at me, but I didn't give a damn."

"Amniotic fluid all over my mom's shoes. She screamed at me that I'd pissed on her."

"That epidural is a bitch. They had to do it twice! Anesthesiologist didn't get it in right the first time. OH MY GOD. Never felt pain like that in my life."

Jenny was starting to look a little green. Why on earth would you tell a horror story about having a baby to someone who was getting ready to do the exact same thing? What a terrible thing to say to a person. Yet there were plenty of stories to go around.

"Okay, how about we let Jenny open some presents?" Catie announced loudly, seeing the sickening expression on Jenny's face.

Jenny spent the better part of an hour opening present after present, receiving outfits, blankets, stuffed toys, bottles, rattles, teething rings, diapers, and a whole host of other baby-related items. While she appreciated everything, she was finding herself more and more overwhelmed. All this stuff just to take care of one tiny person?

She ripped the paper off of Yorgi's gift last. She gasped when she saw the ornate, hand-carved baby crib he'd ordered for her. She'd never seen something so beautiful in her life.

"Wow," Jenny breathed. She suddenly couldn't wait to get it set up. But which set of sheets would she use on it? The pink? Or the blue? She was starting to go nuts trying to figure it out. She'd almost broken down at her last appointment and asked.

"Do you like it?" Yelena asked, sipping a flute of champagne.

Jenny nodded vigorously. "It's amazing!"

Yelena's lips curved up slightly. "We thought you might."

"This was a wonderful party," Jenny said to the group of women around her. "Thank you all so much."

"And thanks for no stupid games!" Sabriena added as the other ladies laughed.

The door that led from the living room to the dining room suddenly burst open. Kolya strolled through the door, carrying a huge, five-tiered cake.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Sabriena scolded.

"You hush," Kolya answered, setting the cake in Jenny's lap. It was much lighter than it appeared. Upon closer inspection, Jenny realized that the "cake" was made of diapers that had been rolled up tightly and bound together with pink and blue ribbon. The cake was decorated with pacifiers, small toys, ointments, outfits, and a huge bow on top.

"This is awesome!" Jenny cried.

"Where on earth did you get that, Kolya?" Catie asked, looking the cake over.

"Lindsey make it for you," Kolya answered, stepping back. "She ask Yorgi to have me bring it to you."

Jenny's heart fell. In all the excitement from the party, she hadn't even noticed Lindsey's absence.

"How is she?" Chichi asked, concerned.

"She better," Kolya answered. "But Yorgi still keep her upstairs. At least she stopped puking everywhere." He made a disgusted face and shook his head. "She stay busy with shit like this." Kolya obviously saw little need for craft projects, especially ones designed for babies.

"Thank you, Kolya," Yelena said in a dismissive sort of way.

He nodded and bowed deeply, backing out of the room with a flourish as the girls laughed at him.

Sabriena sighed dreamily. "God, he's so hot."

Leelee cocked an eyebrow at her. "What about Tumbler?"

"I can appreciate a nice piece of eye-candy," Sabriena smirked, swigging her champagne.

Leelee giggled and shook her head.

As friends and family started to leave or return to their various parts of the house, Catie, Sabriena and Leelee stayed behind to pick up wrapping paper and gather up the presents.

"That crib is breath-taking," Leelee said appreciatively.

Jenny nodded, sipping her sparkling juice. No champagne for her, even though her doctor had told her one glass a week was acceptable.

"You going to set it up in your room?"

"I guess. We don't really have anywhere else to put it," Jenny answered thoughtfully. "Although, if we ever go back to Japan…" she trailed off.

"You've been thinking it too," Catie said, her head snapping around to look at Jenny.

Jenny sighed, staring at the delicate piece of stemware in her hand. "I don't know what to think. This is my home, but it's not exactly the best place to raise a baby."

"Piccolo's not going to want to stay here forever," Leelee added. "And neither is Seventeen or Trunks."

"I'm kind of surprised they've lasted this long," Jenny said, raising the crystal to her lips again.

"Well, we all thought there was going to be a wedding," Leelee stated.

"Leelee!" Catie cried.

"What? I'm not being flip, but things aren't exactly going according to plan."

"They're still getting married," Catie said with determination in her voice. "They have to."

Lindsey ran her fingers through her short, red hair, leaning over the drafting desk Yorgi had set up in his room for her. She scratched away at the paper, one leg propped up on the stool she sat on so her knee was above her shoulder as she worked. She'd gotten bored that day and took the dreadlocks out herself.

She'd been left alone for the first time in two weeks. She spent the early morning putting the finishing touches on the diaper cake for Jenny and then busied herself with sketches ever since. She had to have something to focus her nervous energy into. She'd finally gotten past the stage of shaking and vomiting, with the sudden swings from hot to cold and the urge to beat the living dog snot out of the three men who watched her day and night. Her mood was unpredictable at best and going off on someone for no reason at all wasn't exactly something she wanted to do, either. But she still wasn't allowed to step out of the room. She still got hit with cravings often and she was terribly afraid she'd relapse.

In fact, she'd had a craving so strong that morning after they'd left her alone, she attempted to sneak out of the room. Her escape was short-lived when she'd found herself staring down the barrel of Kirill's pistol.

The door creaked open as Goku stepped into the room. "Hey, you changed your hair!"

"Nice to see you, too," she answered, not looking up from her work.

"I brought you a cappuccino," he offered tantalizingly.

She paused and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. "French vanilla?"

"Mm-hmm. Just the way you like it. From Casey's, too."

She eyed the brown Styrofoam cup that bore the gas station's logo. She snatched it from his hand and took a long drink. "My preciousssss," she whispered, leaning her head back with her eyes closed.

"What'cha workin' on?" Goku asked, moving to stand behind her. "Is that a dragon?"

"It's a horse," Lindsey answered, staring at the revolting creature she'd scratched onto the paper. "I keep seeing her in my dreams."

Goku pulled a chair under him as he sipped his own late-morning coffee. "Still having nightmares, huh?"

She nodded, picking her pencil back up. She considered her paper for a moment. The skeletal horse was sickly looking, its pale eyes like big, white orbs. Its teeth were long and sharp, pieces of its face had rotted away. "She's hurt."

Goku blinked. "Who's hurt?"

Lindsey tipped her head towards the drawing. "She's hurt and I can't help her. She just follows me everywhere. I don't know how to help her."

"No wonder you're having nightmares," Goku chuckled. "I'd be scared too, if that thing followed me around all night long."

Lindsey tilted her head, still staring the horse on the paper. Seeing it on the bright white paper in the late morning sunlight allowed her to study it. Try to figure it out. At first she'd thought the horse represented Eclipse, the horse she'd rescued from the Johnson stables, but now she wasn't so sure.

She sighed and shook a cigarette out of the pack she had lying nearby and struck a match to light it. Yorgi didn't trust her with a lighter.

"You need to stop," Goku repeated for the millionth time that week.

"One thing at a time," she answered around the smoke hanging from her lips. She dragged deeply and exhaled at her paper, the smoke wreathing the drawing. "When am I going to get out of here?"

"I don't know," Goku answered honestly. "When do you think you'll be okay to leave?"

She shrugged. She knew if she left now, there was a good chance she'd go right back to her habits. She rubbed the insides of her elbows without realizing what she was doing. The marks were beginning to fade.

"I missed the baby shower," she said sadly. She tucked a piece of short hair behind her ear.

"I know," Goku said, tipping his chin down. In all honesty, he'd thought that it had been a bit harsh of Yorgi to not allow her to attend the shower.

"Ugh, that stench is disgusting," Vegeta remarked as he and Yorgi entered the room.

Lindsey dragged on her cigarette, ignoring him.

Yorgi leaned over her shoulder. "You draw this?"

She nodded.

He grabbed her by the head and asked, "What is going on in there?"

"Sick and twisssssted shit," she murmured, leaning away from him.

"I think it's time you got out of this house," Vegeta said. "You need to start training."

Everyone turned and blinked at him.

"You've fallen far behind Catie. Even Jenny is far more powerful than you," he went on.

Lindsey shook her head. She didn't want to tell them what she suspected about her powers.

"Do you think now's a good time for that?" Goku asked.

"Anytime is a good time for it, Kakarot," Vegeta answered. "A warrior must never allow himself to go soft, even in times of peace."

Goku looked to Lindsey. "Might be good for you."

"I dunno," she shrugged, crushing her cigarette out in the ashtray and leaning towards her sketch paper again.

"That slack attitude will get you nowhere," Vegeta growled.

"Ain't got nowhere to go anyway," she muttered.

"You can train her to be powerful, like you?" Yorgi asked without the slightest hint of interest in his voice. Lindsey knew better. His poker face was astounding.

Vegeta smirked. "No. She's nothing but a human. She could never be as powerful as a Saiyan warrior. But that's no excuse to sit around being weak and not trying to better herself."

Lindsey rolled her eyes, grateful her back was to Vegeta. She was relatively sure he'd slap her if he saw that.

"You know what, Vegeta?" Goku asked, getting to his feet. "I think you're right."

Lindsey jumped and spun around to look at them.

"I think a month of training out in the woods might be a good start," Goku continued. "And I'll be the one doing the training."

"Oh sure, if you want her to have a sub-par teacher," Vegeta huffed.

"Lindsey, pack your bags. We're going to train."

Her jaw fell open as she stared at them. "It's freezing outside!" she protested. "I'm not spending a month out there in this kind of weather!"

Goku turned serious. "You'll do as you're told."

"But, Goku-"

"Lindsey, I'm serious."

"I don't even have my powers anymore," she told him, leaning forward to emphasize her words. "Don't you guys get that? If I did, they wouldn't have failed me before!"

"They're still there," Goku said, walking across the room and grabbing the bag of clothes he'd been living out of.

"No, they're not! And making me go freeze my butt off in the woods isn't going to change that!"

"Enough arguing. Now get your stuff."

Lindsey looked to Yorgi. He gave a nod.

"Unbelievable," she griped, dropping her pencil on the desk. "Un-fucking-believable."

"Watch your mouth," Goku snipped.

She cringed, embarrassed that he'd scolded her, and got up to prepare for her training.