Bulma was giddy.

Granted, quite a few things had that effect on her but being able to have a girls' day out—no, WEEKEND— was definitely one that never failed to plant a smile on her face. She and ChiChi definitely had their spats from time to time but it was a great friendship overall. They definitely could both empathize with the birthing and rearing of a half-Saiyan child! Aside from that very common ground, the more they learned about one another, the more they liked one another.

Bulma left her plane running, engine rumbling. One nice thing about the countryside. She never had to worry about anyone trying to swipe it. There was no one around for miles, save a handful of animals and if THEY started to steal her things, that was another matter altogether!

That said, she was still a bit taken aback when the familiar house came into view. They had done some hefty work on it! She could make out the bare bones of at least three new rooms and the material for painting and roofing was starting to take shape on the lawn. Curiosity winning out, she took that angle to approach.

Shouting to be heard over the breaking of wood, scrapping and lifting, Bulma hollered "Hello!" If she hadn't known the workers to have exceptional hearing, she would have thought she'd had been missed entirely.

Yet a smaller head poked over the collection of frames and dust. "Oh! Hi, Bulma!"

Chuckling, she remarked "Hi to you too, Sanddust Head."

Gohan gave a cheeky grin and tossed his head from side to side, letting the puffs of dust fall away. "Whatcha doing here?"

Bulma gave a smile without any attempt to hide it. "Your mom and I are taking a girls' weekend, didn't she tell you?"

"She tol' me." A new voice chimed in, as Goku came up behind his son. "Figured I'd keep it as a surprise for Gohan." Beaming down at his son, Goku ruffled the boy's hair. "Mom and Bulma will do their girl stuff and you and I can have a weekend, sound good?"

Oh, the grin that took Gohan's face could have lit up the universe. "Just is, Daddy?!"

"Just us, kiddo."

Turning to face Bulma, Gohan intoned "Want me to find Mom for you?"

OOO

"Nice to get away from all that pounding and cutting?"

ChiChi leaned back, grateful for the soft cushioning. It was a rare thing to get to ride in a jet—certainly not something she engaged in very often! As much as she and Bulma often hung out, it was an odd thing to allow herself to be treated. ChiChi felt greedy for doing it even if Bulma insisted. But she finally gave in on this offer. A weekend of shopping, good food and some potential spa treatment was simply too good to pass up.

"Ah, the noise you get used to after a while," ChiChi admitted with a stretch. Her stomach was showing but not quite as rounded as it would be. She still had a few months after all and if this one was anything like their brother, the growth always exploded near the end. "And Gohan has really gotten into it. Picking colors, talking about furniture...it's the first time I've seen him excited for the baby."

With a wide grin, Bulma squealed a bit. "Awesome! Is he still only calling it a sister?"

ChiChi winced a bit. "Hard not to notice that, eh?"

"Just seemed like he grabbed that idea and clung to it."

ChiChi nodded. "Well, he's still holding onto it. It's either 'sister' or 'the baby.'"

Bulma nodded. "He talked anymore on why?"

A shake of the head. "No. Goku and I have asked him but he just says a girl would be "better." He's doing a lot better with telling us when he's feeling upset or sad but there is something there he won't break on yet." She looked a bit downtrodden. "Maybe Goku can weasel it out of him this weekend but...that's one area where he takes after me."

Bulma made no comment to that, despite the truth of it, and simply remarked, "Well, maybe he'll be right and it will be a sister. You wouldn't turn down a little girl, would you?"

Starry eyed, ChiChi let herself drift. "A little girl would be wonderful but I don't know, Bulma. This one feels like a boy." She glanced around her friend "But then, that's one of our tasks this weekend, right? Long as you still want to do the party?"

Bulma beamed again, kicked her feet lightly. "You know I do! And you're sure you don't want to know?"

"Not until the party, Bulma. Let me find out with Goku and Gohan. But you have fun with the planning."

"Ooo, you know I will."

OOO

"That's it, Daddy! This room is done!"

Goku wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist. "Nice timing, Gohan! Looks pretty good, don't you think?"

Glancing about, Gohan could agree with that—larger than they had planned but that would be good in the long run. They'd made his room a great deal bigger so it seemed only fair that the baby should have the same. Windows were a must, Gohan had insisted so two wide openings were carved from the bamboo and wood to accommodate them.

"I think so, Daddy. So the windows and paint and furniture next?"

Stretching skyward, Goku grinned, "Well, I think we've earned a little break, what do you think?"

Gohan gave his father a cheeky grin in response. "Spar?"

"Then a nice dip in the lake before lunch sounds good to me, how about you?"

In answer, Gohan threw away the scarf around his neck that had been keeping dust out of his lungs and took to the sky. "Then you have to catch me, Daddy!" Then in a flash of gold, he turned Super Saiyan and left a sonic boom in his wake.

"'ey! No head start, little cheater!"

But quickly the father was in the air, pursuing his son. Finding him was easy; the boy wasn't even trying to hide his energy and that blatant trait clued Goku in enough time stop the fist before it hit his face.

A quick kick and light ki push back followed by "Oh, you'll have to do better than THAT," and the fight was on.

Gohan had grown so much over the years. With every punch the boy landed, Goku grinned like a fool. Gohan more than matched his power and he was a smart thinker. It didn't take him long to realize that his father was vulnerable the brief second after Instant Transmission and he took full advantage of that, despite not knowing the technique himself.

Though not for lack of pleading; Gohan had asked Goku numerous times to teach it to him but the Saiyan has slays avoided the request. ChiChi had been adamant on the fact that she did not want a teenager—-wow, was his son really going to be teenager soon? Was this was it felt like to be old?—being able to pop in and out on a whim.

But Gohan was responsible. He always had been and that hadn't changed. If anything, he was proving he was a smart thinker, strategic and maybe...with all that was going on, he deserved a bone or two thrown his way. Would likely take him some time to learn the technique in any event.

Though this WAS the boy that learned Super Saiyan, full control of the form and even surpassed it in less than a year. Though the control over that second form was less than perfected.

Goku pondered that.

"Hey, Gohan!"

His son stopped in mid attack, withdrew, hovering just a few feet away. "Yeah?"

"Why don't we try out that other form of yours? You haven't used it a lot and-"

"No." There was a deep snap to that response, like it was on fire. "No."

Goku cocked his head, let his Super Saiyan fade away. "Mind telling me why? Aren't you the same kiddo that told me that IF I was right and you could surpass me that you—"

"I don't like that form, Dad."

Ooo, Dad not Daddy. He was treading thin ice here and he definitely didn't want their weekend ruined. "Okay."

He didn't press, didn't push but Gohan gave him a bit more to work with regardless. "It scares me. _I_ scare me in that form."

Goku nodded, approached and wrapped his arms around his son. "Hey. Gohan. If you don't want to, you don't want to. But can you do something for me?"

Setting his father with a suspicious look as the man was quite good at making him do things that he didn't want to do, Gohan asked a cautious "What?"

Goku's face stayed calm and he gently pushed some stray strands from Gohan's eyes. Boy needed another haircut! "I want you to think about the other times you were afraid. The other times you thought you couldn't do something because you were scared."

Gohan opened his mouth but Goku put his palm over the boy's mouth.

"Cool it, let me finish. I don't want you to answer right now. I just want you to think about it and I'll ask you later. And tell me what makes this form so much scarier. Think you can do that for me?"

A bit deflated, the boy gave a nod. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good." Goku gently pulled back a bit "Oh and Gohan? One more thing."

Curiosity peaked. "What?"

The playful grin took his father's face as he gestured to the waterfall behind them. "Hold your breath."

That said, Goku grabbed his son and hurled him to the water below. Gohan had taken the man's advice and after nearly colluding with the lake bottom—his father's throw was nothing to sneeze at—he plowed back up through the water, giving a laugh and a gasp all at once. His dark hair fell into his eyes and pushing it back, he sent a glare up to his father though punctuated it with a smile. "Lots of fish down there, Daddy. How 'bout a fish fry?"

Goku dove in just beside him with a "If you can catch a bigger fish than me, Daddy might have daifuku stashed somewhere."

Gohan vanished below before Goku finished his offer.

OOO

"Good stuff, huh Gohan?"

The boy turned from his position on the ground, licking the remains of the sweet from his lips. "You should get daifuku more often, Daddy."

The Saiyan snorted with slight amusement. "You'd never eat anything good for you if I kept it stocked."

"Would so," Gohan dropped his argument though, setting his eyes on the stars above. Lunch had been great and while they did go back to some more cutting and working and planning, dinner had been another challenge—one that Gohan emerged victorious for when he dropped a pterodactyl at his father's feet. Goku, never one to break his word, had supplied another reward of stuffed mochi.

Now though, with late night rolling in, the work of the day had taken its toll. Gohan was pretty certain that he might fall asleep right here on the grass and be completely fine with it.

"Hey Gohan, how about we sleep somewhere special tonight?"

Gohan blinked, moved to half sit up. "Like where? No roof on any of the rooms yet."

Goku grinned "Nope but we'll be able to fix that before your mom comes home. Naw, I'm feeling a little nostalgic tonight." That said, he stood up and called out loud "Flying Nimbus!"

Gohan blinked and stood himself as the yellow cloud tore across the sky and stopped just above them. It looked a little bigger than last Gohan remembered it. "Did Nimbus grow?"

Goku laughed. "Guess you could say that. I asked ol' Master Korin if I could add to Nimbus from big Nimbus. That way if we needa go somewhere, we don't always hafta take that car." Goku lowered his voice as if he was imparting a large secret. "Your Mom loves it but it's a little slow for me."

Giggling lightly, Gohan jumped up and landed on the cloud which immediately took his weight. It was bouncy as always but the half Saiyan child could definitely see the appeal for it as a bed. Leaning over to look at his father, he teased "Well then where are you gonna sleep, Daddy?"

Jumping up himself, Goku gently shoved his son "Aw, move over, silly."

Gohan did so and as soon as Goku laid down, arms folded behind his head, he mimicked his father, half nuzzling into his side. It was reminiscent of some of the cold nights in the Time Chamber. It brought back rather pleasant memories. Half turning to his side, burying his face into Goku's side, Gohan remarked, "I like weekends like this, Daddy."

A warm chuckle and then one of Goku's hands settled in Gohan's hair and gently massaged his scalp. "Me too, little man. We'll make sure we keep doing them every so often, okay?"

Gohan was soft in response "Just us?"

Setting his son with a look, Goku continued his little massage as Gohan leaned a bit further into his side. It was times like this he really missed Gohan's tail. He used to be able to knock him out cold with that. "'Member what I said 'bout that?"

With a sleepy nod, Gohan answered. "Sometimes us. Sometimes us and the baby. Sometimes you and the baby."

Goku nodded "Yep, good memory. I know it's not gonna be the same but we'll still have times for just us, I promise."

"Good. I doubt a sister'll want to do camping and fishing anyway."

Goku frowned. That was something he'd noticed and he knew ChiChi did too. Gohan always called the baby a sister or just the baby. "Well, you never know. Your mom was pretty feisty." Goku paused, treading carefully. "And it might be a brother."

Oh, Gohan's ki reacted to that. It reacted intensely to that. As if Goku had just told him that he would be in a battle for his life. "Gohan?"

"Not a brother." The words were sharp. "I bet it's a sister."

"But...you never know. A brother wouldn't be that bad, would it?" He gave a light smile to his words.

"...bet it's a sister, Dad."

Goku frowned, again. There was that switch again from Daddy to Dad. "Well, maybe you're right. A brother would still be fun though."

Gohan didn't reply to that and judging by the way he turned himself nearly into a ball, it was evident that he was not going to talk anymore. Goku was surprised that Gohan let him push him this far. He would need to try another angle. Much as Gohan had opened up a lot since their little talk, he still clammed on this and on the Super Saiyan 2 issue.

Lady said he would probably do that. Said there were always topics harder to talk about and he'd have to be really patient. Well, he could certainly do that and Gohan hadn't outright refused to think about the Super Saiyan 2 so that was ...something. Better than nothing!

As they laid there, Gohan's breathing turning heavy and Goku glancing at the stars, he opted for one final push.

"Hey, son?"

A light mumble responded though Gohan didn't open his eyes. Kiddo was almost completely out. "..'eah?"

"Didja think about what I said earlier? 'Bout why this new level is different from the other times you've gotten scared? Cause you just plowed on through the other times!"

There was quiet and Goku for a moment was sure Gohan had just conked out but then he got a response "'ifferent. 'Ade me 'ifferent."

Luckily, Goku was well accustomed to translating his son's half asleep babbles. "Made you different? Eh, but you were still my Gohan. How'd it change that."

The boy hard turned and dug his hands tight into his father's shirt. "Murderer."