Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ, yadda yadda yadda.

A/N: Thanks for the review! And FYI, sentences in italics mean it's thought, not spoken. This chapter is a bit more light-hearted than the first one.

They sat in silence, neither one knowing what to say. Bulma wanted to be comforting, but the only things she could think of would probably just make things worse. In the end, it was Chi Chi who broke the ice.

"I just… don't know how I can do this alone… without him…"

"Who said anything about doing it alone?" Bulma said, hoping to keep the subject off Goku. "We'll all help! Gohan's a great kid, I know you can count on him. And Krillin's already volunteered to help you out! And of course I'll do whatever I can. I really owe you for all your help with Trunks." She flashed a brilliant smile at the baby in her arms. "Oh, I bet we could get Yamcha to pitch in! And Launch would -" Bulma stopped in mid-sentence as she had a sudden vision of Launch pulling out a gun and shooting up the crib where the baby was crying. "Uh, maybe not Launch. But the rest of us are definitely there for you!"

Chi Chi gave her a weak smile and opened her mouth to speak. Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the hall.

"WOMAN! WHERE'S MY LUNCH!"

Bulma rolled her eyes as Vegeta stormed loudly toward the kitchen. "Oh, great. Prince Charming has decided to grace us with his presence." She turned to face him as he entered the room.

"The meal is supposed to be ready at noon, and it is now nearly a quarter past! Were you harpies so busy gossiping that you didn't notice the time?"

Future Trunks, who had returned from his timeline for a little visit, stood in the doorway. "Father, please! Don't make a scene!"

Bulma raised her hand, signalling him not to bother. "For your information, your highness, we weren't gossiping. Chi Chi is in the middle of a crisis, which would have been obvious to you if you had half a brain!"

Vegeta scowled at her, but looked completely indifferent to Chi Chi's distress. Trunks, on the other hand, seemed very concerned.

"What's the matter?" he asked anxiously. "Is Gohan all right?" The lump in her throat rendered her speechless, so she simply nodded.

"Is it OK if I tell them?" Bulma asked gently. She received another nod. Turning to the men, she simply stated, "Chi Chi's pregnant." The silence that followed weighed heavily on the women as their companions struggled mentally with the implications.

"Pregnant?" Trunks finally muttered. "Oh, man. After the… and now… that's just… oh, wow."

Vegeta wasn't nearly as sensitive. "Terrific," he sneered. "More third-class Saiyan spawn. If Kakarott -"

"HIS NAME IS GOKU!" Chi Chi screeched, lapsing into hysteria once more. The noise woke baby Trunks, who then added his voice to the din. Bulma tossed her husband a murderous glare.

"I can't believe you're such a jerk!" she cried. "Are you happy now? Huh? You must be real proud of yourself! Get out of my kitchen now, you stupid monkey!"

And Vegeta did leave, but not before adding insult to injury. "I'll go, but only to get away from this wretched noise. Human women must be the most annoying creatures in the galaxy."

Growling, Bulma grabbed an apple off the table and chucked it at his head. He avoided it easily and left with a smirk on his face. She looked back to her baby, who was still crying. Chi Chi, however, was currently the bigger problem.

"Trunks?" She turned to the young man standing helplessly nearby. "Take care of Trunks for a little while, will you? Thanks." She shoved the baby into his arms and pushed him toward the door.

"But Mother, I -"

"Just play with him or something!" she snapped, shoving them into the hall and closing the door.

Now that the Trunkses were taken care of, Bulma turned back to her distraught friend. She wanted to fix this so badly, but there was nothing she could do. When she was pregnant with Trunks, Chi Chi had been a huge help: coming over to cook dinner, do laundry, or listen to her complain about Vegeta or how uncomfortable she was. They'd grown close during that time, and now that Chi Chi needed her, what kind of friend would she be? The supportive kind, she decided, starting right now. Good thing I'm a genius!

All right, Chi Chi, that's enough of that!" Bulma cried. A surprised, tear-stained face turned to her. "This is no way to behave. It's not good for the baby, it's not good for Gohan, and it's not good for you! If you're going to act like this, of course you can't do it. But this isn't you. This is pathetic. You are strong. A fighter. You kick the snot out of anything that gets in your way! So are you going to mope around like a wimp, or are you going to be the Chi Chi that Goku married?"

Although her husband's name stung like a slap in the face, Chi Chi rose from the table and said in a quiet but determined voice, "I'm going to be fine. I'm strong enough to handle this on my own."

"Hey! Not on your own," Bulma interjected. "Don't be afraid to ask your friends for help." I am so brilliant!

"Right. Thank you, Bulma, I really appreciate this." They shared a quick hug before driving back to the doctor's office for Chi Chi's car.

As soon as he climbed into the car after school, Gohan instinctively knew something was up. His mother looked as though she'd been crying, but she was smiling and talking incessantly. That usually meant she was trying to hide something from him. Must be something important, he thought as she burst into unnatural laughter.

"OK, what's going on?" he asked, believing that the blunt approach was best at the moment. The laughter stopped abruptly, and Chi Chi sighed. Maybe he really is too smart for his own good, she thought. It's practically impossible to keep a secret from him. But she knew she'd have to tell him sometime, so it might as well be now.

"Gohan, honey," she began, unsure of how he'd react to the news. "I know this is going to make things a little bit harder for us, but it will all turn out fine."

"Please, Mom, just tell me," he replied, bracing himself. He could tell that, whatever it was, it was BIG.

"Well, sweetie, I'm… I'm going to have another baby," Chi Chi said finally, watching her son out of the corner of her eye. Gohan kept looking straight ahead, blinking rapidly as he tried to wrap his mind around the concept. At length, he turned to his mother.

"A baby? Really?" he asked softly. She nodded, anxious to know what her son was thinking. "THIS IS SO COOL! YOU'RE HAVING A BABY!" he burst out. "When we get home, can I call Krillin and tell him?

Chi Chi was in shock. Well, sure, I don't see why not…"

"YES! This is awesome! I'm gonna be a big brother!"

I didn't think he'd be so excited, mused Chi Chi. Maybe this won't be so bad after all…

A/N: Chapter 3 is coming soon. I'm halfway done, and it has a bit more humor than this one. Please R&R! Thanks!