Orange Star High was alight with happy conversation as students eagerly talked amongst themselves in the warm, spacious confines of the school. There was a festive attitude that permeated the entire building as chatter could be heard in the hallways and classrooms, everyone sharing their plans of what they wanted to do over the Christmas break. Even the faculty seemed more cheery than usual; not that they were normally miserable, but teaching wasn't the easiest job around and it was nice to look forward to a much needed break.

But the feeling was not shared by a certain blonde haired girl. No, for her, a time that was meant for cheer and happiness was marred with fear and uncertainty…

Oh Kami, please let him be done soon…Erasa huddled her green jacket closer to her body as she waited nervously in the courtyard outside of Orange Star High. Forgoing her usual attire of a green tube top and jeans due to the cold, snowy weather, she had opted for a long-sleeved white and green striped shirt over a lime-green jacket with gray sweatpants, snow shoes and earmuffs. It was admittedly a bit uncomfortable to wear given that she wasn't used to the fabric, but with the news she needed to tell Gohan…her wardrobe was the least of her worries…

It had been a year since her and Gohan had begun dating after their little escapade in Erasa's house. Since then, they had been seeing each other much more regularly, Gohan taking her out to see the sights of not only Satan City but the entire world. He had introduced her to the Nimbus cloud and with it, introduced her to a whole new perspective as the pair had traveled the world, enjoying the sights of the Earth from up above. Of course there was also the facets of dating one might consider "normal"—going out to the movies, restaurants, even something as simple as the park or beach. But no matter where they were, everywhere seemed like heaven when Gohan and Erasa were with each other.

She felt a small, reminiscent smile tug at her lips, fond memories of her and Gohan's time together as a couple flashing before her mind: Their first official date at the movie theater, Erasa meeting the Son family (and being profusely embarrassed when Chi Chi asked if grandkids were on the way), the many times her and Gohan would stay up late at night and—

RIIIIING!

Erasa felt a jolt as she heard the unmistakable sound of the bell, signaling that the day was over. As the twin doors to the school opened, out poured all the students and faculty, eager to get home to their families. The blonde girl watched in anticipation as she tried to search out the one face in the crowd she needed to see, and to her intense relief she saw a familiar tuft of black hair weaving its way through the crowds, moving toward her at a ready pace.

Son Gohan emerged from the sea of students and teachers, running up to his girlfriend with that trademark Son grin on his face. Erasa smiled; Gohan's dorky grin was always enough to lift her spirits. He was wearing his usual school attire of brown pants, a white shirt and a black vest over it with an Orange Star badge on the left side of the vest. He had also opted for a blue coat given the weather.

"Hi, Erasa!" Gohan greeted his girlfriend cheerfully, leaning forward to place a quick peck on her lips. "Boy, am I glad to see you. Gym class was hell, another wrestling mini-tournament and I could just barely hold back my strength." He grimaced, rubbing his muscles. "I sure hope I was convincing enough. If I showed too much of my power…"

"I'm sure you were fine," replied Erasa, who wasn't too focused on the subject.

"I hope so," said Gohan, "Anyway, Sharpener texted and said you had something important to tell me. What's up?"

Erasa could feel her smile disappearing as the reality of what she had to tell Gohan hit her full force. Eye contact faltering, she looked down toward her feet, struggling to find the words to say to her half-Saiyan boyfriend. By now, most of the students and faculty had left the courtyard and were on their way home, save for a few stragglers who were far enough not to hear what was being said anyway, so now she didn't have any excuse.

"I…"

Gohan arched an eyebrow at his girlfriend's strange behavior. Erasa was usually a very jovial person; to see her in such a serious mood was an odd thing. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

"I…no…I mean…it's just…" Erasa trembled as the words came pouring out of her mouth. She looked up at Gohan and he saw, to his shock, tears falling down her pretty face.

"Erasa, what is going on?" He asked, concerned.

"It's just…something wonderful has happened."

Wonderful? Then why is she crying? Gohan was confused, to say the least. Granted, his girlfriend had a history of confusing him, but this was on another level. "Erasa, what are you—"

"Gohan." She said solemnly, looking at him dead in the eye.

"I'm pregnant."

Gohan's heart stopped at those two words. In a moment, it seemed to him as though the entire world—his entire world—was being lost in a blur. The entire environment seemed to freeze for a second, the people around him no longer walking or talking, and the snowflakes no longer falling. It seemed as though, in that one small second, Orange Star High school disappeared and every possible emotion that could be felt was being felt by Son Gohan.

The Saiyan hybrid took a step back, barely able to keep himself from falling down. Steadying himself, he took in a few deep, forced breaths, his mind processing what had just been said, and then looked at Erasa dead in the eye, her fearful, expectant expression meeting his.

Heightening his ki senses, Gohan confirmed what his girlfriend had told him: there was, indeed, a small, barely noticeable energy resting in Erasa's stomach, but still just a tiny bit strong enough to show that this was a new life in the making.

This was it.

Against all expectations, he, Son Gohan…was going to be a father.

"Gohan…" Erasa said slowly, nervously. "I…I'm sorry about all this…"

Gohan's breath hitched in his throat. All at once, his life flashed before his eyes, from his early childhood to the very events happening now, and he wasn't sure if it was the best or worst feeling he had ever experienced.

Or both.

I…I can't believe it…, he thought, …I…I'm going to be a father.

As Gohan looked at his girlfriend, her pretty face sparkling with light reflecting from the tears rolling off her cheek, her expression as she awaited some sort of reaction from him, and the peaceful silhouette of Orange Star High School…the school where he had first learned to adjust to a normal life…where he first met Erasa…

Looking there, and then back to her beautiful blue eyes…suddenly, his life became that much richer.

Gohan grabbed Erasa's hands, squeezing them lightly.

"This...this is the happiest moment of my life."

If Erasa was trembling before, it was nothing compared to what she was doing now. Body shaking, her face contorted as she began sobbing more violently, tears running down her face fast.

"Oh, Gohan!"

Erasa leapt into the Saiyan's arms and held onto him as tight as a drowning man would a lifeline. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, tears flowing and moistening the boy's coat.

The entire courtyard was empty now, and the snow fall was steadily decreasing as the sun started to set in the horizon. Gohan and Erasa were all alone now—and thank heaven too, thought Gohan. He would hate for anyone aside from him to see Erasa in such a vulnerable state.

Gohan met Erasa's firm hold on him with one of his own, holding her close to his muscular frame. Truthfully, the news of Erasa's pregnancy hadn't quite yet sunken in, a part of him willfully blocking it out of his mind.

But, if it would help him be strong for Erasa, perhaps it was the right thing to do…

"It'll be okay, babe." Gohan said soothingly into her ear, rubbing her back gently. "Everything will work out just fine."

After the couple spent who knows how long in the school courtyard simply basking in each other's presence, Gohan carefully considered what their next step should be now that both him and Erasa were aware of their new child.

He led her outside the courtyard, her hand in his, and they took a walk downtown where hopefully they would be able to think more clearly now that the emotional part of the reveal was over. He smiled as he saw the Christmas decorations that permeated downtown Satan City—the lights strung on the lampposts, some red and green, the wreaths hung over apartment buildings that were tied together with a bow, and last but not least, a colossal Christmas tree located at the center of the Satan City town center, placed where a large fountain would normally be running water. It had a large star placed on top of it that gave off a great deal of light, and as Gohan and Erasa sat down in a nearby park bench, the Saiyan hybrid couldn't help but chuckle as he noticed several rather oddly shaped Christmas ornaments in the tree.

"What's so funny, Gohan?" Erasa asked, smiling at her boyfriends lighthearted demeanor.

"I'll show you." Gohan got up from the bench, walking over to the tree and plucking the odd looking ornament out of it. He walked over to Erasa, showing it to her, and when the girl saw it, she gasped in shock and amusement.

"Is that….oh my God…"

"Yeah, it sure is," Gohan confirmed.

Resting in his large, calloused hand was none other than a Christmas ornament shaped exactly like Mr. Satan's head, showing off his trademark grin, the afro portion taking up 75% of the whole thing.

"He even makes ornaments that look like him?" Erasa laughed. "And puts it on the city's Christmas tree?"

"That's Mr. Satan for ya," sighed Gohan, but still smiling, "one of the biggest egotists I've ever known. I swear his pride gives Vegeta a run for his money."

Erasa giggled, remembering the first time she ever came across the Saiyan prince. It was at the Capsule Corp Thanksgiving dinner that Gohan decided to bring Erasa to, and Bulma was graciously hosting. Unfortunately for the bluenette in question, her husband (who she thought would be off training) had decided to join in on the feast, and Vegeta ate everything so ferociously that the other attendees—Krillin, Yamcha, Chi Chi, Piccolo and Roshi—were eternally grateful that he showed up after they had finished eating their share of food. She began reminiscing about the incident with Gohan.

"I'll never forget when the he asked for more and then the chefs came out," Erasa recalled with a wide grin, "the poor guys were trying to tell him they were all out of food and Vegeta was all like, 'how dare you deny the Prince of Saiyans!'"

"And Bulma was so embarrassed she ushered us all out of the dining room and then started screaming at Vegeta so loud we could hear it from two levels down." Gohan added, smiling reminiscently.

The pair sat back down on the park bench, laughing and chatting about happy memories for a while before Gohan decided to hang the goofy ornament back on the tree, and afterwards him and Erasa continued their stroll around town.

But as the couple continued their walk, going arm in arm, the weight of their unborn child began to settle more into their minds. Before long, Erasa turned to Gohan, the question she asked reflected in her nervous-looking face:

"What are we going to do?"

Gohan grimaced. He knew he had to tackle the question sooner or later, but after spending some time reflecting on more lighthearted things, he certainly didn't feel like tackling it now.

But, better deal with the problem now than put it off…

"Bulma can help us out," he said soothingly, placing a hand on Erasa's shoulder, "She's got more than enough money to provide for ten families and still be able to live as luxuriously as she does now, and we're close friends with her. She'd be more than willing to lend us a hand."

"I know, but…" Erasa paused, biting her lip.

"But what?"

"But…how are we going to tell everyone?" Erasa looked up, concern lining her pretty face. "Your family, my family…how will your mom and my parents handle this?"

Gohan's grimace deepened.

Truth be told, it was a question he had been mulling over in the back of his head ever since he received the news. How were him and Erasa going to deliver the news to their parents? Honestly, he was more concerned about how her parents would feel rather than his mother.

Chi Chi might scold them for having sex outside of marriage, but if Gohan knew her (And boy, do I know her, he thought), the temporary anger she felt would soon be overcome by the immense joy of knowing she would be a grandmother.

Erasa's parents, however…that was a different story. While admittedly they weren't around the house as often as they needed to be, from what Gohan knew of them, they weren't the sort of people who would take kindly to the knowledge that their teenage daughter was expecting with a boyfriend while the two of them were still in high school.

Gohan cringed. He remembered his first encounter with Erasa's parents, when she had invited him over to her house for dinner to meet them. It was a mixed experience, particularly with her father, Gohan remembering how the man didn't seem too terribly fond of him as he scrutinized the boy up and down, asking what university he was planning to attend, what his career of choice would be, and other such personal questions. Gohan was of course, able to answer, but there was something about the way he was being questioned that rubbed him the wrong way. Erasa's mother didn't help, either—Gohan remembered how the lady asked what kind of family he had come from, to which the Saiyan hybrid decided to excuse himself from the table for a moment. Thankfully, when he returned, the subject was dropped.

"I'm sure they'll understand." Gohan replied, trying to sound soothing as that unpleasant memory resurfaced. "They care about you a lot; they'll always put you first." He put on a rather forced smile.

Erasa placed a hand over her stomach, a contemplative look on her face. "I get it. They'll have to come around eventually. It's just…I know how disappointed they'll be. And I'm sure one of the first things I'll hear is, 'We raised you better than this.'"

Gohan's smile disappeared at that. Well, she isn't wrong…he thought, Her parents would be the type of people to say that...

"And what about you?" Erasa asked, "What'll they think of you? If they find out about this, they….might not let me see you again…"

"They'd never do that." The teen Saiyan immediately replied, shaking his head. "I'm sure they would want their grandchild to know their father – wait, what do you mean, 'if they find out?'"

A rather tense silence followed those last words; it didn't help that the snow had stopped falling altogether and that Gohan and Erasa were in a more secluded part of Satan City, so that there was no one passing by to make any noise.

Erasa faltered a little under Gohan's inquisitive gaze—she had a feeling he knew exactly what she meant by that. But she explained anyway: "I mean…what if they don't find out? What if…what if we could ask Bulma to give us enough money for us to be able to afford to just…leave?"

Her eyes sparkled with a fanatical hope as she eagerly awaited Gohan's response. When she didn't get one immediately, she continued, hoping to win him over. "I mean, think about it…she's rich, and like you said, she's got more than enough money to support us and I'm sure she would, since she's a friend of yours. We could afford to raise our child together, and with how smart you are, you could get a job too if you didn't feel like relying on Bulma for money all the time."

Erasa took Gohan's hands in her own, squeezing them gently, hoping to persuade him. "It'll just be us…and the baby. We could start a family. We could make a new life together."

Gohan looked away from his girlfriend so that she couldn't see his face. After a few minutes of contemplation, he turned back to her, and provided his answer.

"I…"

Sharpener tapped the end of his pencil against the desk in his room impatiently, his mind whirring as to how he could solve a particularly difficult math problem. Normally he would wait until the last minute to finish his homework, but given that he was due to help his parents set up Christmas decorations, he figured it was better to get any school related stuff out of the way as soon as possible.

"Let's see…standard form of a quadratic equation is…" He flipped through his algebra textbook, looking for the answer. Finding it, he grinned widely, scribbling the answer down on his notebook and slamming both it and the textbook shut.

"Done! It's about time I got that over with…" He sat back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk, taking in a deep breath as he relaxed and took in the surroundings of his room.

Sharpener's room honestly could be mistaken for a miniature gym if it weren't for his desk and bed (which had Metallica sheets covering it). He had a bench press, stationary bike, punching bag and dumbbells all located inside his room; he even had several eight packs of water bottles by the bench press.

He chuckled as he sat back in his chair, the atmosphere reminding him of that day's gym class.

Watching Gohan try and hold back against those cocky thugs was one hell of a show, Sharpener thought—then he frowned, remembering something.

Sitting up, he dug in his pockets until he found his cell phone, and looked through the messages. Finding Gohan under his contacts, he opened up the message history, seeing their previous convo that day:

S: Hey, Erasa wanted to talk to you about something. She'll be outside the courtyard after school today.

G: What's it about?

S: She said she wanted to tell you herself

G: Lol ok. She could've mssgd me herself if she wanted.

S: She was kinda nervous

G: Why is she nervous haha

S: Just meet her by the courtyard after school.

Sharpener looked at the time that passed since that conversation took place.

Three hours…damn. He thought. He began typing another message, asking Gohan where he was, and how the conversation went—if the conversation took place at all. He was about to press send, when—

"Sharpener, honey! Come on down here! Your father needs help setting up the Christmas tree, and you've had more than enough time to finish your homework!"

Sharpener swore under his breath. Deciding to save the message as a draft and text Gohan later, he hastily made his way downstairs, where his parents would be waiting for him.

While he was helping decorate the house, though, Sharpener had only one thing resting on his mind…

I hope everything's alright.

"I…I'm sorry, Erasa," answered Gohan "I can't just leave my family while I'm still in high school. It's not the right time for that."

"But think about all the opportunities we could have together!"

"And what about our parents? How would they feel?"

"They'd understand, we're all grown up!"

"We're still in high school! And what about our child? Do you want him or her to never have to see their own grandparents?"

"I…"

"I'm sorry, Erasa," said Gohan firmly, "but we're not running away. It's tempting, but…we can't."

For a while, the two sat in silence, contemplating their next move. Then, as if right on cue, Gohan felt his phone go off, showing that he had gotten a text.

He opened his phone…and smiled.

"Erasa, I think I've found someone we can talk to about this."

"Okay…" grunted Sharpener as he mixed in cream with his coffee, "…so, you're asking me for advice…why, again?"

The blonde jock was sitting in Orange Star diner with Gohan and Erasa sitting across from him. After finally texting Gohan to ask how things had went, his half-Saiyan classmate had requested they meet for dinner to talk things over. Sharpener reluctantly complied; the least he could do was be there for his friends.

"We just need another listening ear, that's all," answered Gohan, "We figured if we had to talk to anyone before our families, it could be you."

"I know, but what can I do?" asked Sharpener, sipping his coffee, "I mean, it's not like I can snap my fingers and make this go away."

"Yeah, but you have some experience with this kinda thing. You've gotten a few girls pregnant before, after all," said Erasa, who couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, ya had to bring that up, huh?" groaned Sharpener.

"Just remember how you worked that out. You've been through this situation before, but we haven't. So, how did you solve that problem? With the girls families and stuff?" asked Gohan.

"Well…" Sharpener stirred his coffee, "The first time it happened, I just kinda stopped talking to her. Second time, I talked about it with the girls dad, who was pissed, but eventually came around. We gave the baby up for adoption and I've been in good contact with her and her father ever since."

At that point, the waitress arrived with everyone's food, and the conversation was temporarily forgotten as everyone ate. Gohan with his Saiyan appetite was feeling especially hungry, and it took a bit of effort not to eat his whole burger down in one bite.

Now that his stomach was full, Sharpener's mind was able to run better. "So, I guess my advice would be to just tell your folks as soon as you can. It worked for me, my kid and his mother and grandparents. Better that than hide it."

Erasa chewed on her spinach omelet before replying, "You know my parents, Sharpener. It's not as easy as that."

"You gotta better idea?" asked Sharpener bluntly. "What, you think you can just run away and never see them again?"

Erasa looked at Gohan nervously, and Gohan sighed. They did consider that – but that was in the past now.

"I guess not, it's just that we've never been in this situation before, you know? It's just new to us," said Gohan, looking down at his mostly eaten burger forlornly.

Sharpener shrugged. "Hey, there's a first time for everything. But it'll be alright. Things will work out," he said, with a genuine smile.

The trio left the diner with their bellies full and their minds relaxed. They may have been a ways away from solving the problem, but it at least helped to confide in their friend about it. They went from the city limits to a more open field, and Gohan called for Nimbus as the cloud speedily descended on them. He thanked Sharpener for his time and then took Erasa on the yellow cloud as they raced through the blustering, windy and snowy skies to Mount Paozu.

It was time for them to face their fears.

"SHE'S WHAT!?"

Gohan flinched, stepping back to give Erasa some cover. They were in the living room of the Son household after giving Chi-Chi the unsettling news of Erasa's pregnancy. While Gohan would never regret telling her, he was braced for the storm that would be his mother's wrath – a storm that made the snowfall outside look like child's play. He silently thanked Kami that Goten was at Trunks' house so he didn't need to hear this.

"Gohan…" Chi-Chi seethed, her face red as Santa's suit, "You mean to tell me that after all the hard work you've put into studying…all the investment you've made in your future…you threw all that away by GETTING YOUR GIRLFRIEND PREGNANT!?"

"It's not like that, Mom!" shouted Gohan, spreading his arms in front of Erasa. He hated that she had to see Chi-Chi like this. "I'm not giving anything up. We're gonna get through this. But I need you to calm down!"

"CALM DOWN!?" Chi-Chi screeched, "My oldest son has gotten a girl pregnant out of wedlock, and you're telling me to CALM DOWN!?"

Chi-Chi glared at Erasa, and the poor girl shrunk underneath the Son mother's gaze. "I let you into my house! I let you spend Christmas with my family! And this is how I'm rewarded!?"

"Please, stop it!" cried Erasa.

The blonde teenager fell on her knees and broke down, sobbing hysterically. Gohan instinctively knelt down toward his girlfriend and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, hoping to console her. Damn it all…why did it have to be this way?

"It's okay babe, don't cry, please don't cry…"

Chi-Chi's breathing started to slow down and her gaze softened at the love Gohan showed for Erasa. Her cheeks began to feel warm with embarrassment at her outburst, and although she was still upset about the situation, she was starting to regret saying what she did.

"I…maybe I shouldn't have said that…"

"You think!?"

Gohan stood up and glared at his mother, and the Son woman was taken aback. Now it was her turn to step back and be intimidated. Gohan balled his hands into fists, and Erasa looked up in shock at her boyfriends unexpected change in behavior.

"Do you think that yelling at us is gonna make the situation any better!? This is your grandchild we're talking about here!"

"I…" stammered Chi-Chi, looking down in shame.

"Stop it, both of you, please!"

Gohan and Chi-Chi looked down to see Erasa, still on her knees, and clutching her stomach. She looked terribly pale, and this ceased the arguing immediately. Erasa felt sick to her stomach; this reminded her of when she was first invited to Gohan's house for Christmas last year, when Chi-Chi was reluctant to take her in at first. Only now…now she had to bear the stress with a child.

Erasa's hand on her stomach slackened, and she whispered, "Please…"

Gohan knelt down and placed his hand on Erasa's stomach, and it glowed with yellow ki. Slowly, the girl's body regained it's color, and Gohan sensed her energy levels returning back to normal. He also sensed with much relief that the baby's energy was normal too – apparently Erasa's stress wasn't enough to harm the child.

Erasa looked up and smiled at her boyfriend. "Thanks, babe."

"Of course," said Gohan, smiling and kissing her forehead.

Chi-Chi knelt down with them, rubbing Erasa's shoulder comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, honey. I never should have reacted that way."

And then she did something that surprised both of them. She pulled in Erasa for a hug.

"I love you, Erasa. When you stayed with us, it was like you were the daughter I never had," said Chi-Chi as tears fell down her face, "I don't want to make you feel unsafe around me, especially not now."

Erasa didn't say anything. She stayed frozen as her grip on Chi-Chi relaxed, and breathed a sigh of relief as the tension in her shoulders dropped. Erasa couldn't be happier knowing that the worst of the reveal was over, at least for Gohan's side of the family. Chi-Chi may have had a ruthless temper when provoked, but once that wore off, she was really a caring woman.

Gohan smiled at the display of affection. The hardest part for them was over. Now, all that was left was to tell Goten he was going to be an uncle soon…

Chi-Chi finally pulled away from Erasa.

"So…what are you going to name the child if it's a girl?"

After spending the rest of their time at Gohan's house thinking of names (mostly girl names, as per Chi Chi's request), Gohan and Erasa finally mustered the courage to go see her parents and deliver the news to them. Chi Chi had given them her blessing, and that helped the couple immensely as they made this unenviable decision.

Gohan and Erasa stood outside the door of Erasa's house on the outskirts of West City. They were both dressed warm, but shivered – not entirely from the cold. Gohan held Erasa's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, looking firmly toward the door.

Here goes nothing…

He knocked on the door.

A few moments later a portly, balding man with wisps of blonde hair and spectacles opened the door, looking very surprised to see his guests.

"Erasa! Where've you been? Your mother's been worried sick about you…"

"Gohan and I were just spending time together," was Erasa's short reply.

Her father shrugged. "Well, come on in. It's getting cold out.

Gohan and Erasa sat themselves down in the living room, where Erasa's mother served some tea and cookies. Gohan munched on a few, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace he was sitting by. Erasa didn't eat anything, her gaze fixed steadily on her boyfriend. The Saiyan hybrid thought ruefully that he'd enjoy the atmosphere under better circumstances.

"So, how was your days' today? Anything interesting happen at school?" asked Erasa's father as his wife sat down on the couch with him.

Gohan took in a deep breath. Now was the time.

"Well, about that…Erasa and I have some important news to share with you," he said.

Erasa's parents gave each other an incredulous look. "What is it?" asked her mother, "Is everything alright?"

Gohan sighed. "Yes, it's just…"

"I'm pregnant."

The reaction to Erasa saying those two words was instant. Her father made a noise like a bird caught in a trap and sunk into his chair, her mother dropped and spilled her tea on the floor, and Gohan looked at his girlfriend in complete bewilderment. For all the tension, how nervous she seemed, he…didn't think that she would be the one to break the news…

Erasa cradled her cup of tea in her hands, blushing. She looked down to the floor as all eyes were on her. Well, this was it. The cat was out of the bag.

"I…" she began, raising her head slightly, "I…found out yesterday. I wanted to tell you as soon as I could, with Gohan here." She didn't say anything else, but she looked to her parents with an expression that had "I'm sorry" written all over it.

Her father's moustache twitched, and he took in a deep breath. He looked at his wife for a few seconds and then stood up.

"So…you're having a baby."

Erasa nodded.

"I see…"

He was about to say something else when to his surprise, his wife stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Gohan.

"You!" she shouted, "I knew you were no good for her! You were bad news the moment you walked into her life!"

"Keshi! Calm down, now…"

"Don't tell me to 'calm down', Gomu, you knew damn well as much as I did that this was going to happen!"

"Sweetheart…"

An argument broke out between the couple, with Gomu trying his best to calm his wife Keshi while Gohan and Erasa were sitting back, helpless. Gohan gripped the fabric of the chair he was sitting on tightly. Looking at Erasa, he saw that she was terribly pale. He wanted to speak up, but thinking about what happened when he stood up to Chi Chi earlier that day, he wondered if that would only make the situation worse…?

"SHUT UP!"

Keshi and Gomu immediately stopped arguing, and all eyes were again on Erasa as she breathed in heavily, her face red and her expression incensed.

"Stop it! Please, just…stop it! I know this is bad, I know I…we made a terrible mistake, I know this is the last thing you want to hear for Christmas…just please…stop it! Pointing fingers will only make everything worse!"

Her parents looked at each other, embarrassed. She was right; their arguing wasn't going to solve anything, and it sure wouldn't make the situation better or easier. Gohan leaned back into his chair and took a deep breath as he soaked in everything going on around him. He wished he could contribute somehow, but he just didn't know how to.

Erasa clutched her stomach. "I know its rough, but…this is your grandchild. We can't fight. We need to work together. Somehow."

Gomu pulled his daughter into a hug, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, sweetheart. I hate that this had to happen so soon, but mistakes happen. Your mother and I will always be here for you."

Erasa wrapped her arms around her father's waist, and Keshi soon joined in to make it a group hug. Gohan smiled; this was exactly what he needed to see. Erasa's parents had high – sometimes unrealistic – expectations for their daughter, but he knew that deep down, they loved her as much as any parent should.

"This…is kind of exciting, actually," said Keshi after a long silence, "We're going to be grandparents."

"We're welcoming a new life into the family," said Gomu, beaming. Then, turning to Gohan, he added, "We'll have to get acquainted with you and your family, lad. Something tells me we'll be seeing more of them as the days go by."

Gohan nodded. "Of course."

The rest of the evening was spent with plans being made for the baby, when to tell more members of the family and how to take care of Erasa during this time. Gohan found himself conversing more freely with her parents now that they had told them the news – in fact, whatever arrogance he detected in them in previous meetings, appeared to be gone. They were too busy caring for the needs of Erasa and their new grandchild to worry about Gohan's background, apparently.

And he wouldn't have had it any other way.

It was one week until Christmas, and Gohan and Erasa were walking in downtown Satan City hand in hand, smiling and enjoying each other's company. The shoppers were out and about now, trying to get some last minute shopping in and wanting to catch whatever store was still open. The Christmas tree still lit brightly in the town center, with the lights and Mr. Satan's ridiculous ornaments on full display.

Gohan and Erasa sat down by the bench. They were both dressed warm, Gohan in a dark blue coat, pants and scarf, and Erasa dressed in a white down coat and ear muffs, with her usual street clothes underneath.

Gohan squeezed Erasa's hand. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

Erasa nuzzled Gohan's neck, draping her arm across his chest. Gohan drew in a deep breath, looking around to make sure they were in a relatively secluded area.

Now was the time.

"Erasa…I have an early Christmas gift for you."

"Oh?" asked Erasa, her blue eyes meeting his onyx ones, "What is it?"

This is it…it's now or never.

Gohan got on one knee, caressing Erasa's hand delicately with his. He looked her dead in the eye, and it seemed to both of them as if the entire world was stopped, and they were the only two people left.

"Erasa…I love you. Ever since we first met, I knew you were the one, deep down inside of me. Now that we're bringing a baby into the world I'm more sure than ever. And…I have something really important to ask of you."

Gohan pulled out a small box, and Erasa gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. He smiled broadly as he opened it and revealed a small, shining ring.

"Erasa…will you marry me?"

Erasa tackled Gohan to the ground in a violent display of affection, holding onto him tight as tears of joy ran down her cheek. She whispered "yes" a dozen times before they both got up, smiling at each other and full of joy.

"Yes, Son Gohan…yes. I want to be your wife. And I want you to be my husband."

Gohan smiled broadly as he took Erasa's hand in his and they both walked down the streets of Satan City, smiling and reminiscing about happy memories together, and thinking of the great plans they'd have as a married couple. Gohan looked up to the skies, thinking of his father and what he would think of having a grandchild. But he knew deep down that Goku was looking down on him, and that he couldn't be happier.

He laughed as he pulled Erasa closer to him, relishing the joy of Christmas and of the promise of a new family.

It truly was a Merry Christmas.

A/N: Another chapter in the bag! I have to admit, this is probably my favorite story that I've published on here. What was meant to be a one shot wound up being a three shot. It was a joy to write this fic and share it with the Dragon Ball community, and I hope I delivered for all of you. Don't forget to leave a review! Merry Christmas, and God bless each and every one of you.

Also - if you're wondering about Erasa's parents names, they're puns off of the Japanese word for "eraser" (keshigomu). I've always been a fan of Toriyama's pun-themed names so I thought I'd try it here.