It was a couple days later when Jenny was finally released from the hospital and she and Piccolo were able to bring baby Paige home. Piccolo wanted to take Paige to the ranch house, but Jenny insisted on going to the warehouse since that's where the crib had been set up.
Yorgi was waiting for them when they arrived.
"Let me see this little one," Yorgi said, reaching for the baby.
Jenny smiled at him and carefully handed her over. Piccolo flinched slightly as if he wanted to snatch the baby back, but stopped himself. Yorgi smiled at the tiny baby in his arms as she blinked her big, blue eyes at him and reached up with a fat little fist to touch his face. "Zdrazveetyet," he said in a soft tone. "Dahbroh pahzhalavaht."
Piccolo looked questioningly to Jenny, who shrugged and shook her head.
The corners of Yorgi's mouth twitched. "I tell her Hello and Welcome Home."
"This isn't going to be her home for long, Yorgi," Piccolo reminded him.
Yorgi smiled again at the bundle in his arms. "We shall see."
Piccolo's chest swelled and his eyes narrowed, but Jenny placed a hand on his forearm and he held his tongue.
Baby Paige gave a squeak and began to wiggle in Yorgi's arms.
"I need to feed her," Jenny said softly and reached for the baby. Yorgi carefully handed her back and Jenny shoved the bedroom door open with her hip, shushing the baby and cooing to her.
Piccolo stood where he was, squaring his shoulders at Yorgi. Yorgi smirked and gave the Namek a sweeping look before sauntering on down the hallway. Piccolo watched him go, then followed Jenny into the bedroom.
"Is she okay?" Piccolo asked.
Jenny, who had laid Paige on the bed and was leaning over her, swept her long brown locks from her face and looked up at him. "Well of course she is. Why wouldn't she be?"
Piccolo shrugged and dropped the bags on the floor, turning away from her.
Jenny straightened up and stared at him. "You really don't like Yorgi, do you?"
"No," he answered. "I don't."
"I don't understand why," she said, scooping up the baby and sitting down on the bed. "He's been nothing but nice to you since we got here."
"He holds you over my head like he owns you," Piccolo growled. "He thinks he can control you and, in doing so, control me."
"Oh that's silly," Jenny scoffed.
"You just don't see it. He only does it when your back is turned or you're not around," he said.
"And how exactly is he holding me over your head?" she asked skeptically.
"He thinks you're staying here and not going back to Japan with me."
Jenny blinked. "He has to know that I'm not raising my baby in this house."
"Does he?" Piccolo questioned.
"I think you're reading too much into it. Yorgi's not a bad guy."
"If I didn't have so much respect for Gohan, we'd have left a long time ago," Piccolo stated. "New Year's can't get here fast enough."
Of course, Baby Paige was the center of attention and the talk of the house for the next few weeks leading up to Christmas. Before Jenny knew what hit her, she found herself drowning in a sea of pink onesies, patent-leather baby shoes, bows, ribbons, lace and Christmas dresses.
"Sabriena, you have to stop shopping for her!" Jenny finally exclaimed one afternoon as Sabriena strolled in with her arms full of shopping bags.
"I can't help it!" Sabriena protested. "She's too effing cute!" She then muttered, "Not sure how that happened, seeing as it's Piccolo's daughter."
Jenny shot her a scathing look.
"Oh come on, you know he and I don't get along," Sabriena said.
Jenny huffed.
"Anyway, look at these headbands! They're glittery!"
Lindsey wandered in, a notebook and pen in her hands, mumbling to herself.
"What's up, chica?" Jenny asked, shifting the baby to her other arm as she sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace.
"Can you believe the wedding is only three weeks away?" Lindsey gasped. "Seriously, I… I… I have so much to do and I don't know what I want and I just – can't – think – straight!"
Jenny sighed. "It's going to be fine," she said. She stood and put a hand on Lindsey's shoulder. "What's that day all about?"
Lindsey sighed too. They'd been over this a million times. "Me and Gohan," she answered in a bored voice.
"And why are you getting married?"
"Because we love each other," she said in the same slow, drawn-out tone.
"That's all that matters," Jenny smiled and sat back down, cuddling the baby.
"God, you cork out one kid and you suddenly think you're the guru of all things motherly and wise," Lindsey teased.
"Well, once you and Gohan have one, then you will be as wise as me," Jenny answered.
Lindsey's eyes went wide in terror. "Don't you put that juju on me!"
"What juju?" came Trunks' voice as he and Gohan entered, their cheeks pink from the cold air outside.
"Baby-makin' juju!" Jenny cried and wiggled her fingers at Gohan.
"HA!" he cried. "I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon."
"Don't you want kids?" Jenny asked.
"We, uh, haven't really talked about it," Gohan said, looking to Lindsey for help.
"Aw, c'mon, Gohan," Trunks said, giving Gohan a playful nudge with his elbow. "You know you want three or four mini-you's running around. Your mom would be in heaven."
Lindsey cleared her throat loudly, "Yes, well, while you all stand around negotiating the future of my uterus, I have a wedding to plan." And she turned on her heel and left.
"Sheeee really just used the word 'uterus' in a sentence with a straight face," Sabriena said in a tone that was both shocked and impressed.
"BABY JUJU!" Jenny proclaimed, wiggling her fingers at Lindsey's retreating back.
"Stoppit," Gohan scolded in a loud whisper, swatting at Jenny's hands.
"BABYYYYYY JUJU!" she cried, pressing the palm of her hand against Gohan's forehead.
"I hate you just a little bit right now," Gohan muttered.
Jenny shrugged and turned her attention back to Paige.
Trunks leaned closer to Jenny and looked at the baby. "She's so tiny."
"You wanna hold her?"
"Uh, sure," Trunks answered nervously. He gingerly accepted the baby from Jenny, slowly standing up straight and wondering at her.
"Oh lord, Trunks, put that thing down. It's contagious!" Catie cried as she and Leelee entered.
Jenny laughed as Trunks shook his head.
"What's this I hear about you cursing people with baby-making juju?" Leelee asked Jenny.
"Well that got out fast," Jenny said, surprised.
Leelee jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Met Lindsey on the stairs. She was muttering something about taking a shower to scrub the baby juju off."
"You better keep that juju to yourself," Catie said to Jenny as she nervously eyed Trunks holding the baby. He looked far too comfortable for her liking.
"Oh, and Gohan," Leelee said, "Lindsey asked me to remind you that you and your groomsmen are supposed to go for your final fittings tomorrow for your tuxes."
"Uh, did we have a first fitting?" Gohan asked.
"Yelena guessed at your sizes," Sabriena answered. "She's usually dead accurate, too."
"Is there anything Yelena can't do?" Jenny grinned.
"Smile?" Gohan asked.
Jenny snickered. "Don't make fun of the woman planning your wedding."
"I'm not, but I don't think I've seen her smile once since I've met her."
"And you have to go directly after lunch," Leelee continued.
"Why?" Gohan asked.
"Because Geumbee's coming to do a fitting of the dress with Lindsey and our bridesmaids dresses," Leelee sighed.
"Oh I forgot about that!" Catie exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it! I got to see the sketch. Oh my god, it's soooooooo pretty!"
"Oy!" Sabriena interrupted. "Watch yourself before you get too descriptive of the dress. Gohan isn't supposed to know!"
"Oops!" Catie squeaked and clapped her hands over her mouth.
"Here, your turn," Trunks said, handing Paige to Gohan.
"What? No, I don't… I can't…" but before he could get out a proper protest, Gohan found himself with the tiny baby in his own arms. A bit of panic filled his chest as he looked at the big blue eyes that stared back at him. "Hi there," he said softly to her. He'd seen Paige several times over the past few weeks, but he hadn't held her yet. Maybe he really was afraid that babies were contagious. "Look at that hair," he teased her, touching the thick, soft curls. Paige gave an enormous yawn and snuggled into Gohan's chest and promptly fell asleep.
"Uh, Jen? What do I do now?" Gohan asked.
"Oh, she likes you," Jenny grinned, standing up and stretching. "Just hold her." Jenny turned to Trunks. "Where's your dad?"
"Back at the ranch, I think," he answered.
"Let's go train," Jenny said to Catie.
"Are you up to it?" Catie asked uncertainly.
"Sure, I'm fine," Jenny answered.
"Who's gonna watch Paige?" Catie asked.
"Gohan's got her," she said.
Gohan looked panicked. "What if she wakes up?"
"I'll have Vegeta come here," Jenny said. "I'll just be outside. Just holler for me. She ought to sleep for only an hour or so. You can handle that, can't ya?"
"Sure…" Gohan answered pitifully, "I guess."
Gohan sat nervously in the chair Jenny had previously occupied as she and Catie ran out the door, dragging Leelee with them and Sabriena escaped the training session by running up stairs with her packages.
"I guess we're babysitters now, huh?" Gohan laughed nervously.
"Yeah…. You're on you own there, bud," Trunks said quickly before he ran for the door yelling, "Wait up, Catie!"
Gohan blinked at the sudden quiet. There was nothing but him, the fire, and the tiny baby snoring softly against the left side of his chest.
"Looks like it's just you and me, kid," he said, settling back into his favorite chair and sliding open the drawer of the side table. He carefully pulled out the novel he had stashed there and closed the drawer with a soft snap. "You want me to read to you? I'm just getting ready to start the last novel in this series." Paige wiggled closer to him and sighed in her sleep. Gohan smiled and began to read softly aloud, "The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and began walking briskly in the same direction…"