I co-wrote this one with the lovely V-ChanLSSJ, who keeps insisting that since it's my idea, I should have the most credit. She's wrong! Anyways, I just want to thank her for supporting my crazy idea, and please enjoy OUR fic. We own nothing... unfortunately. Except for the OCs.
In a hospital room, two weary parents anxiously await the arrival of their twin girls, the second and third of their daughters...
Videl Satan-Son glowered at her husband as another contraction tore through her body, "I'm going to murder you, Gohan!" Gohan blushed furiously and conceded with feeding her an ice chip, which she eagerly ate before pinning him in place with her blue eyes once more, "We are never having kids again... I'd rather die first!" she squeezed his hand with strength he wasn't aware she possessed, and his bones popped and ground in protest. He could feel the bruise forming.
The door swung open, and the next victim – I mean person – to enter the room was none other than Goten, Gohan's little brother. The twenty-year-old had a Son Grin™ plastered across his face, and Gohan was glad to see him... but Videl on the other hand. "Goten... get out of my room before I get out of this bed and maim you." She growled darkly.
Goten started to protest, but Pan's little face peeked from around his leg. She was ten years old and even more curious than ever. "Mama, what does maim mean?"
Videl gasped, and pinned Goten with her ire-filled stare, "I thoughtI told you to keep her in the waiting room, Goten. Does this," she waved her arms around herself for emphasis, "look like a waiting room to you?!"
Gohan moved from her bedside to scoop his eldest daughter up, "Come on, Panny, let's get ice cream, Goten... you can hold Videl's hand until I get back." He grinned at his brother who, in his naivety, didn't understand the risks of such a feat. Goten grinned™ at him and nodded, "Alright, big brother," and took his chair, carefully taking Videl's hand. Gohan shook his head, like father like son. The only other person I know who can ignore a glare that deadly is father. It's a good thing I took after mom; Videl would've killed me the day Pan was born. He smiled down at his little girl, who stared up at him with glowing midnight eyes and a Son Grin™ to match.
"We're getting ice cream, Papa?" Gohan nodded, leaving the room with her. As soon as they were out of Videl's hearing range, which often became freakishly large when she was irritated or, in this case, in active labor, Pan giggled, "Uncle G's a goner, isn't he?" Gohan brushed his lips over her forehead, "Yep."
They met Vegeta, Trunks, and Bra in the food court and got into line with them. Vegeta made a noise of recognition and Bra squealed, "Hi, Panny! Hi, Gohan!"
Gohan put his daughter down so she could gossip to Bra about being a big sister. "Hi, Bra! Hi, Trunks, Veggie!" 'Veggie' growled softly at her incessant nickname for him, but paid her no mind as she and Bra began talking about what he classified 'little girl things'.
Gohan snorted and shook Trunks' hand.
"So, how's Videl?"
The Son raised a brow, "Aren't youold enough to remember the night Pan was born?" Pan looked up briefly at the sound of her name before returning to her conversation about all the things she'd be able to do with her two younger siblings.
"Oh yeah, you'd think it would be better the second time around, eh, Gohan?" The eldest demi shook his head, "she is having twins-" at that moment, a frantic attendant ran up to him, blue eyes wide with terror, "Are you Miss Videl's husband and Goten Son's brother?"
Gohan nodded slowly, "Yes... why?" She grasped her arm desperately, "Oh, you must come at once! Miss Videl has gotten out of bed and attacked your brother!" Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta looked at each other, eyes wide.
"Trunks, can you pay for Pan's ice cream?" the frantic demi asked hurriedly, already walking backwards towards the door. "Yeah, Gohan, I've got it." Gohan smiled, relieved, "Great, now-" he turned... and ran straight into the door with such force, he fell on his back and skidded several inches.
Pan covered her face, "I'm so embarrassed to call him my Papa." Bra giggled at her and Vegeta snorted, "Dumb brat." Gohan shook his head to clear it before running out of the food court to stop his wife.
Gohan heard the screams as soon as he entered the Labor and Delivery wing. "Damn you and that stupid grin, Son Goten!" The worried Son pushed the door open and froze at the scene he saw. Videl had ripped off all of the monitors she was wearing, and had, at some point, punched Goten and broke his nose. Now, she was strangling him within an inch of his life. Several doctors, nurses, attendants, and orderlies were pulling at her, trying to get her back in the bed. The demi knew only one thing would get her to release Goten and quickly grabbed his cell, "Mom, I need you to do something for me..."
*~*s*~*S*~*s*~*
Videl's head snapped up as the rich scent of chocolate, fudge, and caramel assaulted her nostrils. Her brother in-law had given up on struggling against her freakish, possibly labor-induced strength, and was barely breathing in her grip. She didn't care anymore; her husband was standing in the doorway holding edible nirvana in his hands. A double chocolate chip fudge brownie sundae with extra caramel and fudge syrup, whipped cream, and cherries on top. It had been her number one craving during this pregnancy, and she would do anything for her wonderful husband – even have a bazillion trillion of his babies – anything if he'd just let her have one crumb from the three gigantic brownies stuck artfully in the ice cream.
"Videl," his voice was honeyed silk to her ears, "get back in bed and you can have the sundae." In a flash, she was waiting patiently in the bed, sheets miraculously pulled back up, sensors hooked up to her and everything. He placed the bowl in her hands and watched as she gobbled it up at a pace rivaling his father's on his best day. Good thing he ordered the super extra-large...
*~* The Waiting Room *~*
Chichi was abuzz with joy as she thought of her newest grandchildren. 'Two more little girls,' she sighed dreamily, 'Oh, Gohan's going to have his hands full. I can't wait to spoil them rotten.'
Across the way, a nondescript couple sat together, whispering furiously about something. Their eyes kept darting over to the family, recognizing the World's Savior, Hercule Satan, amongst them. "His daughter's having her twin girls here, Chan, do you know how much money we can get if we sell 'em off? All the drugs and the clothes for clubbing? Oh Chan, I can't wait!" the woman, a slim blonde with bloodshot grey eyes, squealed.
"Calm down, Jana, we have to time it just right. We don't want the Champ on our asses, after all."
They continued to plan their heist, laughing together as they thought of the riches they'd surely gain. The combined Son-Briefs-Chestnut-Satan family remained blissfully unaware, too preoccupied with the thought of the newest additions to Gohan's little family.
*~*s*~*S*~*s*~*
"Alright, Mrs. Son, on the next contraction, we'll have you start pushing." Dr. Sade murmured. She nodded once, still licking the bowl the sundae had been in, moaning happily. Gohan watched, exasperated. Goten left the room to report the newest development, never the wiser of what pain his harmless announcement was about to cause.
Jana and Channing Kincaid looked up as a young man burst into the waiting room, bruises around his neck that looked peculiarly like strangle markings. "Hey, everyone, Videl's about to push!" the group began chattering excitedly, not noticing the forgettable couple as they slipped into a bathroom…
Videl moaned as she pulled her knees into her chest, pushing with all her might. Two new nurses, one male, one female, pushed two plastic cribs into the room for her girls. Gohan eyed them briefly, barely noting the lack of nametag, before his wife cried out, regaining his full attention. He disregarded it as simple forgetfulness, and devoted his attention to his wife...
*~*s*~*s*~*
"How much longer do you think it'll be?" Videl inquired sleepily as they awaited the return of their twins.
"Hopefully not too much longer," Gohan hummed, tender fingers tracing the edge of his wife's face, "you were amazing, by the way."
"Thank you."
Videl faintly recalled the two nurses practically snatching her newborns from her and running out of the room with their cribs, briskly explaining that they were taking them to be bathed and checked over. That was nearly an hour ago and Gohan was growing more anxious by the minute.
"Dr. Sade? What's taking them so long? I don't remember the wait being this long with Pan."
At that moment the door swung open and the two nurses from before came in. "Dr. Sade, could we speak with you privately?" She followed the two out into the hall. The blonde female nurse looked up at her with dull grey eyes that screamed mischief, which she quickly covered with despair, "Oh, Doctor, the Son twins, they've died. We suspect SIDS."
Dr. Sade gasped in horror, "No... well, I should evaluate-"
"No! I mean– they've already been moved to the morgue, no point disturbing the bodies." The male met her gaze with steely green eyes that she questioned. "Alright," she sighed sadly, "I just have to break the news to them." The two nurses nodded and watched her shoulders slump as she entered the room. Jana pulled her face mask down and snickered as she listened in through the cracked door.
"What? You can't honestly be telling me that my babies are dead! No, I refuse to believe this! Show them to me, now! They can't be… I– Gohan– We–" Channing snickered as the almighty Videl Satan dissolved into sorrowful wails, "Your kids are mine now, bitch."
He and Jana quickly evacuated the hospital, headed to a car where two newborn babies had been buckled into car seats. Before they left, Jana had quickly filed the fake birth papers they had made, including pictures, prints, and certificates.
Both infants frowned their little faces up and opened identical blue eyes with just a hint of lavender. Their mother's eyes. Soon, both of them fell asleep as the smooth rumble of the engine lulled them into slumber...
*~*s*~*s*~*
Everyone looked up when Gohan entered the waiting room with Dr. Sade, looking like a man sentenced to the gallows, "Doctor, could you take the children out of here? They don't need to hear this." She nodded and smiled weakly at Pan, Marron, and Bra, "Hi girls, how'd you like to take a tour of the nursery? There are lots of little babies there that you can see."
Pan squealed excitedly, "Are my little sisters in there?"
Gohan flinched at the joy in her little face, briefly looking up at the ceiling and wondering why they had to go through this. Videl had cried herself to sleep over the news, and now... he didn't know what to tell his Pan-chan.
"Come on; let's go see the little babies." The three chibis followed the doctor eagerly, and Gohan faced the group as they moved in closer. Even Vegeta moved up a bit to hear the news.
"The twins didn't make it."
Excited grins melted off of the faces of the Z-Warriors one after the other, leaving sad frowns in their wake. Chichi's legs gave out from the shock. Goku caught her before she could fall to the floor. Goten punched the wall, to Gohan's surprise. He knew his brother had been excited about his two nieces, but he didn't expect this from him. Trunks gently restrained him, and Bulma walked up to Gohan, "Oh, sweetie, how did Videl take it?"
He shook his head, "N-not well. She was hysterical for a bit, and then she just started crying and she wouldn't stop... she's sleeping now." His own voice shook as he fought to keep his raging emotions at bay. He couldn't break, not now. He had to be strong for his girls; he had to. "Gohan, don't bottle your emotions. It's not healthy and you know it." His godmother whispered, pulling him aside. His mother, now upright, followed them tearfully. "Bulma, I can't- I have to be strong for Videl and Pan. Videl needs me to be st-strong right now." His voice broke, and one tear escaped, sliding down his cheek. The dam burst, and Gohan found himself sobbing into his mother's shoulder like a little boy. She rubbed his back soothingly, humming the lullaby she used to sing on those nights when Goten refused to go to sleep, and they were forced to stay up and listen to his wails. It had been a calming balm to her and Gohan as well, in the wake of Goku's death.
They pulled in an extra bed in Videl's room and let the side bars down to the distraught couple could sleep together. Chichi, Goku, and Hercule watched as Gohan spooned in behind Videl in his sleep and pulled her into his chest. Dende help you, my son... Goku thought sorrowfully, eyeing the distraught looks on their faces, even in slumber…
Pan's eyes roved over the name tags, searching for one with 'Baby Son' on it. When her search turned up fruitless, she turned to the doctor in question, "Miss Doctor Lady, where's my little sisters?" Doctor Sade looked down at the adorable little girl sadly. How were her parents going to break this horrible news to her? "Stay here, sweet heart, I'm going to go find out." The doctor barely forced a smile before striding purposefully out of the room, her destination, the morgue.
"Dr. Cantor, I'm looking for the Son twins. I think they were a case of SIDS." She walked up to the doctor who was checking over bodies.
"Aria, there haven't been any baby deaths today. There aren't any infant bodies in the morgue right now." Dr. Cantor told her, checking his chart curiously. "But the nurses told me they – wait... oh kami, what've I done? I've already told the family they were deceased, and I don't want to stress them out any further..."
Dr. Cantor moved closer, curious, "What did the nurses tell you, and what were their names?" She looked down, thumbing through her memories, "They – they didn't have ID's, but they told me that they'd already brought them down here, and when I asked to evaluate, they were insistent on me not disturbing their bodies, and now, there aren't any. Promise me, none of this leaves this room." Dr. Cantor nodded solemnly, "Of course, Aria." They parted ways then, one of them filled with insurmountable guilt and shame...
The lives of the Son family would never be the same...