SIX AND A HALF MONTHS LATER…

Piccolo and Gohan fought awkwardly with the wind currents as they balanced a huge crate of marble slabs between them. Chi Chi's new two-story house was close to being finished. There were occasional setbacks, of course, like when the contractor ordered the wrong flooring, such as now. In said moments Piccolo and Gohan would have to come to the rescue to save Chi Chi from another red-faced lapse of control. She'd already gone into premature labor once.

Piccolo sighed and shook his head. The woman was stretched way too big for her frame, and the havoc it wreaked on her emotions was something they all paid for. He doubted the new house would be finished before the baby came, but he humored her nonetheless. Better that than the alternative…

Memories of their last fight flitted across his mind. It was over nothing, as usual, but she'd ended up having contractions that night and they had to rush her to the hospital to stop the labor. He shuddered. If she had lost the little baby, it would have been his fault. The thought made his gut ache, and thus the decision to take her verbal lashings without retaliation. At least until the baby was born…

"Man," Gohan started. "Did you see the looks on those guys faces when we picked up the crates?"

Piccolo smirked and nodded, noting gratefully that there was amusement in Gohan's tone instead of hurt. The boy was fortunate. If you looked human and did something extraordinary, then you were dubbed a super hero. If you were a green, pointy-eared alien who did something extraordinary, you were labeled a freak. The namek was relieved that Gohan wouldn't have to face the same ostracism that Piccolo had faced his whole life. It was a good and valid reason why he never went out of his way to make friends.

He peeked serendipitously over at the perpetually smiling boy across from him. Not that I don't need them, he thought begrudgingly.

Suddenly, the cell phone attached to his belt rang. The noise was acutely annoying to his hearing; something manifest by the number of phones he'd already smashed for the offending sound.

It rang again.

"Aren't you going to get that, Piccolo?" Gohan asked innocently.

Piccolo quieted a growl low in his chest. "That pompous parody of a fighter gives me more petty work than your mother," Piccolo complained, seeing his vision narrow through the frown now on his face. "Last time he had me chase down an idiot who had stolen his champion's belt."

The phone continued ringing, and he continued ignoring it.

Gohan laughed. "Well, at least he only calls about once a week," then the boy's eyes disappeared in his smile. "And it pays really REALLY well! I know mom doesn't complain."

Piccolo snorted. "Not about the money anyways…" He yanked the phone off his belt with one hand and held it up to his ear while balancing the crate with the other. "What do you want?" He barked into it.

"Uh, Piccolo," Gohan said. "You have it upside down again."

Piccolo snarled in aggravation and flipped it. "Yeah?" He was startled to hear Chi Chi's frantic voice on the other line. So startled that he nearly dropped both the crate and the phone.

Gohan quickly compensated for Piccolo's distraction.

"PICCOLO!" she cried.

He winced and held the phone away from his ear. "What's wrong?"

Chi Chi's voice followed in a hysterical cadence. "My-water-just-broke! You-have-to-come-home-now!"

Piccolo frowned in confusion. "But the plumbing isn't going to be installed until next week, Chi-"

"NO YOU IDIOT! I'm in LABOR!" she screamed. "IN…LABOR!"

Then he did drop the phone. "Gohan!"

"What is it?"

"She's having the baby!"

Gohan blinked. "Right NOW? But she's not due for three more weeks--"

"Yes, now!"

With that, they doubled their speed, which was an amazing feat considering that Piccolo felt as though his heart were going to oscillate right out of his chest.

Panic threw his body into a frenzied hyper drive. This is insane, he thought breathlessly as he struggled to keep the crate balanced as they soared back to the house. The last time I was this scared was when that dip shit, Goku, gave Cell a senzu bean.

* * *

He could hear her mandating last-minute orders to the few construction workers on site as they descended. Piccolo ran with Gohan in tow to the frame of the new house, and froze when he saw her. The sight of the laboring woman only worsened his nerves. Chi Chi's hair was fritzed around her head like a wild shrubbery, her face a crimson-red, bug-eyed distortion of her usual visage. She was flinging fingers in angry gestures, threatening the workers that they'd better not slack off while she was gone.

"Mom!" Gohan cried.

She spun around. "Finally!" She took a step towards them and then collapsed to the floor clutching her stomach.

Gohan ran up to her and hovered over her curled form. She pushed him away, and looked at Piccolo. "Namek! Chair! Now!"

As if his legs had will of their own Piccolo suddenly found himself in the house, hooking his arm through the wooden rocking chair. He met them back outside.

"Gohan," she said, sweat dripping down her face. "You stay here and monitor the construction workers."

"But mom-"

"Do it! No woman takes her son to have a baby!" she screamed. "Piccolo, let's go!"

He gulped, "Me?"

She doubled over again and cried out in pain.

"Uh, right," he stammered, grabbing the back of the chair and taking flight. It wasn't half a second before Gohan's yell stopped him. He looked back down to see Chi Chi shaking her fist at him, screaming obscenities.

He'd forgotten her.

As he swooped down again to help Goku's pregnant widow into the chair, he considered it was a good thing they were going to a hospital.

He might need to be admitted when it was all over.

* * *

By the time they made it to the hospital, Chi Chi had been reduced to exhausted moans. He'd been arguing with her for the last five minutes of the flight, and the argument consisted of '…Piccolo…I want to push…' With his desperate response, 'NO! NO PUSHING!'

The medical people, after getting over the shock of seeing him, swarmed over her and placed her in a gurney. He was relieved when they wheeled her away. Wiping the moisture off his face with both hands, he plopped down right there, cross-legged on the lobby floor. At least my part is over, he thought, not even caring about the numerous stares he drew. And for the first time in Piccolo's life he understood why humans died prematurely of heart attacks.

"Uh, Mr. Piccolo?"

He opened his eyes and turned his head slowly in dread anticipation of what was to come. A nurse stood there with her hands clasped behind her back.

He quirked a brow in reluctant acknowledgement.

"Your wife-"

"She's not my wife!"

The woman cleared her throat. "Well, she wants you in there with her."

He felt his jaw drop and he gawked at her incredulously. A few choice images of Chi Chi during childbirth popped in his head, shocking all words from his tongue. So he just shook his head mutely and scooted away from the nurse as though she were the Grim Reaper.

"Sir, please…" she eyed him with a hint of emotion in her eye, tenting her hands in front of her in a compassionate plea, "No woman should have to go through this alone."

He opened his mouth to say the word 'NO', but before he could mutter out a sound, his legs had already popped him up and were following the nurse back to Chi Chi's room on some twisted volition of their own. His heart raced. What the...!?

He could hear her screaming all the way down the hall, and when they got to the room he thanked the planet Namek that the business end of her delivery was facing away from the door, well concealed behind a number of sheets. But still, it wasn't pretty.

It's hell, he thought in grim panic. I've landed in hell…

"He's here," the nurse said. Chi Chi swiveled her head to face the door, her expression beyond pained.

"Piccolo!" She shifted uncomfortably. "Get your green…ass…over…here…" she panted, beads of sweat streaming down her face. Her brows were drawn in the middle in an honest plea, and despite his reservations, Piccolo found himself standing next to her.

"Alright, I can see the head," the doctor coaxed, peering at her 'other end' like it was a video game. "Ready?"

She clutched Piccolo's hand in a death grip, and suddenly being so connected to the process, he was terrified, the jitters spinning like spiders up and down his spine.

"This huuuuurrrrts!" Chi Chi cried.

"Push!"

"UUUUGGGHHH!"

"AAAAGGGHHH!" Piccolo's thunderous roar echoed Chi Chi's cry as she crunched his fingers with strength worthy of a Saiyan. He bit his lower lip and tilted his head to the ceiling, trying to tune out the pain in his hand and the wet noises of the baby being born. He'd never been one to whimper, but in this moment the warrior came damn close.

"One more time! We got it. We got it!" The doctor coached.

"Hmmph…!" Chi Chi leaned forward, veins popping out of her neck and forehead, teeth bared, hair matted to her face… And then…

Piccolo's breath caught as a helium-pitched whine filled the room. It was a bleating sound that seemed to penetrate everything, and he wondered how it was that all these humans could stay standing, when he, one of the strongest beings on the planet, had to fight to keep his knees from buckling. He slowly looked down as the doctor held up a squirming, shriveled, blood-coated, discolored…

…beautiful, half-Saiyan baby… Piccolo's throat constricted as he was suddenly overwhelmed by sensations completely foreign to him, and the only words that came trickling off of his quivering lips were, "Chi Chi…" he swallowed, "…it's a boy."

"It is…?" Her question was more of a sob, and with tears streaming down her face she reached her arms out and they placed the baby on her stomach. And it looked like the very emotion that was sapping at Piccolo's gruff resolve was displayed in perfect wholeness on Chi Chi's face. As ragged as she was, laughing while crying, exhausted while empowered, undignified while majestic, the woman was simply…radiant.

"So what's the name?" A grinning nurse asked as she lifted the baby from Chi Chi to clean him off.

Chi Chi looked thoughtful for a moment, her haggard appearance doing nothing to dim the gleam in her eye. "Goten," she said softly, and then as an afterthought looked to Piccolo. "What do you think?"

He instinctively stepped back as if it would somehow remove him from this situation entirely. Too many weird emotions were tweaking his heart rate, posture, sweat glands… And since when did his opinion matter? "…me?"

She nodded.

"I, uh…think," come on, you oaf, he snapped at himself…say the name…"Go-ten…is fine."

Chi Chi's smile pleasantly lit her visage, and Piccolo found that he couldn't take his eyes off her. He wasn't about to analyze why.

Suddenly the nurse was in his face with the clean, black-haired bundle named Goten. She held the baby up expectantly to him. Piccolo gawked at her, and then at Chi Chi, and then at baby Goten, and then at his hands…

"You can hold him, Piccolo," Chi Chi said, with a hint of amusement in her face. "Go on. He can't hurt you."

Then, as if his stunned silence was an affirmative, the nurse dropped the baby in his arms. The warmth from little Goten somehow seeped through the blanket, and into his hands. But when it spread up his arms and through his chest and down to his toes, an alarm sounded in his head. He recognized it as old Kami's voice.

You think Gohan changed you, my boy? That cataclysm in your life won't even compare to how this one will reshape your view of the world…

Piccolo searched the scrunched face of the infant, feeling an acute need to protect, mold, nurture… He shook himself.

Nurture? Me? Holding the newborn that he had watched come into this world, Piccolo could only sum it up in totally inadequate words.

Holy shit, he thought wildly. I've already consigned myself to be this baby's father…



Chapter 6

ONE MONTH LATER

Ah, finally…

Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief as the twelve-pound bundle shut his eyelids and lay soundly in the nook of his arm. Looking to make sure Gohan or Chi Chi weren't around, Piccolo let a small smile narrow his eyes and lift the corners of his mouth. I love looking at you when you sleep, kid.

He gently traced a taloned finger down little Goten's soft, chubby cheek, and watched his tiny chest rise and fall with each regulated breath. You trust me enough to sleep in my arms when most people are terrified of me. As well they should be. I'm mean, scary-looking, dangerous, unaffectionate, cold-hearted… He sighed.

I've got more defenses up than a medieval fortress, and yet you've gotten past every single one, because you're too young to know they're even there. He chuckled inwardly. Just like your brother.

He gently laid baby Goten in his crib, and covered him with blankets. He didn't get to put the boy to sleep very often. Not that Chi Chi wouldn't let him, but it was still too against his grain to offer. So occasionally, he just hung around in the evenings waiting for her to get tired and ask for his help.

Fortunately, Gohan knew him well enough to step out so Chi Chi had no choice but to ask Piccolo. His thoughts trailed to the boy's mother. She looked worse than usual this evening.

He exited the bedroom upstairs in the new home, and found Gohan whittling a wood flute outside.

Gohan smiled. "He's a cute little guy, isn't he?"

Piccolo nodded once, letting his eyes crinkle in agreement. "How's your mother?"

Gohan looked up at him, the smile fading slightly. "Not too happy," he sighed. "That after-birth sad stuff-

"Postpartum depression," Piccolo corrected, having paid clear attention to the doctor's warnings for his own sake.

"Post..postum depression," Gohan frowned and continued. "Anyway, she said it lasted two months when I was born. So, she should get over it soon enough, I guess."

"Hmm." Piccolo hated to admit it, but he almost preferred her yelling at him to saying nothing at all. Moping around all day didn't suit her. It made HIM depressed, and it wasn't even his problem. "Well, goodnight Gohan."

"Goodnight."

Piccolo walked into the trees towards a spot that he'd claimed as his own at the side of the mountain. Being in no rush, he took his time and enjoyed the evergreen scent and moon shadows that stretched across the forest floor.

And then he saw her - sitting atop a rock in the center of a quaint meadow, he shoulders slumped, head tilted back at the night sky... Chi Chi hadn't noticed him, and he shifted to go around her, but something made him stand his ground.

It's none of my business, he thought habitually. She wouldn't want me prying. But then he observed her profile; with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her expression weighted down with whatever thoughts that ailed her spirit... Her hair was loose around her shoulders - not that she'd left it down intentionally so much as the band that had held it together wasn't doing its job. He could hear the shudders in her breath as the moonlight reflected off the moisture on her face.

She's crying…

He clenched and unclenched his fists in indecision. Oh, hell…

Piccolo walked up to her, purposefully making noise so that she would know he was there.

"Chi Chi…" He only said her name because he had no idea what else to say. Consoling a crying female was something more foreign to him than 'shooting the bull', and he just stood there, frozen, hoping she'd start speaking. As a matter of fact, he hoped she'd do all the speaking.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, she sniffed and looked over at him, her face as sincerely sad as Piccolo had ever seen it. Something tightened in his chest and he looked down at his feet, fighting a weird, ridiculous urge to give her a hug.

"You know," came her soft but strained voice. "I don't think he ever loved me, Piccolo."

He didn't have to ask whom. He knew. Before he was aware of what he was doing, Piccolo had moved himself next to her rock, and leaned against it with his arms folded and his head bowed. Why, he had no idea. Nothing much of what he'd been doing lately had been premeditated.

She sighed convulsively. "You know, I locked Goku into a marriage commitment with me before he even knew what the word meant." She blinked and another set of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Not much of a foundation."

He said nothing. It's not like he had any clue as to how the institution of marriage worked.

She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of one hand. "Not that he wasn't playful, or good. He was," she said. "But it sometimes seemed like his family was more of an afterthought than a priority."

Piccolo would have countered her words, had he not secretly wondered the same thing. Instead, he stated the obvious. "If he hadn't focused so thoroughly on his training, Chi Chi, then we'd all be dead."

"Right," she stated dryly. Piccolo caught a note of sarcasm in her tone. "I'm sure that reasoning completely justifies his long absence after defeating Frieza."

"He stayed to learn a new technique--"

She hissed, and her expression darkened. "Goku mastered the fifty-year kamehameha in one try. What makes you think it could have possibly taken him nearly three years to learn Instant Transmission?"

Piccolo held his tongue. Unlike most, Chi Chi sounded unexpectedly rational in the depths of her despair.

"That was such a big chunk of Gohan's life he missed out on," her hands clenched into fists, and it suddenly became clear to Piccolo how much Chi Chi loved her son. "And now this…" Her voice cracked. "Abandoning his family completely when he had the chance to be wished back, leaving me here with a baby who'll never know his father…"

"He did it to protect the earth-"

"A job more easily accomplished while he was alive!" she snapped, her teeth clenched and eyes wet. "There was nothing altruistic about it, Piccolo. He was BORED with life here. The next dimension promised more adventure, undiscovered territory..." She buried her face in her hands, her next words were muffled. "...a life without a nagging wife..." She hiccupped and began to outright weep. "I drove him away!"

Her tears evoked such strong, unfamiliar emotions in him that Piccolo panicked, and nearly flew away. But there was something about what she just said. He didn't agree with it.

"You're wrong, Chi Chi."

She continued as though he'd said nothing, her soft sounds of sadness penetrating his ears and ricocheting all the way down to his toes.

"Chi Chi," he said more firmly, suddenly finding his large green hand on her slender shoulder for...comfort? He shook himself. "You're wrong."

"What do you know?" she said looking up at him, not so much in argument as in plea. He could almost hear her words. Please convince me it's not true!

His mouth opened and closed…twice. Piccolo hadn't thought he'd have to supply a reason. He hadn't thought why he knew Goku's leaving had nothing to do with her… He just did. "Because…" he searched dumbly for an answer. "Because you didn't drive me away."

She looked up at him confused. He looked back at her, confused. After several confusing seconds, she broke the awkward moment by smiling ruefully through the tears. And Piccolo realized that now all her attention was on him - something that both relieved him and made him nervous.

"Your job, your daily dedication to Gohan - even your presence at Goten's birth. It's odd, Piccolo, but I think you're more committed to our family than Goku ever was. And you're only here out of obligation."

Obligation? Piccolo thought about the way Goten would close his chubby fist around his taloned thumb, or how Gohan often sat by him while he meditated, or how Chi Chi herself would leave a large drink out for him every evening, just in case he decided to stop by. Obligation… He snorted. It's way more complicated than that by now.

Piccolo removed his hand, not too thrilled about the brief self-analysis he'd just experienced. I came here to figure you out, woman, not myself… Clearing his throat, he contemplated her depression since Goten was born, and wondered how much of it was due to her hurt over Goku.

"How often do you think about this?"

"Lately?" she asked emotionally, resting her chin on her knees. "All the time."

Then it hit him. She was insecure. The thread lead to an idea of awesome brilliance. When he felt insecure about his skills, he trained. She needed to train, but for what? And then something else struck him. She never took time to build herself up. Every second of her waking hours was dedicated, not in part, but in whole to her children.

"You need time for yourself, Chi Chi."

She looked at him as if that were the most abstract idea she'd ever heard. "Myself?"

Piccolo nodded, trying to maintain his customary frown in light of his new discovery. "Consider this. Free time. What would you do with it?"

He was pleased to watch her expression turn thoughtful, completely re-directed away from her sorrows.

After several seconds, she finally met his eyes. "I'd like to have time to exercise and get my body back," she said wistfully. Piccolo mentally buffed his knuckles on his shirt as she continued. "And shopping. Now that we have money-" she gave him a smile right then that made the blood rush to his face.

"I'd like to use it for fun. Not for needs, but fun. Like Bulma. You know; clothes, hairstyles, automobiles, gadgets… And maybe even start a little part-time career. Just to have something else to focus on besides diapers and dinners."

He was stunned. In the past few seconds she had literally transformed, and just when he thought she was finished, her eyes lit up and pegged him with an enthusiastic stare. "And flying, Piccolo. I'd want you or Gohan to teach me how…" But then her face sank. "At least that's what I'd do if I had the time…"

Piccolo cursed himself. He hadn't meant to give her false hope. How could she get time…to… Ah! "Hire someone to do the chores."

"Chores?" she asked.

"You know. All that made up responsibility you take on, like errands, cleaning, laundry…"

She pursed her lips, and shook her head. "I'd thought about doing that anyway, but I'm still stuck at home with the baby twenty-four seven. And I don't feel right about asking Gohan to watch him. He's got his studies in the morning and training in the afternoons. And besides…he's just a boy himself."

Piccolo swallowed. Do I dare? It'd cut in on my meditation… He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Oh, what the hell…

"I'll watch Goten for you in the mornings," he said quietly, "if you like."

She turned her head slowly to him, pathetically hopeful. He couldn't help it. He tried to suppress it, but a smile somehow curled his lips up all the way over his fangs. This do-gooder stuff had quite an effect on his spirits. "Yes," he confirmed. "Starting tomorrow."

She looked like she wanted to…be affectionate…with him. He quickly turned his back to her and folded his arms back across his chest. "I'll see you in the morning, Chi Chi."

With that, Piccolo briskly walked out of the moonlit clearing before he did anything else against his nature. All this compassion was causing him to have an identity crisis.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING

Chi Chi took a deep breath, and looked at herself in the full-length mirror of her stand-in closet. The black sports bra and spandex shorts were old and too small, but they'd have to do until she was able to buy new workout clothes.

The thought made her giggle as she wrapped her hair in a pony tail. Workout clothes… Exercise… Me. For myself. It was a good thing Piccolo walked away when he did last night, because namek or not, she was about to kiss him for being so kind.

Intoxicated with her newfound freedom, Chi Chi exited the room and skipped down the hall and peeked her head in Gohan's room where he was studying vigorously. "Gohan?"

"Yeah, mo-" he turned and saw her, and he gasped. "Whoa…"

"I know. I know. That's what I'm going running for. To tighten back up."

Gohan laughed nervously. "No. It's just that I'm not used to seeing more of you than your face is all."

"Oh."

"You look good, ma."

How sweet… She cleared her throat. "Now I don't want you playing with Piccolo and Goten while I'm gone, understand? You keep your head in those books."

"I know," he turned back around, the smile still splitting his face.

"I'll be back shortly."

"Okay."

"If you need anything-"

"I got it mom," Gohan laughed. "Go!"

She smiled and left him, making her way down the stairs, two at a time. Piccolo heard her coming and peeked at her casually out of the corner of his eye.

He did a double take. The namek blinked.

He blinked again. His jaw dropped in some unfinished thought as his eyes trickled up and down her body, head to toe.

It immediately made her self-conscious. "I know! Give me a break! It's only been a month since I had Goten-"

He shook himself visibly. "I…not…I mean…" He cleared his throat, and looked down, a maroon flush coloring his cheeks. "Where did it all go?" he asked stupidly, flicking a bewildered glance back at her face.

Wary, she frowned down at him. "Where did what go?"

His mouth opened and shut, then opened again, fangs hanging decoratively behind his lips. "It's just that… Well. You were huge," he stammered. "And now you're…not." He winced as if giving himself a mental beating for not sounding as eloquent as he normally would.

"Ooohh..." She felt the blood rush to her face as she realized that his blatant stare was in admiration, not disgust. "Honestly, Piccolo," she laughed awkwardly. "Did you expect me to still look nine months pregnant?"

After a moment, he shook his head. But it was more out of reflex than sincerity. Egads, he looked bewildered. Stupefied. It was flattering, but she felt like covering herself. His stare was downright uncomfortable… Very male.

But it can't be 'male', she thought curiously, and then it dawned on her that he was reacting like that for her benefit. She started to laugh…so much so that she had to rest her hands on her knees and hang her head. Piccolo was full of more surprises than anyone she'd met in her life. He was an entirely different person than she'd thought.

"I know what you're trying to do, and it isn't necessary. I'm already feeling better, Piccolo, so you don't need to try and puff up my self-esteem anymore," she said, chuckling. He frowned confusion, still playing along.

When Chi Chi composed herself better, she placed her hands on her hips and scrutinized him, shaking her head. "You know, Piccolo, you're awfully in tune with my feminine emotions for not having any females in your species."

And odd assortment of expressions crossed his face right then and seemed to settle on pensive. He looked down at Goten, who was squirming pleasantly in his arm. "We did, once."

"What?"

He looked her in the eye rather seriously. "Have female nameks."

She gawked at him, recalling what Gohan had told her about their species. She lifted her eyebrows for him to continue. This I've got to hear…

His gaze rested on the bundle in his arms again as he absently rocked the child. "A disaster struck Namek centuries ago, and killed them all. It killed everyone, actually, except Guru."

Chi Chi recalled Guru, the father of Piccolo's race. Stories like those weren't easily forgotten.

Piccolo cleared his throat. "Porunga, Namek's dragon, altered his body to be able to reproduce without a female counterpart. But as a result, he could only have sons."

Chi Chi gawked, and found herself sitting slowly at the base of the stairwell. "Really…" She said, intrigued, now seeing Piccolo in an entirely new light. "So nameks are all male."

Piccolo nodded, and then hesitated, a frown crossing his expression. "Male without the desire to procreate…" he looked down, but not before she caught a purple tinge to his emerald cheeks. "Sexually."

"What? He took away your sex drive?" she blurted out, barely making it a whisper in time for Gohan's sake upstairs.

She got the impression he would have crawled under the sofa if he could fit. This topic was way out of his comfort zone. "There was no need for it, as he'd passed on a way to create life without it. And considering that the sex drive is responsible for a good majority of the crimes on most planets, he repressed it in his children. That's why nameks are so peaceful…"

"Except you," she snorted.

His eyes flung open and he gaped at her as if she'd just discovered his darkest secret.

Huh? "You're about as peaceful as a raging tempest," she laughed.

He blinked and then visibly relaxed, exhaling audibly. Then he frowned at her, obviously done with namekian history 101. "Go exercise, woman. I won't be available all morning, you know."

"Tell me one more thing," she insisted. "Did you always know this?"

"No."

"Did Kami?" She recalled the fusion of the two.

"No."

"Then how did you-"

"Nail," he said. "I fused with him on Namek during the fight with Frieza, and he was Guru's personal assistant."

She sat there, dumbstruck. "Who'd have thought…" Then she grinned. "So you're like a eunuch."

He snarled at her. "GET GOING."

She hopped up, smiling and ran out the front door.

* * *

Piccolo watched her silently through the front window as she jogged into the trees, unable to peel his stare away until Chi Chi was out of sight. Trembling slightly, he put the baby down who had fallen asleep during their brief conversation, and went to hold his mouth under the kitchen faucet, guzzling great swallows of water.

That conversation wasn't one he'd ever planned on having with Goku's widow. As Piccolo thought about the curve of her body and the inviting warmth of her smile, he wondered how long it would be before he divulged the real dilemma of that story; the one that started and ended with the fact that he wasn't one of Guru's sons.

I'll keep it from her, he thought as he looked up to the heavens, remembering a certain Saiyan whose only request was to help raise a boy.

I have to.



Chapter 7

FOUR YEARS LATER

"Now look at me," Piccolo said reassuringly as he squatted down to meet the panicked boy's eyes. "I'll be here when you get out. I promise."

Goten sniffed, his chubby hands clasped together under his chin with his child eyes as wide as they could go with fear. As he looked at the boy, Piccolo felt a pang of regret. This preschool thing was your mother's idea, kid. Not mine.

Chi Chi had tried to comb down the boy's black, spiky hair, but naturally, on the flight over it had sprung right back up. She had also painstakingly dressed him up in a long-sleeve button up shirt with blue slacks to offset it. When she wasn't looking, Piccolo just up and removed that ridiculous bow tie under the kid's chin. He was only four-years old for crying out loud.

Goten's bottom lip quivered, and then opened in a cry. "I don't want to go!" Before Piccolo could get out of his way, the kid had tackled him, clinging heartily to Piccolo's rib cage under his armpit.

"Agh…Goten…"

"YOU didn't go to preschool!" He muffled into Piccolo's vest. Piccolo clutched at the kid, but the grip only tightened.

"I didn't have a mother," Piccolo countered in vain. Finally he was able to pry the boy loose, and held him out in front, pegging Goten with a consoling gaze. "If you go, then I'll take you to see Dende this afternoon. Deal?"

Goten sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth, and searched Piccolo's face for sincerity. "Really?"

Piccolo sighed and nodded. This boy was more emotional than Gohan ever was. You know, it's a good thing your older brother broke me in before you came along, kid, or else I would have been a lot less understanding and lot more mean.

Suddenly, the teacher came out. She was a young, frail woman with a pleasant smile and friendly demeanor. She looked at Piccolo and winked, having met him at one of Chi Chi's school board meetings. It was Chi Chi, after all, that had implemented an elementary school in their small town. She'd become quite entrenched in the politics of the community and was already making considerable changes.

The benefit was that people knew who Piccolo was now, and treated him with respect instead of fear. An entire town. It blew his mind.

"Goten! I'm glad you're here!" the woman cried out in one of the cheeriest voices Piccolo had ever heard. "Come on. You'll like the activities we've got planned for the day." She came up and gently steered Goten away from Piccolo.

The warrior found himself resisting a sudden urge to snatch the kid back and fly away. Goten took three hesitant steps with her, and then looked back at Piccolo.

It pained the namekian to see the forlorn expression on the boy's face. "Go on. I'll be here when you get out," he said again.

Goten stuck his finger in his mouth looked at the lady, and then back at Piccolo. He suddenly broke free and lunged at the namek, wrapping his tiny arms around his thick, green neck. "I love you, Piccolo!" he cried. Then he hopped down and bounced through the preschool doors, teacher en tow.

Piccolo rocked back on his heels, feeling as though someone had just grabbed his vital organs, and squeezed them. Your mother taught you to say that… His eyes stung. Hell, Chi Chi. You might break me, yet… Before his vision could blur any further, he sprung off the pavement into the sky, heading home.

He hadn't been flying for a minute before Chi Chi saw him from the town hall below. She waved at him to wait, and he hovered there until she finished talking to her co-workers.

He smiled internally as he watched her. Without the stress of poverty and single parenthood hanging over her head, Chi Chi had transformed into a stunning woman. And Piccolo couldn't help but feel a bit proud. That once-rare smile that always sent his heart thumping was now an almost permanent fixture on her face. Granted, she was still a spitfire, but now it was balanced out by charisma, drive, and self-confidence.

She had started working part time for the town in an effort to organize a local school district. And now that she had gotten that ball rolling, she left it in the hands of others so that she could run for mayor - something she'd put off until Goten had started preschool and Gohan enrolled in high school.

Chi Chi. In politics… The thought had horrified him, as it was one of the most abused structures of the human society. Yet she seemed to bring integrity to the system. It was her niche.

And his niche was with her, and her sons. The family that Goku had left behind had filled a chasm in his soul that he never wanted to admit was there. And even though he could never bring himself to say it, Piccolo knew his feelings for them ran deep. Very deep. He could tell by how peaceful and complete he felt in their presence, and how fiercely devoted he was to their well-being.

Chi Chi smiled brightly as she flew up next to him. Her shiny, black hair was cut in one of those full-bodied fashions, obsidian ringlets dangling about her neck and face as she bobbed in the air. Piccolo chuckled inwardly. Flying was something she'd learned with difficulty, never having mastered the art. She was clumsy in the air, but the woman could care less. It got her from point 'A' to point 'B', and that's all she needed it for.

"So how did it go?" she asked.

"Now I know why--," he paused when he noticed a group of men down below gawking up at them. It struck him as odd, considering that everyone in town had seen them flying around by now. Then his eyes followed their gaze and fixed on Chi Chi's attire.

Hn. Typical. … The laced camisole was made modest by the blue suede jacket wrapped over it, but her skirt on the other hand was a little too flattering. It hung a several inches above her knees, showing off her shapely legs to him, and a great deal more to those below…

He snorted, stifling a quick urge to decimate the voyeurs where they stood. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her after him, and at her confused stare, he smirked, "Your devout co-workers are looking up your skirt."

She gasped and her face flushed in embarrassment. Then just as quickly it darkened in anger. "Those pigs…" She tried to fly back, but Piccolo tugged her onward.

"Just be more cautious of who's on the ground next time you ascend," he said, and then looked ahead. "It's not like you can blame them," he added quietly, under his breath.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing," he mentally thwacked himself, wondering how in the hell she hadn't figured out his secret in all these years. It's not like he was capable of hiding it very well, like he used to be. They spent too much time together.

But for all the moments she'd caught him staring, or giving uncharacteristic compliments, or hanging around in the evenings just to spend an extra half hour listening to how her day went after the kids were asleep, the woman never caught on. It was something that both relieved, and frustrated him.

It's not like he had any idea what to do about it. He was a fighter, and fighting was all he knew how to do. At times he'd even considered seeking out the Don Juan of them all, Yamcha, for advice. He shuddered, wondering how quickly the rumors would have started, had he followed through. Thank heavens I changed my mind about that idea.

"So how did your early morning meeting go?" he asked in an effort to stop thinking about little things, like how her neck angled in a perfect 'L' against the soft curve of her jaw line, or how the wind pressed her skirt against her thigh, delineating the muscle underneath.

Chi Chi shrugged, the earlier offenses forgotten. "We mapped out the campaigning for the next couple of weeks. It won't be too demanding, considering the town is so small." She looked at him anxiously then, her arms stretched out before her in flight. "Enough about me. How did it go with Goten?"

Piccolo snorted. "I know why you wanted ME to do it," he grumbled. "That boy is too pampered, Chi Chi. He's fighting separation anxiety when Gohan, at that age, was fighting full-grown Saiyans."

Chi Chi grinned, her eyes glistening slightly. "Maybe he's more like his mother, that one," she said wistfully.

"Hn." That would explain why I'm nuts about the kid, then, Piccolo thought soberly.

They arrived at the house, and descended.

* * *

"Come inside," Chi Chi said to him when they landed. He eyed her suspiciously.

"If you want me to do the dishes, then you can forget it. I already paid my dues today when I took Goten to preschool this morning," he called after her. "That wasn't easy, you know, sending him off like that…" Despite the gruff tone, he'd followed her inside anyhow. She shut the door behind him.

"I know," she said, and couldn't help the smile that split her face as she looked at him - upset because saying goodbye to the little cherub had been tough on his emotions. You were so callused, once, Piccolo, she thought, remembering the perpetual frown he once donned. Perhaps all you needed was the opportunity to love. "Well, that boy is crazy about you, just like Gohan was when he was little."

"Hn."

She chuckled inwardly. That's right, big man. I know you're smiling on the inside. She walked over to the table and started to sift through the week's mail.

He sighed heavily behind her. "They're both…growing up so fast," Piccolo said quietly. Something in his tone made her eyes water, just then. She looked up at the warrior who had become much more to her family that Gohan's trainer. His wistful gaze was resting on a picture of Goten and Gohan on their living room wall, his mouth part open as though to somehow express his thoughts without voicing them.

But you don't need to voice them. I know you by now. She took him in in his entirety. He was wearing a white, straight-legged pants and matching vest that Chi Chi had tailored for him and to everyone's surprise, he wore them more often than not. And hanging on a leather strap around his neck was an ugly, misshapen bit of clay that Goten had given to him last year that was supposed to be an image of Gohan.

She smiled, and then she wondered where they would be now if Piccolo had let her scare him off all those years ago. I'd still be a miserable old hag, she conceded. And Gohan and Goten would have been raised in dysfunction.

Chi Chi shook her head in wonderment, as she for the first time ticked off a mental checklist of all the positives Piccolo had brought their family. You pulled us out of poverty, even though you never needed a job to survive, you've been a committed father figure to both my sons - spending quality time with each of them, schooling them in attributes they could never learn from a book…

And you've made me into something worthwhile, an ornery widow that would have fed you to the dogs had she the chance. And you've given me your friendship, which is almost as precious to me as my children…

"You're staring at me…" his baritone voice startled her out of her reverie.

Her vision focused and she was indeed staring at him, but instead of flushing and turning away, she smiled at him as her eyes blurred with tears. It's time you thanked him, Chi Chi. "You know Piccolo," she said in a choked voice, "I think the best thing Goku ever did for this family…was to send us you."

He blinked, and his expression froze as she chewed her bottom lip between her teeth. Ugh… Never could be grateful without getting emotional… "Thank you," she breathed. "For everything."

She half-expected him to dismiss her gratitude. It's what he would have done several years ago, but instead he gazed at her, eye ridges lifted in emotion as his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. He wanted to say something. She was sure of it.

"You don't have to say anything back, Piccolo," she said in an effort to break the tension. "I'm just thanking you. It's something I should do way more often-"

"Chi Chi," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "There's something I…have to tell you," he swallowed. "About me."

Whatever inner conflict Piccolo was experiencing was evident by quick breaths, twitching hands, and a strained face. Chi Chi had thought she'd never seen his expression so open and honest. She stepped towards him, taking his trembling hands in her own.

"Piccolo, what is it?" she asked, concerned. "My word, you look terrified…"

He shook his head, and Chi Chi suddenly felt winded. The intensity in his eyes sucked the breath from her lungs. "You remember what I told you about Guru, and how he replenished our kind?"

Chi Chi nodded, and her gaze dropped. She thought she could see the heart palpitations in his chest right then.

"Do you remember the…restrictions…he put on his sons?"

She frowned, recalling the sexual dampener bred into the namekian race. "Yes…"

"My sire..." he paused to take a deep breath, "...escaped Namek before the disaster."

"Okay..."

"He was a whole namekian, untouched by Guru's magics..."

She studied him, more than a little alarmed. What are you battling Piccolo, that's making your palms sweat, and your speech stuttered?

He pursed his lips and searched her face for understanding. Not finding it, he stammered on, approaching whatever 'it' was at a different angle. "I said to you once that I didn't understand what Goku saw in you."

Ah, that, she remembered. But it was long ago, and he had more than made up for it since by his actions. He seemed surprised that she hadn't scowled at the memory, but no less nervous...

"Well, now I do," he breathed as he lifted a hesitant hand up to trace a talon along her jaw. "I understand…everything."

The gesture hade her heart lurch, and Chi Chi felt her eyes start to widen as her mind whirled up in a mental tumble, picking up bits and pieces of his conversation, clue after clue, and smattering them up on a psychological collage. One thread lead to another and then she saw it in the way that he was looking at her, the way he was breathing, the way he was touching her face. My word. Is he trying to say-

The phone rang.

* * *

Three seconds. Piccolo held his tongue for the three unbearably long seconds it took for the light of comprehension to ease her expression. But no sooner had her visage changed than the offending, bleating sound of the phone cut through the moment like a hacksaw.

Piccolo silently cursed it. No, dammit! Not now!

Chi Chi stepped back out of his reach, not taking her eyes off him. She almost looked as if she'd been doubting the moment they'd just had.

It was real, Chi Chi! I meant it! But for all that he thought it, the words couldn't make it past his throat.

The phone rang again, and with one final awkward glance in his direction, she picked it up.

If there was ever a moment when Piccolo wanted to destroy civilization, then that was it, if only to do away with such invasive objects.

His ears picked up Gohan's voice, but the teenager's words were too muffled in Chi Chi's ear to decipher them. Piccolo clenched his fists. Agh, Gohan! You and I are going to have an extra rough sparring match this afternoon, kid.

Suddenly, Chi Chi gasped, and a hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes were wild and staring. She slowly hung up the phone, looking for all the world as though someone had died. Or worse…

"What is it?" Piccolo asked.

She met his eyes, nothing but naked shock in her expression, "It's Goku," she said weakly. "He's coming back."



Chapter 8

Chi Chi watched Goten's reaction carefully when Gohan gave him the news. She'd returned to work after the phone call, and who knows where Piccolo flew off to. Either way, neither of them knew how to tell the four-year old, and so they just plain didn't.

"My…father?" Little Goten asked as he looked up into Gohan's ecstatic face.

"You're gonna love him," Gohan said. "He's the happiest guy around."

"But…" Goten eyed him, perplexed. "I already have a 'Piccolo'."

Piccolo's back was turned to them, but she saw his ears twitch. The warrior seemed more disturbed at the news than she was.

Gohan started laughing. "Well, you can have both." Then he looked over to Chi Chi, totally undaunted by her lack of enthusiasm. "He said he was going to stop by Master Roshi's first, and then Capsule Corp, before he came home," he said. "And he also told me that the nameks were gathering the dragonballs as we speak to wish him back to life."

Piccolo spun around, his eyes open in horrified surprise. "WHAT?" he barked. "You mean he's coming back permanently?"

Gohan nodded, unsure what to make of the namekian's reaction. Chi Chi knew what to make of it, though. For some reason, the thought of her dead husband coming back unsettled her as well. She found her eyes scanning the immediate surroundings; the new two-story home, the little four-year old boy who was all smiles and emotions, her attire, and resulting job that had given her a sense of self…

Then she realized what was bothering her. Everything had changed in the past five years. The place he was coming home to was no longer his home. The woman he was coming home to wasn't the Chi Chi he once knew. The life they lived now was productive and forth-going, not distracted and stagnant. How was she going to let him back in? After all this time? And at the same time, who was she to lock him out? He was her husband…

Then as if in answer to her thought, Goku materialized right next to Gohan with a halo over his head. He wore the same old orange gi. "Hi guys!" he waved, his eyes disappearing in his smile. Same spiky hair, same carefree manner, same everything…

"DAD!" Gohan went up and bear-hugged him, and for all her hesitation, Chi Chi couldn't deny that the moment was touching. "Gosh. It's so good to see you!"

Goku pulled back and looked appraisingly at his oldest son. "Wow, Gohan. You're almost taller than I am," he smiled. "And strong too."

"I've reached a third level!" The teenager just blurted out, smiling at Goku's honest reaction.

"Really? You're kidding! That's GREAT!"

Gohan laughed heartily, too happy to do anything else.

Goku turned and saw Piccolo, who to Chi Chi's surprise seemed just as closed and distant as when he'd first come to them; arms folded stiffly across his chest, his eyes narrowed to the point of closing, the muscles in his jaw twitching…

"Hey Piccolo!"

The namekian's expression seemed incredibly strained. "Hello, Goku."

"Who ya got there?"

Chi Chi hadn't realized that Goten had been hiding behind Piccolo, with both fists wrapped tightly in the warrior's pant leg. He hesitantly peeked his head around and when he saw Goku looking at him, he ducked back.

Goku chuckled, and squatted down to Goten's eye level. "I heard about you, little guy," he said tenderly. Goten blinked at him and then up at Piccolo.

Chi Chi thought that Piccolo's eyes seemed unbelievably pained. "It's alright, Goten," he said quietly.

Goten hesitantly stepped out from behind Piccolo and Goku reached up and tousled his hair. "Wow. You look a lot like me. Lucky kid."

Goten smiled a little, and looked shyly at his feet.

Goku laughed, and then noticed the house. "Is…is this our house?" he asked stupidly, in awe of the large, two-storied structure.

Gohan nodded. "Piccolo got a job that was able to pay for it. Mom was real glad."

"Wow." Then he laughed. "I bet she did appreciate it. She always wanted me to get a job." At her mention, Goku scanned the area for his widow. When he found her leaning against an old totem Gohan had whittled, he startled. The smile seemed plastered on Goku's face while a myriad of other emotions danced in his eyes. "Chi Chi…" He got up and walked over to her, taking in her clothing, her hair, her body… Her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots.

"You look…amazing…"

The compliment, and the sincerity behind it would have flattered her beyond belief, had she been the same person as when he'd left. Instead, his flattery almost offended her. "I've changed, Goku," she said, unsure what her intended effect was.

Goku's eyes hungrily fixed on her and after a few seconds, he flushed, laughing nervously. "Yes, you have." He hooked an arm around her waist, and looked over to Piccolo, who, for some reason, looked as though he were about to explode. "Well, Piccolo," he called out, hugging Chi Chi against him. "I owe you big, my friend, for helping to raise Gohan. I wouldn't have had anyone else do it. Now that I'm back, I guess you're off the hook," he said giddily. "You're the best!"

Chi Chi felt the blood rush to her cheeks. He can't just dismiss him like that! Piccolo's face opened and closed in an intense, but unidentifiable expression, and he spun his back to them, and sprung up into the sky without a word.

This is wrong, Chi Chi thought. This is very, very wrong. Then as if in echo to her mind, Goten suddenly filled the clearing with an ear-piercing wail.

"NO!" He screamed, the tears already choking up his helium-pitched voice. His little legs raced after the green warrior, even though he couldn't have possibly caught him. "Come back, Piccolo! Don't leave!" He tripped and fell, only to roll back on his feet and scramble frantically up the nearest tree. "You can't go!" he cried, clinging to its branches. "You can't…!"

Chi Chi's eyes watered immediately. Gohan flew up and tried to console the sobbing boy as Piccolo's form disappeared over the nearest row of mountains.

"Wow…little guy was really attached to him," Goku said in wonderment.

You have no idea, Chi Chi thought remorsefully. And again, subliminal alarms were sounding in her head. There was more to Goku's return that wasn't right. If she could only pinpoint it…

"I missed you, Chi Chi," he said as he wrapped his other arm around her and locked her in his admiring stare. It triggered memories, and soon shreds of reasoning started to flutter through her mind.

She was familiar with the way Goku was looking at her. It was the way Piccolo had been looking at her for the past four years, in some silly mockery of male lust. She never did get his hu…mor…

Pieces of their conversation played back, the memory of his deep, masculine voice tickling her ears. 'my sire…untouched by Guru's magics…I understand…everything…'.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"What's wrong?" Goku asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"You," she said, bewildered, and then met his eyes solemnly. "You don't belong here."

"Huh?"

"Piccolo does."

* * *

Chi Chi had left immediately after getting her closure with Goku. She headed in the direction of a horrible power that had flared up minutes after Piccolo had left. It wasn't long before she found him in the hollow of a small cave. When she set foot down, the namek looked half-crazed. Of course he would be teetering on insanity's edge, she thought painstakingly. He thinks he just lost his family.

He was crouched down on all fours in the gravel, his trembling hands imbedded in the dirt as if to sunder the very planet apart with his brute strength. His head hung heavily between his oscillating shoulders, and she could hear a heart-bleeding blend of whimpers and rasps emanating from his mouth. White-hot energy blitzed and sparked off him like a loose cable in the rain, and she wondered if he even knew she was there…

"Piccolo…" she whispered.

His head slowly lifted, his fanged teeth clenched tight, the muscles in his jaw jumping in spasms… His face creased in anguish when he saw her, and water stood in his eyes. It looked as though he was barely containing an explosive, destructive energy.

"How…can he just give me a family," he choked, his voice a raw and low rumble. "only to take it away after five years!?"

Her breath hitched, and her eyes stung. He had to know that Goku was out of the picture… "Piccolo-"

"My soul…aches…for all of you," he stammered on, as if every word were his last. "I was there when Gohan reached a third level," he growled, his eyes wet with hurt. "I was there for Goten's first step…his first word," he choked. "And you!" His gaze rested on her then, grimacing in unease. "I can't bear the thought of him touching you!"

Chi Chi could have told him then that he hadn't lost them. That they were his, and Goku was sent packing. She could have reassured him with her words…

But words couldn't even begin to portray how she felt. Feeling a sudden surge of aggression, Chi Chi marched up to him, and grabbed his face with both hands. His shimmering eyes widened in surprise as she uprooted him from his spot, and outright bulged when she kissed him.

He gasped against her lips, the shock of it making him fall back on the floor of the cave. It wasn't enough. He went from anguished to confused, so before he could ask, she pinned him bodily and kissed him again.

Piccolo's form went instantly rigid, like a possum in the path of a bobcat. So she worked the lip lock passionately, moving over him until she felt the light touch of his fingertips on her sides, and he hesitantly...slowly began to kiss her back.

But it wasn't until his warm, heavy arms curled around her completely and his mouth became as desperate and frantic as her own, that she was finally satisfied that all of his negative energies had dissipated.

The quick patter of his heart thumped against her palm on his chest, and she released him so that he could speak, running her lips along the curve of his jaw instead.

"I…" his speech was slurred, and she looked up as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and closed. "…don't… understand."

She exhaled against his throat and traced a finger along his collarbone. "Everything I have, and everything I am, is because of you, Piccolo," she whispered, "I had a choice, and have made my decision," she breathed, feeling her own tears tickle her cheeks in warm, wet lines. "I love you."

A small moan, and he hugged her so forcefully then that it nearly chased the breath from her lungs. Then she felt the tingling sensation of his talons as they combed against her scalp, pulling her into another kiss.

Her lids fluttered shut, but not before she caught the moisture leaking out the corner of his eye. It's okay, green man. I know you love me, even though you can't bring yourself to say it, she thought as she basked in the warmth of his embrace and the taste of his kiss.

That can come later.

.

.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Continued in GOKU AND BULMA. Thank you TONS for taking the time to read this.