I'd like to thank everybody that kindly reviewed the previous chapters and those who encouraged me to continue this ^^ Thanks a lot, I doubt I'd be able to squeeze this one out without all the motivation (sorry it took me 4 years O_o;; eheh)

First part – third person

Second part – Goten's POV

More A/N at the end of chapter.

"Remember that time you slapped me?"

"What?" Videl turned around confused at the question. "What are you talking about?"

Goten grinned at the reaction he caused his sister-in-law. "You don't remember? When we were in that village looking for the dragon balls?"

"Where they had those funny dresses?" Videl asked returning her gaze to the kitchen cupboard, in search of drinking chocolate.

"Yes, you wore one as well." Goten reminisced the eventful day and he was sure Videl did was well, but there was no need to point them out... after all, these were times of peace.

"Oh... that day!" she kept doing what she was doing, it was a task that didn't need much concentration, still... there was no need to make a mess in the kitchen counter, she was just preparing two mugs of hot chocolate. "Marshmallow?"

"Yes please!" Goten jumped to sit on the couch, slouching himself to a comfortable position.

Videl silently smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, he had a sweet tooth indeed! After popping one marshmallow in each mug, she walked to the couch and laid the mugs on the coffee table. Videl sat next to the boy, who was looking at sleeping baby Pan in her carrycot down on the floor.

"Why is she in the egg?"

"Egg? Oh..." Videl realized what he was referring to, the carrycot did look like an egg indeed. "Because she fell asleep on the aircar, and she'll wake up if I move her to her cot." Videl explained, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. She wrinkled her face as soon as she tasted the hot liquid. "Shhhh, it's very hot. Careful, don't burn your tongue."

Goten took her words in mind, and started blowing gently the mug. After a couple of blows he made an attempt to pour all the liquid down his throat, failing miserably... it was still too hot.

"Goten?"

"Yes?" he continued blowing his mug impatiently, patience didn't exist on his dictionary when it came to anything edible/drinkable... apparently it ran in the family.

"Why did you bring that slap up?"

Goten giggled. "Oh, nothing... You actually believed you'd hurt me and gave me a dumpling."

Videl laughed "I don't remember well, but I bet my hand hurt twice as your face did! You hard-head!" she playfully smacked the top of his head. The boy giggled, he enjoyed when Videl joked around. "It was a matter of pride, Goten... you cried not because I hurt you, you cried because Trunks did exactly the same thing and I didn't smack him."

"I don't care, after all I did get the dumpling, didn't I?" all the blowing was taking effect, and he managed a couple of sips.

"I was so naive at that time... I mean, you and Trunks tricked me so easily into things."

"You think? It was so much harder to trick you than to trick Gohan... you wouldn't believe that he knew me and Trunks all his life, and he still fell for it." Goten laid the empty mug on the table and leaned back on the couch.

"Your brother is a sweetheart, he loves you to bits... he'd do anything to please you." Videl laid her not-yet empty mug next to Goten's, stretched her arm and carefully brought the carrycot closer to her, Pan stirred a bit but didn't wake up.

"Yeah... that was in the past, he doesn't anymore?"

"What do you mean, he doesn't anymore?"

"Oh I know he loves me... he just doesn't do anything to please me anymore. I asked him for help the other day with a school project and he refused." His attention was back to Pan.

"Saying it like that, you actually make it sound like it was a bad thing... you didn't ask him for help in the project, you asked him to make ALL the project... that's what he told me."

"Oh come on Vi... you know I hate math and he knows it too! I'm okay with all the other stuff... it's just that math... argh it's so lame!" the boy pouted.

Videl smiled at him. "If you actually show some effort, I'll help you with the project."

"Really?" his eyes wide open.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's not that I have loads to do... maternity leave can be sooo boring. I'll help you BUT the condition is that you really TRY to do it yourself, alright?"

"Sure Videl, anything! Deal?" Goten asked spreading his right hand forward to meet Videl's in a handshake. "You want to seal the deal with spit? That's what I do with Trunks to make it more trustworthy!"

"Goten... just because of that, you're gonna wash up the mugs."

"I was only kidding... we don't do that anymore!" The boys hand went immediately behind his head, scratching his scalp in a very familiar way. "Can I have your marshmallow?" he asked as soon as he noticed that Videl's mug wasn't empty.

"Nope, not that one... you can go and have half of the bag, it's in the left cupboard."

"Oh... but those aren't swollen with chocolate!"

"Goten, stop whining. Go and get yourself the bag."

The boy raised himself from the couch and followed the suggestion... but not without a mild dose of pouting.

Funny thing, I do remember the day I gave her and my brother these mugs. Now, that I look at the hand painted mugs, it makes me all embarrassed but I still feel proud and happy that they still cherish them. One says 'SIS' and has butterflies and ladybugs in it, the other one, the one I just drank my favourite hot-chocolate with, says 'BRO' and is full of lizards and bugs. I laugh now that I think of it, I remember I thought they were the best presents anyone could ever get.

Tonight I'm spending the night over, like I used to before Pan was born. Every now and then, Gohan or Videl would ask me if I wanted to come around... I never refused! I like their place, and I did miss spending some time with my brother and Videl... and now that Pan is finally born, it all makes it even more interesting.

Videl is returning to her normal self, even if she still dozes off as soon as she hits the couch... just to wake up 5 minutes later, all of a sudden to check on how Pan is. She recently started to do some exercise at her gym, probably in a while she'll be back sparing in the mountains with us. Even if she isn't as strong as us, it's always fun and the more the merrier.

I look around at my brother's place, and it seems like it has been an eternity since I slept over. Not much has changed, with the exception that the house is slightly messier, well... I wouldn't call it messy, it's more like er... there's baby stuff everywhere... oh, and there's also a couple of new pictures up the wall and on the corner table. Probably Videl got bored, she's been complaining about that as well as being sleep deprived. Most of the new pictures that are up are mostly of baby Pan, and there's one where Videl is still very pregnant.

Gohan is late, he should already be home unless he got stuck in traffic, had extra work at Capsule... or most probably he just stopped by the video rental and by the grocery store to bring something to munch while watching a movie. That is what we do most of the times I sleep over. I must admit I was quite scared that after the baby was born I wouldn't be allowed to spend the night over anymore, or that they simply wouldn't want me around pestering them.

He and Videl always try to please me and entertain me, not that I would be bored, after all they have different videogames than the ones I have at home... and since mum isn't around I can goof off for a bit, and actually play instead of being locked in my room doing my homework.

Probably that's why Gohan is so nice to me and always makes sure he invites me to come over... perhaps he feels guilty from leaving me alone. Well, I'm not exactly alone, but dad doesn't need to study... so mum hawks me like she never did before! Not to mention she now says things like, you have to make sure you don't do the same as your brother... you need to study, THEN start a family. I really don't get her... I wish I'll be like Gohan! Gohan is super smart, has a pretty neat job at Bulma's, has the coolest girl I've ever met as girlfriend, no... as wife, and became a daddy of a cute baby girl... I really don't understand my mum sometimes.

Still, I complain... but everybody tells me that mum was even stricter with Gohan than she is with me. I really wish I can do half as good as my brother did.

Videl is dozing on the other couch... we played a match of Bash-a-lot IX, which I forgot I left it here... then we watched some television, somewhere in between she fell asleep. She doesn't look as "swollen" as she did the first weeks... but she looks very tired, and so does Gohan. I reckon that can be blamed on my lovely niece here... I'll do anything to be as cool to her as Gohan was cool to me! Hey... she's awake, let me push her egg a bit closer.

...

I wonder what she's thinking. She must be really bored... she's been staring at me for awhile now, not moving an inch, no arms in the air, no giggles, no grunts, no funny noises...

She isn't laughing, she isn't crying... she's just there...doing nothing, absolutely nothing. Her stillness is freaking me out! Is this what all the fuss is about? Babies?! If they're all like this then they're dull and boring! Either that or my niece is the most boring baby in the world... nope, read universe! Obviously I'm not telling my brother that, as I'm sure that would upset him... on second thought forget him, Videl would instantly chop my head off!

Oh great she started moving! Her hands twitch, fingers stretch and curl, her little feet kick the air... or is she attempting to kick me in the face?

I don't get when they say 'Oh Videl, she looks so much like you' or 'Gohan she has your eye colour, she's just a nice mixture of you both" or even my grandpa 'she's a copy of my Chichi when she was a baby'.

I honestly don't get that... is it just me that can't see any resemblance? Okay, she has big eyes like Videl... okay, they're darker than Videl's... still she's just a baby, all babies look alike. How can they even relate her to Gohan, she's a girl! She's a lot cuter now than when I first saw her at the hospital though.

Er... actually, Pan is a very cute baby. I saw this baby the other day and he looked like a meatball with a monobrow... Pan's also a lot cuter than all those babies from the diaper commercials... okay, okay, probably she's the cutest baby in the universe but ... she's still the most boring of them all for sure!

Maybe if I touch her she'll do something... naw, that doesn't sound like a great idea. I bet she'd start crying or something. So what should I do? Should I just keep on watching television as if she wasn't here? Nooo, I can't do that, that's... that's rude it's like ignoring her completely, besides I feel like I'm being observed as she doesn't dodge her eyes away from me for a second.

I wonder what she finds so interesting that makes her look so intensely at me. This looking-at-each-other contest must be going on for at least 10 minutes... if not more. Pan has been looking at me wide eyed for an eternity... doesn't she cry? Isn't she hungry? Doesn't she need a diaper change? Videl fed her awhile ago... she would definitely cry if she was hungry, I know I would!

Videl is still asleep on the couch, her head over her arm, her hand bent in an awkward position being crushed by her chin... I bet it's going to be numb when she wakes up. She'll probably have neck pain as well, that's what happens to me when I fall asleep in a funny position.

She does look very tired... not the type of tired after a workout or a sparring session, not the sweaty type of tired, still, she looks er... tired and worn out. Her hair is all over the place, her ponytail got loose, she has bags under her eyes, but how come she's so tired? Pan is so quiet and doesn't even cry that much... she just looks at people... she can't be that hard work.

Well, I might as well just keep watching tv and wait for Gohan to get home. I miss spending some time with him, and even if I'll never admit it, I actually miss sleeping in the same room as him like when dad wasn't around. Not long after dad got back, mum got her long waited house extension. Gohan got a new bedroom all for himself and I got to keep ours just for myself, still sometimes I'd go and bother him. He never seemed to mind having me sleep in his room, after all he had a bigger bed than mine... I cannot let anyone know that, Trunks teases me enough as it is.

I am happy that even when Gohan moved out he made an effort on being with me and Videl was always cool with me.

Today after school, I flew straight away to their flat as my mum prepared me a rucksack and some stuff to give Gohan and Videl in a capsule, that way I won't need to fly home to get ready for school tomorrow, I can go directly from here. I think the capsule is full of food...

As I reached to get the remote, I heard a quiet sob... I looked at Pan... oh man, she's going to start crying at anytime... another sob... and here it comes, a wail! I look at Videl who at the instant Pan started emitting a more audible sound, jumped into a sitting position. She scrubbed her eyes, looked around and walked over to Pan.

Either babies are the best alarm clocks in the world, or it must be a mother's thing... instinct, just like ki sensing! Wait, you need training for that, so that's not instinct.

Videl is kneeling down in front of Pan's egg... okay, not egg, carsit or carrycot, whatever... the contraption does seems very comfortable.

"She's been awake for awhile now..." I inform my sister-in-law.

"Really? And she didn't cry?" Videl asked as she unclipped the belt that loosely hanged around Pan's tummy.

"Nope, she just kept looking at me doing nothing... just looking." Sorry to say it... but your baby is quite boring.

"Well, she's too little to do anything else but look around, cry, eat and sleep." Videl grabbed Pan and stood up, holding her against her chest and shoulder, her hand behind the baby's head. She taught me how to hold babies the proper way so I can teach Trunks a thing or two when his sister is born.

"Sorry I fell asleep... did I miss much?" Videl sat down the couch, and I finally realise what people mean when they say that Pan resembles Videl. So close like that, Pan looks like a tiny version of Videl with darker eyes.

"No, not at all... shouldn't Gohan be home already?" What's taking my brother so long... I'm starving! "Videl, can I have one of those sausage rolls you have in the fridge?" never hurts to try my luck.

"Sure... just don't spoil your appetite for dinner."

Yeah right... like that ever happens, hmmmmm sausage roll...

Author's notes:

Well, Goten's inner monologue got completely side-tracked with the thoughts of food.

I found writing his POV quite hard... I can't relate myself much to 13 year old boys I guess, so I kinda tried my luck over here.

I know... it's been what? 4 years since I last updated this fic. Still, I managed to squeeze another chapter out of it. I'm not completely happy with it, but this is the outcome of some raw ideas that I had back on 2005, so I limited myself to polish it and add few bits and bobs.

Please bare in mind that English is not my native tongue, so I apologise for any mistakes. This chapter hasn't been beta'ed so... feel free to point out crucial mistakes ^^

Reviews are more than welcome, please drop a line and let me know what you think.

~Nor