Disclaimer: I don't own anything. :) Maybe the plotline, but nothing's original these days, right?

"Talking"

Thinking

Chapter 1

"I just think it'll be a little awkward is all."

"How could it possibly be awkward? You've known him literally since you were born, and, from what I understand, have been best friends ever since."

"You're skipping over the part where we haven't talked in five years, baby." Pan allowed herself a small, bemused smile as she finished putting on her makeup and continued her conversation with the man in the adjoining bedroom.

"Five years is nothing between friends Panny. Trust me, you guys will pick up exactly where you left off, I'm sure of it. I mean, unless there's some sort of bad blood going on between you right now." Mark adjusted his tie in the mirror over the dresser drawer and stepped back, making sure his suit was properly fitted.

Unless one party involved ran away from the friendship for years to avoid letting certain emotions spill over and ruin things, Pan thought quietly to herself. With a tiny furrow of her eyebrows, she let the thought go, as she'd learned to do so efficiently.

"No, no bad blood. Just...I mean, I guess there's no reason to be worried. I don't even know why I am worried." She looked up and grinned as Mark sauntered into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her neck and making her laugh.

"You look beautiful," he murmured as they met gazes in the mirror.

Her eyes skipped over her reflection, taking in the tight, black, strapless number she was wearing and her freshly-done hair and makeup. "Thanks," she laughed, blushing. " I guess I can clean up okay if I try really hard."

"Okay?" Mark raised his eyebrows, "Just okay? Try stunning. You don't give yourself enough credit Pan."

Pan smiled again, as she found it so easy to do around Mark, and turned from him, walking into the bedroom to grab her purse. "Well, when you see some of the women there tonight you'll probably consider leaving me on the spot. These people all have two things in common: they're filthy rich and they're gorgeous."

Mark frowned, "I thought you said we'd be seeing your family. I mean, not that your family's not gorgeous or rich, but..."

"My dad, mom, grandparents and uncle will be but a few of the guests on the list. You forget: this is a Briefs Christmas party, sponsored by Capsule Corps. of course. Besides my family and the Briefs, the invited guests will all be top clients, CEO's of various connected companies, shareholders...you get the idea." She grabbed a coat as he walked back into the bedroom and then held out his jacket for him. "I forget sometimes that you've never been to one of these. I've been going since I was old enough to walk, and causing trouble for poor Bulma ever since. Not going for five years was kind of weird, now that I think about it." She paused with her hand on the doorknob of the front door of the apartment, "I don't know...you think everything's gonna snap into place and just be the same as it used to be?"

"Well there's a big difference between going to this sort of thing when you're 18 and going when you're 23...besides the fact that you can drink, I mean. I'm sure you'll find a lot of the people you knew have changed quite a bit."

He never changes. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Now come on baby, we're going to be altogether too fashionably late if we don't get a move on. Mea culpa I guess. Next time I won't take so long getting ready," she said good-naturedly. They stepped out the door and into a cold night, speeding quickly away from their apartment in a tiny coup towards the Briefs mansion, where Christmas always meant scandal, gossip, and the most expensive hors d'oeuvres this side of Orange City.

Trunks Briefs sauntered through the enormous ballroom of the house, where the open bar and dancing floor were set up. With a trademark smirk on his face and wearing a suit which probably cost more than most men's wardrobes put together, he casually greeted his guests, which, coincidentally, were all people he needed to sweet talk anyways.

"Mr. Torrence! Hi there Mrs. Torrence. Always a pleasure seeing you both." As he made small-talk with the couple, he eyed his mother primping herself and neurotically checking the decorations around the room. With a grace only she could muster, she haphazardly hung a sprig of mistletoe in the doorframe which led to the kitchen at the back. There were already several clumps hanging in every major entrance and exit in the house, which was slightly alarming to the handsome bachelor. He knew he'd be on his toes all night, figuring out which girls he'd want to get stuck in doorframes with. "...Well then, if you're thirsty it's an open bar as always. Please help yourselves, it's right over there."

He directed them towards the bar, which now had a few people crowded around it, and wandered off to find his sister. As he walked away, he could hear Mr. Torrence saying, "...I don't care if his hair is as green as the goddamned grass! That boy has charisma and I trust him with the company. HIs mother couldn't have made a better choice..." His smirk widened, and he spotted his sister, nursing a drink in one hand and patting down her skin-tight, shiny red mini-dress with the other.

"Ah, Bra! My beautiful sister! The belle of the ball. Just who I was looking for."

"I'm sure you'll be using that line on plenty of other women tonight, hotshot. Don't waste all your best material on me." Bra looked her brother up and down, taking in his demeanor. "Then again, you probably won't have to say a word. Just leave some for the other bachelors, okay?"

"I'll try, darling younger sister. How many more people are supposed to show up?" He grabbed a drink from a server walking by with a tray of glasses and sipped it nonchalantly.

"Alot more. Including..." Bra trailed off, looking into her drink too intently.

"Includingwho?"

"Including Pan Son, whom we both haven't seen...well, since she left for the University I guess. But I'm sure you've been keeping in touch with her like I have, right? We've still been steady pen pals this whole time, and you know how big of an accomplishment that is for me." She laughed and sipped her martini, "I miss that girl."

It was Trunks' turn to concentrate intently on his drink. He hadn't known that Pan had been writing to Bra, keeping in touch with his sister but not with him. I guess the blame works both ways on that one. I never thought to...well...it was always easier than thinking about it and missing my best friend. Even as he was thinking it, Trunks knew he was making excuses for himself. Why hadn't he kept in touch with his best friend? Was it that easy to pretend she'd never existed?

Bra quickly snapped him back to reality, "Speaking of women in your life, there is definitely something missing in your ensemble tonight dearest brother."

"Like what?"

"Well, normally thirty-year-olds bring dates to these kinds of things. You know, some sort of acquaintance, friend, steady girlfriend, financé...wife. You know, significant others. I see you are lacking in that department." Bra's sharp tongue never failed to rile Trunks up and infuriate him. Her insinuations were so much more aggravating than direct accusations.

"Bra, you know I can never bring dates to these things. They end up getting ridiculously jealous--"

"--For good reason--" Bra added.

"--And storming off in a huff. There's no getting around it."

Bra considered the thought for a moment and then slowly said, "Marron never left."

Trunks drew his eyebrows together and the corners of his mouth turned down. In a venomous hiss he whispered, "You had to bring that up didn't you? One of the only serious girlfriends I ever have and---I mean she was the only one I ever dated who was close to our family--you know, she's here tonight, right? So can you just...I don't know, let sleeping dogs lie? Please?"

Bra, knowing full well her words would have that effect on Trunks, withheld her smile and nodded graciously. "Of course. Sorry to have brought up the subject, I just thought people might wonder when Trunks, the most wanted man in the world, will ever stop being a bachelor. I mean, doesn't a fear of commitment say something to all those clients in the room?" She finally let the smile show on her face and walked swiftly away, before Trunks could close his gaping mouth and retort.

With another large gulp of his drink, he turned away, looking for more guests to woo. As his clear, blue eyes scanned the room, he caught sight of a woman slipping in through the front entrance. Her black hair swung easily behind her, and she was laughing at a joke someone had told. The black dress she was wearing clung to every curve of her body and left just enough to the imagination. Her eyes glimmered in the lights strung up about the room. Everything about her, from the jewelry she was wearing to the way she swung her hips as she walked down the stairs, was perfect. Target spotted, he thought to himself as he began to make his way over to her. He knew that in a matter of hours she'd be pulling him upstairs and that he'd be adding another beautiful tally mark to his list.

Just then, she tapped none other than Gohan Son on the back, and when he turned around she leapt into his arms, giving him a giant bear hug. Trunks' jaw dropped. This couldn't be...Then, as Goten Son approached and swung the girl around in a complete circle, he knew. Over the noise of the growing crowd and the dance music which had just been started he heard, "Panny! It's been so long!"