Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Trunks slipped out of the bathroom and collected himself as he found Pan sitting at her dining table. He had wrapped himself in one of her robes and was thankful that it was oversized. Her hands were folded in front of her face and she turned to look at him. She calmly smiled and pointed to a small box at the end of the table. "There are clothes in there for you," she said. She looked up at the clock and said, "It's not too late, we need to go to your mother's." He nodded and began pulling the clothes on and she turned away. Her bashful nature caught him off guard. She had seen him naked before, but maybe she had changed so much in the last few years that she no longer wished to look at him so he dressed quickly.

He walked up behind her and asked, "Pan?" She jumped when he touched her shoulder and she slowly faced him. " He found her eyes to be full and wide and he knew it was because of how he looked. He ran a hand over his partly shaved head. "She," he began and Pan shook her head. "You don't," she whispered softly. She observed him, even though he was less than a foot away from her, she couldn't feel any further away from him. A scar gnarled down the left side of his face and she saw details she hadn't noticed when she had pulled him into her bathroom. T-ES54 was tattooed along his scalp while the other side of his head had been left to have the hair grow out. The scar upon his face was deep enough that he had a small chunk of his left eyebrow missing, just in the center. She was surprised that he could still see out of the eye. His brow was scowled and she knew she no longer knew the man that stood in front of her.

His hand fell from his scalp and she jumped when he reached for her. His hand cupped her chin and had her look up at him. She stumbled a bit. She caught herself, on the table, and smiled at him. "We should head out," she reasoned. His brow furrowed at her and he noted that although she was not walking with a limp, her right leg was shaking. She continued towards her front door and carefully smiled for him when she opened it. "Come on," she reasoned and he walked outside and towards the steps. Pan gulped as she watched him begin his descent and she tried remembering the last time she had actually walked down these steps. She caught the railing and carefully began walking down the steps. Taking each and every one as quickly as she could without Trunks noticing.

She was thankful that he was walking in front of her. She could carefully take each step and control her breathing without him noticing the limp she walked with now. She focused on breathing in through her nose and letting the breath pass her lips as she exhaled. When they finally made it to the bottom of the steps she felt some slight victory. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken the stairs. Her smile teased her lips as she walked past him and towards her vehicle. She unlocked it, and once inside she cherished the driver's seat. She noticed her hands were shaking and before Trunks could see it she grasped the gear knob with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. And once he took his seat next to her, she took off. Quickly driving into the stormy night. They rode in silence, she quietly focused on the weather, noticing the lighting and where is struck. Though their cars tended to hover now, there was still the chance that your car could be struck down and it was highly advised to not be driving out in such weather.

Trunks looked at Pan as she drove them and she could feel his eyes on her. "Why did you come to me?" she asked softly. He arched a brow and peered out the window next to him. "I went to capsule corp first. Then, I planned on going to my mother's, but you were there." She nodded. "But, you should've gone to her first," she reasoned. "I didn't think of her first," he murmured. She nodded. He noticed she had been quiet throughout their entire drive over to his mother's. He looked out the window and decided he would question her. "Pan, about the kiss," he began. "Don't worry about it," she interrupted. "I should've given your privacy. I thought you needed help." He shook his head. "I want to know why you didn't respond back to my touch," he said. He saw her stiffen and she gulped. "I…well, I wasn't expecting you," she reasoned carefully. "This is all happening when I didn't think it would." He reached over to her and touched a hand to her knee. She froze up further underneath his touch. He frowned and ordered, "Land." Her eyes flicked over to look at him and she whispered, "I need to get you to your mother's." In her eyes, he saw nervousness and worry. She seemed jittery and he knew a kiss wouldn't have frightened her so much. He wondered what happened while he had been held captive. "Pan," he began and she said, "Please, we'll have plenty of time to talk later." She paused and added with a somber note in her voice.

As they pulled up to his former residence they did not worry about umbrellas or the fear of getting wet by the rain that slowly began to drizzle upon their arrival. They lifted themselves out of the car and Pan followed after him as he walked up the too familiar sidewalk leading into his mother's home. The front glass doors opened and he came to the front and he realized his hands were shaking as he reached out to ring the front doorbell. He felt his chest tighten as he heard someone call out, "Who is it?" His mother's voice seemed distant but so close. His lips parted, but no words came out. Pan saw him, struggling on what to say before she interrupted. "Bulma, it's me, Pan. Let me in!" Bulma sighed. "Honey, I gave you a key-"

"I'm sorry! I must've left it at work," Pan reasoned. Trunks could hear the amusement in his mother's voice. "Well, come on in. I'll meet you down there." The front door slipped open, Pan eased around Trunks and said, "Come on." He slipped into the house and words could not express how he felt as he came into the living room and he saw his mother descend the stairs. "Pan, lovebug, it's pretty late for you to be out…" He saw her eyes twinkling at Pan and he gulped. His mother truly was beautiful. Her eyes slowly shifted from Pan to him. Her blue eyes widened and she froze, her hands came up to her mouth in shock. And then everything changed, her tears fell automatically, her glittering happy eyes changed to ones of sadness and she rushed him. "Vegeta!" she yelled, in such a voice that Trunks knew his father would know to come running. In moments, she had plastered herself around him, her arms holding on tightly and his father appeared. Trunks saw in his eyes, though hard, silent tears fell as he came up to them and his hand touched Trunks's shoulder. Before Bulma eased away, wiping her tears and Vegeta's hand caught his son's neck and pulled him until his head was upon his chest. Trunks felt his heart pounding as his chest tightened. It had been so very long since his father had held him in this fashion. Trunks' strong arms came up to hold onto his father. "I failed you," Vegeta said softly and Trunks shook his head, he said, "Never." Tears threatened to seep past his eyes, but he refused to allow them to fall.

"Pan," Trunks began and she stood just behind him. She felt a smile crack her lips and she said, "I should go." She turned away, but before she could escape, Trunks' hand caught hers. "Don't go," he said. She felt her heart begin to pound as his hand tightened on her. She tried pulling away. "Why are you being so invasive?" she pondered and he let his words fall past his lips. "Because I believed you were dead." Her eyes widened and she looked up at him in shock. He pulled her closer and held her. "Pan, the last time I saw you, you were lying in a pool of blood," he whispered. She blushed madly and awkwardly pulled away. She was at a loss for words. She shook her head and then Bulma spoke, "Pan, stay here tonight. The weather is still pretty bad." Her words reasoned with her, tried convincing her to stay and Pan shook her head. "I-I can't stay…I can't. Not right now, please, excuse me," she whispered and then she left.

Trunks stood there, stunned. Yes, he had surprised her. Yes, he knew that she hadn't seen him in years. But he didn't expect her to leave him. He'd expected her to stay, to be at his side. He shook his head and blinked rapidly, for the first time in a long time, tears burnt his eyes. He felt a hand touch his shoulder. Vegeta said, "Give her time. You're not the only one Merona defeated." Vegeta said, "You need sleep, let's get you into bed before you have to start tomorrow." His parents followed him to a bedroom and his mother set out a bed while his father merely watched on. How surreal this moment was, that he was…finally home.