Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters they belong to Akira Toriyama. I don't own the plot either it belongs to Megan Cole but I have changed some of the plot though.

Beta read by Hinata1313

Fortune

There had been no sign of Marron at breakfast. As Pan made her way down to the beach afterwards, she wondered briefly what had happened last night. Had she made Marron jealous? Marron seemed to have stormed off last night when Pan and Trunks were flirting. This made Pan feel proud of herself… if she made Marron jealous. An image of Trunks' torso, muscled and glistening with water, suddenly popped into her head, making Pan's stomach lurch. She'd gone to bed last night thinking about his sexy body and those blue eyes.

Any thoughts of Trunks were temporarily suspended when she saw Bulma in her office, talking on her cell. Pan waited until she was finished and then stepped forward hesitantly.

"Happy birthday." She gave her the flower she'd plucked from the veranda outside her bedroom.

Bulma looked surprised. "What's this?"

Pan blushed. "It's your birthday, isn't it? I mean, the party's tonight. I'm afraid I didn't get you a card or anything, but I though you might like the flower instead." She coughed, embarrassed. "I mean, even though it's your flower anyway…" She sighed, "Sorry, it was better in my head."

Bulma smiled back. "I'm really touched, thank you. My birthday was actually last week," she added. "But this was the only available space in my schedule.

"Oh," said Pan, blushing. 'You are such an idiot,' she told herself. 'Why can't you just keep your mouth shut?'

Behind them, they heard a loud shriek. Marron had put on ridiculously high heels and had fallen over. Staff rushed from nowhere to help her. Bulma and Pan looked at each other and started laughing.

"I've got a feeling this is a birthday celebration I won't forget," she said. "Girls, today we are going to an island."

Marron and Pan looked at Bulma. "How come? What about the party? Isn't that tonight?" Marron asked.

"Yes, but that's only later on though. Don't worry we'll make it back on time." Bulma said and smiled.

Marron lay still, enjoying the warm sun on her face. They had been on board for a few hours now, and already she was getting a tan in her skin.

"Marron," Pan was standing over her, smiling. "Lunch is ready."

Marron watched Pan walk away. Such an odd creature! She was quite pretty, but she had clearly never heard of couture. And those eyebrows! If she weren't such a lost cause, Marron would sit her down and give her the wisdom of her beauty tips. She was embarrassed to be seen out in public with her.

"Is this how you spend your time off, Bulma?" Pan asked, eating a mouthful of rice balls. Although she had initially been intimidated, Bulma was surprisingly easy to be around and Pan was feeling more relaxed by the minute.

Bulma smiled ruefully. "Days like this are few and far between unfortunately. My work seems to have a habit of taking precedence."

"Yeah, but you don't have to work, do you?" asked Marron. "I wouldn't if I had all this."

"I do it because I enjoy it," she said, smiling. "Creating things is my passion. It's in my blood, my father was the one who built capsule corp and all the capsule. I'm his daughter and I took over him."

Marron looked puzzled at this revelation. "Oh."

"What about you, Pan?" Bulma said, turning to her. "You work in a music shop, don't you? It must be pretty interesting."

"Yeah, Ubb, the guy who owns it, is really nice. He helps me out a lot with my own music." Pan went red as Marron looked at her contemptuously.

"I'm looking forward to hearing some of your stuff," said Bulma. "Your parents say your really good at singing."

Pan's heart skipped a beat. "Er… I'm all right with lyrics, it's just the melodies."

Bulma smiled understandingly. "Don't worry, it'll come."

"Do you really think so?" she asked eagerly.

She shrugged. "Sure. Anything's possible if you work hard enough."

Pan smiled. "I guess you're right."

Pan smoothed down her dress, checking herself for the umpteenth time in the mirror. The short, strapless dress was a bit daring for her, but her mom had encouraged her to buy it on one of their rare shopping trips. "You've got such a lovely figure, darling!" Videl had told her. "You should show it off more."

'Showing it off is what I am doing tonight,' Pan thought. She had to admit the dress looked pretty good, and even better with the black heels her mother had insisted on buying her as well. Shaking her blow-dried hair over her shoulders, Pan applied a coat of lip-gloss, took a deep breath and walked out.

The house was strangely silent for a party and Pan had heard no guests arriving. 'Maybe they're all being brought in on Bulma's jet,' she thought. As she reached the staircase, she saw Maggie standing at the bottom. On catching sight of Pan, the friendly housekeeper let out a happy gasp.

"Don't you look like a princess! Come down here so I can have a proper look at you."

Careful not to trip, Pan slowly made her way down the stairs.

Maggie's eyes lit up in approval. "Such a darling dress."

"Thank you." Pan said smiling. She then asked a question that had been troubling her.

"Maggie, where are all he other guests?"

The housekeeper smiled knowingly. "All good things come to those who wait.

The two girls were waiting expectantly in the dining-room. Marron had already surveyed Pan's outfit with distaste.

It was a minute past seven when Bulma walked in. "Girls, you look fabulous. Shall we?" She gestured towards the door. In curious silence they followed him out of the house and down the garden path. Hundreds of candles lit their way and at the end of them, Pan could see a gazebo ablaze with fairy lights and more candles. In the gathering gloom it looked magical. Bulma led them inside, to where an ice bucket containing a bottle of champagne stood in one corner, along with a couple of glasses. Trunks, Bra and Goten were also inside having a glass of champagne.

"When's everyone else arriving?" Marron asked, her eyes scanning the sweeping gardens.

Bulma smiled. "Everyone's here."

"But…" Marron looked in confusion at Bulma and then at Pan. "I don't understand."

There was a long silence before Bulma spoke again. "Girl, I'm going to cut to the chase. I've brought you here under false pretences."

Pan's heart began to quicken. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife as the two girls listened to what she had to say.

"It is my birthday party," Bulma said. "This much is true. But the reason I only invited the two of you is…" She stopped, seemingly stuck for words. "That is to say… The reason you're here is because I thought it would be a good chance to meet my…"

She looked at them, face serious.

"A good chance to meet my daughter-in-law."

There was a stunned silence.

Trunks looked at his mother in confusion. "Mother what do you mean by that?"

Bulma looked at her son. "I mean, you're going to marry one of them, and one of them will be my daughter-in-law."

"I'm only twenty-one, a bit too young to be getting married!"

Reality hit Marron. "O.M. Fricking G!" she crowed.

Pan was barely aware of Marron's shrieks. Her heart was pounding, blood rushing through her ears as she tried to take it in. Trunks Briefs, her future husband? It didn't make sense, she had only met him and yet she will be marrying him.

"I'm not marrying you!" she cried, aware of the tears pouring down her cheeks.

Trunks took a step towards her, his face pained. "Pan…"

"Don't touch me!" she yelled and turned to run out of the gazebo. She pelted up the garden path, kicking her high heels halfway, stones and grass scratching her feet.

When she got through the front door, she whirled up the stairs to her bedroom. "I'm not marrying you!" she shouted towards the open window. Curling up in a ball on the bed, she started sobbing.

A few minutes later she became aware of another person in the room. Maggie was standing there, her pleasant, wrinkled face full of concern. "Oh, duckie," she said. "Mr Briefs asked me to come and see if you were ok."

The kindly tone of her voice set Pan off again. "I'm not marrying him!" she sobbed. "I don't understand."

Maggie smiled sadly. "Oh darling." She hesitated. "Maybe you should call your parents and talk to them about it."

Pan nodded. Her parents would tell her it wasn't true.

"I'll bring you a nice hot cup of tea," Maggie said.

Giving her another pat on the shoulder, she left. Pan got her cell and switched it on. As she scrolled down to 'home' and it started ringing, her hands were shaking so much she almost dropped it.

Videl answered after ten rings, sounding a bit out of breath. "Hello?"

"It's me."

"Hello, darling! Me and your father were just putting some things away." Her tone sounded anxious. "How are you getting on?"

"Is it true, I may be marrying Trunks Briefs?" Pan asked, voice trembling. Her mother was going to tell her it was all a sick joke, she knew it.

There was a short silence.

"So Bulma's told you about it." Her mom's voice was tight with worry and expectation.

"She's told me, but that doesn't mean it's true, mom!" she shouted. "Tell me it's not true!"

Videl's voice wavered. "Oh, Pan, I wish you didn't have to hear it like this, but me and your father thought it was the best way. Please believe me, darling, Bulma, me and your father talked about it…"

Shock rippled through Pan. "You two have known all along?"

"Yes, but Pan, we weren't going behind your back or anything. We just thought you could get to know Trunks a bit first…"

"Leave me alone," she cried and threw the phone across the room.

In all the fuss with Pan, no one noticed that Marron had slipped away quietly. When Bulma had told them one of them were going to marry her son she had received the news with typical confusion. How was this possible? Her parents had let her go out with boys in the past, and yet she had just found out that she may be marrying Trunks. She had a feeling that her parents know something about this. How dare they go behind Marron's back without telling her!

She grabbed her cell out and dialled her family home. Her father picked up.

"It's me daddy. Can you get Mamma?"

Krillen let out a loud sigh of relief. "So you're alive! You have made me sick with worry! How could you do this to me? Why didn't you call?"

"I'm sorry daddy, I have been awfully busy. Could you get mother please?"

She could hear Krillen's lumbering footsteps and a few moments later her mother snatched up the phone.

"Marron! Why haven't you returned any of my calls?"

Marron ignored her. "Is it true about me and Trunks may be getting married?" she asked calmly.

A scandalised gasp. "How can you say such a thing?"

"Just tell me, Mamma! I know you're lying!"

Her mother fell silent. "Let me take the telephone in the kitchen so then Master Roshi can't hear." Marron listened to her mother make her way towards the kitchen.

"Now we can talk more comfortably," her mother said. Her voice had lost some of it drama and she seemed calmer, almost resigned. "What is it you want to ask us again?" she said, as if she'd forgotten.

Marron cast her eyes upwards. "For goodness sake, Mamma. Will I be marrying Trunks?"

She could hear her mother breathing down the line. Finally she spoke. "Yes it is true, but don't worry you don't have to marry him, because there's always Pan as well. Your names not the only one on the sheet."

"What sheet?" Marron asked confused.

"When you were born, me and your father wrote your name on this sheet for you to marry Trunks when you were older. A year later Pan was born, Gohan and Videl also wrote her name on the sheet. So Bulma said whoever Trunks falls in love with, he will marry."

"Oh mother, do you know what this means? Trunks is like the richest person on earth! And we'll get some of his money."

"I'm proud to say you're my daughter, but I have changed over the years. Are you sure you want to do this? Say if you don't love him?"

"It wouldn't matter if I loved him or not."

"True love isn't about money, it's about how you feel for that person. Marron you'll be very unhappy if you do this."

"It'll be alright mother. I have to go now bye." She ended the call. Trunks and her may be getting married, and that meant a one-way ticket to riches and luxury.

Authors Note: So what did you think? Mistakes? Thanks for reading and please review.