Hello, all!

I did end up splitting this chapter differently than anticipated, so the final chapter will be a bit shorter and opened-ended in case I decide to write a sequel of sorts. Thanks for reading/reviewing, I really appreciate you all! Enjoy.

The night air was crisp and cool, a refreshing change from the volcanic heat erupting in Pan's body. She and Trunks had wandered out of the banquet and into a more secluded area surrounded by tall bushes. They were undressing as much as they could in preparation for their flight, but the sexual undertones were not going unnoticed.

Pan watched as Trunks removed both his bow tie and his jacket, tucking his glasses into his pant pocket. He dropped his excess clothes to the ground and rolled his sleeves up his arms.

She looked down at her own outfit, realizing there was really nothing she could take off, and she had definitely never flown in a dress before.

"So, I know I'm all down for flying and whatever, but do you think it'll be ok in a long dress?" She huffed, wishing she had worn something different. A pantsuit? Are those stylist?

Trunks chuckled at her curiously before picking his jacket back up and handing to her. "Would you rather wear this instead?"

"And how exactly is that better than a dress?" She put a hand on her hip, fully aware of his teasing.

"More leg mobility, of course!" He smirked.

"And a lot more for the world below me to see..."

"Here, how about this then?" Trunks's grin expanded as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She panicked, thinking he was about ready to fly around town naked. She wouldn't put it past him.

"Pan, I have an undershirt, you nerd. Not like I'd mind being shirtless in this weather." He said, handing his white button up to her.

She stared at it in her hands, unsure if he was being completely serious. She couldn't argue with the facts though: she would have better control over her legs without this dress. And how hot would it be to fly around in his clothes after stripping in some bushes?

"Fine." She decided, pulling the straps of her dress down her shoulders as seductively as she could before turning her back to him.

"No peeking." She added.

"Really? Really?" Trunks deadpanned, clearly unamused with not getting his way. "Not like it's my first time seeing you topless."

"I can make it your last if you don't close your eyes." She tried to sound serious, but knew she was failing.

"Fine, fine, they're closed." Trunks huffed, folding his arms around his chest.

Pan smiled triumphantly as she let her dress fall to her feet. She simultaneously stepped out of her heels and her gown, contemplating if she would ever even come back for them. The heels were definitely being ditched forever.

She slid her arms through his shirt, her senses overwhelmed by his smell. The white top was nearly a dress itself on Pan's small body, reaching down to her knees. She barely was able to get two buttons done before she felt Trunks against her, his hands around her waist and his lips pressed against her neck.

"Hey, I said no peeking!" She chirped, lifting her shoulder to her neck instinctively.

"My eyes are closed, I'm just going by scent. ...And maybe your Ki." He managed to say in between kisses.

Pan spun around, ridding him of her neck. Trunks pouted, his lower lip quivering dramatically.

"Ok, who's the brat now?"

"Still you." He dipped down to her mouth, their kiss sweet, but passionate.

A moment passed before Pan would allow herself to pull away and ask, "We ready for lift off?"

"Should we come back for our clothes later?" Trunks said, staring at their mess on the ground.

"Nah, let whoever finds em keep em!" She smiled before taking off to the sky. Trunks quickly launched after her.

The pair tried to fly higher in the sky to avoid anyone seeing them. Up by the clouds, the sky was darker, only illuminated by the stars rather than the light pollution of the cities below. Pan spread her limbs out, feeling the wind hug her curves. She closed her eyes briefly, losing herself in the hum of the breeze.

She was suddenly reminded that she was most definitely not alone up there when Trunks flew above her, his hands grabbing at the back of her shirt, pulling himself on top of her back.

"Feeling a little lazy? Or just want to get the thrill of riding my back through the city?"

"I just can't not touch you right now...Come here. I have to show you something." He stopped suddenly, his fist clenched around the back of the dress shirt. As soon as she stopped, he took her hand, leading her to a new direction.

"This is it," he said after a solid ten minutes of flying.

Pan stared off at the scene before her. She had expected him to take her somewhere grand, somewhere beautiful. Instead, they were at a barren wasteland, rock formations reaching toward the sky.

"What is this place?" She cocked her head, not wanting to sound uninterested.

"One of the places very dear to my heart. This is where the world fought Majin Buu..." His voice wavered, "This is where I thought I lost my dad forever."

Pan felt her gut sink, realizing that these rocks held memories so deep she would never be able to fully comprehend what they meant to him.

"Crazy how this huge battle took place back then, and now we not only have Buu, but also Uub." She said.

She looked around, noticing how the stars brightly reflected off of some of the smoother rock formations. It was much more beautiful than she originally thought.

"It's places like these that make me want to stay here, where my home is. Where my family is. Sure, I could probably find adventures anywhere I go. But I just don't know if I would ever trade these memories for the world."

"Thank you for sharing this with me..." Pan whispered, taking his hand back in hers. He continued to look onward, reminiscing of his youth.

"We're not quite done yet." He finally smiled at her, squeezing her hand tightly.

"Oh? More things to show me?" She squeezed back.

He nodded, gently pulling her in the direction of the ocean. The smell of salt filled her nostrils as they floated over the body of water. Pan didn't understand why the middle of the ocean was important to him, but she decided to keep her mouth closed until she knew more information.

Trunks looked around a bit, finally pulling them over a few feet, "Here. Right here."

Pan's eyes scanned the open horizon, not seeing anything that could be of significance. She looked to Trunks for some explanation.

He stared down at her, taking both of her hands in his and bringing them to his lips, "This, my dear Panny, is where I first learned of your existence. Where you first saved the world."

"Wait...here? In the middle of the ocean?" She caught onto what he was saying, having heard the story of how the six Saiyans came together to stop Beerus from destroying everything.

"I remember feeling your Ki, your heart beat. It was unlike anything I had ever felt, and I hadn't felt it again since. That is, until a few weeks ago. You radiate that same powerful energy as you did 21 years ago. It's kind of addicting to feel first hand, honestly." He chuckled, a bit embarrassed by how much he was revealing to her.

Pan's face couldn't have been anything but crimson, flabbergasted at how sensitive Trunks could be. She always knew he had a soft side, but their whirlwind affair had made her forget that he was more than her sex partner. He could feel deeper, love harder than anyone she had met. Perhaps that was part of the reason he had previously closed himself off to women. He didn't want to get in too deep in order to protect himself and his family. In order to protect his heart.

She stared at him hard, her feelings for him overwhelming her for the first time since she was younger. She wanted him. She needed him. She loved him.

And now she was scared.

"You wanna go back to my place?" He finally said after a few minutes of silence.

Pan tried to speak but couldn't find words. She could only nod her head in affirmation, hoping her face wasn't giving away just how much she cared for him.

The two flew back to Capsule Corp. hand in hand. When they arrived at his mansion, Trunks led her quietly up the stairs to his room, not wasting a single minute. They didn't speak, they were barely even breathing, and had Pan not known better, she would think that he maybe loved her, too.

Pan sat on the edge of the bed as Trunks kneeled on the floor before her. He unbuttoned her shirt one by one, never breaking eye contact. His eyes nearly glowed in the dark room, the only light from the stars outside of his window. He slowly removed the shirt from her shoulders, bringing his head to her chest to kiss her breast bone, dragging his lips up to her collar bone and back down to the middle of her stomach. Her nerves twitched as he glided over her, clutching the sheets as she tried to keep her arms from shaking. He slipped his hands down the side of her hips and into her black underwear, tugging it to the floor. Pan reached her hands out to his undershirt, pulling it off of his head. She fumbled a bit with his belt before successfully pulling it out of his pant loop. Quickly, he completed removing his pants for her and in one swift motion, he crawled on the bed, pressing himself against her.

Their lips met, a sense of urgency in their kiss. Their tongues explored every crevice, licking every inch of their inner wetness. Trunks tangled his fingers in her hair, able to feel her heart galloping against his chest. She rubbed the back of his shoulders as they kissed, not even thinking about what her hands were doing. As if by instinct, Pan eventually grasped gently around his erection, guiding him into her.

Pan trembled beneath him as he rocked into her, feeling like their bodies were completely in sync, like they were one body. Pan broke their kiss and buried her face in his neck, scratching her nails down his back. He sped up a bit, reaching a hand to her bottom to lift her slightly, penetrating her deeper.

Trunks leaned back for a moment, readjusting his face so he could dive into another one of her kisses. He let his thumb gently rest on her cheek, lovingly rubbing her warm skin. He whispered her name into her lips, his voice floating on a breath. Pan felt the wind collapse from her lungs, her eyes welling up with tears at the emotional roller coaster going on in her head. She worried for the first time that maybe they were in over their heads.

Their movement was like a dance, calculated yet natural. She felt his Ki surrounding her, engulfing her in its tenderness. His touch was soft but determined, the sex not lacking in intensity, but undeniably overtaken by something stronger than simply sexual attraction. This was making love. And this was a first for both of them.

When they reached their respective climaxes, they didn't break physical contact. Neither moved for what felt like hours, clinging to the touch of the other like oxygen. Trunks was the first to change spots, removing himself from her and rolling his body to her side, still hugging her tightly. She tucked herself under his muscular arm, kissing whatever skin of his she could find. She desperately wanted to feel him, to touch him, to be with him in body and in soul.

They continued to hold one another in silence, Pan assuming Trunks had probably drifted off into sleep.

"We're in way over our heads, aren't we?" She said out loud, mostly talking to herself.

All she heard before drifting to sleep was his low, soft voice.

"It is what it is."

...

Pan awoke the next morning to a cold shiver through her body. She was alone in Trunks's huge bed, suddenly very aware of how needy she felt. She was panicked that maybe he could sense how she felt about him and it in turn scared him off. She wracked her brain to be sure she didn't say anything that would give her away in the heat of last night. When she couldn't think of anything, she stole his dress shirt from the floor, tossing it on and buttoning it as she exited his bedroom.

She made her way down the stairs to find Trunks sitting shirtless on his couch, one of his foreign movies playing on the tv. He noticed her immediately, offering his hand out to her. Pan cautiously took it, not ready when he pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, breathing in her scent.

"Good morning to you, too." She smiled, pulling his arms around her tighter.

"I couldn't sit still in bed and I didn't want to wake you. Thought one of these movies might calm me down. Got a lot on my mind, I guess." He mumbled, melting into her.

Pan knew they needed to have a discussion about his future, but she really wasn't ready for it right now. In fact, the longer she could put it off, the better.

"I hate to put more on your mind, but I have to go home eventually. And I don't exactly have any clothes..." Pan whispered, blushing from the thought of Gohan seeing her wearing only Trunks's dress shirt.

Trunks let out a hearty laugh, squeezing Pan against him. "Guess we need to give Bulla a call."

"I'm on it." She responded, reaching down to the ground to dig around in her purse. She retrieved her phone and put it to her cheek, hoping Bulla would answer a call rather than a text.

Her nervousness began taking over when Bulla wasn't responding to her first call. Or her second. Or her third.

Then she remembered: Bulla got wasted at the event last night. She wouldn't be conscious for hours!

Shit.

"Trunks, I think Bulla might be out of commission, what the hell am I supposed to do?! Show up home like this?" She panicked.

"Eh, no worries. I'll just call my mom." He said, pulling his own phone out of his pocket and sending a text.

Pan cringed. Bulma wasn't the worst person to see her in this condition, but it would have been so much easier if Bulla would have just been able to hold her liquor. She cursed her friend, even though she knew she owed her one anyway.

It wasn't long before the front door swung open, Bulma standing in the doorway looking like a mad scientist with her white lab coat billowing in the wind. Pan jumped immediately off of Trunks's lap and onto the floor.

"H-hey, Aunt Bulma..." She stuttered.

"Alright, let's see what the damage is. Up, girl!" Bulma snapped her fingers, pulling a bag from behind her back.

Pan reluctantly stood up, her head hanging low. This was the single most embarrassing thing she had ever experienced.

Bulma cracked a smile, a giggle escaping her lips, "Ah, yes. I remember when Vegeta and I used to fly around the city naked. Wonderful memories, there..." She trailed off.

"Ugh, MOM! Can we focus a little here?" Trunks begged, Pan twitching with discomfort.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. Here." She handed Pan black shorts and a pink tshirt. "I stole these from Bulla's room. She's too busy with her head in the toilet to notice, anyway.."

Pan graciously accepted the clothes, disappearing around the corner to change as fast as possible.

Bulma stared smugly at her son as he shrank under her gaze. She knew the look in his eyes- she was fully aware that things were getting serious quickly. She had warned Trunks from the get-go that playing with Pan was a bad idea. They would either get married or have a horrible break up and nobody really wanted to deal with either scenario. So she stood, arms crossed, her grin saying enough to her son.

"Panny, you want me to go ahead and drive you home? I might as well since I'm already here." Bulma offered, continuing to stare at her son.

"Sure, that would be nice. Thank you." Pan called, grunting while trying to fit into Bulla's tiny black shorts.

"You should stay home, Trunks. There's a lot of work to do before you move next month." Bulma added. Pan's face went white with those words, her stomach dropping like an anchor. It hurt to hear reality again.

"If I move, mom. I never said I was going for sure." He grumbled, annoyed by her persistence.

"I thought you wanted this the second you heard about it last year? Isn't that why you took your big trip with Goten in the first place? What the heck has changed?" She pressed, forgetting for a moment that Pan was in the next room listening.

"MOM. ENOUGH." He snapped.

Pan looked to her feet, her heart sinking in her chest at the silence. Why was he so unsure all of the sudden? Was it because of her? It wasn't reasonable, he couldn't make a decision about his entire life's course over some 4-week fling with her. It wasn't right. She felt like she was holding him back.

Bulma's mood dropped when she saw Pan reappear from the kitchen, her face sullen with sadness.

"Come on, Pan. Let's head out." She tried to act normal, but couldn't help but feel like she had said too much.

Pan looked back at Trunks to say bye, finding that he was still sitting on the couch, his head cradled in his hands. He looked torn, and Pan couldn't stand watching him anymore. She chose to stay quiet. Let him be with his thoughts.

Bulma and Pan had a nearly silent drive back to the Son residence, Bulma occasionally attempting to make light conversation with the uninterested young adult.

When Pan came home, she sensed her parents were in the kitchen, making a quick escape to her room before anyone could stop her. She worried if she hesitated for a moment, someone would catch her crying. The last thing she needed was a lecture about how right everyone was about her and Trunks.

Slamming her door, she tossed herself limply on her bed, finally releasing her tears on her pillow. She wasn't even sure what she was sobbing about- she had no right to have any control over Trunks. If he didn't want to go, then he didn't have to! But the guilt over being a reason for his refusal ate away at her. She would lose no matter what: if he stayed, she'd feel responsible, and then what if they broke up? He'd have given up the opportunity of a lifetime to be with her momentarily. If he left, she'd lose him forever. They'd probably remain friends, but any hope of this becoming something more would cease to exist.

She just couldn't win. And so she cried.

She knew it wouldn't be long before her family came looking for her. Gohan could sense her irregular Ki, and although Videl wasn't a pro at detecting it, she had a sense even stronger: mother's intuition. She couldn't face her mother right now, praying to Dende that she'd stay away.

She didn't even hear anyone come in until she felt a gentle hand on her back. She looked up from her pillow to see Piccolo kneeling by her bedside. Her face was red and streaming with tears, every orifice leaking. She didn't even have time to think of a reaction, her body intuitively leaping into his arms, uncontrollably sobbing into his gi. The Namekian wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back softly. She was happy he was still here, knowing that he had virtually no opinion about what was going on and would never judge her. He was truly the only member of her family who could console her at this point.

"I don't even know why I'm crying, Grandpa..." She coughed through her tears. "Nothing even happened."

"You don't always need a reason. This isn't war, you can cry as much as you want to." He said.

He couldn't help but feel defensive of Pan, wanting to punch whatever it was that made her cry. However, Piccolo knew better. He would never react on emotion alone, like Gohan or Videl would. Hence, why he offered to check on her in their place.

After a long time, her crying became more controlled, her breathing slowing down as well. She huffed a bit between gasps, finally finding that her tears were running out. She removed herself from Piccolo, settling back on her bed. He looked down at his gi that was now covered in snot and tears.

"You haven't gotten snot on my clothes since you were an infant. At least it's not vomit." He joked. Pan let out a laugh, always loving his dry sense of humor.

"I think I'm in too deep, Grandpa." She finally admitted, hugging her knees to her chest. "I feel like no matter what decision I make, I'm wrong. I know this isn't the end of the world, but it feels like it."

"Can you control the outcome?" He asked sternly.

"What?"

"Can you control the outcome? Of what you're upset about? Is there something you can physically do to ensure a certain outcome will occur?"

"Well, no...not really." She looked at him curiously.

"If it's out of your hands, then you should feel no remorse about how it turns out. If you follow your instincts and stay true to who you are, then it's impossible to be wrong because it is not your wrong decision to make."

It was frightening how insightful Piccolo could be. He didn't have a clue about what she was talking about, and yet he managed to shine some light on an otherwise dark situation.

"I was on my way out before I came in here, and I should return to my meditation. Please remember what I said, Pan. You are a brilliant girl with an unbelievable support system. I may not understand everything, but your parents will. Don't shut them out." Piccolo took to his feet, bending over to kiss Pan on the top of her head.

"Love you!" She called after him.

"...Love you." He murmured under his breath, closing her door behind him.

She stayed in her room for hours in silence, letting her thoughts run wild. Her phone was on silent and tucked under her bed to ensure no one would bother her for the time being. She needed to organize her mind and make sure she was ready for whatever this world was about to throw at her. After awhile, she realized she needed to go to her parents. They were clearly giving her space after her chat with Piccolo that morning, and she appreciated it, but she didn't want to take advantage of it.

She scraped herself off of her bed and dragged her body into the living room where Gohan and Videl were waiting patiently for her.

Pan slid on the couch next to her father, immediately putting her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Are you ready to talk?" Gohan inquired, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"Can I sit like this for a few more minutes?" She said, feeling her tears rear their ugly head again.

"Of course. We're here as long as you need us."

Pan took a deep breath before starting what she sensed would be a lengthy conversation.

"Did you hear the news?"

"We read about it in the paper. For the record, your pictures all look beautiful." Videl tried to be as supportive as possible.

"Nothing even happened. Everything was fine and then suddenly it wasn't. He didn't end it, but I can't help but feel like he should have." She sat up, twisting her fingers together.

"Why would you say that, honey? If nothing happened, why be so sad now?" Gohan tried to sound as reasonable as possible.

"Because I'm no guarantee! He suddenly doesn't seem to want to go and Bulma made it sound like this job was all he ever wanted until...recently. If he's staying here because of me, that's stupid." Pan was proud of herself for not outright crying again.

"Pan, I don't mean to sound like I know Trunks better than you do but..." Gohan said, adjusting his glasses, "I have known that boy since he popped out of the womb. He has never had his mind made up about anything unless it had to do with beating an opponent. Even then, he'd change his mind about things faster than I could keep up! That's part of the reason your mother was so worried about you two. He's fickle. So when that boy does finally make a decision, it's a big deal. It's not something he just chooses based on a whim or some fleeting emotions. It's something he really, truly wants. If he chooses to stay here, he has plenty of reasons why."

"This choice isn't up to you. But what is in your control is how you react. The best thing you can do for him is to be supportive. That way, you don't feel like you're making any decisions for him." Videl chimed in, reaching her hand over Gohan to place it on Pan's arm.

"Don't try to end something just because you're scared of it, Panny. You've never been scared of anything before this."

Pan listened intently to her parents, her heart swelling with appreciation for them. She wondered if Trunks could talk to his parents like this, or if he had anyone he could confide in. He did always have his best friend in Goten, but was it the same as having your blood relatives by your side? She felt selfish for feeling so sorry for herself this whole time when Trunks was probably the one who needed a listening ear.

"I think I know what I need to do." Pan came to her feet, a new determination in her voice.

Gohan and Videl looked at one another then back at their daughter.

"Will you be coming home tonight?" Videl asked sweetly.

Pan turned to her parents and smiled.

"Probably not."