At Mount Paozu
Videl had been nervous about something for a few days now. There had been this weird tension in the air that both she and Gohan could feel.
Videl sat at the kitchen table stirring her morning coffee absent mindedly. Gohan walked into the kitchen and sighed.
"You feel it again too?" Gohan asked grabbing a mug from the counter.
"Yes" Videl said looking at Gohan, then back out the window. "It's more intense today. Have you heard from Pan recently?"
"No. Do you think it has something to do with her?"
"I tried calling her earlier, but all I got was the machine. I think something might be wrong."
"Her ki seems normal. Do you want me to go over and check on her?"
"Could you? I would, but Daddy has a press conference today, and it's going to keep me busy all day."
"Sure I'll run by later today." Gohan said.
Videl stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Gohan"
At C.C.
Trunks hadn't been able to work all day. Between his mother, the restraining order, and Pan all plaguing his mind, there was no way he would be getting anything done today.
It was all silence on his end; no one was talking to him. Pan for obvious reasons, but not even his mother was talking to him. Bulma had not even told him if the order had been lifted or not.
But the thought of Pan was never far from his mind. Was she ok? Did she forgive him? Could they still be friends? Could they be more than friends? All of these questions were running through his mind, and also the biggest question of all; who would she choose himself or Grayson?
Suddenly the door to Trunks was yanked open. For a brief second, Trunks heart raced at the thought that it could be Pan, but reality came crashing down when he saw Bulma standing in the doorway.
Bulma notice how her son's face fell when he looked at her. She quickly stepped inside the office, and closed the door.
"How are you doing mother?" Trunks asked half-heartily.
"I'm not even sure how to answer that." When Bulma received no response, she continued, "I just received a call from Pan."
Trunks' head shot up, "What? When?"
"A few moments ago."
There were many things Trunks wanted to ask. Mostly did she ask about him, but he composed himself. "What did she say?"
"She dropped the order."
"Thank Kami" Trunks said jumping up.
"Trunks I don't want you rushing over there and making everything a mess again." Bulma said rushing in front of him.
"I need to speak to her."
"No you need to let her come to you; Pan is still a married woman."
"What if she doesn't want to see me again?"
"Quit being ridiculous, Pan would never do that."
"But Mom…"
"No Trunks, I'm sick of it. I can't believe Pan put up with this for so long. You're acting like a child, grow up and deal with the consequences of your actions. Dammit Trunks, I thought I taught you better than this."
"Mother?"
"Do you even know what you're doing to her? Pan is stressed out because she told Grayson everything."
"She told him" Trunks repeated. Trunks knew that it meant Pan was trying to work it out with Grayson.
"Yes she did, you didn't really give her any choice. Grayson left to work it out on his own, and she doesn't know if she has a marriage or not."
"Pan" Trunks said standing up and trying to push past his mother.
"No Trunks"
"Mom she needs me."
"If she needs you, she'll ask for you."
"Mother…"
"No Trunks if you leave this office and go see Pan, you can guarantee that this job won't be yours anymore."
Trunks thought about it for a moment, then took a seat at his desk.
"Good choice" Bulma said, also taking a seat. "Now I can officially invite you to the party."
"What party?" Trunks asked angrily.
"Bra and Goten's party"
"Why are they having a party?"
"Because while you were causing all sorts of headaches, your sister informed me that she is pregnant."
"Bra is pregnant?"
"Yes and there is going to be a small family party in two days. Which means Pan will be there."
"She will?"
"Yes I told her about it, and she was more than thrilled to attend."
"I'll be there." Trunks said.
"Now I don't want you pouncing on her the second she walks through the door. Let her come to you."
Trunks exhaled, "I promise mom."
"Good," Bulma said standing up, "Now try to get some work done."
"I will," For Trunks the party couldn't come soon enough.
With Pan
Silence
Pure uninterrupted silence
Pan hated the silence; never in her life had it been so quiet. Usually she would be surrounded by family and friends, and now she was all by herself. The worst part of it all was that she had done it to herself.
She had pushed her family away, afraid that they would slip up and show Grayson too much. Now she was alienated from them when she needed them most.
Nothing was holding her back from picking up the phone and calling her parents or anyone, but she felt she was in to deep and couldn't tell them what had happened. She didn't want anyone to know of her failure.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Pan remained on the couch willing the person to go away.
"Pan I know you're in there." Gohan's voice called through the door.
"Dad?" Pan said jumping up and opening the door.
"Hey there's my baby girl, glad to see you're alright." Gohan said with that famous smile on his face.
"Papa" Pan said smiling and grabbed for a hug.
"Well I'm glad I came by today, I haven't gotten a hug like this from you since you were a little girl." Gohan joked, but Pan just began to shake. He pulled Pan back and saw she was crying. "Pan what's wrong?"
"Daddy" Pan said trying to gain control, "I'm just really happy to see you."
Gohan shut the door, and lead his daughter to the couch. He knew Pan would gain control in a short amount of time. Pan was never one for crying, she always felt it made her look to vulnerable.
Gohan walked into the kitchen and got her a glass of water. Sure enough when he returned to the living room, she had stopped crying.
Pan grabbed the glass, "Thanks"
"Are you ready to tell me what has you so worked up? Your mother and I have felt that something was wrong for days."
"I'm sorry Dad" Pan said taking a drink, "Just everything is going wrong."
"What's going on Pan?"
"Grayson left"
"Wait, what?"
"I guess I should explain a bit more," Pan bit her lip, "I told him about him about Saiyans, and about me. He said he needed time to think it over. I haven't heard from him since he told me he was leaving on a mission for work."
"Pan, I'm glad you finally told Grayson, but waiting this long to do so you must accept the reality that your marriage might be over."
"I'm a failure Dad, I'm sorry I've disappointed you." Pan hung her head.
"Hey Panny, look at me," Gohan grabbed Pan's chin, "Nothing you do, no matter if the world fell apart, will ever make me disappointed in you. You understand that?"
"Yes Dad, thank you."
"Now what prompted you to tell Grayson finally?"
"It's kind of a long story."
"I have time."
Pan sighed; she knew that this conversation could go in any direction. Gohan was one of the most gentle beings in the universe, but he was also one of the most powerful.
"Well the other day Trunks came over and he was very upset, because he finally talked to Chloe. He was, let's say very drunk. So I let him crash on the couch for the night. The next morning he told me what happened, and I told him he was better off. I flew with him to his house to make sure he got there okay. I don't know what came over him, but he kissed me." Pan nervously looked up. "On the lips"
Gohan was silence for a bit, and Pan prepared for the worst. "I'm guessing from your tone it wasn't a friendly 'goodbye and thanks for your help' kiss." Gohan said with no hint of emotion in his voice.
"Not exactly" Pan chuckled nervously. Gohan then gestured for her to continue. "Well of course I told him to back off and not to contact me, but saying that couldn't erase the guilt I felt. Grayson saw it the minute he walked threw the door. So I told him what happened, and of course he was pissed and went directly over to Trunks' house. I didn't follow him; because I thought that if I was around Trunks it would just make it worse. What I didn't expect that Vegeta would be there egging the situation on."
"That sounds like Vegeta." Gohan said, "So what happened next?"
Pan was really surprised at her father; she guessed he was keeping calm till he had all the facts. "Well from what Grayson told me. Trunks either turned into or just flashed Super Sayian. Grayson was freaked out when he told me what happened, and told me that I was forbidden from seeing Trunks again. I knew then I had to just come clean. I told him all about the Sayians. Of course he said he needed time to think everything over, so he requested a special mission. Now I just don't know if we'll be married for long."
Gohan sighed, "Pan first off, I'm not mad or disappointed in you, I just wish you would have told your mother or me sooner."
"I didn't want to tell you that I failed."
"Pan you didn't fail, love is not a class you can't control it."
"Then why do I feel like I did?"
"Did you ever consider that you feel like you failed, because you know in your heart you settled?"
"Settled, for what?"
"Pan, don't try to hide the fact that you married Grayson because it was easier."
"Papa?"
"Pan don't get me wrong, Grayson is a great guy and he made you happy back when you were dating, but were you happy because you we're deeply in love with him or because he blocked your feeling for someone unattainable."
"You gave us your blessing when he asked to marry me."
"Pan you are a very stubborn girl, even when you fake yourself into being happy. It's very hard to change your mind when it's made up. I felt if I said I didn't approve, you would elope and never talk to me."
"I'm sorry papa."
"There is nothing to be sorry about. I knew when I married your mother that I had an extremely high chance of getting a child with her personality. I also know that it's your life and I have no right to tell you what to do."
"So you're not mad about the idea of Trunks and I."
"No, I've actually come accustom to the idea of you two. Pan from a very early age you were always with Trunks, and he was more than happy to have you around. I saw how hurt you were when he got married. Even though the two of you didn't notice, when you stopped talking to each other, you weren't quite yourselves."
"Really?"
"Pan I'm not here to tell you to pick one over the other, I'm here be on your side. But, I'm also here to tell you, that you're not acting like the Pan I love."
"What are you talking about Dad?"
"Why are you just sitting here waiting for someone else to decide your fate?"
"I…I don't know"
"I'm going to ask you a question, that I'm sure no one has asked you."
"What is it?"
"Who do you want to be with?"
Pan was taken aback by the simple question. She had a choice? Of course she did and her dad was right. Why was she just sitting around waiting for someone else to decide her life? She knew who she wanted to be with. "I want to be with…"
To be Continued
dbzfreak101 – Thank you so much for you kind words, and for sticking with me through updates. I bet you're not happy with the cliff hanger, but hopefully you won't have to wait too long.
Muse – Of course he's jealous, what girl wouldn't want a real life Trunks. But to defend my original character, she did lie about something big. But he was also designed to be hated, but also to be a realistic reaction. What would you do if you were married and your significant other told you they were an alien.? I'm glad you like the story and please keep reading.
piXiikAy – Congrats, you had the longest review of chapter 13. If you have confetti you can throw it in the air now. I loved your review. It's good to hear that the same question I wanted the reader to feel, they did. Sorry to keep you waiting so long, I bet if you were semi-calm then you must be on step from freaking out. I hope to update soon, so keep reading.
MRM – It's good to put a name to the face… well other name? You know what I mean. I'm glad you will be reading as long as I write. Hope you liked the chapter.
aangfan – All I can say is thanks for reading, and tune in next time for her decision or not. (Insert evil laugh)
Authors Note: I am so sorry you guys, but things are really crazy on my end. I am a nanny for a 4 year old and a 2 year old, well their parents, my employers, had twin girls. So I've been helping them out. Also school started and I was focused on that. Right now I'm sitting in a hotel room, because I didn't want to be my dad's golf caddy in the freezing rain. So I thought what could be better to kill time then finishing this chapter. I swear I'll work harder to update faster. Until next time.