Chapter Fourteen: Rabid Pan Fans

In case I didn't write the idea well enough, the reason Pan asked Bra to drive in the end of the last chapter is because she was miserable and exhausted of being in control. Pan had been "driving" Para through that metaphorical car crash of an experience with Trunks, and for the first time in the story Pan wants Bra to take the literal wheel. The car symbolizes Para there.

Major thanks to Anmylica for previewing the first bit and adding some hilarious lines of her own!

Love,

PanHopeNvs (Nadia)

Pan coughed as the rusty collar dug into her throat. She struggled against the metal cuffs digging into her wrists and ankles as she stared at the crowd of her accusers.

"You have been found guilty of murder and you must suffer the punishment!"

"Please, I didn't mean to! I saw her with him and I couldn't think! I couldn't..."

"We all loved Pan Son, and you destroyed her. For that, we will destroy you."

"What?" Pan writhed in the restraints which tightly bound her body to a brick wall. "But... I am Pan Son! What are you talking about? I'm right here."

"Liar!"

"What? Can't you see that..."

"YOU EVIL, CONNIVING, CHEAP SLUT!" screamed a shrill female voice from somewhere in the distance.

"What did Miss Son ever do to you?" asked a gruff man's voice, "You should pay!"

Pan could hear the voices, but she couldn't see the people they belonged to—the crowd was too thick.

"I'm so confused," muttered Pan, "What the hell are you people talking about? I AM PAN!"

"We understand that you have many delusions, but that doesn't excuse what you did! It's time for your execution."

"My... execution?" Pan repeated stupidly.

"READY!" shouted a man dressed in military attire. In the empty lot, in the area fenced in by high-voltage and barbed wire precautions, a hundred soldiers with massive machine guns surrounded Pan in a semi-circle. They all moved their weapons to their shoulders.

"AIM!" The soldiers all simultaneously prepared their weapons, and Pan's eyes widened. She was going to be executed by a firing squad for a crime she hadn't committed! There was some mistake.

Pan yanked at the tight chains and tried desperately to break free. The metal cut into her skin so deeply that she saw flashes of white bone under her skin at her wrists. It was futile. She couldn't access her strength, and neither could she use her ki to fly away. Why couldn't they see that the person they were accusing her of murdering was herself? And she couldn't have murdered herself because she was alive, wasn't she?

"Stop! Don't..."

"FIRE!" The machine guns all begun to sound in unison, as though each were an instrument in an orchestra of deafening, endless thunder.

Pan gasped as she saw the thousands of bullets heading towards her in slow motion. She urgently tried to power up, but she couldn't.

When the first bullet was inches away from colliding with her forehead, she sighed in relief and remembered that bullets had never been able to pierce her skin. They had always bounced off her comically. She smiled and stared rebelliously at the bullet with a glance that said "Bring it on!" She welcomed the impact that would probably feel like nothing more than a heavy downpour of rain.

When the first bullet ripped right through her head, a scream was torn from her throat in surprise at the searing pain. That impact was followed by hundreds more within the second as the bullets tore into her body relentlessly.

Pan fought to breathe as her lungs were pumped full of metal. Suddenly knew she was moments away from death. Trunks, she thought feebly, trying to reach him telepathically. I'm sorry! I love you!

"More nightmares, Panny?"

Pan's eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly, "Oh. Another dream."

She ran both hands over her sweaty forehead, lifting her bangs back away from her skin as she exhaled. "I was just gunned down by a firing squad. How was your night?"

"Way worse. Way, way worse," said Bra softly, wrapping her crocheted shawl tighter around her shoulders.

Pan saw that her friend looked slightly shaken and she automatically scooted over in bed and patted the spot beside her. Bra soundlessly accepted the invitation and joined her. The two girls stared forward into space, each lost in her own thoughts for several minutes.

Pan was suddenly distracted from the sickening feeling that her execution dream had left her with, remembering how Bra had always used to tell her about her bad dreams during their countless sleepovers. Bra had always been far too embarrassed to tell anyone in her family when her nightmares frightened her, but Pan had been close to her age and her best friend.

Even when Pan felt afraid herself, she had acted tough for Bra's sake. Little did they know that they'd still be as vulnerable and terrified at 27 and 28 as they had been at 7 and 8.

"What happened, Bra-chan?" asked Pan, turning to her friend. Although she was a year younger, she'd always been the one Bra looked up to for comfort and protection. Bra sighed and gave a small smile before glancing at Pan.

"I was able to sleep for a few hours after I got out of the regeneration tank, but I kept having these ridiculously miserable dreams where I was having violent sex with my brother. Every time I snapped awake I told myself, 'It was just a dream.' But then I realized it wasn't."

Pan felt an asteroid-sized chunk of guilt crash into her, "Dende, I'm sorry..."

"I thought denial might help. I kept reaffirming the denial to myself: 'It was just dream, Bra, it was just a dream. No, you did not just get your junk torn up by your own brother. That wasn't real... That wasn't real...'"

Pan bit her lip, "I didn't know he was going to be like that."

"Go to your happy place, Bra. Go to your happy place! And if that doesn't work, there's a huge stash of tequila in the cupboard. But I still couldn't sleep."

"At the very least, we're moving along with the plan really quickly! We've already seduced him, and before long I'm sure you'll be putting me through the same torture with Goten."

"It's not you I want to torture, Panny," said Bra as a determined look descended on her face at the mention of Goten.

"I am really sorry you had to witness... rather, experience last night, and the whole thing with Trunks..."

"No. Don't apologize. I mean, it was whacked out. It was… uncomfortable. But so are periods. It's not breaking my heart. I can deal."

Pan smiled at Bra, "You deal with it for me, and I'll deal with it for you."

"I was just surprised last night, more than anything. I've never seen Trunks like that! He was... intense. Insane! How did you put up with him?"

"Well... it's partly my fault. He's normally almost that rough with me... it's just what he's been used to for a while. I'm always Super Saiyan and powered up close to my max when we have sex. You know how it is... you get lost in the feeling; your body suddenly has a mind of its own. All your focus is on amplifying those sensations. So being powered down to the minimum was a huge change..."

"If Para had been human… I mean, if he'd done that with a human girl instead of her…"

"I know," said Pan, with a small shudder. "I guess we saved some poor girl's life?"

"We're fucking heroes," added Bra with a serious nod.

"Literally!"

They looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess now I can say that I've seen my brother at his very worst," said Bra.

Pan's lips softened and the tension around her eyes smoothed into the most subtle indication of mirth. "I'd rather be with him at his very worst than anyone else at their best. That's what scares me most of all."

"I know that feeling. It sucks."

"Yeah. Trunks is still asleep?" Pan asked.

Bra glanced to the south, "Yeah. He's dreaming about you and the villa in the Bahamas..."

"Stop! I don't want to hear it," said Pan, covering her ears. "I can feel that Vegeta's awake, doing warm up exercises."

"Yes, dad's warming up, but really his mind is still focused on last night with mom... apparently… no way! They had laboratory sex… at their age!"

"Stop your spying, Bra. Want to come train with me and your dad in the Gravity Room? Since Trunks is asleep at Para's house we can have breakfast at Bulma's."

"No, thanks!" said Bra with a yawn, "I'm going to send Trunks a text message about how Medea had to go to work, and try to get a bit more rest."

"Lazybones," said Pan as she swung her legs out of bed.

Bra pulled the blankets over her head, "You love me anyway."

"But where's the dirt?"

Bulma asked this with a deep frown as she flipped through the pages of the file she had commissioned from Marron.

"I don't want to hear about how great she is. I want to hear about the crap what she's done. If she's ever stolen a sprig of parsley from the she's ever left a restaurant without paying her bill. If she's ever lied, cheated, swindled. I want the dirt!"

"There is no dirt, Bulma," said Marron softly, "She just seems to genuinely be a good girl."

"NO!" shouted Bulma, flinging the files across her desk, her chest heaving in rage. "No! I refuse to believe it! If you search harder… if I pay you more, can you find me something I can use against her, Marron?"

Marron nibbled on her bottom lip, "Bulma, I used every resource available to me. There's nothing more on her. There's literally no information on the girl that isn't in those files. I even included her school reports from as far back as pre-schoolkindergarten. I think you will just have to accept the fact that your son is actually dating a… a nice girl!"

Bulma sat down in her office chair abruptly and burst into tears. She held her face in her hands and sobbed.

Marron stood up in a panic and raised her hands, uncertain what to do. She hated lying and she felt responsible for whatever had caused Bulma's pain. She ended up going over to the older woman and hugging her tenderly.

"There, there, Mrs. B," said Marron softly, rubbing Bulma's back. "Shhh. It's OK."

"Oh, Marron!" said Bulma, wiping at the streams of tears on her cheeks, "He's really dead. He's really dead!."

"What?" asked Marron, suddenly confused.

"Eleven years!" Bulma sobbed, "And he's not coming back this time. I'll never see him again. I never wanted to be that woman—the annoying motherwoman who interfered in her children's lives… but can you blame an old woman for hoping? For praying?"

"Bulma…"

"All I wanted," said Bulma through sniffles, "Was to see Goku's smile again on the faces of my grandchildren."

Marron exhaled. At least she was intimately acquainted with this sorrow. Both her husband and her father were frequently moved to tears by their memories of Goku.

"He was my oldest, dearest friend… I just wanted to see that innocent light that was always in his eyes shine once more in them."

Bulma wiped her sleeve across her cheeks, "I'm sorry for falling apart like this, Marron. It was too perfect, you know? Trunks and Pan. Bra and Goten. It was just too perfect to last."

Marron released Bulma when she saw the older woman regaining her composure, and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Maybe I'm crazy, Bulma. But they're all my closest friends and I know they can't live without each other. Who cares who Trunks is dating today? If I were you, I wouldn't give up on those Goku-like grandchildren just yet."

Bulma looked up at Marron with a small hopeful smile.

"But I also wouldn't try to kill or incarcerate Trunks' current girlfriend," Marron added with a smile. "I think Trunks is just going through a rough spot, and he needs his mom to be supportive and to give him his freedom."

"You're absolutely right!" said Bulma, standing up. "I should meet this girl. This Medea Meadows."

Marron wanted to smack herself in the head. Damn. I meant "leave them alone" not "get even more in their faces."

"Thanks, Marron!" said Bulma, suddenly beaming from ear to ear, and tapping a fingernail against her head. "You gave me a brilliant idea."

Bra was sipping red wine out of an ornate glass as she lounged in her dressing gown on the couch. Her TV had been replaced so that she could watch her favourite soap operas.

When Pan entered the house, Bra didn't look up from her program, but continued sipping her wine and inquired:

"How was training?"

"Painful, as always. Your dad wants you to come train with us next time."

"Really? Well... maybe I will," Bra smiled secretively to herself, "He'll be so confused when I can read his every move before he makes it. I may not be as strong as you two, but I have other talents."

"I'm pretty sure Vegeta moves faster than he thinks," said Pan, rubbing her shoulder absently. "Would you like to train a bit now? I'm not completely worn out yet."

"What?" remarked Bra insurprise. "My dad didn't wear you out?"

"Yeah. We were actually interrupted..."

"Whoa," that got Bra's attention and she pressed the mute button on her remote. "Do tell! What could possibly interrupt my father's rigorous training regimen?"

"What else? Your mother."

Bra twirled her glass between her fingers thoughtfully, "But my mom would never..."

"It's that time of year."

Bra froze abruptly and her eyes widened, "That time? As in that time?"

The wine glass fell from her fingers and smashed on her varnished hardwood floor.

"Calm down, Bra..."

"No. No way. It can't be August. Is it August?"

"Yeah. Apparently. The first of August. The Time Chamber messed up my sense of time too."

"Oh, shit!" screeched Bra, "Pan, you know what this means!"

"No. No. No!" said Pan in a panic as she raised two fingers to her forehead.

In an instant, Bra was before her and grabbing her wrist to prevent her from teleporting across the globe, "WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR? OH, DENDE! I'm going to call up the designers..."

"No!" repeated Pan, simply and firmly, "Don't you understand? We... don't have dates this year. For the past five years we went with the guys."

"Well, for the rest of our lives before that we went WITHOUT the guys. I mean, they were THERE, they just weren't with us. Why the hell do we need dates?"

"Look, Bra. Of course YOU should go. You're the Capsule Corp. heiress and it's your family's major party. It's YOUR party, and you should also probably help your mom out with the planning before she drives Vegeta nuts," Pan smiled as she thought of Vegeta's legendary annoyance with the ball. "But I just think I should sit it out this year."

"NO WAY, PAN SON!" Bra screamed. "Your gramps is going to be there! You always sit at his table. It's the biggest party in the WORLD! If we miss this party it means we're NOBODIES! Do you want to be a NOBODY?"

"To be honest, I don't really care," said Pan with a non-committal shrug of her shoulders. "You can go be a somebody, while I'll relax at home and be a nobody."

"I see what the problem is! You're ashamed that you went from being the President's girlfriend to being just another guest. Well, he's not even the president anymore, so you don't..."

"No, that's not it! I just..." Pan laughed nervously. "I don't want to be in the same room with him. I don't want to dance with him. I know he'll ask. It's tradition. He's always saved a dance for me... even when I was a little girl. "

"Tradition..." murmured Bra thoughtfully. Then her head turned sharply to the west, "Oh, Kami. Quickly, we have to go!"

Trunks shifted the giant bouquet in his arms so he could press the doorbell.

Para answered the door a few moments later dressed casually.

"Trunks... I wasn't expecting you."

"I can't believe you went to work in your condition!" he scolded, "When I woke up and saw that you were gone and read your text message I was shocked. You should have been resting, you were..."

"I'm perfectly fine," she assured him with a smile. "You're sweet to be so concerned."

"No," he said, extending his arms to give her the two-dozen long stemmed red roses. "I'm a careless fool to have hurt you in the first place."

"Please don't insult yourself," she said as she breathed in the fragrant aroma. "These things happen."

"They shouldn't. You were bleeding so..."

"Honestly! Haven't you ever seen a bit of blood before?" she said with a laugh, turning on her heel, "Please come in, but I won't be here long—I have to leave for work again shortly."

Trunks followed her in and waited for her to place the roses in water before he reached into his pocket.

"Medea, take this. If you eat it you will feel a lot better," he said, stretching out his hand with a small green bean resting on his palm.

She looked at it for a moment and then back up at him before reaching out gingerly and taking the senzu. She stared down at it, chewing her lip in deliberation.

"It isn't a hallucinogen is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, of course me, it works! You'll feel better once you eat it," he said encouragingly.

Para made a face, "Alright, I will... but let me get some water to wash it down first. I bet it tastes horrible... all medicine does!"

She quickly headed for the kitchen and opened a cabinet to retrieve a glass. She tucked the precious bean into the corner of the cabinet and she filled the glass with tap water and quickly began to chug it as Trunks entered the kitchen.

"That didn't taste as bad as I thought it would," she remarked to him with a smile. "But I don't see how a little lima bean is going to... oh! Wow, I suddenly feel good as new. What kind of bean is that?"

"It's a family secret," he said, approaching her and sliding his arms around her affectionately. "I hope you can still stand to be around me after what I did to you."

"Well, I won't be stripping my clothes off and begging for you to sex me up any time soon, if that's what you mean." She smirked at him playfully as she spoke.

Trunks chuckled, "Medea... I wanted to invite you to a special event with me."

"Event...?"

She heard his thoughts and her body stiffened. A cold sweat broke out over her shoulders. She watched the images of Bulma talking to Trunks float through his head, and she shook her head before he began speaking. She didn't want to believe what she was seeing in his mind.

"The Capsule Corp. Charity Ball..."

By the time he had spoken the words, she had tightly clutched the countertop and was trying to refrain from hyperventilating. If she went to the ball as Para… she wouldn't be able to go as Pan or Bra. Her mind reeled as she tried to wrap her mind around the invitation.

"...Is everything OK?"

"I thought that the tickets to that ball were ridiculously expensive..."

"They are..."

"Something like a million dollars?"

"Yes, but it all goes to charity. Most guests are CEOs of major companies or celebrities..."

"Well, I can't possibly afford a ticket!"

"Medea, hon," said Trunks with a laugh, "I wouldn't invite you to something like this and expect you to buy your own ticket. Besides, I am the pres... was the president, still am the fake-figurehead president, and I can surely bring a guest with me on the house. It is still my house..."

"No!"

Trunks frowned, "Why not? I promise that you'll enjoy your time! It's just a big fun party. It's not work! We'll spend most of the night dancing... and the rest of it hanging out with my mom and dad and my sister. Also, you can meet Goten's family..."

"I don't know..." she mumbled. Para realized that she had been nervously twirling a strand of her hair around her finger and she stared at the deep indigo strand with irritation. I can't exactly meet your sister, Trunks. She's in my DNA.

Trunks nervously ran his thumb over his chin. She has to agree. She just has to! How else am I going to dance with her in front of Pan and cause some drama?

Oh, so that's his intention. Imagine his surprise when Pan doesn't show up at all! She answered him coyly, "I just... don't have anything to wear!"

Why does every woman I know repeat that phrase on an endless loop? Especially mom and Bra and Marron. But never Pan. Pan would insist that the dress she wore last year was good enough until one of us forced her to get something new. I wish I could ask Pan to go with me. No, I wish it was just understood that we were going together… naturally.

"I'll take you shopping for a new dress," Trunks offered, smiling.

Para ran her tongue against the inside of her teeth before speaking, "Fine. You've convinced me."

"Great!" said Trunks happily, as he picked her up around the waist and spun her around in the air before kissing her.

"Trunks!" she said laughing after returning his kiss. Wow, you would almost believe he's actually happy to be going with me. But he's just happy that he has a chance of possibly rubbing me in my face and making me jealous of myself.

Trunks stared at Para through his laughing blue eyes and briefly wondered to himself whether he was happy she was helping him to make Pan jealous... or happy to actually be spending more time with her. It was hard to say.

He abruptly pulled her into a tight embrace, "I'm sorry again about yesterday. If you ever let me... I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I bet you could," she said, closing her eyes as he kissed her neck softly. She knew he could.

His hands moved over her back with incredible care and gentleness, in a stark contrast to his previous manner the night before.

She felt his touch stir the embersfires within her and she cleared her throat and stepped back, "I should grab some coffee before work. Would you like a cup?"

"No thanks," he answered.

She grabbed the pot of cold black coffee, and chugged down the liquid in it. She made a face as the disgusting liquid touched her tongue and cascaded down her throat. There was nothing worse than the taste of bitter old coffee.

Come to think of it, how many days has this been here for? Maybe since I bought the house. I don't remember ever making coffee here. Gross!

Trunks was laughing. "I know what that face means." He took the coffee pot from her and tossed the old liquid down the sink before placing the pot back into the coffeemaker, "Let me make you a good cup of coffee."

She watched his hands and forearms working with the machine and felt a small smile come to her lips. There was something about this domestic scene of Trunks with the coffeemaker which was incredibly comforting to watch. Maybe it reminded her of when she was a little girl, too small to even reach the counter-top, and her big brother would make her green tea.

"How do you take it?" he asked.

"Black," she answered automatically.

He opened the cupboard doors searching for sugar and creamer and added them anyway.

"It will taste better this way," he said as he handed her the perfectly made cup of coffee, "My gir… my ex-girlfriend always said she took her coffee black, but she hated the taste. If I didn't add cream and sugar she never drank more than a tenth of the cup."

She sipped on the coffee gratefully, "Well, I guess I can't fool you. This is delicious."

"Everyone seems to think that drinking coffee black makes them seem tougher," commented Trunks, "But it tastes so bad that I'd rather be considered weak."

Para laughed, "Aren't you just full of wisdom!"

"No, seriously. Even my dad drinks his coffee with cream and sugar, and he's the toughest person I know."

"I'm convinced. I won't have it black anymore," she said, her eyes twinkling at him from over the top of the mug.

When she finished sipping the liquid and placed the mug down on the counter-top, Trunks moved in close to her.

"What time does your shift start?" he asked.

"In about ten minutes," she said with a sigh, "I'm already running late, but I was so tired I thought I should grab a coffee before I fall asleep on my feet at work."

"You poor thing," he said, squeezing her shoulders gently. "Can I give you a lift?"

"No, no, thanks," she said quickly, "I have my own car."

"What is it?" he asked.

"What is… what?" she said, panicking. Did she have any cars in her capsule boxes that Trunks wouldn't recognize as belonging to Pan or Bra?

"Your car," he asked, "I haven't seen you drive it yet."

"Oh, it's just… an ancient old thing!" she said with a laugh. "I shouldn't let you see it, it's downright embarrassing."

"Well, would you like a new one?" asked Trunks, fishing into his pocket, "I have a few right here that I hardly ever use…"

"No, no… my old thing's fine. It works, although I'm embarrassed to be seen driving it."

"How about… a new top of the line capsule car?"

"Trunks!" she gasped, "Those things cost a small fortune. I couldn't accept it."

"My family does make them, you know," he said with a laugh, placing the capsule in her hand, "I have plenty to spare."

She looked down at the capsule which he had closed her fingers around and back up at him, "Thank you. I've always wanted one of these! I guess I should probably get back to work now."

She stood on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek and smiled as she headed for the door. He followed behind her, exiting the house with her as she locked up.

She stretched out her hand and was about to pop open the capsule when Trunks grabbed her hand.

"Wait! You should have a FUSION!"

"What…?" she asked, nearly stumbling. She caught the railing of the stairs and gripped it until she felt the metal being crushed beneath her fingers. Her eyebrows furrowed and she took a deep shuddering breath, refusing to be scared by his use of the word this time.

Trunks dug into his capsule box frantically, "It's a brand new gas-electric hybrid modeled after the Ford Fusion! Imports are really in fashion this year."

"Oh, of course. The Ford Fusion," she said, shaking her head, "How lovely."

"It's still a prototype," he said as he tossed the capsule , "But I really have high hopes for this model."

When the smoke cleared and the gift was revealed, Para smiled at the shiny deep blue automobile. She handed him back the initial capsule he'd given her and kissed him on the cheek again.

I hope she likes it, thought Trunks inwardly. I remember my colleague saying to me once that if you gave a woman a nice car she would forgive anything wrong you'd done in the recent past and be especially affectionate to you in the near future.

Para almost laughed. He wants affection and forgiveness? Aw. Poor little boy. While she wasn't THAT impressed with his gift (she had several custom made vehicles already in her purse), in the interest of seduction (and in the interest of her con) she knew she should act as though she were incredibly impressed.

"It's simply gorgeous, Trunks! That midnight blue almost matches my hair exactly. Finally, I won't be ashamed to drive into work and park beside all of those wealthy doctors who have been working for years. You're so good to me." She spoke softly, moving close to him and brushing her lips against his.

"I'm so glad you like it," he responded with a pleased smile. "Anything for my girl."

"I so badly wish I could stay and… spend some time with you. But I must go! I hope I'll see you soon, Trunks. Thank you again for the car!" she said fondly as she waved and entered the vehicle. When Para sat behind the wheel and turned the ignition key she exhaled a pent-up breath. Could the word "fusion" possibly come up any MORE around him? Seriously.When she pressed her foot on the gas pedal she couldn't help but grin.

It is fitting that I should drive a hybrid Fusion!

It was Saturday morning and dawn was breaking. Para played with her wristbands nervously as she approached her first training session with her new sensei.

Hopefully she wouldn't knock his lights out and reveal herself. She had sedated herself extra-EXTRA heavily for this occasion. Control, Para, control, she told herself as she approached the dark haired man who was stretched out languidly on a rock and gazing at the sunrise.

When he was clearer within her view she gasped loudly, "WHAT are you doing?"

Goten turned around, startled from his restful pose on the rock, "What?"

She placed her hands on her hips, her eyes flaring angrily, "GOTEN SON. Just what is that object in your mouth?"

"This? It's a cigarette..."

"And what the HELL is it doing there? Since WHEN do you smoke?"

"I... just started a few days ago," mumbled Goten, feeling like a guilty child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"Does your MOTHER know you're smoking? Whose cigarettes are these?" asked Para, moving closer and examining the brand. The only member of the Z-team who smoked was Bulma, and Bra had convinced her mother to quit when she was a toddler. When Bra had learned that cigarettes were bad for you, that they made you unhealthy, she had promptly marched up to her mother and began kicking and screaming endlessly for hours.

"Bra, please... you're giving me such a headache," complained an exhausted Bulma as she leaned back in her computer chair.

"Woman! What on earth is wrong with the child? I can hear her THROUGH THE WALLS of the gravity chamber," shouted Vegeta as he approached them.

Bra screamed louder when she saw her father.

"Child!" he admonished, "Cease this infernal ruckus instantly! Who has been killed?"

"Daaaaaadddddyyy!" screamed little Bra, pointing at her mother miserably, "Mommy, won't stop smoking and Mrs. Chi-Chi says it's bad for you! Mommy will get sick! I don't want mommy to get sick!"

Bulma's face softened as she stared down at the little girl in her white flowered dress and ponytail. She guiltily glanced at the cigarette lying in the ashtray. She suddenly jumped in surprise as the ashtray was vaporized.

"YOU HEARD THE CHILD, BULMA," Vegeta roared, "You will never touch another cigarette! I have always found those things disgusting."

"Vegeta," she said, swivelling in her chair and crossing her arms, "Don't you think you let your five year old daughter walk all over you a bit too much? You can't give in to her every wish or she'll grow up to be spoiled."

"Well, I didn't give into any of the boy's wishes and he still grew up spoiled. I might as well be kind to one of my children."

Bulma glanced at her husband affectionately, "Aw, Vegeta. You are such a softie."

"Woman, if you dare call me..."

"Mommy, Daddy," said Bra, tugging on Vegeta's sleeve, "Can I go play with Pan now?"

"No, Bra..." Bulma saw the enraged look Vegeta was giving her and she pressed the eraser end of a pencil against her temple, "Sure, sweetie."

"Thanks!" said Bra, holding out her arms to her father.

"You want ANOTHER hug?" said Vegeta with a scowl.

"No way, Daddy!" she said with a giggle, "I know the rules. Once a day when no one is looking."

"Then what do you want, child?"

"Can you please fly me to see Pan, daddy? I'm scared to fly alone."

Vegeta, unable to deny his daughter anything, had quietly cursed and picked the small girl up in his arms.

Her memory was interrupted by Goten's excuses and explanations, "I got them from a co-worker. Medea, I don't see what the problem is if I smoke once in a while…"

"I am a doctor, Goten! I see the insides of cancer patients on a basis which is far too regular for my liking. Do you know how many carcinogens are in cigarette smoke?"

"Dozens, I know, but…"

"No, buts!" she said passionately. "Do you think you're immune to cancer just because you're saiy... saying that you'll only smoke ONCE IN A WHILE? That's how it starts!"

"Medea, I didn't know you hated..."

"You quit smoking this instant or I'm leaving!"

"At this moment I almost feel like you're my girlfriend instead of Trun…"

"THE CIGARETTE IS STILL BURNING."

Goten glanced at her in mild surprise before he tossed the cigarette to the ground and snuffed it with the toe of his boot.

"I'm sorry…" he said softly, as he stared at her in a combination of admiration and surprise. Something in her bossy, demanding tone had reminded him a little of his mother, and a little of Bra.

"No," she said, shaking her head and hitting herself lightly in the forehead. "I shouldn't have exploded at you like that…"

"It's alright," he said with a laugh, "I'm glad you care enough about me to want me alive."

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed, stepping forward and embracing him gently. She buried her face into his chest, holding on for a second longer than she should have.

"You might be the only one," Goten said, swallowing as he returned the hug. He tried his best to suppress the feelings that her closeness aroused in him. Get a grip, man. She's Trunks' girl now, and she's off limits.

Perfect, thought Para, unable to keep her pleased smirk away, "Well, teacher! As you know, I haven't got much time but I'm excited to be trained by you! Where do we begin?"

"Let's work a little bit on your speed and endurance by running laps around this field," said Goten, gesturing to the lush hilly green field.

She nodded, "Will you run with me, Goten?"

"Of course," he answered, "But don't feel ashamed if you can't keep up. I'm really, really very fit. Just try your best to keep me in sight!"

"I will," she said smiling. She had only asked Goten to run with her so that she could get an idea of what he considered 'normal' to set the maximum pace for her.

Goten began to lightly jog up the inclines and dips in the grassy field, and Para easily kept pace jogging beside him.

"Wow, Goten. You're very fast!" she commented, pretending to be out of breath, "I am trying my best to keep up with you."

"You're doing great, Medea!" he said with an encouraging Son smile.

They ran like this for about ten more minutes, engaging in light conversation before Para stopped and placed her hand on her knees, dramatically acting like she was gasping for breath.

"Oh… my… goodness," she said between huge fake wheezing breaths, "You're sooo fast! You must work out SO often."

"I used to, but it also comes naturally to me," he said, approaching her. "Let me try to teach you how to control your energy. My brother was able to teach Videl, so I should be able to teach you!"

He sat on the ground, cross legged, and Para smiled, sitting directly across from him. She had heard the story a hundred times growing up, of how her mother had blackmailed her father into teaching her how to fly, and how they had fallen in love. She knew that Goten had been a little kid at the time, learning to fly on the very same day that Videl had. He hadn't quite understood that his brother was falling in love with his training companion until much later.

"Try to relax every muscle in your body," said Goten, holding out his hands before him. "Focus on the energy in your center, and bring that energy out!"

A small glow began to form in the middle of Goten's hands as he demonstrated. Para smiled at his infinite patience and rudimentary explanation. He was such a good, sweet, loving boy. How could he ever be cruel? If only she could have read his mind sooner and understood the reasons why… but it was done. It was over. Once she had cared about his happiness, and she would have done anything to make him smile. Now all she had to hold onto was her little game. She didn't care whether either or both of them were miserable: she just cared about winning the game.

"Do you think you can bring your energy out like this, Medea?" he asked gently.

She couldn't help feeling like a professor in preschool. "I'll try my best, Goten."

She held out her hands in front of her, and tried her hardest NOT to release the ki which her body naturally begged for her to expend. She made sounds of straining, and twitched her fingers rapidly as though she were trying very hard.

"Oh! It's not working, I simply can't do it," she complained.

"I can feel your beautiful energy, Medea," he said, leaning closer and staring at her eyes and hands, "I know you can do this! I know you can. Just concentrate, let it flow through your body!"

"I can't!"

"Feel the energy! Feel it moving through your body!" Goten reached out and placed two fingers on her stomach, "It starts here, in your center."

He slowly moved his fingers around to her back, and caressed her spine, "The energy flows through your spinal cord, becoming stronger and stronger as your nervous system forces it into smaller more concentrated form…"

He dragged his fingertips over her shoulders and down her arms slowly, "Feel the energy moving through your arms, through the channels of your body. Feel the power and let it travel outside of your body through the palms of your hands!"

"I'm trying," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to control her energy from exploding exponentially inside her as his touch drove her body mad with desire.

"Just relax and let the warmth and power fill your insides," he said softly.

How can I say no when you demand something like that, Goten? She thought, and she tried to allow the tiniest ball of ki to form between her hands. It ended up being slightly larger than she intended, and Goten yelled in joy.

"YES! YOU DID IT!" shouted Goten, reaching forward to hug her in his excitement. "My brother's going to FLIP! I taught you SO much quicker than he taught Videl! You see, he's writing this book on ki techniques…"

Para laughed at Goten's excitement and hugged him back.

"Thanks for teaching me this, Goten. I'll practice on my own every chance I get. I really have to go now, but can we train again soon?"

"This isn't nearly enough training!" he complained. "You should spend at least an hour running, and then we should do some light sparring and more ki manipulation..."

"I wish I could," she said, "But I have a busy day ahead of me! I have to go to work. This is my before-work-workout, you know!"

"Alright," he said, "Well, I know you're busy and don't want to exhaust you. Same time next week?"

"That works for me. I can't wait! See you next week, Goten."

"Her?" said Bulma in a snobby tone, "You can't bring some hooker you met at the corner of Sleazy and Slutty to the CAPSULE CORP. BALL!"

"Mom! She's a doctor!" said Trunks angrily. "She's an educated girl, I thought you trusted me more than that."

"Trunks, I thought you understood after all these years how IMPORTANT this party is to us. We can't have some teenager in here doing something juvenile like pulling the fire alarm and chasing all our guests away!"

"Mother. It's not like dad has the best social graces. How many of your party guests have run away terrified because of him? Even if Medea were socially awkward, which she's not, she still wouldn't be as bad as your husband."

"Don't talk about your father like that!" snapped Bulma."That's different…"

"No. You told me I needed a date. I was content to go alone. But I agreed with you, and I chose Medea to be my date. She's a nice girl, a smart and polite girl from a good background. You'll like her!"

"Well, it's simple. I will have to meet her. You will introduce me to this Meadows girl before the Ball. We'll invite her to a family dinner."

"Is that really necessary, mother? I already told her I'd take her dress shopping tomorrow."

"Then take her shopping. But make the dinner date. I need to know that she won't embarrass us."

"I'm more concerned about dad embarrassing me in front of her!"

"Trunks. Will you invite her to dinner?"

"Yes, mom."

"Where are we headed next?" Trunks asked.

"Hm," said Para, gazing around the mall, "How about Viscaria's?"

"Sure, sounds good. My sister loves that shop."

"Oh, does she? A friend recommended the designer to me."

"I hope you actually like something there. We've been to five stores and you haven't even tried anything on. What exactly are you looking for?"

Part of Para had wanted to try on about a dozen dresses already at this point. Not because she was interested in any of them, but because she had wanted to model them, and to admire them on her body. Another part of her reasoned that she hardly had time to pick out one dress, and that she could only really try on a dress she loved and intended to buy and wear.

"It has to feel right. It has to be THE dress, Trunks. I'll know it when I see it."

"How can you see it if we're breezing from store to store at lightning speed?" he complained, "Maybe you should pause to browse the racks a little more carefully."

"The dress I wear won't be something you tuck away in a corner of a rack," said Para assuredly, "It will be a one of a kind masterpiece in display of the center of the… OH!"

She clutched Trunks' arm tightly when she laid eyes on it.

Displayed in the window of Viscaria's was one brilliant silvery gown on a mannequin. It had a small, shapely bodice and an extremely wide flared skirt. The color was challenging to describe as it was a blend of two different types of white. A snowy ivory and the palest magnolia. Embroidered Swarovski crystals cascaded down the wide skirt in small waterfalls.

"Oh, my goodness," Para breathed.

"Is that 'The Dress?'" Trunks asked. He was fairly confident in the answer from her reaction.

She could only nod breathlessly.

"Would you like to try it on?" he asked again.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, rushing into the store to greet her favourite designer.

The small woman who owned the shop was hunched over a circular table and sketching furiously. She didn't even bother to look up when she heard the door open.

"Good afternoon," said Para excitedly, "We're interested in the dress in the window…"

"You can't afford it."

"Excuse me?" Para responded in shock.

"You can't afford it. I made it for one of my faithful regular customers. Once she looks at it, and decides whether or not she likes it, then I'll consider selling it to the general public."

Trunks cleared his throat, stepping up behind Para and placing his hand on her waist protectively, "I can assure you, ma'am, that we can afford this dress. Name your price, and as long as it fits my girlfriend I will purchase it from you."

The woman continued to sketch on the table furiously, still not looking up at her customers, "Can't. Won't sell. Holding it for Miss Bra Briefs. Custom made to her measurements."

Para gasped, "For the Ball?"

"Heavens, no. Are you two shopping for the Ball?" The woman looked up from her sketch then, tugging her glasses down her nose a little to peer over the rims and assess the potential value of the customers. She stumbled back a little when she saw the President himself standing before her.

"Yes, we are shopping for the Ball," said Trunks briskly, "And I'd like to purchase that dress. What does my sister need a dress like that for? Even though she moved out years ago, half of my closet is STILL filled with her clothes. I guarantee Bra has everything she needs for every possible occasion."

"No, you don't understand, Mr. Briefs," said Mrs. Viscaria, shaking her head with a smile, "This is a special dress, for a very special occasion. I made it for your sister's wedding."

Para raised both of her hands to her cheeks, whispering, "Wedding?"

"Yes. The last time Miss Briefs was in here she mentioned that she was hoping to commission a wedding dress from me in the near future. We browsed a few wedding books whimsically, dreaming up the type of dress she'd like. In my free time I worked on that design to surprise her the next time she came by. I am sure she'll love it. She mentioned Cinderella so I thought… are you crying?"

"No," said Para, wiping tears away from her face hastily, "Certainly not. I'm just sniffling because I'm…allergic to… sequins."

Trunks had become lost in thought as he looked at the dress and he hadn't noticed Para suddenly becoming emotional. He was frowning. Bra must have really wanted to marry Goten if she was already planning out her dress. She must have believed that Goten was intending to pop the question. Well, didn't we all hope so? Poor Bra-chan. I haven't really given much thought to the fact that she must have lost all of her hopes when Goten left her.

"My sister would have looked beautiful in this," Trunks said quietly. Para glanced at him, unable to keep from reading his mind as he thought of her.

I wonder how Bra is doing lately? I've been so obsessed with my own issues… I haven't even really tried to see her or talk to her. She must have been so devastated after Goten broke her heart... Kami. If I'd been a better friend to Goten, could I have prevented this from happening? If I'd been a better example, more encouraging, more sensitive instead of taking my frustrations out on him…

It's partly my fault. I should have been a better brother too. I should have looked out for her. I should have tried harder to secure Bra's happiness, especially considering how much Goten looks up to me and the influence I have over him. Then maybe she'd be wearing this dress and smiling as she walked down the aisle… I'd be standing beside Goten as his best man, of course. And Pan would be her maid of honour. It would have been so perfect.

Para clutched her hands together close to her chest.You are the best brother a girl could have. It makes me so happy just to know that you care…

That's the main reason I haven't seen her… Trunks continued thinking. Pan's been staying with her. And I can't get near Pan without hellfire and explosions. I hope she's taking care of my little sister. I know she loves her as much as I do… I'm sure Bra is safe in your hands, Panny.

Better, thought Para, regaining a bit of her original smirk. She's safe in my body. A soft expression had transformed her features when she had been presented with the gown that was made for her wedding. The wedding that would never happen. The wedding that she had been a fool for ever imagining or dreaming of!

Nevertheless, the dress had been made for her. And she would have it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that the dress already belonged to someone," she said, moving to leave the store. "Let's keep looking, Trunks…"

"No, Medea. It's the first thing that's caught your eye since we got to the mall… you should try it on."

"I don't think your sister would appreciate me trying on her wedding dress!"

"My sister… isn't getting married anytime soon," said Trunks slowly, turning to Mrs. Viscaria. "Bra and her boyfriend broke up. They won't be getting married."

"No!" gasped Mrs. Viscaria, placing her hand on her cheek, "That poor girl! I've never seen anyone so deeply in love."

"Yes, well. I don't think that seeing this dress or hearing about it would exactly put Bra in the best frame of mind," said Trunks. "You should probably just sell it to us."

The designer pushed her glasses back up her nose, "Fine. But it's going to cost you. I guess you'll want to try it on, Miss… sorry, I didn't get your name?"

Para looked at the designer and then back to Trunks, remembering that she hadn't yet told him her last name.

"Meadows. My name is Medea Meadows."

She saw Trunks give her a kind smile as he realized that she was 'trusting' him with her last name for the first time. She returned his smile warmly, sharing a private moment with him through their locked eyes.

"What a lovely name! Let me just get the dress off the mannequin and you may try it on."

"I don't need to try it on," said Para, "I can see that it will fit me."

"Miss Meadows… I don't mean to be rude, but this dress is covered in so many crystals that it costs more than certain automobiles. You want to make sure that it's a PERFECT fit before you purchase something like this."

"Yes, but it's also going to take me ten minutes to get into the dress, and ten minutes to get out of it. Both Mr. Briefs and I are very busy people, Mrs. Viscaria. Besides, I'd like to surprise him with the way I look in the dress." She sent Trunks another private smile.

"I guess your body type looks similar to that of Miss Briefs. More or less…" the designer shoved her glasses up her nose again and walked around Para slowly. She pulled a measuring tape from around her neck and began to measure, "Hmm. Smaller hips. Same waist."

"This won't do!" The woman poked Para in the boob and exclaimed, "Miss Briefs has larger breasts!"

"By what? A quarter of an inch?" muttered Para, brushing the woman's finger away. "Do you want to sell this dress to us or not, Mrs. Viscaria?"

The woman smiled, "Alright. If you're THAT set on it. It will make a lovely ball gown for you."

Mrs. Viscaria began to work on taking the dress off the mannequin, and Para sighed and leaned against Trunks' shoulder in exasperation.

"Part of me really hates shopping," she said to him.

"I can tell," he said, stroking her arm affectionately. He commented with amusement. "If you were my sister you would have tried on twenty ball gowns by now, and you would have bought three of them in case you changed your mind about what to wear before the event. Shopping takes a whole workday for her."

"It sounds like she takes it seriously. The backup-dress is a pretty wise idea," said Para with a smile.

"It was. Bra usually she ended up shoving Pan into one of her backup-dresses since Pan would rather eat dirty socks than enter a shopping mall," said Trunks with a chuckle.

"I don't blame her," said Para with a grin. "That's also very wise."

"But you're not like either of them, are you?" asked Trunks thoughtfully, "No. You're somewhere in between. Ha! You're like the perfect combination of the women in my life."

Para twitched at his phrasing and responded, "Well, you must have amazing women in your life."

"You're the most amazing yet," said Trunks with a wink.

Oh, you charmer you, thought Para, looking at him graciously from under her eyelashes. How many women of yours have believed those honeyed lies?

"The dress is all wrapped up," said Mrs. Viscaria a few minutes later, struggling as she held out a gigantic bag. "It's pretty heavy, so be careful with it. I'm assuming you don't carry fifty thousand dollars of cash on you, so will that be credit or debit?"

Fifty thousand dollars! Trunks exclaimed mentally as he took the bag, Really, for a dress? I'm lucky that I'm rich or I wouldn't be able to afford women at all. I completely forgot what it was like to date. Pan was so low maintenance… a walk in a sweet smelling forest or a swim in a deep fresh lake and she was happy.

"Credit," he said calmly, fishing the card out of his pocket.

When they left the mall, with Para's arm linked through his, Trunks looked around for his limousine and frowned when it was not in sight.

"This is strange…" said Trunks looking around uneasily, "I just paged Phillipe to wait for us outside the mall."

Para noticed the tension in his face and the sharp rise in his ki and she looked at him questioningly, "Is something wrong, Trunks?"

"I'm not sure… I just think that there must be a reason for… oh, shit."

The last words were spoken when Trunks saw a small crowd of men and women swarming around them. Para gasped when she saw the menacing looks on their faces and the signs that they were holding. It seemed oddly familiar…

"YOU EVIL, CONNIVING, CHEAP SLUT!" screamed a shrill female voice from within the crowd.

"What did Miss Son ever do to you?" asked a raspy, angry male voice, "You should pay!"

"Let's get out of here, Medea," said Trunks, placing a hand gently on her back and guiding her away.

But Para was frozen. She remembered the crowd and their words from her dream.

Trunks tried to place his body between hers and the crowd which was closing in on them, but the people were approaching from all sides. They shouted angry phrases and some of them even threw objects at the couple.

"Stay close to me," said Trunks, trying to navigate through the mob.

Para stared at the faces with an uncanny feeling of déjà vu.

"Who are you people?" she asked shakily.

Several girls who wore orange bandannas chanted loudly together in response, "We're the Pan Fans!"

"The what?"

"And we're here to destroy YOU for stealing Pan's man!"

She didn't notice as one of the women raised a rifle to her shoulder. It was almost as though she were in a movie and couldn't control her own body, for she simply stared at the crowd in disbelief.

"Come on, Medea… we have to go," Trunks urged again gently, "These crowds can get a little…"

"DIE BITCH!"

BANG.

The noise snapped Para out of her daze and she commented, "Wow, they're rude."

The bullet had hit her and she hadn't noticed.

"DENDE! Medea, are you OK?"

"What? Why wouldn't I be..." Para suddenly noticed the smoking rifle pointed towards her. She looked down and saw the crumpled up bullet that had ripped through her dress and bounced off the side of her stomach.

Great. I've been shot?

She looked up at Trunks and saw him staring down at her stomach in horror.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Think fast, Para. This looks bad.

Hope you liked it.

Forgive how short these thanks are. I'm actually on a date right now (he's 14 years older than me) and there's delicious lobster waiting for me… so I have to hurry:

seriously creeped out: So I see that you're creeped out, but you were the first one to read and review that chapter immediately after I published it. So creeped out or not, you're hooked on my story. =) There's no getting around it. You can try to fight it, but I bet you'll still come back to read this chapter, won't you? Alas. I'm that good.

Hanako: Thank you! I am so glad you like the complexity of their romance. And thanks for your Facebook encouragements. =)

Hot4DBZ: Yay! Thanks for including your name, because the website messed up again. I am so so glad you enjoyed this chapter! Hahaha, thanks for your comment on Trunks' personality. =)

mali86: You're right. They are sad and desperate!

Suzki: I'm sorry that the lemon was too violent! I hope it wasn't too hard to read. =(

DaBigWilliG: I'm sorry your fight scene has been delayed again! You're right, Para could have been a lot meaner to Trunks, but I think she feels guilty about lying to him too.

cherrytomatoproject: Thank you for your review! I am glad it was a bit disturbing. =)

Talk smith kid: Hehe, I'm glad you thought Trunks' thoughts about Pan with another guy were realistic. Honestly, it's not just guys' minds that are like that… mine is too! Haha. And BY THE WAY… do you really not like girl on top? Girl on top is GREAT. And Anmylica agrees with me. I think Charlie does too.

Supersaiyan2479: Thanks for your advice on how to fix the type 2 errors! Always greatly appreciate your feedback!

Anmylica: Thanks for your review and your message! Your messages always light a fire under me to make me work. I will send you a longer message tonight when I get home from my date, or chat with you on AIM if you're about. =) Did you get a chance to colour that drawing of Para? I might attempt to sketch her too!

famoso: You're so adorable. You're right, Trunks should have to pay to fix what he destroyed and I'll see if I can fit that in somewhere.

Iamnotanobsessedfangirl: That's actually a good idea. But I kind of feel like it would be cheating. I think you'll like something that comes up in the next few chapters.

18katrina: Your review took my breath away. I literally read it while holding my breath. Then I exhaled and held my breath as I read it again. Then I got in my car and started singing really loudly while driving nowhere in particular because I was so happy. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your beautiful words! They mean the world to me, they really do.

Leecassi: You are so sweet! You're right, these girls really are the best of friends. I really enjoy writing it for that reason. =) It makes me feel like I'm experiencing this awesome friendship! Lol.

jazzyfizzler: Your review made me feel so amazing and satisfied with the chapter… I am so glad you saw beauty in the obsessive passionate darkness that is their love for each other. So delighted you liked that chapter. It was really tough to make it special beyond the fact that it was Para/Trunks… I figure there's no point in writing it unless I really try to make it different than the thousands of other T/P fanfics out there. Otherwise, why would anyone read and enjoy it? Thanks for laughing at my stupid jokes like the "on top" thingy. I hope your prom was great! Better than the T/P prom scene by a million times, I hope! ;)

Arian: As you already know, your review made me cry. I even read it to my mom and told her "See, mom? I'm not a total failure." Lol.

gina31486: Thank you for your sweet review! I hope you did great on your exams. I love how passionately angry you were at the guys in your review!

bayden hill: Thank you for your kind words!

Phantasom: I can mail you the story when you go to boot camp, if you'd like that? You will probably be too tired to read, though! If you send me the address of your boot camp in a private message I will print and mail the chapters as I publish them.

celestialpolaris : I love the new name! I got your review just in time before publishing this chapter. You're the only one who noticed the "variety of flower" phrase! A TRUE hardcore DBZ fan, lol. Yeah! It totally snowed yesterday, the weather here in Toronto is NUTS! Luckily I was indoors writing the whole time.

I'm not sure if I'm more excited about the lobster I'm about to eat or hearing what you think about this chapter!