"What do we do…?" I asked, afraid to hear his answer. I could feel my heart pushing the blood through my veins. I could feel it quicken as if it wanted to burst out of my chest. I began to panic, but pressed my lips together in an effort to calm myself. The pain in my arm was hazing my senses and I felt like I was falling into a sort of delirium. Trunks turned from me quickly.

"This place is meant, not only for training, but as a fortress as well." He said and strode to a wall farthest to my left. What I thought had been a fuse box, was actually a means to armor the house. "Thanks to my mother's ingenious technological skills, we'll be safe." He hit a few things on a small, blue touch-screen and an electronic grinding noise made me jump. Slowly, the windows were being covered by large sheets of metal. Everything from the outside world was blocked out. Trunks then moved to the doors, locking them.

"Trunks, a door won't stop him." I protested weakly. A very sly, disturbing smile crept onto his lips. "Ah, yes. But a door made out of metal so strong, even I can't break it down. Not even super-sayian."

I watched, barely able think straight. The pain throbbed through my body like a drum. A throbbing so painful, I was gritting my teeth. Trunks finished locking down the house and stood in the living room, his fists clenched tightly. Even he must have known that we couldn't stay here forever. His jaw was clenched and I could tell that he hated the idea of hiding. He hated the idea of backing down from a fight.

"This way…" He began, glancing at me over his shoulder, "This way I don't have to hurt him again…and you won't have to watch."

I sat motionless. He was avoiding conflict for me. He didn't want to upset me. I could feel the tears rising to my eyes and I fought them back with a gulp. They were tears of pain, tears of frustration, and tears of the beaten. I couldn't do this. I couldn't continue living this way. My world was like a painting that has been smeared before the paint is dry. I cannot tell who I am, or what I was meant to be.

I cannot tell who I love, or where I should go. I felt oddly empty. As if I had no soul anymore. I could feel the hot tears spill down my cheeks but I knew my face was blank. I closed my eyes. I wanted life to be over. I wish that I could die.

Trunks hadn't seen me. He was facing the blocked window, feeling Goten's energy approach closer and closer. I stumbled to my feet and walked into the kitchen slowly. What would I do if Goten actually got in? If he could rip the metal from the windows and reach for me? Would I take his hand? Would I look for Trunks to rescue me?

I placed my forehead on the cool stainless steel of the fridge. I let the coolness breach the fever in my mind. I felt Goten approaching as well. And I felt my arm, searing with pain. Trunks silently entered the kitchen behind me and just looked at me. We stood silently, letting the gravity of the situation hang in the air.

"This is what you want me to do right? You don't want me to fight?" He asked uncertainly.

"No, I don't want you to fight. I want…" But I choked on my words and looked away. His face contorted into confusion and agony. Of all things in the world all I thought was;

God, he is beautiful. So pretty in pain.

"I wish…I wish this were different, Pan. I wish that we could start over, in a different world. We could be together and our whole family would have shown up for our wedding, and Goten would have been my best man. You…wouldn't be afraid of me. And I wouldn't be afraid of you."

"Afraid of me…?" I asked, confused. He chuckled darkly, "Yes. I was always afraid of your love. I don't know how to explain it." He admitted sheepishly. I just nodded, as if I understood. I pictured myself in a gown on our wedding day, everyone smiling. But I would never have that now.

"But you didn't pay attention to the most important part." Trunks protested gently. I just looked at him blankly, unsure what he meant.

"That I want to marry you, Pan. I want a family with you. I want to get married and start all over again in some new place, and make everything right." He said.

"Why are you saying this now?" I nearly cried.

"I want you to promise me your hand before Goten gets here, so no matter what happens I know you're mine. No matter if he makes it in here and we fight. No matter if Goten is gone."

I honestly felt my heart stop. I thought I was dying, as if my blood would never run again. I was tongue-tied. If Goten were gone…? Hollow dread filled me, and also a thrill of exhilaration. The two parts of my soul were fighting. Would I marry him, far far away? Could I? Even if something happened to Goten?

"Trunks I…" My voice faded away from me. We were being swallowed by the force of Goten's angry energy. But I stood a little straighter and looked him right in the eye, "I would marry you, Trunks. I would marry you under one condition."

He steadily looked at me, as if he were afraid to ask the condition, as if he wished he could just conk me on the head and drag me into his cave like in pre-historic times and marry me anyway. But he nodded ascent, and bade me to continue.

"You let me speak to Goten when he gets here, and I will leave with you, where ever you go. We'll marry, and forget this life we've lived until this point." I felt my voice waver, but I was firm.

"You can't talk to him he'll-" He began, but I shook my head, "I will. I will or I will leave with him and go back home to my mother and the rest of my family." I threatened. I felt a little bravery growing in my heart. I never looked away, but rather right into his eyes. He dropped his head and bit his lip, "I suppose I have no choice then." He said in a low voice. I knew he was trying to control his anger.

I knew he was itching to grab me and make me agree with him, with force. But he composed himself. "Then you better get outside, he's almost here."

I walked through the front door and stood out on the lawn. I squinted towards the sky and saw Goten as a tiny figure among the clouds. I steadied my breathing as he approached and managed a half-smile as he landed next to me. His face was contorted in a mix of emotions. Glad to see me, but pissed as all hell that Trunks was in the house behind me.

I took him into a tight hug and I felt him hug me back just as tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay." He said in a sigh. I knew that he was looking at the house behind me though. He was thinking of none other than beating the life out of Trunks. I gently pushed him away and looked at him. He noticed that I was about to say something and let go of me.

"Goten, you must go." I said tightly. Astonishment showed on his face and before he could speak I continued, "I know what you're thinking. But I have decided. I'm going with Trunks no matter what anyone says. We're…we're getting married. Thank you for your concern, but leave."

It took everything in my power not to weep in his arms and tell him how much I would miss him and everyone else at home. But I needed to convince him that I wanted this. I needed him to see, without doubt, that I had made up my mind.

"Are you crazy! NO! YOU ARE COMING WITH ME NOW PAN!" And he grabbed my arm. Without thinking I cried out in pain. Goten flinched back, "My god what happened to you?" He asked. He gently took my hand in his and saw at once that it was crushed and swelling to monumental size. He got so red in the face with anger I thought he would implode.

"TRUNKS!" He screamed at the front of the house, "COME OUT HERE NOW!"

But I grabbed him with my good hand, "Goten, he didn't do this to me!" I lied, "It was an accident. I slipped in some water and fell on my hand…"

"You're lying. You're lying to save him. Why?" He yelled at me. His anger was righteous. His anger was understandable. I shook my head. "It's true, I did. And I'm getting married to him. If you fight him, I will fight you too. I will not go with you Goten, and you can't force me."

"The hell I can't!" He retorted, "We love you, not like he loves you, we actually care for you. And I promised your mother I would bring you home no matter what." He went to pick me up but I jumped away. "Don't follow us Goten. I don't want you to. Let us live in peace, and remember us as we used to be. Tell my mom…tell my mom I'm okay."

And I ran back to the house as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and locked the heavy lock. The click it made sealed my fate. I was trapped with Trunks. Forever.

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't read. I walked slowly towards him and let my head fall on his shoulder. His arms snaked around me. And then we could hear Goten, beating on the metal of the windows. It was loud, and rang through the house. I didn't want to hear it. I pushed myself closer to trunks, in an effort to dispel the sound from my mind.

All night, and finally he had left. He wasn't far. He was waiting for us to leave the house, and was waiting somewhere near the small town outside of the forest. I was finally able to let myself lie down, but the sound of Goten pounding on the windows was still in my head.

I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to think of trivial things. I could feel the bed move where Trunks sat beside me.

"So tell me what you want you're wedding to be like. Whatever you want, its yours." He said softly. I thought for a minute. I wanted my family there. But I pushed that from my head.

"I want…I want a wedding on the beach, when the moon is full and the tide is coming in around our feet. I want there to be little lights in the palm trees, like fireflies. And I want blue spring gentian flowers everywhere. I want to spend our honeymoon far away somewhere, where no one knows us and I can forget my name. Like somewhere in India, or maybe London. Doesn't matter."

"I can do that." He said simply. And I felt his hand trail up my leg and rest on my hip. I tensed slightly. He moved closer and still I didn't move. He turned my head and kissed me, very softly at first. But I knew what was behind it. A current of need and want was underneath his caress. I could already feel my arm healing, thanks to my saiyan blood, but it still pained me and I bit back my protests.

I saw his eyes cloud over and remembered the look of them clearly. It was the eyes of the man who would attack me and take me like a madman. He pulled back my covers and quickly went to pull down my pants. I didn't move; I knew better. He grabbed onto my hips with both hands and his fingertips bit into my flesh. I let him finish and to my surprise he didn't hurt me. But I knew he didn't do it with tenderness and affection. He laid ontop of me and buried his face into my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair and thought about what would come next.

How could we leave with Goten so near? How could we ever live happily ever after?