Author's Note: Well I finally wrote another chapter but unfortunately it will most likely be a while before the next chapter. I have sadly lost interest in this story recently and am constantly fighting writers block. I've barely touched this story in over a year. I sincerily appologize to all of my loyal readers for this but I'm going to do the best I can to work on finishing this story for all of you. Anyways the last chapter left off with Trunks and Pan finally getting together and consumating their love. This chapter picks up a few hours later when the pair wake up from their post-lovemaking nap. How will the new couple deal with their new relationship and how will everyone else react to it?

"talking"

thinking

dream or something happening within a dream or vision

"talking within a dream or vision"

something written/read like a sign or note

something playing out on a video or holographic display

"talking on a video or holographic display"

something written/read like a sign or note

/Saiyan ki telepathy/

song lyrics

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

Chapter 37: Life Mates & Secrecy

When Trunks awoke later that day he found Pan curled up into a tight ball next to him crying. Instantly concerned and curious about what was upsetting her Trunks reached out to her through their new bond. He sensed that she was upset about what had happened and that she didn't realize that this experience meant so much to Trunks or that it affected both of their futures as much as it did. Trunks didn't know what had brought this on but he intended to find out. He reached over and touched her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her.

"Panny…?" Trunks murmured, emotionally flinching when Pan recoiled away from his touch.

"Don't-" Pan whimpered. "Just don't…"

"Pan… Baby what's wrong…?"

"What's wrong is that none of this should have happened Trunks!" Pan wailed as she sat up in bed, holding the sheets tightly to her chest, and turned halfway towards Trunks. "We shouldn't have slept together. We've ruined our friendship for a one-night stand."

"That's not true!" Trunks responded decisively, sitting up next to her.

"It is Trunks. How can we have a relationship with each other? I mean nothing to you."

"You're wrong!" Trunks said firmly as he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him completely. He then moved his right hand from her shoulder to her face with an affectionate smile. "I love you Pan." Trunks whispered lovingly as he ran his hand through her hair adoringly.

"You what?" Pan asked breathlessly in utter shock.

"I love you. I have for a long time. I first realized it the night of the concert… When I carried you to bed I felt like you belonged in my arms. I didn't do anything about it because afterwards Goten convinced me that I wasn't really in love with you and that I'd get over it in no time. But I didn't…and I'm through denying it. I love you Pan. I've never felt this way about anyone before. You're the only person I've ever felt complete with. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before…I should have a long time ago. When Yamako took you for those 4 years…I thought I was going to die. I was so miserable during those 4 years. I'm not going to risk losing you again by not admitting how much I love and need you." Trunks confessed with a small smile as he cupped her left cheek with his hand.

Pan began sobbing. She closed her eyes and looked down as tears streamed down her face. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked back up at Trunks. She gazed at Trunks with worrisome eyes.

"But Trunks…we can't… What about Yamako…? What about your life mate…?"

"Pan…you're the only person I've felt this close to. I can't imagine my life without you. I honestly can't bare the thought of you marrying someone else. I love you Panny!" Trunks paused and smiled. "And in case you haven't noticed you are my life mate. We've marked each other."

Pan gave a small gasp of shock and she quickly examined her neck. When she noticed the already healing mark located there; she checked Trunks' neck for a similar mark. Once she found it she ran her hand along it as her tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. She stifled back a sob as she gazed up into Trunks' eyes.

"I love you too!" Pan cried as she pressed herself against him in a hug. "I've loved you since I was 12 and when Yamako told me she was your daughter I felt like my world had just shattered. I thought that any chance I had with you was completely lost and then when she told me about you dieing…" Pan paused as she choked on a sob. "I couldn't breath…I felt totally crushed. I just love you so much I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

Trunks smiled at her and petted her head. "I understand Pan. But it doesn't matter now. We're together and that's all that's important." Trunks smiled as he pulled back to arm's length. "That and that I love you more than anything. I'm never letting you go." Trunks murmured affectionately as he hugged Pan and cradled her to his chest.

Pan sniffled before looking up at Trunks and smiling. "I love you so much! I'm not going to leave your side…not ever. You're mine now and forever and I wont let anything come between us." Pan looked away from Trunks for a second as her smile faded. "But…I think we should keep this between us and Yamako for now."

Trunks gave her a confused look. "Why…they can't change anything between us. We've bonded…no force in the universe can keep us apart without eventually killing us. Our families will understand that and be happy we've found each other."

"I know Trunks but you know what our moms and my grandma are like. As soon as they find out about us being together and that we've already bonded and had sex they'll insist we get married as soon as possible. With Rizaado arriving at anytime we can't afford to be distracted by our mothers fussing over us and insisting we get married or wedding plans. The fight against Rizaado is too important to focus on anything else."

A thoughtful look crossed Trunks' face and after a moment he slowly nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. So for now we'll just keep this between us and Yamako."

Pan smiled brightly and hugged Trunks tightly. "Thanks for understanding Trunks."

Trunks pulled back after a moment and smiled lovingly at Pan. "Anything for you Panny… I love you…" Trunks said softly before leaning down and kissing Pan.

Pan leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms firmly around Trunks' neck. The kiss intensified into a passionate inferno. Their kisses continued and deepened until Pan was pressed into the mattress with Trunks leaning over her in a full blown make-out session.

SCENE CHANGE

Yamako flew at a rapid pace to Capsule Corp., where she came to an instant halt above her Capsule house. Landing on the ground in front of the door she walked in and headed for her gadget closet. This was where she kept all her extra gadgets that she wasn't currently using. Some of them were old gadgets that she no longer used but kept for parts or to reprogram for another function and some were spare copies of devices she had. After a moment of rummaging through the various gadgets and capsules she found what she was looking for. Grabbing a storage capsule she put the devices into it before she quickly flew up to Pan's window. Opening the window she silently slipped into the room. After depositing the capsule on the dresser in front of Pan's mirror she searched for a slip of paper for a moment. Finding a small sheet she quickly grabbed a pen from Pan's dresser and scribbled down a few words. Lifting the capsule she placed the paper on the dresser under it. Smirking and giving a nod of satisfaction Yamako turned around and stealthily flew out of the window. Without waiting another second Yamako blasted off back to where Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan were battling it out so she could continue with not only her training but the others training as well.

SCENE CHANGE

Pan finally untangled herself from Trunks' embrace and wrapped herself in a sheet in order to walk back to her room to change into some clean clothes. Trunks also rises and pulls on a pair of boxers before moving over to Pan and giving her a deep kiss as she moves to leave the room.

"You sure you can't stay?"

Pan sighed. "I want to… You know I do…but …" Pan turned to gaze out the window. "The others are coming and they'll sense us…it's a miracle they didn't the last time. So until Rizaado is dealt with we'll have to keep our distance."

"But how Pan? I mean we're mates…it'll be downright impossible, perhaps painful to stay away from each other."

Pan sighed and lowered her eyes as she sniffled. "I know…but we'll have to try and find a way to deal. We can't risk the others finding out."

Trunks sighed. "Yeah…I know. We'll just have to try and find a way to cope and spend as much time with each other as possible. But no matter what we'll get through this…and then we'll have the rest of our lives together." Trunks smiled.

Pan smiled back and nodded. Trunks bent down and kissed her softly but filled with all the love he could possibly pour into that single action. Pan returned the kiss in kind and smiled in bliss as they pulled apart. With 1 last loving smile and 1 last short kiss Pan left Trunks' room and quickly retreated to her own. Once inside she softly closed her door and let out a deep sigh. Pan had never been so happy, she finally had her true love all to herself…forever; and yet she felt a great pain in her heart over the fact that she could not openly be with him. She sighed again before looking up and stepping further into her room. She quickly showered and changed into a dry outfit. As she went to her dresser to brush her hair she noticed a capsule with a folded sheet of paper under it. Cocking her head to the side in curiosity she picked up the capsule and inspected it. Not noticing anything unique about it she grabbed the paper and unfolded it. Quickly looking it over she broke out into a smile at what was written on it.

By now I'm sure you know the truth…Mom. I also know that you want this to stay a secret from everyone for now. Grandpa Vegeta already knows about you 2 and since no 1 else sensed your bonding you're both okay for now; but if you want to keep this a secret and still be able to be with Dad as Saiyan mates should then you'll need this capsule…

The capsule contains 2 copies of the ES-057, a small shield device that is activated by the emotions in the energy around it. It will make the bedroom and connecting bathroom totally soundproof. Put it above the doors to your rooms. The capsule also contains 2 of the PB-083, a bracelet that is activated by the wearer's pheromone levels and prevents others from sensing a rise in their ki as well as blocking their ki from causing damage to surrounding objects or people. You and Dad should wear them at all times from now on. They're water proof and practically indestructible so don't worry about damaging them. These will help with keeping our secret and still managing to keep close to Dad as mates. I know it would have been impossible to keep away from Dad otherwise.

~Yamako

Pan felt a wave of bliss well up inside her as she reread the letter. That letter was 1 of the best things she'd ever gotten. It gave her the knowledge and confirmation that she and Trunks really were meant to be and that the 2 of them and Yamako were destined to be a family. Folding up the letter and tucking it into her pocket to give to Trunks she quickly opened the capsule Yamako had left revealing a small storage box. Lifting the lid of the box she grabbed 1 of the bracelets and snapped it on and then picked up 1 of the shield generators and attached it to the top of her door frame. She then grabbed the other bracelet and shield generator before closing the storage box and encapsulating it. Picking up her brush she fixed her hair before going over to Trunks' room. She poked her head in slightly and looked around for any sign of Trunks. She spotted him gathering up their discarded/shredded clothing from the floor. Smiling she quickly walked over and wrapped her arms around Trunks from behind. Grinning Trunks turned around in her arms and looked down at her. The instant he faced her she leaned up and kissed him deeply. Trunks stiffened in shock for a moment before returning it just as passionately. After a moment they pulled away from each other and Trunks looked down at her grinning face in confusion.

"Pan? Why are you so happy? And why are you back here…I thought we had to keep our distance?"

"I thought we did…" Pan grinned as she kissed him again.

Trunks felt desire course through him at her sensual kisses. "Not that I'm complaining but if you keep kissing me like that we're going to end up right back in that bed and everyone will know."

"No they wont… We can keep our secret and still be together."

"What's changed?" Trunks asked as he cocked his head to the side while his confused expression grew. "How can we be together without everyone finding out?"

"Our daughter paid us a little visit while we were…" Pan paused to kiss Trunks again as she thought of a way to delicately phrase what she wanted to say. "…occupied and left something in my room." Pan pulled out the note and handed it to Trunks.

Trunks looked over the note and grinned widely. After he finished reading it he looked back at Pan and Pan handed him the bracelet and shield generator. Trunks quickly clasped on the bracelet and then kissed Pan deeply. Pan returned the kiss eagerly. After a minute they separated so Trunks could attach the shield generator above his door. He then turned back to Pan and smiled at her. Pan smiled back as she walked over to him.

"Thanks to our daughter we don't have to worry about hiding our relationship quite as much. We just have to make sure that when everyone else is here we're careful about not getting caught together. Otherwise we can be together as much as we want." Pan grinned as she hugged him.

"Yeah but speaking of the others we'd better finish cleaning up in here before they get here. They'll be here in a few minutes." Trunks replied with small sad smile.

Pan nodded in agreement and together with Trunks they finished cleaning up the room to hide the evidence of their passionate encounter. They even went to the necessary lengths to mask/remove the scent of their sexual escapade. No sooner had they finished than they heard the sound of the automated doggie door opening signaling Lunis' return. Not 5 seconds later and Lunis was bursting into the laundry room looking for them (they had just finished putting the sheets from the bed into the washer).

"Hi guys! Whatcha doing in here?" Lunis asked as he went over to Pan and jumped up to lick her face in greeting.

Trunks and Pan quickly glanced at each other and telepathically developed a plausible story to tell Lunis and the others if they asked. They knew the service bots would take care of finishing the laundry so it would only come up if Lunis mentioned it to anyone.

"Trunks' cell phone was missing and we thought that the service bots might have accidently collected it with the bed sheets this morning since Trunks was using it late last night." Pan quickly answered.

"Oh ok. Did you manage to get it before it went through the wash?" Lunis asked curiously.

"Yup…it's all good." Trunks replied as he produced his cell phone from his pocket to show Lunis.

"Cool, so did you have a good time today?" Lunis questioned as he left the room.

Pan and Trunks secretly grinned at each other as they followed Lunis to the family room and proceeded to tell Lunis about their time at the beach and then the spar they had earlier (leaving out how it ended with them having sex of course) and asked Lunis about how he enjoyed his day. They talked for a bit while they waited for the others to return home. A few minutes later the women and Goten and Uub returned home. Bulma, Chichi, and Videl went to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner for everyone (after putting their purchases away) while the others joined Trunks, Pan, and Lunis in the family room to watch TV until dinnertime. It was another 2 hours before Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, and Yamako came back from training. Goku and Gohan looked about ready to keel over but they both wore proud grins on their faces. Everyone rushed over to congratulate them on achieving Super Saiyan 4. Vegeta simply rolled his eyes at the display of affection before walking past everyone, heading towards the master bedroom in order to shower before dinner. He briefly paused on his way to lock gazes with his son; giving a small nod and a smirk of approval before doing the same to Pan. Trunks and Pan looked at Vegeta with happiness and gratitude before continuing to give Goku and Gohan praise for their achievement. Yamako didn't join the celebration; she simply watched her family flock around Goku and Gohan from the hallway just outside the entrance to the family room. When she saw Vegeta leave the room she decided to do the same and left the building in order to go to her Capsule house to shower and change for dinner.

Pan saw Yamako leave but knew she couldn't follow her without drawing unwanted attention to herself so she figured she could wait until their next training session together to confront her about everything. For now it was just enough to know that Trunks was hers and Yamako was their daughter and not just his. After all they would have plenty of time to bond as a family in the coming months (as they trained for Rizaado's arrival) and for years to come (when this time's version was born).

Author's Note: So Trunks and Pan are going to keep their relationship a secret for now and thanks to Yamako they can still be intimate without worrying about being caught. Pan is still going to try and talk to Yamako about everything and the first time as her mother and not just her friend. How will Yamako and Pan's relationship change now that Pan knows that Yamako is her daughter? REVIEW!