Couldn't skip their first married folk Christmas. It's a bit anticlimactic, I'm afraid, but I need to do something because the time stamp for the birth of the baby is being a bit difficult. The ones that follow it have been coming along nicely, but I want to post them chronologically. This one's gonna be a bit short, I think.
London and Japan are 8 hours apart with Japan being 8 hours ahead btw.
Title is taken from "Someday at Christmas" by Stevie Wonder.
Time Frame: December 21st-25th, Age 803 (Pan is 6 months pregnant)
Summary: Extenuating circumstances separate Trunks and Pan for the holidays, and it's the first time they've been separated for a substantial amount of time since Pan's arrest the year prior. Despite this, Trunks finds a, or rather makes his own loophole so they can ring in the Yuletide season together.
Pan huddled under her black wool-lined Sherpa blanket, definitely not pouting as she sat on hers and Trunks' bed, watching her husband pack a rolling case with his things. The reason? A business trip in the UK that he'd be gone for a week and a half for, missing their first Christmas as husband and wife. She laid a hand on her prominent bump, sighing deeply for the nth time in the past hour.
Trunks looked up at her, taking in her forlorn expression, "Pan-chan, you know if I could back out I would," he rounded the side of the bed and sat in front of her, "but I've been putting this trip off for a month and a half, and it's time to bite the bullet." He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "you could always come with me."
"It's too late for me to call out from work," she replied, grabbing his hand before he could pull it back, "and it's Aya-chan's first Christmas and birthday, one of us has to show up." She twiddled with his fingers for a bit, only to suddenly tense up with discomfort.
Trunks' hands flew to her stomach at once, "is it the baby?" Her stomach stretched under his touch as their baby shifted into a new position and settled again.
"Bladder shot," she breathed, grimacing, "I need to go pee now, dammit." With her husband's help, Pan crawled out of the bed and quickly waddled into the bathroom. The lavender haired demi saiyan watched her go, amused and endeared with her pregnant gait.
Seeing as she'd left the door open, Trunks rolled off of the bed and returned to his packing, "is your mom coming over to stay with you?"
"She'll be here with the girls, yeah," Pan replied, "Papa will probably come along since he'll be in the house alone. I'd go stay with them instead, but my work commute's way shorter from here."
"Sounds like a plan. I'm mostly done packing, what time's your ultrasound with Marron?"
"Not for another two hours." Pan flushed the toilet and padded to the sink to wash her hands, "you've got time, go ahead and finish up. Your flight leaves pretty early, right?"
"5 am," the demi saiyan huffed, "I'll have to get out of here by 3:30. I don't know why I can't fly myself to London. It's cheaper and much quicker."
"You know how your mother is," Pan poked her head out of the bathroom, "and they're expecting you to fly in so it'd be weird if you were just there sans plane." She waddled up to her husband and wrapped her arms around his middle, angling her bump so she could get as close as possible, "I'll miss you."
It'd been a little over a year since the "Great Chan Debacle", yet Pan couldn't help but recall the last time Trunks left for a prolonged business trip. He'd ended up having to cut it short and return home because she'd gotten arrested on kidnapping charges and the twins had been taken into protective custody. Though she knew it wouldn't happen again, the irrational worry was still there, mixing with her mild separation anxiety and heightened hormones. A few tears streamed down her cheeks unbidden.
Scenting the faint tang of salt water in the air, Trunks gently pulled back just enough to see his wife's face, "if you want me to cancel, I'll cancel. I can put it off until gumdrop gets here if you want."
"No," Pan shook her head, smiling wanly, "you need to go so it won't be hanging over your head anymore. I'm just hormonal and hate being alone, that's all. Our family's gonna be here with me, I'll be fine."
"If you're sure..."
"I'm sure."
*~*S*~*S*~*
Trunks gently used his thumb to pry Pan's teeth off of her bottom lip, which she'd been nibbling at on and off while Marron set up the ultrasound and got her equipment ready. The quarter saiyan pushed his hand away from her face with a small scowl, crossing her arms over her chest with a puff of air through her nose. He leaned down and pecked her on the nose as Marron spun to face them.
"Alright," she smiled brightly, "shall we?" she squirted the cool gel onto Pan's tummy and used the wand to spread it around. The parents to be's eyes immediately moved to the screen, waiting for a clear image of their child to come up. For a few minutes, the room was silent as the screen shifted and blurred in time with Marron's movements, and then…
"Well," she murmured, an amused smirk twisting her pink lips, "that's not very nice."
Pan snorted with laughter as the 3D image of their baby's tail-bedecked butt popped up on the screen. Trunks snickered, "somebody's not feeling very photogenic today."
"Give them a day or two, they'll flip back around," Marron giggled, roving the transducer around to get a better look at the rest of the baby, "and, from what I can see, things like to be right on track. I'm guessing you guys don't want prints or a video of this session?" This she asked with an amused smirk.
"Just the one picture," Pan chuckled, "for posterity. It's definitely going in the baby book."
"While you're here, I wanted to pick your brain about something," the daughter of Krillin hedged, "it's something I've been thinking about doing once I get a little more seasoned," she bit her lip, "what do you think about starting a private practice?"
Trunks quietly excused himself after wiping the gel away from Pan's skin and fixing her clothing for her, letting the pair have their privacy. Pan bit her lip in thought, "that's… that's gonna be a lot of work to do on your own, Maz. Are you sure?"
"I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't," Marron raked a hand through her hair, "also, it's significantly less if you don't do it alone." She looked pointedly at her pregnant friend, who frowned in confusion.
"Who're you planning on doing it with? Are you still in contact with some of the people we graduated from med school with?"
"Well… you, if you're open to the idea," a pink flush colored the blonde's cheeks, "I know there are a lot of birthing centers out there, but I was thinking of having an all-inclusive one that covered every possible base. We'd offer water births, laboring rooms designed specifically not to look like hospital rooms that the mother to-be could make up as she wished, and, in the case of an emergency, a fully equipped and staffed operating theater for cesareans as well as a small NICU unit. I'm still hammering out the details, there's so much to consider and figure out... I'm still researching everything."
"That's basically a small hospital geared specifically towards labor and delivery and, if we could pull it off, it'd be a level IV unit right off the bat," Pan's mind flew over the possibilities, "When are you planning on launching it?"
"Well, first… wait… we?" Marron's icy blue eyes went wide, "you'll do it?"
"When we're a little more seasoned… yeah, definitely. I'll help out with the research, too."
*~*S*~*S*~*
Pan groaned blearily as a calloused hand cupped her face, gently rousing her from her slumber. She blinked sleepily at her husband leaning over her and reached up to cup his cheek, "you leavin'?"
"Yeah, I'm leaving," he whispered, chuckling softly at her sleepy voice, "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
"Oh, okay," she mumbled, words slurred, "bye, love you." They shared a brief, somewhat sloppy kiss, at least on Pan's end, and she settled back into her pillows as she was sucked back down into slumber.
Trunks gently pulled the covers up a bit more, "love you too, Panny. I'll be home soon." He dropped a kiss on her forehead and her bump, "love you too, gumdrop." He paused in the doorway, taking in his beautiful wife and their unborn child for a moment longer. He had to force himself to leave the room and head downstairs; if he stood there any longer he would've never been able to leave.
*~*S*~*S*~*
Pan woke up later in the morning to cold sheets on the other side of the bed and no husband/space heater wrapped around her body. Despite the healthy amount of sleep she got, she didn't feel well rested at all. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself to get over this melancholy.
The quarter saiyan checked the clock, which read 9:38 in the morning, and frowned. Trunks was still in the air, and it'd be another two and a half hours before her family arrived, so she might as well get up and make breakfast for herself and the baby. On cue, her baby rolled in her womb and her stomach growled angrily.
"Good morning to you, too," Pan whispered, smiling softly, "let's get us something to eat, gumdrop." She rolled out of the bed and shrugged into her silk robe before puttering into the bathroom to start her day.
*~*S*~*S*~*
Pan sat awkwardly at the breakfast nook with a platter loaded down with crispy hash browns, sausage links, bacon, a plate stacked high with buttery pancakes drowned in maple syrup, a mug of ginger peach tea, and the strongest cup of decaf coffee she could brew. She tucked into the meal mechanically, mind elsewhere on other things.
This house is too damn big… We need a pet or something.
The house always felt so much larger when Trunks was away, too large for her to be all on her own. Pan made a note to bring up getting a pet the next time she talked to her husband. She wondered if she'd like a puppy or a kitten, or maybe something a little more exotic…
On the counter, her phone chimed brightly. Pan scooped it up and swiped her thumb over the screen, "hey, B-chan."
"Hey honey, just checking up on you." Bra chirped in greeting. Ayame was squealing and laughing cheerfully in the background.
Pan sighed deeply, "it hasn't even been 24 hours," she grumbled, annoyed, "I'm fine. Did Trunks put you up to this?"
"No, he didn't, I just know you," Bra drawled, "can't I be concerned about my favorite sister in-love's and future niece/nephew's wellbeing? I'm still sore about the whole 'we want it to be a surprise' thing, by the way."
The wife of Trunks rolled her eyes with a snort, "we're still letting you do the nursery, aren't we?"
A discussion not long after the newlyweds returned from their interstellar honeymoon brought the pair to the conclusion that they wanted to be surprised when the baby arrived. When they told Bra the news, the bluenette reacted as if they'd killed a litter of puppies right in front of her. Both Trunks and Pan had found her reaction hilariously over the top, as per usual, not that they'd told her that out of respect for her feelings.
"And you want it to be 'space' themed, how gauche," Bra rambled, prompting an eye roll from Pan, "I know that's you guys' thing and all, but seriously? Not giving me a lot to work with."
"Oh poor you, how ever will you manage to come up with the perfect nursery?" Pan simpered, words dripping in sarcasm, "you've made more out of less, Blue. You know we'll love whatever you come up with. Just don't over think it."
"Yeah, I guess you will," she huffed, "and I need to come up with something fast. It won't be too much longer till you pop, huh?"
"Just over three months but yeah," she glanced down at her food, "if it's all the same to you, I'd kinda like to get back to my breakfast."
"Alright, I'll let you get back to your feast," the bluenette drawled, a smile in her voice as her daughter squealed again in the background, "lemme go see what these two rascals of mine are up to. I'll talk to you later, hon."
"Give Aya and Uncle G my love, I'll see you on Christmas Eve at CC."
"Will do. Love you, bye."
"Love you too, bye." Pan swiped her thumb to end the call, a bubble of melancholy settling low in her gut. Her appetite waned a bit, but she forced herself to finish eating anyway.
Just gotta get through these last few hours and then it won't be so bad, she silently soothed, Mama and Papa and the twins will be here, then you'll have work to distract you for the next three days, and then it'll be Christmas Eve. You're gonna be fine.
Making it through those last six days after Christmas was another thing entirely.
*~*S*~*S*~*
Noon found Pan curled up in her Sherpa blanket on the sofa, TV turned to the soap opera channel for background noise as she scrolled mindlessly through her phone. She was off work today, but scheduled for morning shift for the next three days. As she pondered over whether or not she had any clean scrubs to wear, and whether or not she was ready to go on maternity leave, the doorbell chimed.
Sensing the four cheery ki signatures of her parents and sisters, Pan levered herself off of the sofa and waddled around the couch and out into the front hall to let them in. Corra and Chyna practically threw themselves at her the door opened wide enough, knocking her off-balance for a split second. Pan grabbed the doorframe to steady herself before hugging her baby sisters back.
"Hi, Panny."
"Hey, Pan-neechan!"
"Hey, honies," Pan giggled, "it's so good to see you. I swear you two grow every time I look away." She dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads.
"Careful, girls," Videl chided gently, "you can't just tackle hug your sister now, she's pregnant." She entered the house ahead of Gohan, smiling warmly at her eldest child, "have you eaten yet, hon?"
"Of course," Pan murmured with a snort, "baby's always hungry." She extricated herself from her sister's holds and drew her mother into a hug, "thank you for coming, Mama."
"You're always welcome, baby girl," Videl returned the hug, chuckling when her grandchild began to kick up a fuss between them, "and hello to you too, sweetheart."
Pan rolled her eyes at the baby's antics and opened her arms to her father, who'd stood back and waiting patiently for his wife and younger daughters to get their greeting out of the way. He scooped his eldest daughter up into a warm hug and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.
"Hi, Papa."
"Hey, Panny."
The pair parted and Pan pointed towards the stairs, "I cleaned and set up your rooms so you don't have to worry about that. I'm off work today, but I'm scheduled up until Christmas Eve."
"When do you go on maternity leave?" Videl inquired, concerned.
Pan bit her lip, recalling when she'd thought she'd be able to work up until it was time for the baby to come. She'd been so optimistic then. Now, she tired out much easier at work and ached constantly, but she still wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet. Paul had been not so subtly beating around the bush trying to pick her brain about when she'd call it quits.
"I'm still going strong," she said proudly, "I feel really good; I think I can keep working for another few weeks. Paul's been asking, and I know he's concerned, but I'm being super careful about it."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should, Pan-chan."
"I work four days out of the week, that's nothing. I'm not even on call for deliveries anymore." Much to her chagrin, that was her favorite part of her job.
"Now," Pan clasped her hands together, "what're we doing today?"
*~* Four Hours Later *~*
Videl laughed softly as Pan snored, the sound partially muffled by the pillow she'd buried her face into, on the sofa in the living room. She recalled this particular symptom from both her pregnancies, Gohan didn't get a lick of good sleep until she finally gave birth. She spread a blanket over her daughter's napping form and left the room.
I think the washing machine stopped, let me go check it…
She entered the kitchen and found Gohan on Pan's phone, talking cordially with whoever was on the other line. He turned to face her the moment she entered the room, mouthing "it's Trunks" before going back to the conversation.
"Pan's gonna kick herself for missing his call," she murmured, "but I don't wanna wake her, she needs all the rest she can—"
"Trunks?"
Pan stood in the doorway, hair all over her head, bleary eyed and clothing mussed. She rubbed at her eyes, yawning widely as she waddled across the cool marble, hand outstretched for her phone.
Girl's got ears like a bat.
"Here she is," Gohan chuckled, passing the phone over at once, "Trunks just made it to his suite." The quarter Saiyan nodded in thanks and raised the phone to her ear.
"Hi, honey," Pan smiled goofily, still a little half-sleep, "how was your flight?"
Videl moved away to give her daughter some privacy, heading into the next room over to check on the scrubs she was washing for Pan to wear to work for the next three days. Through the window looking out into the backyard, she could see Corra and Chyna sparring lazily just beyond the pool. She watched them as she moved the clothing over to the dryer, completely distracted.
The daughter of Hercule nearly jumped out of her skin when her husband cozied up behind her as she was starting the dryer up. Videl spun in his arms and smacked him in the chest, "you scared the hell out of me, Son Gohan." She looked out the window again, still observing.
"I'm sorry, Vi," he soothed, dropping a placative kiss on her brow, "I didn't mean to…" he followed her gaze, watching their younger daughters for a moment, "they've been getting a lot stronger lately."
"I can feel it," Videl replied, eyes going blank as she sensed her daughter's ki's, "is there really a point to them continuing to train? I know Pan and Goten taught them for self-defense but…"
"Anything could happen," Gohan's voice turned grave, "I hope this peace lasts, but you can never be too careful." He recalled the seven years of peace they had after Cell, and how complacent they'd all become, only to be faced with Babidi and Majin Buu.
"They might know our stories, but they've never lived them, they don't understand what it's like to have to be strong for the sake of the fate of the planet. I don't want them to have to understand that burden, is that too much to ask?"
"Vi… we're not always going to be here to protect them," Gohan hedged gently, "I don't like it any more than you do, but at least this way… they'll be ready."
"I'd like to know who signed our family up to be the Earth's Savior time and time again because I think we might've missed something in the fine print." Videl joked weakly, "I'm tired of it and all I have to do is sit on the sidelines and hope that you and Panny will come back home."
"I've been tired of it since Cell," Gohan murmured, burying his face in his wife's soft, spiky locks, "you know I—"
"I know," Videl soothed, "your heart's never been in it." The couple stood together quietly, letting the tense aura around them slowly dissipate and basking in each other's comforting energies. After a few seconds, Videl extricated herself from her husband's hold.
"Come on, Goober," the periwinkle eyed woman jerked her thumb towards the backdoor, "let's go spectate." The bespectacled demi Saiyan chuckled and let his wife lead him out onto the patio.
*~* Meanwhile *~*
Trunks flopped back onto the feather bed in his fancy London suite with a groan, listening to his wife recount her morning to him. He was happy to find that, while he missed her, being separated didn't seem so terrible. However, he could never get enough of her beautiful voice in his ears.
"I was doing my laundry and Mama let me fall asleep on the sofa," Pan grumbled, only mildly disgruntled, "I swear I wasn't that tired but…"
"You're growing a human being, Panny," Trunks chuckled, "I imagine that takes quite a bit of energy to pull off. Gohan told me you were sawing logs in there, though."
"… I literally can't help but snore," she huffed, "don't laugh at me."
"What do you mean you can't help it?"
"It's a pregnancy thing," Pan explained, as if she were talking to one of her patients, "The heightened levels of estrogen and progesterone in my body make the blood vessels in my nose open wider than normal and make my mucous membranes swell up, hence the snoring."
"Ah," the lavender haired demi Saiyan nodded, "I guess that makes sense."
"uh huh…" Pan snickered, only to sober up a bit, "I think I'm okay with you being away. It helps having my family here, but I don't feel really anxious about it like I did before you left. I'll have to try it again on my own to be sure, but I think I'm mostly over it."
"That's good to hear," he replied jovially, "I do miss you and gumdrop, though."
"Yeah, we miss you too."
*~* Later in the Evening *~*
Pan and Videl huddled up under the quarter saiyan's favorite Sherpa blanket on the porch swing, watching the twins try to gang up on Gohan. Videl spluttered with laughter as Corra jumped up onto her father's back, accidentally knocking his glasses askew in the process. Chyna grabbed him around the middle and together, the twins worked to bring him down to the grass.
"That's why you should wear your contacts, Papa." Pan chuckled merrily. Videl stood from the porch swing and tucked the blanket around her eldest daughter, "let me grab his glasses before they break them, Chyna's too while I'm at it."
Pan snickered softly and tucked her socked feet up under her body, pulling the blanket tightly around herself. Seemingly on cue, right when she got comfortable, her bladder cried out for relief. The quarter saiyan rolled her eyes and put the blanket to the side, shivering with the chill in the air, and waddled back into the house to use the facilities.
"You always do this," she mumbled to her belly, "right when I get comfortable, you little brat." There was no malice, only warmth in her voice as she made her way to the half-bath just off of the laundry room.
Her stomach gave a pitiful gurgle as she was washing her hands, and Pan hummed in thought, wondering what she'd like to eat that evening. At the moment, she was craving something meaty, cheesy and completely unhealthy. Preferably drowning in heaps of grilled onions, extra garlic aioli, and layered with bacon.
Slurpee's it is.
*~* Christmas Eve *~*
A tired Pan slumped into the passenger seat of her father's aircar, muttering a quiet thanks to Dende that her three days of work, the last for the rest of the week, were finally over and done with. Gohan chuckled softly as she shut the door behind her and rounded the car to get back in the driver's seat.
"Your mom and sisters are already at Capsule Corp," he told her as she pulled into traffic, "do you want to stop at home to shower, or just head on over?"
"I packed some things in a capsule before I left for work this morning," Pan pulled her seatbelt over her torso and latched it, "we can head right over, Papa." Before long, the soothing thrum of the aircar lulled the pregnant Son into a light doze.
*~*S*~*S*~*
"Kami, I've gotten big." Pan mumbled, twisting this way and that in front of the mirror. Her baby bump was sheathed in a soft wine red cashmere tunic with a cowl neck, and the clingy material really highlighted how much she'd grown over the past few months.
She completed the look with a pair of opaque black pantyhose and a pair of black ankle boots with gold embellishments. Her hair hung just below her shoulders, she'd finally gotten it cut again, in soft black waves with a gold pin tucked behind her ear. She finished the look with gold jewelry, a pair of diamond studs set on gold posts and a gold necklace with a rose on the chain, and light makeup.
The door opened just a bit, and Bra poked her head in, "Panny, you look so pretty! I thought I was gonna have to come in here and fix you up."
"I don't know whether to be insulted or pleased," Pan muttered under her breath, smiling at her friend, "please come in, seeing as you've pretty much let yourself in already." She smoothed a hand over the soft cashmere covering her bump. The baby hadn't been moving much today and she already missed the kicks and rolls.
Bra entered readily, hurrying over to her friend to hug her tightly. The saiyan Princess was dressed in an evergreen cashmere sheath dress with three quarter length sleeves and a neckline that left her shoulders exposed. Her cerulean hair hung down her back in loose barrel curls, tied into an artfully messy low ponytail with a few curly wisps framing her face. She completed the look with a pair of black patented leather pointed toe boots that came up over her knees, plain silver jewelry, and a simple yet elegant dark green smoky eye with a dark red matte lip that popped against her creamy skin.
Pan returned the hug, "where's the birthday girl to-be?"
"Harassing her daddy, as usual," the bluenette giggled, "so, how are you holding up? I know it's yours and Trunks' first Christmas after the wedding and…" she trailed off, looking at her friend in clear concern.
"Fine actually," the brunette grinned, "I'm doing better than I thought I would be. I miss him like crazy though."
*~*S*~*S*~*
Trunks was in hell.
This was the first time in a few years that he'd been sent out to the UK location to oversee operations and such, and things… were not running as smoothly as they'd been the last time he came. In the last four days, he'd fired just as many people and demoted three times that amount. It would only get worse as the days went by and he upturned more incompetent and ill-fit employees.
Kami, I just want to go home to my wife!
"Alright," Trunks waved his hands, bringing the meeting to a halt, "I've had enough of this. If we can't come to a compromise and get this location working at its full potential and capacity again, I'll be forced to shut down operations next year. You're all dismissed for the day; go home, be with your families, enjoy the holidays."
"What about tomorrow, President Briefs?" His interim secretary inquired.
"I'm closing down operations nationwide for Christmas" he responded tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose, I don't know why I've never done it but we're starting now, "I need to go home and be with my wife. We'll resume on the 26th. Send out a memo to all the other locations, please."
The beleaguered President of Capsule Corp dropped back down into his seat as the board members and higher ups left the room, tittering amongst themselves as they went. Once the last person left the room, he sat up and pulled out his cell phone to check the time difference. It was currently 6 pm back home, and his mother usually started their traditional Christmas Eve festivities at 8. Great. He could sneak back home and surprise his Pan-chan.
I'm going to go kill time in my suite, I need a nap after this.
*~* A Quarter till Noon (London Time) *~*
Trunks hastily pulled the dark green turtle-neck cashmere sweater over his head, shaking out his locks once he'd pushed his head through. His threaded his arms through the sleeves and pulled it down to his waist. It didn't fit terribly tight, just loose enough to leave the definition of his physique to the imagination.
The Prince paired the sweater with a pair of black slacks and matching Italian leather dress shoes, shined so well he could see his face in them. He ruffled his lavender locks, making sure they weren't in disarray, spritzed a bit of the cologne Pan loved on him at his pulse points, and made sure he had his wedding band on. He tucked his wallet and room key into his pockets before taking his leave.
Now I just have to find a remote spot to take off…
Trunks arrived outside of CC a little after 8 o'clock, keeping his ki suppressed so as not to alert anyone to his presence. He quietly let himself in through the backdoor, skirting around the service bots as they whizzed around the kitchen. He could hear his family and friends laughing and talking in the living room, probably gathered around the Christmas tree.
The saiyan royal exited the kitchen and cut through the dining room to get to the living room, following the cheery, slightly echoing ki of his wife. He peeked into the room, smiling when he spotted Pan sitting on one of the sofas with the twins and Marron, her back to him. A few people caught sight of him, and he quickly raised his finger to his lips to keep them from revealing his presence.
Pan turned to the side, talking avidly with Marron, and Trunks quickly ducked back into the dining room before she could catch sight of him. He waited a few minutes before peeking again and, finding the coast clear, zipped up behind his wife and laid his hands on her shoulders.
"Surprise…"
*~*S*~*S*~*
Pan jerked in surprise, nearly spilling the flute of sparkling white grape juice she'd been nursing. She whipped around to look at the culprit, "who the…? Trunks?!" she let her head loll back on the back of the sofa, looking at him upside down.
"In the flesh," Trunks released the hold he had on his ki, "I just had to see you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to her. The quarter saiyan smiled into the kiss and tangled her fingers in the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
Several people wolf-whistled from across the room, and Pan extricated herself from his lips to shoot a scowl at the culprits, most notably Bra. The bluenette waggled her fingers and winked playfully before Ayame snagged her attention again.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried reproachfully, "what are you doing home? The workday isn't even halfway over back in London."
"Well," the demi saiyan rounded the sofa and took a seat on the floor in front of his wife, "I sent everyone home early and closed down all locations for the holidays." He shrugged, "I know I should've run it by you first, but I needed to get out of there before I lost it, and I really needed to see my wife," he flushed pink, and Pan ran her fingers through his hair, "the UK location is kind of a mess, Mom."
Bulma pursed her lips as she mulled it over, though it was clear she was a little miffed at the lack of warning. Vegeta placed a hand on his mate's lower back, "the boy just wed a few months ago and his mate is with child," he murmured in her ear, "his instincts were probably going haywire being away from her. Let it go, woman."
"Alright, honey," the bluenette conceded, "but you better be back in London day after tomorrow."
"That's the plan," the lavender haired demi saiyan nodded gratefully, letting his head loll back against Pan's knees, "thanks for understanding, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't call you first."
"You're welcome, sweetie," Bulma grinned, "and everything's fine, just call me first next time. Alright," she raised her flute of champagne, addressing the room at large, "who's ready to start opening some presents?"
Ayame squealed happily, "me, me, me! Me, Gwammy!"
Everyone laughed indulgently as the soon-to-be one year-old slid off of Bra's lap and toddled over to her grandmother, who stooped down and picked her up. Bulma perched her on her hip and nuzzled her chubby cheeks, "alright, Aya-chan, you get first pick."
"Pick one, baby girl," Bra admonished gently, leaning into Goten's side, "you can open the rest tomorrow." The Son turned his head and kissed the top of his fiancée's head.
Marron rose from Pan's side to go stand by Uub, and the quarter saiyan nudged her husband pointedly, "come sit up here, babe."
Trunks moved fluidly from the floor to the sofa and laid his left arm along the back of the couch. Pan leaned into his side with a smile, "I missed you."
"I missed you too," he replied, "both of you." He laid his right hand on Pan's belly, letting the tiny ki wash over his senses.
"They haven't been moving much today," the brunette hummed, "being lazy I guess." She laid her hand on top of his.
The couple watched as Bulma set Ayame down in front of the tree and directed her to the presents piled underneath, many of which had her name on them. The 11 month-old pursed her lips thoughtfully, the expression throwing her resemblance to Bra into stark relief, before crouching down and grabbing one of the brightly colored packages.
"I think that's one Mama and Papa got for her," Pan whispered, "the paper looks familiar."
The little Princess toddled a few feet away from the tree before plopping down on the carpet and tearing the shiny gold wrapping away with gusto. Inside was a set of books on simple subjects to help with learning to read. Aya frowned and picked one up, turning it this way and that in her pudgy little hands.
Goten got off of the sofa and crawled over to his daughter, smiling cheerfully, "what've you got here, Yami-chan?" he grabbed one of the books and examined it, "Ooo, Where the Wild Things Are; you'll love this one. Your Uncle Gohan used to read it to me when I was your age."
Aya took the book from him and squinted her blue eyes at it, "Daddy?" she offered it back to him.
Goten chuckled and took the book back, "I'll read it to you before bed. Who's it from?" he grabbed the wrapping paper and searched for the label, "oh, it's from Uncle Gohan and Auntie Videl. Let's tell them thank you, huh?"
Under her father's guidance, Ayame toddled over to where Gohan and Videl were seated and threw herself into the former's arms. The older Son brother laughed and scooped his niece up, "you're welcome, Aya-chan." She pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek and nuzzled up under his chin.
*~*S*~*S*~*
Later in the evening, once everyone had opened one present each, Trunks guided Pan up the stairs to their bedroom at CC. He kept a hand at the small of her back as they made their way down the hall. The quarter saiyan smiled up at him as she examined her present from him, a tiny replica of the four star ball suspended on a thin strand of 24k gold, and leaned up to kiss the underside of his jaw.
Pan stripped out of her clothing once the door was shut behind them. Trunks chuckled and made his way over to the bureau to get a set of pajamas for himself. He hadn't bothered to grab anything from his suite before he left. He grabbed a set of flannel pajamas pants and laid them on the bed.
"I'm glad you came home," Pan smiled warmly, "I'm sorry London's so miserable for you, though." She slid into her pajamas of choice, one of her husband's t-shirts, and began removing her jewelry.
"London's not the problem, it's the CC located there," he huffed, "it's rotten to the core, it's gonna take some time to get it back right. One day we'll go to London, just the two of us. I think you'll like it." He put his clothing to the side and stepped in the flannel pants.
"I'd like that," Pan padded into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her makeup off, "maybe for the babymoon?"
"If you ever go on maternity leave, then yeah." Trunks teasingly called out after her, putting her things aside for her before following behind. He playfully hip-checked her so they could share the sink.
"Two more weeks," Pan mumbled around her toothbrush, "then I'm calling it. I've given my supervisor enough grief."
"You've given your husband enough grief, too," the saiyan Prince drawled, "you need to rest, Panny."
"I'm terrible at sitting still, you know that."
"That is true. If you want, you could come to work with me."
"You're hilarious."
*~*S*~*S*~*
Trunks sighed happily when he woke up early the next morning with Pan's warmth nestled next to him and their child rolling around under his hands. He smoothed his hands over her bump, relishing in the peaceful silence, as well as his family being close to him. It soothed something deep inside of him that he hadn't realized was off kilter.
Pan grumbled softly in her sleep, breaking up the snores for a few seconds before settling back into deep slumber. She shifted about, pressing a little closer to Trunks' warmth.
The demi saiyan leaned down and kissed his wife's temple lovingly, content to lay there while the light outside grew brighter as the minutes went by. As the clock struck 9 in the morning, Pan began to stir in his arms.
"C'mon beautiful," Trunks crooned, "time to wake up."
"Mmnghhh… noooo…"
"Yes," he teased, "our family's gonna be opening presents in an hour, and if we're not down there in the next half hour, Bra's gonna come looking for us. I know you don't want that."
Pan blinked blearily and rolled onto her back with a huff, "I hate your sister," her eyes alighted on something above the bed, and she snorted amusedly, "we had a visitor last night. Look."
"You don't hate Bra," Trunks admonished, craning his neck to look at whatever it was his wife had spotted. His eyes landed on a sprig of mistletoe tied to the center of his headboard, "huh. Pretty sure that wasn't there last night."
A small hand slid over the back of Trunks neck and dragged his head down so his face was closer to Pan's. She smiled softly, "merry Christmas, Trunks-kun," and pressed her lips to his.
*~*S*~*S*~*
Around noon, once everyone had eaten breakfast and opened all the presents, Ayame was running rampant in the snow in the Weather Dome, squealing as her father, uncles, and younger cousins chased her about. Dressed in a bright pink snow suit, the birthday girl stood out in sharp contrast against the snow. In a few hours, there'd be birthday cake and even more presents for the little Princess.
"She's gonna be spoiled." Pan muttered, nudging Bra with her elbow.
The bluenette shrugged good naturedly, "I'm not planning on doing this for every birthday," she murmured, "I think in the future, we'll celebrate her birthday a day or so before or after Christmas. Right now, we're just figuring it out."
"Mmhmm," Marron looked unconvinced, "there's not much you two wouldn't do for her, she's got you by the short and curlies."
"You and Goten are gonna be screwed when she realizes how much sway she has over you guys." The pregnant quarter saiyan snickered.
"Oh, you think we're gonna be screwed," Bra turned to look at her pregnant friend, "no matter what you guys have, they're gonna have Trunks wrapped around their little finger."
"Pan's not as… easily swayed as you are," Marron teased, "I'm betting on her being the more disciplined parent."
"Trunks isn't that much of a pushover…" Pan grumbled, shooting both her friends quelling looks when they started laughing. Both women ignored her and laughed harder.
Trunks broke away from the game of chase, vapor rising from his lips as he laughed openly. Pan's eyes were glued to him immediately, entranced by the sound and the way his joy construed his handsome features. Her heart warmed in her chest when their gazes met and he made his way over.
"That's our cue," Marron sniggered, taking Bra's arm and dragging her away, "c'mon, B-chan."
Pan smiled and reached up to cup her husband's face the moment he was close enough, "having fun?"
"Oh absolutely," he leaned down and kissed her forehead, "this beats work any day. How are you?" he looked down at her belly, "are you feeling okay? You're not cold, are you?"
"I'm fine, not cold," she soothed, stroking her thumbs over his cheek bones, "had some heartburn after breakfast but that's long gone now." Pan stepped into his arms and leaned her forehead against the middle of his chest. She took a deep whiff of his scent, humming happily when she smelled the cologne she loved mixed in with it.
The couple basked in each other's presence, content to be together with their friends and family during the Yuletide season.
The ending is dry as hell… but I'm happy to have finished this shot. I needed something since the baby time stamp isn't being agreeable.
The last half of the next TS is done, save for a handful of minor additions, just gotta get the first half together and do a full re-read and edit. At present, it's about 8k+ words long, not counting the unfinished front half and the small additions. I hope y'all like this insert.
After this one and the baby's birth, there's one more focusing on TxP and then we'll switch focus to the twins.
*~*CloudSpire1295*~*