34- A Miracle
Early Spring
Pan sighed as she walked down the halls of Vegeta-Sei. She thought about the last several weeks, amazed by how much had happened in a short amount of time.
There had been no news from Koba or the rebels since that day. To Pan's amazement, her mother had tons of information against Koba, the Royal Court, and Lapis. There were embezzlement and scandals that made Pan's skin crawl. Lapis wasn't from Earth. Gohan declared did the Royal Court to be stripped, and new delegates with clean background were to be voted in.
To Pan's relief, the Saiyan King had been most welcoming, not only to her but to Goten and Gohan as well. Pan was happy to have finally met him, and everyone had been right- Trunks did favor his Appa in looks! Vegeta had talked to her for hours about her Papa, and the trouble they used to get into. It was so nice hearing the old stories about her Papa and what he was like.
Goten moved him to the castle not long after Pan, and she was happy to be under the same roof as her brother again. The two had them had talked for hours and hours. Goten had wanted to know everything about Pan and Trunks' relationship, and she told him almost everything. She had wanted to know about Goten and Bulla's, and with pink cheeks, he had told Pan about as much as she had told him.
Bulma has made new traveling and anti-gravity bracelets and had given one to Chi-Chi so that she could visit every day. She even had a lovely guest room in the East Wing for the nights she stayed over. And now that things weren't so crazy on the Earth, Gohan visited almost every day as well. Although he was new to using his Ki, he got Instant Transmission down almost right away.
It was just a little after lunch, and Pan hadn't seen Gohan yet. She wondered if he was on Earth, and she smiled to herself as she headed towards Bulma's lab. She needed to talk to Gohan, and a visit to Earth would be nice. Pan could just ask Trunks to take her, but he had trained hard early that morning, ate a big breakfast, and then took a nap on their bed. He only napped when he was very tired, so Pan wanted to let him rest.
"Hi, Panny!" Bulma greeted brightly as Pan walked inside her lab.
Pan giggled at the sight of Bulma. She was in faded clothes, smears of oil and grease across her face, arms, and clothes. Her goggles were pushed up into her messy blue hair, but there were lines around her face from when she had been wearing them.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Pan asked.
"Of course not!" Bulma shook her head as she took off her gloves. "What's up, sweetheart?"
"I was just wondering if you have any more of those traveling bracelets?"
"I do," Bulma grinned. "Are you wanting one?"
Pan nodded. "Please. I wanted to visit the Earth for a little while, and find Gohan. I wanted to ask him something important. It won't hurt the baby, will it?"
"No," Bulma said gently. "It's perfectly safe for both Mom and Baby," she assured Pan. She walked over to a drawer and pulled out a golden bracelet.
Pan watched in awe as Bulma clasped the bracelet around her wrist beside the anti-gravity bracelet one Trunks had given her. It was amazing how Bulma could make such incredible things!
"Thank you, Bulma!" Pan went to hug her before she stopped.
Bulma laughed and looked at her shirt before she poked Pan's nose with an oil-free finger. "Anytime, Kiddo."
It had only been a little over a week since Pan had last seen her room, but it still felt strange. It was the room she had grown up in, but it was almost empty except for the furniture. When she had officially moved into the castle on Vegeta-Sei, Trunks has surprised her by telling her they wouldn't be staying in his old room. Their new room was now in the North Wing, and it was much bigger than Trunks' old room. It also had a loft, and Trunks said he had made sure it had one so she could do her sewing up there.
Pan had brought almost everything back to Vegeta-Sei with her, but there were still a few things left, mostly fabrics. She knew she would have to wait until Trunks was with her to grab them so he could carry them all.
With a small smile, Pan looked around her old room one more time before she headed towards the hallway. The room held a lot of memories, but she was excited to create even more memories in her new place with Trunks.
The hallways were quiet. Faintly, Pan could hear the sounds of vacuums in the distance. The maids were busy cleaning, and Pan made sure to be quiet as she walked to Gohan's study.
Pan smiled as she reached the large doors, and she pushed them open. She walked in and froze in her steps. Gohan wasn't there, but Lapis was.
"What are you doing here?" Pan demanded as she glared at Lapis. He had been missing since the Rebels attacked and he had warrants out for his arrest.
"Princess," he smirked. "It's always a pleasure to see you."
Pan felt her lips rising into a snarl. "What are you doing here?" She repeated with venom.
Lapis narrowed his eyes at her. "I was just getting something I had forgotten-" he held up a small black book before he tucked it into the vest he was wearing. "You know, Princess, I heard some interesting news about you."
Pan swallowed hard and clenched her hands into fists. She knew he was talking about what happened between her and Koba. "What of it?"
Lapis tilted his head as he looked at her. "How did a weak little thing like you bring Koba to his knees?"
At the moment, Pan wished the fire she had felt that day would return so she could teach Lapis not to underestimate her. But the fire wasn't there. She felt just as she usually did, but she squared her shoulders and held her head up high.
"Considering that you're no longer the Royal Advisor and that you are a wanted criminal, it's really none of your business," Pan hissed.
She expected Lapis to glare at her or snarl, but he just smirked. "Would something like that have to be forced out?" He asked with a cruel grin.
Pan felt a shiver run down her spine. She shouldn't have come to the earth today by herself.
Trunks woke up with a gasp as he bolted up from the bed. His head was pounding, and his stomach was swirling. He glanced around for Pan quickly but didn't see her. Quickly, he jumped out of bed and almost tripped before he promptly steadied himself.
Trunks couldn't shake this feeling of dread. It was creeping up his back, causing the air to grow chilly. He had to swallow back some vomit as his body began to shake.
"Hey, Buddy!" Endou greeted as Trunks ran out into the hallway. He was walking with Goten and Gohan, and Trunks let out a shaky breath. "We were just looking for you. Do you-"
Trunks shook his head and furrowed his brows as his head started to pound. "Panna-" he panted. "Have any of you seen her?"
"Not since this morning," Goten's lips turned into a worried frown.
"I just got here," Gohan said as he shook his head. "I haven't seen her."
"What's wrong?" Endou asked. The cheerful tone he had was gone and replaced with seriousness.
Trunks let out a heavy breath and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know, I-" he gasped and grabbed his head as a sharp pain hit him. "Earth-" he gasped. "She's on Earth, and I have to go!" He knew they would follow him, but he didn't spare them a glance as he used Instant Transmission to take him to Pan.
"PAN!" Trunks screamed as soon as he appeared in the castle on earth. A nearby maid shrieked in surprise and jumped.
"Have you seen the Princess?" Gohan, who had just arrived with Goten and Endou, asked the maid.
"N-No, Your Majesty," she shook her head.
BOOM!
Trunks felt his heart stop as it dropped down to his stomach. He rushed forward, his legs taking the steps three at a time. He burst into Gohan's study and gasped at the sight. It was destroyed! There was a massive hole in the wall, but Trunks' eyes instantly found Pan. She looked as if she had been thrown into the wall! Her back was pressed against it as her bottom lip bleed.
"PANNA!" Trunks rushed over to her and scooped her up instantly.
"Trunks-" her voice was weak as she panted. "I-"
"It's okay," he had to stop the trembling to his voice. "Endou, go get my Grandpa and bring him to Vegeta-Sei."
"On it!" Endou turned as he rushed out of the room.
"Hold on," he told Pan before he disappeared them away.
Pan was aching all over as Trunks landed them back on Vegeta-Sei. They were in her and Trunks' room, and she groaned. She had never been hit with such a powerful blast before, but she knew she had gotten Lapis even worse.
"Panny, what happened?" Goten asked with wide eyes.
"Lapis," Pan mumbled. "He was in Han's study."
"What?" Gohan's voice was cold. "Pan, did he do that to you?"
Pan fought back a wince as a sharp pain ran down her back. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. Her baby- her baby was okay, wasn't it? "Yes," her voice trembled.
"Goten, Dr. Brief will be here soon to look at Pan," Gohan said. "Come with me to Earth and help me find Lapis."
"Oh, let's find him," Goten's voice was dark. "I want to kill that son of a bitch."
Pan's heart was hammering as she wiggled in Trunks' arm. "Put me down," she whispered.
"Panna, you're-"
"Trunks, please," she panted.
Trunks sat her down gently, and Pan felt it instantly. She let out a choked gasp as she patted the spot between her thighs. Trunks' eyes were wide as he watched her lift her dress. A few trails of blood were running down her shaking legs, and Pan screamed as she fell to knees.
"Panna-" Trunks choked as he caught her.
Pan clung to the front of his shirt as she sobbed. She was screaming, but she didn't care. It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! "No!" She shrieked. "No!" She shook her head, frantically. "Trunks- our baby!" She sobbed.
"Panna-" her name was a sob out of his mouth, and her body convulsed.
"OUR BABY!" She screamed desperately as she clutched her stomach. "PLEASE, NOT OUR BABY!"
Everything she had been dreaming about for the last few weeks was now disappearing right in front of her eyes. She used to think her dreams were visions from the future, but now they were just cruel nightmares.
Trunks was numb as he sat on a chair beside the bed where Pan laid. She had been curled up into a tight ball, unmoving, until his grandfather had finally convinced her to let him look at her.
Trunks had feared Frieza harming his child. He ever imagined it would have been Lapis. If he had known that, he would have killed the bastard long ago.
Endou had arrived with Dr. Brief right in the middle of Pan's breakdown. Horror spread across both men's faces before Trunks had barked at them to get out because he and Pan needed time to get over the shock.
But a shock like this would be one Trunks would never get over. Several times, he had almost searched for the baby's little Ki before stopping himself. It would be too painful not to feel his child's Ki. It was even more painful watching how it broke Pan.
Life wasn't fair. Trunks finally had Pan. They were about to get married. They had been so happy about their baby, and then- it just wasn't right! Trunks felt his breath hitching, and he tightened his hold on Pan's hand. She had been shaking ever since Dr. Brief had begun his work. Her red eyes were shut tight. Tears still streamed down her cheeks, and Trunks wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.
"Pan, Trunks," Dr. Brief's voice was gentle and calm. "There's something I want you to hear."
Pan let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes slowly. Dr. Brief had been giving her stomach an ultrasound, and Trunks had been too scared to look at it. He didn't want to look up and see no baby.
"Are you ready?" Dr. Brief asked them. He placed the transducer to Pan's stomach before he pressed a button on his computer.
It was quiet and gentle at first, but Dr. Brief pressed a few more keys on his computer, and it was loud, but seemed almost slow.
Thump. Rest. Thump. Rest.
Pan gasped as she choked out a sob. "Is that-"
"Your baby," Dr. Brief turned his computer so Trunks and Pan could see it. He gave them a gentle smile. "It's alive and quite strong. It just seems the trauma caused you to bleed a little. That's quite normal, especially for a first-time pregnancy or early pregnancies."
Pan was crying again, and so was Trunks. He had her in his arms in seconds and was kissing her. He didn't care that his grandpa was there, and he didn't care if their whole family were to walk in. Their child was alive and healthy. He wrapped his arms around her, and Pan held onto him tightly as he kissed her head.
"You two rest up for the night," Dr. Brief said as he stood up. "Trunks, don't let her overdo it. I'm going to find your mothers and inform them of the good news. I'm sure they've been worried."
"I was so scared," Pan whispered once Dr. Brief was gone. "I thought I wasn't strong enough to carry our child," she sniffed.
"You're the strongest person I know," Trunks told her truthfully. "Our baby knows that," he said as he rubbed Pan's back. "It's strong, just like it's Mama. It loves you so much already and doesn't want to leave you. I love you too," he leaned down and pecked her lips.
"I love you," Pan smiled at him sweetly. She let out a sniff and wiped her cheeks. "Can you feel it?" She asked quietly. "I know we just heard the heartbeat, but-"
Trunks placed his hand over Pan's stomach. She wasn't but a few months along, so for the most part, her stomach was still flat and just a little swollen. Trunks concentrated, and he smiled as he felt the small Ki. It was still there.
"It's there," he whispered, close to tears. He hadn't cried this much since Tarble had passed. "Our baby is still there."
Pan smiled with a small cry and nodded her head slowly. "I'm so happy," she whispered with a little sniff.
"Me too," Trunks kissed her forehead. He wondered if Gohan and Goten ever found Lapis. He knew one thing for sure, if he ever saw that man again, Trunks would make him pay for the pain he put them through. Lapis would be a dead man, sooner or later.
"Some say that love is the sweetest feeling, the purest form of joy, but that isn't right. It's not love- it's relief."
-Karen Thompson Walker, The Age of Miracles