35- Hibernating

Early Spring

Pan leaned against Trunks as they slowly walked to Vegeta's study. It had been several days since her accident, and she had been taking it easy, just as Dr. Brief had told her. However, Dr. Brief had returned for the day and asked if Trunks and Pan would meet him and the others in the King's study. He said there was something important he wanted to discuss, and Pan was worried that it was about the baby.

For the last several days, Pan had hardly moved from the bed. She stayed still and ate graciously. Trunks hadn't left her side either, and she made him check on the baby several times throughout the day. He never complained, and most times, he would tell her that the baby was still there before she even asked. Trunks had offered to carry her to the library, but Pan felt like a walk would be good for her and the baby as long as she took it easy.

They entered the library, their families already there. Everyone had stopped by at some time or another to check on them over the last few days, and Pan was grateful for them. Trunks helped her to the couch, and she sat down between her mother and him. Bulla, who was sitting on a stool next to Goten, hopped down for a second to hug Pan.

"We've got to shopping soon," she told Pan. "I'm ready to buy cute little niece or nephew clothes."

"Okay," Dr. Brief said, and Bulla skipped back to her seat next to Goten. It looked as if he had brought some type of projector with him, and he turned it on. Pan swallowed hard as she saw a picture of her baby's ultrasound on the screen.

"Grandpa," Trunks said. "I thought the baby is okay?"

"It is," Dr. Brief's gave an assuring nod. "But there is something I need to discuss. I think it's about time."

"Time for what?" Pan asked curiously.

Chi-Chi let out a small breath and grabbed one of Pan's hands. "Honey, there might be a reason why you get so sick all the time."

"What?" Pan's eyes widened. "Don't I have a weak immune system?" She asked. That's what she had always been told.

"Not necessarily," Dr. Brief said. He pressed a button, and the image of the baby had been zoomed out.

Surrounding the baby were four round objects. Pan swallowed hard as she looked at them. What were they? They are about half the size of the baby, which was probably the size of a lime or smaller since it was only about 12 weeks along.

"What are those?" Gohan asked from the side of the room. "Have they been in Pan all along?"

Dr. Brief's nodded. "Ever since she first started to get sick around the age of eight. That's when we noticed them. They're four pearl-like beads. They were a lot smaller, but they've grown a lot, especially since Pan's pregnancy had started."

"What?" Trunks said. "Remove them," he said.

"Wait, no!" Pan spoke up as she shook her head. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the picture.

"Panna, they make you sick," Trunks shook his head slowly.

"Trunks," she looked at him slowly. "They saved our baby." Trunks' eyes widened in shock, and Pan sighed. "I don't know how to explain it," she confessed. "But I can feel it," she placed a hand over her stomach. "Whatever they are- they saved our child."

"I believe that as well," Dr. Brief nodded his head in agreement. "You see, years ago, I did try to remove them from the Princess, but they wouldn't let me near them. I think when Pan got injured, they protected that child, thinking it was one of them."

"What are they?" Bulma was standing up now and looking at the ultrasound picture.

"I don't know," Dr. Brief confessed. "They would never let me close enough to them."

"Will they continue to grow in size as the baby does?" Trunks asked. His eyebrows were furrowed together deeply. "What happens when Panna goes into labor? They won't force the baby to stay in then, will they?"

"Those questions, I do not have answers for," Dr. Brief said slowly. "It's something we'll have to monitor closely. But-" he sighed. "There is one other thing. The baby is perfectly healthy, but its heart is slower than it should be. I think these pearls have put the baby into a hibernation-like state."

Pan's eyes widened, and her back straightened. "What do you mean?" She whispered. "Is the baby not going to grow anymore?" She asked worriedly.

"The baby will still grow," Dr. Brief told her gently. "But it will be at a slower pace than most baby's in the womb. A normal pregnancy is forty weeks, but for you, dear, I'm afraid I don't know."

Pan let out a small breath as she looked down at her stomach. She didn't know what the future would hold, but as long as she could keep her baby safe, she would be alright.

Marron looked around the entrance hall nervously. It had been a while since the last time she was there, but she had come as soon as heard the news- though she was weeks late.

"Marron?"

She turned, relief flooding through her when she saw Gohan walking up to her. He looked just as healthy as ever, and she smiled. "I'm so happy you're okay! Panny? Is she okay? I heard the news about the Rebel forces, and I came as quickly as I could."

"Pan's fine," Gohan said gently.

Marron's shoulders dropped in relief. She had heard several tales about what had happened on the earth, and each one made her worry grow.

"She lives on Vegeta-Sei now," Gohan continued. "Her and Trunks are to be married next week, and she's expecting their first child."

Marron's eyes widened with shock. "Really?" She gasped. "That's wonderful!"

"Since you're here, would you like to have some tea?" Gohan asked gently.

Marron felt herself smiling as she nodded her head. "I would love to."

Gohan asked a few nearby servants to prepare some tea before he held out his arm to Marron. She took it as her cheeks grew warm. For the last several months, she had thought of Gohan often.

"So, are you back?" He asked as they walked through the garden.

"Not officially," Marron frowned. "I'm going to wait until after Trunks and Pan's wedding for that."

"Why?" He asked curiously.

"Trunks and I were engaged and-"

"What?!" Gohan gasped in shock.

Marron couldn't help but giggle at his expression. "It was an arranged marriage," she explained. "My mother was the main one forcing it. Trunks and I have never felt anything other than friendship towards each other."

Gohan nodded slowly. "Is that why you've been gone?"

"Yeah. Trunks is like a brother to me, and Pan is a special friend. My mother wouldn't stop trying to force Trunks and me to marry, and I didn't want to put any of that stress on Trunks and Pan."

"It must have been a hard choice to make," Gohan said softly. They made it to a small table in the garden, and Gohan pulled out a chair for Marron.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down. "And it was only a hard choice to make because I would miss seeing my friends. So much has happened since I was away," she frowned. She wished she could have been there to support everyone.

"You seem like a very sweet and caring person," Gohan said as he sat down beside her.

Marron felt her cheeks growing even hotter at the sweet compliment. Her mother was not the kindest person around, but Marron always tried to be like her dad. She owed him so much for raising her right.

"Where have you been staying?"

"On earth, actually," Marron said. "My dad has some friends down south I've been staying with. We just heard about what happened with the North," she frowned. "It must have been so stressful for you."

Gohan nodded as some servants arrived with the tea and biscuits. Marron took hers with a small smile and began putting sugar in her cup. Gohan waited until the servants had disappeared before he spoke again.

"It was stressful, but I saw it coming. Koba had been pestering me to let him marry Pan, and I wouldn't allow it."

"You're such a good brother," she told him sincerely. "Whenever Pan talked about you, it was nothing but praises."

Gohan seemed to beam at the compliment. "Thank you. Ever since our father died, I've tried my best to do all I can for Pan and Gohan."

Marron took a sip of her tea and sighed. It was warm and sweet, just the way she enjoyed it. She hoped Gohan would invite her to have tea again because she wanted his company even more than the drink.

"I heard your brother returned. That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, and the brat was hiding out on Vegeta-Sri this whole time," Gohan chuckled.

Marron almost spilled her tea. "What? Why was he there?"

Gohan grinned as he leaned close to Marron. "It's a secret, but I trust you. Goten, Pan, and I are all half-Saiyan. Our father was a Saiyan."

"No way," she gasped.

"Mhm," Gohan nodded.

"I missed a lot," Marron frowned. "Did anything else happen that I missed?"

Gohan furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. "Pan got hurt about a week ago. Everyone was scared she had miscarried, but the baby is still alive and healthy."

"That must have been so scary for her and Trunks," Marron frowned. "I'm happy to hear the baby is okay. What happened?"

"Pan had come here to visit and ran into the old Royal Advisor. He was the one that started the rebellion in the first place, and he hurt Pan. I never did like him," he muttered. "Goten and I tried looking for him, but he was long gone. Lapis better-"

Marron choked on her tea. She coughed for several seconds as Gohan patted her back worriedly. Her eyes grew watery as she cleared her throat and sat her cup down.

"Sorry-" she grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. "Did you say Lapis?"

"Yes," Gohan nodded as he looked at her worriedly. "Is everything okay?"

She swallowed thickly. She didn't want to believe it, but Lapis wasn't a common name. "I don't know," she said truthfully. "Do you happen to have a picture of Lapis?"

"I think there's a portrait of him in his old office. We haven't touched anything in there yet in case there are clues to where he's at."

Marron let out a nervous breath. "Please show me the portrait." She stood up quickly. "It's urgent."

Gohan looked confused, but he didn't ask any questions as he grabbed Marron's hand and took off towards the castle. If her stomach didn't feel so queasy about her uncle, then she was sure it would be fluttering. Gohan's hands were so big and warm.

They made it to the study, and Gohan turned on the lights before he led Marron to the portrait. Her breath caught, and her knees shook. Gohan caught her from falling.

"Marron? What's wrong?"

"Gohan-" her voice croaked. "We have to go to Vegeta-Sei now. It's urgent," she forced herself not to puke. "Lapis- he's my uncle."

Trunks pouted as he walked down the hallways with Goten and Endou. They had just had their last fittings for the wedding, and now Pan and the other woman were getting theirs. Trunks had wanted to stay so that he could see Pan in her dress, but the women had refused and kicked him out.

They were halfway down the hall when a shift ran through the air. Trunks had expected to see Gohan, but he was surprised to see Marron with him. His mouth gaped open. "Marron?"

"Trunks," her blue eyes looked disturbed, and she looked paler than usual. "Where's your Appa? I need to talk to him."

Trunks knew that whatever was going on was severe for Marron to want to speak to his Appa. "He's in his study," he said. "Come on, I'll take you there."

Marron must not have cared with the others knowing what was going on, because she didn't say anything as the rest of the guys followed.

Trunks opened Vegeta's study, and his eyebrows knitted together as he watched the group scramble in. "What the hell," he muttered.

"Marron needs to talk to you," Trunks said.

Marron let out a small breath. "It's about Lapis."

"What?" Trunks' eyes widened in shock.

"He's my uncle," she confessed. "My mother told me he's been in the eastern part of the galaxy. I had no idea he was on earth."

"Are you sure he's your uncle?" Vegeta asked.

"Positive," Marron nodded. "His production number is seventeen. He's my mother's twin."

Trunks swallowed thick. "Do you think he would be on Saibogu?" He asked Marron. Lapis had disappeared without a trace, and now it made sense as to how.

"Trunks," Vegeta gave him a stern look. "Calm down a bit. We're not going to go raid Saibogu just because that bastard might be there."

Trunks felt his jaw twitching. "That asshole almost killed my child and broke my mate. It's hard for me to remain calm," he growled. "But you don't think I already know that raiding Saibogu would just cause us more trouble?" He muttered as he leaned against Vegeta's desk.

Trunks wanted nothing more than to go to Saibogu, find Lapis, and kill him. He had never wanted to kill anyone as much as he wanted to kill Lapis for what he had done. He let out a deep breath to calm himself down. He thought about Pan and the baby. Recklessly running into something so serious like this could start a war, and Trunks didn't want to worry Pan any if he could help it.

"What do we do then?" Endou asked.

Vegeta's brows were furrowed together in deep concentration. Trunks sighed as he leaned off the desk.

"Nothing," he said.

"Nothing?" Marron's eyes widened. "Trunks, my mother is hiding my uncle on Saibogu- no doubt about it. There's no telling what those two are scheming," she frowned.

"Right now, it's for the best that we do nothing," Trunks said. "Let's be civil to your mother and let her think we don't suspect her. She and Lapis will get comfortable, thinking that they have one over on us, and they'll get sloppy. They'll strike first, and when they do, we have a justified reason to attack."

"Are we going to just sit and wait for them to do something?" Goten raised a brow.

"We'll have to keep our eyes on the lookout, of course," Trunks nodded. "But right now, Vegeta-Sei is already in enough shit with Frieza, and we don't want him involved."

"Good," Vegeta nodded towards Trunks. He looked at Marron. "I'm assuming I can trust you?"

"Appa, she ran away so Eighteen would stop bitching at us to get married. And she just told on her uncle," Trunks huffed.

"It's okay, Trunks," Marron said. "You can trust me," she told Vegeta. "I haven't seen my mother since I ran away, and I don't plan on going back."

Vegeta nodded before he turned around and walked out of the study. Trunks knew he was probably off to tell Radtiz the news.

Trunks turned his attention back to the group, and he watched in amusement as Gohan and Marron talked and smiled at each other. He hadn't known she liked Pan's brother.

"Where's Pan and Bulla?" Marron asked. "I want to see them before I leave again."

"Leave again?" Gohan frowned. "You won't stay away for so long again, will you?"

"No," Marron shook her head with a small smile. "I'll just have to be careful, so nothing gets back to my mother."

"Just dye your hair black and say you're a Saiyan," Endou told her. "I'll say you're my sister."

Trunks snickered. "That would make her and Gohan cousins, and I don't think they would like that."

Marron's cheeks turned pink as she glared at Trunks. "Hush it, you!" She muttered.

"Just trying to help," he grinned. "Endou has a point, though. Disguise yourself, and I'll talk to my grandpa. We'll say you're a cousin of mine instead. Come on," he turned. "I'll take you to Panna and Bulla."

Marron beamed and quickly followed him out of the study. "When's your wedding?"

"One week," Trunks grinned. He couldn't wait to marry Pan!

Marron let out a laugh, "you look so excited."

"I am," he agreed. "Panna will be so happy to see you. And don't be surprised if she asks you to be in the wedding."

"Me?" Marron's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah," Trunks nodded. "She's said, 'I wish Marron was here so she could be in our wedding,' more than once."

Marron smiled. "She's too sweet. But hey!" She punched Trunks' arm, and he grabbed it with a gasp. "You two are going to be parents! Are you excited?"

Trunks' lips twitched. Ever since they had discovered that the baby had survived the accident, Trunks had felt as if he were walking on clouds. Of course, he was still nervous about the pearls in Pan's stomach, but she was confident that they were harmless.

"I'm excited and nervous as hell. Panna's glowing, though," he sighed.

"You have such a dreamy look on your dorky face," Marron commented.

Trunks turned to glare at her before he smirked. "You mean like the dreamy look you had on your face earlier when you were talking to Gohan?"

Marron's cheeks went pink, and she huffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," snickered Trunks as they reached the door. He gave it a few loud knocks.

Bulla poked her head out and glared at Trunks. "You're not allowed in, Oppa."

Trunks huffed and stepped to the side. "You and Panna have a visitor."

Bulla screamed when she saw Marron. She grabbed Marron's hand before yanking her inside and slamming the door on Trunks.

Trunks fought the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't see what the big deal was and why he couldn't see Pan in her dress! He let out a sigh and turned around to find the guys. A week could not pass soon enough.

"This world will get heavy. Stay unshaken in the pursuit of the light."
-Butterflies Rising