46- A Mother's Love

Mid-Spring

The castle walls on Saibogu shook as the queen walked down them. She was shaking with rage as her fist clenched and unclenched. Any servant that was unfortunate to be in her way met her wrath.

Eighteen swung open the door to the study and marched in. Seventeen was lounging on a chair as he flipped through an old book of Krillin's. He glanced up at her arrival and frowned.

"You don't look happy," he commented dully.

She scowled deeply. "Of course I'm not happy," she hissed. "Those Saiyans have ignored five of my letters already! They think just because Marron didn't marry that selfish little Prince of theirs, they can throw me to the side?!" She snarled.

Seventeen let out a sigh and tossed the book over his shoulder, where it landed on the ground with a thunk. "I would say that's exactly what they're doing to you." He gave her an amused grin that irked Eighteen. "Honestly, you sent Frieza to their planet in hopes that he would kill them, but are you surprised they came out victorious?"

Eighteen huffed and crossed her arms. "It's all because of that girl!" She spat. "Who knew she had that kind of power- you certainly didn't!"

A twinge of annoyance crossed Seventeen's face. "No, I didn't," his voice was hard and cold. "She always pretended to be so sickly. Who knew she had that kind of power?" He repeated Eighteen's questions. He let out a sigh and stood up, his face clear of emotion. "But it's fine. It worked out to our advantage."

"How is that?" Eighteen asked bitterly.

"Frieza and all the Kold Empire are dead," Seventeen smirked.

"But the Saiyans are building their own alliances," Eighteen shook. "Haven't you heard? They're trying to make things right, but they won't even respond to me!" She seethed.

"That's not surprising," Seventeen rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it, alright?" He told her. "I have a plan."

"Which is?" Eighteen asked.

Seventeen just smirked. "You don't worry your little head about it," he said. "Just know that the Saiyans celebrating their victory won't last long. All you have to do is stay still."

Eighteen watched Seventeen leave, and she clenched her teeth together tightly. She hated how he always left her out of things. They were supposed to be a team. They had been that way since before they became Androids.

Once, a long time ago, Eighteen and Seventeen had been humans. Humans that lived such simple and ordinary lives, but everything changed when they thought they had won some special trip to an unknown planet. There was nothing special about it since it was a trap set for both of them.

Gero had been an alien from a faraway planet before turning himself into the monster he was. His planet, Saibogu, was full of weak creatures, much like how he was, until one day, he decided to change that. He learned robotics and engineering. He was a genius and a quick learner, and soon, he was able to not only create cyborgs, but he even turn himself into one. His goal was to have a mighty empire, one that could not be taken down easily.

Gero was an old man by the time he captured Seventeen and Eighteen. Although he had elements of an Android, his hair was whitening, and his face was covered in wrinkles. He worked day and night on Seventeen and Eighteen, determined to make them his best invention yet.

When Eighteen woke up from her transformation, Seventeen was already awake and waiting. Her mind worked faster and better than ever before. She knew things that she had never even thought of, and her vision was spectacular. She gained so much knowledge and power, but the price was her memories. She had a name once, an actual human name, but she had been 'Eighteen' for so long that her old name was so faint in memories that she couldn't even recall it. Seventeen could remember his name just fine though- Lapis.

As soon as she and Seventeen were recovered from the transformation, Gero began his plans. He used them both to create his empire on Saibogu. They conquered and destroyed several planets. The number of cyborgs grew, as did Gero's greed. Soon he didn't just want an empire, but the whole galaxy. The only problem standing in his way at the time was the tyrant Frieza, who had the Saiyans- the ultimate warrior race in his scaly palms.

The day Gero raised his hand and struck Eighteen for the first time was also his last time. He had demanded that they go undercover and take down Freiza in secret. Eighteen had called him a fool, and Gero slapped her for it. It was only a few seconds later that Seventeen rammed his hand straight through Gero's chest before ripping him apart, piece by piece.

As Gero's pieces laid on the ground, Eighteen and Seventeen realized they were free of him. They could run away if they wanted to, but the greed of power was too much to resist. Now, they were the ones in charge, and they refused to be under anyone else ever again. That's when their plan first began to form. Eighteen would take the throne, and Seventeen would go to earth, gaining their trust. Earth didn't have any power when it came to strength, but their technology surpassed all others. To establish the trust, even more, Eighteen even married a nobleman from the earth.

Krillin had been a good man, but Eighteen didn't love him. Her heart had already belonged to someone else for a long time. When she became pregnant, Krillin had genuinely believed that the child was his. But when she gave birth to twins, one of them looking strikingly similar to their father, she knew she couldn't keep him. She sent the baby away with a maid, with orders for him to be delivered to his father. She named the girl, Marron, who thankfully favored her.

Marron was cute, Eighteen had to admit, and she knew if she put her effort into, by the time Marron was a woman, she would be stunning. It was just a few hours after Marron's birth that Eighteen remembered that she would be signing a peace treaty with Vegeta-Sei soon. Vegeta-Sei had a little Prince, only a little older than Marron at that time too.

Their plan had been perfect and flawless, and it had taken the cyborgs two decades to get to where they had been at. Seventeen had the Earth's trust completely, him being the adviser to the King. She had Vegeta-Sei right where she wanted them, with Marron being engaged to the future King. All they had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity, and then Earth and Vegeta-Sei would have been theirs. But what had taken decades to build, crumpled in just a few short years!

Eighteen was still very much infuriated by what had happened. Marron was supposed to be the future queen of Vegeta-Sei, not that brat from the Earth! Seventeen was supposed to have married her off! Eighteen was sure that if Pan had never met Trunks, then things would have gone as planned for them.

With a low hiss, Eighteen pulled herself away from her thoughts and memories. There was no way she could change the past, no matter how hard she wished. But those Saiyans had to pay! Especially Pan, who ruined everything for them!

Eighteen knew Seventeen would be mad if she acted rashly after he told her to be patient, but she didn't care. Enough was enough! It was time for Saibogu to shine the brightest.

"Come on!" Trunks chuckled as he kept a good pace.

Pan was just barely behind him. Her cheeks were pink and flushed as she jogged. "This is awful!" She whined as she shook her head.

"You were the one that wanted to train," Trunks reminded her with a grin.

"Yeah- train!" She panted. "Not run a marathon, Trunks!"

Trunks chuckled and shook his head. Pan had just recently started her training, and Trunks made sure to be careful, just as his grandpa had said. Before he began to work on anything too difficult, like helping Pan with her Ki and fighting stances, he wanted her to build up some strength and endurance. The best way to do that was running on the rocky trails of Vegeta-Sei.

"This is the best way for you to start," Trunks told her. He had no problem with it since he grew up running these trails all the time.

Pan gave him a glare that made him chuckle. She was also wearing a new bracelet to help her with Vegeta-Sei's gravity. It wasn't as strong as the other one was, and Pan wanted to stop wearing a bracelet eventually. She was making fantastic progress, though.

"Tell you what," Trunks said. "If you can beat me to the castle, I'll give you a prize."

Pan gave him a look before she started to move faster. Soon, she was running past him, her arms swinging in motion with her legs as she took off. Trunks watched her in amusement and sped up enough to stay right behind her. He did have a rather lovely view.

They soon ran up the steps to the castle, and as Pan reached the top, she did a little jump. "I won!" She turned around and pointed at Trunks. "I won- even though you let me," she pouted.

Trunks grinned and shrugged, "I had a really nice view."

"What's my prize?" She asked, holding out her hands. "A win is still a win!"

Trunks grabbed her face and gave her a quick kiss. "That's your prize."

Pan pouted up at him. "You are lucky that I love you."

"Look who it is!" Came Chi-Chi's voice.

Trunks and Pan turned to see their mother's walking up to them as they held the babies. Pan grinned and skipped over to them.

"My babies!" She cooed as she grabbed Takehiko and Takara's feet.

They were cooing and grinning at her, and Trunks felt himself smiling. They loved their Mama so much, and Pan was a wonderful mother.

"Oh, babies," Pan said. "One of these days, I'm going to kick your Appa's butt!"

Trunks laughed and smirked at Pan. "I look forward to it."

Marron smiled as she held Gohan's hand and walked down the castle hallways on Vegeta-Sei. They hadn't been dating long, but Marron knew without a doubt that Gohan was the one for her. He was so kind to her and patient with everything that had happened over the last year.

Growing up on Saibogu, Marron's only comfort had been her father. Gohan's gentleness reminded her a lot of her father's. He truly felt like a person Marron could rely on. Pan and Bulla were friends that Marron wouldn't trade for a world, but Gohan was her best friend. He knew everything about her, and she did him too since they had stayed up night after night talking to each other. He was an easy person to be around, and one Marron could confess anything to without being judged.

They made it the study that the maid had informed them that Pan and Bulla were in.

"I'm going to meet up with Trunks and Goten in the training deck," Gohan raised their hands and kissed her knuckles.

Marron giggled and nodded her head. "Alright, have fun," she told him.

He grinned at her before he took off. Marron watched him go with an affectionate smile before she sighed and entered the study. Pan and Bulla stopped their talking as she entered. Bulla jumped up and squealed as she rushed over to Marron and hugged her tightly.

"Hi, Bulla," Marron chuckled as she hugged her back. "How was your honeymoon?"

"It was wonderful!" Bulla let out a dreamy sigh as she leaned back. "Goten and I traveled to a lot of planets! Even though we were on our honeymoon, we were able to do a little bit of business as well, and we managed to get two planets out of the three we visited to come to the summit this summer!"

"That's amazing!" Marron grinned. There were already seven other planets that were coming! The more, the merrier, Marron thought.

"I'm glad you're here!" Bulla told Marron. "I can give you and Panny your presents!" She rushed towards the door and was gone before Marron had time even to blink.

Pan laughed from her spot, still on the sofa. "She's been chatting my head off for the last several minutes. You can just in time."

Marron smiled and walked over to the sofa to take a seat. "Where's the twins?" She glanced around.

"They're in the next room napping," Pan motioned her head to the right with a smile. "They've been a bit fussy these last few days. I think they're teething."

"Wow, it doesn't seem like they should be old enough for that," Marron commented.

"I know! But they'll be half a year at the beginning of Summer," Pan frowned. "They've-"

Pan stopped talking suddenly as her back stiffened. Marron didn't know why, but she felt something eerie in the air. Maybe that's what Pan felt, too. Whatever it was, it made Marron's stomach drop.

Pan jumped up, and Marron was right behind her. They ran into the next room where the babies were sleeping, and Marron had to stop herself from gasping when she saw her mother. It had been over a year since Marron had last seen her. Something was off about her. Her blonde hair that usually kept neat and pinned up was messy and dirty-looking as it fell around her shoulders loosely. Dark circles were under Eighteen's cold eyes.

Eighteen was standing near the crib as she watched the twins sleep. She had a look of disgust across her face.

"Get away from my children," Pan hissed.

Marron could feel Pan's Ki starting to spike. The twins were waking up, and no doubt, they would be scared.

"Or what?" Eighteen asked flatly. "Will you kill me like you did, Frieza?" She challenged as she raised an eyebrow.

"Mother, don't-" Marron began.

"If you don't get the hell away from my children, I will!" Pan screeched.

Marron gasped and took a step away from Pan as her Ki skyrocketed. She hadn't felt Pan this angry since the time Frieza had come! The castle was shaking with the force of Pan's Ki. Over the shaking and whirling, Marron could faintly hear the twins start to cry. Eighteen looked shocked, and Marron knew she had to get her away from Takehiko and Takara.

"Pan, get them!" Marron said before she jumped forward and tackled her Mother.

Pan was shaking with rage. Marron had yelled at her to get Takehiko and Takara, and then she jumped on Eighteen. That was all Pan needed. She ran over to the crib and grabbed her crying children. She clutched them to her chest as she ran back through the study and out in the hallway. Even though her children were upset, Pan could feel her Ki steadying as she held them. They were okay. Everything was going to be okay!

With a gasp, Pan came to a sudden stop. Marron! Marron was all alone in there, and Eighteen had gone crazy! She couldn't leave Marron alone, but Takehiko and Takara were crying and frightened.

"Pan!" Bulla gasped as she ran down the hallway.

Pan could feel Trunks' Ki coming quickly, and her Papa's, brothers, and Vegeta's. They wouldn't be alone for long, but they might be too late by then!

"Bulla-" Pan gasped. "Here!" She handed her Takehiko and Takara. "I have to go get Marron," she said before she turned and ran back inside.

"Pan!" Bulla yelled after her, but Pan kept running.

Pan entered the room to see Eighteen straddling Marron. Her hands were on Marron's throat as she choked her. Marron's hands were clawing at Eighteen, trying to break herself free, but it was useless.

"M-Mother-" Marron gasped. "Mom-" she wheezed with tears in her eyes.

"Go to sleep, Princess," Eighteen snarled. "Go and join that pathetic weakling you called Father!"

Pan saw red. She could feel her Ki starting to rise again. She was a mother now, and she couldn't understand how anyone could do that to their child! A fire was burning inside of Pan- one that told her that it was okay to release it. That it was hers to do whatever she wished.

"GET OFF OF HER!" Pan screamed as her Ki shot up.

She could feel electricity sparkling around her, and she dashed forward to grab Eighteen. She crushed the shocked Android into the wall as she let off a high voltage. She jumped back as she watched Eighteen yell and claw at her face. She could see the sparks coming from her body as it twitched.

Pan let out a deep breath before she rammed her hand right through Eighteen's stomach. Eighteen choked out a gasp. Her hands came up to claw Pan's arm, but the aura surrounding her made it impossible for Eighteen to touch her. Pan pulled her hand out of Eighteen, and the Android slumped to the ground, lifeless as her body twitched with shocks.

"Pan!" Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them.

Pan gasped as she turned around. Trunks and the others were there now. She had been so focused on Eighteen that she hadn't felt them come in. Her eyes found Marron, who looked lifeless as Gohan picked her up, and Pan screamed.

"Is she okay?!" She cried.

"She's just unconscious, Panny," Gohan said with a deep frown. "I'm going to take her to the medical wing."

"Panna." Pan looked up at Trunks. His blue eyes were looking at her worriedly as he cupped her face. "Are you okay?"

Pan nodded her head slowly as her Ki started to settle again. "Eighteen-" she whispered. "She was going to hurt Takehiko and Takara!" She cried. "I took them and gave them to Bulla, are they-"

"They're with Bulla, Eomma, and Chi-Chi," Trunks told her as he continued to stroke her face. "They're okay."

"Panny," Goku walked up to them. "Did she hurt you?" He motioned to Eighteen. Her body was still lying on the floor, and Pan felt herself shudder.

"WILL SOMEONE COME GET THIS DAMN ANDROID OFF THE FLOOR?!" Vegeta's voice boomed. "Send her damn body to Saibogu! Them sons of bitches! Tell them we won't sit still if they try this shit again!"

"She didn't hurt me," Pan said. "After I gave Bulla, Takehiko, and Takara, I came back in here for Marron-" her body was starting to shake again. "Eighteen was on top of her and strangling her! Her mother! How could she do that to her child?" Pan sobbed. "I had to stop her! I had to!"

"It's okay," Trunks said soothingly as he wrapped his arms around Pan and held her tightly. "You got her, Panna. You saved Marron, and you kept Take and Kara safe."

"How could she do that to her child?" Pan's voice trembled as she wrapped her arms around Trunks and held him tightly.

Trunks let out a small sigh as he kissed her temple and held her tighter. "Some people just aren't meant to be parents," he told her quietly. "Our children are so lucky to have you as their Mama."

Pan didn't respond. Eighteen's body had been removed, and Vegeta was still cursing as he stomped around the room. He couldn't believe she had snuck into the castle unnoticed and that she had tried to harm Takehiko and Takara. Pan wanted to see her babies, but she knew she needed some time to cool off first. She would just hold onto Trunks tighter until she stopped shaking.

Seventeen let out a loud sigh as he looked at Eighteen's corpse. He felt a tick of annoyance run through him. She always had been bad about not listening to him.

"My Lord-" a servant entered and bowed lowly. "You called?"

"Have my sister's flesh burned, and her parts destroyed," Seventeen ordered coldly.

He couldn't believe she had acted so rashly. Now his plan was slipping through his finger. She had disowned her daughter, making Seventeen next to take the throne. He couldn't take the throne, though, because the Saiyans would know who he was in a heartbeat.

Seventeen let out a low growl. "One more thing," he told the servant before they left. "Contact Prince Kage. It's time for him to come home."

"Yes, My Lord," the servant bowed lowly before they disappeared.

Seventeen let out a heavy sigh and looked at Eighteen. She looked as if she were sleeping, a thick blanket over her body to hide her wounds.

"You should have listened," Seventeen told her before he turned on his heels and walked out of the room.

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."
-Agatha Christie

NEW CHAPTERS COMING SOON!

Authors Note: PLEASE READ!

I feel like I have to say this so people don't think I purposely wrote Seventeen and Eighteen as the villains just to diss on them. I LOVE Seventeen and Eighteen! I love their characters and how their characters have grown in canon!

I made them the villains in this story because I love their villain arcs in the Mirai Timeline and the normal one before they changed. This story and how I write them does NOT represent how I feel about them! I think both of them have turned out to be wonderful people, and I think Eighteen is a WONDERFUL mother to Marron!

So, please, just remember that this is a STORY- an AU in fact! I write this for pure enjoyment because I LOVE these characters. Please be respectful!