Alrighty, thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed so far, and especially to those who have offered advice in some ways. And as a side note; I get a few complaints every once and a while saying this fic is too sappy. Agh, yeah, it can be, but I get more people saying they like it the way it is, so I'm sorry if you don't enjoy the level of sap.
Dedication time! This one goes out to my Stevie-kins, who kindly taped Digimon for me while I was at work, and yes, you still owe me a pop (or soda). Don't some people call it that? In Canada we call it 'pop' but I tried to order an orange pop while I was in the US of A and they didn't know what I wanted. Isn't that weird? And yes, I do watch Digimon.
Chapter Five: Of Stalking CEO's and Eavesdropped Engagements
There's a river that flows
To the heart of the matters
Follow your dreams into tomorrow
Like the blue moon to the sea
And the yellow moonshine
To show you the ?
Hear them inside life
Close your eyes
And listen to your thoughts
And you'll feel your heart beatin'
It's the river of life
Take a trip to your mind
The secrets you'll find**
Trunks read the poem over a few times before opening the package. What he pulled out brought a smile to his face and he fingered it in his fingers. She had sent him the third angel in the collection. This one stood on the rock, with its hands outstretched into the air as if absorbing sunlight. On the bottom was the praise 'Dare to Live'. He placed the angel into the box, and set it aside to take with him. He then took the flowers and tore off the note he had attached to it and wrote a new one saying.
To live is pointless without love to light the way
***
"Positive. They're sitting in here at a table." Marron said, glancing over to the table where Pan and Zachary were sitting. She listened a second while Trunks spoke in the phone, then answered, "None." to his question. After a click from Trunks' end, Marron replaced the handle back into its place and turned to Goten. "What should we do?" She whispered to her husband.
Goten looked up from stirring a alfredo sauce and glanced towards Pan's table. "Take their order?"
"Ugh, Goten! Fine, but I'm not doing it." She leaned over the counter and looked around the café for Steve. She caught sight of the teen who was busy serving some girls while getting some flirting action in at the same time. "Steve!" She called over to him, and waved her hand towards herself so that he would walk over to her.
"Look boss..." He started as soon as he had sauntered over to her. His black banes hung so far down his face it was a wonder that he could see through them, which often got on Marron's nerves since because she couldn't see him in the eye, she could never tell if he was sincere or if he was lying. "Sorry 'bout that. I was just having a li-"
"Don't worry about it, Steve." Marron interrupted his babbling, and pulled on his collar so that they were very close.
"Hey, I'm flattered and all, but you're already married."
"Shut up, I can't talk loud."
"Well, your husband looks like he's gonna kill me." Steve said uncomfortably, his shirt being yanked towards Marron, his face inches from hers, and Goten in the background; glaring. Marron blinked and turned around. She scowled at Goten, and returned to her formal position.
"Look, I've got a special assignment for you." Marron said.
"Uh, okay..." He said, full of uncertain. What would a pregnant woman who's got a young teen's clothes clenched in her fist want him to do?
"Do you see that girl over there? The one wearing the red dress?" Marron asked, directing her eyes towards Pan.
"The one with the killer legs?"
"Uh... I guess."
"The one with the short black hair.. scarf..."
"Yeah."
"The one with the killer legs." Steve said with a grin.
"Yeah well, I want you to serve them."
"Wha- Umm, she's a classy lady, and umm, normally I just stick to-"
"I don't care what you normally stick to, tonight you're serving her. And I want you to get as much of their conversation as possible."
"You want me to eavesdrop in your customers?" Steve asked in shock. Did Marron, cute goody blonde Marron, actually want him to do something like that?
"Exactly." Marron said with a nod, not taking her eyes off Zach and Pan. "Anything you pick up that seems important, tell me, okay?"
"Look, this goes against all that is morally-" Steve stopped himself, blinked, and nodded. "Okay, I'm on the job." He quickly scampered off to Pan's table, leaving Marron surprised at his sudden change of mind.
"What happened?" Marron asked Goten, who had appeared by her side.
"Slipped him a 50."
"Ooooooh."
***
"Thank you." Pan said with a smile at his compliment.
"I only speak the truth." Zach said with a grin.
"Sorry to interrupt your two, but could I take your order?" Steve asked, sneaking up to them, a fifty dollar bill tucked neatly in his pocket.
"Yes, we'll each have an espresso and the special." Zach said, already having glanced through the menu. "Isn't that right dear?"
"Actually, I don't like espressos, so I'll have a lotte, thank you." Pan said. Steve nodded and walked off... slowly.
"I thought you loved espressos." Zach said, somewhat angry. "Were you trying to embarrass me?"
"Zach, I honestly don't like espressos."
"Alright..." He said uncertainly.
"So..." This had to be one of the worst things about Zach. There were often times of awkward silence where neither of them knew what to day. Pan hadn't dated too many guys in her life but Zach was the worst when it came to the awkward silence... there was none with Trunks.
"Pan, are you happy with our relationship?"
"What do you mean, Zach? Of coarse I'm happy." Pan said quickly.
"You don't ever wish for something more?"
"What do you mean?" Pan asked slowly.
"One lotte and one espresso." Steve said enthousiasticlly, placing the cups in front of their respective owners. "The specials will be around later."
"Thanks." Pan whispered, taking a sip of hers, while Zach just nodded. Steve didn't move. Pan glanced up at him, and Zach glared. After what seemed like hours, Zach asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Well, the specials won't be around for a while and I don't have anywhere else to serve."
"Well would you mind leaving?"
"Oh, sure, alright." Steve said, walking away. He shrugged his shoulders towards Marron, who in turn shook her head in despair and buried her head in her hands.
"He's hopeless." She muttered to herself.
"That guy was sort of rude." Zach said, sipping his coffee. Pan shrugged, and played with the rim of her cup. Zach looked at her fiddling and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh... no." Pan replied, looking up at him for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the cup.
"You seem kind of out of it." Zach pointed out.
"Do I?" Pan asked. "Sorry."
"Pan, I need to ask you something." Pan looked up from her cup.
*He's finally going to talk about something. What a relief.*
"It's something extremely important."
*You could talk about your favourite nursery rhymes for all I care, anything to avoid that silence.*
"We've been dating for a while now. Pan, we both live care-free, unattached lifestyles. But you know as well as I do that we can't remain like that our entire lives."
*Uh oh...*
"We need to settle down. Have some sort of commitment."
*Where is he going with this?...*
"So... I think that maybe we should take this to the next level."
*Oh, keep your hands where I can see them, boy.* Zach reached down into his pocket and pulled something out. A ring box.
"Pan..."
*Shit.*
"...will you marry me?"
***
"Boss, boss, boss, boss!!" Marron turned from calculating the bills and looked irritably over at Steve.
"What?" She asked impatiently. She hadn't been too impressed with his earlier handiwork. She wanted him to casually eavesdrop, not stand right in front of them and expect them to gush out all their secrets! Obviously it was fifty dollars well wasted.
"Boss, it's that chick with the sweet legs."
"What? Oh, Pan! What about her?" Marron asked, her attention fully devoted towards him now.
"The guy she's with... he just asked her to marry him."
"What?!" Marron practically shrieked, standing up straight, looking towards the table. She waved Steve away and ran over to Goten.
"Zach proposed." She whispered quickly. Goten dropped the bowl of spices he was carrying and dashed to the opening in the wall so he could look at his niece.
"What did she say?" He asked concerned. Goten loved his little niece, and he did not want her to end up with a guy like Zach. Sure, Zach was fine, In fact there was nothing wrong with him; he was a great guy. But, Pan deserved more than great. She deserved the best. And in his mind, Trunks could give that to her.
"She hasn't answered..." They both glued their eyes at the table.
*Say 'no' Pan... Please Dende, let Pan say 'no'.* Marron shrieked inside her head. Similar thoughts were racing through Goten's, but all were shattered when Zach slipped the ring onto her finger and they kissed.
"Damn..." Goten muttered under his breath.
*Pan, you're making the biggest mistake in your life.* Marron thought sadly.
***
Trunks rested his chin in his hands and stared intently at the little figurine Pan had left for him. Trunks had all the money in the world at his finger tips, he could have anything he wanted. Trunks owned the largest company in the world, he owned three different cars, a huge victorian house, all the most high-tech conveniences, maids, cooks... everything, but the little angel sitting on his office desk was now the most valuable thing he owned. All because she had given it to him. Well, she didn't exactly give it to him, more just to her 'secret sender', but it was good enough for Trunks. He ran his finger along the silk wings and smiled.
"If you had black hair, you'd be just like Pan... my little angel." He whispered to the small statue. Pan had no idea (or at least to his knowledge) of who was sending her these gifts, and he wasn't sure when he should tell her. She might hate him for it. She would think he was just trying to win her back (which in reality was what he was trying to do) or maybe to embarrass her. Of coarse there was the possibility, one which Trunks preferred, that she would love him for it.
At that moment in time, everything was going his way. Then the phone rang.
"Capsule Corp., president speaking, can I help you?" Trunks asked, somewhat dreamily.
"Trunks!"
"Marron? What's wrong, you sound hysterical." He said with a smile, easily picturing what her face looked like, all scrunched up, eyes popping out and yelling into the phone. He could also see Goten trying without avail to get her to calm down; and this scene brought a chuckle to his throat.
"I tried to call you at home, but got your machine. And this is way to... I couldn't tell you this on a recording." Trunks gripped the receiver slightly tighter and lost his humorous attitude.
"What's wrong?"
"It's about Pan." Marron replied.
"Oh Kami, was she hurt? Is she okay? Where is she?"
"Could be, depends, here."
"What?"
"She could be hurt as in it's a possibility in the future, her being okay depends on your definition; personally I see her not being okay in the distant future, and she's here - at the café."
"Marron, you're not making sense. Just spit it out."
"Pan's getting married."
To be continued...
**(c) incognito
