Chapter Four
"Well we do know for sure that she made the jump from where she was to about seven years ahead of that time. I positive she suffered no damage from the time jump." Bulma said reassuringly.
"I just want you to bring my baby back safe Bulma." Videl had stopped crying, and her eyes were bloodshot and sleepless.
"I will, I promise." It was just Videl and Bulma in the lab that morning. Bulma had managed to force a time jump with the keypad she had been working on for hours. She was so close to fixing the problem and bringing Pan back to the present time.
~~~~~In the Past~~~~~
Pan ran through the woods, not caring if anyone was following her. She was crying. Pan had never been so sacred in her life. She hoped she was just having a bad dream and she just wouldn't wake up. She tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the ground. She lay there sobbing, not wanting to move. She curled up in a ball and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to open them. "I want to go home…please let me go home. Why is this happening to me???" She blurted aloud. "Why??????" Pan screamed and cried hysterically, forgetting that she was saiyan and could fend for herself. She didn't care anymore. She wanted her mom; she wanted her daddy. She slowly fell into a deep, restless sleep on the forest floor.
As she lay there sleeping, the watch began to beep. A small light that read "Ready" was blinking. Pan opened her eyes slowly and looked at it. Her heart jumped as she saw the little red word. She stood up quickly and looked around. It was very dark, which meant she had been sleeping for hours. "I cant believe this…" She looked at the button. Pan slowly lifted a finger and let it hover above the button for a few seconds.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Pan pushed the button and for a moment, nothing happened. She opened her eyes right before she was sucked into the black, empty void again. She closed her eyes and pulled her arms close, for fear that she might hit something, and be thrown into the wrong time again. Intense whirring and constantly changing temperatures stabbed at Pan, and she screamed. It was all a tornado of darkness and she was swirling around in the middle of nothing, wanting to escape. Then, without warning, she felt herself slam into cold hard linoleum. Once again, she was knocked out.
Pan awoke hours later, in the comfort of a warm bed. She opened her eyes. It was dark except for a small sliver of moonlight peeking through the curtains. Her head ached. She sat up and looked at the alarm clock. It read 11:09 P.M. She felt her wrist and the watch was not there. She fumbled around on the table next to the bed and turned on the lamp. She recognized the room at once. She was in Bra's bedroom. Pan quickly looked at her calendar on the wall. "July17, 2035." Pan's eyes lit up and she was filled with indescribable happiness. She grabbed the mirror off of Bra's nightstand and looked at herself. She still had her bandanna on and it appeared as though nothing had changed. She did have a huge bump on the side of her head that hurt like hell. She slowly walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the living room. She heard talking and laughter. "Mom?" Pan came into the room and saw everyone there.
"Yes sweetie?" Videl put down her glass that she had been drinking from. "How's your head feeling?"
"Fine…I missed you."
"Honey, I've been here the whole time. I never left." She looked at her daughter. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"
She turned slightly red. "Yes. Where's dad?"
"He's on the back porch." Videl looked at her daughter once more and resumed her conversation with Bulma.
Pan started walking down the hallway and was stopped by Bra. "Man, no thanks to you I got into major trouble. I'm grounded until forever."
"Sorry."
"You should have watched where you were walking. Stupid. It's all because of you slipping and falling in that lab that I got grounded. And you got off easy. Why is that???"
"I don't know. Maybe because I didn't go in there by my own will. It was your own fault you got in trouble." Pan said angrily and pushed Bra aside.
"Fine…be like that."
"Was it really a dream?" Pan reached up and felt her bandanna, "it had to be."
She opened the sliding door to the porch and closed it behind her. Gohan sat on the steps staring at the sky. "Daddy."
He turned around. "Hey honey. How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Come sit here." He patted a place next to him.
"Dad, you may think this is weird, but I think-." Pan stopped when Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a worn, tattered cloth. It had a small hole in it and it looked to be several years old.
"What is that?" She took it and looked at it closely. She gasped. "It's my bandanna! But how…why?"
Gohan put a hand on her shoulder. He smiled warmly and kissed her forehead. He got up and went inside, leaving Pan sitting on the step, staring at the worn cloth with disbelief.
"Well we do know for sure that she made the jump from where she was to about seven years ahead of that time. I positive she suffered no damage from the time jump." Bulma said reassuringly.
"I just want you to bring my baby back safe Bulma." Videl had stopped crying, and her eyes were bloodshot and sleepless.
"I will, I promise." It was just Videl and Bulma in the lab that morning. Bulma had managed to force a time jump with the keypad she had been working on for hours. She was so close to fixing the problem and bringing Pan back to the present time.
~~~~~In the Past~~~~~
Pan ran through the woods, not caring if anyone was following her. She was crying. Pan had never been so sacred in her life. She hoped she was just having a bad dream and she just wouldn't wake up. She tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the ground. She lay there sobbing, not wanting to move. She curled up in a ball and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to open them. "I want to go home…please let me go home. Why is this happening to me???" She blurted aloud. "Why??????" Pan screamed and cried hysterically, forgetting that she was saiyan and could fend for herself. She didn't care anymore. She wanted her mom; she wanted her daddy. She slowly fell into a deep, restless sleep on the forest floor.
As she lay there sleeping, the watch began to beep. A small light that read "Ready" was blinking. Pan opened her eyes slowly and looked at it. Her heart jumped as she saw the little red word. She stood up quickly and looked around. It was very dark, which meant she had been sleeping for hours. "I cant believe this…" She looked at the button. Pan slowly lifted a finger and let it hover above the button for a few seconds.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Pan pushed the button and for a moment, nothing happened. She opened her eyes right before she was sucked into the black, empty void again. She closed her eyes and pulled her arms close, for fear that she might hit something, and be thrown into the wrong time again. Intense whirring and constantly changing temperatures stabbed at Pan, and she screamed. It was all a tornado of darkness and she was swirling around in the middle of nothing, wanting to escape. Then, without warning, she felt herself slam into cold hard linoleum. Once again, she was knocked out.
Pan awoke hours later, in the comfort of a warm bed. She opened her eyes. It was dark except for a small sliver of moonlight peeking through the curtains. Her head ached. She sat up and looked at the alarm clock. It read 11:09 P.M. She felt her wrist and the watch was not there. She fumbled around on the table next to the bed and turned on the lamp. She recognized the room at once. She was in Bra's bedroom. Pan quickly looked at her calendar on the wall. "July17, 2035." Pan's eyes lit up and she was filled with indescribable happiness. She grabbed the mirror off of Bra's nightstand and looked at herself. She still had her bandanna on and it appeared as though nothing had changed. She did have a huge bump on the side of her head that hurt like hell. She slowly walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the living room. She heard talking and laughter. "Mom?" Pan came into the room and saw everyone there.
"Yes sweetie?" Videl put down her glass that she had been drinking from. "How's your head feeling?"
"Fine…I missed you."
"Honey, I've been here the whole time. I never left." She looked at her daughter. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"
She turned slightly red. "Yes. Where's dad?"
"He's on the back porch." Videl looked at her daughter once more and resumed her conversation with Bulma.
Pan started walking down the hallway and was stopped by Bra. "Man, no thanks to you I got into major trouble. I'm grounded until forever."
"Sorry."
"You should have watched where you were walking. Stupid. It's all because of you slipping and falling in that lab that I got grounded. And you got off easy. Why is that???"
"I don't know. Maybe because I didn't go in there by my own will. It was your own fault you got in trouble." Pan said angrily and pushed Bra aside.
"Fine…be like that."
"Was it really a dream?" Pan reached up and felt her bandanna, "it had to be."
She opened the sliding door to the porch and closed it behind her. Gohan sat on the steps staring at the sky. "Daddy."
He turned around. "Hey honey. How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Come sit here." He patted a place next to him.
"Dad, you may think this is weird, but I think-." Pan stopped when Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a worn, tattered cloth. It had a small hole in it and it looked to be several years old.
"What is that?" She took it and looked at it closely. She gasped. "It's my bandanna! But how…why?"
Gohan put a hand on her shoulder. He smiled warmly and kissed her forehead. He got up and went inside, leaving Pan sitting on the step, staring at the worn cloth with disbelief.