Chapter 11: "Reunion (Part 1)"
Pan was lying in the grass at the lake near her parents' house, her arms behind her head and her eyes closed. She knew she always came to this place when she had to think about something or when she didn't feel good. This was the place where Goku first showed her how to fly, when she had been three years old and at this place she decided to tell Trunks her feelings the day everything began. But this time she really felt good, better than ever before, even though her head was full of things. In that night something happened. She and Trunks had completed their bond and as that happened, Pan remembered everything what had just been a blank for the last six months. It was simply too good to be true. What if she just thought she remembered everything and that everything would be gone again the next morning. Pan began to shiver, when suddenly something or someone kept the warm sunbeams from reaching her body.
"Hey Panny!" a cheerful voice greeted her.
"Hey grandpa!" Pan answered smiling, but she still had her eyes closed.
"What's up Panny? No hug for your old grandpa?"
"Do you promise me not to be gone when I open my eyes or that I'll not just see again your shadow?" Pan asked and Goku could hear a hint of fear in her voice.
"Don't worry Panny. I won't go anywhere. I promise. You can open your eyes," he told her smiling and Pan obeyed. She blinked a few times so that her eyes could adjust to the light and she saw that her fear had been unfounded. Pan looked at Goku and didn't know if she should smile or cry. It had been such a long time since he fused with the Dragonballs and disappeared with Shenlong.
"Grandpa!" she just shouted and jumped at his neck, hugging him tightly. Goku, who wasn't prepared for a greeting like this, stumbled backwards and eventually fell back. Laughing, both of them got back up and sat down directly at the water. "I'm sorry grandpa… It has just been such a long time and I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Panny. But I've always watched over you and the others…"
"If you've done that, I'm sure you can tell me how dad, mom and the others are," Pan guessed.
"Well, why don't you ask them tomorrow. I told Bulma where to find you and Gohan, Goten, Vegeta and Trunks will come tomorrow and look for you in this world."
"Tomorrow already? Why so soon? I mean… I still have so much to do… I have to tell Trunks, I mean my Trunks, who I am. And this will already be hard enough. What shall I say to him? 'Oh and by the way Trunks, I'm Son Pan, the daughter of your former sensei and I accidentally got into this world after I wanted to tell your other-self that I love him and I saw him with someone else, who is by the way the daughter of Krillin and Juuhachigou, your arch enemy and I couldn't see the portal because I've been blinded by the tears your other self caused to fall?' Oh yeah, I'm sure he wouldn't leave me after that," Pan said sarcastically.
"Panny, he loves you. He would never leave you. Believe me, I know him. He would never hurt you. And besides, he marked you as his."
"I hope you're right grandpa. And you really think they will find me tomorrow?"
Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "To be honest, I gave them a small hint where to find you in Sunnydale."
"Okay… I just hope dad won't freak out about me and Trunks."
"I think the best way to find out is to tell him," Goku sighed and got back up. He wiped the dust from his orange gi and looked down at Pan. "Panny, I'm sorry, but I have to go now."
Quickly Pan also got up upset. "Now? But we've just met. You can't go now! It's too early."
"Shenlong allowed me to talk to you because you needed my help. But now you don't need it anymore. That's why I have to go," Goku said and wiped a tear from Pan's eye.
"Will I see you again?" she asked in a despaired voice.
"I don't know Panny. Maybe. But I'll always be there when you need my help. Okay?"
"Okay…" Pan said sniffling and Goku walked over, hugging her. "I love you grandpa."
"I love you, too. And please tell your grandma that I'm sorry that I let her alone again and that I love her with all my heart. Will you do that?" Goku could feel Pan nodding against his shoulder and smiled. "Thank you Panny."
Directly after he said that, Pan could feel him disappear in her arms and when she opened her eyes he was gone. "Thank you grandpa," she whispered with a light smile on her face as she laid back down in the grass and closed her eyes.
~*~
Pan woke up by the birds singing outside her window. She and Trunks forgot to close it and the blinds the night before and so the sun was shining directly into her eyes. She sighed and snuggled deeper into Trunks' arms, who was still holding her as if he would never let her go. She looked at the clock on Trunks' side of the bed and it showed eight o'clock. She has just slept for a few hours, but she felt really happy. It wasn't just a dream, she really remembered who she was. But the hardest part was still lying in front of her. Telling Trunks and the other Scoobies who she really was.
Sighing again she somehow released herself from Trunks' arms without waking him up and got out of the bed. She grabbed a few clothes and before she left the room, she took one last look at Trunks, who had spread his body on the full size of the bed in the meantime. Pan chuckled lightly, because Trunks looked like a small and innocent schoolboy when he was sleeping. "I love you Trunks Vegeta Briefs," she whispered and left the room.
~*~
"Bulma, can't you work a bit faster on this machine? It's already 9 o'clock!" Gohan shouted exasperated, while he was pacing in front of the interdimensional portal.
"Sorry Gohan, but even I can't do magic. You could be glad that I've noticed this malfunction before you walked through this portal. Otherwise Dende knows where you would've ended," Bulma told him annoyed. Gohan was like this for the past hour since he arrived and saw that she was working on the machine.
"But I could've found her by now!" Gohan stopped where he was pacing and swung his fist back, ready to hit a metal wall in front of him.
"Gohan! NO!" Videl shouted, but he didn't listen and swung his fist at the wall. Videl squeezed her eyes shut, expecting a loud bang, but it never came. When she opened her eyes again, she could see that Vegeta was holding the wrist of her husband.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Look." Vegeta pointed to the wall, showing that it belonged to the portal. "Or you have to wait another few days before you can bring your brat back."
On the other side of the hall, Goten, Trunks, Bra and Marron were talking.
"Okay Trunks," Bra said, "whatever happens, let Pan make the first step. If she wants to insult you, let her do it. If she wants to beat you to a bloody pulp, let her do it. Understand?"
"Yes, Bra. I will do anything just to make her feel better. Oh god, you don't know how terrible I feel about this whole thing."
"You're right buddy," Goten said. "But this is your punishment for being so blind all the time. But don't worry, I'll stop her before she kills you."
"I hope you'll do that Son Goten, because I don't want to have a dead boyfriend. Oh, and Bra, you remember the first thing we want to do when Pan's back?" Marron asked her friend.
"How can I forget that? We will go shopping with my dear brother's credit card!" the younger version of Bulma said laughing.
A few minutes later, Bulma stepped out of the back of the machine and walked towards the men. She was cleaning her hand with a cloth and there was grease all over her blue overall. "So guys, the portal's ready. You can go now if you want."
"Finally," Gohan mumbled and grabbed his backpack "Goten! Trunks! We can go!" He watched the young men saying goodbye to their girlfriends and walking towards him.
When everyone was ready, Bulma pressed a red button and a bluish and white vortex opened. The group stared at it in awe and Bulma walked towards Gohan and gave him something. "Here, that is the remote control. You know how it works." Gohan nodded at her and she took a few steps back. The four male Saiyajins exchanged looks and then walked through the vortex, which closed behind them.
~*~
The portal opened in a crypt on one of the cemeteries in Sunnydale, waking up a few vampires who were living there. "What the hell is that?" one of them asked.
"I don't know," another answered. "But look, someone's coming out of it."
After the four men stepped out of it, the vortex closed again. "Looks like we're not alone here," Vegeta stated matter-of-factly, when he saw the small group of vampires.
"Well, what do we have here? Looks like breakfast," the first vamp said, licking his lips.
"Breakfast? Where?" Goten asked confused and looked around.
"Silly…" the second vampire said as he vamped out. "We mean you." The vampires lunged at them, but Vegeta just stretched his arm and sent a small ki blast at them, pulverizing them at once.
"Pathetic," he mumbled and walked to the door, carrying his bag over his shoulder.
"Dad, you've killed them," Trunks told him shocked.
"I know. But believe me. I did this world a favor. They were vampires."
"Vampires? I've always thought they didn't exist," Goten said, shaking his head.
"Oh no, they don't exist. As well as aliens don't exist. Are you coming now?" the Prince asked the other Saiyajins annoyed. He opened the door and left the crypt, followed by the others.
"And what shall we do now?" Goten wanted to know.
"I guess the best thing is, when each one of us goes alone and look for Pan. So our chances are better to find her fast," Gohan suggested. "Or what do you think Vegeta?"
"You're right. If one of us finds her, we will raise our ki high enough for the others to notice. And if we don't find her, we'll meet here again at sundown." 'Of course I won't go to the shop right now… I'll give her some time. And as long as she hides her ki they won't find her.'
"Okay, either we find her or we meet here at sundown. See ya!" With that, Trunks walked off and the other three Saiyajins followed his example and each of them left to another direction.
~*~
Vegeta was now walking through the streets of Sunnydale for about ten minutes, searching for someone who might help him to find the Magic Box. Suddenly he spotted a blue house with a blue sign on the top, where you could read the name of the shop. "Magic Box. It was easier to find than I thought. Now I can go a bit looking through this town and come back later." At the same moment Vegeta wanted to left a black car stopped directly in front of the shop. A young woman with shoulder length brown hair got out and opened the door to the shop, while a man with black hair and glasses opened the door of the passenger-seat of the car and another man with a black coat covering his body jumped out of the car and ran inside the shop. The other two persons followed him and closed the door. "Now, that was strange. Whatever. I'll come back later…" With that, Vegeta turned around and left.
~*~
"Hello customer, buy something and give me your mon…" Anya was looking for something behind the desk and stopped her speech as she got back up and saw Angel, Cordelia and Wesley standing in front of her. "Oh, it's just you."
"Hey Anya!" Angel greeted her. "Where's Giles?"
"He's in the back. Wait a second. GILES! ANGEL'S HERE!"
"Anya, what's up?" Giles asked, when he came from the back of the shop. "Oh, hi Angel, Cordy, Wesley. What brings you to Sunnydale?"
"Cordy had a vision of a large dragon here in Sunnydale," Angel told him.
"Oh, do you mean the Hellmouth beast?" Anya asked. "I mean, we had this yesterday. But luckily we were able to shut the Hellmouth again."
"No, it was not the Hellmouth beast," Cordy said. "Believe me. I know how it looks like. It was just a large dragon."
"O-okay. Anya, call the others. I guess we have to do some research," Giles told her.
~*~
When Pan came out of the shower, she just heard how the front door closed. Curious who that was, she went downstairs, her hair still damp from the shower. On the kitchen desk she found a note with Faith's handwriting. 'Hey P! An just called. Angel's in town with Wes and Cordy. Said it was important, something about a vision Cordy had. Dawn and me didn't want to wake you after your, how should I say, exhausting night with Trunks. Just come when you've slept enough. I didn't hear Spike coming home last night. Maybe he's still sleeping. So, write him a note when you leave. See ya, Faith PS: Tell me everything later!' Usually Pan would follow her at once, but she didn't feel like it this morning. She first had to talk to Trunks and then she could take care of Cordy's vision. She got a cup out of the cupboard and poured some coffee into it. Pan then sat down at the table and placed the cup in front of her.
~*~
As Spike slowly woke up, he felt his whole body aching like hell. "Oww, what truck hit me? And what was that for a weird dream I had?" he mumbled. He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings, an old fabric, but when he tried to get up, he was being held back. Raising his head slowly, he saw that his arms and legs were tied at the floor. "Bloody hell, who did this?"
"Look who finally decided to wake up," he heard female voice saying from behind. He knew this voice so well and yet it wasn't somehow the same. It sounded so… different. The next thing he heard were steps coming nearer and finally he could see the owner of this voice standing in front of him. It was Buffy, wearing black leather pants, a black top and black boots. "And I thought you were so strong. As far as I remember you've killed two Slayers."
"Buffy?"
"You already said that last night. Yes, I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are William the Bloody, Spike."
"So, it wasn't a dream? You're alive?" Spike asked disbelieving. "No ghost?"
"No, I'm pretty much alive. And you're still undead. I should have staked you by now, but I still have some questions… And I want to have some fun," she said smirking, revealing a small bottle with clear fluid. "So, tell me something about Pan and Trunks… And how to kill the Key…"
"What? You're kidding!" Spike said shocked.
"So, you don't want to play my game?" Buffy asked, leaning over his upper body and ripping his shirt apart. "Fine… Then I'll make you play it." She opened the bottle and poured its content over his chest. When the fluid connected with it, steam raised up from it and Spike screamed in agony. "Oh, and by the way… You see that window in the roof?" she wanted to know as she pointed to a window directly over Spike. "About noon the sun will shine down here, directly at you… I'll release you if you tell me everything I want to know… Otherwise I'll torture you until the sun will burn you… So, do you work with me?"
"Buffy, you… you don't want…. to do this…" Spike said, grimacing in pain.
"Believe me… I'll enjoy it…" she said, taking a cross from a desk and pressing it against his chest on the already burned wounds, letting Spike scream again in pain.
~*~
Pan didn't know how long she sat in the kitchen, when she heard steps on the stairs. Her coffee was already cold and she didn't even drink of it yet and her hair had dried in the meantime. She raised her head and looked at the clock. '10.30. Wow, I didn't even notice how fast the time passed by. Okay Pan, take a deep breath and everything will be fine.'
At that moment Trunks came into the kitchen, with a big smile on his face. He walked over to Pan and kissed her on the lips. "Good morning Panny. Did you sleep well?" he asked her as he took a seat on the other side of the table.
"Yes, I did sleep well," Pan told him, trying to sound cheerful, but didn't fully succeed with it.
Trunks noticed that and suddenly got worried. "Pan… I'm sorry… If you didn't want it last night… But I couldn't do anything against it…. It…"
"Trunks, no… I wanted it as badly as you… It was wonderful, believe me…" Pan looked at him, but the worried look on his face didn't disappear. She chuckled lightly, when she saw that. He was too cute when he was worried. "Really."
Trunks sighed with relief. "Okay… But what is it then? Something's bothering you, I can see it…"
Pan took a deep breath and pulled her hair aside, revealing the bite mark. "I'm sure my dad wants to kill you when he sees this."
"What?" Trunks asked confused.
"You're maybe thinking that he could impossibly kill you, but believe me. After my grandfather died, he started training again and when he wants to do it, he can kill you… You must know, my father is really overprotective when it comes to me. I'm his only daughter, his little baby. He didn't even want to teach me how to fight. I asked him at my third birthday, but he refused and told me that he could never train me. I asked my grandfather then, and he happily agreed. We started the same day with training. One year later I visited my first tournament… At this tournament my grandfather met another boy and left to train him. From this day on, the father of my best friend took over his job and continued my training. And believe me, this training wasn't easy. He didn't think of me as a little girl, he treated me like a fighter and he loved me like his own daughter, even though he never showed it. Ten years later my grandfather suddenly came back and he, a good friend of mine and I made a long trip. The trip took one year, and in this year the crush I had since my early childhood on my friend deepened. After this year my grandfather died, or left us… We don't know exactly what has happened. That was about four years ago. The day where this woman found me here in Sunnydale, I wanted to tell my friend how I felt. I wanted to tell him that during the years I started to love him, even though he's fourteen years older than I am. I saw him in the park, kissing a girl, also a good friend of mine. When he noticed me, he told me smiling that they were a couple. The moment he said that, I couldn't hold my tears back any longer. He wanted to know what was bothering me and that I could tell him everything since we're best friends. I just said 'Best friends. Yeah, that's what we were.' and left. The tears interfered me from seeing clearly and I couldn't see where I was going. He followed me and I speeded up and the next thing I know was waking up in the hospital, not knowing who I am…"
When Pan told Trunks about the incidents in the park, she was crying. Trunks wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. He was still too shocked from what she was telling him. 'She was in love with someone else before she's lost her memory? Does that mean she still loves him? And does she really remember it or does she just make it up for making me breaking up with her?'
"Trunks, I think I know how you're feeling right now…" Pan said, when she saw his disbelieving and thoughtful face. "What I just told you is the truth. I didn't make it up. I remember… everything. And I love you Trunks, only you. I don't love him anymore. A-and I don't want you to think that I love you because I loved him. I met you and fell in love with you without knowing that he even existed. Sorry… I'm rambling again… But it's just too overwhelming…. Suddenly remembering everything and that stuff…"
"Pan… God, is that even you real name? Is that true? You really remember?" Trunks asked, still confused.
"Yes, my name is Pan… and everything is true… but that's not all… I have to tell you something else… and please, don't interrupt me… just believe me… promise me that…"
"I promise," Trunks said and took her hands, trying to prepare himself for what might come.
"Okay…" she took a deep breath. "Now the hardest part. Trunks… The name of my father… is Gohan. My mother is Videl Satan, the daughter of Mr. Satan. My grandfather's Goku. I have an uncle. His name is Goten. He was conceived shortly before grandpa died in the Cell games. Vegeta trained me after grandpa left to train this boy. You should have seen Vegeta's face, when I first became a Super Saiyajin three years ago. At the first moment I thought he would come running up to me and hug me, but he quickly regained his composure, scowled and said: 'Took you long enough brat.'" Pan told Trunks, chuckling lightly. "He and Bulma got a second child about twelve years after Cell. A daughter, her name is Bra and she's a year older than I am and looks exactly like a younger version of Bulma. Vegeta really loves her and would do everything for his little princess. Krillin also married after the Cell games. His wife is Juuhachigou. They also got a daughter, whom they called Marron. She and Trunks are a couple, as well as Bra and Goten." Trunks tried to look into Pan's eyes, but she just stared into the cup of cold coffee in front of her. She didn't want to see his reaction of what she wanted to say next. "Trunks and Marron were the ones I saw kissing in the park."
Growling, Trunks let go of Pan's hands and leaned back, closing his eyes and slowly digesting what Pan just told him. He had expected everything, but not that. Not that she's a part Saiyajin, not that she's Gohan's daughter and not that she was, or maybe still is in love with his other self, the Trunks from her dimension. Or that she maybe just loved him, because she loved the other Trunks.
~*~
'So, I think I gave her enough time,' Vegeta thought as he stood again in front of the Magic Box about two hours later. He looked around one last time to make sure that none of the other Saiyajins were near and then entered the shop. Inside he was quite surprised to see the size of this shop. From the outside it looked so small and inside it was really big. From the back of the shop, he could sense two for humans relative high kis, but none of them belonged to Pan.
"Excuse me?" Anya interrupted him in his thoughts.
Vegeta jumped around, letting Anya take a few steps back. "What do you want?"
"Uhm, can I help you? I'm working here and I want to help you to spend your money," she asked, slowly getting nervous.
"Oh, can you tell me where the brat is?" Vegeta asked, trying to be polite.
"I'm sorry, but we don't sell any bread. But maybe you want to have some candles or holy water," the ex-demon suggested, showing him a small bottle.
"I don't mean bread! I mean the brat, the girl! And I don't want to buy any of this stuff," he snapped, startling Anya so that she let the bottle fall.
Alarmed by this noise the Scoobies rushed from the back of the shop to the front. "An? Are you okay?" Xander, who was immediately by her side, asked.
"Yes, I think so… He just startled me…"
"Hey!" Xander shouted, turning to Vegeta. "Don't scare my fiancé, or else…"
"Or else what?" Vegeta asked, slightly amused.
"Or else we remove you from this shop," Faith said.
"I won't leave until you tell me where I find the brat," he told her matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Kakarotto told me that I would find her here. So, where is she?"
"Who are you talking about?" the dark-haired Slayer wanted to know.
"I'm talking about the girl. Pan."
"A-are you family of her?" Giles asked the Saiyajin.
"No, or, well yes… since last night I guess… But I'm also her teacher since she was four years old."
"What do you want from her?" Willow wanted to know. "Are you from the Council?"
"No, I'm not from this Council and I want to bring her and her mate home again," Vegeta told them.
"WHAT?" the Scoobies shouted in unison.