Until we meet again

Disclaimer:                   I think you all know, what belongs here…

A/N:     Once again thanks for all those reviews! I really wonder if I'm able to hit the 1000 mark, but I don't think so, because there'll only be about three or four more chapters…

@ Android13: Special thanks for your review! I'm glad that you like my story, but I do also appreciate your critic. It's really rare that someone criticizes a story without insulting the author, and I'm happy that you're not one of them. I'll think about what you told me and maybe I can make it better in one of my next fics!

            Again, I still have no idea how long you fly from Japan to California, so please bear with me, okay?

            Well, I guess that was everything to say for now… whatever, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 20: Arrival

************************************************************************************

Directly after Pan had arrived in LA, she and Angela drove to the campus of the California Boarding School a few miles out of town. The same campus she had left about two months ago. It was really a huge compound, divided into two parts. In one part were the dorms and the classrooms of the High School and in the other part was everything that belonged to the college. Everything had already been arranged, as the two young women arrived there. Pan's bed had been made, Angela had removed some of her clothes out of Pan's old closet in the room and the whole room was clean.

The whole time they didn't talk much. Angela had noticed during the ride that Pan was surprisingly silent and broody. So she had decided that she wouldn't disturb her in her thoughts. In the last seven years they had spent together in one room, she had learned to give Pan some room and time, when she became like this. But she somehow felt that it was different this time.

After they had arrived and unpacked Pan's clothes, both sat down on Angela's bed. "Now tell me, Pan. Why were you in such a hurry to come back, after you were so happy to go home? At the phone you sounded somehow devastated… Has something happened?"

Pan nodded lightly at her question. "Yes, much has happened…" So Pan started to tell her friend everything, well almost. For the first time since she had arrived in LA, Pan felt again how good of a friend Angela really was. She had listened the whole time without interrupting her or asking her questions. She fully understood, when there were things Pan didn't want to talk about. She knew that in the last years, Pan had kept things about her life from her, but didn't pry her to tell her about it. Hey, everyone has secrets!

"This jerk…" Angela said angrily, as Pan blew her nose in one of the many tissues that were now lying on the bed. On her right side was also standing a box of Kleenex. "You know what, Pan? I'm somehow glad that you didn't get the chance to tell this guy that you're pregnant."

Pan looked up startled. "Why?" she asked confused.

"Well, now, if he really wanted you back, it's because of you and not because of the baby."

"I'm quite sure that he doesn't want me back," Pan said sadly. "You should've been there. He was so… hurt… and angry… His voice was so full of… hate."

"Pan, listen to me…" Angela now said. "It's not entirely your fault, okay? And he's a complete idiot, when he doesn't realize how precious you are and pushes you away just because of one silly lie. Just try to forget him…"

"How can I forget him?" Pan asked exasperated. "I'm carrying his child for god's sake! And no matter what he had said, I still love him and I don't think that this will ever stop… I can't just forget him…"

Angela pulled the now again crying Pan into a comforting hug. "Maybe you won't. But life goes on and you're strong enough to go on without him. And no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you." She pulled out of the hug and grabbed into the Kleenex box to try the tears on Pan's face. "And now let's talk about something non-depressing, okay?" Pan pressed her lips together and nodded. "Okay, have you already heard that Bobby almost set the cafeteria on fire?"

"He did what?" Pan asked surprised, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah… See… It happened this way…"

The two young women talked for hours about this and that until it was about five o'clock in the morning. They hadn't even noticed how fast the time passed, until Pan suddenly let out a loud yawn, causing the two of them to finally look at the clock. "Uhm, Angela… don't you have classes tomorrow, I mean today?" Pan remarked grinning.

"Uhm… oops?" Angela laughed. "Well, then I think we should go to bed, so that I at least get some sleep, okay?"

They both quickly changed into their nightclothes and laid down in their beds, switching off the light. But the last thought that was on Pan's mind before she fell asleep, was

Trunks.

~*~

Pan.

Trunks sighed, as he looked out of the small window of the plane. It was slowly getting light outside. The stars and the moon disappeared and there was already a small glimpse of the sun in the east.

It wouldn't take long until they finally arrived.

He looked around. Almost everyone was sleeping. Bra and Goten were cuddled up to each other, as well as his parents. Okay, his mother was cuddled up to his father, but it didn't look like it was bothering him that much, since he was also soundly asleep. The only person that also wasn't asleep was the person that was sitting on the right side of the plane, a seat in front of him. Takeo. His son.

His son. From the future nonetheless. A future, in which Pan had to raise the boy alone, just because of his stupidity. In that future he had lost Pan. In that future he didn't even know that he had a son.

His son. He was going to be a father. That was a really strange thought. But it was true. The proof of this was sitting just a few meters away from him, staring out of the window, deep in thoughts. This young man was unmistakably his son. And Pan's.

At that moment it was decided. He would do whatever it takes to win Pan's heart back. As selfishly as it may sound, he didn't want to have the same fate as his other self. He wanted to see Takeo grow up. He didn't want to miss his son's first steps, his first words, he wanted to teach him how to fight… And he didn't want to spend the rest of his life alone, without someone to love. He didn't want Pan to carry the burden of raising their son all alone. He wanted, no, he needed her to be happy. He would never be able to forgive himself, if he hurt Pan more than he already did. She was his love, his life, his everything…

Trunks clutched the small velvet box in his pocket. He would make everything up to her again. He had already hurt her once and he would never hurt her again. Never.

Takeo felt his father's gaze in his back, as he looked out of the window, but didn't react to it. He could imagine how strange it was for him to see his grown-up son from the future. Hell, it was even strange for him to see his father that young and actually knowing that he had a son.

He let out an inaudible sigh. He just hoped that he was right and they would find his mother in LA on the campus. Otherwise he had run out of ideas of where to find her. Then his unborn self would have the same fate as he. Then he would also have to grow up without a father, see how his mother was hurt and feel the pain of knowing that he was the cause of that. He looked so much like his father and his grandfather that it was just natural that his mother was always reminded of his father, when she looked at him.

He wanted to spare the small child that would be born in about eight month from what he had to go through. He wanted to spare his mother from this time from what his mother from his timeline had gone through. And he wanted his father to see the child that would be him grow up, since his father never got the chance.

He just wanted everyone to be happy.

A few hours later the plane finally landed in LA. It was about nine o'clock in the morning there and the sun already burned down, as the group left the airport. They were now standing in front of it, waiting for Trunks, who had wanted to rent a car, where everyone would fit in.

Vegeta was leaning against a wall, a few meters away from the others, with his eyes closed, waiting for his brat to finally turn up, as he heard some people snicker. He cracked one eye open and saw some youths standing not that far away from him. He decided to ignore them and closed his eye again, until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up, just to see one of those youths standing next to him. "What do you want?" he growled, trying to scare this guy away.

But the young man remained unimpressed. "Hey, old man, what is it with your hairstyle? Is that fashionable were you come from?" he asked, mocking him.

Vegeta sighed. Sometimes he wished that he hadn't let his hair grow back to the old style. He took a quick glance at the others, especially Bulma, noticing that they weren't paying attention to him. He smirked at the boy, grabbed his throat and pushed him against the wall. "Listen brat. Be careful what you say. It could cost your life…" he said, even though he would never kill weak and 'innocent' people, like he had done it all those years ago. He let the boy go, who was as pale as a sheet by then and watched him stumbling away to the others. He shook his head and mumbled, "Those damn Americans…" [This was for you SuperPOPO6 and SuperVidel]

Right after the incident Trunks appeared with a car in front of them. Everyone got in and Trunks drove off to the campus, where Takeo thought that Pan would most likely be.

~*~

The first moment as Pan woke up, she was a bit disoriented, until she realized, where she was. She looked at the clock. Nine o'clock. Still too early for her to get up, but she didn't feel like sleeping anymore. The whole night she had been dreaming of Trunks. To be precise, she had nightmares of Trunks pushing her away and then coming back just because of the baby.

Pan shook her head and got up and grabbed a few clothes. Trunks didn't know that she was pregnant and she trust Vegeta of keeping this secret. Maybe a hot shower could take her mind off of this dream.

~*~

About half an hour later the gang arrived at the campus of the California Boarding School. Trunks quickly got out of the car, as well as everyone else and looked around frantically. There were so many young people and this place was so big! "How shall we find her here?" he mumbled helplessly.

He looked over to his son, who had a concentrated look on his face. Suddenly the young man's face lit up. "I've just found Angela's ki. She's somewhere over there," he said, pointing to his left. "Maybe we should talk to her."

The other's nodded. "Okay, boy," Vegeta said. "Bring us to her."

So they all walked over the campus, Takeo guiding them to the young woman called Angela, the whole time getting some curious and awed looks from the students and some started to whisper excitedly, especially those, who have recognized the famous members of the Briefs family.

After a few minutes of walking, Takeo suddenly stopped. "It must be her…" Takeo said, motioning to a blond girl, who was talking with some other students. But Pan was nowhere to be seen.

"Thanks…" Trunks said and walked up to the girl. "Excuse me, please," he said to her. "Is your name Angela?"

The young woman looked up surprised and excused herself from her friends, who then walked away. "Who wants to know?" she asked, taking a closer look at this man in front of her. She could swear that she had seen him before…

For the split of a second Trunks looked at her stunned. She didn't recognize him? Well, whatever… "So I take it your name is Angela…" he stated, avoiding her question. "Do you know a girl with the name Pan?"

"Yes, I do," Angela answered hesitating. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm looking for her… Is she here?" he wanted to know.

"No!" she said, almost too fast. "I mean, she left about two months ago. I've shared a room with her the last seven years… Tell me, who are you?"

"I'm the man who's in love with her. And the father of her child," Trunks told her honestly.

"Oh," Angela just managed to say. Suddenly she saw other people walking towards them and one of them was… Now she knew why this man looked so familiar! "Oh my… You are…"

************************************************************************************

I know, again a cliffhanger and an evil one! But I didn't want to let you guys wait any longer for this chapter, so I had to stop somewhere, and I thought that this would be the right time… Besides, I gotta go to school now!

But please review though, okay? Thanks a lot!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi