Ch.13: Marissa's birthday
**June 17**
"Anastasia where do you think you are going?" Marissa asked her sister.
"I was going to fix my car," Anastasia answered, "at Vegeta's."
"Okay whatever." Marissa said watching her baby sister leave. Pan came into the kitchen and began to raid the refrigerator.
"Are you just going to let her go?"
"Yep." Marissa answered. "I can't stop her. I can't ground her." Pan waddled over with the fruit salad that Julie had made earlier that morning.
"What's wrong?" Pan asked. "You look like hell froze over."
"I'm fine." Marissa assured taking a sip of her tea.
"I feel like I'm carrying around a gymnast and not a baby." Pan said taking a bite of the salad.
"It happens." Marissa muttered getting up and leaving the kitchen.
~"What's up with her?"~ Pan asked herself as Julie came into the kitchen.
"Hey Pan." She said grabbing a muffin.
"Julie do you know what is wrong with Marissa?"
"Yeah I do." Julie paused. "Why?"
"She seems really depressed."
"I would be too if I were her."
"Why?"
"Well today is her birthday."
"That's it?"
"No. Her father died on this day exactly nine years ago."
"I see."
"She never really got over it so she doesn't celebrate her birthday." Julie said. "She even refuses to race on this date."
"I wonder why." Marissa came back.
"He died in a car accident." She said slowly.
"I thought he died of cancer." Pan said.
"I lied." Marissa sat down. "My dad and I went to one of the hottest tracks in Lost Angels for my fourteenth birthday. Dad had gotten me into racing at a young age and this was the first year he was going to let me compete."
**Flashback**
"Marissa hand me that rag right there." Vince said to his young daughter. Marissa handed her father a clean red rag in which he wiped the hood down with.
"So today is the day isn't it Marissa?" Vegeta said patting the girl on the back.
"Yeah. My first race!" Marissa said excitedly.
"After my race though Baby Girl." Vince reminded. "I don't need you getting in a wreck because of the other children."
"I know." Marissa said. "Now how about getting a bite to eat before the race."
"Sounds good." Vince said. "How about you Vegeta?"
"Sure." Vegeta answered following them to the Fast Track diner. While Marissa was busing picking music on the jukebox Vegeta and Vince was busy discussing Marissa's mother.
"Celeste hasn't paid a dime for Marissa. Kids these days are not cheap Vegeta." Vince said.
"Still no child support huh? You got really shafted when you married your wife."
"It's hard. Marissa is either hauling herself in her room or she's taking her pocket watch apart," Vince paused, "it's almost as if she trying to avoid getting to know Milissa."
"Well think of the bond Marissa and Celeste share."
"I know but do Trunks or Bra have a connection like that with Bulma?"
"Connor, Trunks is busy figuring himself out and Bra asks for the credit card."
"Well at least you have a stable family."
"Trust me Connor when you divorced Celeste you did the right thing."
"Now if Milissa would just get off the kami damned heroine." Vince looked over to Marissa who was playfully flirting with a waiter. "I tricked Marissa into signing my will."
"Incase you die?" Vegeta questioned.
"Well the CIA isn't exactly the safest profession in the universe." Vince explained. "And I don't want to leave Milissa anything."
"I can see why."
"Are you in Bulma's will?"
"I get the house."
"Well I'd be happy."
"Her cancer is getting worse so this might be the last time we see each other."
"Well then I guess we had better get to the track." Vince called to his daughter who followed them out. At the track Marissa took her father's dog tags and put them around her neck.
"You're going to win." Marissa encouraged.
"I have to." Vince hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Just for you." Marissa smiled and ran to the sidelines. She cheered for him right up to his last lap.
"Calm down Marissa." Vegeta said. "You know he's going to win."
"He needs the support." Marissa detested watching her father cross the finish line. He didn't stop right away.
"Look Marissa he won." Vegeta said sarcastically. "Now for his victory lap." Marissa turned to glare at her father's old friend.
Crash!
Marissa spun around to see bright orange and red flames devour her father's car. She tried to run to it when she heard her father's cries of pain but Vegeta had seized her around the waist.
"Let me go!"
**End Flashback**
"I listened to his screaming while he burned to death." Marissa paused fighting her tears. "The paramedics said that he was dead on impact that it was me who was screaming but I knew it was my father because I heard him."
"Oh my Kami." Pan said.
"I went home and Milissa said that I was to pack my things, that I was out after the funeral."
"You were only fourteen?" Pan questioned. Marissa nodded.
"Milissa married my father for is money." Marissa wiped away a tear. "I wasn't allowed the money until I turned twenty-one. What made it worse was the month before my fifteenth birthday when Connor was born."
"Do you know who his father is?" Pan asked.
"Yes I do and I don't need his pity." Marissa mumbled. "I got enough with his money."
"What's his name?" Pan questioned. Marissa looked out the kitchen window to see Trunks.
"Trunks is here Pan." Marissa opened the kitchen door. "You might want to talk to him."
"Tell him that I'm not home." Pan said attempting to escape. Julie held her down to the chair. "Julie let me up."
"No because you are going to want to hear what he is going to say." Marissa motioned for him to come in. "We'll leave you two alone." Julie and Marissa left the room. Trunks sat at the table.
"I don't need your pity." Pan mumbled.
"I wasn't going to give it." Trunks told her. "I'll be straight forward."
"Really?" Pan leaned back.
"I'm an idiot and I had no right to tell you to get an abortion." Pan nodded.
"Yeah you were. So now what?" She asked. Trunks pulled out a black velvet box. Pan's heart skipped a beat.
"I had this when you told me you about the baby," he opened the box, "marry me."
"Yes." Pan breathed. Trunks grinned slipping the ring onto her finger.
"I have to talk to Marissa." Trunks got up and kissed Pan.
"Why do you have to talk to Marissa?"
"I can't tell you yet." Trunks exited and went up to Marissa's room.
**June 17**
"Anastasia where do you think you are going?" Marissa asked her sister.
"I was going to fix my car," Anastasia answered, "at Vegeta's."
"Okay whatever." Marissa said watching her baby sister leave. Pan came into the kitchen and began to raid the refrigerator.
"Are you just going to let her go?"
"Yep." Marissa answered. "I can't stop her. I can't ground her." Pan waddled over with the fruit salad that Julie had made earlier that morning.
"What's wrong?" Pan asked. "You look like hell froze over."
"I'm fine." Marissa assured taking a sip of her tea.
"I feel like I'm carrying around a gymnast and not a baby." Pan said taking a bite of the salad.
"It happens." Marissa muttered getting up and leaving the kitchen.
~"What's up with her?"~ Pan asked herself as Julie came into the kitchen.
"Hey Pan." She said grabbing a muffin.
"Julie do you know what is wrong with Marissa?"
"Yeah I do." Julie paused. "Why?"
"She seems really depressed."
"I would be too if I were her."
"Why?"
"Well today is her birthday."
"That's it?"
"No. Her father died on this day exactly nine years ago."
"I see."
"She never really got over it so she doesn't celebrate her birthday." Julie said. "She even refuses to race on this date."
"I wonder why." Marissa came back.
"He died in a car accident." She said slowly.
"I thought he died of cancer." Pan said.
"I lied." Marissa sat down. "My dad and I went to one of the hottest tracks in Lost Angels for my fourteenth birthday. Dad had gotten me into racing at a young age and this was the first year he was going to let me compete."
**Flashback**
"Marissa hand me that rag right there." Vince said to his young daughter. Marissa handed her father a clean red rag in which he wiped the hood down with.
"So today is the day isn't it Marissa?" Vegeta said patting the girl on the back.
"Yeah. My first race!" Marissa said excitedly.
"After my race though Baby Girl." Vince reminded. "I don't need you getting in a wreck because of the other children."
"I know." Marissa said. "Now how about getting a bite to eat before the race."
"Sounds good." Vince said. "How about you Vegeta?"
"Sure." Vegeta answered following them to the Fast Track diner. While Marissa was busing picking music on the jukebox Vegeta and Vince was busy discussing Marissa's mother.
"Celeste hasn't paid a dime for Marissa. Kids these days are not cheap Vegeta." Vince said.
"Still no child support huh? You got really shafted when you married your wife."
"It's hard. Marissa is either hauling herself in her room or she's taking her pocket watch apart," Vince paused, "it's almost as if she trying to avoid getting to know Milissa."
"Well think of the bond Marissa and Celeste share."
"I know but do Trunks or Bra have a connection like that with Bulma?"
"Connor, Trunks is busy figuring himself out and Bra asks for the credit card."
"Well at least you have a stable family."
"Trust me Connor when you divorced Celeste you did the right thing."
"Now if Milissa would just get off the kami damned heroine." Vince looked over to Marissa who was playfully flirting with a waiter. "I tricked Marissa into signing my will."
"Incase you die?" Vegeta questioned.
"Well the CIA isn't exactly the safest profession in the universe." Vince explained. "And I don't want to leave Milissa anything."
"I can see why."
"Are you in Bulma's will?"
"I get the house."
"Well I'd be happy."
"Her cancer is getting worse so this might be the last time we see each other."
"Well then I guess we had better get to the track." Vince called to his daughter who followed them out. At the track Marissa took her father's dog tags and put them around her neck.
"You're going to win." Marissa encouraged.
"I have to." Vince hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Just for you." Marissa smiled and ran to the sidelines. She cheered for him right up to his last lap.
"Calm down Marissa." Vegeta said. "You know he's going to win."
"He needs the support." Marissa detested watching her father cross the finish line. He didn't stop right away.
"Look Marissa he won." Vegeta said sarcastically. "Now for his victory lap." Marissa turned to glare at her father's old friend.
Crash!
Marissa spun around to see bright orange and red flames devour her father's car. She tried to run to it when she heard her father's cries of pain but Vegeta had seized her around the waist.
"Let me go!"
**End Flashback**
"I listened to his screaming while he burned to death." Marissa paused fighting her tears. "The paramedics said that he was dead on impact that it was me who was screaming but I knew it was my father because I heard him."
"Oh my Kami." Pan said.
"I went home and Milissa said that I was to pack my things, that I was out after the funeral."
"You were only fourteen?" Pan questioned. Marissa nodded.
"Milissa married my father for is money." Marissa wiped away a tear. "I wasn't allowed the money until I turned twenty-one. What made it worse was the month before my fifteenth birthday when Connor was born."
"Do you know who his father is?" Pan asked.
"Yes I do and I don't need his pity." Marissa mumbled. "I got enough with his money."
"What's his name?" Pan questioned. Marissa looked out the kitchen window to see Trunks.
"Trunks is here Pan." Marissa opened the kitchen door. "You might want to talk to him."
"Tell him that I'm not home." Pan said attempting to escape. Julie held her down to the chair. "Julie let me up."
"No because you are going to want to hear what he is going to say." Marissa motioned for him to come in. "We'll leave you two alone." Julie and Marissa left the room. Trunks sat at the table.
"I don't need your pity." Pan mumbled.
"I wasn't going to give it." Trunks told her. "I'll be straight forward."
"Really?" Pan leaned back.
"I'm an idiot and I had no right to tell you to get an abortion." Pan nodded.
"Yeah you were. So now what?" She asked. Trunks pulled out a black velvet box. Pan's heart skipped a beat.
"I had this when you told me you about the baby," he opened the box, "marry me."
"Yes." Pan breathed. Trunks grinned slipping the ring onto her finger.
"I have to talk to Marissa." Trunks got up and kissed Pan.
"Why do you have to talk to Marissa?"
"I can't tell you yet." Trunks exited and went up to Marissa's room.