A/N:                Sorry, I'm so sorry… It has almost been a months since the last chapter! I'm so sorry! Actually I planned to have this chapter finished by Christmas, but I think you all know how hectic the time before Christmas and Christmas itself can be, so I hope you forgive this delay! At least, now, after Christmas, I have the chance to learn more English through reading. How, you ask? Well, I got from my parents all three books of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings – in English! I just finished the first one "The Fellowship Of The Ring" and will now start tomorrow with the second "The Two Towers".

                        Well, I don't want to bore you any longer with my rambling, so now, have fun with this chapter!

Chapter 14: Sally

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Christmas time had arrived again. For Pan it was the fifth Christmas with the Crawfords and the fourth with Takeo, who would also turn four in the following April. It was the late afternoon of Christmas Eve and there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the Crawford's household. Beth, Pan and Angela were in the kitchen, preparing a huge feast for that evening, for which also Lindsay and her family would be invited. In the living room Arthur and a tall young man with sandy hair and lively blue-green eyes, also known as Angela's fiancé or by the name of Toby, were setting up the Christmas tree. And in the middle of all of this Takeo was running excitedly from one room to another. Actually he should be in bed right now holding a small nap, so that he wouldn't be tired during the dinner, but with so many grown ups around he couldn't even think about sleeping, especially not, if there was such a delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

Pan sighed and cleaned her hands in her apron, when Takeo once again came into the kitchen, standing on the tips of his toes to see what there was on the kitchen table. Fortunately she had just taught him the basics in ki-control and how to control his strength in general, so that he wouldn't destroy anything. This didn't include the art of flying; otherwise she would be sure that Takeo would have his hands everywhere.

"Mommy, I'm bored," he told her with the most innocent look on his face that he could manage. But Pan, as well as everyone else of her makeshift family knew that behind this façade it was quite possible to find a boy that was full of mischief. Arthur and Beth had made it their responsibility to play grandparents and therefore had the predestined permission to spoil him rotten – a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the boy. Though he wasn't even four years old, he was quite smart and had the troublesome ability to pick up things fast and use it for his advantage.

"Honey, mommy is busy here… Why don't you go upstairs in your room and play a bit? Lindsay will be here in about an hour to help us with the rest and she will bring Emily. So you won't be alone anymore."

"But I don't know what to play upstairs…"

Pan absolutely didn't want to make the next suggestion, since she'd rather wanted to keep an eye on the boy – better be safe than sorry. But she also knew how one hyperactive Saiyajin could get, if he was bored, since she had also been one. "And what about going outside to play?"

"Or what about I take him with me?" Arthur's voice now came from the kitchen door. "Toby and I have finished setting up the tree and I now wanted to get this thing," he said, winking at his wife, who had a secretive smile on her face.

"What thing?" Pan asked confused. Talking about some thing in front of Takeo usually meant a present, but it was already Christmas Eve and she thought that they already had all presents, hadn't they?"

"Oh, nothing dear," Beth told her. "Well Takeo, that's your chance."

The small boy turned again to her mother and gave her the puppy dog eyes. "Mommy?"

"Okay," she agreed. "But I don't want you to cause any trouble."

"Of course not!" A wide grin was now going from one ear to the other and he ran past Arthur to get his anorak.

Pan watched from the window how Arthur and Takeo got into the car and drove off, before she turned to the two other women in the kitchen. "Okay, now that Takeo's gone, you can tell me. What this thing?"

Angela and Beth looked at each other, before the elderly woman said, "Well, let's just say that it is another present."

"Another present?"

"Yes. But not just for Takeo – also for you." Pan looked at Angela as if her friend had grown a second head, before she just shook her head and went back to the dessert that she was preparing. Whatever her friends had planned, she would find out about it at the latest the next morning.

~*~

Just great, Takeo thought bored. After they had been driving for about twenty minutes, his grandfather – he knew that he wasn't his real grandfather, but he still called him that way – had stopped in front of a smaller house. He wanted to come with him, but Arthur hadn't allowed him to. What was the point in coming with him, when, in the end, he wasn't allowed to come with him? His grandfather had said that it would just take him a couple of minutes and now he was already inside for about fifteen minutes.

Takeo just thought about following him somehow, when he heard the trunk of the car being opened and closed again and not even a minute later, Arthur got into the car. The boy immediately jumped up from his seat. "Sorry, it took longer than I thought…"

"Where have you been so long?"

"I had to take care of something…" Arthur responded.

"Take care of what?" the boy wanted to know, his curious nature resurfacing.

"You will see soon, I promise…"

Still not satisfied with this answer, but knowing that his grandpa wouldn't tell him more, Takeo leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms over his chest and put a pout on his face, hoping against hope that maybe his grandpa would react on this and tell him.

Arthur Crawford just smiled slightly, when he saw the face of his 'grandson' in the rear mirror. He knew the boy too well to show any other reaction on this. He would see soon enough what was now in the trunk. He just couldn't wait to see the boy's eyes once he opened the present tonight. Yes, tonight. This present couldn't wait until the next day. That was impossible. He would open it in front of everyone. Pan would throw a fit once she sees the present, but he was sure that they, that she would convince her to keep it. Otherwise they wouldn't have even thought about getting this present for them.

~*~

Lindsay and her family were already there, when Arthur pulled the car into the driveway. Takeo immediately got out of the car, eager to see his friend again, having immediately forgotten about the thing in the trunk, once he saw the other car standing at the street. Arthur watched the boy barging in through the front door and shook his head with a smile on his face. At least this left him with enough time to get the present unnoticed from the trunk into his garage. For the next couple of hours it would be safe in there and to be frank, he didn't have another choice. The only thing he still had to get was a bowl filled with water.

After having taken care of the present, he also went inside, but unlike his grandson through the backdoor. The house was already filled with delicious smells, all coming from the kitchen and he could feel his mouth watering. He rubbed his hands and immediately went to the source of those smells, hoping that maybe he could get a small taste of what it would be for dinner. Once getting there, he saw that he wasn't the only one who had that idea. He walked up to the small boy, who was jumping up and down in front of the counter, wanting to see what exactly was up there. He put a hand on Takeo's shoulder to keep him from jumping and his most charming smile on his face. "Ladies, my compliment," he said. "The dinner smells delicious."

"Yes, it does," his wife answered. "And just like you said, it is the dinner. So, get out of the kitchen now and go into the living room. The others are already there. Dinner will be served in about one hour." Pan watched amused, as Beth shooed both her husband and Takeo out of the kitchen, closing the door behind them. "Men…" she muttered.

Suddenly the amused expression on Pan's face changed into a sad smile. This scene caused a memory from years ago to resurface. A memory of Christmas at home – her old home. Her grandmother had always reacted in the same way, when her grandfather or another Saiyajin for that matter had tried to steal something from the kitchen, while she had been preparing dinner. Just that she had always muttered 'Saiyajins' instead of 'Men'.

In the living room Arthur greeted the other guests for their Christmas dinner. He firmly shook Josh's hand and hugged Lindsay, ruffled through ten years old Emily's hair and in the end reached out his finger to the youngest addition of that family, six months old Anna. Ever since Pan had stepped into his and Beth's life, his family seemed to grow. First she and now also Lindsay, Josh and their two daughters were a part of their family. The only members of their family who weren't there that Christmas were Angela's parents, who were on vacation in Aspen to ski.

The dinner passed rather uneventful – as uneventful as it could be with having two children at the table of which one was also part-Saiyajin. Everything the women had prepared did not just smell delicious, but did also taste so. Way too soon it was over, at least for Takeo, who'd liked to have a third bowl of chocolate pudding, but his mother forbid it and the large makeshift family now just sat in the living room and talked. After about twenty minutes Arthur excused himself and left the room, just to return a few minutes later with a large box in his hands. All heads turned to him, though just two of the persons in the living room didn't know what was in that box.

"Takeo, Pan," he said, putting the box on the floor. "I think Santa Clause brought something a bit earlier for you."

"What's this?" Pan wanted to know.

"Well, to find out what's in this box, I think you'd have to open it. Or what do you think, Takeo?" Arthur told him, winking at him.

Takeo walked up to the box, but took a step back, when he thought that it had moved. Now being wary, he carefully made his way up to it and slowly opened the lid, just to fall on his butt, when something jumped towards him. His blue eyes went wide and started to gleam with disbelief, excitement and glee. With its forelegs now hanging out of the box was a small puppy – a German shepherd dog to be precise. It waggled excitedly with its tail and panted, its tongue hanging halfway out of its mouth. "Mommy! Look!" He immediately went up to the dog and took it out of the box.

"Her name is Sally," Arthur told him, as the dog clumsily walked up to Takeo.

"Arthur, Beth, could I talk to you for a minute," Pan said quietly and led both of them out of the room. They stood in the hallway near the door to the living room, so that Pan could still keep an eye on her son. The whole time she talked in a hushed voice, not wanting to get Takeo's attention. "A dog? Takeo is not even four years old! He can't take care of a dog. Are you crazy?"

"No, we're not," Beth responded just as quietly. "Besides, Sally is not just a present for Takeo, but also for you."

"But that's impossible," the Saiyajin contradicted. "Takeo will be off to kindergarten next year and then I'll also start to work in the afternoons twice a week. Who'll take care of her then, huh?"

"We will. Listen Pan," Arthur said. "The dog of an old friend of mine has thrown four whelps. Sally is one of them. But he is just able to keep one of the four whelps, so he asked me, if I'd like to have one. And, well, here she is." He put a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to look how her son and the dog were playing. "Don't you see how close they already are?"

Upon seeing the wide grin on her son's face and the laughing in his eyes, Pan sighed, knowing that she had been defeated. There was no way that she could take Sally away now. No matter how much trouble he was able to cause, Takeo had a big heart and always managed to make fast friends with everyone – everything – and this small puppy didn't seem to be the exception. This and Takeo knew what to do to convince her, even if it was just showing her how much he already adored Sally. The heart and good nature of a Son combined with the mind and certain disregard for rules of a Briefs – she was sure that someday this combination would get her son to do something that could get him into a lot of trouble. "Okay, we'll keep her," she said at last.

As long as her son was happy, she would do anything for him. She didn't want him to miss anything in his life – she had already deprived him of a father – and if this was the way to do it, then so be it.

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Whoa, sorry again that it took so long… I must say that I'm not too proud of this chapter, but I hope you like it though… A little review would also be nice!

And with this I wish you all a Happy New Year!!!

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi