Another chapter for my lovely readers. I know you sobbed at the last chappy, but the story doesn't end there, so I hope you've continued on. Kind of a filler chapter—actually, I shouldn't say that, as there's an important something in this chapter. Not really much to comment, but anywayz, here it is. (remember, reviews lead to inspiration! lol. I'm only teasing. Well, not really, but anywayz! On with the story! Oh, and I FINALLY changed my profile bio thing so it's not a mile long. lol.)

Pan called Mary Kate the next morning, and her Irish friend was beyond excited to hear from her.

"What're you doin'?" She asked. "Are'ya gettin' excited fo'the weddin'?" Pan took this opportunity to fill in her friend, trying not to think on it too much.

"Oh, well, see…we broke up, Mary Kate." There was silence on the other end for several moments before Pan could hear her friend's concerned voice.

"Oh, I'm sorr'uh, Pan." Another bout of silence resulted before Pan chose to break the ice and tell her exactly why she called.

"It's OK, there's nothing really to say." She admitted. "I need to get away, Mary Kate." It was apparent that her friend, though silent, understood. "Can I come stay with you guys?"

~*

Two weeks later Pan shuffled her slipper-clad feet to the front door of the apartment, and opened it wide to retrieve the morning paper. But there was another sight to greet her, and she smiled as a long haired kitty trotted up the steps.

Pan frowned at its limp, and knelt down to scoop the gray animal into her arms. Upon entering the house she flopped the mail into the foyer chair and now took possession of it with both of her arms.

It cuddled and purred all the way into her bedroom, where she set it down upon her cushy comforter and nestled next to the bed, on her knees, to examine it.

"You don't look too well, eh?" The cat 'mewed' softly in reply, its big, round, onyx eyes looking intently upon Pan's face, its whiskers twitching as its nose sniffed the air openly and curiously.

"So what can I do to help?" She questioned, taking her thumbs and feeling beneath the skin of the kitten's right front paw. If it could have furrowed its brows she would have sworn it did as it looked down as the examination process, her breath confused as it tried to purr and question her movements both at once.

"Well, there's only one thing to do." She announced. "Fix you up of course!"

~*

That evening Pan sat in the overstuffed leather chair in front of the TV, he legs propped up, a cozy blanket spread over her form. A pillow sat upon her lap, and on top of that was the friendly little gray kitty, nestled in the crook of her arm, its one paw bandaged quite clumsily.

Indeed, the pink bandage was intended for humans, and it made her paw swell to look quite humorous.

"What on earth are you doing?" Katie, the American Pan had found to be quite trustworthy, a true friend, was in the doorway, and she looked at the comic scene with a smile. "Where'd you find the little snot?" She questioned, rubbing the kitten under his chin, and he leaned into it with a kitty smile.

"I found him on the front step this morning—how was work?" Katie shrugged off the question, instead touching the bandaged paw lightly.

"Is it broke?"

"Broken?" Katie rolled her eyes but smiled. "I don't think so. Just lame, like a sprain or something."

"Are you taking it to the vet or something?" Pan shook her head. "Really?" Pan's eyes darted to Katie.

"What do you mean?" She asked nervously, and Katie shrugged. "What?" Pan snapped, and again Katie just shrugged her shoulders.

~*

Pan sighed as she sat down in a stiff lounge chair, the kitten on her lap. Its dark gray eyes scanned the room and looked at the strange sights, and Pan held it a little tighter when a lady with a bird walked by.

"Son?" Pan looked around. "Pan Son?" A woman in one of those button up nurse shirts was standing up behind the reception desk, a clipboard in her hands as she looked around questioningly.

"Oh, that's me!" Pan jumped out of her seat a approached the brunette with a smile, setting the cat down on the desk.

"The cat's name?" She asked Pan cheerfully as she scratched it on the neck. Pan hadn't given her a name yet. Since yesterday morning 'kitty' or 'cat' had done fine. Her eyes darted here and there, and they stopped their search when they raked over a magazine.

"Cosmo." She said simply, hoping the woman wouldn't think Pan had stolen it off the name of the nearest magazine—Cosmopolitan. But that was absurd. Pan's paranoia would only put the two together.

"All right, that room over there—number four." And Pan picked up the kitten and scurried down the hall.

~*

"Cosmo?" Katie asked with a scrunched eyebrow, taking the kitty out of Pan's hands while the darker of the two took off her coat.

"Well, Cosmopolitan wouldn't work very well, now would it?" Katie rolled her eyes but argued no more, taking the cat with her and Pan into the living room.

They both plopped onto the couch side by side, their legs curled beneath them, and Pan made a move for the remote. The TV turned onto the fashion and gossip news station, and instantly a story appeared which made Pan still her hand from changing the channel.

Nearly two weeks after the sighting of Trunks Brief's with a young woman at the violin performance at the capitol gardens auditorium—the screen showed a picture of Trunks and a girl with a short haircut sitting in the auditorium—he was spotted with another young lady. His sister, that is.

Pan saw a shot of Bura and Trunks dashing across the street of the old downtown district, the same swanky area Miss Satina's spa was located, both clad in sunglasses.

The upcoming marriage between Bura Brief's and the model Donny Evan's was discovered only last week by a source who was dealing with the plans of Trunks Brief's and Pan Son's wedding.

Pan had avoided the media heyday that had occurred when sources found out the wedding was off, but it seemed she would have to taste a bit of it now, as she was too absorbed in the news article to turn the station.

Trunks Brief's massively publicized—she chuckled at the fitting word "massively"—wedding was called off last week for reason's unknown. Thank goodness! However the sighting of Trunks Brief's with a young woman at the violin concert, and Pan Son's sighting with a college student are obviously thought to be part of it. When had anyone seen her and Jace? Obviously media watched her just as much as Trunks now a day's. But, thankfully, that would probably soon die out.

Trunks Brief's, however, has not been seen with the young woman since.

The reporter grinned and it changed to another person with another topic.

Has not been seen with her since? Pan thought. That was enough information to get her thinking for hours.

~*

Trunks leaned back in his office chair, staring at the city stories and stories below where he was. Capsule Corps.' office building was the highest in the capitol, and he enjoyed every moment of his office so terribly close to the top of it.

Goten looked over the latest issue of GQ that had Trunks on the cover. In bold, navy blue letters it read just below his chin: Trunks Brief's. His spot at the top, and the relationship happiness he has found.

Goten sighed and looked at his best friend who shook his head sadly, knowing what Goten had sighed about.

"They want a follow up interview." He stated. "Called the moment the wedding was canceled. Want to put me on the very next issue, talking about 'the loss'." He rolled his eyes. "Said it would be the first time anyone's ever been on GQ twice in a row." He snorted. "Like I care…now."

"They want to know all about Aiko, I presume?" He chuckled. "Miss Aiko Takahachi, and the happiness she shattered. It'd be the perfect story for them."

"Well, there's not much of a story there." Trunks said. "Besides, it wasn't her who shattered the happiness." Goten let the subject drop, knowing the pain it brought up.

~*

Pan picked up the latest issue of GQ sadly, running her fingers over the cover while she waited in the grocery store line.

"Trunks Brief's. His spot at the top, and the relationship happiness he has found." She repeated, almost mockingly. "I'm sure every magazine will pay top dollar for a follow up, especially GQ. They'll want to make sure they're the ones who clear up their mistaking headline." She rolled her eyes. Couldn't anything be private? Especially this?

~*

"I'm sick of it." Bura set down across from her brother at the kitchen table. "I'll be honest, Trunks. I'm sick of stinkin' GQ knowing more about what happened then me."

Trunks looked from his book to his sister. Her eyes held concern, her lips held determination, and her hands cradled a cup of ice-cream. He'd never be able so sway her; she had brought in the big guns.

…

"And after Pan and you broke up? What happened to Aiko?" Her ice-cream bowl was empty and set aside, and his glasses had been set down on the table as well.

"I…I broke it off." She arched a brow. "It wasn't right, Bura. And…I didn't love her. I liked her, yes, but not enough."

"But—"

"That was never why Pan and I called it off." He said, guessing her interruption. "It was because…because…"

"It was because there was a temptation in the first place." He nodded. "Is Aiko still around?"

"No. She went to France. Her parents are there, and there was an instructor there as well that's supposedly unparalleled. The opportunity was too much…and we had already broken up."

Trunks remembered that rainy afternoon he had met her at work to break the news. She had been expecting it, strangely enough, and it hadn't been a shock.

They were sitting across from each other, cradling each a cup of coffee or tea, and she gave him a melancholy, though understanding smile.

"I knew." She said. "I knew who you were, your relationship status, and—" She grinned. "the type of guy you were. But it was enough to know I would just spend some time with you. You, Trunks. Trunks Brief's of Capsule Corporations, millionaire extraodinaire." She grinned again, but it faded. "And at least there was the hope. The hope that someday, or some time, you would realize you liked me in that way. Enough to keep things as they were, to hopefully raise things higher. It was a dream from the beginning. I knew the consequences. I knew."

The remembrance of that afternoon faded, and he met Bura in the eye.

~*

Pan got up and got ready for her day. She took a shower, got dressed, brushed her teeth and hair, did everything just as usual. She took a leisurely breakfast, read the newspaper, and snuggled with Cosmo before heading out the door for an afternoon of work and then whatever else greeted her.

She didn't notice, however, that her answering machine had been blinking its red light throughout the morning.

~*

Trunks busily typed on his data pad without a second thought to anything until Claire buzzed in.

"There's a call for you, sir." He turned towards the receiver. "The senior editor and VP of GQ." She replied to his question of who it was.

"Tell them I'm unavailable right now to talk." He could hear her sigh. "What?" He listened hard to her answer. Even though he got irritated some times by her, he heeded her good advice, as she almost always gave the best council.

"You have been skipping them for a while." She pointed out. "And, it probably wouldn't be best to remain with this 'no comment' idea forever. Better to set it out straight in an actual interview with you, than to have tabloids spill out a drama."

The suggestion hit him like a smack. But it was the truth, and she wasn't harsh…sometimes reality hurts.

"OK, connect the call." He waited for the inevitable, and it struck him when the blue light signaled. He tapped the button and the speakerphone kicked in.

"Trunks Brief's here." A smiley, cheery tone greeted him on the other end, making him even more irritated.

"Mr. Brief's! This is Rhonda from GQ, and I was hoping to speak with you about that follow up interview. You realize you'll be the first man in history to snag the cover twice in a row?" A funny laugh sounded on the other end, like she had been laughing and smiling with her teeth clenched at the same time.

"Well, Ms. Steel—"

"See, Mr. Brief's, I have the most brilliant plan." She continued before he could even take a breath. "Have you heard of Infinite magazine?" It did ring a bell… "Well, I'm the president and editor for that magazine as well. I started it just a couple of years back. But enough reminiscing!" Another one of those laughs. "Again, I had the most brilliant idea. I would like to do a cover of you on GQ and…" Here came the turkey, he could tell.

"On the cover of Infinite, I would like to spread Pan Son."