Rainwater
Chapter 4: Special
Rating: R for sexual situations and suggestions, adult topics and language.
WitchyPrincess

Special

When you've lived your whole life hearing fairy tales about Snow White and Cinderella, you tend to idolize the idea. Even though, once you pass those first few precious years of childhood and you understand that such fantasies aren't real, you can't put the thought out of your head. The dreams, seductive lies that sweep you into the wonderful web they weave, won't let you be free. The thoughts keep you imprisoned and forever bound where you can't help but want what you've been told. They way you were told it.

Why the hell don't they tell you when you're four that Prince Charming doesn't exist? That you'll never be as fair as Cinderella? And that when you put that glass slipper on your feet the only thing that will change is your comfort level?

When you think you're beautiful - when you believe certain things are supposed to happen certain ways - dangerous things happen. When you let your guard down and you expect, without really thinking about it, that things will be different, you set yourself up for disappointment.

Who decides which of us is considered ugly and which of us isn't? Who makes up their minds about certain people's lives, whether they'll be easy or hard? And where can I go to cash my life in for a new one? I need to know. I always expected Happily Ever After was just around the corner. I never thought none of it would pertain to me.

Every little girl imagines she's special. I just hated it so much when he pointed out that I wasn't, I had never suspected that I wouldn't be. I hated it so badly I could never forgive him for it. I could never forget. And every time he opened his mouth to dismantle my dreams, from there after, I etched a notch inside my mental emotional pole and held on to the memory. I wanted revenge so badly it blinded me.

He had to feel my shame. He had to eat his words. I was special - I had to be.

—Pan Son
#######

It wasn't so much that Pan actually wanted to go to this party as it was that she wanted to prove Trunks wrong. He must have known what he was doing when he said it, because after it had come out of his mouth her eyes lit like a bon fire and she jumped into action. She was so livid she didn't even notice how pleased with himself he looked. He was resisting the urge to give himself a self-satisfied pat on the back, but she was blinded by her anger as she puffed out her chest and shoved him out of her room.

"Don't you go anywhere." She yelled at him through the door. "Give me thirty minutes and you'll be eating the shoe that you just lodged in your throat." He chuckled and sat down on the couch.

He wouldn't take it back though. He actually did doubt that if she happened to, by some odd twist of fate, own a dress, that she knew how to wear it. He couldn't imagine her wearing one and if she was going to wear it just because he'd insulted her femininity then he should have thought of that years ago. This was bound to be great fun.

He didn't realize, and there was no one there watching to tell him, that he was wearing the first real smile he'd worn in years. And this girl, who moments before was trying to strangle him to death, was the reason for it.

#######

Where were they? Bra dug her fingernails into her dress as she withheld the sigh she wanted to let past her throat. Neither Trunks nor Pan were here. And Bra found, surprisingly, that she wasn't comfortable around anyone else.

The table was nearly full. Bulma was sitting at the far end of it, her hands resting patiently in her lap. There was a stern, determined look set on her face, her lips pressed so tightly together they nearly disappeared. To the left of her was Vegita, an angry expression ravishing his face, his eyebrows so close they were nearly one big uni-brow. And to Bulma's right was her first problem: an empty mahogany seat. The white napkin still folded in the shape of a swan resting on the plate that hadn't been touched.

And next to Vegita, to his left, was the other problem. The other empty seat. The one with Pan's invitation on the plate. Next to the empty chair, Gohan sat with his hands rigidly clasped together, his jaws clenched, eyes staring straight ahead. His wife, to his left, was in much the same state. Her eyes were glossed over and she was staring down at the porcelain with much more interest then was necessary.

Her mother-in-law however, to Videl's left, looked completely un-bothered by the situation. Her only annoyance was the man to her left who wouldn't stop yapping. Yamcha, and across from him was Juuhanchigou.

Her expression was nearly blank, hard to read. But Bra's guess was that she looked slightly amused. To her left was her husband, Krillin, who looked puzzled and semi-embarrassed because of the uncomfortable environment. Then came Marron, who was completely absent from everything surrounding her. Her arm was resting on the table, head propped on her elbow, a bored expression on her face. She looked as if she hoped someone would throw a piece of glass across the table or shout at the top of their lungs. Every now and then she would glance at ChiChi to see if the woman was going to smack Yamcha, but nothing serious ever occurred.

Staring at the girl with complete disregard to his surroundings, was none other than Ubuu. Sitting to Marron's left, he had twisted in his seat so that he could have a better view, his eyes never leaving her even though Goten - on his lift - was trying to engage him in friendly conversation. Past Goten was Trunks' empty chair.

Finally Bra, who was at the other end of the table, across from her mother, couldn't hold the sigh in any longer. It was released in one long, disdainful sound that seemed to echo the feelings of everyone else at the table. Trunks was going to get it for this, Bra knew it by the expression on her mother's face. Bulma would never forgive him for the embarrassment. Dinner should have started five minutes ago.

Bra looked over to Videl, flashing a charming grin as the woman looked up, and trying not to let the nervousness show on her face. She knew, even if she did appear nervous, that Videl wouldn't get the feeling. No one outside her family ever had - with the possible exception of Goten - but Vegita had been staring at her all through dinner and she didn't want him to see the nerve lines, even if Videl couldn't.

"Do you have any idea when Pan is coming?" She asked, the second time tonight since Videl got there, pretending like she hadn't understood the first time when Videl said she doubted Pan would come.

"No, Bra, I don't have an idea." Videl answered, almost regretfully as she shook her head. "I'm sorry this is holding everyone up. But, like I said, Pan might not be able to make it. I'm not sure if she has to work, but she seemed quite panicked when she realized what date the party was set for." She conveniently left out the fact that it was actually Gohan having accepted for Pan that made the young girl upset, that Pan had said she wasn't coming at all even, not needing to involve the Briefs in any of that. It was none of their affair what went on in the Son household.

"Well, wouldn't she have called to-" Bulma started, completely unnerved, but she caught the look that crossed her daughter's face first. A sort of murderous, vengeful look that warned Bulma not to upset anyone. She let the sentence trail off and die just as the sound of a door opening bounced through the room.

Everyone started to stand up but stopped mid-stride, realizing that it must be Trunks because the doorbell hadn't been rung. Bulma's face plunged from upset to pure malevolence in one second flat. She was going to let him have it. But what happened next made all the words get caught in her throat, stumbling and bumping into each other as she tried not to choke.

A woman walked into the room - her stride confident, her face flushed, a smile crushed to her lips - as if she'd done it a hundred times. She was lovely in a very indelicate way. Her face was gentle, yet rough. Her eyes were a warm, dark-chocolate brown, yet hauntingly cold somewhere inside. She seemed to be a pile of contradictions.

Her hair was down, landing past her shoulders in a river of wavy curls that seemed unruly and thick yet, fashionably full. She was wearing a pale green dress, the shade of apples right before they ripened, that stopped slightly past her knees. It was tight in all the right places, yet it wasn't tight at all. The sleeves were off the shoulder and drooping in a bell shaped form, the neckline scooped low enough to flatter but not too low as to insult. She was wearing a silver necklace but, Bulma noticed, no other jewelry.

It was impossible to describe her in a word because beautiful wasn't suiting. She wasn't fabulously gorgeous but...somehow...she was breathtaking all the same. Maybe it was the way her hips curved, airing confidence and sophistication as she walked. Or maybe it was the fact that Bulma felt like she knew her but couldn't place why. It could simply be that feeling of familiarity rushing over her that made her think this girl was something special. Either way, her voice was too choked, her mind too confused, to force out the angry words that had been spewing and bubbling beneath the surface of her cool smile since the moment the first guest arrived and her son was not present.

She was the last one to take her seat, but the first to notice that everyone's mouth was hanging open, blatantly staring at the girl. Except Vegita, who was the first to speak.

"Both you brats are late so there better be a good excuse." It wasn't until he had said the words that Bulma realized her son was behind this girl, a bemused expression on his face as he drunk in everyone's reactions to his company. Because of that shock Bulma didn't berate her husband for referring to one of the guests as 'brat'.

"Trunks, if you were going to invite someone you should have told me," She automatically swept into damage control mode. "I would have set a place for her. I'm sorry dear, If I had known-"

"Bulma," Videl was laughing nervously, looking up at the young girl as she spoke her words. "It's just Pan. Don't you recognize her? Has it really been that long?"

Bra was the first to reply, an excited sigh spilling from her lips as she stood up, a small smile fitting to her face. "Pan," She spoke warmly, her eyes glittering with anticipation. "I'm glad you could make it."

Pan tilted her head, her own eyes taking in Bra's curious response. The demi-saiyan seemed overly happy to see her and Pan could only imagine why. They hadn't been buddy-buddy before Bra left so what would spark this sudden interest? The girl was moving closer to Pan, her arms spread out in welcome.

Pan studied her closely, like a predator examining it's prey. She took in everything about the girl from her long, full blue hair to her high-heeled red shoes. She was wearing a red, sleeveless evening dress. The material clung closely to her skin, though not nauseatingly so. It went past her knees, dripping like a waterfall as it wrapped into a V at the side of her left leg.

Her hair was up, held back by a silver headband, accented with red jewels. Still, strands of the blue escaped and fell down her shoulders, teasingly touching her neck with soft caresses. The dark red lipstick and eyeshadow made her look like some kind of fallen goddess, completely out of place on this earth. Once again, all the old feelings of resentment and jealously rose up in the pit of Pan's stomach. Feelings she had to force away before she finally reached her arms out, trying not to let the puzzlement show on her face, and accepted the girl's embrace.

"I wouldn't have missed your homecoming party." Pan spoke as she pulled away, unnaturally sweet as she said it, finally noticing that Vegita was glaring at her. "I'm sorry we're late, Vegita-San." She bowed her head in humble apology, trying not to snigger at his 'evil' look. "Trunks-San wanted to make sure I got here dressed properly and...as you can imagine, he had a time of getting me to put clothes on." She purposefully made it sound bad, hoping her father's blood would boil and he'd kill Trunks so she wouldn't have to.

Her eyes eased towards his direction, trying to sneak a peak at his expression. He looked horrified, but, she noticed with some dismay, it was because his mother was giving him a very nasty glare, not because of what she'd said.

"Go and sit down Pan," Bra urged, pointing to the empty chair between Vegita and Gohan. Pan sighed, nodding her head as she went towards the chair. "The quicker we get through dinner the quicker you can get out of that dress."

Now Pan had never imagined Bra would be excited about getting her out of anything that showed off more than her training gi did, but she didn't argue the fact or question it. The girl had a point.

"Hi Pan," Marron mumbled, half unenthusiastically as Pan went to take her seat, as if the blonde had just noticed Pan was in the room.

"Hi Marron," She responded with just as much excitement. "Hi mom, dad." They barely even looked at her as she sat down. She noted their uninterested hello's with annoyance.

This was going to be fun. Her parents wouldn't talk to her and they were the ones she was sitting next to. Vegita would do nothing but eat and be mad at her for being late. Goten certainly wasn't going to be cheerful this evening, he was going through enough as it was. And Ubuu was too busy being ignored by Marron, who was off in her own world. Only Bra would be amusing and she was acting so strangely Pan didn't know what had gotten into her. Yamcha wouldn't shut up, Trunks-San was a jackass, and Bulma, just like her husband, was seething because they were so late. Krillin and Juu weren't much for conversation so that pretty much took care of everyone who might amuse Pan. And, just when she was sure it would be unbearable, ChiChi leaned across the table and said, with as much pride as Pan had ever heard her use,

"You look beautiful, Pan, just beautiful. Very adult, I can hardly believe it's you. Bulma, don't even worry about the mishap," For she had noticed that Bulma looked slightly sheepish every time someone talked to Pan. "I didn't even recognize her."

And that settled everything; it was decided that Pan looked lovely, Bulma had no reason to be embarrassed or annoyed, the meal could start because everyone was there (Trunks had finally sat down), and no one would stare in awkward silence any longer. Everyone appeared cool, calm, and relaxed. But, as time has consistently shown, looks could be deceiving.

#######

She swallowed hard, feeling that familiar flutter of her heart and churning of her stomach that made words hard to come by, reality hard to face. Everything caught somewhere in her chest, restricting her breath. She couldn't form a coherent thought. Distantly she heard Marron ask Pan where she'd gotten her dress but past that all dialogue was lost to her.

She was sitting on the love seat in the living room. The room was small and cozy, the fireplace was lit even though it wasn't particularly cold outside. There were pictures littered all over the mantle of Bra and Trunks as little children - usually not together since Trunks had been thirteen when Bra was born - and of Trunks and Bra's grandparents.

There was a recliner at the far side of the room that Ubuu was sitting on. It was angled to face the long matching leather brown sofa that Marron and Pan were occupying with Trunks. Ubuu was blatantly staring at Marron, still. Bra had a slight feeling that, if Trunks hadn't beaten him to the seat, Ubuu would have sat right beside Pan and leaned across her to ogle Marron from up close. But, curiously, Trunks hadn't even hesitated to take the seat right next to Pan. He even seemed a little...anxious. And it appeared as if he found some form of amusement from being right where he was. Though, odd as it was, Pan looked throughly annoyed and kept shifting closer to Marron, whom she had never been too fond of - that being an understatement.

However, none of this was the reason Bra couldn't concentrate long enough to string two sensible thoughts together. No, It was Goten's - who was sitting right next to her, arm stretched across the entire back end of the love seat - fault. He was so close she could almost feel his skin on hers, burning through her entire body. She was nearly shaking but had to remind herself that even if they did bump she would feel his sweater, not his skin.

He was asking her something and she tried hard to hear him, but it was so distracting because she had to stare at his lips to make out the words. And staring at his lips made things really hard to concentrate on. She cleared her throat nervously, swallowed hard, shook her head, and blinked all in the span of a few seconds. He paused, tilting his head and letting that sexy smile slide onto his lips, scratching the back of his head. She heard him clearly when he asked,

"Bra, are you all right?" rather slowly because he wasn't sure if she was 'all right' or not. She smiled slightly, nodding her head a little childishly before responding audibly.

"I'm fine." She nodded again before she caught herself and had to fight the urge to roll her eyes into the back of her head for being so simple and easily shaken. Her manicured fingers were pinching the side of her red dress as she tried to keep her calm reserve, he noticed.

"Are you sure?" He asked, watching her hands as he questioned her.

"Very. I'm just anxious to talk to Pan, is all. You'll forgive me if I've been a little scatterbrained - but that shouldn't be a surprise, it is me we're talking about." She added the phony smile that always came along with a line like that but he didn't chuckle and nod along with her 'joke'. He frowned instead. She forgot, it had always annoyed him when she put herself down.

"You're not simpleminded, Bra. Did you forget who you're talking to here? You can't fool me. And you're going to have to suffer through my boring conversation before you can get to my niece, so humor me, will you?"

She bit her lip, glad it was her bottom lip and not her fingernail. Then he'd know she was bothered, he might not have seen her for four years but Goten didn't tend to forget things about people. He could be simple at times, like his father, but he was highly perceptive; he probably got that from his father too. And he knew she always bit her nails when she was uncomfortable.

"You're not boring me." She responded politely, trying hard not to let her eyes drift back to the couch, the one Pan was sitting on, with a pleading expression. It was actually quite the opposite but she couldn't tell him that or she'd have to explain her uneasiness.

"I asked you where you'd been. No one's ever told me where you had planned to go. Just that you were going to live in the States and you didn't want to disclose where." He continued after a slight pause in which she made no attempt to reply. Briefly he noted that her eyes were edging away from him, but weren't quite gone. That didn't sway him to let her get away though. "Everyone talked as if you'd only be gone for a few months. If I had known that the party Bulma threw before you left wasn't just another excuse for her to have people over, that it was actually a going away party for you, I would have spent much more time by your side. Why didn't you tell me how long you'd be gone, Bra? Why didn't you tell me where you were going? I would have come to visit."

Exactly, she thought but didn't say. Instead, she said, "Because I needed the time alone. I needed to discover some things on my own and I didn't want my friends to interfere. I only wanted my family to visit and seldom at that, it was nothing personal Goten, I didn't even know how long I'd be gone." And that was the biggest lie she'd ever told. It was a personal attack against him. It had all been because of him - and it hadn't even helped. Not one damn bit. Her blood was still running cold in her skin. Her stomach was in knots, her mind was cluttered, her hands were clammy, and her heart was jumping.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. It had changed. When she left it hadn't been because she loved him but because it hurt to love him. Now she loved him but...the hurt was gone. Or was it just because Paris wasn't here tonight and all his attention was centered on her? It wasn't until she had that thought that she realized he was staring at her as if she'd said those things out loud - or at least as if she'd just slapped him across the face.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, slightly panicked for she wondered if she had said them out loud.

"Nothing." There was quiet anger in his tone as he stood from the chair. "I just thought I was considered family." He shook his head and she didn't even try to stop him as he walked away, finally feeling a tinge of that pain that had caused her to flee in the first place. No, not flee. The Princess of Saiyans didn't flee from anything. She had simply found a way to beat him without killing herself in return, that was all...Or at least she'd tried to. It hadn't worked. Why was she still in love with him? And what the hell was she going to do about it?

Her attention drifted back to Pan as she watched her brother lean over and whisper something in the young girl's ear. Pan looked incredibly annoyed as she answered back, crossing her arms and glaring at Trunks. And she looked even more relieved when Goten walked over and pulled her up, giving her the bear that hug she must have been anticipating because she shoved him almost immediately after he let her go. Bra felt slightly jealous but pushed it back. Goten hadn't attempted to hug her even, and it had been four years since he'd seen her last.

Instead Bra concentrated on something else. Like, what was going on with Trunks and Pan anyhow? She was going to make it her business to find out. The second she could get the girl alone she would pry into everything about everything that Pan could tell her. But she needed to hear whatever gossip there was first, she needed to talk to Marron.

She put on the best 'I'm-very-happy-with-my-life' smile and stood up, her back and shoulders straight, head high as she marched over to the blonde. She knew what game she was playing now and there was no room for mistakes in this line of business. It was tough work getting back into a gossip ring. Especially since she had left all of Japan for four years without telling anyone where she'd gone or why she'd left.

There was bound to be so much juice going on about her that she could only imagine the stories. And Marron was going to want some information before she dished any out. It was Bra's job to make sure Marron knew nothing more than she knew right now when the whole thing was done. It wasn't going to be easy but it might just be fun...

Marron didn't even waste any time as Bra sat down, a slow smile creeping onto the soft features of her angelic face. "Where've you been?" She lifted a light blonde eyebrow, curiosity lacing her tone with a slight touch of edginess.

"Sitting on the chair across from you, Marron." Bra responded easily, expertly. "What have I missed?"

"Well," Marron said slowly as she seemed to consider Bra's question, trying to think up every little detail in response to Bra. Then she began, "Trunks has, obviously, paid someone to take pity on Pan this evening and put the girl in some decent clothing, for one thing. Goten, mysteriously, has arrived to a get-together without female companionship. Ubuu seems to think I'm meat that's been served up on a platter for his own personal eye feast and-"

"You know what I meant, Marron." Bra interrupted with a winning smile curving her lips slightly upward. "What have I missed while I was gone?"

"Oh," Marron said in awe, as if she hadn't caught on to what Bra was trying to ask until now. "So you were gone after all? Then you knew what I was asking, too, I presume. Where have you been?" She repeated the question with emphasis. Bra sighed heavily, appearing to appease Marron, through her own reluctance, by answering the question.

"The States." She provided 'reluctantly'. Marron edged her eyes closer together as she studied Bra, tilting her head to the side in the process.

"Which one?" She nearly spat out, though not raising her voice above the politely calm level she had been using previously.

"New York." Bra replied with the same venomous tone, as if it were hurting her to give the information up.

"Why?" The question came immediately after Bra's reply, making it obvious that Marron couldn't have even had time to absorb what Bra just said.

"Because I wanted to spread my wings. What's with all the questioning?" Bra maneuvered the situation so that there was no room for a response to her answer to Marron's question. But Marron was better than that, she ignored the last part of Bra's response as if the girl hadn't even said it.

"You wanted to 'spread your wings'? Well, did it work? You figure out how to fly?" There was biting sarcasm in her voice that she masked with a sickly sweet smile that Bra was beginning to hate. One Bra had used too many times in similar situations. She had never liked being left out of the loop and that was exactly what she was doing to Marron. The older girl might have been blonde, but she wasn't too dull to see that.

"As a matter of fact..." Bra answered smartly, crossing her arms under her chest as she narrowed her own crystal orbs at the girl. Goten had taught her to fly when she was fifteen. "So, what have I missed?" She asked after Marron glared at her for a few seconds before reservedly looking away.

"Everything. And you never even told me you were leaving." There was a hint of pain in her voice as she still refused to look at Bra. It made the demi-Saiyan feel a rush of embarrassed regretfulness. She and Marron had grown up together, after all.

Slowly she uncrossed her arms and rested one of her delicate hands on the thick strap of Marron's pale pink dress. "I was wrong for not contacting you, Marron, and I'm sorry. But it was an impulsive decision and you were on vacation when I left. Forgive me." She slowly debated what she should say and what she shouldn't.

She definitely couldn't tell the girl the truth, that she had been falling apart inside and needed to get away, that would lead to nothing but disaster because Marron couldn't keep her mouth shut for anything. But she could make up something snobbishly acceptable, something socially considered horrible and worth running away for, and that would suffice in this situation. Quick as lightning, her mind came up with an answer, the excuse rolling off her tongue before she could stop it.

"I always felt so smothered at home, you know. Like I could never do anything." Her voice was melodically soft as she said it, keeping the pretense that she didn't want anyone else to hear her. And, in truth, she didn't because she wasn't being honest. She would hate to think her brother blamed himself for her leaving or that he accused her father, and what she was about to say would cause both those feelings to rise inside of him if he believed it.

"I mean, it's not easy being the daughter of a full blown over-protective alien and the sister of someone who won't let a guy look at her without threatening his life. I just...I had to find out what it was like to be normal. Plus, hardly anyone in America knows I'm 'famous Bra Briefs'. It was all just so exciting."

How long would she keep doing this? Playing this twisted roll that forced her to be two-faced, even to her own reflection? She was living a double life, a double lie. Always had been, that was why she'd left in the first place. But it seemed to work again as Marron slowly eased her way around, turning her head to face Bra suspiciously.

"So, you got caught up in American life, huh? In being free and all that and you just decided not to come home. But..." Marron was giving her a calculating glare, as if something didn't add up at all. "But you were gone for so long," Her eyes widened to emphasize how long. "There had to be something more keeping you there..."

Bra bit her lip to keep from telling Marron that she didn't understand the first thing about it. To keep from snapping the way she wanted to. She simply held her breath, trying to think up some kind of excuse. But, as it turned out, it didn't matter, Marron beat her to it.

Her sky-blue eyes widened as a sly smirk eased onto her lips, making her look like she just discovered who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. "There was a boy, wasn't there? That's what kept you away." She sounded very triumphant, a proud look gleaming in her frosty eyes. "You fell in love and you couldn't bring yourself to tell him about the family so you milked it. But...why did you come back? Where is he now? Did it work out and you're just easing the blow for when you tell your family? What's he like? Tell me everything."

"There was a boy. But I'm using past tense so can we just drop it?" Bra answered as smoothly as she could, trying not to lie while not giving herself away. "I asked you to tell me everything. We can talk about me later."

"Oh fine," Marron sighed, her curiosity quenched for the moment, briefly seeing the heartbreak in Bra's eyes and knowing when she was beat. Besides, the gossip was good, she'd had four years to accumulate it.

"Where should I start? Well...Elisa Maitlin got married last summer to Kiorin Harhye..."

Bra's eyes lit for a second as she nodded, listening to Marron drone on about the news. Occasionally she would give a nod or a gasp, when she felt Marron was expecting it, but truthfully she had tuned out. She was only waiting for one name, one bit of information really.

Finally, the Sons were brought up, Pan first since the girl had gotten up a little while after Goten and Trunks started talking, following the boys wherever they had gone. Probably fighting, Bra thought as she started listening to what Marron had to say.

"She was working in marketing but I'm pretty sure she just quit. Anyway," Marron was saying, shaking her head as if something horrible had happened and scrunching up her face momentarily. "Pan started dating this guy named Brandon Cofler, not that she doesn't date plenty of guys, mind you," Marron's eye lids opened wide before returning back to normal, letting Bra know exactly what she meant by 'dating' and 'plenty of guys'. "And it turned out pretty serious, I think. But I don't know..." Marron shrugged. "He had to have been cheating on her, I mean, what would a guy want with Pan besides her body? She's so..." She shook the thought off, wrinkling her face again.

"Anyways, it broke her heart when he stopped calling. Apparently, just out of the blue stopped calling. I think I heard her dad walked in on them right before they...you know...and scared the daylights of him. Poor boy. He was cute too. Definitely the best Pan will ever get." Marron was wearily moving her head from side to side as if she actually felt badly for Pan.

Bra found that her hands were clutched together in the form of fists, her eyebrows scrunched until she looked as though she had a uni-brow. She straightened immediately, not wanting to tip Marron off. But how could she be such a bitch? So shallow and- Bra's head started to hurt as she remembered how many times she and Marron had discussed Pan. Bra had never been upset before during those conversations, had all of them gone like this? Had Bra been just as bitchy? Dende, she hoped not. If so, no wonder Pan didn't like her.

"So, I heard he's dating a girl named Mai now. She's friends with Jeanne, who's friends with Kori, who's friends with Paris and Paris told me. Speaking of Paris," Marron leaned in, obviously there was some juice here and it was exactly what Bra wanted to hear. Was Goten still with her? She leaned in too.

"She and Goten got engaged eight months ago," Bra felt as if all the wind had swept out of her system in that one instant. She choked out loud before she could stop herself, her face horror stricken for just the barest of moments. That was all Marron needed, though. She raised a perceptive eyebrow up before letting it fall back down, deciding not to mention Bra's lack of grace.

"Exactly what I thought." Marron nodded, crossing her arms. "Goten-Playboy-Son can not be seriously wanting to marry this girl. It would never work, they've broken up and gotten back together a million times these last seven years. But," Her eyes glinted as Bra regained her senses, finally calming down.

"Trunks invited him to this corporate party a month later and they both got smashed. Completely smashed, I tell you. They both woke up with someone who's name they didn't know," Marron's eyebrows rose up and down playfully, a devious smirk enrapturing her pink lips. "And when Paris found out, three months later, she threw the things he'd left at her house out on the lawn and burned them. Right on the grass, throwing the engagement ring on top. They haven't spoken since." Marron sat back as if she were satisfied.

"Why not?" Bra questioned, whispering because she couldn't believe her luck. Marron gave her a confused look. "I mean, I know Goten and he's not one to let something he wants get away. Why hasn't he tried to persuade her. And, since it's not the first time he's cheated, why did she get so upset?"

"But, Bra, it is the first time he's cheated. Well, I mean, since he told her he loved her and only wanted to be with her."

"Okay, but even so, he was drunk. Surely she can forgive him." Bra was trying to put herself in that situation. Paris definitely wouldn't stay away for long. Bra had to move in if she wanted to be with Goten and she had to do it quickly.

"Yeah, but she wants him to apologize and, as you should know, he's not going to do that. He thinks she overreacted, he's upset that she made such a spectacle, that she didn't consult him first,"

"You mean," Bra interrupted. "He's pissed because she burned his stuff and the newspapers probably covered it so it embarrassed him in public."

"Exactly." Marron agreed, grinning. "And she's pissed that he kept it from her for three months, that he probably wouldn't have told her. She feels like she's taken too much of his crap and she says that this time she's through."

Yeah, right. Bra though wryly, shaking her head. If it were her, Goten wouldn't even have had to explain, only apologize and promise that it was pure accident, pride be damned. Though she'd never admit that out loud and, secretly, she was thinking that if it had been her he wouldn't have cheated in the first place. There wouldn't have been reason to, drunk or not. And yet, she knew, it would never be her. Not unless she figured out what to do about it.

She needed this more than she'd ever needed anything in her whole life. But...she wasn't sure she was ready yet. And it would be colossal if she acted before she was ready.

Marron's voice drew her from her thoughts as the blonde girl gave her a wicked grin and shook her head. "If you ask me, though, they're not going to stay away from each other for too long." She smirked at this revelation as though she knew the greatest piece of news anyone had ever run across. Bra managed to suppress her shudder as Marron moved on to more news that she was just dying to spill. Bra forced interest into her eyes, making herself try and listen to the rest as her mind flooded with thoughts of what moves to make and when to make them.

Marron was right, Paris wouldn't stay away from Goten for long. And Goten wouldn't let her even if she tried to. So the question was, what was she going to do about it? That's where Pan came in...

To be continued...