---------------------------------------------------------
- - Journey To The Past - - - - Prologue - -
'You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of
Trunks Briefs
to
Miss Pan
To be held at Shining Star Church at 12 p.m.
June 12th
Please R.s.v.p at least a week in advance.'
Bra read the invitation over for the fourth time, her other mail still in her free hand. So her big brother was getting married. She assumed he'd finally gotten over his fear of it. She smiled a bit, pleased to know that the couple was still together. It had been ten long years since she'd left home. The thought that she might have to return there made her stomach lurch. It wasn't that she was afraid of what people would say. She could care less what people there thought of her anymore. She'd made a name for herself. Globally at that. Her fasion line 'Bura' was now synonomous with names like Versace and Calvin Klein. She had everything she could ever want...and just a little bit more. No...it wasn't that she was staying away from home because she needed to accomplish anything. She now looked to the note that had come with the invitation. It was clearly written by Pan.
'Please please please come soon. I want you to design my dress!'
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - Chapter One - -
- - The Decision - -
"Mom! I can't find my bookbag."
Bra shook her head a bit and giggled lightly. "I already told you Bren, under your bed."
Bren now came into view in the kitchen doorway, some of his light blue hair veiling his right eye while it was tucked behind his ear on the left side. Only his bangs were blue though, the rest of his hair was jet black. "Thanks mom. You're picking me up after school right?" The boy looked up at her with the sweetest pale blue eyes. He looked so much like his father, it was hard for her to ever deny him anything.
"I don't know sweety, I have a photoshoot to supervise but I'll do my best."
The boy nodded, then looked to what she was holding. "What's that?"
Bra looked back to the invitation. "Well...hun, remember I told you about all the family and friends I used to have?"
"Yeah..." He looked at her curiously. "Is that from them? Do they wanna see us?"
She could see the enthusiasm in his eyes now. Ever since he was old enough to understand she'd told him very vaguely that she hadn't always lived in Zenith City. That she'd grown up in another city where all her friends lived. She told him about each person in detail...to make up in a way for him not being able to see them in person. He'd always seemed interested in her brother Trunks, or his father, Goten. "Yeah baby...they wanna see us..." Now she got down on one knee to have her face level with his. "But well...they don't know about you yet sweety so--"
"You want me to stay behind?" He didn't really seem disappointed, in fact he seemed rather understanding about it. And that's when it hit her. Her son was willing to sacrifice seeing the very people she'd denied him contact with all this time...just to make it easier on her. She shook her head.
"No...you're coming with me. It's time you met your family...I just want you to be ready for whatever might happen. I know a few people will be very mad at me for keeping you to myself all this time. Especially your father..."
"It wasn't your fault though mom."
"Yeah...but I could have been braver...Anyway, you go on, it's your last day of school. I'll start getting your things packed and we can leave this friday."
Bren nodded and hugged her tightly. "You won't have to be scared, I'll be there with you." What on earth did she do to deserve such a good kid? She kissed his cheek and smiled as he went off to school. Just hearing something like that from her son gave her the courage she needed to arrange everything. Within half an hour she had her own schedule cleared, leaving notice with her assistant to be called, should anything major come up. Now it was time to make one of the important calls. She dialed and waited, rewarded after three rings with a familiar voice.
"Hello?"
"Good, for a second there I was scared that Pan was going to answer. Hey bro."
"Bra? Damn, it's nice to finally hear from you. Did you get the invitation?"
"Yeah I got it."
"So are you gonna do it? Pan's all stoked about having the dress be a Bura original."
She knew he was making a gagging gesture. She giggled. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'll be there this weekend."
"Whoa...the prodigal daughter returns. I'm sure mom will be excited since you haven't been here for a good seven years. I think she's justified it as success instead of abandonment though."
"Thank god for small favors. Anyway, I'll call you the night before so you can meet me at the airport. How's everyone? I haven't spoken to mom for about a month now."
"Everyone's alright, mom and Videl have been busy with the wedding. Dad's off on another planet helping Uub and Gohan with something but they say they'll be back before the wedding day. Pan's alright...pregnant actually."
"Ooooh...so that's why you two decided to get married."
"Heh, kind of."
"How far along is she?"
"About seven weeks I think."
"Cool. Well I have to go...I have too many things to do before friday, and listen, don't tell anyone I'm coming home, maybe mom if you have to, but no one else."
"Okay, later."
"Later."
At least, if anthing, she'd have her brother on her side. Or at least she hoped she would. She couldn't be bothered to tell anyone about Bren before they got there though. That would only lead to hour long lectures over the phone, which she'd rather just sit through in person. As good as she was feeling though, she couldn't delude herself. None of this would be easy, she knew that, but she'd wanted to go home for a while now. Fear had stopped her each time, she wasn't about to let that happen again.
When friday came around she found herself looking around her and her sons ever silent pent house. This place had been their home for years, and now she was leaving its security to go back to a place that had once caused her so much pain.
"Mom?" Bren watched her from the elevator. "Are you okay?"
Bra nodded. "Yeah sweety...I'm fine." With that she turned and locked the door, then caught up with him at the elevator.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
She'd been fine on the ride to the airport, it was while she was on the plane that the butterflys in her stomach began to multiply. She checked her hair in her pocket mirror for the third time. To her she didn't look much different from when she'd left. Her hair was styled a bit differently, and it was just a bit shorter. She supposed if anything she looked more mature...but still young for a girl of twenty seven. She now put the mirror away and looked to Bren who slept soundly in the seat beside her, his dark brown tail resting on his lap. He usually kept it hidden when he went to school, but she'd told him that people in Satan City would understand the tail thing, so he could keep it out, which he was happy about. He claimed it was uncomfortable to keep it in. She now tucked some of his mixed blue and black hair behind his ear. His hair was so much more tame than his fathers. She had many regrets in her life, but Bren was never one of them. Ever since he was born she cherished him as her sweet baby boy and the piece of Goten that she could always keep with her. She tried not to think about Goten now though...one problem at a time.
An hour later the plane landed and her stomach was more of a wreck than before, but it was too late to turn back now. She noticed Trunks as soon as they exited the gate. He hadn't changed much, though his hair was longer now than she remembered. She went to him and hugged him. "Hey sis. You look great." She smiled, then stepped back and wrapped an arm around Bren's shoulder. The nine year old stared up at Trunks curiously, then looked to Bra.
"That's my uncle?" Bra nodded, then looked to Trunks...whose eyes were wide with shock.
"Ahem...Trunks, this is Bren, my son."
"Wait a damn second...when did this happen?"
"Long story...just say hello to your nephew before you give him the creeps and I'll explain everything when we get to the mansion...and believe me, some things are better left unexplained in very public places..." She shot Trunks a serious look that told him she meant business.
Trunks nodded and nervously smiled at Bren. "Bren eh? Nice to meet you.." He then shook Bren's hand and they then made their way out of the airport. Not a word was said until they were in the car, on their way to the family mansion. "He looks so much like--"
"Yep..." Bra crossed her arms.
"God...is that why you left? Because I'm sure if he'd have known..."
"No...that's not why I left, I didn't find out until after." She took a glance in the back seat to Bren who seemed to be looking out the window with little interest in the conversation, however she knew better. "Let's save the big explanation for when we get home okay? I can already feel a headache coming on." Trunks agreed, but she noticed the car went just a bit faster. Minutes later they reached the large house she'd once lived in. All of a sudden it seemed more like a sinister castle than anything else. A place she was beginning to dread entering. Bren stepped out of the car and took his place beside Bra.
"Whoa...this is where you grew up?" He nodded his approval and she instantly smiled and messed with his hair playfully.
"Yeah...home sweet home.." Trunks whistled loudly, just like he used to when he wanted her attention. "What?"
"Want me to take your bags to your room?"
She turned to face him and shook her head. "No...just leave them inside by the door. We're staying at a hotel in the city...I get the feeling there'd be a lot of unwanted tension in the house if Bren and I stayed..." She wrapped an arm around her sons shoulder. Trunks nodded and went about doing that.
"You better get in there then, the sooner this is all out there...the better."
Bra nodded some and looked to Bren. "Ready kiddo?" The boy nodded. "Right then.." she took in a breath and went through the front door. The place was still the same, except for a few new paintings in the larger livingroom. She went there and pointed to one of the couches for Bren to go and sit down in. He did as he was told, young eyes wandering around the place. "Your grandfather's away so...either my mother is here, or in the lab, or out shopping somewhere...I should have asked Trunks..." She turned to go and look for him, then stopped as she saw her mother coming down the stairs from the second floor, Bulma's eyes widening as she reached the bottom.
"Oh my god, Bra is that you? You look wonderful. Oh it's been so long." Bulma then went to her daughter and hugged her tightly. "I told Trunks you'd come, he didn't believe me at firs--" Bulma's eyes now caught the sight of the boy on her couch. She didn't have to ask who he was. The blue in his hair was the exact same color as Bra's, and his jet black hair and tail were dead givaways as to who his father was. "Oh Bra..." She looked to Bra, tears welling up in her eyes.
This was one of the things Bra had been afraid to face. At the sight of her mothers eyes as misty as they were, she now felt as if she wanted to cry. She held it back though. "Sit down mom..." Bulma nodded absently and sat on a chair near the coffee table in the center of the room. Just then Trunks entered, accompanied by Pan and Marron, both girls with shopping bags in tow. Bra was glad to see Pan hadn't changed much. Her raven hair was still long, now in a loose ponytail. Marron looked almost exactly like her mother though, her blonde hair cut short. Both girls froze in place at the sight of Bra, neither had noticed Bren yet. Trunks went to stand beside his mother now, asking her in a hushed tone if she was alright. She nodded.
"Bra..." Was all Pan could manage to say. She'd had several things she'd wanted to say to her old friend...but now she couldn't remember a single one. The only emotion that seemed to want to surface was the pain from feeling abandoned by Bra.
Marron went ahead and hugged Bra. "We missed you girl..." She took a step back to look Bra over, her eyes not focusing so much on Bra's looks, but on her clothes. Apparently she approved of Bra's clearly expensive chic black suit, since she nodded lightly. "Just what I imagined a famous designer to look like."
Pan now smiled and shook her head a bit, then she too hugged Bra. "I'm glad you came back...you have no idea how much it means to me."
Bra nodded. "I owe you anyway...besides...there's something else I have to clear up here if I want to go on with a clear conscience." Bra took a step away from the two and gestured lightly to Bren who was looking at the two girls with a polite smile. She now felt this was as good a time as any to start. "Everyone...this is Bren, my son.." She took a seat beside him, on the armrest of the couch. "He's nine years old, he'll be ten in a few months though." She could already see the shock in everyones eyes, but she pushed on. "I haven't told anyone till now...because..well it would just get harder every time I wanted to. At first...the first few years after he was born, I didn't tell anyone because I needed to prove to myself that I could do it without anyones help."
Bulma wiped away a tear. "How on earth..."
"You wanted me to get a job when I got to Zenith mom, and I did. I wrote to you about it, how perfect it was for me." She saw the confusion in everyone elses eyes. "I had taken a job a secretary for a modeling agency. A few weeks after I became the personal assistant to one of the favored photographers in the company. Her name was Chelise. She'd taken a liking to me and we got along famously. We were great friends. She even helped me deal with it when I found out I was pregnant. She was understanding about everything...which I was, and still am, eternally grateful for. Even though she works for me now, we're still pals. Anyway, the job, plus the allowance mom sent me every month helped me get everything I needed for Bren. Chelise was with me during labor, she's had two children already." Bra tried not to let the look of hurt in her mothers eyes deter her from telling the rest of the story. "Because of the baby I started at Euphoria a year later. When I couldn't be with him, Chelise was. It took two more years to learn everything I needed. From my work at the job, I had a few model friends that volenteered to do some work for my portfolio...the rest is pretty obvious. My first show was a hit. Everything that came after that helped me build a good life for me and Bren. I've always provided everything he's needed."
"Except family...how could you have kept him from us?" Bulma shook her head in disbelief.
"Think about it mom. Everything that happened on the night of my prom was enough to make me want to stay away from here forever. I couldn't stay here. And if I'd told you I was pregnant you and dad would have made me stay...and I didn't....I didn't want to get in the way of the life Goten wanted.." Bren saw the look of sadness wash over his mothers face and took one of her hands into his.
Bren then looked to Bulma. "It was hard enough for her to come back here." He let go of Bra's hand now and went to hug Bulma. The older woman instantly hugged back, rocking him in her arms a little.
"I have a grandson..." She smiled through her tears now, the pain in her eyes almost gone. "You did a wonderful job Bra...he's precious." She hugged him again.
Bra felt a sense of relief. Trunks then picked Bren up and twirled once. "You can call me uncle Trunks, kay?"
Bren nodded and smiled. He then nodded to Marron. "You're Marron...and you're Pan..right? Mom told me about you two." Both girls nodded and each gave him a hug. Bra was glad to have some of the weight lifted from her shoulders. But then Pan chimed in with...
"Have you told uncle Goten yet?" Everyone then looked to Bra who shook her head.
"After prom night...I never spoke to him...I couldn't, not after the fight we had. I wouldn't even know where to find him now." Everyone else shared glances then, obviously wondering whether to tell her something or not. It was Trunks who spoke up though as he set Bren down.
"He lives near the lake...big house, the one you always loved to stare at whenever we passed it by."
"That house was beautiful....how was he able to afford that?"
This time it was Pan who spoke. "About five years ago his art caught the attention of a pretty wealthy gallery owner. A few of his paintings were featured there. After that his services were in high demand. He spends most of his time in the city but he goes to the house every weekend."
Bra smiled weakly. "I'm glad he's doing so well...I thought for sure he'd have a family of his own by now."
Pan smiled happily as she shook her head. "Nope, he doesn't even date much, mostly buries himself in work. For a while, after you left, he was a wreck..."
Marron nodded lightly. "He's actually working for me at the moment though. Doing his thing on the walls of the bar I'm opening..." Marron blushed a little. Bra perked a brow, she would never have pegged Marron for the savvy business type. Pan clearly registered Bra's surprise and wrapped an arm around Marron's shoulder, smiling proudly.
"Yeah, our cute little Marron is fresh out of a special business course and is bravely using her entire trust fund to open her own establishment."
Marron smiled shyly and shrugged a bit. "During college I was a waitress...something to keep me busy..to keep me away from the parties and stuff, it was Pan's idea...I loved it though."
Pan nodded. "So much that she became manager and left school for a while.."
Marron quickly came to her own defense. "Yeah, well, I liked my job a lot, and I had great friends there, I was learning tons, but it wasn't enough. So after a few more years, once I felt I'd soaked up all I could I went back to Silver Star to get my degree in business and economics.." She then realized that both she and Pan had strayed from the original flow of the conversation. "Uhm...so anyway, yeah, Goten's doing me the favor of adding his awesome personal touch to the walls and supervising on the decor." She was then hugged unexpectedly by Bra. "Hey..what gives?"
Bra smiled. "I'm proud of you. And you just made me realize how much of your lives I've missed..." If she told the truth it would be that she had missed her two best friends to death and was sorry for every day that she let slip by without calling them. As much as she'd wanted to though, it would have been too much of a risk. She sniffled lightly before she pulled back and ran a hand through Marrons short hair. For a slipt second her world felt slightly balanced once more.
"You've gotta go see him sis..." Trunks was now leaned against the mantle of the large livingroom fireplace. For a moment she refused to look at him. Of course she knew he was right, but seeing Goten would still be one of the hardest things to accomplish on this trip.
She shook her head lightly. "Bren and I...I have to get us checked into the hotel...I want to start work on the dress as soon as possible, the wedding's less than a month away, after all." She crossed her arms, her professionalism taking over.
But now Bulma rose from her chair. "Oh no you don't. You've been greedy enough for nine years missy. You're both staying here. He needs to be around family." Both mother and daughter shared a long silent stare. Bra suddenly became the protective mother and wanted to say that she was all her son needed, but deep down she knew she was just being selfish. She sighed lightly, then nodded.
"Fine mother..." And out of the corner of her eye she could see Bren and Trunks share a smile.
Trunks nodded in Bren's direction now. "He's got a tail...must be a handful..."
Bra smirked and shook her head. "Yes and no. I was real scared at first, thought that I'd have to remove it myself. But then that first full moon came along and nothing...except that he broke his crib...apparently the half human genes in me and Goten affected Bren. Instead he doesn't change during the full moon, he just gets stronger...which is why I don't let him try out for school sports or anything, even in the day his strength is hard to control." She looked spent for a moment, but her smile soon returned. "He's only a real handful when he goes super saiyajin..." Bren instantly smiled as well, while everyone else's eyes widened.
"Whoa...the little man can do that?" Trunks straightened, his eyes now stuck on his nephew with obvious interest.
"At will. And not only that but the little devil can go another level into it. I did the power level calculations one day. Took forever to get the house straightened again." There was a hint of pride to her voice, and she could see Bren was enjoying the free advertizement.
"How the hell?" Trunks looked confused.
Bra shrugged. "I spar with him whenever I get the chance, since I'm all he's got. He's too much for me though. Since we're here though, I suppose you and dad will want to take a crack at him." She waved her hand in the air lightly and plopped down on the couch.
Pan was smiling once again. "So...I see you've overcome your little issue." Pan knew she was taking a risk with that one. But she was rewarded with her friends response.
Bra sat back a bit more, her eyes closing as she smiled. "When Bren came along...a lot changed for me. For some reason I'm just filled with this overwhelming sense of pride whenever he breaks something by mistake...or on purpose. I'm not ashamed of what we are anymore. It doesn't matter. We're family. I love him, I'd kill for him, and I know it's the same for him. As long as we have eachother, everything is fine."
Pan shook her head lightly. "I can't believe it took you having a baby and ten years away from us to figure out what the rest of us already knew..."
Bra giggled and tossed a couch cussion at Pan, who instantly caught it and laughed too. "Gimme a break woman, so I'm a little dense. And just for the record, I figured that out after seven years so.." She stuck her tongue out at Pan.
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Alright...well I have to see to dinner, but tag along Bren, I'll show you to the room you can use while you're here....then you and Trunks can go and...bond...or whatever."
Bren nodded happily and stood, but then looked back to Bra, his features turning serious. "You're...you're gonna go see him aren't you?"
She looked to Pan and Marron who were both nodding lightly, which filled her instantly with dread. "I guess so hun..."
"And I can't go with you?" Again, he didn't look disappointed, just concerned for her, which almost made her heart burst.
"No sweety...at least not this time. I know there will probably be a lot he needs to get out of his system...and I don't think you need to hear any of that. You'll see him soon though." Her eyes bore into his then, as they always did when they spoke of his father. The look that was always apologizing silently for her keeping him from his father all these years. Of course she'd said it aloud more than a few times, but until Goten could actually see Bren...the sense of guilt just wouldn't leave her.
Bren nodded understandingly and then left the room with Bulma and Trunks. She watched him disappear up the flight of stairs to the second floor, the butterflys beginning to flutter within her stomach.
"That's so touching...the bond that he and you have.." Pan was smiling, a hand to her stomach, rubbing there absently.
Bra then sprung to her feet and hugged Pan for the second time. "I forgot to give you my congratulations earlier. I'm so happy for you."
Pan giggled. "Thanks. I figured he'd have told you. Once we found out I told him I'd leave him if he didn't take some responsibility and marry me...and then he asked me...not in the most charming of ways but yeah, I guess I'm a sucker for a guy who can admit I'm right. And I wanted to have the wedding soon, while I'm still slim. And ya know...I thought I'd be the first out of the three of us to have a kid...but...." The two girls nodded.
Marron then hung up her cell phone...Bra wondered exactly when she'd slipped away to use it. She walked back over to them now though. "I just called the site, they told me Goten's already left for the weekend...so he'll be at the lake by now..however I need to go and check something out there. So you two are on your own for the reunion...I'm guessing that it's something best left to the two of them though...so tell me what goes down when it's over, kay?" She patted Bra's shoulder supportingly and gave her one more hug before she left.
Pan then took Bra's hand. "You ready?"
"Not in the least...can I have another week to think it over?" Her eyes pleaded jokingly with Pan's. Pan giggled and pulled her along.
"I'll give you a ride there...then if you want you can just call me and I'll be by to pick you up after I get some shopping done." Bra nodded, though she now appeared very distant. And the entire ride there her mind was shifting back and forth from the last time she saw Goten, to all the years she'd spent alone with her son. Exactly how much would he hate her for what she'd done? Only time would tell. After a while she tried not to think at all. She stared out the window, watching the countryside scenery pass her by. And then, all too soon, Pan's car pulled up outside the gorgeous victorian house that she'd so loved to look at whenever she passed it by in her youth. Both women stepped out the car. "I think one of the reasons he brought it was because he knew you loved to look at it. And the inside's just as pretty as the outside." Pan smiled, offering her support in a small way. "Most likely he's inside, if not then try out back, there's a key under the mat." Bra nodded lightly and turned to face the grand old house. A minute later Pans car pulled away and drove down the road...she knew she'd left her stomach in that car. She also knew she could fly herself away from this place right now...but that would accomplish nothing. And she needed to be as brave as possible, if not for herself, then for her son. She closed her eyes for a moment to calm all the emotions threatening to surface. More than anything, she was now aware of his presance. After so many years of seperation she thought that awareness would be dead and gone, along with everything they'd shared...but she'd been wrong, and that awareness was now as strong as it ever was. She summoned what remained of her courage and climbed the front steps. The front door was open, making the key under the mat unnecessary. Pan had been right. The inside of the house was beautiful. The ceilings were high, the walls so beautifully pristine white. The amount of decor was subtle, but the entire place just held a certain overall charm that, to her, was indescribable. As she made her way through the place she saw no sign of him. She then entered the kitchen, where her eyes instantly found a black leather jacket draped over a marble counter. She walked over to it slowly, running her fingers over it ever so lightly. She then noticed that the back door was slightly ajar, a moment later she heard a clatter in the distance. He was out back. She felt a kind of fear run through her entire being, but she couldn't really stop herself from moving, almost as if she was being drawn to him. The backyard was just as beautiful as the front. Well kept and very large. That's when she caught the sight of him. About twenty feet away from her, swinging an axe downward as he chopped wood. She assumed it was for one of the fireplaces, perhaps the one she'd seen as she passed by the livingroom. She wasn't close enough to tell if any distinct features of him had changed, but then she was too busy appreciating the way he looked shirtless. Of course it wasn't the first time she'd seen him this way, but she found each time she did see him like that it just took her breath away. It was either that or the way his jeans hung low on his hips. Either way her mouth had gone dry and she couldn't move. Two steps into the backyard and she was frozen in place. Then he looked at her. After ten long years her eyes finally met his...and it was more than she could take. The next thing she saw was just black as she fainted against the soft grass beneath her.