Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. But man, if I did own Trunks we'd have a million love kids by now. ^-^ I don't own the italics at the end either. They belong to Ashanti too. -sigh- I don't own anything, do I? I do own Gabe! but he's not in this chapter….
A/N: Well, I asked if you liked Gabe. I got some 'yes' some 'no', some 'hell no' and some 'I love him's. I'm sorry for those of you who don't like 'em. I really was hoping you would, I tried to do my best with his character, but I guess I can't make you love 'em. It's a shame though. I'm just curious as to how some of you thought he came off like a rapist? He only touches her every now and then, he was hesitant to even hug her when she was all pretty, but -sigh- oh, well. Moving on. I hope you like this chapter, not sure if I did it the best way I could, but I like it none the less.
Challenging Truths
"How could you do something so irresponsible?" He exploded, his voice shocking her into silence. She hadn't expected him to react this way, hadn't thought he'd be upset. That's why she'd called him first, to tell him first. Because she trusted him the most, because she appreciated his opinion more than any other's and she wanted to know how he felt about it first. And because she was unsure of the other boy's response, unsure if things were going to be okay or if she'd only made them worse. She'd called him because she needed some reassurance. But his voice was still ringing in her ears, his question still hanging in the air, and his feet were pacing the room with determined anger.
"Well, thank-you Trunks, for that encouraging vote of confidence!" She yelled back, throwing her hands in the air to exaggerate her annoyance and clearly show her frustration. She had wanted him to comfort her, not make her feel worse.
"How could you-" He started again, but broke his sentence off abruptly, flustered and angry about what was happening. "You really do need a babysitter." Her head shot back with indignant pride brewing through her body. Had he just said what she thought he said? For a moment she only stood there, willing her body to wake up from this horrible nightmare. Surely her Trunks would never say anything so stupid, so inconsiderate. The Trunks she knew wasn't dumb enough to insult her like that - to hurt her like that. But this wasn't him. He was some other person, some nasty thing that had taken control of his body and corrupted his mind until he wasn't thinking clearly.
"You call me out here at nearly three o'clock in the morning, to tell me that you did this. How could you be so stupid, Pan?" He continued his rant, not noticing her angry silence.
"How dare you!" She finally recoiled, pacing the room just as wildly as him and shaking her head in a manner that said she couldn't believe him at all. "What was I supposed to do? Never tell him? It was you who told me I needed to stop pushing guys off and settle down in the first place. It was you who convinced me to stop being intimidating and let someone in! 'Date someone', you said, 'fall in love' you said!" His face paled at least a shade - if not more - but Pan was too intent in her rage, too upset with the turn of events to stop herself. The words never ceased to flow and her tone never changed, her yelling was still high pitched and her feet were still traveling madly. "You tell me to open up and give my heart to someone, I find someone I trust and you react like this! What was I supposed to do, Trunks?" She paused for a second, settling on her original question, but as he opened his mouth to respond she began her rampage again. "What? Wait until I was married and pregnant before I said 'hey, by the way, don't freak if the kid comes out with a tale, it runs in the family'!?" Her hands were waving around in over exaggerated circles as he regarded her with caution. Anger was still prevalent in his facial expression but it was milder now, paled to a docile annoyance and she wasn't sure why.
He didn't say anything for long, quiet seconds, and when his voice did come out it was ragged and disbelieving. "You love him?" He was speaking in a much softer tone than he had since his original outburst at her news, but she didn't pay his question any mind.
"And aren't you interested in what he said at all? I mean, really, what kind of friend are you supposed to be? Are you so self involved that you can't take a second to consider me? Consider what I was feeling and thinking at the time? How big of a risk I took? I put myself out there Trunks, and I put Gabe on the spot. And don't you even want to know how he responded?" She waited, but he didn't say anything, only looked at her with a facial expression that told her he wasn't in the mood for her anger.
"You love him?" He repeated again, and she found herself growing angrier than she had been. Her pacing speed increased as she clenched her fists.
"Well fine, I'll tell you anyway! He didn't yell, Trunks. He didn't over-react at all. I mean, sure he said he needed a little time to think about things, but he's still with me. He even said he loved me, made sure I understood that before he left. And I wasn't sure if I'd just ruined everything or not, because honestly, what kind of human could deal with that kind of news, just toppled into their lap the way I did it? But he was calm. And I was calling you because I needed to talk to you, needed to know if I was at least on the right track, if you thought I was worrying for nothing, or at least receive a little comfort. But you aren't concerned with any of that, are you? You don't care how I feel at all, do you? Did you even stop to think about whether or not I was happy? No! All you have to say is how irresponsible I am! Did you consider, before you opened your big mouth, that I trust him? I mean, maybe I love him and want to spend the rest of my life with him. You never thought of that, did you?"
"You love him?" He repeated again, as if stuck in the same time frame as sixty seconds before - a broken record - before his speech broke into a soft plea for understanding. "You don't know what you're saying." He was almost pleading for a answer, his voice was so soft that she stopped, giving him a sympathetic look. But as her brown eyes locked with his blue, his turned angry again. "You don't love him; you don't know him. And look what you did, Pan. You're not happy with this guy, you don't know what you're doing, what you're feeling. You could have very well ruined all of our lives on circumstances that might not even work out. Over some hormonal, teenage, puppy love. This is the stupidest thing you've ever done, Pan."
"You have no right to talk to me like that. And you don't know what I feel, or what Gabe feels, or what will work out and what won't. I don't understand you, Trunks. You tell me time and again that you want to see me happy, and then I come to you with the most exciting news of my life and you do this? You know how hard it is for me to trust people, so you know how big of a deal it is that I told him. And you're belittling me? How dare you, really, you self-righteous jerk!" She grinded her teeth together, glaring at him. His eyes stared back at hers, just as dangerous, and for a few seconds neither of them spoke or moved.
Pan was more hurt than anything that he could react this way. She wasn't aware that Trunks could be so cruel, so mean - cold and reluctant to understand. How dumb did he think she was? That she would just tell anyone their secret and never think twice about it? Never consider the consequences? She wasn't as light as Marron, or even Bra, and yet he was regarding her as if she were the stupidest person on earth. Wasn't he supposed to be her knight in shinning armor at all times? Why wasn't she feeling very protected with him at that moment?
"Pan, you put everyone in danger." His voice was calm again, slightly frenzied, but calmer than the yelling tone it was in only seconds before. "Your family, my family, me, Marron and her family. Everyone of them is at the mercy of this one guy, if he so chose he could destroy any of their lives in a second. You're naive, love, and you just made huge mistake."
"How could you say that to me?" She found herself unable to form any other words. Nothing else was good enough to explain how hurt, how confused she was at this moment. How betrayed she felt. She didn't need this. She didn't need any of this. And she was beginning to feel like she didn't need him either.
"Don't you understand, Pan? Everyone is at the hands of your…boyfriend." He spat the word with distaste, eyeing her as if she'd just been plucked - like trash - off of the bottom of his shoes.
"And how is he going to hurt them, Trunks? And you? What is he going to do?" The anger was returning to her voice as the hurt took it's leave. "What? Alert the media? He would never do that and you know it. And no one would ever believe if he did."
"Pan, you could never be too safe in this day and age. Just…it's okay, you made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes." He was calm now, trying to get her to sway to his side of the conversation, but she wasn't going to fall for it.
"Then why don't you tell me, what was I supposed to do? Who would it have been acceptable for me to tell?"
"Family, and close friends Pan. Not some random-"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Trunks." She sighed, raking her fingers tiredly through her hair. "But you haven't listened to a word. Why aren't you hearing me?"
"Pan, you just aren't getting it." He tried to explain, also running his hands through his hair.
"What? What bad could happen, really? In case you forgot, my mother wasn't apart of the 'Z' gang and she accepted things. No one was hurt and Gohan even married her. You know, thought it was acceptable for her to find out."
"That was completely different and you know it." He chastised, sighing again.
"How?" She challenged, trying to make sense of what was going through his head.
"How?" He repeated, as if he couldn't believe she had the nerve to ask him that. "What do you mean, how? They were dealing with life and death situations when Videl found out about the 'Z' gang. Strange things were happening and she just, found out, it wasn't a decision of whether or not to tell her, she needed to know. Besides, it was something her father already knew and they were completely crazy for each other. Videl loved Gohan and Gohan trusted Videl."
"Gabe loves me and I trust him." She responded the second he was finished, feeling still as though she needed to prove something. The statement hung in the air for innumerable seconds, both of them edgy about what wasn't being said. And what they both knew was missing - being danced around - the thing that had been hanging in the air since the argument started. Then Pan spoke again, unsure of whether she wanted to risk anything else horrible happening between them. Their might not be a way to mend the bridges they burned if things got too deep. "Well then," She approached the subject they'd been too weary to tackle.
"Who am I supposed to marry, Trunks? What person, do you know, would have fit into this nice little world without me having to reveal the secret? Who could I have married? Everyone who already knows is out of the question. You know Master Roshi's ancient and so is Yamcha. Then Bra's made it pretty clear that she plans on keeping Ubuu. And…well, you…you're engaged to Mar." She spit the last part out in such a way that there was no disputing how angry she was about it. He took a step back, finally coming to his senses, and gave her a confused look. His eyes studied her for an eternity before he sighed and raked his hair with his fingers once again.
"You don't know him well enough to trust him, and he doesn't know you well enough to love you. Four months hardly qualifies you for marriage." He clung to his argument, desperation in his voice though neither of them knew why.
"Someone could know me my whole life and never be in love with me." She spoke so softly he wasn't sure he heard her. And her eyes weren't looking at him anymore, they were looking through him. It made his heart pound so fast, because he wasn't sure if he understood what she was saying, but he was pretty sure he had the right idea. And the realization stung him in more ways than words could explain. "It's not a question of how long he's known me." Her voice was still soft, but slightly louder, and her eyes were looking at his now. They were urging him to understand, despite herself. She loved him and she wanted him to know - wanted him to finally realize what she'd always felt. He gave her a sorrowful look and nodded his head.
"I'm sorry, Pan." His apology was filled with so much more. Much more than just his outburst and his inexcusable words to her that night. She blinked twice to fight back the tears.
"I don't want to talk about this again."
*
"So what was so important?" He heard a tired voice ring out in the dark. He swore mentally, wishing he'd been quieter when he first came in the apartment. He hadn't meant to wake her up, and he hadn't wanted her to ask him that when he came home. He'd been hoping she was just stay asleep. But then again, he knew that was wrong, that he should want to share everything with her. Not to mention, he needed someone to talk to, he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep. It was already five in the morning, anyway, he'd have been getting up in two hours so nothing much was lost.
"You shouldn't have waited up, Mar." He scolded, turning on the lamp beside his bed and crawling in. He felt guilty that she'd missed sleep because of him.
"Don't worry about it. I don't have to work tomorrow. We have the meeting with Aubrey and Heckle about the church, remember? So, we still get some sleep, meeting's at twelve."
"Oh, yeah." He was getting married. That's right, in what? Eight days? Well, seven now since it was technically the next day.
"So, what was so important that Pan had to call so early in the morning and have you meet her for 'discussion'?" Her voice was neutral, not that of annoyance or jealousy, and he was glad she'd gotten over whatever it was that was making her feel like she needed to be jealous of him and Pan.
"You won't believe what she did. It was the stupidest thing on earth, really, but don't tell her that or you'll be at it with her all night." He tried to lighten his mood by making a joke, but it didn't work well enough. He still felt like shit. And he was pushing back everything his mind was throwing at him at the moment.
Every horrible thought he could manage, like maybe they'd never talk again. And if they did it would be strained and uncomfortable. Like, maybe he'd lost her forever and he was more than afraid that he wasn't going to be able to get her back. Maybe he'd pushed her too far, hurt her too deeply, strained her too much. And now he knew, something he wasn't meant to know, was never supposed to know. Something he'd been telling himself wasn't true for probably as long as she'd been feeling it. Now he was aware of something that he shouldn't be aware of, lost in confusion he shouldn't be feeling, over feelings she should never have been harboring. It was Marron's voice that threw him his lifeline, pulled him out of his own puddle of misery.
"What?" He asked her to repeat her question, having not been aware that she was talking until too late.
"What's wrong?" She asked flatly, and he was sure that hadn't been her initial question.
"No, what'd you just ask me?" He avoided, not sure if he wanted to tell Marron the horrible truth of the situation at hand.
"Well, I asked what Pan had done that made you this unhappy, but I guess the answer to the first and second are synonymous." He tried to muster a smile but suddenly it was like he forgot how to feel. And he couldn't have smiled if she'd paid him to.
"We had an argument. You see, Pan told Gabe about our…family heritage and she wanted to know what I thought about it."
"So?" Marron shook her head, missing the point Trunks was trying to make. "What stupid thing did she do?"
"What?" He asked, moving his head back as if she'd just flung cold water into his face.
"So, Pan told Gabe, so what?" She repeated, in case he hadn't understood her.
"By 'family heritage', I mean she told him about the saiyan thing." He spoke the words numbly, as if she were and idiot.
"I understood what you meant. I just don't understand the problem." She gave him a scornful look for speaking to her in such a demeaning manner and sighed, turning her own nightlight on and facing him. "What's wrong, Trunks?"
"She told Gabe the family secret. Some complete stranger as far as I'm concerned. But I'm not in the mood, Pan and I just had it out and frankly I'm just tired."
"Yeah, but what's wrong?" She could see the bags under his eyes bags that were a tell-tell sign that there was indeed something really wrong. "The sooner you tell me, the easier your getting to sleep will be- I'll stop bugging you."
"You're not going to drop this?" He asked and she shook her head. "I told you, Pan and I had a fight."
"So. You guys fight all the time." She shrugged, assuming everyone fought.
"No we don't. We don't fight. She usually says one thing, I disagree with her, she disagrees with me and we call it to an end. We just agree to disagree. Sometimes she gets upset, sometimes I get upset. But we have never fought. Not like we just did."
"That's not it, Trunks. You could at least try to sound convincing if you're going to lie. Come on, what's wrong?"
"Everything's wrong." He sighed, leaning back in bed and closing his eyes. "I'm terrified, Marron. What if things aren't okay?" He was whispering, and a horse choke escaped his lips, sadness clear in his tone. She turned her eyes, alarmed, he sounded as if he were crying. She saw the glossy tent of his blue crystals as he opened them and sighed, moving over to rub his shoulders.
"Things will be okay. You've been Pan's best friend all of her life. There's nothing you could have said to change that."
"You weren't there. You didn't see her eyes. I said some things…things I shouldn't have. And she did…she said…she shouldn't have…And now I don't know if she'll be able to look at me. If I'll be able to look at her. And I'm scared, Mar. I don't know what I'd do without her."
"Forget it Trunks. The next time you see her, tell her you love her and you're sorry. Things will be fine, Trunks."
"What! What makes you think I love her? I never said I loved her!" He jumped back, surprise and…guilt…written clearly on his face. She narrowed her eyes for a second, studying him, then she wrinkled her brow and nodded.
"Fine. Okay, you never said you loved her…I didn't mean…oh, never mind." She shrugged and backed slightly away from him.
"I'm just a little edgy, I'm sorry. It's just…Pan's like my other half, you know. I'm not complete without her." He closed his eyes again and fought back another wave of emotions that were threatening to take hold of him. Marron furrowed her brow deeper and tried to fight back the flare her of her nostrils - she failed.
"I thought I was supposed to be your other half." She spoke softly, laying down in her bed and turning her light off to let him know the conversation was over with. He opened his eyes, suddenly feeling sick at her statement, and frowned turning off his own light. She was supposed to be his other half.
*
Her sleep was interrupted, not by the sun that had taken to shinning brightly into her eyes, but by the hand that was creeping slowly up her side. It was the gentle manner of the caress that shocked her, because she was sure it couldn't possibly be Trunks. He'd never touched her like that. That was the way her mind always envisioned Goten touching her, gentle and sinuous at the same time, but never had Trunks done it.
His fingers began to dance higher up and for a second she had to ask herself if she were dreaming. Because if she were that would explain it, this wasn't Trunks at all if she were dreaming - it was Goten. But then she opened her eyes and it confirmed the fact that she had left dream world the second his hands descended onto her skin. She tilted her head curiously, turning so that she could face him and give a questioning glance. He was annoyed with her last night, and highly distraught, now he wanted to…
"Oh." She shook her head as her eyes made contact with his face. He was dreaming. His eyes were still closed and his mouth was slightly open in a fashion that let her know he wasn't awake. A part of her wanted to be annoyed, what kind of guy frets about his life being ruined the night before and then dreams about…well, that during his rest? But a part of her was flattered - the part that knew he desired her in some way - she was going to marry this guy after all. That part of her made a cocky smile press her lips as his hands found the tip of her breasts.
His other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer and she suppressed the giggle as her head buried into his neck. It was like that, was it? He was still caressing her and she was partially disturbed, partially delighted, with the chills that were running down her spine. He really hadn't ever touched her like this before. And maybe, if he could keep it up, she wouldn't have to dream about Goten at all.
Whatever dream he was having, and whatever had triggered it, she didn't care. She was sure this was the best sex they'd ever had and she wasn't even actively involved in it because it was his dream. His hands were still rubbing parts of her softly and his mouth had taken to kissing the sensitive area of her neck. She smiled, ready to wake him up, not because she wanted to ruin his dream, but because she wanted the real life experience. If she had known he was capable of being so gentle and sweet in his caresses with her she would have requested it a long time ago.
She called his name softly, her mouth close to his ear. Her voice was so tired and soft that she was hardly sure it was hers, but she knew he'd heard it all the same. "Trunks."
"Don't be mad." He responded, lifting his lips from her neck and turning to kiss her chin. "Don't be mad at me. I'm sorry." She wrinkled her brow, unsure of whether he was awake or not. Then she smiled, no, of course not. He was still dreaming and now it made since. Of course, they were having make-up sex in this little dream. He had called Pan his other half, after all. It had hurt her ego, if not her feelings, last night. If she'd have been seriously in love with him she might have cried. Yeah, this was more like it.
"I'm not mad. I just want you to-" His lips pressed onto hers softly, briefly, stopping her sentence mid-way, and then they moved to the space between the bottom of her nose and the top of her lip. She closed her eyes to regain her breath and her train of thought.
It hadn't been a passionate kiss but it had definitely been filled with love. Love he had never expressed towards her before. She had to search her mind for what she was saying to him in the first place because she almost felt as if he had shaken the earth beneath her feet. And that was silly because she was lying down. That wasn't a kiss someone experienced in real life, that was the kind of kiss people read about in books. Short, yes, but so earth shattering it made her mind fumble and her heartbeat skip.
"Umm…Trunks…" She still couldn't remember her point, or what she wanted to say.
And then he did it - or rather, said it. The thing she thought she'd never hear in her bedroom, during…this. The straw that broke the camels back. "I'm sorry, Pan. I didn't mean it. Don't be mad at me."
She lay there, perfectly still, for a good minute before the reality of his words hit her. She felt a good deal like someone had just knocked the wind out of her system. It hadn't broken her heart - it should have broken it - but it hadn't, it only made her ego ache in a way that couldn't be ignored. He was supposed to be dreaming about her. He'd pissed her off last night, right before he closed his eyes to go to sleep. He was going to marry her, he was supposed to be in love with her. And he was dreaming about Pan? He was kissing Pan in his thoughts and caressing her in ways Marron only imagined being touched - and by Goten at that - ways Trunks had never even attempted to touch her in.
But it was perhaps that kiss that was the worst part. The kiss that had made her lightheaded, made her feel special, had been intended for Pan - not her. She pulled away from him quickly, and gathered her mouth from off the floor. She wasn't sure whether she was angry or just plain tired. But she was sure that she couldn't do this. Her eyes traveled to the clock and she realized they had a meeting to be at in one hour. A meeting about their wedding. They were supposed to be getting married in seven days.
The world slammed down on her and she had to sit down on the side of the bed to level herself, for fear that she would faint. What kind of marriage would they have? What? Every night she could dream about Goten and he could dream about Pan, and every time they were intimate they could pretend they were with the other person? She wasn't going to live like that. It was different when she was sure that he loved her with every inch of his mind and soul. It was fine when she assumed that he was breathing because of her and living because of her, and every smile that graced his face was partially to do with the fact that she was still by his side.
When she believed that he was co-dependent on her. When she believed that, she couldn't leave because he wouldn't survive without her. But now she could. Because he wasn't desperately in love with her - not really - and she wasn't in love with him at all. If she had been the tears would be streaming down her face right now. Because she'd made a decision, she wasn't going to live like this, she was getting out before it was too late.
The room was suddenly very hot and she felt like the walls were moving closer. She was trapped. Trapped with Trunks, this engagement ring, and these walls. There was only one way out, the door. But she couldn't leave until she took that ring off, it was weighing her down too much. She just couldn't live like this.
She pulled the ring off her finger and searched through her nightstand drawer. She pulled out the silver-velvet box and shoved the piece of jewelry back into it, slamming it on the nightstand. For a fleeting second her mind considered grabbing some clothes, a piece of paper for a note, and then running. But she couldn't do that, and the thought was gone before it even played out in her head. She at least owed him an explanation. She picked the box back up as she heard him stir.
"I said I was sorry, Pa-" His body shot up, eyes snapping open to see where the warm that was next to him had gone. As soon as blue orbs met with enchanting blue, his face paled at least three shades.
Marron could nearly hear his heartbeat quicken from where she was sitting. His eyes traveled from her face to her hands and then back to her eyes again. There was pleading there, no misreading it, and definitely confusion.
"What are you doing, Mar?" He asked, cautious and edging closer to her side of the bed. She shut her eyes and tilted her head down, pain and heartache clear in her movements.
"What does it look like Trunks." She whispered softly, placing the ring in the center of the bed.
"You can't be serious." He shook his head, shoving the ring away from him.
"I am. I really am. And in case you didn't notice, Pan's not here." She regretted it the second the words left her lips. She shouldn't have said that, this wasn't his fault. It was everyone's fault but his. No - it was her fault but not anyone else's.
"What are you telling me?" He gritted his teeth, wincing from the blow she'd thrown his way with her words. "You're walking out on everything we have because of one…because of…what are you saying Marron? This is it? Because of Pan?"
"No, not because of Pan. And not because of you. Because of me. But you just don't realize it Trunks, do you? Everyone else does. Dende, Vegita does, Goten does, I'm sure Gohan does. Everyone who bothers to look, and you're pretending like you don't notice. You said it yourself - she's your other half." Why was she doing this? Her brain simply wasn't working as fast as her mouth, because she'd had a nice little speech planned out should she ever reach this moment. And that speech had involved butterflies and soul mates, and true love, and missing pieces, but no Pan. This wasn't his damn fault!
"What are you trying to say? I'm in love with Pan? That's not true Marron and you know it's not. If it were I wouldn't be here with you."
"I'm in love with Goten but I'm still here with you." That was it! That was the defining moment, the moment she managed to lodge both of her feet into the small opening of her mouth. He didn't move for a long few seconds - seconds that seemed like an eternity. And when he did, it was raising his arm, the back side of his hand facing her head. She winced, sure he was going to hit her but he lowered his hand again, shaking and covering his face with his hands.
"What did you say?" He asked in a squeaky voice. She swallowed hard, unsure of whether or not she should move. She shut her eyes, as if in pain, and drew in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Trunks. This isn't your fault, and I've been making it seem like it was." There was her brain, back at top speed. If only it weren't a minute too damn late! "I was feeling like I was missing something - for a long time - and I just don't think that marrying you would be the right thing to do."
"So why didn't you tell me that in the beginning, Marron? Like, before I put the down payment on the house we were going to move into, or before I moved into this apartment with you, or, I don't know, how about before I asked you to marry me and you accepted? What the hell is wrong with you? You're not feeling whole! I could…!" He was clenching his fists so hard the blood was dropping slowly onto the white sheet of the bed beneath him.
"Have you lost your damn mind?" He asked, a horse whisper to his voice and she was sure he was crying. He deserved some kind of explanation, something better than 'I was missing something' but she didn't know what to say. She couldn't even explain it to herself.
"I tried, Trunks. I honestly did. I tried to-" She didn't want to say she'd tried to love him, that would have only made things worse.
"How could you, Marron? How could you love him and be with me?" She could hear the tears now, and they made her open her eyes. Made her own baby blues water.
"Trunks. I'm so sorry, but this isn't his fault, you know." She was so afraid of ruining someone else's life that she wasn't sure she was thinking straight.
"I was never going to blame him." Trunks sighed, unclenching his fists and re-clenching them, drawing more blood.
"Please, stop that. I never meant…I never meant for this to happen. And I was going to marry you, Trunks. I was. But then-…I realized it wasn't fair…you deserve someone who's going to love you more than life. And I just…as much as I tried…I couldn't do."
"Don't do that Marron. Please, don't do this. Don't throw away everything that we have, everything we've had for a few moments of cold feet. You don't love Goten. You didn't mean that. Please, just stay. Please." He had pulled her closer to him, burring his face into her shoulder and weeping, begging and disgracing himself like he never had before. "Don't do this to me. Please, just stay. I love you."
"Don't say things like that to me, Trunks. Don't because you'll hate me later for hearing them. Stop it, let me go."
"I could never hate you, Marron, the same was I told you I would never let you go." He tightened his grip, only slightly, giving her a soft squeeze before releasing her body. "You'll change your mind. And when you do, I'll be waiting for you. Everything's going to be all right." He nodded in confirmation, scaring her slightly, because his eyes were looking past her. At something only he could see. A future that would never happen.
"Trunks," She spoke softly, placing her hands on either side of his face. "Look at me," She turned his face to look at her, both their eyes staring into each other. "I'm not coming back. I'm leaving, it's over. I'm sorry, but I can't love you the way you want me to. The way you deserve to be loved. And I tried, but it didn't work. If there was anything I could do to change this, I would change it. But there is nothing. I'm so sorry."
The reality of her words must have hit him because his eyes changed from sorrowed and blank to angry and boring into her. There was disgust somewhere in there, but the hurt was more prevalent, and he yanked his head out of her reach.
"Get out, please." He clenched his jaw and looked away from her. "Make arrangements to get your stuff sometime when I'm not here."
"Trunks,"
"Get out, Marron." She was still crying as she made her way to the door, grabbing only her jacket before heading out of the room, out of the apartment, and out of his life forever.
Can't believe that it's over baby. But every bruise on my heart you gave me. See we tried but we'd fight, then we cried. Now it's over babe. It's over, babe…
A/N: I hope you guys liked it. There was a lot of arguing and what not, but I had fun writing it. ^-^ I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews I got. Geez, if I had known that simply asking you to review would get me all that attention - anywho, I'm overwhelmed. I really appreciate it. And I just want to take this moment to say: Kaji Hikage, that was the nicest review anyone has ever left me in my life. I nearly cried. Thanks! You made my day. -hugs-
The rest of you made my day too, really. About 32 reviews for one chapter, I don't know what to say about that! ^-^ Anyways, Trunks and Marron are over with, that should make you happy, somewhat. Sorry for those of you who wanted Gabe's response, I didn't know how to do it, I mean, how does someone react to news like that? So I just didn't do it. Hmm, I don't know if I liked this chapter as far as length and description, but for action and content I loved it. Hope you did too.