Disclaimer: By now, you all know the drill...
Home, Sweet Home
It wasn't until true personal experience that Pan actually completely understood the meaning of the expression 'the honeymoon is over'. And it was. It seriously was.
Through no direct fault of Trunks' or Pan's, the second they made it home, things started to slowly fall apart. And it started with a little argument that escalated into a thunderstorm of anger between two married people. The people, however, were not Trunks and Pan.
They had been living in martial bliss for two entire months upon returning from their honeymoon. They hadn't had one serious squabble and hadn't gone one night out of each other's arms. They were in love, blissfully, ignorantly in love. And everybody knew it–Chi-Chi included. The fight had been Goten and Marron's doing. It began when Marron quit her job.
Pan had absolutely no interest in where Marron worked, how she felt lost, or what she wanted to do with her life. Nor was she concerned with Marron's ever changing moods since she'd quit said job and lost her entire sense of self. But, apparently, Goten hadn't gotten the memo the first few times she yelled it at his head. He simply kept talking, whining, complaining, explaining things that Pan really didn't want to know. And she couldn't get him to go away, even though she'd asked him to.
So, regretfully, Marron's problems became Pan's problems because she knew it was the only way she was going to get her uncle to go away. Long story short, Pan had a talk with Marron about the whole thing, who in turn misinterpreted what Pan told her about Goten being upset to mean that Goten had gone complaining about Marron to Pan and wasn't man enough to tell his own wife. Which, truthfully, had not at all been Pan's intention.
Needless to say, with Marron's temper, Marron kicked Goten out of their house. It was no surprise who's doorstep he wound up on. Pan wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. So, Goten, during month three of Pan's marriage, made himself a permanent guest in her house. It was driving her up the wall insane.
He made faces every single time she and Trunks touched. He griped and moaned about how he missed his wife. He was messy, he was annoying, and she was his niece; she had to be nice to him while he was depressed because he would have done the same for her. Though, Trunks had put up some very convincing arguments for why she really should put Goten out on the streets. It was true, if he had nowhere to go, Marron would have to take him back. But she just couldn't bring herself to do that to him. He was the Goten that she'd grown up loving and relying on and she wasn't going to turn her back on him now. Even if it was seriously hindering her more 'intimate' relationship with her husband–Saiyans had ears like hound-dogs and Goten made no bones about complaining.
Pan had, in the end, done the noble thing and told Trunks to grin and bear it. That was, until Marron showed up at the doorstep with a suitcase as well. Pan had to draw the line somewhere and inviting her husbands ex-fiancee to live with them just wasn't her idea of a good time. There was no way, she'd told Trunks, that she was going to allow this to happen. And yet, somehow, it had.
Marron needed a place to stay, they couldn't pay expenses without her job. For some reason, Capsule wasn't even an option and neither was her parents or Chi-Chi. Pan hadn't caught the reason and she couldn't argue with Goten and Trunks and their pleading faces. Though she'd wanted to, rather badly. There was still some unreleased hostility where Marron was concerned, some insecurity, and there was no better time to get over it. So, there she was, living with both her uncle and his wife, even though the wife had dated, slept with, and been engaged to her husband. Now four months into her marriage.
Then, just when Pan thought things weren't going to get any worse, any stranger, a couple of things happened at once. Apparently there was something in the water because three people announced they were pregnant around the same time: Marron, who put that as the reason for her crabby mood and sudden departure from her job; Trunks' secretary, whom Pan had declared 'pretty' in his office right before they got married; and, surprisingly, Bra. Vegita nearly blew his gasket and, almost immediately, Bra was living with Pan, Trunks, Goten, and Marron as well. Then, inevitably, Ubuu moved in as well. Pan was only careful not to drink from any of their glasses, she prayed it wasn't contagious.
There were six people living in the house that Pan suddenly realized she didn't even want anyway. It had been built specifically for Marron, which had slipped Pan's mind completely during her first few months of marriage, but could no longer be ignored. So, right when Trunks was at the end of his tether–he was living with his sister, her boyfriend, and Marron and Goten, after all–Pan suggested something that he couldn't turn down. They planned it carefully for two months and then, one day when all the others were out, they capsuled everything that was important to them, left a note, and got the hell out of Dodge.
It wasn't until Marron had her baby–a little girl named Haven–that something happened that actually made things bad. Wasn't until then that Pan understood, fully understood the honeymoon phrase. It was meant to welcome people back to reality, and what she got was a not-so-happy welcome.
Lorraine Henson was dying of cancer.
Gabriel's mother was dying and she hadn't felt it fit to tell Pan and thing about it until time was nearly up.
Pan didn't know how to feel about the discovery immediately. She had stumbled upon the hospital bills for chemotherapy and was shell-shocked. She couldn't think enough to react, didn't know where her emotions were even if she could think. She was hurting but, beyond that, she felt betrayed. Pan had been visiting this woman since Gabriel died, she'd started calling her 'mum' for Dende's sakes, and yet Ms. Henson hadn't felt the need to tell Pan she was dying. She was incredulous.
It took two weeks for the shock to wear off and the reality to settle in. Lorraine Henson was like a second mother to Pan, they had gotten through a lot of things by each other's sides and Pan had talked to Gabe's mother when she couldn't talk to her own. Realizing that she was going to die, and not just in the far-away future, but soon, scared the living life out of Pan. It hurt in places she couldn't reach to console herself. It took those two weeks before Pan finally remembered her promise to the woman and came up with a plan to settle things in her mind.
This plan would make her feel better, but after what she and Trunks had just went through, she didn't know how he'd feel about it. Besides, he didn't know Ms. Henson, didn't know that Pan had been visiting the woman. No one knew really, Pan didn't talk about it much. She didn't know why, except that it made her feel better to know that she still had a piece of Gabe that she could touch without anyone else taking it from her. That was how she'd reasoned things in her head. Now, though, for some reason unknown to her, she was very scared of telling Trunks.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Trunks knew nothing about Gabriel's mother.
Pan had cooked dinner. A very nice dinner from the smell of things. And there were candles lit on the table, incense burning in the living room of their new house...something was up. He could tell instantly that something was wrong and he seriously wasn't in the mood for another 'mishap'. He'd had enough with the pregnancy fiascos. He didn't need another anybody barging in on his happy home. So, what was the matter? Trunks thought wearily as he made his way into the kitchen, shredding work clothing on his way.
She called out to him in a sweet, very endearing voice as he made his way into the kitchen. There was a plastic sort of smile on her face, her fingers twirling around each other nervously. He hated the way this looked already. Obviously she had some sort of announcement or request to make and, sighing, he feared he had a feeling of what this was about. Really, he wasn't in the mood to talk about those types of things tonight. Couldn't this wait until he had a day off? Or at least after a nice, relaxing bath. Preferably with her in it too. He smiled at the thought as he took a seat at the table, lifting a curious, cautious eyebrow.
"Hello to you too, sweetheart." He returned, voice clearly on-edge for what was coming.
"Just relax." She smiled, laughing softly, nervously, as she placed the rest of the food on the table. "There's nothing to get tensed about."
"No?" He questioned teasingly, knowing she wasn't being sincere. She smiled and bit her lip but didn't answer as she took a seat across from him.
"Then," He continued, motioning for her to come and sit with him, not so far away. She rose as he continued talking, settling on his lap nervously. "Look at me and tell me there's not a catch to this meal."
"Well..." She paused, biting down on her lip again with guilty eyes on him. "I'm sorry, okay? You're right, I'm using your stomach to appease your mind before I ask you something."
He chuckled softly, expecting this but not really wanting to delve into it right now. She would be furious with his response and he didn't want to see her furious. He rather liked her when she adored him and doted on him, he'd never get enough of that from her.
"Oh?" He asked with feigned shock. "And what could you possibly want from me that one of your kisses wouldn't secure?" He placed one of his own feather-light kisses against her neck, relishing in her sigh. Maybe he could get her mind off track and post-pone this conversation, he thought wickedly. He continued his ministrations with the hopes that she would be swayed off track.
She wasn't. She pushed him back, slightly annoyed but more sweetly-distracted, as if shooing a field of flies.
"Couldn't we talk about this after dinner?" She asked softly, winding one of her hands up his neck and into his hair softly. So, she had a few cards of her own, he thought with amusement.
"No," He stated firmly, reaching up to draw her hands away from his hair despite the fact that he loved her touch, no matter where it was. "I'd feel better eating if I knew what you wanted from me."
He wouldn't really. He knew he wouldn't because, after she asked and he refused, then she'd be mad at him and they hadn't been mad at each other since they came from their honeymoon. They had been mad at the world, mad at circumstances, but never mad at each other. And now, now she was going to be so furious with him she wouldn't be able to see straight. He only hoped he could talk some logic into her before things got too far out of hand. He had been noticing the effects that this was having on her, again, and he didn't like it. He hated having to worry about her and maybe, just maybe, she would understand that. He prayed silently that she would.
"You know how much I love you?" She asked evasively, extra-sweet about it. "Have I told you today, how much I love you?"
He sighed and shook his head. "No, not today, Pan." He decided to play along with her game for a moment as he was truly in no rush to argue. Though he was curious as to exactly how she was going to phrase it, and he was curious to know that she was actually talking about what he thought she was talking about. Even though he was fairly sure, the conformation would be nice.
"Well I should have." She continued, kissing him lightly before pulling back, an even more guilty look on her face. The suspense was killing him; he tried but he couldn't ignore it.
"Pan, tell me what it is you want. Now." His face was set in a hard scowl, letting her know that he was in no mood to be patient any longer. She gave a resigned sigh as she looked into his eyes.
"Okay, but would you please promise me that you'll keep an open mind when I tell you this?" Her question was genuinely pleading and it made him ache to think about what he was going to have to say to her. He closed his eyes tightly and nodded his head before opening them again.
"I've been visiting Gabriel's mother since he died." She blurted, a slight panic visible in her eyes. He was taken aback, confused as to how this had anything to do with anything.
"What?" He asked incredulously, eyes opening a little wider.
"Trunks, remember, I asked you to keep an open mind." She reminded him, a scowl filling her features. She thought he was angry. But that wasn't it at all, he thought. He simply didn't understand what this had to do with anything. This wasn't where he thought this conversation was going to lead. He simply cleared his throat, nodded his head, and waited for her to continue. There was no reason to get worked up yet.
"I'm sorry." He apologized quickly, trying to make it sound very sincere so that she would keep talking. "You've been visiting Gabriel's mother and...?" He urged when she didn't keep talking.
"The first time I visited her we just...I don't know, clicked. I mean, she's a wonderful woman. And I promised her that I wouldn't let her die alone, in her house. Gabe was her only family because her and her sister lost contact. And now I'm her only family. But," She paused, closing her eyes as if fighting off a wave of pain. He tightened his arms around her, sensing her uncomfortable composure. There was something wrong, he could feel it.
"But what, Pan?" He asked cautiously.
"She's dying. The doctors give her less than a year to live; she's got cancer." He heard her voice waver at the end and knew that she was hurting. He wrapped his ki around her protectively, softly stroking her with the energy of it. Her head dropped back on his shoulder as she continued, her words whispering softly against his body.
"I love her, Trunks. I mean, I've come to think of her as a second...or third, considering Bulma-San...mother of sorts. You know what I mean? And I know that this is unfair, considering that you never knew Gabriel really well and, until now, you never knew about Ms. Henson either, but..." She stopped again, the words somehow getting caught in her throat.
He stroked her arms to reassure her, squeezing her form softly. "Whatever it is, sweetheart. I'll do anything you ask me to. Just name it. How can I help?"
"I want her to live with us." She finished after a long pause in which he was sure she was done speaking with him. Her breathing had gone so slack he thought she'd fallen asleep until she opened her mouth and whispered her sincerest request. He sighed with relief. Was that all she wanted?
He'd thought it was going to be so much worse than all that.
"Anything else?" He questioned tentatively.
"Isn't that enough?" She joked, even though he could nearly taste her unease.
"Well, not really, Pan. I thought you were about to ask me to fit the world through this door, or something. This is hardly anything for you to be requesting of me. Did you actually think I would say no?" He maneuvered their bodies so that he could see her face. Her expression told him that she had. He sighed heavily as he adjusted her so that she could look at him with ease.
"Why did you think I'd say no, love?" He asked gently. He was afraid that she still didn't trust his love for her.
Things had been running smoothly lately, but he still felt like they were walking on eggshells around each other when it came to certain subjects. They didn't talk about before they got married. She didn't let him apologize and she didn't like to dwell on it. He wondered, sometimes, if she had truly ever forgiven him or if she was just ignoring it for convenience. He knew, without a doubt, that she loved him. And trust and love went hand in hand. So he was sure that she understood, on a conscious level, that he would never hurt her purposely now and that he would give his life for the happiness of hers.
But that didn't mean she understood on a subconscious level that everything he did was for her. That every mood he made, he made considering how she would feel. And he didn't blame her if she didn't understand it because, truthfully, he hadn't ever proved it to her. There was never anything to put it to the test. But he wished she understood that she really did mean everything to him.
He waited for her to respond, wondering what would lead her to the conclusion that he would deny her something that was this important to her. Did she think he had no concern for what was important to her?
"Well...Your sister and Marron just..." She started but he drowned her out, a smile in his eyes even though a frown was on his face.
"Ms. Henson isn't pregnant, is she?" He asked with feigned panic, eyes getting wider. She could spot the amusement as she tapped him lightly, frowning.
"So, it's only pregnant women that you're prejudice against, huh?"
"No, just those two pregnant women." He teased, kissing her lightly. "Any others can have free reign." He smirked and she rolled her eyes, looking uncomfortable for second before switching subjects abruptly.
"What did you think I was going to ask you?" She questioned, curiosity in her tone.
He drew in a breath and exhaled deeply, the smile wiping off his face. He knew this was coming. They just couldn't escape the night without an argument after all. Because, once she heard what he thought she was going to bring up, he was sure she'd be as upset as he was originally planning on her being. There was just something very touchy about this subject.
And yet, at the same time, he knew he couldn't lie to her. His honesty meant everything in the world to her, and if he was ever going to fully gain her trust he couldn't ever break it. Especially over something so trivial as to avoid an argument. Especially because he wasn't in the wrong in this, he sincerely believed he wasn't. And it had been bothering him for months upon months, ever since the first time. His father had deliberately defied his express wishes. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Trunks set his jaw, pushing Pan lightly to let her know he wanted her to stand up. She frowned at him, a bit confused, but honored his silent request. She stood, leaning against the table as he came up as well, looking down at her. He wanted his figure to loom over hers a little as he said this: not so set her off, but simply to silently tell her that he was immovable in this and that it was really important to him.
This was how marriage worked, wasn't it? He did something important for her, she did something important for him? Maybe phrasing it like that wouldn't be the best thing. He didn't want her to think that her opinion didn't matter in this, but...Really, he wasn't going to let her argue this. The answer was no and it was set in stone. He wasn't going to change his mind in the least bit.
The question was, should he tell her that?
He took her hands and looked deeply into her eyes, pressing his lips tightly together for a few seconds that seemed an eternity to his young wife. Dende, she was so beautiful looking up at him with those bright, eager brown eyes. The whole world was open for her, he knew, he was only closing one door. But still, the thought of how it would hurt her, hurt him. He might be breaking her heart again and he detested himself for thinking he was still capable.
"Pan," He started slowly, cautiously testing the waters.
"Trunks?" She teased, a small smile pursing her lips. He could read how nervous she was without her having to say it. She was trying to act calm. "What's wrong?"
"I know, Pan." He stated softly, squeezing her hands and waiting for his statement to set in.
First he watched the confusion flit across her eyes as she wrinkled her brow. Then, he studied her as recognition caught on. She knew what he meant now, her face paled. He swallowed hard, dropping her hands and gripping her shoulders to ensure that she wasn't going to faint. He'd never seen her look faint before, but she looked it now.
"You know what, Trunks?" She asked softly, though he knew that she knew they were both clear as to what he knew. He gave her a stern look.
"I hate that you didn't tell me. Did you think I wouldn't find out, Pan?" He paused to let her explain, hoping that she would say something to ease his fears. Something that said she trusted him and would never keep something this important from him. Keep something that was endangering her life, no less, a secret. She only looked down, color flooding her cheeks as she studied the sole of her shoes in silence.
"How long have you known?" She finally questioned, her voice raspy with some fear he couldn't identify.
"A couple of months. I'm not stupid, you know."
"Trunks," She interjected hurriedly, her eyes coming up in frantic motion. "I was going to tell you. I honestly was. I'm so sorry I didn't, I just...I wasn't sure." She stopped abruptly, the sentence left unfinished. He closed his eyes, knowing what was going to happen next, and pulled her into his arms.
"You don't trust me the way you want to. Do you?" He whispered softly, rubbing her black strands of hair caressingly. Her shoulders rose and fell in a jerky motion and he was afraid she was crying. He pushed back to look into her eyes.
She was.
"Pan," He pleaded, wiping her cheeks gently. "Don't cry."
"I don't want you to think I don't trust you." She whispered. "That wasn't it. I was just afraid." She spoke quietly, eyes finding the floor again. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wanted to see if you were going to tell me." He pulled her face up gently with his fingers. "Pan, I was afraid too. You were coming home sick. Your skin's been paler than usual. You don't keep your food down like you used to and your energy is always so drained." He eyed her stonily, letting her know how angry he was that she was gambling with her health like that.
"And I just thought that, surely, you knew I would notice. I thought that you would offer the excuse, but you never did. And that hurt the most." She opened her mouth to respond but he held a hand up to stop her.
"No, Pan, let me finish." He told her pleadingly. She nodded, exhaling deeply as she leaned against the table for support, leaving his arms.
"I hope you understand, sweetheart, that what I'm about to tell you is not because I'm angry. I was a little angry, but–"
"You were angry," She sounded incredulous, and scared, her hands shaking slightly. He noticed her round eyes fill with tears again and thought that she was about to lose it.
If she was reacting this way and he hadn't even told her all of it yet, how would she feel when he finished? She'd be so crushed, so upset. He couldn't do this to her. He sighed, running his hands through his hair distractedly as he thought of how sick she'd been. He couldn't let this go on, he resolved, shaking his head.
"Yes, Pan, I was angry. Anyone would be." He told her clearly, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"How dare you!" She screamed, throwing a hand into his chest out of pure anger. He stepped back, shocked by her outburst.
"Pan...?"
"How dare you? I mean, I know this wasn't exactly what we had planned, but–"
"What's not what we planned, Pan?" He asked slowly, feeling as if they were on completely different brain waves. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"No, no. What are you talking about?" She asked just as cautiously, eyes filled with paranoia.
"I'm talking about you running off to train with my father. Pan," He continued before she could object. "Listen, it's got to stop. You can't keep trying to go Super-Saiyan. It's endangering your life and, frankly, it scares me. I love you and I don't want to see you suffer like that."
To his amazement her mouth dropped open and she started to laugh uncontrollably. He only stood, staring at her as she giggled, wondering why this was funny. He couldn't say he objected to her laughter, he'd thought she'd be so angry she wouldn't be able to see straight. Obviously, she wasn't upset at all. Or else...she had completely lost it and any second now she'd begin to kick his ass and tell him that he couldn't tell her what she could and could not do.
"But, Pan, I want you to understand," He started again as that thought hit him. She was still laughing but he could talk over it. "I'm not saying this because I don't think you can do it. Or because I don't want you to reach that point. It's just that, I'm very concerned for you. And it worries me when you–"
"Trunks, how long did you say you've known about me seeing Vegita?" She questioned, regaining herself and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"A couple of months." He stated dryly, not liking that she was seemingly mocking him for not having figured out sooner or something.
"I started seeing Vegita for training after we got engaged, you know." She teased, lifting an eyebrow with her admission.
"Pan, you didn't."
For a second she was afraid to answer, and bit her lip thoughtfully. He looked angrier than she had ever seen him; and she had seen him pretty angry. She loved the fear that flitted through his eyes, though, for her well-fare. For a few moments, she had thought she'd lost Trunks forever. For a slight, brief moment, she'd thought he was telling her something that was very unforgivable. But now that she knew the truth it was just...funny.
He was concerned that she was killing herself training with Vegita. That was probably the sweetest thing he'd ever said to her. And now she felt horrible for keeping the truth from him. She was going to tell him, honestly, she hadn't ever been afraid of how he would react. It was her reaction that had scared the hell out of her. She feared she wasn't ready for all this.
"I did, Trunks." She countered, jaw set defiantly as her thoughts flew around her head swiftly, making her temples pound in annoyance and tired pain.
"I think I need to sit down," Trunks stated, falling back into his chair. "I'm getting a headache, right here." He pointed to his temples, right where Pan was hurting, and rubbed his head throughly.
"I didn't do it because I wanted to piss you off, Trunks," she continued to explain. "I did it because I needed to. For me. You know?" She paused, walking up to him and placing her hands over his on his head. She began to rub for him as he hands dropped, thinking about what was in front of his face that he didn't even notice.
All this time he'd thought it was Vegita's fault. If she'd known he hadn't a clue, she really would have told him. But she thought it'd be obvious.
"But?" He asked, looking up at her seriously, knowing there was more. "You're not going to stop seeing him, are you?" He asked dejectedly, pushing her hands away.
"Trunks, I..." She couldn't find the words to complete the sentence and, once again, he filled in the blanks of air for her.
"Pan, I'm sorry, but I just can't let this happen. I won't allow you to see him anymore. It's as simple as that. I'm not budging on this. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to fix my plate and have dinner. You can join me when you've calmed down."
Oh, that had done it. Who did he think he was? He couldn't order her around like she was some four year old child that he needed to take care of. Love or no love, she was grown enough to know what was best for her without his interference. It was her body, after all, and her decision. Sure, she had already made her own decision on the matter and, truthfully, they had nothing to talk about because they were in complete agreement on this matter, but...That still did not give him the excuse he needed to push her around. She was her own person, whether he wanted her to be or not.
"You can't tell me what to do, Trunks Vegita Briefs." She gritted out, her tone dangerously calm and soft. He stopped what he was doing, turning his eyes up to her and fixing her with an even glare.
"So we're going to argue about this, after all?" He acknowledged, more to himself than her. Sighing, he threw his hands up in what she counted as complete frustration. "I thought, when you started laughing, that things would be okay."
She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, taking a no-nonsense pose as she waited for him to continue on, making it clear that she wasn't going to explain anything. He couldn't tell her what to do. He could ask her nicely, he could tell her his concerns, he could wait and hope she made the right decision for both of them, but he couldn't just say 'yes' or 'no' and expect that to be all.
"We have to come up with logical compromises with each other or this marriage will never work." She told him finally, taking pity when she saw the painful expression of his eyes.
"I'd be willing to compromise a lot of things, Pan, but your health isn't one of them."
"See, there's the problem. It's my health so it isn't your decision." She fired back.
"Would you let me do something that was killing myself?" He countered just as strongly, eyes sharp and harmful.
"No. But I'm not killing myself, you're over-exaggerating."
"Pan, you–"
"Trunks, this is ridiculous." She finally broke, throwing her own hands up at how stupid this situation was. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?" She asked after a second's pause in which he gave her a confused, stunned look.
"Sorry for what, Pan?" He asked, knowing she wasn't apologizing for arguing with him on this particular matter. At least, he didn't think she was. There had to something more than that, he could feel it in the aura around her. Something was wrong...off about her.
"I'm sorry that I led you into a pointless argument. Listen, I just don't like the way you seem to think you can tell me what I'm allowed to do. We can discuss things and you can trust me, but, Trunks, you cannot order me. It's not going to work like that."
He felt throughly admonished. When she put it like that, he felt like he was being a complete ass. She was right, he should have trusted that once he told her his concerns, she'd think on them and adhere them. He should have trusted that she was as considerate of him as he tried to be with her.
"No, no," He started, walking over to her hurriedly. "I'm sorry. You're right." He pulled her close to him, enveloping her in his embrace, kissing her temple softly as he apologized. "Pan," He asked lazily as he pulled his lips away from hers. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"
She giggled a little, shoving him lightly away as her eyes took on a more serious, somber color.
"I wasn't done with my apology." She continued. He nodded for her to keep going. "I'm sorry, also, that I didn't tell you about Vegita and me training with each other. I should have trusted you enough to know that you would understand. I should have allowed you into that aspect of my life. I should be able to share all things with you, you know?" She smiled lightly as she bit her lip, clearly still not finished.
"But?" He asked softly, urging her to continue.
"But, I just couldn't tell you then. Because, you know, it was before we were married. And I was all confused about things. I wish I had opened up to you more." As she admitted it, there was a slightly sad quality to her voice that caused him to stroke her shoulders lovingly before asking,
"Well, why didn't you tell me after?"
She paused before answering, a blush rising up the side of her neck and spreading across her face. When she finally did respond, she didn't say what he thought she would. "I forgot to." Her voice was meek as she made the admission, eyes downcast again.
He pulled his hands away from her body, his entire form tensing as he clenched his fists. How stupid did she think he was? Why would she lie to him like this? A person didn't simply forget to mention something of that magnitude. Had it slipped her mind every time he asked her how her day had gone, what she had done? Had she also 'forgotten' to go see his father behind his back?
He wanted to yell at her. He wanted to be angry, or at least annoyed by her response, but he wasn't. He was only hurt. He looked at her again, realizing that she was staring at him with that same hurt expression she had been wearing earlier, when this whole fight started. As much as he wanted to demand answers from her, those doleful eyes prevented his tongue from lashing out. He could only ask, "How could you forget, Pan?" softly and with a lowered head.
"Trunks," She pleaded softly as he looked up at her, a small smile tripping onto her lips. He frowned in return. "I haven't been training with Vegita since we got married."
His brow wrinkled, shocked. Confused.
"What do you mean, you haven't been training with him?" His voice was rough and angry as he questioned. "So you've been trying to go Super-Saiyan on your own? Pan, how could you?" He all but dared her to come up with a suitable answer for that question.
"I haven't been trying to go Super-Saiyan at all."
He frowned again, running his hands through his hair in exhaustion. How could she tell him that? "Pan," He found his voice, choked and unhappy. "For what it's worth, just don't lie to me." He pleaded. She glowered.
"I'm not lying to you, Trunks. I swear. I haven't been trying to go Super-Saiyan."
"So?" He questioned, as if she were supposed to know what he wanted. When she didn't, he added. "What's the catch? I know there is one."
"What makes you think there's a catch, Trunks?" She laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"I told you, you've been sick. The last time I saw you that kind of sick, you had tried to go Super-Saiyan."
"First of all, I didn't try. It just sort of happened. Second–"
"So, that's the catch then? You're not trying, but it's happening anyway? Is that it?" She removed her hand.
"Second," She continued, ignoring him. "When was the last time you saw someone, not just me, but someone, as sick as I've been?"
"Well, Bra, but she–"
"And?"
"Marron, but she–"
"Trunks,"
"Pan, they were both pregnant at the time."
"Yeah, well, when we were at the old house I remembered not to drink the water, but I forgot about not touching the food..."
A/N: Yes, that's the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading, thank you more for reviewing, and thank you the most for coming back again next time. A couple more chapters, maybe only one more, if I'm lucky, and then that's it.
Once again, long wait, I know. I'm sorry I keep slipping off the face of the earth but I'm so distant from NSN right now, I feel like I'm just putting the finishing touches on someone else's fanfiction. I'll try and get the next update out before Sunday, since I finally got my internet to work properly (took me, like, four months).
So, review and tell me what you thought. Oh, and do me the favor of saying what you'd like best to see from me in the future (as in, other stories, not the rest of NSN). I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
A/N2: I deleted this chapter, with the thought of re-writing it because I didn't like it. I started re-writing it and realized that it was almost the same as this chapter already was. So I'm replacing it now because there's no point in making every re-read something because I made one or two changes to it but nothing major.