A/N: I don't own 'Always' by Blink182.

(o)

"So how was it?" I had to ask scarcely a few days later as I stuffed my feet into a stingy pair of hired roller-blades while sitting beside my best friend.

"Huh?" Zara replied airily as she strapped her blades to her feet with fumbling fingers. She'd been shaking ever since we returned, and there was a certain fluttering excitement following her…a rather confusing emotion that I just couldn't place. "How was what, Pan?"

"The date, you idiot!" I bellowed with irritable frustration. "How was your date with Mason?"

It had been almost a week since we visited Marron and the new baby in the hospital, and after several grueling hours of helping Bulma to keep her house tidy, she'd finally aloud me to spend a few hours outside Capsule corp. with Zara, as long as I could be arranged to be picked up by one of the Briefs. Although I knew I should be enjoying my time out while I had it, I couldn't help but worry who would be picking me up. I hadn't seen Trunks (even in the company of others) since the day he told me he loved me, and I'd escaped from his car…the day I realized I was, unavoidably in love with him.

"Oh that!" She exclaimed, making a great effort to sound as though it were nothing at all. "It was alright…I suppose."

I knew she was only being this way for my sake. Naturally, I had told her all about Trunks over the phone while hiding in the security of my closet. We didn't get a chance to speak about her date, because she had been far too concerned with me. That was when she suggested I ask Bulma for some time out at the skating rink, and eventually Bulma had agreed. It wasn't until after I'd hung up, however, that I realized I had forgotten to ask her about her first date. I could see hesitance masked in the depths of Zara's coal black eyes, mixed with a longing to brag about the night. Finally, she cracked, and erupted in a fit of flurried emotion.

"It was the best night of my life! It started off all casual…I got dressed and showered and did my makeup three hours before…he complimented me, and then he bought us drinks and popcorn and stuff…then we saw the movie, and-" She squealed, and it took a great deal of coaxing for her to continue. "and during the movie, he put his hand on my knee!"

I couldn't help but feel slightly put out. I may have been the one out of the two of us to be the first to receive a kiss, but she had beaten me to being the first to having a stable relationship. I knew I could never expect that from Trunks. He was the man who had babysat me as a child, and had been so close to our family for as long as I could remember. He was far too old for me…and our relationship could probably get him into a lot of trouble with his parents, and his family situation was bad enough as it was without my involvement. Although I supposed Vegeta really wouldn't mind it…but even so, Trunks and I could never happen. I could never find another guy, either, so I guess I was left with what I'd always craved for. A life of solitude and training…making me into a strong and able woman, and one who was not smitten or tied down by love. With the exception of Elijah, my life plan would be complete. Then why was I so jealous of Zara when she retold the events of her date.

"You didn't kiss?" I asked quizzically.

She firmly shook her head. "Hell no! Not on the first date, Zara!"

I raised a fine eyebrow at her. "Trunks and I kissed before we'd even been on one date, or had any plans to have a proper relationship."

"Yeah…well…you and Trunks are different." I could tell that Zara was not at ease with discussing my relationship. "Different circumstances."

She was certainly right there. In my current state, I could never image Trunks flouncing off to the movies with me. It just didn't seem…right.

Just as we were about to head out onto the skating rink, I caught site of a teal hair woman somewhere by the door. I groaned, wondering why Bulma had decided to collect me so early, when I realized that it was Bra instead. She was waving at me frantically, beckoning me to her. I grasped hold of Zara's hand, whirled us both around and glided to the door to meet her.

"Pan, you have to come with me right now!" Bra exclaimed. "I have something very important to show you."

"Can't it wait?" I pleaded. "Zara and I were just-"

"No, it can't wait. We need to leave immediately." And with that, she took hold of my wrist and pulled me out the door with such force that it took me by surprise, and I lost my balance, toppling over onto my back. It was then that I remembered that I needed to return my skates. Zara and I tore them off our feet and returned them, snatching hold of our own shoes and carrying them with us to Bra's car.

"Where are we going?" Asked Zara, leaning forward from the back seat and poking her head between the two front ones where Bra and I were sitting. "And who the heck are you?"

"I take it this is your friend Zara?" Bra asked politely and as calmly as she could, gripping the steering wheel tightly while maneuvering the car around another bend.

"Yeah. Zara, this is Bra. Bra, this is Zara." I explained briefly. I had suddenly become caught up in the excitement of what was happening around me…filled with perplexity as to why Bra had dragged me off in such a hurry. It was enough to make my bare legs stick to the leather car seat with sweat, and I struggled to pull down my denim short-shorts so that I wouldn't leave wet patches on the seat when I stood up.

"Where are we going?" Zara repeated to none in particular, hoping that soon her question would be answered.

"The beach." Bra replied, not bothering to take her eyes away from the road in front of her as she drove. "I called up home last night to speak to Trunks…ask him when he'd be coming up to the hospital and if he actually did plan to visit me when I went into labor. Somehow we got into a really long conversation…most of it involving you, Pan." She glanced briefly in my direction. "Trunks is waiting for you on the beach. And he has a surprise."

"What surprise?" I asked anxiously.

Bra merely winked in reply. "You'll see."

The car crunched to a halt in a parking lot only a short distance away from the main beach. As I clambered out of the front seat, I became aware of the large crowd of confused looking people who had gathered in a cluster around what appeared to be a large stage. Bra locked her car, setting it back inside it's capsule and placing it in the pocket of the large denim overalls she wore. She must have been the only woman on the planet who could look good in paint stained overalls, an off grey shirt and with her long teal hair swept up into a high ponytail. She almost made me feel subconscious beside her – dressed in denim short-shorts with a tight fitting red tank top, with my hair free and cascading about my shoulders – though for once I had actually made an effort with what I wore.

The beach was cluttered with people, who had joined the ever-growing crowd to see what all the commotion was about. Bra, Zara and I pushed our way towards the front, squeezing ourselves into the front row. A large stage loomed ahead of us, with what appeared to be the Capsule corp. logo imprinted onto the front of it. A Capsule stage. I cast Bra a confused glance, but she barely caught my eye amongst all the surrounding chattering and shouting. All around me, I could hear teenage girls squealing and gossiping behind their hands, though I couldn't understand why until I saw that it was Trunks who stood on the stage.

He was dressed in low hanging jeans and a black tank top, his soft folds of lavender hair falling into his crisp, sky blue eyes. He smiled a soft, secret smile to the crowd, deliberately not looking in my direction, though I was sure he knew that I was there. There was a definite red tinge to his usually pale cheeks, and the muscles of his tanned body had tensed. It was then that I noticed that he was holding an electric guitar in his hands. A memory that seemed to have occurred almost an eternity away suddenly came back to me at the sight of Trunks with his guitar:

"Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a….a musician. I had lessons when I was still at school, and I really liked it."

"What did you play?"

"Guitar."

"Wow, that's so cool! You'll have to play for me sometime……"

I was interrupted from my silent reverie when Trunks spoke into his microphone, addressing the entire crowd, his cheeks burning a brilliant red from embarrassment. I felt the colour begin to flood into my face, just from mere embarrassment for him.

"Hey, um…it's great for all of you to come over here and listen to me. I…I just wanted to play a song for someone…someone very special. Someone who I love, and who I probably will love for the rest of my days…for always, whether she likes it or not. I've been treating this person very wrong lately, and I can only pray that this helps her to find it in her heart to forgive me." Finally, he looked at me, a deep and meaningful stare, one that was filled with emotions that I simply could not place. Fear…doubt…remorse…regret…love??? "Pan, this one's for you."

I've been here before, a few times
And I'm quite aware, we're dying
But your hands, they shake with goodbyes
And I'll take you back, if you'd have me
So here I am, I'm trying
So here I am, are you ready?

Come on let me hold you

touch you

feel you
Always
Kiss you

taste you

all night
Always

And I'll miss your laugh, your smile
I'll admit I'm wrong, if you'd tell me
I'm so sick of fights, I hate them
Lets start this again for real

So here I am I'm trying
So here I am are you ready
So here I am I'm trying
So here I am are you ready

Come on let me hold you

touch you

feel you
Always
Kiss you

taste you

all night
Always

Come on let me hold you

touch you

feel you
Always
Kiss you

taste you

all night
Always
I've been here before a few times
And I'm quite aware we're dying

Come on let me hold you

touch you

feel you
Always
Kiss you

taste you

all night
Always

Come on let me hold you

touch you

feel you
Always
Kiss you

taste you

all night
Always

I heard the teenage girl behind me whisper 'So romantic' in amongst the squeals and shouts of her other hormonic peers. Though to me, these noises were unimportant…just small details I would forget when I was old, and looking back on the memory of the day. He was a damn good guitar player, that was for sure, much better than he had ever given himself credit for (I wondered how long he'd spent practicing that song before he dared to play it in public), and even I had to admit that he was also the most sexiest. But he wasn't singing or playing for any of the other girls…he was doing it for me. He had even said so himself. I had not heard incorrectly. He really did love me, and he really did want to try for something real, so much that he had wanted to shout it to the world through his song. I had never really been a fan of that particular music, but at that moment, the song was my most favourite in the entire world. It was his song. It was our song…I knew I was being soppy, childish, and perhaps even weak, but for once I didn't care. I was in love, and it was the most wonderful feeling in all the world.

Trunks had already stepped down from the stage, and was in the possess of packing away the guitar, and the capsule stage, while swarms of people crowded around him, either congratulating him or swooning over him, some of the women in the crowd actually claiming that they were me. I stood where I was, both too shy and too stunned to push my way towards him. It was lucky that I had Bra with me. She shoved me sharply in the back, pushing my through the clusters of people until I was face-to-face with Trunks himself just as he spun around to face in my direction. Our eyes met…our lips inches apart…for a moment, I was tempted to kiss him, before I remembered where I was.

"Do you want to…" Trunks began, trailing away as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. I raised my eyebrows, puzzled, feeling my cheeks redden again too. He jerked his head in an opposite direction, gesturing to the parking lot that was not too far a journey. It was then that I realized that he wanted to be alone with me.

We left what remained of the packing away to Bra, and Trunks took me by the hand, fighting his way through swarms of girls before emerging on the open beach. We darted over sand dunes, past the parking lot and down along the streets, all the while clutching our hands together and yet not saying a word. It didn't matter this time…it was a comfortable silence. The kind in which you could let your thoughts wonder away from what you were doing and focus on something else. Only at the time, the only thing I could think about was his hand pressed against mine, and our fingers, which were entwined together. The softness of his palm would never cease to surprise me.

I hardly noticed where we were going until Trunks yanked me into the park…the same park where he had used to take me as a child…the same park which I had sworn never to return to again, because of all the bad memories it held for me. But they weren't bad memories anymore. Now, all of a sudden, they had turned into good memories, and the park had become my most favorite place in the world.

"You know why I did it…don't you?" I head Trunks say as he walked beside me, our hands still held together, and our hips so close that they bumped against one another as we walked. He waited until I had nodded curtly and emotionlessly before he continued. "Did Bra tell you…?"

"Yes, she told me that you two talked about it on the phone, and she helped you to come up with the idea." I replied, shocked to find that my voice was as empty as my gestures had been. How could this be so, when beneath the surface, I was bubbling with different emotions that I fought so diligently to contain? Why was it that when I wanted to be as hard and as cold as possible, I couldn't manage it? And when I actually wanted to show my emotions, why did I find it physically impossible?

"So…" He whispered, his breath tickling my ear. I didn't look at him, and merely continued walking, keeping my eyes straight ahead of me. "What did you think?"

What did I think? What did I think!? I thought it was the best moment in my life…I thought that this was the first time throughout the summer that I had actually managed to completely forget about Elijah, and to feel happy and free for once…I thought that this was the first time I could believe him when he told me that love did not weaken a person, but actually make me feel stronger, for the power he was giving me just by standing beside me was stronger than I ever could imagine…I thought that he was majestic…wonderful…beautiful…I thought…I thought…

"I think I'm in love."

I had to face him then. It was unavoidable…inevitable. His eyes poured into mine, and I waited for all the usual symptoms of love to begin…the kinds that occur to women in cheesy soap operas on the television. But my legs did not weaken…my eyes were not overcome with a hazy glaze…there were no butterflies in my stomach. But there was something…something deep, and indifferent…something I had never seen before.

He was kissing me before I even knew it. His lips pressed against my own, so soft and warm, and unimaginable. He griped my shoulders in his hands, pulling my body closer to his own. I never wanted it to end…I felt like I was on fire…a fire that could never be distinguished.

"Unbelievable." I whispered when he pulled away, sighing heavily as he loosened his hold on me. It was the first thing that came into my head…the only word I could think of to describe it.

He cupped his hand under my chin, pulling my face up towards his own so that I had to look him in the eye. "You always taught me to believe the unbelievable."

Before I knew it, we were kissing again, oblivious to the rain that had begun to hammer upon our backs, drenching the rest of the empty park.

It was the very first of the summer sunshowers.

(o)

A/N: Now I have Pan and Trunks together, there won't be much left of this story. However, there are still three more chapters to come before the end, in which the main complication will be resolved. There will also be some periods in which Pan and Trunks will figure out their relationship, and sort out what they plan to do next. Stay tuned until then.

Thanks for reading, please review!!!