Eight: We Finally Meet

How do you tell the one you care about is with the wrong person? Can you actually crush him to save him?

I can't.

I know it's wrong, but I can't get in the middle what he's so blind to see. He seems so happy, and I don't want to ruin it. He's in love, and I don't want to be the cause when he goes into depression. Yet, I can't allow me to let him to be toyed with.

Tell him the truth; let him stay like this. I'm not sure what a friend should do. If I tell him the truth, he'd be devastated or tell me I am a fool and then our friendship is ruined, but if I don't it could be worse. He could be distraught after losing his love and furious with me because I knew and didn't tell; I just let him seep deeper into hell.

Love is a horrible thing. Somebody point me away from it, because it's all around me and so is the pain. I feel sorry for him that he can't see what's going on even though it's right in his face. Luckily I don't have to go through that.
-Pan Son

Pan shifted through the files, putting papers where they needed to be. They were back from the beach and Pan was starting her new job as secretary. Trunks had given her an office next to his just for her and a key to his back office and lounge.

For the new job she needed a new wardrobe. She had on a feminem navy suit with pants that hugged her hips tightly. A white blouse was underneath it and she had on black heels. Her hair was up in a bun with some bangs falling out. She wanted to look business like for Trunks, but not like those sexy movie secretaries that the press really wants.

They had been bugging her all week, ever since they came back from the beach. They would be on her doorstep and burst out with questions and flash cameras. Gohan got so aggravated with them that his ki reached so high that all the cameras shattered. Finally they all had to put signs in front of their houses that said 'no paparazzi within fifteen feet of this premises.'

Trunks had it bad too. They hounded him at work, at home, on the street, and even when he and Clarrissa were out to dinner. He was so mad, he almost ran over a crowd of them over with his truck.

Pan lifted herself up and stretched her back. The reporters were having a frenzy since Pan started working. Every time she saw a magazine she would tear it up. It said stupid things like 'The Sexy New Co-worker; has Pan and Trunks taken their relationship to the office?' It was all starting to get on her nerves. She even told Trunks she wasn't afraid to punch one of them right in the face. And it wasn't just the reporters, but Trunks' female fans. They all hated her and people would hiss at her on the streets and shout out cruel things. But it never went any farther than that.

The good news though, was that Pan's book was selling great and her check would be in the mail next Thursday. She even was starting on a sequel for it.

Pan pushed her hair out of her eyes and poked her head in Trunks' office. "I'm going home now. See you later." He nodded his head and smiled, but he was too busy on the phone to answer her.

She took her keys and walked down to the parking lot, but when she got to her car she saw dozens of roses all around her car, which looked like it was washed. She just stared as if she was afraid to go near it. Was it the paparazzi? She was getting sick of this. The roses were just in the way of her windows. She walked up to her car and dusted them off.

"You don't like them?"

Pan whipped around and covered her mouth. Eric smiled at her, shining his perfect white teeth. He recently cut his hair and was just above his eyebrows. He had on baggy jeans and a loose T-shirt that had the Nike logo on it.

"Eric! When did you get here?" Pan asked in one gasp.

Eric laughed. "Yesterday. I would've come to see you sooner, but I was just too tired."

"Where are you living?" Pan asked, now recovering from her shock.

"I've got an apartment in town. It's not much, but I'm starting out slow." He shrugged his shoulders and then wrapped his arms around her. "I've missed you, Panny. It's been forever, hasn't it?"

Pan chuckled. "Yeah it has. So what are you going to do here for a job?"

"Actually, I'm a student teacher at one of the high schools. One of our professor's bragged about me and I got one of the jobs." He leaned against her car and folded her arms. "What do you do? Work here?"

Pan smiled. "Actually yes, just until I get money rolling. I'm Trunks' secretary, but I'm actually a writer. I have one of my stories out now." She moved him over and climbed in the driver's side.

"The Trunks Briefs who's your best friend? That's nice of him. When do I meet him?" He climbed in the passenger seat even though Pan didn't invite him.

"I don't know. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow." She pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. "But first I need to show you to my parents."

For the arrival of Eric, everyone was at the Son's house for dinner. Goten and Marron enjoyed talking to him, Bra was telling Pan that she was so lucky to have picked the cute type, Uub and him were talking about martial arts, but Gohan and Trunks were just looking at him.

Gohan had that over-protective-Daddy look, and Trunks looked like an older brother scowling at his younger sister's punk rock boyfriends.

"So how old are you Eric?" Gohan asked loudly. Everyone stopped to look at him. This is where the interrogation began.

"I'm twenty-nine, sir." He said looking him straight in the eye. He got points for that. Pan looked at her dad, giving him a warning look.

"And when did you and Pan meet?"

"Four years ago at college. She was only a freshman."

"What were you studying for?"

"I wasn't a student, I was an assistant professor."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "I thought students couldn't date teachers." Pan wanted to grab her plate and smack herself over the head with it.

Eric blushed and looked real nervous now. "W-Well actually, I'm only a student teacher, and Pan didn't have any classes with me so it was alright with the district."

"The district needs to be changed." He gave him a glare and Eric gulped. He lost points for showing that he was scared. Pan recognized the glare immediately. She shook her head no, but Gohan asked anyway. "Have you tried anything with my daughter?" Pan's head fell on the table.

Eric was shocked and so were the others. Trunks smirked, if he said the wrong things then he would be out of there in no time. Eric shook his head. "No sir, we haven't."

Gohan gave him a glare and Eric began to sweat.

Pan sighed. "Dad, we haven't. He's telling the truth. I got the ring to prove it." She held up her right hand that had her promise ring on it. "See?"

Gohan looked at her to Eric, his black eyes moving slowly. Trunks was smirking into his food. There was no way Gohan would like someone like Eric. Trunks couldn't wait for the show. Gohan's lips curled into a smirk.

"I like him." Trunks chocked on his food. Gohan turned to him. "You alright Trunks?"

Trunks looked up at him and swallowed. "Uh, yeah, just went down the wrong pipe."

He couldn't believe it! How could Gohan like him? Gohan didn't like any of Pan's old boyfriends so why was he different?

Pan was shocked too, because her mouth was just slack. Until she felt Eric's hand on hers did she snap back. "You okay sweetie?" He asked looking concerned at her. She only nodded her head with her mouth open, looking like she had whiplash.

When they finished eating, Trunks followed Gohan outside to the backyard. "Gohan, are you serious! You don't actually like him do you?" Trunks urgently asked him, his voice almost a whisper.

"Yep, I sure do." Gohan said simply. Trunks couldn't believe him. Was he hit on the head? Gohan smiled at Trunks surprise. "I'm afraid if I say I hate him, she'll run off and marry him. Besides, she's kept her part of the deal." Trunks knew he was talking about the promise ring. "As long as that rings on her finger or a wedding ring, I don't have to kill him." He chuckled as he sat down on the bench.

Trunks sat down next to him. "You both are really connected to that ring. I mean I know why you are, but is there something more to it?"

"Trunks, I'm her father. The last thing I want is my daughter with someone, but yes there is more to it. I don't want her to have kids." Gohan put his hands behind his back and looked at Trunks' confused face. "You know, I'm going to let you in on a secret. The first time I was with Videl, it was both our first times, and I got her pregnant. That's why I married her and because I love her. Dad got Mom pregnant on their first time too. Vegeta got-"

"I got the idea." said Trunks stopping him.

Gohan chuckled. "It's just a Saiyan thing. Pan's a Saiyan too, even though she's only a quarter so there is still a chance she'll get pregnant on the first time too. I don't want to be a grandfather just yet, so that ring tells me I have nothing to fear."

Trunks' eyes grew wide. "Y-Y-You mean, that Claire could be pregnant!" Trunks lost all color in his face and looked like he was going to faint. (A/N): ((Wouldn't it be mean if I just ended the chapter here?))

Gohan looked at him. "I don't know. Have you marked her yet?" Trunks shook his head. "Good, then she ain't pregnant. You need to bite her neck. It's called bonding. Only then can she get pregnant by a Saiyan and only that Saiyan can get her pregnant."

Trunks heaved a sigh. "Good, 'cause I'm definitely not ready for kids."

He and Gohan got up from the couch and went back inside. Then a thought clicked in Trunks' head. Wait, only the Saiyan that bit her can get her pregnant. Trunks looked over at Pan and Eric. Oh shit.

Pan was brushing her teeth and she heard Bra hum one of her favorite songs as she put her hair in curlers. Pan spit out the foam in her mouth and gargled some water, then spit it out, and wiped her mouth on the towel.

"How can you sleep with those things poking your head?" Pan asked as she climbed on the bed.

Bra folded her hair over the cotton roller and pinned it to her head, "Well, you get used to it, I guess. I've done it for so long, I'll sometimes forget I'm wearing them." She chuckled as she put the last one in. "You should curl your hair sometime."

Pan fell on her back and looked up at the ceiling, "Trust me, I look better straight." Then to their surprise they heard a soft vibrating sound from a guitar. Pan sat up and looked at Bra. "You leave the radio on?"

Bra shook her head. "It's off." She tilted her head as the soft music rose a little louder and in a smooth rhythm. "I think it's coming from outside."

They both got up to her window and Pan pushed back the curtains. In her back yard, with a guitar playing softly, was Eric. He wore a black cape and an old costume of the middle ages, with his shoulders broad as his knees. His suit was red and white and he wore a hat with a black feather in it and a fake sword at his side. He smiled up at them.

A lightning bolt would be good right about now, Pan thought. She wasn't sure if she wanted it to strike her or Eric.

Bra giggled. "That is so romantic! I envy you having a boyfriend like that." Pan could only blush; this wasn't exactly her thing.

Eric continued with his soft playing as he stepped closer to Pan's window. It was on the second story so he couldn't touch it. Pan opened the window and Bra ducked beneath it to hide.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough with a tender kiss." Eric spoke as his fingers moved and plucked the strings.

Pan blushed deeply. "Oh Dende."

Bra looked up at her."What did he say? Kissing pilgrims?"

Pan shook her head. "It's a quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act one scene five, when they meet."

Bra smiled widely. "How romantic! Well talk, Shakespearey too!"

Pan gulped, but decided to play along. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss."

Eric smiled, glad she was in with the act. "Have not saint lips, and holy palmers too?"

Bra had to die. "Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

Pan felt uneasy. When is he going to give this a rest? This is so stupid! She heaved a sigh and carried on. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took." This is where they should've kissed, but Eric couldn't reach up to her.

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again." Another should've been kiss. Eric sat down his guitar and walked underneath her window. "I must take my farewell, but fret not my sweet, for we shall gaze deeply into each other's love as the sun shall surely rise." That part wasn't from the play, he made it up on his own.

"Yeah okay. Night!" Pan quickly shut the window and left Eric sweat dropping outside. She looked at Bra who was biting her lip. "What?"

Bra jumped up and down. "That was so romantic! Dear Saint! That was beautiful! I wish I had a boyfriend like that!"

Pan sat down on her bed, "Well then you can have him. I'm not very fond of that stuff." Bra gave her a look that 'are you serious?'

"And then he quoted Shakespeare! It was so romantic! He was Romeo, and Pan was Juliet!" Bra said as she sighed and slumped in one of the chair. She was over at Trunks' house while he was on his lunch break.

"And Pan went along with it?" He asked swallowing a bite of his sandwich, "I never thought of Pan like that."

"Well, she was real embarrassed about it, but she went along and then brushed him off quickly." Clarrissa came into the room.

"Trunks, how come you never do anything like that for me"

Trunks looked up at her from his seat. "No way in hell will I ever quote Shakespeare or ever wear tights. If I do, stop me 'cause I'm committing suicide short after." He took a sip of his drink and tossed it in the sink. "Well I got to go, I got a Pan to humiliate." He kissed his girlfriend and then his sister and ran out the door.

Trunks went up the elevator where a thick smell of pollen caught his attention. He heard someone sneeze and when he opened the door to his office, thousands of flowers were everywhere. There were daisies, roses, and tulips scattered everywhere in his office. He shut the door with almost a slam and Pan poked her head up from the huge bundle.

"What the hell is this!" Trunks called out.

Pan blushed. "They're, uh, from Eric. It's our anniversary and he wanted to get me four dozen flowers, but the florist got it confused with actual four dozen bouquets." A blush appeared over her cheeks.

"Eric got you these! All of these!" Pan slowly nodded and Trunks ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. "I'm not a flower company, Pan, and I don't want to see these in my office."

"Well what do you want me to do about it!" She said walking over to him with her hands on her hips.

"Put them in your office!" He half shouted.

"My office is already full!"

"Then throw them out!"

"I can't that would be rude! Look, I'll do something! Just give me some time."

Trunks let out a frustrated sigh as he glared at the colorful arrangement, then back to Pan. "You have one hour or I'm burning them." He left his office and went down the stairs to the conference room.

Pan bit her lip. How was she going to get rid of forty-eight bouquets of flowers? Finally she snapped her fingers and came up with an idea. She grabbed the first set of tulips and walked out of the office.

An hour later, Trunks came back up the stairs and opened the door to his office to see not a single petal. Curious to find out what Pan did with them, he went out to find her. He searched through all of the employees' areas and found her giving them out. He leaned against the wall as he watched her.

"Here you go, Ms. Johnson, a flower for someone special, sincerely, Mr. Briefs." The woman smiled and thanked her. Pan walked down the aisle handing out flowers as 'compliments from Trunks' until she noticed him watching her. "What? You wanted me to get rid of them."

Trunks smiled, "I don't mind, but next time tell your lover boy no flowers." She blushed a little and they walked back upstairs together.

Pan sighed as she put her hands behind her back, "I don't even know why he did that. He knows I'm not the big romance person."

Trunks laughed a little, "Well, you do write romance novels. He probably got confused."

Pan opened the door and allowed him in and shut the door behind him. "But I told him I don't like those kind of things. I mean, I don't need a guy to pamper me. He doesn't have to buy me roses 'cause they're just gonna die anyway." She sat down on the small couch he had in his office and he took the chair behind his desk. "He buys me all this stuff I don't need. Jewelry, shoes, dresses. Like I'm ever going to wear a dress." Trunks smiled at her almost laughing.

Not once did he see Pan in a dress, except her prom, and she almost wore her dad's suits if he didn't hide them. He only saw her wear female pant suits at work too, not skirt suits. But she looked good no matter what she wore.

"So what are you doing with them?" Trunks asked as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt back.

"They're in my closet. He wants me to wear them, but I told him I was saving them for something important." She kicked off her heels and leaned back.

"Is he planning on anything?" Trunks asked looking up.

Pan rubbed her forehead. "Some formal party in a few weeks, for my birthday, I think."

"What do you want for your birthday"

"A better boyfriend. One who understands me."

"If you don't like him, why are you with him?"

"'Cause I do like him. Why do you stay with Clarrissa?"

Trunks stopped. He had to think about this for awhile. "'Cause I like her too." He didn't know if that was a lie or not. She was definitely attractive to him, but he felt they were becoming distant. He decided to change the subject. "Seriously, tell me what you want for your birthday."

"Nothing," Pan said in an airy voice.

Trunks raised an eyebrow, "C'mon Pan, you have to want something."

Pan shrugged. "I don't know what I want. Maybe I don't care what I get." She didn't feel comfortable talking about her twenty third birthday so she changed the subject. "Hey, why did your last secretary quit?"

"'Cause I had sex with her on that very couch." He was joking and Pan knew.

"Well, I hope you cleaned it." They both laughed and went back to work after Pan got off from what Trunks called her 'lazy ass.'

Pan had her hair pulled back in a messy bun as she sat in front of her laptop on her desk. She had on a tank top and underwear and her fingers were furiously moving across the keyboard. She was starting on her second book already and she just got a check in the mail for forty-five thousand dollars and she almost fainted. She never imagined one book get her that much.

Bra opened her door with a tray of drinks and snacks. "Hey Pan-chan. I brought you something to drink. You still working?"

"Yeah, I just keep getting these ideas flowing into my brain." She didn't turn away from the screen.

She had moved in with Bra yesterday morning and already had her things unpacked, thanks to the technology of capsules. She still worked at CC because it felt more like a chore with a friend than actual work, and writing books had always been a passion for Pan, so right now it seemed like a dream life for her.

Bra sat down on her bed. "Well, get some sleep soon. Tomorrow is your day off and I want to take you out to a restaurant with Marron and Claire."

Pan rolled her eyes, "Do we have to bring Clarrissa?"

Bra frowned, "I don't like her just about as you do, but she is my brother's girlfriend so I want to be on her good side. You should do the same if you don't want to get in trouble. Trunks is your boss. She doesn't know you like we do, so she doesn't now about your anger problem."

"I don't have an anger problem." Bra gave her a look. "Alright, maybe I do, but still. If she wants me to be nice to her, she'll have to do the same for me. I don't take that hopeless shit that she pulls off. Just because she's rich doesn't mean you can be snotty." Pan saved her document and turned off her computer. "If she won't tick me off, I won't tick her off."

Bra stood up and hugged her friend, "Just be on your best behavior. Please?"

Pan raised an eyebrow, "I might not like her, but I won't beat her." Bra gave her a pleading look and Pan sighed. "Fine if it'll make you feel better. I promise I won't punch her." Sometimes Bra took things too seriously; she made it sound like Pan went around sucker-punching people.

Bra smiled, "Thanks Pan. Now get some sleep 'cause it's your turn to fix breakfast tomorrow."

Pan nodded and climbed into bed and turned on her television. "Night Mom, I mean Bra."

Bra glared at her, but smiled. "Night Pan. Sweet Dreams. Don't let the bed bugs bite." She shut the door.

"Don't have too many wet dreams!" Pan called out to her. Her phone on the table starting ringing and she picked it up. "Capsu- uh- hello?" She was used to being at the office.

"Hey baby, how are you?"

"I'm fine Eric. You?" Pan leaned back comfortably against her pillows.

"Super. So, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, just chilling. You?" Pan had this sudden thought that talking on the phone sounded almost exactly like she was on her IM.

"Same here. Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"I'm going out with the girls."

"Ah, well are you free the day after."

"Yeah, I should be after work and during lunch. Why?"

"Well, I wanted to take you out. I haven't seen you for so long since I started at the high school."

"I know, honey, but we were really looking forward to girls night out, but I'll see what I can do about the next day."

"Alright, well I got to go. Love you sweetie."

"Love you too. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

She hung up and put the phone back on the charger. She returned her attention to the television and fell asleep watching 'I Love Lucy'.

A/N: I would like to thank yunazg, Hybrid Saiyan, and ladybugg for my first ever reviews for my story. If I made any misspellings in any names or any words, please let me know. Tootles!