Ten: Never Too Late

How can I show you that we belong together? Why do I push you away? My heart aches when you're not with me, yet it breaks when you are. It's like being trapped between walls that I can't escape from. They both crush me, but I can't push back. I feel horrible that I'm in love with two.

One is all a girl could want; romantic, good looks, tender. The other is one you feel more comfortable with; joking, laughing, and a shoulder to cry on. I should want the one who knows how to woo a woman, not the kind that knows how to tickle them. So why, why am I in love with both? I know what I have to do. I got to pick him, or I got to pick you.
-Pan Son

Pan sat straight up, breathing hard. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought she was going to be sick. She looked around, almost forgetting where she was, but remembered she was at Dende's tower.

Her hand moved up her neck and rubbed the bite mark on her neck. So because of this mark, she belonged to Trunks. It was just a mark. She was positive it would fade in time. All these emotions and confusion over this little bite?

Pan felt her forehead warm and her eyes water. "Dammit Trunks!" She whispered hoarsely. She laid back down on the bed and curled up. She didn't know if it was night or day, and she really didn't care. Today, her birthday, was the worst day in her life.

She grabbed the pillow and smothered it over her face. She wanted to cry, she needed to cry, but it wouldn't come. Her heart was twisting in her chest, and she had no way to relieve the pain. She punched the pillow several times out of frustration, before she grabbed it and hugged it to her.

"Why, dammit! Why!" She cried out.

Finally her eyes watered and the tears dripped into her hair. She twisted and flailed in the sheets and threw off her pillows in a tantrum. She wanted to break something. To release all her anger. She needed to do something. And she knew exactly what to do. She grabbed her clothes and quickly changed. She put her two fingers to her forehead and disappeared.

She reappeared in the front lawn of Capsule Corp tower and marched right up to the front door and let herself in. She knew Bulma was busy with Videl planning the party, but she wasn't looking for Bulma.

"Vegeta!" She yelled, "Where are you!"

"What do you want brat?" Vegeta said, coming from the kitchen.

"You and me, right now. Gravity room. I got some steam to burn off!" She marched down the stairs into Bulma's lab. Vegeta smirked and followed her.

Trunks was taking out the pictures of him and Clarrissa and throwing them away. It was his usual rituals of break-ups. He would get rid of all her pictures the day after and celebrate being a free man. Except, he didn't want to be a free man. He had a woman; he just needed to catch her in time.

He heard a knock on his front door and got up from the couch to open it. To his surprise it was Eric.

Trunks blinked at him for a few seconds. "Do you need something?" It wasn't very nice, but this also was the guy that was keeping Pan from him.

"Uh, yeah." Eric stuffed his hands in his shorts, "Pan didn't come home last night. I was wondering if you've seen her." Trunks shook his head. "Do you know where she might be?" Again he shook his head.

"She might be training," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Goten's checked all the areas she trains in. Even the Satan Manor and dojos." Eric rubbed his cheeks with his fingers. "I'm real worried about her. I mean, it's her birthday. What could've made her so mad to get up and runaway?"

Trunks shrugged. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Then he heard Eric sniff and rub his nose. Was this guy that worked up?

"She hasn't called. Hasn't come back. Nothing." His eyes were glistening and Trunks raised his eyebrows.

"Uh, you okay bud?" He didn't know what to say. This man was about to cry. Over Pan. And he wasn't hurt.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, if you see her, tell her that I need to talk to her." He turned around and walked down the driveway. "Also, we're holding the party at her father's house, but we can't have it without the birthday girl." He gave a false smile and got into his car.

Trunks slowly shut the door. "Weird." Then he returned to his photos.

Pan's boyfriend was a sissy? Why would she even date a boy like him? He wasn't her type. Or was he? Maybe Pan really did want a romance boy who sweet talked her and treated her like a queen. Then again, he knew she definitely didn't like crybabies. She got so frustrated with them she would leave them on the spot, and Eric was about to bawl right there on his door step.

But she likes me. She loves me. And we both know it.

"Hyaaaaa!" Pan charged at Vegeta with her fist raised and he caught it in his hand and threw her back. She angrily charged at him again and it was a flurry of Pan's limbs, and Vegeta blocked and dodged them all.

"It's not helping if you're not concentrating!" he said as he caught her leg.

"Shut up! I'm going through some tough times!" She did a spinning kick, but he easily blocked it.

"What can be so bad that would make you upset on the anniversary of your birth?" Vegeta smirked at her like he knew. Did he?

"Something really, really stupid!" She blocked his punch and threw one at his jaw, but he dodged it.

"Must be big for it to get you this excited." He dodged her next blow and elbowed her in the shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe! He's so stupid and ignorant and I just want to tear his throat out and shove it in his gut!" She landed on the ground and then shot back up after him.

"Women and their boy troubles. Tell me what my son did this time." Vegeta punched her in the gut and it threw her back a little.

"He went in my-wait a minute! How do you know it was him?" She stopped and floated in front of him.

"Oh c'mon, it's real easy to spot. Besides, it was about time that he dumped that woman of his and you are the only one who can carry on the Saiyan heritage with him." Vegeta said like it was yesterday's news.

Pan gaped like a fish, not believing what she was hearing. "I'm not….he doesn't…how do you….wh…I have to go."

She wrenched open the door and ran up the stairs.

She flew into the sky and landed a few blocks away from her house. She could sense everyone's kis and she knew they could sense hers, too. She took a deep breath and tried to relax her nerves. After brushing and patting down her hair, she walked up to her house and opened the door.

"Pan!" Videl jumped on her that she almost fell over. "We were so worried about you! Where were you? Why didn't you call? Happy birthday."

Pan smiled, "Thanks Mom. Sorry guys, I just had to release some steam." She glanced around the room and saw that her decorations were up and everyone was there. Her eyes traced the room and she saw Krillin and Eighteen on the couch, Marron coming out of the kitchen with plates of food, Goten and Gohan sitting on the other couch, and everyone else just mingling. Two people weren't there.

"Where are Trunks and Eric?" She asked as she sat down next to Eighteen.

"Trunks should be here soon. I don't know where Eric was. He just said he needed to pick up something," Videl said as she was tying an apron around her waist.

"So Eric was here?" Pan picked up a chip from the coffee table.

"Yeah, and he was crying like a bitch," Eighteen said. Pan choked on her chip.

"Honey! He was worried about Pan," Krillin said.

Eighteen shrugged, "Well he was."

Pan met eye contact with her father. Gohan smiled at him, and she blushed. Eric never cried, and he cried in front of her entire family? Gohan must've been real disappointed in his Pan for picking a man with a weak heart. She was only gone for one day.

"Hey everyone!" Trunks came in having a flat square present under his arm. "Happy birthday Pan." He kissed her cheek and Pan looked away, pretending to reach for the chips again. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright, Trunks, we just have to wait for Eric." Gohan stood up and took off his glasses.

"He might be here soon. He was at my house for a little while looking for Pan." Trunks grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and took it into the living room. "He hasn't come back yet?"

"No, not yet," Bulma said. She was on the ladder stapling the last of 'Birthday' on the door frame.

"Can we go ahead and eat?" Goten asked.

Everyone agreed and walked into the kitchen. Marron and Videl served everyone food that they spent all day cooking. Trunks and Goten were too busy eating to talk and Pan was laughing with her father. Eighteen and Krillin went around refilling their glasses with champagne. Bra stood up and tapped her glass,

"Excuse me everyone. I have a toast to make." Everyone turned their attention to her. Her cheeks were a little pink since that was her fourth glass. "Pan has been my friend ever since we were born. Today is her special day; another year has passed and we are still together. We love you very much and we will always be there." She lifted her glass up. "To Pan."

"To Pan!" Everyone chanted.

Videl tapped her glass. "I also would like to make a toast. When I was still a teenager I wished for the most perfect child in the world. Instead I got Pan." Everyone laughed. "I just want to say thank you for those tremendous thirteen hours of continuous torture and pain." Everyone laughed again. "Also thanks to you, that was the first time I saw Gohan faint." They laughed harder and Goten punched Gohan playfully in the shoulder. "Now you're twenty-three, and does anybody else feel real old? But seriously, I would never trade you for any other in the world; okay, maybe Johnny Depp, but you can't blame me." Everyone laughed again. She smiled at her daughter and lifted her glass. "Happy birthday Panny."

They lifted their glasses again and chanted her name and took a sip. They all ate and talked again. Marron went into the kitchen and Bulma dimmed the lights. Marron came back with a huge double layer chocolate fudge cake, that was Pan's favorite, with twenty-three candles lit and she set it on the table.

"Made it myself!" Marron said happily, "Alright everyone!"

Pan put her face in her hands. She hated being sung too, even if it was the birthday song. Too make it worse, Trunks and Goten hoisted her up on their shoulders so she was definitely unable to hide.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"

"You live in a zoo!" Goten sang during the second happy birthday.

"Happy birthday dear Panny!"

"You look like a monkey!"

"Happy birthday to you!"

"And you smell like one too!"

"Yaaaay!" Everyone cheered and clapped and Trunks and Goten sat her down in her chair and Pan blew out the candles, forgetting to make a wish. She cut the cake and served everyone. Bra took Uub and began to dance with him with the music playing in the stereo. Marron was feeding Goten while she sat in his lap. Gohan made everyone put on party hats and Pan had to wear a crown.

"Aww, this has been the best birthday ever!" Pan said as she clapped her hands. It's what everyone says on their birthdays.

"Present time!" Bra said jumping up and down. She grabbed Pan's arm and led her into the living room and everyone followed. "Mine first! Mine first!"

She handed Pan a box wrapped in blue glittery paper and a red bow. "Okay," Pan tore off the bow and ripped off the paper. "Oh cool! A camcorder! Thanks B-chan!" She hugged her friend and grabbed the next present.

Krillin and Eighteen got her a new purse and some gift certificates to her favorite restaurants. Marron and Goten got her clothes and a bottle of wine, her parents got her a new car, which Pan was most eccentric about, and a new stereo, and Trunks showed her the commercial of her book.

Pan bit her lip as Trunks took out the tape. The commercial was the best. It was exactly what Pan wanted. "Thanks Trunks," she said, finally making eye contact.

He shrugged and handed her the tape, "No problem. I wasn't sure what to get you at first." He smiled at her and Pan felt her heart leap into her throat. What was it about that smile?

"Well, is that all the presents?" Pan asked standing up.

"Looks like it. Oh, well. Do you like your gifts?" Videl asked as she sat down in front of Pan.

"Yes, they were great." Pan smiled at her.

The front door opened and Eric walked in and looked around.

"Sorry I'm late. Oh, you already opened presents? Did you open all of them?" he asked Pan.

"Uh, yeah. Eric, why are you so late?" Pan asked trying to be sweet, but you could hear the irritation in her voice.

"I had to get the perfect gift, and I think I got it, but," he grabbed Pan's hand and walked her to the doorway, "I need you here so everyone can see."

Pan looked at him wearily. "Okay…now what?"

"This."

Eric took out a black velvet jewelry box and bended his right knee. Trunks choked on air and Videl covered her mouth. Gohan's glass in his hand was shaking and his eyes were big. Eric slowly opened the box to show a three stoned diamond ring in white gold.

"Pan will you marry me?"

Pan was shaking beyond she had ever done, like she was going to have a seizure. Her heart was racing in her ears and she lost her voice. She wasn't even sure she was breathing. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't know why. She wasn't happy, yet she wasn't sad. What was she suppose to feel? He didn't move until he got her response.

Trunks was wide eyed and he felt that he should intervene, but his legs were paralyzed. He was too late. No he wasn't as long as she didn't respond or say no.

Pan…

Pan had tears streaming down her eyes. She wished someone moved. It seemed like an eternity, maybe it was. Then she heard her name.

Pan…

Pan lifted her head slightly. "Yeah?"

Next thing she knew, Eric was slipping the ring on her finger and kissing her deeply. Gohan's eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fell to the floor, stiff as a board. Nobody tended to him; they were focused on Pan and Eric.

Trunks completely lost feeling in all his limbs and collapsed on the couch. He had lost her. She was gone.

A/N: I would like to thank Jaedeon Sierra for pointing out that it wasn't L.A. Guns, but Guns N Roses. Thanks, I hate it when I make mistakes like that. I went out and fixed so, it should be all good. Also, thanks for reviews: Bad-ass-cali-chick, Raditz's Onna, Jaedeon Sierra, SAW, lady bugg, Green Flames, yunazg, and Hybrid Saiyan thanks you all!