Chapter 3

Videl watched her children spar in the backyard as she washed the mountain of dishes that were left from breakfast. While she wished she had some help with cleaning up, she remembered the last time she asked Bardock and Gohan for help and how they cracked or broke nearly every single plate or glass they got their hands on. She loved her boys dearly but she could not trust them when it came to fragile items around the house.

Pan was a different story. She wasn't nearly as strong as her father or brother so she didn't have trouble with cleaning up, but she skirted away from the chore like any other saiyan would. Her daughter even threw in that she wanted to spar with Bardock so she could get away from the pile of dishes. Pan hated sparring with Bardock, so she knew she really didn't want to touch the dirty dishes with a ten foot pole.

Again, Videl couldn't blame them. She loved them dearly and she knew cooking and cleaning up after them was worth it if she got to see them every single day. She went years without a lot of people in her life; she'd kill Kami first if he took away her family again.

Outside, Bardock dodged Pan's punches and kicks. He knew she was getting angry and he couldn't blame her. He had always been stronger than her even when they were kids, but now he was on a level she couldn't even touch. And since she had their mother's attitude when it came to fighting, he knew she was angrier than usual.

This is why she never wanted to spar with him. She would rather her father but since he was out visiting his parents, she had to stick with her frustrating brother.

"Come on, Pan," Bardock grunted as he caught her fist. "This isn't going to get any better if you're mad at me." He then rolled his eyes when she lit up, "And it's not going to be better if you're a super saiyan."

Pan groaned irritably, wrenching her hand out of her brother's grip, "Shut up. That's easy for you to say." She floated down to the grass and laid on the grass, powering down with a defeated sigh.

Bardock floated down as well. He stood in front of her and wagged his finger as he tsked with a grin, "Like I told you before, sis. You have to train your base form before you go all out in your super saiyan form."

"It's not like I'm gonna be as strong as you or Dad. Might as well just quit while I'm ahead," She muttered as she threw her arm over her eyes.

"Don't say that," Bardock scolded as he sat down next to her. "You may not be as strong as me, Dad, Grandpa, or Vegeta, but that's not what this training is about. It's about you being strong enough to fight whatever comes at our family if we're not here to help."

Pan furrowed her brow confusedly, "What does that even mean?"

"Look, Dad in the past knew he couldn't defeat Majin Buu, but he knew that he could at least try and take out Dabura. That didn't work out and it showed him that if he wanted to protect the people he loved, he had to train."

"I get it, I get it," Pan waved her hand sluggishly at her brother who simply laughed at her tired state.

The two moved their gaze up when their mother opened the window over the sink. She smiled at them, "Your father's back. He wants you to get dressed so we can go to Bulma's fro Trunks' welcome back party."

The twin half saiyans cheered as they raced back inside the house, giving their mother a peck on the cheek and their father a hug. Gohan shook his head fondly as Videl came up and wrapped her arms around his waist, "They never grow up, do they?"

Videl hummed, leaning into her husband's chest, "I'm kind of glad. They deserved a better childhood so they can be kids no matter how long. I'm fine with it."

Later that night found the entire Son family and the Z Fighters in Capsule Corp. as they waited for the man of the hour. Bulma, who spent hours getting everything ready with her mother, was sitting down, hoping to get her bearings back before Trunks came. Vegeta was taking care of Bra while Mrs. Briefs was bringing out more snacks since the Son boys ate the majority of them when they came in.

The doors soon opened and in walked Trunks with his daughter in his arms and Minako by his side. Minako giggled happily while Trunks beamed at the sight of his full family cheering as he came through the door.

"TRUNKS!" Most of his family and friends shouted happily.

Bulma, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Videl, Bardock, and Pan almost flew at the happy family and enveloped them in tight hugs, laughing together. They soon pulled away with Bulma taking Blouse in her arms and Chi-Chi following her while Gohan led the couple in the house where they were greeted with more hugs.

Videl smiled at her children who were still giddy after the exchange, "It's nice to have him back, isn't it?" She put her arms around the both of them when they glanced at her questioningly, "It's like our old family is back together."

Pan giggled, her eyes soft as she watched her father and Trunks conversing, "Yeah. I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"We went through a lot together," Bardock mumbled. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and gave a groan, "Now that he's here, can we eat now? I can feel my stomach wanting to eat itself." He turned his head to the table filled with food and glared, "Damn it, Grandpa! I told you not to start without me."

Pan shook her head, rolling her eyes but following her brother's example. Videl laughed and walked over to Minako and Blouse. She was glad she made a plate for herself before or else she'd be the one starving.

It wasn't much later when Bardock found himself talking to his father and Trunks. He finally got to pry the purple haired half saiyan away from the others and he wasn't going to waste his time talking about that dumb conference. He knew Trunks was probably bored talking about it as well.

"Are you gonna enter the tournament coming up?" Bardock spoke up as he chewed on his chicken leg.

Trunks laughed, putting a hand on the back of his head, "Oh man, I totally forgot they were doing that this year." He shrugged with a grin, "I don't know. If you and Gohan are entering, there'd really be no point. It's not like I would win and we don't really need to money right now."

Gohan rolled his eyes as he punched Trunks' shoulder lightly, "Come on, when did I ever train a quitter? Besides, it's more of a bonding experience than an actual all out brawl."

"I didn't even get to participate in the other tournament, so I'm actually a little excited," Bardock commented. "Pan told me how she went against 18, Trunks, and Goten last time, but once the runts were dealt with, she forfeited so she wouldn't have to go against Grandpa Hercule."

Trunks narrowed his eyes playfully, "I don't think I like you calling me a runt, runt." He took a sip of his champagne.

"What do you mean 18?" Gohan asked lowly.

Bardock stiffened, inwardly cursing Pan for not explaining what happened in the other timeline after Trunks left. He laughed nervously, waving his hands despite one being occupied with the chicken leg, "D-d-did I say 18? I m-meant late teen. Y-yeah, Pan and I were in our late teens when we participated in the tournament."

"Wait, don't tell me," Trunks blanched. "Krillin actually got with Android 18?"

"Y-yeah," The younger saiyan nodded, inwardly sighing in relief when Gohan's gaze became less cold. "They actually got married and have a little girl named Marron."

Trunks and Gohan exchanged horrified glances before uttering in unison, "How?!"

Bardock sputtered, his cheeks blazing red, "Shut up! You both have kids. You should know how!" He grunted in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, "Whatever. I'm going to talk to Pan."

By the time he reached Pan, she was already giggling at his red face, "You know they weren't really asking that, right?"

"I still didn't want to explain that to them," He mumbled, cursing his stupid blood for not leaving his cheeks.

"You're just like Dad from the other timeline," Pan teased. She reached over and ruffled her brother's hair. It was a shorter hairstyle since the style he had when he was younger was a bit too big and unruly. While he was acting like their father from the past, he was a spitting image of their actual father. If it wasn't for their father's facial scar, she would have a hard time telling the two apart.

She tilted her head curiously when she noticed the faraway look in his eyes, "What's going on in your head, right now?"

He shook his head slowly as he scratched his cheek, "Just thinking about the past, I guess. I wonder how they're doing or how much time has passed since the last time I was there."

"Feeling restless?"

"Not really," He mumbled as they sat down on a few leftover chairs. He put his elbow on his thigh and leaned his head on his hand. He sighed, shaking his head again, "I don't know what it is, but I just keep getting this feeling; like déjà vu or something. It's been happening this past week and I still don't know why."

Pan gazed at her brother, raising a thoughtful eyebrow, "Do you think an enemy's coming?" She shrugged when he blinked at her, "I mean, you are the only person who knows when something bad is coming. Maybe that's what you're feeling."

Bardock groaned silently, lifting a hand to the back of his neck and feeling the raised skin, "I sure hope not."