Not Taking it Well
Chapter 3: Pan

The girls had spent the whole day together. They'd sparred in the morning. Gotten manicures after lunch. Hung out at the mall. Spent a ton of money on new outfits. Watched Pan's favorite movies. And now they were at Pan's favorite restaurant, enjoying Pan's favorite meal at Pan's favorite table.

Honestly, Bura felt like a guy trying to butter up his girlfriend and pop the question.

If only she were so lucky.

Bura and Goten hadn't told anyone yet. Bura still didn't want to tell anyone. But seeing how in a few months they'd have to explain how another demi-Saiyan happened to appear, she had to just get it over with. Even Bura wasn't a good enough liar to cover that one up.

They'd both agreed that Pan would be the best place to start. Bura's best friend, Goten's niece… and the least likely to beat one (or both) of them into the ground. Pan was the person was the best person to test the waters with. However she reacted would give them a good idea how bad the blowout would be from the rest of the group.

Oh Dende, I do not want to think about that, Bura thought as she tried to force down a wave of nausea. The quickest way for her to lose her lunch was to think about having to tell her parents or brother about this. Yes, Pan was definitely the safest person to tell.

Not that Pan wasn't becoming suspicious. Bura had paid for the whole day – all the clothes, the manicures, and now dinner. Bura may be nice and rich, but she didn't throw money around (even for her friends) just for the hell of it.

Pan knew damn well that Bura could be manipulative if she wanted to be.

But what on earth does she want? That's the only thing Pan couldn't figure out. So she mentally shrugged and went back to enjoying her fifth entrée.

They had nearly exhausted all possible topics of conversation. Sparring. Family. Friends. School. Work. Movies. Gossip. Which meant Bura didn't really have an excuse now.

"Pan… I was wondering if we could talk about something…" She'd barely eaten anything. Her stomach was turning in knots. She was actually terrified of actually telling someone.

Pan stopped eating and cocked en eyebrow. She thought it was somewhere between cute and hilarious how nervous Bura looked. The last time she looked that nervous, Bura was twelve and was trying to build some… something. So she'd taken a few components from the control panel of the Gravity Chamber. As her punishment, Bulma had made her tell her father what she'd done. Pan tried not to giggle at the memory. Giggling probably wouldn't make her friend confide in her.

"I figured there was something up," she said instead, crossing her arms and trying to suppress a smile. "So… you dating my ex or something?"

"Ahahaha," Bura's nervous laugh died after a few seconds. "Ahem," she coughed slightly. She'd tried to plan it all out before hand. The best way to broach the subject. The perfect way to phrase it. But in the end, she just ended up blurting it out. "I'mdatingGotenandwe'regonnagetmarried."

This time Pan couldn't help but laugh. She guessed this was Bura's way of breaking the tension before saying whatever it was she wanted to get off her chest. "Okay, seriously B-chan, what's up?"

Bura's hands just twisted nervously on her lap. She couldn't take her eyes off her untouched dinner.

Alright, I'll play along. "Okay, so how long have you been dating Goten?"

"Since I was 16."

Pan's jaw dropped. What the hell kind of joke had her uncle sleeping with a girl eight years younger than him when she was still in high school? "Bura, that's just… inappropriate. C'mon. Knock it off before I get pissed." Her finger was pointed accusingly at her friend, but luckily her ki hadn't risen.

"Pan," she sighed, resting her head in her hands, "I am being completely serious." She's pissed and she doesn't even believe me yet. Greeeeat.

The dark-haired Saiyan was eyeing her friend, who was rubbing her temples. Was this for real? "Let's pretend for a moment that I believe you." Bura opened her eyes. She did not look thrilled to be having this conversation. "You've been dating Goten for…"

"Seven years," she supplied.

"… Seven years? Geez. You two have been dating for seven years. Secretly, right?"

"You're the first one we've told."

Pan, even though she was pretty sure she didn't believe it yet, couldn't help but feel pleased that she was the first to find out.

"Okay. Secretly dating for seven years. Why would you tell someone me now?"

"We're getting married in a few months." Never one to do something half-assed, Bura figured it was best to just come out and say it. "And I'm pregnant."

If she'd been drinking at the time, she would've spewed all over the table. If she'd been eating, she would've choked. If she'd been standing, she would've fallen flat on her ass. But since she wasn't doing any of those things, she did what could only come naturally to Chichi's granddaughter. She stood up, hands flung over her head, and screeched, "YOU SLEPT WITH MY UNCLE AND HE GOT YOU PREGNANT!"

Apparently Pan believed her now. And had a way of making this whole thing sound like a sleazy soap opera. All in all, she'd hoped it would go better.

"Oh Dende," Bura groaned as the rather large, very expensive five-star restaurant went silent. She was pretty sure about a dozen cell phones came out to snap pictures. Thank god only her mother read tabloids, because she was sure this little outburst would be all over the front cover next week. Guess she had a timeline on when she had to tell her mom…

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS SOONER! SEVEN YEARS!"

Normally Bura was more than happy to let Pan's tantrums, few as they were, fizzle out on their own. It was a courtesy Pan had extended to Bura on numerous occasions, because, let's face it, both could be a little high maintenance. But this was ridiculous.

"Sit down," she hissed. "You are making a scene."

Pan 's eyes were still wide with shock and she didn't seem ready to go back to her indoor voice quite yet. She sucked in some air, about to start on what Bura was sure would be a long rant, when Bura growled. "Sit. Down. Now." It was more of a snarl than anything else. Despite her near-hysteria, Pan instinctively did as she was told. She'd learned at a young age that when a Vegeta growled, you needed to do as you were told. Immediately.

"You done?" She was back to being back on human levels of annoyance with her friend's outburst.

Pan just nodded. She couldn't find the words yet to respond.

Bura looked around the restaurant, glaring at anyone who was still watching the two girls – however subtly – until they went back to their meals. She then turned back to her friend. Her best friend, she reminded herself. She's had a shock to her system. Give her a break.

"Pan." At her name, she seemed to snap out of it. "This is a good thing. I love your uncle. He loves me." She waited, but Pan didn't say anything. She sighed. "Really looking for some support here, Pan."

Long silence. It was so quiet she could hear everything the nearby diners were saying.

"Why are you telling me all this now?"

Somehow the obvious "shotgun wedding" answer didn't seem like the best way to answer. "Pan…" she started. "It's gotten to the point where we can't really hide it for much longer. We've gotta… you know, tell people. We've been keeping it a secret for two obvious reasons-"

"I'm guessing those two reasons are named Vegeta and Trunks?" Bura's uncomfortable expression said it all. "I get it Bura. Really, I do. I know why you wouldn't tell them. But why wouldn't you tell me? I mean… seven years?"

Bura was quiet. She didn't really have an answer to that. "It's just…" she started, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. "The whole… age difference… my family wanting to kill him if they found out… I… I really didn't think it would last. I figured he'd realize I'm just… not worth the trouble."

Pan didn't know what to say to that. "B-chan-"

Bura didn't want to hear any sympathy right now. They could deal with her insecurities later. "You and me, we've been friends since before I can remember. I need my best friend behind me on this. If I can't count on you for support, I…" Tears started to well in her eyes. She really couldn't do this without Pan behind her.

"Bura… This is a lot… to process…"

"I know."

"I'm going to need some time to… think about all this." Not in too much, though, she thought. The specifics of her best friend and her uncle she was more than willing to ignore. But she knew that Bura had been head over heels for Goten since they thought boys had cooties. And even Pan hadn't been able to ignore the way Goten looked at her friend when he thought no one was looking. She took her friend's hand. "But I'm totally behind you two."

"Thank you." Bura wiped at the tears in her eyes.

"Assuming you're making me maid of honor."

Bura laughed. "I value my life too much not to."

"And B-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you two and all… But I'm totally going to have a talk with Goten about this."

"Honestly, Pan," Bura's eyes light with a mischievous energy. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

AN: A little bit shorter than the previous two chapters, but I wanted to give Bura a little break from the stress of having to tell her family. Bulma's the next chapter and I promise it will be fun.