Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I am so grateful for every one of them, and for all those who are following and who added this story as a favourite :) I have just now realised how long it took for me to update this, and I must apologise. I will be able to update much more often now.

KaitAstrophe95 – Ah, thank you Kaidy. And yes you will. I'm glad you loved it, and yes he will still be hot no matter what lol. :D

Saiyans rule – Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Yes she will and sorry about the wait!

Guest – Indeed lol… Thanks for reading and reviewing :)

MonNos – I'm glad you liked it :) Yes she will indeed!

Italian Roulette – Thank you! I'm glad you're happy to see him… sorry about the wait!

jalyse . carter – Thank you :)

ArmyWife22079 – I know I haven't touched on any of the fighting etc, but yes she does… Yes, Goku is still alive.

famoso – Awe, thank you so much :) still more to come ;p

silvia S.K – Thank you so much. I'm glad you loved it :)

Desigirl-hime – Thank you Tas :) He was ne lol

Panna-Chan93 – Thank you for the review. I'm glad to have gotten rid of her lol. Yep, you're absolutely right!

Saiyan Chik – Thank you :) sorry about the wait. I'm glad you liked it… Oh yes, I got that lol… Trunks is the best ;p

shellsuchiha - *nods head* yep lol… yeah I don't like it when they make him stupid… naïve I can tolerate, but I never thought of him as stupid lol.

msanimegeek – Thank you :) No they don't know each other at all lol… thanks *blushes* lmao

Daughter Of Vegeta – You can ;p Thanks for the review Ash :)

GamerGirlsRock – Thank you. I'm glad you liked it :)

Nurphs – No :( lol… awe I'm happy you're still reading it! Gah… I hope to get an update from you soon! Thank you :)

NiceNipps – Thank you so much :)

seoulandheart – lol Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Sorry about the wait!

Vegetable lov3r – lol… I just couldn't help myself XD I had to do it. Happy to have you here, too :)

FoAteAZombie – Awe, Thank you so much. I appreciate it! Here ya go, I should be able to update at a much faster rate now lol.


Please note: From here on out this story will be written in third person. When I first started, I was trying my hand at first person. I hope I did it justice, but I am finding it harder to keep up with it as the story progresses. I do hope I managed to keep the same sort of ambience…


Chapter 11

"Do I look okay?" Pan brushed her hands over her white, strapless, summer dress.

Trunks had bought it for her a few weeks back, 'just because'- his answer to everything he gave her these days. She smiled inwardly as she recalled how he shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face. She felt a bit apprehensive when he handed her the box, but she took it and thanked him graciously.

"You look beautiful, Panny." Goten replied, tugging her closer in a half hug.

They were standing at the front door of her grandparents' home, and she was feeling anxious and excited. She inhaled deeply, the scent of the surrounding woods invading her nostrils. A sense of nostalgia washed over her, and she felt fresh tears stinging her eyes.

She bit her lip and blinked rapidly, rolling her eyes back to prevent any from escaping.

Goten lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Hey, you'll be okay," he smiled reassuringly.

"Would you be offended if I told you that I wished Trunks was here?" Her voice cracked slightly.

"Not at all…"

After spending a week with Trunks and Pan- together and separately, he could understand… Goten thought back on the dinners, trips and late night chats- respectively. He had never seen two people so in sync with each other. He couldn't even begin to comprehend their relationship- he doubted they could either. He would say they were in love, but the aura they emitted, gave him a sense that it's so much more. Goten could only hope that he would find that type of rarity one day…

She smiled, her thoughts drifting to the man that has made her life complete in so many ways… It was unfortunate that he couldn't be there with them. He had a business trip scheduled. Capsule was expanding to Pepper Town, and he had to be there for the 'Grand Opening'.

Goten had been kind enough to let Trunks stay at his flat while he was in town for the weekend, claiming it was much more comfortable than a hotel, and that he had nothing to hide….

"Shall we…?"

She sighed heavily and nodded. Goten opened the door before they stepped over the threshold.

###

As they entered the small home, a new, but familiar fragrance took Pan right back to her childhood. She reminisced about sitting at the kitchen counter on a bar stool, watching in awe as her grandmother cooked and baked. She smiled fondly; her mouth watering at what she knew was to come after the initial greetings- her grandmother- the true master chef…

Goten grabbed her hand, and led her into the kitchen. Pan's palm was sweaty against his. "No need to fret, Panny. It's just mom and dad." He soothed.

They stopped in the doorway, and Goten let her go while continuing towards his mother who was washing dishes.

He hugged her from behind, blocking Pan's view. "Hiya mom… any left overs?"

Chi-Chi yelped, swatting at Goten's hands. "You scared me, young man! Of course… you know I always make enough to feed an army. When did you arrive? I never heard your car…"

Goten chuckled, still holding on to her, and kissed her cheek. "We stopped by the old path and decide to walk the rest of the way."

"Oh, that's wonderful. You know I always loved that- wait… We…? Do we have guests? Goten, I'm in my house clothing!" Chi-Chi pushed him back, but he didn't budge.

Goten, however, spun her around, still blocking the view on either side. He grinned, "I have a surprise for you. I doubt she, or you will care about appearances." He let his mother go, and stepped aside.

Pan stood, frozen in place. Her grandmother was just a few feet away. She had aged over the years, but she was still beautiful. Tears stained her pale cheeks as she watched Chi-Chi grab her chest, one hand covering her mouth and a look of incredulity in her eyes.

The older women let out a heart-wrenching sob as she willed her body to move.

Next thing Pan new, she was in the grips of a breath-taking hug. Foreign sounds reaching her ears- some her own, and some belonging to her grandmother.

###

"Hey, Chi… Why are you-" Goku's words caught in his throat, his eyes wide as he took in the scene befor him.

Chi-Chi stepped back, allowing Pan to acknowledge her grandfather- her favourite person in the world…

"P-Panny…?" Goku whispered in disbelief. "Panny…" He rushed towards her, the giant of a man sweeping her off her feet in one fluid motion. Repeating her name over and over as if he were to stop, she would disappear.

Goten handed his mother the box of tissues and hugged her gently, watching as his father spun his niece around- both laughing and shedding tears of joy.

###

The rest of the day went by swiftly. The little house buzzing with good conversation and laughter as the reunited family reminisced. Pan then filled them in on her life after she had left and about Trunks…

Goku and Chi-Chi were mortified, and apologised profusely after they heard about Pan's struggles. Chi-Chi was so angry at her eldest son. She had no idea, until now, to what extent he had cut Pan off.

All the misunderstandings were rectified, and all was forgiven. Like Pan did with Goten mere days ago, she requested they start a clean slate from then on out.

###

Constant ringing- At first she thought she was dreaming. It took her a while to make sense of it. She reached for her phone on the side table.

"H-Hello…" She croaked. Her throat feeling like she had swallowed a ton of bricks, and no matter how hard she tried- she couldn't open her eyes.

"Hi, my love… Sorry for calling so early, but it's the only chance I have until this evening. My stars, I miss you! Cupcake…?"

She tried clearing her throat a few times with no success, her voice hoarse as she tried to answer him. She reached up to rub her eyes, feeling a layer of crust- the reason she was struggling to open them. What! Am I sick…?

"I miss you, too, Trunks…" She whispered, touching her throat- her glands felt swollen. She ran her hand down her neck, feeling her nightie. It was damp, and she was feeling quite hot, but shivering at the same time.

"So, everything okay? How was the reunion…? Pan, are you listening? Shall I call tonight? Sorry I woke you…"

"No, I'm awake." She wheezed.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know… I feel sick! My throat feels like I swallowed pins or bricks or something. I'm so hot… and cold…"

"You sound out of it… Hold on, okay… I just need to check on something."

"O-Okay…" She squeezed her eyes, groaning as she tried to swallow.

###

Trunks panicked, rushing over to the house phone. He had place Pan on hold and was now scrolling through his contacts for Goten's number. "Come on, buddy… pick up."

###

Goten stirred, covering his face with the blanket. "Go away…" He mumbled, cuddling deeper into the warmth.

###

"Pan…? Sorry, love… Feeling any better?"

"No, maybe if I get more sleep… I feel quite dry... my mouth-"

"You need to drink something; you need to get some fluids in you. Try and get up…" Trunks knew it wasn't life threatening, but he was still worried…

"Later… want to sleep…" She droned.

"Pan…" Trunks spoke sternly. She sounded terrible, he guessed it was a throat infection, dehydration, fever- he was no doctor, but it sounded that way… not good, especially if she had a high temperature.

"Speak to you later Trunks…" She hung up before he could reply, the phone slipping out of her hand. She was awake now, and had managed to scrape away enough crust to at least open her eyes. It felt as if she might have lost a few lashes though…

She tried to sit up, but her head felt like lead, she hardly managed moving an inch. "Uuugghhh!" She closed her eyes, deciding it wasn't worth the effort. She hoped time would pass quickly, and that someone would check on her before she 'died'…

###

Goten groaned when his phone rang a third time. He reached for his it and peeked through one eye to check who was being so annoying. Home… "What! Who's at my house! Why are they calling me…? Is this some sick joke, thieves calling the owners to inform them they're stealing their valuables?!"

He was still half asleep, and not fully registering when he answered. "Who are you, and why are you at my flat?! I swear I will kill you when- yes, when I find you. Never in my life have I heard of burglars actually calling the person they're-"

"Goten… wake up! It's Trunks…"

"Trunks…?" Goten blinked in confusion, the fog finally lifting from his sleep like state. He heard laughter on the other end of the line.

"You seriously thought I was a thief calling to inform you about breaking in…?"

"Shut up Trunks! It's early, and I forgot you were staying at my place, okay!"

Trunks snickered. "Why not the cops-"

"I said can it…!" Goten looked over at the clock, 6h30am. "Are you crazy? Why are you calling me at this-… hey, stop laughing already!"

Trunks sighed audibly, rubbing at his eyes. "S-So Sorry…" then burst out laughing again…

Goten sighed… "Fine, have at it… I have all day…"

"Sorry, I'm done." Trunks bit his lip as he regained controlled. "It's just… I can't wait to tell… Pan…!" He gasped, all the humour fading immediately. Pan… "Goten, I need you to check on Pan. I called her earlier, and I think she's sick. You may need to get her to a doctor."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. It's probably just the flu or something…"

"Goten, I wouldn't call you if it was just the flu." Trunks explained his call to Pan…

Goten shot up instantly, rushing to Pan's room. "I'll call you later, Trunks. I'll get her to a doctor." He hung up…

###

Trunks glanced at the receiver, hearing the distinctive sound of the dialling tone. What is it with that family and hanging up on me…?