Marron shivered slightly as she brought in the washing from the garden. The sky was heavy and rain had not yet begun to fall, but it already felt cold and damp outside. Still, she was glad to get out of the house, if only for a short amount of time.
Chase was restless too, and seemed confined even in the large garden as he ran around with arms outstretched pretending to be an airplane. Marron kept half an eye on him; wary of the pond as always, but her thoughts were miles away.
That morning she had stayed in bed pretending to sleep while Trunks got dressed and left for work…they hadn't exchanged a single word.
Marron had felt Trunks's gaze on her for a long moment before the door clicked quietly shut after him and a pang of regret shot through her. She should have got up and said goodbye, told him to take care, maybe even give him a kiss….just like a real wife would, instead of fighting her charade every step of the way. It was unfair to Trunks as she knew enough about him now to understand that the situation they were in was not one he would have chosen and that she wasn't the only one struggling to reconcile illusion with reality.
She glanced at her watch regularly, unreasonably worried; she wished that she had at least said goodbye. What if something happened? Perhaps it came from being adopted at an age where she could remember losing her genetic parents, perhaps it was just part of her nature but Marron had always worried that when someone left they wouldn't come back unless she said goodbye. As if the goodbye would somehow return them safely to her.
She had just stepped inside the back door when the doorbell rang, disturbing her from her melancholy thoughts. An irrational pang of anxiety shot through her – who could it be? Even after all this time, she still didn't feel like the true mistress of the house. It seemed like anyone who cared to look hard enough could see just how transparent she and Trunks' lie was. As if it was a pretence so thin that the wind could blow through it like paper. Every day was a series of small anxieties as she fought to hold the fragile threads of lies together. She felt like people could see through their deception and would judge her for it; she was selling her body even if not in the most common sense and it remained to be seen what effect it would have on Chase. What kind of mother would do that to her child?
Marron shook her head and gave herself a mental slap – what was wrong with her today? It wasn't like her to worry over every little thing. Just like her mother had always said, "Deal with the situation first rather than wasting time feeling sorry for yourself"
She came back into reality and the sound of the doorbell ringing again.
Chase ran ahead of her into the house, "Doorbell, doorbell!"
"Chase! Come back!"
Marron didn't like him going to the door especially as she still didn't feel like they belonged to the house. At least he wasn't tall enough to open the door himself yet! Maybe she was anxious about nothing, but she couldn't help the fear that something would happen before she managed to get to the door…she smiled sardonically; mothers were such paranoid creatures. And she wasn't doing her spirits any good by dwelling on the worst possible scenarios.
Chase pulled the letterbox flap open and demanded to know who was visiting, but Marron ushered him to one side before he got a satisfactory reply.
She set the laundry basket at the bottom of the stairs and opened the door, self-consciously smoothing her hair back from her face. Gohan was standing on the other side…he was perhaps the last person she had expected to see. A faint blush rose to her cheeks and she smoothed her hair once again while she recovered her manners.
"Oh, Hello Gohan. Please come in"
He nodded a greeting and stepped inside, ruffling Chase's hair fondly. Chase looked at him a little suspiciously but accepted the caress graciously enough. The silence instantly became stilted. Marron led the way into the kitchen, feeling inexplicably nervous. Something about Gohan made her a little uncomfortable: it wasn't anything that he had said or done. It was simply that she didn't know him very well, yet had the impression that he disapproved of something about her.
"Tea? Coffee? Or would you like a cold drink?"
"Coffee would be great, thanks"
Marron filled the kettle and put it on to boil and Gohan wandered across to the fridge to examine the photographs attached to the door.
"The house looks really nice – you've done a good job!"
Marron smiled, "Thank you"
The fact that Gohan had broken the silence knocked her a little off-balance, but any exchange of words served to ease the atmosphere. He seemed to be in quite a conversational mood.
"How are you finding everything?" he took a seat at the kitchen table.
Marron turned from where she was pouring milk into their cups, and pulled a chair out for Chase so he could climb up and drink his glass of milk.
"It's a bit difficult to tell if everything will work out yet…but it seems to be alright. I hope it will be okay."
Gohan nodded, seeming to be measuring her words.
"You should be set-up well after this too, with the payments"
The words unbalanced Marron more than they should have: seeing her bank balance the day before had been a shock, and had started her on the pessimistic train of thought that she now couldn't seem to escape. The fact that she was being paid for what she was doing made her feel degraded and ashamed. And if she was right in what she thought she heard in Gohan's voice, he thought less of her for accepting payment as well.
"I guess so" She tried not to show that she was upset…taking a breath she decided to change the subject.
Gohan got there first, "But no amount of money will make up for losing a family"
Marron stared at him, speechless. Chase looked between them, not understanding what was going on but able to feel that something was up. Marron wiped away his milk moustache, walked with him into the other room and put on some cartoons to keep him occupied. It was not a tactic that she would usually employ, but Gohan's words had stuck under her skin. She didn't want Chase to see that she was upset. Her heart was beating faster and she felt unnaturally close to tears…what he was saying was unsettling but his words had the undeniable ring of an unpleasant truth.
She sat down opposite Gohan at the table, and leaned towards him, her voice taking on an edge of urgency.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, aren't you worried about Chase? About what it will do him to gain and lose a father in a short period of time?"
Marron couldn't find words to answer; they seemed to be stuck in her throat, choking her.
"I'm doing what I thought was best…"
"Thought was best? And what do you think now?"
"I don't know…"
Marron trailed off. She wasn't used to Gohan being so challenging…in all their previous encounters he hadn't said much, but what he did say was well-thought out.
She tried to marshal her thoughts and construct a reply, but Gohan once again spoke first. He seemed determined to get a reaction from her.
"Trunks has told me about the circumstances of Chase's birth, and I understand that it can't have been easy for you"
Marron gasped audibly, colour draining from her face and Erasa paused outside the kitchen doorway, frowning – what was going on?
"He told you?"
Gohan nodded, "Your medical records were made available to the company when you applied for a job with us. Something like that…it has to be taken into consideration during the interview process"
"You all know?"
Gohan nodded again, expressionless. It occurred to Marron that Gohan was being harsher than he needed to be and she began to wonder at his reasons, but anger was beginning to rise through her shock.
"You had no right to access those files! And Trunks had no right to tell you! Why is my past so important to your company anyway? My personal life has no bearing on my ability to do my job!" she cut herself off abruptly and stood up to walk away, giving her some time to compose herself; at the sink she turned back towards Gohan.
"Does this mean everyone knows about Chase?"
Her voice cracked slightly and she turned away once more to hide her face.
"No"
She turned to face Gohan again and he continued.
"You'll be glad to know that Trunks has ordered your files to be sealed until such a time as you would like to leave the company. Only myself, Goten and Yamcha saw the actual file itself. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Marron shook her head furiously, "Sympathy does nothing for me now. I've tried and I'm still trying to do my best for Chase….that's always been my goal."
"And you think this is the best thing for him?"
Gohan's quiet question was laced with disbelief and Marron's temper flared.
"I don't know Gohan. Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing?"
"I wasn't saying that…"
"You don't have to say it! It's obvious that you disapprove. What do you think I should have done instead?"
Gohan stayed silent, and Marron's anger disappeared as quickly as it had risen. She met his eyes with a challenge. Gohan had an odd knack of finding all the chinks in her emotional armour and exploiting them. She was determined not to let him control her mood so carelessly.
"I don't know what you would have had me do instead. I don't want to use the money you gave me…but if it's the only way for people I care about to survive, I will use it. Necessity is a hard master"
There was a noise at the kitchen door and Marron stopped, clapping her hand over her mouth in consternation. What if someone had overheard? She had let her temper get the best of her and forgotten to be careful.
Gohan stood up quickly and checked the doorway but there was nobody there. He looked around carefully and inhaled the faint traces of perfume still lingering in the air. Someone had been there, but it was impossible to tell how much they had overheard. He glanced at Chase in the other room and came back into the kitchen. Marron looked at him quizzically.
"I'm sorry, Gohan. I shouldn't have become so upset"
"Don't worry about it, my fault for asking awkward questions. But, if we do have to speak of matters like this, we should do it somewhere where we cannot be overheard'
Marron nodded, "Okay"
They sat down at the kitchen table and silence fell between them once again.
Erasa closed the bedroom door quietly, brain spinning with what she had overheard.
What had Marron and Gohan been talking about and why had it upset Marron so much? Something about the circumstances of Chase's birth…secrets being sealed away and money Marron had received from Trunks's company…Erasa sat down on the edge of the bed, frowning. What she had overheard combined with what she had already observed painted a confusing picture….what was going on? There was definitely more to Trunks and Marron than the happy family image they presented.
Sharpner looked up from his laptop, where he was dealing with the constant stream of e-mails he received each day.
"Everything seems to be okay in the office…though there's another deal I might have to oversee. " Then he caught the look on her face, "What's wrong?"
When she didn't reply immediately he smiled, "I know that expression. What are you plotting?"
Caught unawares, Erasa laughed despite herself.
"Not so much a plot of my own but some intrigue surrounding our hosts"
She recounted the conversation she had overheard between Marron and Gohan just a few minutes before.
"I said to you last night that there was something odd going on…this just adds fuel to my suspicions!"
Sharpner laughed, but not mockingly, "I'm sure you would make an amazing detective! But whatever is happening is really between Trunks and Marron, isn't it? It doesn't involve us"
"Oh Sharpner! Where's your curiosity? Don't you want to know?"
"I'm sure you'll tell me everything you find out anyway! But be careful that you don't create mysteries where there are none!"
Erasa nodded slowly, "I'm not going to meddle in any way…but something just isn't adding up here…"
Sharpner held his arm out to invite her to sit on his knee.
"Okay, investigate if you like…but there's an e-mail here that you might find more interesting"
Three years ago Erasa had started her own company doing market research and trend-spotting for everything from fashion houses to fast-food stores. At first it made steady, if unremarkable progress. However, in the last 10 months demand had forced her to expand from 12 staff to 27 and she had high hopes of growing even bigger. Her secretary sent her a regular report of dealings whenever she travelled with Sharpner.
Speculations about Trunks and Marron were pushed aside as Erasa lent over Sharpner to open the e-mail. A smile spread over her face.
"Good news?"
Erasa turned round and planted a kiss on her husband's lips, "Very good news Sharpner! We've got a commission from one of the top high-street stores! We've beaten our main competitors to close this deal!"
She kissed him again, muffling his congratulations, and he kissed her back with a fierceness that seemed at odds with his gentle nature. Erasa pulled back to catch her breath and grinned cheekily at him, before standing and leading him across the room. With nothing else planned for the afternoon, there was no reason why they couldn't retire to bed for a while.
Marron jumped as Gohan cleared his throat behind her and the glass she was washing fell from her hands to shatter all over the floor. She coloured deeply and murmured an apology before falling to her knees and beginning to pick up pieces. Her head collided with Gohan's as he knelt down to help and she apologised again, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Marron"
She ignored him, frantic as tears began to prick behind her eyes.
"Marron"
Suddenly his hands were on hers, stopping their movement and she looked up, shocked at the contact.
"You're bleeding. Let me get the rest."
Their faces were uncomfortably close and Marron sat back, pulling her hands out of Gohan's grip. He kept his eyes on her and she flushed, too flustered to worry about being rude by pulling away.
"I'm sorry"
Even as she stood to wash the finger she'd cut his gaze burned between her shoulder blades. Gohan stood to place the rest of the glass in the bin and glanced at his watch.
"I'm afraid that it's time for me to go"
Marron turned slightly, still holding her finger. Gohan closed the distance between them with a few steps.
"Is your hand alright?"
Marron stepped away, bringing her back against the countertop.
"I'm fine. Thank you for visiting"
They walked out to the hallway and Gohan waved at Chase, while Marron opened the door. He paused on the doorstep.
"I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. Please believe that I'm just concerned about you and Chase"
Marron nodded, not knowing how to reply.
"Thank you"
She watched him get into his car and closed the door before slumping against it and letting out a held breath. She covered her face with her hands and took another deep breath. Just a few days to go…just a few more days.