Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ
A/N: This chapter has been edited on 12/8/14. The plot has not changed. I actually made quite a few changes to this chapter. Shortened a lot of the rambling, and adjusted the characters dialogue and interactions more to fit their roles.
:*: Operation Vorce :*:
"Bra, what do you think of this one?" Pan held up a maroon table cloth while her friend decided between two others.
"That's perfect!" She jumped to Pan's side and picked up four of the same colors.
The group was well on their way preparing for Operation Vorce. Pan and Bra were in charge of decorations, Goten and Trunks were in charge of food, and Marron was in charge of uniforms. Of course, Goten and Trunks were reluctant to wear uniforms, but Marron convinced them that it made the restaurant theme they were going for a lot more realistic, and that they were a symbol of them all working together.
"This one will go on the dining table, these two will go on the end tables, and this one will go on the food cart." Bra tossed the maroon cloths onto the counter for purchasing, along with several red candles and white cloth napkins.
"Roses?" Pan suggested, trying to visualize a romantic dining room setting.
The suggestion struck a light bulb over Bra's head. "Perfect. What would I do without you?" After charging their current selections to her seemingly limitless credit card, she snatched the bags from the counter and yanked Pan from the store as they jogged across the street to a floral shop. The girls were in awe of all the colors and the mixture of sweet scents the flowers emitted. "I need three dozen red and three dozen white roses."
The awe-struck shop owner happily threw together six bouquets and offered a free clear vase for such a purchase. The girls accepted it graciously. Pan was glad to see her friend in such a good mood again, then again, a part of her dreaded how she would react if this plan didn't work.
"Alright, now what do we need Pan?"
Pan shook her thoughts away and put her finger to her chin in thought. "Dishes?"
"What does all of this mean?" Goten stared at the meat titles confusingly, Trunks at his side reflecting his friend's bafflement. They didn't think food shopping would be so difficult. There were new york steaks, sirloin, cubed, roast, tenderloin, t-bone, rib-eye- "Ah! I can't take it anymore! There's too many to choose from!" Goten cried.
Trunks laughed. "Let's just grab some that look good."
Goten agreed. They hovered over the meat packages and grew unsure once again. "Well, this one looks big and juicy. It's a tenderloin." Goten pointed out, as if he suddenly gained immense knowledge in meat selection. Trunks shrugged and threw it into the basket. He picked out a few more to complete their meat quest.
Now came the tough part. "Vegetables." They both gulped and slowly headed to the fresh food department.
4:07 pm Brief Mansion
Pan pulled Goten's truck into the large circular driveway. The three girls leaped to their feet and began unloading their purchases. 'Goten's plan might actually work.' Pan thought to herself.
They spent the next hour or so rearranging furniture, folding napkins, dressing the tables in their cloths and candles, tending to the roses, and several other tasks they tackled to achieve an optimal romantic setting.
"I have one more idea." Bra tapped her foot as she measured the room with her eyes. Marron and Pan waited anxiously as she left the area to the stairway, returning minutes later with several photos she had obtained from rummaging through her parent's room and storage closet. There were pictures of them from vacations, the wedding, their first date, and other aged family photos. Bra hung them amongst the walls of the dining area in perfect view from where Vegeta and Bulma would soon be seated.
"Wow. It looks great, Bra." Pan turned towards her in approval, but she still held one framed photo in her hands. Her face was difficult to read, there was a mixture of fear, sadness, then a small laugh in her throat as a humorous memory must have crossed her mind. It was a family photo from when they were kids. They were all at the beach, sitting in the waves. Vegeta held her in his lap while Bulma held Trunks on hers.
"Yeah, it looks great." She finally responded, keeping the picture in her grasp as she took one final look at the room decor. "Thanks you guys." Bra received a hand on both shoulders as Pan and Marron joined her at either side.
"You should really thank Goten. It was his idea after all." Pan mentioned, causing the three to wonder where the hell he and Trunks were.
Vwoosh!
The girls veered their attention to the main door as it noisily swung open. "Finally! You got the food!" Pan rushed over eagerly to help the boys with the bags, Marron and Bra followed.
They organized the food on the kitchen counters, putting the desserts in one area, the appetizers in another, followed by the vegetables.
"Well, have fun cooking. Let's go Goten."
Marron grabbed the back of their jackets at their necks. "Where do you think you're going?"
They turned around in confusion. "Did you actually think we were going to help cook?!" The boys looked at each other and laughed wildly. Before they knew it, they were each wearing an apron holding meat packages. They groaned in defeat..
Marron ran to her purse to pull out some papers. "I actually went through the trouble of printing out some recipe ideas. For meat, we have Tenderloin with Fried Scallops, Spicy Tenderloin, and Filet Mignon."
"Oh! Filet Mignon sounds good." Bra nodded in favor.
Trunks yanked the paper from her hands and read through it."Ugh, I can't even spell it, how am I supposed to cook it?"
Marron pinched his cheek. "You're so cute when you're stupid. This only takes about fifteen minutes to cook. I think the two of you combined can handle it. Don't forget, we still have uniforms to dress into, so let's hustle." Marron pointed towards a stack of varied articles of clothing on the end of the counter. Five pairs of black slacks, five white long sleeve button-ups, and five satin vests to top it all off.
Nobody worried about whether they would fit or not. Marron had a great eye for fashion and design, guessing her friend's sizes was a piece of cake.
Bra announced the final orders for the food preparation. "Okay then, Trunks, you and Goten start the steak, Marron you and I will peel potatoes, Pan you prepare the fruits and veggies. Let's do this."
Brief's Mansion 5:53 pm
The food was finally done, and everything came out perfect. Trunks and Goten sat on the counter top while the girls arranged how they wanted the food on the plates.
"The meat should be to the left of the vegetables-" Bra pointed.
"But the vegetables should be on the left, across from the main course-" Marron rebutted.
"Well, I think the mashed potatoes should be on the left-" Pan chimed in.
The girls snapped their attention to the snickering boys behind them.
"What's so funny?" Pan scowled at the two.
"Oh, uh, nothing." Trunks and Goten looked down as the daggers swung at them. "The food's going to get cold if we don't move on." Goten pointed out.
Pan chuckled with a grin, the humor and excitement swelling within her. "You're right! For once..." The five of them took a break and grabbed the clothes from the counter. They headed upstairs to pull on their uniforms for the evening.
"Are we supposed to tuck these in?" Goten confusingly gazed at himself in the mirror, hands in his pants as he adjusted the shirt.
Trunks shook his head with laughter as he demonstrated how to correctly tuck a shirt. He had done it numerous times throughout his life for the occasions that he had accompanied his mom. "So, how do you plan to get my parents to come?" The question had been on both Trunks and Bra's mind.
"Easy." Goten shrugged nonchalantly as he slapped Trunks' hands away from his pants. "Just call them and say Bra's hurt, come home asap. Then boom! They're here."
Trunks nodded affirmatively. "Clever. Next question: How do you save yourself when my dad wants to kick your ass for lying to him?"
Goten's confidence fell from his face. He hadn't thought about that. "Bra will drag them into the dining room and they'll forget all about it. It'll all work out, trust me."
"Marron! These are adorable!" Bra giddily posed with the other two in the mirror, checking for any flaws in their matching uniforms. Their blonde and blue hair circled into a bun while Pan's remained down and framed her face due to her hair lacking length for an immaculate bun.
"Wow Marron, you really put a lot of thought into this. Thank you." She embraced her endearingly, then used her arm nearest Pan to pull her in.
They broke apart in the presence of two spiffy dressed men standing near the doorway. "Come on Brady Bunch. Goten made the call, they'll be here any minute."
The final touches included red and white petals sprinkled onto the table and the floor. Pan and Trunks started on opposite sides of the room with their lighters for the tastefully placed candles along the walls, then both met in the center of the main table as they unknowingly reached the final candle simultaneously. Pan smirked at him as her lighter reached it first, but he still ignited his flame into it. His eyes raised to her playful "I beat you" expression. Pan felt her body go numb as his eyes held a much different demeanor then hers. There was no expression to his face, just a piercing gaze that seemed to last for minutes.
"Ow!" She whipped her hand to her chest.
Trunks hadn't realized they were both still lighting the candle, the flame must have danced against her hand. He dashed to her side, one hand on her left shoulder, while the other gently held her right forearm where she was also gripping it. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have- ..." Shouldn't have what? What was I even doing?... I couldn't look away... "I shouldn't have." He repeated in almost a whisper, not knowing what he 'shouldn't have' been doing, so he left it at that.
Pan had forgotten about the pain to her hand as Trunks' hands firmly held onto her in concern. Her numb body casually pulled away to face him, his hand remaining on her forearm. "It's okay, my fault." She tried to laugh it off. She hid her face to hide either her wincing from the pain or the widespread blush. Either way, she didn't want him to see. "I'll take care of it. Looks like the others need you." She pointed towards the three pacing nervously in the kitchen, taking the opportunity to briskly walk away from him and to Bra's bathroom for some aloe.
"Trunks!" Bra motioned him in, questioned where Pan had gone, then continued to go over the plan for the evening.
Everything has to be perfect. Bra repeated over and over in her head.
A sudden slam in the entrance hall startled them, followed by the expected distressed shouting from a husky masculine voice. "Brat! Where is she?!"
"I think your dad is here." Maron chuckled nervously. "I wonder what Goten told her..."
"Trunks! Where's your sister?" A feminine voice soon followed.
"Alright! Both subjects are in the house. Operation Vorce is in full motion."
Goten brushed his hands together, then rested an assuring palm to Bra's shoulder as he saw the uneasiness on her face.
"What did you tell them?" Marron asked.
Goten shrugged. "I just told them Bra fell and wouldn't wake up." He laughed lightly when Bra's widened eyes met with his. "Hey, I said I'd get them here, right? You might want to hurry, Trunks is doing the best he can to calm them down."
"Oh yeah." Bra agreed, nervously smoothing her palms against her shirt as if straightening it out.
Goten rested his head atop hers as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind. "Smile, it's just your parents. We just need to remind them the depth of their love for each other and everything they've created." He pressed his lips just above her ear, then whispered into her ear, "Like you." He released his hold on her as she quickly tried to mold her melted body back together. The heat from his whispered words into her ear still imbalancing the thermal state of her body. "Now, get out there before your brother gets killed."
After clearing her throat, she finally exited the kitchen while Goten and Marron hid around the corner. "Hi Mom, hi Dad." She smiled apprehensively.
Trunks released an exasperated sigh. Finally!
"Bra! Are you okay?" Bulma rushed over to her.
"Yes mom, nothing happened to me." Bra gently clasped her confused mother's hand and her father's in the other. Without answering their questions, she led them to the dining room. As they entered, Marron smiled graciously and pulled a seat out for Bulma while Pan made an entrance behind them, falling in line with the plan.
"Thank you dear. What's going on?" Bulma was bewildered by the dim candle lighting, then noticed all of the pictures on the wall.
Vegeta hesitantly sat in the chair across from her as motioned by Marron, scanning this new environment. 'I smell food...'
Trunks joined Bra in the dining room and stood at her side.
"You two look so nice." Bulma looked as if she were about to cry. "What's the occasion?"
Bra fumbled her thumbs, searching for the right words. "We wanted to so something nice for our two, loving parents." She made sure to make eye contact with both of them.
"Enjoy your dinner." Trunks followed his sister out of the room and signaled for Pan and Goten to serve the food and wine.
Bra, Trunks, and Marron rested on the island countertop, finally releasing the breath caught in their chest. "Things seem to be going well." Marron broke the silence.
"Better than I thought it would. But really, can one dinner stop a divorce?" He sounded skeptical of the entire scenario playing out before him.
Marron put her hand on his shoulder. "You'd be surprised at what one dinner can do. Your parents were only home together at the end of the day when your mom's grouchy and tired from work and your dad's tired and doesn't want to deal with it. Right now, they both seem to be in a good mood, they're surrounded with family photos and their children just cooked them an awesome meal. I don't see how this couldn't work."
Pan emerged through the kitchen doors with Goten close behind her. "Jeez Trunks, your dad loves his wine." He shook the nearly empty bottom at his ear.
"He claims it makes him a gentle being." Commented Bra as she scooted herself off the counter and over to Goten who was now leaning against the stove. She gently yanked the bottle from his hand and took a long swig of it, a bitter pucker twisting her face with a muffled cough against her hand.
Goten grabbed the bottle from her to read the label. "Sherry, eh? Not exactly a minor's drink." He chuckled at Bra's still disgusted expression before he downed the rest of the bottle.
"You're a good role model, Goten." Marron interrupted with sarcasm as she stole the empty bottle from his grip and placed it into their discard section of the kitchen.
"Watch out Goten, Marron's trying to be an adult." Trunks teased, his eyes intermittently switching to Pan as she concealed that she was guarding her injured hand.
Marron threw her hands on her hips in protest. "Hey! I'm the most mature person in this room! Next to Bra, of course."
"Hey!" Pan objected.
"Pan, you're worse than Goten." Trunks laughed.
She scowled at the lavender haired teen. "That is so not true! At least I-"
"Watch out Trunks, you're being challenged by a girl who ate a cockroach." Goten interjected.
The four teens erupted in laughter as Pan folded her arms in defeat. "Whatever. At least I didn't lick Marron's-"
"Pan!" Marron and Goten shouted.
"Annnd checkmate. She got you there Goten." Trunks deemed Pan the winner.
"And who are you to act all high and mighty?" Marron criticized Trunks as she returned to her seat next to him on the counter.
"What did I do?"
"Pan and I found something under your pillow, mister."
Trunks took his eyes off of her, trying to think of what he had to hide. "I didn't have anythi-" His eyes suddenly landed on Goten's alarmed expression. "Goten!"
Bra looked around wildly, trying to read everyone's expression, especially Goten's since he was beside her. "What did he have?" She asked eagerly.
"Nothing!" Trunks glared at Marron who was stifling a laugh.
"I won't tell, I won't tell." Marron through her hands up, surrendering. "But I can't speak for Pan."
His eyes steered over to hers. "I sure as hell ain't gonna say anything. You might injure me again. She briefly raised her right hand."
Bra was getting frustrated. "Now wait a second, how come everybody knows about this pillow thing but me!"
"Let's keep it that way." Trunks responded as he slid off the countertop. "Let's go check on those two." Marron followed behind him.
Pan grabbed two small plates and prepared the dessert.
"Oh, Goten?" Bra spoke in a hushed tone, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.
"Don't even try that!" Goten laughed, trying to move away from her. She took hold of his wrist and continued the big eye act. "I'm not going to tell you. Your brother said so." He wrapped his free arm around her to put her into a light headlock.
She shook her head in protest. "My hair!"
"Oh dear, my hair!" He mocked her in a high pitched voice.
Marron and Trunks returned to the kitchen carrying two dirty plates. "They're ready for dessert and they need refills. Do you have another bottle of that wine?" Marron asked to whomever was in charge of the beverages.
"No actually I don't. Just give them this stuff." Goten released Bra so she could go to the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of champagne.
"Here's the dessert." Pan finished preparing the plates, topping the slices with two cherries. "I think Trunks and Bra should take this out. It is the last course, after all." They agreed and did as Pan suggested.
xXx
"And for the last course," Trunks set the dessert in front of both of them as Bra announced it. "Boston Cream Cake, topped with freshly bought cherries. Enjoy!"
"Wait a second you two." Bra felt her mother's hold on her wrist while her father had her brother's. Trunks took a quick glance at his sister's expression which said What now?! "What is all this about? It's nowhere near our birthdays, nor our anniversary." Trunks and Bra stared at each other longer this time, until Bra released a defeated sigh. She had to confront them with it sooner or later.
xXx
Marron sighed in exhaustion and stood alongside Pan. "I think Goten's little plan is working."
"You think so?" Pan watched her uncle whom was lost in his thoughts, resting his forearms on the counter.
Marron shook her head. "No. I know so."
Edited 12/8/14