A/N: Sorry for the late update, I think it's been about a week? Your reviews are awesome I can't thank you enough, it's so good to hear your thoughts. I'll be working on the next chapter tonight :) Enjoy!

:*: Acceptance :*:

Pan awoke the next morning with a smile she hadn't worn in three months. She was in his arms again, or so she thought. Her eyes opened as the warmth she felt encircling her waist fading away. His scent was there, revelled in the pillows and bedsheets, but he was not. With that fading warmth also went her smile as the realization hit her.

Bra must have opened the curtains and windows, filling the room with the outdoor breeze and sunlight. Avoiding the framed photos of her and Trunks on the wall and his dresser, Pan undid Bra's work and closed the window to prevent the loss of what she had left of him. From the hall, Pan could smell breakfast brewing. Just as she'd thought, Bra was wrapping up, pouring eggs and bacon from the pans onto three plates. Goten, still in his pajamas as well, waited patiently, making conversation with Bra.

"Good morning, Pan! Have a seat. Goten here's yours and Pan here's yours."

With the huge disappointment she faced upon waking up, Pan's appetite wasn't exactly wanting food. Bra really overdid it. Compared to Goten's she gave Pan about twice the servings. "Bra, this is kind of a lot-"

"Now now Pan, you're eating for two, remember? And here, I did some research this morning and found some great obstetricians in the area. I think we should check out Dr. Osh-"

"Bra, stop." Pan pushed the list away and stood to her feet. "This isn't one of those cute little baby stories where a happy couple is awaiting the birth of their child in their home with their financially stable bullshit lives!"

Bra gulped, stunned in silence.

"This is Pan, your best friend who got knocked up the summer before college. Me, your friend who is most likely going to be dropped from our first semester of college because she can't fulfill her side of the contract... I can't even see a doctor, it'll show up on my dad's insurance statements... I can't even tell my own parents..."

After a moment, Goten spoke. "Pan, there is an alternative to this..."

Bra thought about his suggestion for a moment, her scorn-filled eyes met his as she comprehended what he was referring to. "Goten, are you serious? Pan can't have an abortion! This is my niece or nephew you are talking about killing here!"

"And this is my niece who's life is about to be destroyed because of your stupid brother!" He rose to his feet as well as the yelling began.

"You can't put all the blame on Trunks, it takes two people you know! And who says this is a bad thing? It's out of the norm but definitely not the end of the world. If it turns out that she has to drop out, she can stay here until we figure something else out."

Goten sneered. "So that's it, huh. Bra's got it all figured out. That's quite a plan coming from someone who hasn't had a damn thing to worry about in her life. Pan's situation isn't another fun project for you to work on, this is her life we're talking about here. Our family doesn't have that Briefs financial cushion to fall back on if we fuck up. "

Bra averted her eyes to the table, her red lips twisting as she absorbed his words. "So that's how you see my family? You think Trunks and I worked our asses off in high school and college by fucking up and having our mom pay our way through? You really think of me as a spoiled brat?"

Goten exhaled, wishing he could take back what he said. "No, Bra, it's just that we come from two different families, and I don't think you understand the pressure we are under to make our own way knowing we have nothing to fall back on."

Bra's lips pursed in abhorrence. If anybody knew about pressure it was her and her brother, she thought to herself. Their mother's approval, as well as their family fortune, was at stake. If they failed, their family and business failed. "You'd think after being friends all these years you'd know me better. You are such an asshole, Goten."

By now, Pan had already sat back down, her hands planted into her hair as Bra left the kitchen. Goten sat as well, unsure as how to resolve the multiple issues at hand here. He swore under his breath as he thought about how he basically told Bra she 'didn't know shit about real problems so shut the fuck up'.

He and Pan remained silent, both lost in their own thoughts as their forgotten plates in front of them lost their steam. After a few minutes, he decided to apologize to Bra. He gently knocked on Trunks' door, opening it after not receiving a response. Bra sat on the newly made bed with her back towards the door, clutching her belongings in her lap.

Without a word, Goten entered the room and put a hand on her shoulder, only to have her shrug it off.

"Don't touch me. I don't care what you have to say just get out. Someone's coming to pick me up, I'll be out of your house in a few minutes." She sounded as if she had been crying.

Goten did as told but stopped in the doorway. "I'm sorry, B-"

"I said. Get. Out." She reiterated sharply, clutching her belongings tighter once the door clicked shut.

Pan was still frozen in the same position, clawing her hands through her hair staring down at the table.

"Pan, you should eat something." Goten advised her delicately, being cautious of her fragile state. After witnessing her take a strip of bacon from her plate, he leaned against the counter and looked out the window, still trying to absorb their current dilemma. To top it all off, he managed to make Bra cry. He didn't mean to fire on her, he was mad at the situation, not her. However, a part of him was annoyed that she seemed happy with the idea of this thing in his niece's stomach. He tried to sound accepting of it at the hospital just as a facade in front of Pan, but now they had to figure out what to do next without involving his brother.

Goten stirred back to reality as his eyes settled on an older white car pulling to the curb outside the house. Exiting the vehicle was that same male with the shaggy light brown hair Goten was slowly growing more and more adverse to after realizing he was here to pick up Bra.

Goten opened the door for him, a cold scowl settled on his face.

"Hey, Goten, is Bra ready?" He sounded friendly as usual, obviously not aware of the situation.

"I'll go ge-"

"Yes, I'm ready." Bra used her body to push Goten out of her path. "Thanks for coming, Ryo." She grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the house.

Ryo gave a wave with his free hand. "See ya, Goten!"

Bra's rude departure and silent disposition hinted to Ryo that there must have been some kind of altercation amongst the three of them. As they made distance down the road, he slowly probed her with questions. "How's Pan?"

With great sarcasm, Bra replied, "Oh, she's fantastic. And you know what? Since Goten thinks he knows everything about everyone he is the perfect person to help her right now. My optimism obviously isn't going to help them, so I'll let them take this on with their shitty end of the world attitudes and drown in their negativity because that's what they want. I just get yelled at for trying to help her move on to the next step but no, everybody wants a god damn pity party!"

Ryo winced at the volume of her voice on her last four words. He didn't know what was going on and, at this point, he was afraid to ask. "You need to get your racket."

"My what? My racket? Ryo, I'm not in the mood to practice."

"Yes you are. This is the perfect mood. All the shit you just said to me, put it into that yellow ball and smack the hell out of it. You have no choice. You can't write three essays with all that anger."

He was right. An hour and a half later she was covered in sweat, panting on the court.

"I think that's a wrap." Ryo concluded, gently touching the soon to be bruise on his left cheekbone.

xXxXxXx

After managing to swallow down their room temperature breakfasts, Goten dropped Pan off at the university so she could gather what she needed for homework and take Trunks' truck back over to the house.

Passing through the common room she could see Bra, Marron, and Ryo among a few other familiar faces studying together in the study area. Without exchanging even a glance, she continued upstairs to grab her backpack and purse. There was a lot of homework to do, particularly if you weren't sure whether or not you were still going to be a student after Monday.

After arriving to Goten's and Trunks' house, she sprawled her books across the kitchen table. Writing three essays along with a math and history chapter was no easy task with pregnancy on her mind. She couldn't focus. It was almost three in the afternoon, time was ticking and fast. From her purse she could hear a special ring tone sounding off. It was him.

"Hey, Trunks."

"Hey you." It felt so good to hear his voice. With their conflicting schedules and time differences, they were only able to talk on the weekends. "How was your first week of school?"

Pan made a small laugh. "Ugh, don't remind me. I have a hundred books in front of me and an empty paper. I can't even think about where to start on these damn essays."

"It's an essay, you've written tons of them, these are no different." She admired how smart he was. The guy had it all, brains, brawn, and looks. She took notes of the tips he gave her on a couple of her teachers for her essays.

"Thanks, I need all the help I can get."

He frowned at her helpless tone. "Pan, you don't give yourself the credit you deserve. You've been through a lot between sports and your mom, and still managed to get a great GPA at the end of high school and get into Nagoya. Babe, I can't tell you how lucky I am to brag about you to everybody. You're beautiful, smart, and athletic. Speaking of which, how's water polo going?"

Pan cleared her throat, hesitant to respond. "Ummm, I don't know. I... I got injured during a scrimmage so I find out Monday to see if I can still play or not."

"Whoa, what? It's not your kidney again, is it?" He knew it had to be serious if she might be out for the entire season.

She was surprised that he still remembered. Her last season of water polo involved a dramatic incident in which she was kicked pretty hard in the kidney causing an artery to rupture. She didn't think this lie through very well but she decided to snowball off of that. "I'm not sure. I'm going to have a follow up appointment Monday."

"Keep me posted. You didn't even tell me you got hurt..." He sounded disappointed that she kept this to herself.

"Don't worry about me, Trunks. I'll let you know what happens on Monday. How's ever-" she stopped at the sounds of a female voice in the background.

"Darcy, please give me a minute." Trunks hushed the voice, rolling his eyes. Darcy Harris was one of the American students that Trunks learned he had to be weary with. After a night out, she was extremely touchy and flirtacious. Kaien defended that she made the night all the more entertaining. He and Ayame thought otherwise. "Sorry, babe. What were you saying?"

"No, it's okay, go ahead. I have a lot to do here. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"No, Pan, really it's okay I'm not in a rush."

"Like I said, I have a lot to do, really it's okay, Trunks. Have fun. Love you." And with that she hung up.

Trunks stared at his phone for a moment, not sure how to take that hangup. She didn't sound angry, nor did she sound happy. She sounded exhausted.

"Enough with the hometown honey, let's go big guy!" Kaien helped him to his feet.

Pan tossed her phone back to her purse and stared blankly at the papers in front of her. She was tired, angry, sad, and did she mention tired? All these changes physically and emotionally was really getting to her. All she wanted to do was sleep in that comfortable bed and fall back into her dream of being in his arms again.

xXxXxXx

Monday came faster than the students had liked, but everyone came back to school with completed homework in tow. The end of the school day came the moment Pan dreaded: Her meeting with coach Yuma. It wasn't a long table filled with deans and professosr like she feared. It was a small office consisting of Coach Yuma and her. Alone and confidential.

"Have a seat, Miss Son. So, what's going on?"

Pan couldn't hold eye contact. "I... Well, what happens if I'm not able to meet the requirements of my contract?"

"Well, a contracts a contract. If you can't fulfill your end of the bargain then the University has no obligation to fulfill theirs."

Pan could feel her heart growing heavier and heavier as it sank in her chest. This was it. This was her last day on campus.

"Now, for some situations we can build an unusual situation case. These cases could involve an injury or some sort of disability that would impair you from being able to play. Under these circumstances the athletic director, the dean, the student, and I hold a meeting and decide where to go from there. Does this apply to you, Miss Son?"

"Well, I'm... I'm pregnant..."

Coach Yuma's eyes widened as they drifted to her stomach and back to her face. "Well, that's definitely unusual for the recipient of our athletic scholarship. You'll need documentation from a doctor to verify this for your case hearing. I'll call the dean to line up a meeting. For now, continue with your classes. Try to get that documentation by the end of this week."

Documentation? That means... That means I have to see a doctor... That means my dad is going to find out... Pan thought about an abortion, but she could never do it. Would she be better off without a baby? Of course. She'd be able to carry on through life as planned, but that's the problem. Life doesn't go according to plan. Life happens and you're there to live it. Her and the man she loved was given a baby, unbeknownst to him, of course, but he'd find out inevitably.

"Pan, it's okay. You have this week to tell your parents and see a doctor." She repeated to herself after taking a shower and relaxing into Trunks' bed. The more she said it the more the anxiety grew.

After telling Goten about the meeting, he suggested they tell Gohan first. Her mom might be too sick for now to break the news to.

"If you want, I'll go with you." He offered.

Goten was like an older brother to Pan. When she found out about her mother's cancer, he was there for her. He was always honest with her because he had seen her growth into an adult compared to her parents and grandparents who still ruffled her hair and referred to her as 'kiddo'. He didn't sugar coat things. He was a funny guy with a blunt opinion but it made him who he was.

She didn't know how her father would take the news. He'd either be mad or pissed off, both of which she didn't want to involve her uncle Goten in. "I'll let you know when the time comes." She peered down at the list Bra had made out earlier of obstetricians in the area. She circled one, Dr. Oshiro. She was in this town rather than Satan city, that was a plus.

"After school tomorrow make an appointment. Here's a key to the house, made you a copy today. I have practice til seven tomorrow so you'll have the place to yourself for a while."

"Thanks, Goten. And I'm sorry."

Goten threw her a crazed expression. "For what? Don't apologize, we'll figure this out. We have to."

She gave him a partial smile. "I'm not only sorry about this, but about you and Bra."

Goten laughed. "She'll get over it. Not like we never fought before."

Pan hoped he was right, as did he. He and Bra didn't speak of the dinner plans they made for the previous Saturday night since their fight pretty much called it off. He knew he said hurtful things, but hoped that time would help her forgive him. For now, he would give her space.

xXxXxXx

Since one of Dr. Oshiro's patients cancelled an appointment, Pan was able to fill the slot and have her first prenatal exam that Thursday. While filling out the paper work, she was more than relieved when she discovered she could have the insurance statements billed to a place of her choosing. Without hesitation she scribbled down Goten's address.

Dr. Oshiro was a very kind, patient woman with five children of her own. She took note of Pan's situation and let her know she would help her along every step of the way as much as she could. She never looked at the ultrasound from her hospital visit last week. It was still encased in the manila envelope with her discharge forms. Seeing the baby on the screen for the first time was a moment she could never recapture. There it was, proof that another person was growing inside her, a being produced by her and Trunks.

"What're you feeling right now, Pan?" The doctor asked softly, her warm smile and caring eyes set on Pan's astonished expression.

She thought for a long moment, her eyes fixated on the screen. "Relieved... Frightened... but happy..." She couldn't explain the plethora of emotions erupting inside of her, the last one surprised her the most. All this time she spent hating this situation, but seeing it and hearing Dr. Oshiro speak so admiringly of her made it seem okay for her to be happy.

"You've got a rough road ahead of you, but a few bumps never stopped me. My mother always told me if you can't change your circumstances, change your attitude. I'm glad to hear you say you feel happiness, that's a wonderful start. According to the date you gave me of your last sexual episode, and looking at your baby's size, you are exactly 12 weeks today. You're stomach is still thin for 12 weeks, you're one of the lucky ones. Over the next month you should notice quite a growth. I'll schedule our next appointment for four weeks from today."

Pan left the clinic with a weight lifted from her chest. She was still pregnant, still in the same situation, but she was more aware of what was to come. The doctor showed her pictures of her kids and some horror stories and cute stories of having children, but Pan actually looked forward to it now.

She wished Trunks could be standing by her in the exam room, seeing what she saw. She wished she could tell him and have him be happy and excited the way she was beginning to feel. It would be difficult to talk to him on the weekends and lie to him every time. Lie to him about her made-up sports injury, and hold back the fact that he has a baby on the way.

Whether it was a boy or a girl, she would find out at her next visit. Holding on to that thought made her smile more than ever.