A/N: I'm excited for this chapter :)

Thank you for your happy thoughts towards my grandmother. She's back to her normal self :)

Jasmine, Ashley, Lovey, brightredcherries thank you for your positive thoughts and eagerness towards my story it is very heartwarming to receive your reviews on my iphone. Makes me smile wherever I am and gives me feedback as to whether or not you're understanding the background I'm trying to build for a certain character and/or situation.

:*: Father Knows Best :*:

Friday October 15 brought about a variety of different emotions from the Son and Briefs family.

This Friday was another chemo treatment for the ill Videl Son. This Friday was another call in day for Gohan, who could no longer bare to be at work worrying about his wife laying in the hospital bed surrounded by strangers. He didn't care about the chip anymore, he just wanted to be there for her.

This Friday found a despairful Bulma sitting on her window sill, looking out the large glass barrier between her and the city pavement. The note her secretary had written her about her employees call-ins was crinkled in her hand before she let it drop to the floor in synch with a tear that splashed onto her hand.

Bra and Marron kicked their feet up on the common room couches, relaxing after a long week of midterms while Ryo and Takashi left to fetch the four of them some food. Pan had finally confirmed Marron's suspicion about her pregnancy, and told her not to tell a soul.

Pan set her phone down and continued cooking her large dinner for her and Goten. She had just finished talking to her dad who kept her updated on her mother's condition. He never asked her when she was going to visit or why she hadn't been around, which was both good and bad. It was good because it didn't make her feel so bad for avoiding them. It was bad because she figured that meant her father was trying to protect her from seeing how bad her mother looked.

Goten entered the kitchen adjusting his dark tie over his dark blue button-up. "Damn, Pan, how many people are you cooking for?" He peered over her shoulder at the food variety.

"Just us. Oh, damn, I forgot your competition thing was tonight." Tonight, Goten was presenting his home model that he worked so hard on these past couple of weeks in front of a panel of judges that consisted of the region's top home designers.

"I gotta head out. Renji's gonna stop by to pick up his books. I put them on the table."

"Ok. Good luck, Goten."

Once the chicken was fried to a golden brown, she clicked off the stove top burners and poured herself a filled plate. She pulled her statistics book in front of her with her notebook next to it on the left and began working out a couple of the homework problems, rewarding herself with a bite of food here and there.

"Univariate moments?" She read the title and description over and over again, trying to decipher its meaning. "Why don't I remember learning this?" She rubbed her temples as if trying to scrounge up any remaining memory pertaining to this topic. She lifted her head from her palms as someone knocked on the door. She forgot Renji was coming by. As she made her way over, she made sure her shirt wasn't clinging to her body. "Hi, Renji. Come in."

His maroon hair was tied up in the usual high pony tail. He was clad in dark jeans and a black tee shirt portraying some band on the front. "Thanks. Goten left?"

"Yeah about a half hour ago. Your books are over there on the table." She pointed to the stack on the opposite end of hers.

"Ok, thanks. Statistics, huh?" He pulled his stack towards him as he peeked at her work.

"Yeah. Just getting ahead on some homework but for some reason I can't remember a damn thing about it." She plopped back down into her chair, her messy bun atop her head plopping along with her.

He ran his finger along the words of her current homework problem, nodding and humming the words in his throat as he read along. "Remember learning about the 'zeroth' central moment along with the other four interpratations?"

She looked about the room, the word 'zeroth' triggering a memory. "Actually, yeah. I remember something like that."

He pulled out the seat below him and sat adjacent to her as he explained the properties and interpretations of univariate moments.

"There. You solved it." He announced proudly after she read back her answer.

"Renji, thank you so much. Are you hungry? I cooked for me and Goten but I forgot he had to leave so there's plenty left over." She had to thank him some how.

Under normal circumstances he would have refused. Seeing as how Goten wasn't here to tease him and the girl could probably use some supervision over her next few problems, he accepted her invitation and assisted her as needed.

It took her a while to finish her assignment, but with his help she felt like she finally got the hang of it. As ten o'clock rolled around, she flipped her book shut and stretched out her arms, releasing a bear yawn.

"I'm glad that's done with. Just in time for Okinawa Shore."

"You watch that show, too?"

She shrugged a shoulder while she cleaned up their plates. "When I have time and don't pass out. Do you?"

"Yeah, I missed last week's episode though."

Pan dove into the details of last week's episode while they made their way to the living room and flicked on the channel. The reality show was the Japanese version of the American Jersey Shore.

During the commercial breaks, the two exchanged their opinions about what they had just watched and bounced ideas off each other on what they think would happen next.

Renji could tell she was growing more and more drowsy as the hour long show grew to a close. By the end, she was peacefully asleep on the opposite end of the couch. He sat there for a moment as his eyes rested on her face. He absorbed the fact that this was probably as close as he would ever be to her. He didn't bring up Trunks, neither did she. He wondered how close the two were and if they would still be together long after he got back. This was his first time alone with her, and she was good company. She was blunt, humorous, overall perfect in his eyes.

Typical human behavior. He growled to himself. Always want what you can't have.

xXxXxXx

Goten awoke the next morning eyeballing his second place certificate he tossed on his nightstand. He had already presumed he wouldn't win first place, his model was very well detailed but emitted comfort and simplicity rather than the first prize's glass house model of wealth and concrete.

It didn't help that Valese's dad was on the judging panel. Regardless, he already received the approval he needed days before the contest; the moment Bra took interest in his work.

"Morning." Pan greeted him as she slurped the milk from her cereal bowl. "What time did you get in last night?"

Goten slunk onto the opposite couch and picked at the bag of chips she had laying on the coffee table. "Around midnight. Damn, you hungry or what?"

She wiped the milk from her upper lip as she set her empty bowl onto the table. Sure she was hungry, but her new appetite was what was driving her to fill the void with food.

Last night she had experienced a sexual dream so powerful, she woke up in sweat and panting. Dr. Oshiro had warned her about the possibility of erotic dreams, and said it'd be more difficult to cope without having someone next to her she could wake up to and take the tension out on. So, she decided to start eating.

Their morning discussion consisted of his contest the previous night, then he decided it'd probably be best to fill her in on the latest drama.

"Bulma thinks Bra's pregnant. She saw some suspicious purchases she made and suspected it was either you or her."

Pan was awe-struck. Her initial question was to ask why she took the blame, but she already knew the answer. Bra loved her brother, and who knew what Bulma was crazy enough to do. Hell, she probably wouldn't even bring him back from the states.

"How'd she take it?"

Goten scoffed. "How'd she take it? She was pissed. Bra's gonna give her some space." He left out the part about her getting cut off.

As the two thought about their crazy predicament in silence, a knock came from the door. Pan waited as Goten rose to his feet and disappeared into the entranceway.

"Pan!" He whispered aloud while jerking his thumb, gesturing for her to go in the room.

She followed directions without hesitation and disappeared into Trunks' room, listening with her ear at the door. She heard the front door open, followed by some muffled voices. It was a male. That's all she could gather until they moved closer.

xXxXxXx

While Pan took her post in Trunks' room, Goten stood in the entrance way, slightly panicked at the guest awaiting him at the door. After hearing Trunks' door close, he drew in a deep breath and opened the door.

"Good morning, Vegeta. Never thought I'd see you here."

Vegeta's features remained stoic. "Mind if I come in?"

Goten stepped to the side to allow him to pass.

Vegeta's eyes surveyed the environment, landing on the open bag of chips on the living room coffee table. "Nice to see that you're eating well." He said sarcastically.

Goten scratched the back of his head nervously. "Just a snack..."

"You do know why I'm here now don't you?" His cold eyes pierced through Goten's dark orbs.

"Not really..."

"My daughter's pregnant, brat. My wife seems to think you are the culprit."

Goten hesitated. He and Bra never elaborated as to whether or not he was going to play the baby daddy role. He finally decided that it would be better not to include anybody else into their tangled web of lies, it would only confuse things much more.

Goten prepared himself for a physical attack as well as verbal. "She's right. Bra and I have been seeing each other for a few months now and-"

"Now you knocked her up in her first year of college. I always thought you were a decent kid, but this is the most irresponsible act you could have done." Goten gulped as the brawny man moved in towards him. "You've always held great family values, I thought that you'd value my daughter enough to at least use some protection."

As he continued his rant, Goten was actually flattered that Vegeta thought so highly of him.

"Vegeta, wait."

The two males, inches apart from each other as Vegeta had him backed against a wall, turned their attention to the hallway.

Pan stood about six feet from them, her sorrow filled eyes now locked with his. "Bra's not the one that's pregnant..." She couldn't take it anymore. The people around her were going out of their way to protect her, so much that they were even willing to let someone hate them for something they didn't do. "I am."

Vegeta remained frozen for a moment until his eyes dropped to her stomach and back to her face. She wasn't exactly showing yet, not in that baggy shirt anyways. "I guess with either one of you that still makes me involved." He sneered as somewhat of a joke, but neither of them even cracked a smile.

"Nobody knows, not even Trunks. Please don't tell anybody."She pleaded.

His cold eyes grew more forgiving. "Why haven't you told my son?"

Pan didn't know where to begin. "When he first left, Bulma wanted me to make as little contact with him as possible. She said our relationship was a distraction to him. Then I found out I was pregnant, and he is doing so well over there. I don't want him to worry or feel bad."

Vegeta scoffed. "But you think when he comes back in two months and realizes he missed the beginning of his first child's life he won't feel bad?"

The rise in his voice stunned her. She never thought of it that way.

"How far along are you?"

"19 weeks."

Vegeta nodded as he took it in. He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed a number. "Bra. Come to your brother's house, now." He returned his phone to its rightful place and brought his attention back to the persons in the room. "So, you're pregnant and hiding it, Bra got caught buying baby stuff and took the blame for being pregnant and you were willing to have your ass kicked for a lie. My question is why. Why are you three going through such extremes about this?"

"I think Bra could do a better job at explaining that one." Goten answered.

So they waited. Pan offered to cook for their guest but he politely refused.

"Do you know the gender?" Vegeta's voice broke the minutes of silence in the air.

"It's a boy." Pan hid her small smile, keeping her eyes downcast while subconsciously caressing her fingertips across her stomach. Had she looked up, she would have seen a proud smirk fighting it's way onto Vegeta's lips.

Goten wished he would have had a camera to film the priceless look Bra held once she saw her father sitting on the couch, awaiting her arrival.

"He knows, Bra." Goten told her as she stood at the entrance of the room.

"Knows what?" She wasn't sure which lie they were rolling with this time.

"I know you've been lying." Vegeta answered. "Your brother's the culprit, not you. And Goten was willing to let me kick his ass for knocking you up. So what's going on, Bra? No lies, or I will punish everybody in this room. Minus the pregnant one." He added. He could never hurt his unborn grandson.

"Mom's losing it, dad." She sat on the ground in front of the coffee table, across from her father sitting on the couch. "Pan, Goten, I'm sorry that I hid some things from you two as well. But here it goes... Dad, you know how obsessed mom is about Trunks' externship. It's like she's relying solely on him to save the family business. She doesn't like Pan. She thinks she's a distraction to him, so of course Pan wanted to hide the pregnancy. I went shopping for the baby and she found the purchases on my account and canceled my card. I went to confront her about it and I eavesdropped on a conversation she was having on the phone." She exhaled through pursed lips. "She said she's tired of Gohan calling in all the time for his wife. And once he's done with his project... she's letting him go." She could feel the three of them stiffen up at the news.

"Bra, what the hell? You kept that a secret?" Goten asked in disbelief, clearly pissed off.

"Don't interrupt." Vegeta uttered.

"Don't interrupt? Your psycho wife is about to destroy my already deteriorating family and you're just going to sit there and tell me not to interrupt?"

The two men jumped to their feet as Vegeta jerked the collar of Goten's shirt toward him. "My wife is going through one hell of a time right now, don't you dare-"

"Dad, please!" Bra gripped his hand, trying to pry his fingers loose. "You're one of the last people left that could help mom, please stop."

Vegeta released his grip. The two exchanged a cold stare as they lowered back into their seats.

"Where was I... Then she said she was tired of you going out with Goku all the time and coming home drunk. Finally, the conversation was over and I confronted her about the card. She thought it was either me or Pan. Then she went on about how responsible Trunks is and how he would never knock her up, so clearly Pan must be sleeping around. All I could think about was all the horrible things she could do if she found out Pan was pregnant. She could fire Gohan, keep Trunks in the US, I don't know what she's capable of. So I took the blame. She told me that once I give her a receipt of an abortion, I can have my card turned back on."

It was a long moment before Vegeta spoke. He was embarrassed of his wife, ashamed of her words and actions. It was difficult for him to perceive what he was being told. He knew his wife had fallen off her rocker. She cried to him every night, that or he'd find her passed out in her office surrounded by used tissues. The woman he had fallen in love with was slipping away from him and he felt like there was nothing he could do. He was a prison warden, what could he do to help her business? Nothing. And that's what hurt him the most. There was nothing that he could do to save his wife's sanity. "Bra, don't you ever keep something like this from me again." He rose to his feet, and made his way towards the door.

"Wa- Dad, where are you going?"

"Doing what fathers do best. Taking care of the problem. I'll be in touch. Pan, do you need anything?"

Pan, who was already on the brink of tears from the overload of news, shyly shook her head no.

"Here's the cash I have on me. The rest is in the bank. I'll send you more once I hit an ATM." Seeing as how his daughter was now cut off, he handed her the wad of money, then made his departure.

With the three of them left in the room, tensions were still running high, particularly from Goten.

"Goten, you hid stuff from me too." Bra defended herself, knowing very well he was upset with her.

"I did that for your sake and still told you in a timely manner. When did you plan on telling me about my brother getting fired?"

"Goten, stop. You're not mad at Bra, don't pin this on her." Pan stood from the floor one hand on her stomach, the other rubbing her headache. "I'm so tired of hearing the bickering and the fighting. I trusted you two with this, I don't need you turning on each other. I'm sorry I dragged everybody into this mess." She called behind her as she left the living room.

Bra didn't want to fight with Goten, he just seemed to get so ticked off at her whenever she slipped up on something. "Pan's right. The childish bickering is annoying." She projected toward Goten before she turned on her heel and made her exit.

Goten rolled his eyes and remained seated as the endless thoughts swirled in his head.

xXxXxXx

Vegeta made a stop at a park on his return home from his son's house. The greenery had such a calming effect for him. The geese swam about in their flocks, occasionally coming onto land to check out their environment. He perched himself atop one of the picnic tables and thought about the mess everybody was in. His wife was losing it. His daughter was cut off. His son was on the other side of the planet. And his grandson was in the midst of it all.

It was hard for him to believe that Bulma would actually let Gohan go after all that he had done for the company and for the family personally. The man was a genius. He knew how to repair anything under the sun, surely he would be able to get back on his feet if he were let go. Unless Bulma gave him a bad reference.

Vegeta cringed his eyes together in frustration. He said he would take care of this. His wife may be falling apart but that doesn't mean the Son family should suffer because of them.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. This was to be handled from one father to another.

"Trunks, it's your dad... Things aren't going too well. Shutup and listen, there's some things I need to tell you."