A/N: I cannot say thank you enough for your positive vibes toward my story and family thank you so much. I know this one took a couple weeks. I was reading The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Totally recommend it to you romance lovers. It's a trilogy so read the first book first). I'm in love with it. ANYWAYS, I wrote this one in the past two days so I hope you enjoy.

I imagine Rachel Cunnings as Jennifer Aniston (she's a cougarlicious babe) so maybe that'll help for visual purposes :)

Anyandrea, TP4Life, Jasmine, Lovey (good to hear you looked the characters up), xxSassyGirlxx (I have fallen in love with Goten as well), thanks for reading and reviewing. Here you go!

Disclaimer: I own NO characters. Renji (Bleach), Takashi (High School of the Dead), Ryo (Crimson Hero), Kaien (Bleach). Oh, I do own Ayame I guess. And Rachel Cunnings.

:*: An Offer You Can't Refuse :*:

Friday October fifteenth felt like springtime here in Los Angeles. The sun was out, people were in sleeveless tops, it was a great contrast from the norm in Japan at this time of year. When locked within Hennway's tall concrete walls in the business district, Trunks often stared blankly into expense reports and textbooks wondering what his family and friends were doing back home. According to Pan, the weather was getting cooler and she asked if she could borrow one of his sweatshirts. He laughed at her, telling her she didn't even need to ask.

Luckily, Professor Kurgura had arranged a meeting between the externs and himself in one of the conference rooms. As Trunks reread the email, he inwardly jumped for joy. This meant he was able to slip away from Rachel Cunning's grasp, if only for the day.

"Yo, it's five o'clock. You done here or is miss Cummings- Oh, I mean Cunnings, gonna rub her ass on you some more?"

Trunks rolled his eyes at his roommates vulgar choice of words. "I'm just gonna let her know I'm leaving. I'll meet you there."

Kaien waved a finger as he and Ayame left him behind.

Flipping his laptop closed, Trunks gathered his belongings and started off the short distance to Rachel's office. After tapping his knuckles against the wood, Trunks turned the door open.

"Miss Cunnings, here's your projection files, I'm turning in for the day." It was difficult to see her behind the extravagant display of floral arrangements on her desk. He wasn't even sure she was there until she raised from her leather chair.

Her painted lips curved into a devilish smile as her eyes locked with his. "Trunks Briefs. They are absolutely beautiful." She slowly stepped out from behind her desk, smelling the multicolored arrangement as her stilettos distanced away from it. "I didn't take you as a flower kind of guy. You definitely know how to make your mentor feel like a woman."

Trunks found himself completely backed up against the wall as she whispered the last the words into his ear.

He was confused for a moment, until it hit him. His mother had been on him about purchasing flowers or something for Rachel. He wasn't sure how she found out that he didn't, but she knew. She must have ordered an arrangement in his name.

"Look, Rachel, I-" He began, trying to put space between them by gently pushing his palms against her shoulders.

"Oh, we are on a first name basis now are we?" She interrupted, shushing him as he tried to babble out whatever he was trying to tell her. "How long has it been, Trunks?" She stepped back with a surveying stare.

His brows curved in confusion. "For what?"

She snorted. "Don't play coy with me." Her black stilettos planted in front of him. "How long has it been since you've felt this?" She smoothed her palm from the shoulder of his suit jacket down to his elbow.

Her expensive perfume was infiltrating his senses now as her palm moved up his neck and to the nape of his hair. It had been a while since he had felt a woman's touch. Was it four months now? Kaien got lucky a couple of times and was able to relieve himself in the bathroom of a couple clubs occasionally with some willing females. But Trunks was a good guy. He was loyal and didn't want another woman when he already had someone back home.

"Trunks, ignore those voices in your head. You're a great man. You're way too smart for your own good. You deserve to relax and forget about these business talks and being homesick. Just for a moment, tell me what Trunks really wants... You're a man Trunks. A human. We all have needs." Her hand brushed across the front of his pants, exerting a rough exhale from him.

"I know what I want, and trust me, it's not here. Excuse me." He felt dazed as he pushed his way out of her office. He felt so weak. He hated that he found it difficult to walk away from her soft, dominating touch and her perfume. To make matters worse, she knew it. She had him just where she wanted him.

Trunks' distressed composure was not as hidden as he had hoped. Kaien and Ayame exchanged a glance after he stumbled into the meeting late, in addition to not being able to put a sentence together.

"Well, I guess it's been a long week for Mr. Briefs. We'll go ahead and wrap this meeting up. Get some rest, I'll see you all Monday morning. Great work."

After a cold shower, Trunks dropped to his hotel bed, thoughts swirling in his mind. He couldn't believe that he had actually contemplated cheating on Pan. Was four months without sex hurting him that bad?

"It's Rachel, isn't it?" Kaien flipped through a magazine, peering up to test Trunks reaction. But there was nothing. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here, Trunks. I know I come off as a dumbass, but there's a sensitive guy underneath all that somewhere."

"Just shut up." Trunks groaned.

He hadn't heard Pan's voice since last weekend. Given the time difference, it made it difficult to find times on both ends to speak to each other. She was so busy with school it seemed like. Glancing at the clock, he assumed it was almost noon back home. He juggled his phone in his hand, wondering whether or not he wanted to call her. It was relieving to hear her voice. But once the conversation was over, that void widened more and more.

As if he had willed it, his phone sounded off. "Dad?"

"Trunks, it's your dad."

During his entire stay, this was the first time his dad had called him. He would send a message along through his mother when they spoke on the phone, but he never called personally.

"Dad, hi. How are you?"

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

He sat up to the edge of his bed as he picked up on the urgency of the call.

"Have you spoken to your woman recently?"

Trunks felt a knot form in his throat. 'Something's wrong with Pan.' "Yeah, we spoke last weekend, is she okay? Is her mom okay?"

"As far as I know, her mother is fine. It's her father I'm worried about. Your mom's been working him pretty hard. He's having a difficult time trying to balance everything. The man's a wreck and he looks terrible. Your mom's planning on letting him go once his project's complete."

Trunks was silent. He tried to fathom what could possibly be going through his mother's head to have her come to such a conclusion. Obviously his mother had planned to really go through with it for his dad to call him up conveying his concern.

"Why?" The only thing he could think to ask.

"He's been calling in more and more. He vents to his father and I when we go out for a few drinks. His woman's not doing so well. He can hardly concentrate on his work knowing she's withering away at home. I don't know if Bulma's ignoring his problems or if she really is losing it..."

Trunks noticed the saddened change in his father's voice at his last words. "Losing it? What do you mean? Dad, what the hell is going on?"Thinking back to all the phone conversations he's had with Bra and Pan, not one time did they mention anything negative besides the expected school complaints. Were things so bad that even they were covering it up?

"Son, I don't mean to put pressure on you. You're one hell of a man and I am proud to be your father. Your mother's got all her eggs in your basket. According to her and the business accountant, the company's set to shut down next year without a deal."

"We'll get a deal. The people love me, tell her everything will be okay, I-"

"Shutup, Trunks. She tells me that some broad she works through,"

"Rachel?"

"Sure, this broad is the one you're working with to make a deal. Their current agreement under the table doesn't do the company justice and it sure as hell doesn't do Gohan justice. He gets nothing out of it."

Trunks was pacing the room now, his hand kneading into his hair as his strategical mind searched for a solution. "We get the deal as is, the company still has a chance of failing and Gohan suffers." He reiterated to himself. Everything his mother had been pushing him to do was beginning to make sense now. Here he had thought she was trying to make him butter Rachel up just for her to say yes. She was trying to make Rachel cut them a better deal.

"Dad, I'll fix this." He wanted nothing but to please his parents, especially his father. He never heard or seen him worry, and the fact that he was meant things really weren't going well. "I'll think of something, just give me some time."

A disapproving groan came from the other end. "Trunks, I'm not asking you to fix it. Things happen for a reason, and not everything works out the way we intend it to. I'm not telling you to give up, because I know you won't. I'm telling you that it's not your fault. This is all an accumulation of bad business deals and poor financial management."

Trunks was speechless. His father was comforting him, or trying to anyways. The more he said the more Trunks worried.

"Your mother's having a hard time accepting it so she's taking it out on everybody."

"Everybody? Besides Gohan?"

Vegeta grunted. "I'll take care of things on this side of the planet. You take care of what you need to on that end."

Trunks didn't like his vague response, but he'll go to the source for the answers he wanted. "Does Gohan know? About mom's plan's with his employment?"

"To my knowledge, no he does not."

Trunks bobbed his head in affirmation. "How is mom?"

"Not good. She's depressed. Determined to succeed, but she knows there's a big chance it's not going to work out. Publicly she holds her head up, but at home she's a wreck."

Whenever they spoke on the phone all they discussed was business. Maybe she didn't want to think about her personal life. Like his father said, she was determined to succeed and determination means you have to be dead set on your goal with no doubts. She spoke confidently because she wanted, no, needed this deal to succeed.

"How are you doing?" Trunks finally asked. He knew he wouldn't get an honest answer, but he had to let his father know that he cared.

"As long as I'm moving and breathing on my own you don't ever have to worry about your old man."

Trunks snickered. "Whatever you say, Dad."

The following week hazed by in a blur. Trunks couldn't focus. He couldn't speak. He couldn't organize. All he could do was think. He felt the occasional touch of concern on his shoulder from Kaien or Ayame. The stroke through his hair from Rachel. But he didn't react, or couldn't remember reacting for that matter.

His conversation with Bra the day after talking to his father didn't help the situation. He tried to scrape for more answers or explanations, but she was too choked up about the situation.

"Bra, why didn't you tell me all of this was happening?"

"You're our last hope, Trunks. I thought mom was crazy when she said that, but it's true. The last thing we wanted to do was worry you and have you rush home."

He was their last hope. After contemplating and brooding for a week, now was his move.

Trunks saw Kaien and Ayame off while he detoured to the office all too familiar to him. "Rachel, we need to talk."

She swiveled around in her dark leather chair, her hazel eyes peeking above her clear lenses. "Yes, we do. Take a seat." As he did, she pulled out a cigar box, offered him one.

"No thanks."

Despite his answer, she slid two out, puffed both as she lit them and handed him one. "It's rude to refuse, you of all people should know that." He reluctantly accepted the offering and took a couple of good drags on it. "Relaxing isn't it?" She studied him. His eyes were missing their usual confident air he had always carried about him. His composure was lacking. Something wasn't right.

"Trunks, you haven't been yourself this week. Your presentation was no better than that of an amateur, and you are no amateur. So talk." She tapped her cigar on the rim of her crystal ash tray, drawing it back up to her lips as she waited.

It was now or never, he told himself. He closed his eyes as he exhaled, then reopened them to meet hers. "Seventy five percent, or I withdraw Capsule Corporation's project from this company and I dismiss myself early from this externship."

Rachel considered the offer. Her lips pursed and twisted as she swiveled in her chair, her head nodding occasionally as she debated with herself. "Seventy-five percent, that's a thirty-five percent increase from our standing offer."

"You know damn well that a forty percent benefit will do my mother's company nothing. Seventy-five."

Rachel considered again, then rose from her chair. "Seventy-five is quite the percentage, Mr. Briefs. It's going to take some extra persuasive effort on your part."

Trunks cleared his throat, unsure about what she had meant exactly. She turned her back towards him as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "You want me to take on more clients? I have time to cover a few more files in the week."

A laugh rumbled in her throat. "So naïve. Trunks," Her heels made a low thud against the berber carpet with each step she took towards him. She slid onto the edge of her desk, smirked as he instinctively rolled the chair back to keep their legs from touching. She gripped his tie, pulling him towards her, their breath warming each others cheeks. "You know damn well what I want. And as soon as I get it, I'll roll over, and hand you your seventy-five percent agreement."

Trunks angled his face downward to discourage her lips from touching his. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. If he slept with her, he saves the family business. That was a hard lump to swallow. It wasn't until he felt a wet, hot sensation on his earlobe that he snapped out of his thoughts.

He jumped to his feet like a cat out of water. "Rachel, I-" He panicked.

"Shh. Take some time. Think about it. And remember, what people don't know, won't hurt them." He took that as a suggestion towards his girlfriend. "It's an offer you can't afford to refuse."

xXxXxXx

Pan flicked her pencil down at her open textbook. She was frustrated, scared, emotional, not to mention pregnant. Her fingers pulled at the hair against her scalp as she cringed back the tears.

"Pan, it's okay we can take a break." Renji cautiously closed her book, as his concern towards her sudden mood change grew.

"I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

When he wasn't at football practice, Renji offered to tutor her in math. Pan was hesitant at first, but then she considered that it would sure take a load off of Goten's shoulders. After talking her into taking a television break, the two left the notebooks and pencils behind for some stand up comedy.

Ever since the confrontation with Vegeta, Pan felt herself growing increasingly anxious, but in a way relieved. The secret was out. More skeletons were poured from the closet, but between her, Bra, Goten, and Vegeta, they were all finally on the same page.

She pleaded with Vegeta not to tell Trunks about the pregnancy, and based on the phone call she got the next day, Vegeta respected her wishes. Trunks was angry. He yelled out of frustration with the situation. She tried not to take it personal, but he was mad at her for not telling him about what his mother was doing. Then he apologized, as if remembering something, and asked about Videl.

"She's doing good." She lied. She didn't know. Her father told her she was fine, but she didn't know for sure.

"Pan, my Dad already told me. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at my mom for putting you guys through this. No matter what happens, please just be honest with me."

She couldn't make that promise. "What did your Dad say about my mom?"

He stuttered. "W-well, that she... She wasn't holding up too well. Maybe it's just the treatments though. She chose the intense therapy, after all." The silence on her end suggested that this was new information to her. "Pan, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go. I love you Trunks."

She hung up after that. He called back but she ignored it and resorted to texting. Her mom wasn't doing well. And she was too big of a coward to face her.

The thought of seeing frail mother or her frail mother seeing her pregnant abdomen, made her stomach tighten. She gripped the couch pillow tighter against her, a motion not going unnoticed by the male sitting inches away from her.

The more he saw her, the more suspicion he gained. He didn't want to be rude and ask, Are you pregnant? What if she said no? What if she was just over-eating due to stress? He didn't see many pregnant bellies in his lifetime, but he had seen quite a handful of fat people. This didn't look like the latter.

Their eyes shifted to the entrance of the living room after hearing the front door open and close. Goten soon appeared, his eyes relaying his surprise at the guest in his house. "Hey you two. What's going on?" He asked casually, sitting on the adjacent sofa.

"Renji's been helping me out with my stats homework."

"Looks like you guys are getting a lot done." Pan sneered at his sarcastic remark. "I'm hungry, let's go eat." Neither of them objected.

While Pan strode off to her room to primp herself, Renji took the opportunity to clarify the question pulling at the back of his mind. "Goten, is she..." He awkwardly rounded his hands in front of his stomach, motioning some kind of semi circle.

Goten nodded. "Yup. And don't you tell a god damn soul, especially Trunks."

His eyes widened. "What? It's not his?"

"Of course it's his. He doesn't know. He left before she found out."

He tugged at the base of his red ponytail, trying to discern the facts reported to him.

"Ready." She called from the hall, leading the way outside.

Pan wasn't sure if Renji had picked up on her pregnancy yet. Her shirts were baggy, but she was getting bigger. He didn't ask, she didn't tell. She wasn't necessarily trying to hide it from him, she couldn't hide it forever. She just had to make sure he didn't go blabbing about it to other people.

"Pan, he knows." Goten announced as they took their seats at Ban's Bistro.

Well, that answers that, she thought to herself.

"Lips are sealed." Renji assured her.

"Welcome to- Oh no."

The three pairs of eyes at the table glued to their waitress. Their waitress with blue hair, wearing Ban's Bistro's trademark red romper.

"B-Bra?"

Bra swallowed that hard lump of pride in her throat. "That's right, I am Bra, your waitress. Can I start you out with some drinks?" Her eyes darted from Pan's to Renji, avoiding the other dark pair at the table.

"Is this why you weren't at school today?" Pan inquired. The two shared an English class.

"It's my first day. They needed someone to cover so I took it. I'm off in fifteen so can we move things along here?" She shifted her weight to one leg with pen and notepad ready.

Pan could tell she was uncomfortable. She couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or if it was the fact that once again her and Goten weren't on speaking terms.

"Water."

"Corona." Renji selected.

"Same." Goten uttered.

Her blue hair whipped behind her as she departed to the kitchen, leaving behind a floral scent.

"I never thought I'd see the day..." Pan began, still in disbelief.

She was back soon after with the water and bottled coronas.

"You didn't card me." Renji teased.

"Suck my dick." Bra mumbled.

He and Pan stifled their laughter while she reached into the pocket of her romper for her notepad. "What would you like to eat?"

"The number 8 please." Pan closed her menu, slid it to the edge of the table.

"Number 4." Renji followed suit.

Bra scribbled it down, awaiting the third order. "And for the disgruntled man?"

Goten's attention steered from the menu to her. "You said you had fifteen minutes left? Join us when you're done."

Her eyes softened, thrown off by his offer. "Goten, what do you want?" Her voice had lost it's previous sour edge. The question could have held a more underlying depth to it than a mere restaurant order.

"Number 2, please."

Goten wasn't particularly fond of the way he had dealt with the bombshells being dropped on him, whether it was coming from Pan or Bra. Whatever pain his niece was feeling, he took it out on Trunks. Ignoring him, so far, since that was all he was capable of doing. Whatever Bulma had done to his brother, he seemed to take it out on Bra. It took him a long while to realize it, but now he felt like an ass.

He didn't like being kept in the dark about things, especially when it affected his family, but they had to stick together. Shit was going to get worse before it got better, and he had a feeling that they had yet to hit the bottom of this.

After receiving their food, Bra clocked out for the night and gathered her purse, preparing to sit with her best friend, her best friend's uncle, and... Renji.

Pan slid over in the booth to grant her approaching friend space to sit.

"Hey, out already?" She was intercepted by Ryo who just came through the entrance.

Bra met is embrace with her own. "Yeah, I didn't expect you to be here so soon."

"You said five o'clock. And it's five o'one." His cheerful eyes followed Bra's to a nearby booth. "Oh hey guys." He grabbed her hand, closed the space between them and the booth.

"Hi." Pan mumbled, trying to swallow her food. "Bra was just going to join us, you should too."

"No, it's okay. I planned us a special dinner elsewhere. Gotta celebrate her first day or work. Ever." He added with a laugh. Nobody else found it as humorous.

Something about him was different tonight. He was acting so... fake. As if he was trying to play up a role, stroking Bra's hand and kissing her cheek. Who was he acting for?

"We'll be leaving now. Goodnight you guys." Bra squeezed Ryo's hand, nudging him towards the door.

He took her to a local park with rolling green hills. At a nearby picnic table next to a sandbox, he laid out a white tablecloth topped with a couple of plates and wine.

"Ryo, what's all this for?" She folded her arms, unsure what to think of this completely thoughtful gesture.

"It's for you. You've been down this week. So, dig in."

She sat across from him where her plate was set up. "You were acting... odd tonight..." She began, forking at her chicken he pulled out from a tuboware.

He shrugged. "I spoke with Pan, she told me that you and Goten had gotten into an argument. Bra, when you and him fight, you're closer to me. You looked so down. Confused. Hurt. I figured if you and I make him jealous, maybe he'll finally come around. He's a piece of work." He shook his head, taking a bite of his food.

Bra's fork stopped moving as her pupils fixated on him. "Wait... you mean, this entire time, these past few weeks were all an act?" He was surprised by the anger that danced on her words.

"Bra, you have feelings for the guy. After our first kiss, you still did. We still treated each other as friends. Whenever I tried to advance things, you pushed me away. When you and him stop talking, you cling to me, like you want me to play his role. So I did. Poorly, of course. I can see it, it's okay."

"Ryo, that is not true. I really like you-"

"As a friend. The same way I like you. You're beautiful, smart, witty, I've never met anyone like you. We immediately hit it off, and I want to keep it that way. Besides, you and I could never be a real item. You're not my type." He sipped his wine, keeping his eyes on hers with his eyebrows dancing teasingly.

An automatic smile curved her lips as she tried to absorb his perception of things. He was completely right. "Beautiful, smart, witty, but not your type?" She took her wine, humored now. "So what is your type, Mr. Shima?"

"You and I have a lot more in common than you think, Ms. Briefs. Let's make a toast. To a beautiful beginning, and to getting the man of your dreams."