Gohan sat on the edge of the seat on his couch, overlooking a blanket on the floor and smiling brightly at the baby who squirmed and cooed while he tried his best to put his foot in his mouth so he could suck on his own toes. His blue eyes shined brightly in contrast with his black hair. His grandson owned the same coloration his grandmother did, and for the second time in his life, Gohan found himself absolutely smitten with the combination.

"Foot," Gohan whispered quietly. The boy had just barely reached three months, so he knew vocabulary was a little bit too much for him, but some early word association couldn't hurt. "You have smart genes," he said to him. "You'll pick this up in no time."

In response, the baby put his fist in his mouth, shiny drool trickling down his chubby arm as he gummed at the appendage. Gohan made a face and the baby mumbled a sound through his mouthful of hand, but continued to gnaw at himself undeterred. "Then again, you also have your great-granddad's genes, so…"

The infant finally pulled his hand out and squealed loudly in the otherwise silent house. Gohan laughed, picking him up from the blanket in an attempt to get him to quiet down, bouncing him securely in his arms. "You hungry?" he asked.

He smiled, and although the action was likely involuntary at that point, the answer to that question for Saiyan babies was always "yes" anyway. Gohan stood up with him, cradling him in one arm as he grabbed one of the extra-large bottles from the fridge and set the stove to warm it up, doing his best to entertain the wiggly bundle while they waited.

The house was dark despite being in the early afternoon. Goku was at school. Videl and Pan were both in their rooms taking naps. He volunteered to stay home so he could take a shift after seeing both women exhausted the night before. He might've had some remaining negative feelings about Pan getting pregnant without a partner, but he couldn't deny how much he loved having this time alone with his grandson, just the two of them.

The tiny baby hand that was still slick with spit came up and patted Gohan's face, as though he was saying he loved him too. Gohan grimaced at the wet spot that had been left behind, but beamed brightly at the way he looked up at him. He'd thought these moments were over once Goku had grown. He'd never been so happy to be wrong.

Despite the energy-draining pregnancy, the baby had an uneventful and smooth birth. Gohan had been especially relieved since Videl was the only one allowed in the delivery room. Pan had given in to the suggestion of using a Capsule Corp facility, and Dr. Alphet had been watching over her just like she had for Goku's birth not that long ago. He had been relieved to have a skilled professional watching his daughter, but he still stayed as close to her room as possible, waiting with closed eyes as he stretched his senses so he could feel the rise and fall of both Pan and the baby's energies. He hadn't realized he'd been holding a breath until he felt the two energies separate for the first time, both tired, but strong and constant.

It wasn't long before Videl emerged from the room, still wearing a protective gown and a mask that was pulled below her chin. She smiled at her husband, then moved in for a big hug. Both grandparents were immensely happy now that it was over and had gone well, until Gohan noticed that two of Videl's left fingers had been taped together.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's just a broken finger," Videl said dismissively. "She could've easily gotten my whole hand, but she held back."

Gohan gingerly inspected her hand, knowing his daughter probably felt terrible about it, even if she was trying to be as careful as she could. "It's nothing," Videl reiterated, showing her tough nature hadn't diminished with age. "I'll be fine in a few days."

"Is everyone else okay?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pan's already asking when she can leave," she said, shaking her head. "She's – obnoxiously flat already. It's like she instantly deflated."

Gohan chuckled, knowing ahead of time that Videl was going to be especially annoyed with how fast Pan's Saiyan genes would allow her to heal. His wife's recovery after Goku had been months long and had been painful, especially since he'd broken her pelvic bone coming out.

"They want her to stay until they can make sure he can latch on, so it might be a while."

"That's good. I'm sure she'll be surprised at how much he's going to be able to eat. Even with only one-eighth the blood, the Son appetite will be there."

Videl subtly twisted her lips. At the time, Gohan didn't understand the expression, but it had likely been because his math wasn't exactly correct. "Bo's doing well too. Ten fingers, ten toes – one tail."

He scratched the back of his head, experiencing mixed feelings about his name. "Bo" was originally "Bao", named after her favorite memory of her grandmother. Although it followed their family's naming trend, in the couple of weeks since she'd thought of it, it had already evolved to simply "Bo." He missed the original name, but it wasn't his decision.

"'Bao' is still going on the birth record," Videl said with a smile, picking up the hint of disappointment on his face. "She knows how much you liked it, so she's keeping it as the official version."

The sensation of his brother's energy interrupted his thoughts. A moment later, Goten emerged from the elevator, his fiancée Anzu following shortly behind. His bright face held a prideful smile almost bigger than Gohan's. Gohan was happy to see it, and pleased that his brother and his daughter had been able to get close enough for that to shine through at a moment like this.

"Hey Grandpa," he joked. "Are we on time?"

Gohan looked over at Videl, who knew more about the situation. "They're getting her cleaned up and then we can visit. They should be bringing him into the nursery so we can see him soon," she answered.

The two brothers continued to talk while Videl stripped of her protective gown and mask and sat down on a nearby chair with an exhausted *huff*. Gohan kept an eye on her. For what had been a relatively quick delivery, Videl looked extremely tired. He was glad Pan had her in the room with her, considering how stubborn she was about doing the rest of this alone, but he was concerned about how much work would be coming his wife's way. They owed Pan for helping them the way she did with Goku, but it wasn't exactly an equivalent exchange; Pan had been a young teenager with an endless well of energy at the time.

Videl met her husband's eyes, granting him a soft smile, as if reassuring him of these worries. He simply returned it, content to share what he could of the load, but still wishing Pan's obstinacy wasn't keeping just one more set of helping hands out of the equation.

Movement caught the corner of his eye and he saw a nurse wheeling in a clear bassinette into the nursery, which was behind a giant viewing window. Anzu gasped, but apologized profusely a moment later. Goten had warned her, but the wriggling, furry tail obviously still surprised her.

"How diluted do you think those genes have to be before that goes away?" Goten asked with a chuckle.

Videl twisted her lips again in the same way she had before, and Gohan noted that it was in reaction to the same sort of comment that he'd made.

The nurse pushed him the front of the room so that his doting family could get a good look at him. His eyes were mostly shut, but they could see a sliver of blue peek out from under his sleepy lids. He already had a thick head of hair, which was stubbornly standing in each direction, save two small strands that seemed to be the only ones that wanted to obey gravity. He was definitely a Son boy, but as Gohan studied his face carefully, he was also beginning to look familiar in other ways.

Suddenly, Bo opened his eyes, his tiny, black eyebrows furrowing furiously as a frown formed on his little lips. He made no move to cry, but was obviously not a happy camper at the moment. His tiny fists pushed aimlessly through the air. He was already trying to fight, and Gohan could feel a relatively powerful energy emanating from him.

Gohan was able to sense intricacies in energy a little better than some, but he'd misread Bo's energy in the womb while it was intertwined with Pan's. Now that he was out and he could sense it while isolated from Pan's, Gohan could sense a "scent" to it that was familiar but different all at the same time. What hit him even harder was the look on his grandson's face. He didn't have a lot of experience with babies outside of his own and Goten, but he could swear he'd seen that exact expression with those eyes before. He thought back to his childhood, remembering the only other infant he'd spent a significant of time with, and a very unpleasant feeling suddenly arose in his stomach, indicating that an earlier suspicion he'd written off as extreme paranoia - may actually be true after all.

"Aww, that is one grumpy boy!" Anzu cooed, also noticing the very features that were sending off red flags in Gohan's mind.

He opened his mouth to ask Videl a question and then noted her expression. She wasn't cooing over their new grandson; she was looking at him. A concerned look was plastered across her features. She could see the mystery-solving process in his eyes.

"Honey," he started with a nervous chuckle, knowing the next words might come off as a bit insane. "I need you to tell me if I'm crazy, but does Bo..."

Her brow softened, and she quickly pulled him down the hall, away from Goten's ears. He was just as sensitive as Gohan, but thankfully less observant, and either didn't notice their absence, or wasn't concerned with it. Gohan could tell Videl was trying to keep something from his brother, which unfortunately served as another piece of evidence that his working theory was correct.

"I know we don't keep secrets from each other, but I promised our daughter I wouldn't say anything," she said apologetically.

"Bo's father, he's..." he trailed off, finding his increasingly likely theory difficult to actually express in words.

"Now that you know, you can see why she thought it was better to keep it quiet for a while – right? And we both knew as soon as you found out…"

"That I'd be a little upset?" he said with a dry chortle. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his energy down so his brother and daughter wouldn't sense the bewilderment coursing within him. "I'm right, aren't I? He…" he cut himself short, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to process the new information that had just come to light.

Videl's face fell slightly, but she didn't argue. "Probably," she answered with a sigh. He hadn't actually said a name yet, but it was all over his face. He was probably already putting it together at the wedding, but she also wondered if he found it too absurd to believe at the time. If she hadn't witnessed their coy behavior and heavy flirtations with her own eyes at Goten's party, she knew it would be difficult for her to swallow too.

"I should've known when she wouldn't tell us – that it was someone we knew. I should've figured that part out. Otherwise – why would that matter?" he said. "I just – I thought she wanted her privacy. I should've been more assertive."

She shrugged empathetically. "She's not a child," Videl said, "and she was asking for help. Even if you'd known it then, what would that have changed?"

"Goddamn it – we danced at his wedding less than two weeks ago," he yelled in a whisper. "Like nothing was wrong. And in the meantime, she was about to …" He trailed off again, looking around for a chair that he could sit in before his legs gave out on him in shock. He nearly fell into his seat, running a hand through his spikey hair as he took another calming breath.

"He still doesn't know," she told him. "Whatever they had together, it didn't end amicably and Pan hasn't wanted to draw him back into her life with this news. We've both known that kid for a long time. If he did know – he'd be here."

His face changed from shock to anger, but he took a deep breath, willing his energy level back down to its baseline. He'd known she hadn't wanted to tell the father, but conversations about it beyond their first were met with stubborn, stone silence. Even though Gohan had tried a time or two to engage her moral compass, he'd eventually given up. Now that the mystery had a very familiar face, it felt like a betrayal on his part.

"That's not – I expected better from her," he said, lowering his voice. "I expected better from both of them. What the hell was going through his brain?"

Videl was right. Trunks was a good man and would've been there the entire time, had Pan allowed him to be. But there was the glaring issue of how he'd wound up making a child with her in the first place. In Gohan's eyes, the only innocent party here was the baby himself.

Videl crouched so she was sitting in front of Gohan on the ground, holding his hands supportively. "You know I disagree with her decision to do things this way, but Pan…" she stumbled, finding the next words difficult to admit. "…might've been - a little right. This would've made both their lives significantly more complicated. And this way, he could move on and get married, and she could prepare for Bo without any additional stress."

"But now that it's all over with…"

Videl nodded emphatically. "She's going to tell him. I was going to give her a little time to get acclimated, but she will. And now that you know too, we can both encourage her to do the right thing."

Gohan sighed deeply, spending a moment in his own thoughts, trying his best to wrap his head around the situation as a whole. "What else do you know?" he asked, still wondering how this started in the first place only to end with a marriage to someone else and a trip to the Labor and Delivery ward at Capsule Corp.

Videl gladly told him everything else she knew, relieved to be done with the part of things that required her keeping something from her husband. Unfortunately for Gohan, it wasn't much. All she knew was that it had been going on for a few months before Trunks broke her heart. She also told him that they weren't keeping it a secret for any reason except to make sure the Briefs and Sons remained friends despite this experiment. That information didn't serve to make Gohan any happier. However, he wasn't sure immediate honesty would've helped his opinion either.

By the time her story was finished, the sharp edge of his initial shock and anger had dulled to a sick feeling in the middle of his stomach. He was still disappointed in his daughter for hiding this from Trunks, disappointed in Trunks for taking their relationship to a physical level in the first place, and even disappointed in Videl for agreeing to keep her own husband in the dark about something so important. At the same time, he recognized the emotional complexity of the issue and how big of a tangle his daughter had made in her life. This wasn't going to be sorted in the hallway of the hospital – and at least there was one tiny silver lining that he was very eager to meet for the first time.

Before their conversation was entirely finished, the doctor came out of her room, inviting everyone in to see Pan. Although she was lying in a hospital bed, she appeared fine. If you hadn't known she'd just delivered a baby, you wouldn't have thought anything was different from normal. She was all smiles when she saw Goten and her mother, but the moment she saw her father's face, her happy expression melted.

Gohan sat down next to her, his eyes searching hers, a million questions flying around his mind. He felt better now that he was seeing her face-to-face, but she could see the disconcerted look on his features. Even though the Sons didn't share Vegeta and Bra's telepathic abilities, she somehow knew exactly the reason for his expression.

"Daddy?" she asked, her voice cracking from her earlier physical efforts. "You've seen Bo?"

He smiled weakly and grabbed her hand. "Yeah, we did. He uh – has some familiar traits," he subtly hinted.

Her eyes fell to the blanket covering the lower half of her body. "Is it that obvious?" she asked quietly.

Gohan looked up at Goten, who was asking Videl when they were going to pop the baby's tail off and didn't seem to hear anything else. "Not to everyone, apparently."

"I know I have some explaining to do."

Gohan nodded in agreement, but also smiled softly at his daughter and leaned up to kiss her forehead. "We'll get to that. But what's important is that you're both healthy and safe. That's all I want to focus on for now."

The timer on the stove dinged, snapping Gohan out of his memories. That had been nearly three months ago. Bo was already growing by leaps and bounds, able to stand when supported and grasp things with a very strong grip. That was no surprise. Pan had levitated before she could talk, and if his memory served him correctly, Bulma once had Trunks climbing up a pillar on Kami's tower before he could walk. Saiyan infants were once used to raze planets, after all. Extremely early physical independence was perfectly normal for them.

His grandson was already getting bigger and learning so fast, but Pan still hadn't said a word to his father or anyone other than her own parents. Time was already starting to slip through their fingers.

Bo blew a raspberry at Gohan as though to impatiently ask where his food was. Gohan laughed at the boy and met his request, testing the temperature of the bottle before giving it to Bo. The infant happily took it from him, exerting some of the aforementioned early independence as he grasped it himself so he could suckle on it. He let out a contented sigh, leaning back in Gohan's arms as he happily ate his sixth meal of the day.

No wonder Pan's still so tired, Gohan mused, wondering how she was keeping supply up with demand. Videl had used formula to supplement for both of her kids, but so far, Pan was managing it by herself. Bo's birth made it obvious there were some additional differences between Saiyans and humans that were previously unknown. Evolution had gifted Saiyan women with a few extra attributes for making rearing children as easily as possible. He guessed that was so that their children would be able to survive on their own early.

He thought it would make an interesting study, except no one would be allowed to read it, save a chosen handful, and so far, the sample size was a little limited. "And you are more than enough for us to handle right now," he said softly to the boy in his arms.

Bo finished his bottle quickly and dropped it on the floor. Gohan put a towel over his shoulder and began to pat him very lightly on the back. He'd fall asleep soon, as he normally did after a big meal. Although that was certainly the routine, Gohan was disappointed. He was looking forward to the day when his naps and awake times balanced out a little more. He hoped Pan would still be living there when that happened – so he could spend as much time with his grandson as possible.

"How's he doing?" Videl asked with a yawn. She'd sneaked down when he'd been focused on other thoughts.

"He's fine," he answered just as Bo spit up on the towel. For how much he'd eaten and how quickly he'd done so, it wasn't much. "Didn't want to lose a drop, huh Spark?" Gohan asked, referring to Bo by the nickname he'd had before Pan thought of his official one.

Videl chuckled quietly and lightly brushed his head, which was now resting against his grandfather's chest. "He's getting tired. Maybe you should put him down in Pan's room."

"No, I'll put him on the blanket out here. I don't want to risk waking her up," he said. "What are you doing awake anyway? You've been down for less than an hour."

She stretched and popped her back, reaching for her tea kettle as she answered. "I only really needed a power nap," she said. "It's not like I'm burning 3,000 extra calories a day making food like his momma is."

Gohan was going to argue with her to go back to bed when Bo's arm went somewhat limp and his breathing became soft and regular. It hadn't taken long for the milk coma to set in, and he'd be asleep for hours now. He went with his first thought and laid the baby down on the soft blanket at the center of his living room. Just as he'd released him from his arms, a loud knock on the door echoed through the perfectly silent house. The hair on Gohan's neck stood up for a moment until he realized Bo was going to sleep through it. Hopefully, Pan was too.

He quickly tip-toed over to the door, already annoyed with whomever was on the other side. "Bulma!" he said in surprise, opening the door to see her aqua-marine hair behind an oversized bouquet of flowers.

She smiled and stuck her head out from around it. "Can I come in?"

He stuttered for a moment, trying to think of a polite way to say "no". "It's – not actually a good time…"

"So, where's this baby?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to what he'd just said. She shoved the bouquet into his arms and entered anyway, taking off her shoes and helping herself into their house.

He put the flowers down and straightened his glasses, watching her exasperatedly as she marched into his home uninvited. There were very few times Bulma wouldn't be welcomed there, but considering the baby and Pan were both trying to sleep and the woman could be a bit loud, he wished she would leave.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the blanket in the middle of the ground, and the sleeping baby lying comfortably on top of it. She folded her hands, holding them to her heart as she softly walked up and sat on the couch in front of him. "Look at him," she said, her brow arching in a way that could've been either elation or sadness.

"Bulma," Videl said politely. "Can you come back later? Pan's taking a nap and…"

"That's probably for the best," she said as she lowered herself onto the floor, lifting him gently and slowly so that he wouldn't stir and resting him on her legs. "I don't think she'd want to see me anyway." Her hands brushed his thick hair, and he opened his eyes and frowned at her for just a second, barely long enough for her to really get a glimpse of him. Her lips spread into a deep smile as she played with his chubby hand. He yawned and eyed the strange woman for a moment, and then fell asleep again.

Videl looked at Gohan and concern washed over her expression. Something wasn't right, and although Bulma loved babies, she seemed particularly enamored with this one, inspecting every detail of his face carefully as he slept. It was almost as though she knew…

"I know I should've called," she said. "But I wasn't sure if Pan would let me visit – and I wanted to meet my grandson."

Videl looked at Gohan again, pausing as they both silently considered what to say. Gohan sighed heavily, sitting down on the ground in front of her and resting his hands on his knees. "Bulma…" he started, although he trailed off again.

She laughed lightly and softly, careful not to disturb the baby in her lap. "We've shared a lot of adventures, Gohan. Namek, the androids, Buu… I never imagined becoming first time grandparents would be on that list."

Videl crossed her arms. If her husband wasn't going to ask the obvious question, then she would. "How did you know?"

"I knew that Pan and Trunks were – something," she said. "It doesn't take a genius to count back a few months…"

Gohan was caught off guard when he noticed Videl's eyes narrow at the older woman, but Videl had an amazing instinct combined with the training to read situations incredibly well. She wasn't buying it.

"Pan gave Trunks the wrong timeline. As far as he's aware, she conceived a lot later than she actually did," she said. "So – how did you know?" she repeated.

Bulma's smile faded slowly. It didn't take special training to see she felt guilty about something. "You're going to hate me for saying this, but he reminds me of Vegeta," she said, looking lovingly back down at him. "He's got the same grumpy face he gave to Trunks – and his hair… Little Bao."

Gohan sighed again. She was right about something. He wasn't too fond of her pointing out his resemblance, or making him accept what he'd been in denial about since the moment he'd realized the paternal source for his grandson's blood. "Bo," he corrected, eyeing her suspiciously as well. "She's calling him 'Bo'. Bulma – the only record of his formal name is in the birth record. Nobody knows that except family."

Bulma bit her bottom lip, and then smiled defeatedly. "Trunks – he and Goten went through a bit of a wild phase when it came to girls, if you remember," she said wryly. "And as we all know, unplanned babies aren't exactly uncommon for Saiyans. Trunks was already making headlines for being the next in line to inherit the family business. The shot didn't exist yet, not that it's infallible anyway, so I had to take extra measures to protect Capsule's interest."

"What did you do?" he asked her, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Since I knew they draw blood at birth to test for genetic abnormalities, I took advantage of Capsule's access to the medical networks and told the system to flag any blood result was ever entered that matched the specific abnormalities present in demi-Saiyans," she admitted. "Then I – told it to email me the records involving any birth of a child carrying that blood." She never looked up at Gohan during the explanation, seemingly refusing to meet his eyes.

"That sounds illegal," Gohan said, not disguising his increasingly frustrated tone.

"It's incredibly illegal," Videl answered with a huff. "You violated our daughter's privacy – and mine, didn't you? I'm sure Goku was flagged too."

Bulma's gaze shot up to Videl's as though she was about to argue, but she quickly realized that she realistically couldn't. "He was, but since his parents were known and he was expected, I just ignored it." She chuckled uneasily, still refusing to look towards Gohan. "The funny thing is, since your son's birth, I'd forgotten I'd done it. In fact, since I've retired, I don't check that email box very often at all. So imagine my surprise when I opened it up to find an entry for a 'Son' child matching 15 alleles with Trunks."

Videl put her hands on her hips, holding back what she wanted to say in respect of Gohan's history with the woman. She took a deep breath, calming herself down for the sake of the napping baby in her arms and her daughter.

"Have you told Trunks?"

"No," she said emphatically. "He's still in the dark. Which is why it took me so long to come visit, actually. There have been a few new developments and I wanted to speak with you."

"And not Pan?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know if she would understand," Bulma said quietly. The Sons sat silent for a moment, allowing Bulma to think of her words. She's rehearsed this several times, but it wasn't an easy subject to address. She finally looked up towards Gohan, nearly taken aback by the stern expression that looked completely foreign in his familiar face. He was already angry with her, and she hadn't yet gotten to the crux of the issue. "I take it she's decided to keep this quiet."

Videl nodded. "Not for long. She wanted to get through the birth and adjusted to the idea of this herself."

"Understandable," Bulma responded. "I – I'm glad she waited until after the wedding. That would've been hard on everyone. But I wonder – if she could wait a little longer."

Gohan's mouth dropped slightly in surprise. "Why would you want to keep this from Trunks? He's his son…"

"His new wife is pregnant, it seems…"

Videl groaned. This was getting worse and worse.

"…and it's not going smoothly. She's only a couple of months in and the doctors have already put her on heavy rest. My guess is it's the result of her body going through hell so many years ago," Bulma explained. "I just think this is bad timing. The stress wouldn't be good for her, and you know his attention's going to be monopolized. I'm already having issues with him remembering he has a job."

"How long are you asking for?" Gohan asked in a low voice.

Again, Bulma delayed her response, hoping she could find a method of presenting the idea in a way they could see and understand. "Until the baby is born, or – later. Maybe it would be best to wait until Bo's old enough to understand who he is. Trunks is going to have his hands full with the new baby, and running Capsule, and he may not…"

"I know he's busy and important," Gohan said carefully, "but I think he can find the time for something like this."

"You're acting like his wife won't be there…" Videl added.

"She doesn't have a family of her own," Bulma said. "It's just me and Trunks, with maybe a little help from his sister. I think it's best for her if he's there to…"

"You don't want Pan and Bo getting in the way of his real family," Videl interrupted succinctly.

Gohan looked at his wife, surprised that she would make that assertion. But as terrible as it sounded, he couldn't really argue with the statement's accuracy. He looked back at Bulma expectedly, hoping she'd present a point soon that would make sense without sounding as though she was trying to sweep his daughter quietly under the rug.

"No!" Bulma objected quickly. Bo stirred in her arms and woke up. She gently rocked him, hoping he would fall asleep, but his fussing increased. "I'm thinking about what's best for all of them. Bo's not going to get the focus he deserves right now. You should see how stressed Trunks is – he's beside himself. I can't imagine him handling this too. And of course, when the new baby is born, all of the attention's going to be on them, and Bo will get pushed aside…"

She trailed off. Gohan was not an easily angered man, but she could feel it radiating from him. His demeanor was calm and relaxed despite the tension in his face. She wished she could read energy at that moment to know just how far he had been pushed, but maybe it was better that she couldn't.

"I don't think I'm expressing myself well," she said, swallowing hard.

Videl walked over and gently took the now crying Bo from her hands. Bulma frowned deeply, already missing his presence in her lap. Her remarks about him weren't disingenuous and she wished she could've had a few more minutes to try to calm him down herself.

"You don't seem too worried about what's best for Pan," Videl said.

Bulma stood up and straightened the skirt she'd been wearing, resisting her desire to reach for Bo again. "I know she isn't short on money, but all she needs to do is ask and I'll make sure she has everything she and Bo could ever want."

"I think she probably wants her son to grow up with a father." Videl argued.

"Momma…"

Pan's voice interrupted the conversation. She'd come out of her room without them noticing and was now making her way down the stairs. Her eyes were full of sleep and tired, but she somehow still carried that spark of light Bulma had always known her to have. The way she looked at Bulma made her heart ache, but what she said contradicted her expression.

"…I think Bulma might be right," Pan said. Videl bounced Bo up and down as she looked at her daughter with a disbelieving expression. "I don't want Bo to grow up feeling like he's the least important person in his father's life. Maybe that will change someday, but right now…"

"Oh Pan," Bulma said sadly. "That isn't what I meant."

Pan disregarded her claim. "I just wish you would've told me you knew," she said to Bulma before turning to her father, "And you… I was keeping this secret as long as I could for the sake of keeping the families together, but you're fighting anyway. I could've saved myself a lot of trouble if I would've known this was inevitable."

Bulma had been correct in assuming Gohan was angrier than he looked. He'd been trying to keep his energy low, but it was difficult. It had probably been just enough to have woken both Pan and Bo from their naps in the otherwise quiet house. He set his jaw, looking down at the floor, feeling convicted by his own daughter's words even though she was the one hiding from the world. He might not have said as much as Videl in argument with Bulma, but Pan knew there was more than met the eye in terms of his feelings on the matter.

Bulma walked over to her, putting her hands on her arms. Pan wasn't a fan of the action, and was even less favorable of the way the other woman was staring into her eyes.

"I should've known something was going on when I walked into his office that day and saw you standing there glowing like the sun," she said with a sad smile. "He was looking at you in a way I don't think I've ever been looked at – and when he realized I was there, he'd acted like he was a kid getting caught stealing candy. He really did care for you. I hope you know that."

Pan tried not to visibly wince at the memory, but couldn't help it. She remembered that afternoon extremely well, the touch of his hand on her face and the look in his eyes. Red flags and alarms had been rampaging through her mind, telling her it wasn't a good idea to entertain the direction in which they were headed, but she'd ignored them all – and now, as much as she loved her son, she couldn't help but feel as though she was being punished.

"I wish I would've made him stop and think things through a little more carefully before that day ever ended," Bulma said. "But – hindsight is twenty-twenty, I suppose."

Bulma felt her visit was finished. She'd certainly outstayed her welcome. So, she walked back over to their entryway and began slipping her shoes back on. Her eyes met Gohan's again and she tried desperately to see the face of the child who'd saved her life in space, or who had flown her and her baby to safety after the androids had attacked. She couldn't. The only thing she could see was the expression of resentment he was trying poorly to hide. She knew he hadn't understood her point of view or what she was really asking for, and she had done a piss-poor job of trying to make it clear.

She had been so concerned about losing this connection to the Sons that she pressured Trunks on a very important decision that she should've left to him. Now it seemed like that was pointless. She was doing a pretty good job of spoiling things herself.

She left Gohan and Videl's house without another word to any of them. She'd also wanted to ask how often they'd allow her to visit her grandson, but after the way things had gone, she doubted she'd be welcome and space was likely the only thing they wanted from her.

"I'm sorry, Son," she said quietly to herself as she sped away in her car, looking up at the sky as she drove.

Time moved by quickly in those following days. The Briefs were busy preparing for the birth of another boy, Trunks doting and waiting on his wife who had grown very ill during her pregnancy. Preeclampsia had left her bedbound and a recurring bacterial infection been keeping everyone on edge. She was constantly exhausted. Like his unknown brother, this baby had taken a large share of energy from his mother, and both parents agreed he would likely be an only child unless medical science evolved to make the process significantly less risky.

She was still over a month away from her due date, but the Capsule doctors told them she'd been lucky to make it that long. The baby would be along any day, and even though everyone would be relieved when it was over, they were all very aware the delivery would present its own risk.

Trunks was a nervous wreck. He'd been working from home as much as he could and Bulma had been helping during moments that demanded his presence in the office. He hadn't left her side for more than an hour or two on any given day since her third trimester started – and only one thing was going to get him out of the house now.

"I have my phone," he assured her.

"I know," she said, sounding much more chipper than she probably should've considering how much her body yearned to simply change sides and move once and a while. She was staring down at a book while she responded, looking rather relaxed in contrast to the nervous way her husband was running around and getting ready.

"And my mom has hers."

"I know," she said with a chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Will you leave already? You're going to be late."

"I could come back early – or stay home. He'd understand."

She closed the book she'd been reading too hard, and looked up at him with a sardonic expression on her face. "He's your best friend; you're his best man – and frankly, we could use a break from each other." She'd said the last bit sarcastically, and there was a glint in her eye. He was happy to see her sense of humor intact. It was the only thing convincing him it was safe to leave her for an entire evening.

He smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her as he looked down lovingly at her. He was already late, but he wanted to take just a moment longer. Goten would understand.

"You're amazing," he said.

She rolled her eyes, but the edges of her lips curled up at the compliment. "I know," she repeated again.

He'd been saying that a lot lately, but considering what her body had been throwing at her and how well she'd been handling with it, it was true. Through it all, she still had that light in her eyes, and was still looking forward to the future and what was right around the corner.

"I mean it," he said quietly. "I'm – sorry – this has been so tough. I know it's almost over, but every day is harder on you than the last and that's largely my fault. And now I'm leaving you to go to a party…"

His eyes fell from hers when he'd said it. In preparation of wanting a family a few years down the line, he'd talked her out of renewing her Capsule shot before their wedding since it was supposed to last a very long time. She agreed only because she was going to go on a more normal medication and they were taking other precautions. He thought they'd have time before anything happened, but apparently the honeymoon had done the trick and they hadn't been careful enough. A short time later, they discovered she was already pregnant, and their plans for "a few years down the line" were now immediate priorities.

His confrontation with Pan had been fresh in his mind when the news was discovered. Having a child with Pan would've presented a set of difficulties he wasn't sure he could've handled well. Still, in the midst of the relief, there was a surprising feeling of disappointment that had hit him the moment she said it wasn't his. He knew he was mentally preparing for the idea of being a father, but he hadn't realized how much he was looking forward to it. During the few days that passed when he thought Pan's baby was his, he'd grown on the idea a lot. He wouldn't deny he'd walked away from that conversation feeling strangely empty.

The universe was not without its sense of humor. Only weeks after the disappointment of learning he wasn't going to be a father, he found out that wasn't true after all. He'd been so elated the day she told him, he had to go out for a late-night flight just to burn off enough excited, manic energy to sleep. That was before the complications came though, and before it became obvious that her body wasn't entirely compatible with pregnancy. Logically, they couldn't have known, but that didn't stop him from feeling responsible for the burdens she was carrying for the sake of delivering their child.

She made a strange sound of disapproval, snatching him from his thoughts. He looked at her questioningly. "Don't act like this wasn't my choice too," she said sternly. "If I didn't want this, it wouldn't be happening."

She'd said it in her "mean" voice, but the softness of her features betrayed the harsh words. He smiled at her, appreciating the effort. The closer they got to the due date, the more nervous he became, but it shouldn't be her job to put him at ease; those roles should've been flipped.

"And since we're only doing this once, don't spoil it for me," she continued in her scolding tone. "In a little while, he's going to decide it's time to come out and then we're going to start forgetting this part of the whole thing ever happened."

"Right," he agreed quietly.

"But seriously, get going!" she said loudly, pushing him lightly on the arm. "I'm looking forward to a night alone."

He chuckled and finally stood, throwing his suit jacket over his shoulders. "Goten knows I'll be checking my phone a lot, so if you run into trouble…"

"I will text you as soon as I can," she said. "Stop worrying. The medical center's a block away, the doctor's on alert – and you can be here in minutes. Anything that might happen while you're gone could just as easily happen with you here."

He sighed, allowing her reassurances to soak in and alleviate his nervousness, kissing her on the forehead before reluctantly leaving her behind.

. . .

Goten was all smiles when he arrived. The younger man was nearly floating on air. He'd been looking forward to this day for a while and after a lot of planning and saving, it was finally here. If Trunks didn't know better, he would've thought Goten was drunk, but while the bride's entire family was working their way there, he was simply sober and happy. Trunks' heart lifted immediately from the weight of his own troubles. His friend had a talent for expressing infectious joy.

Gohan was in the ready room next to the alter with him, focusing carefully on the tie around Goten's neck as he worked to fix it for him. There were lots of groomsmen already present, but they were all each halfway through a six-pack. Since Goten could count the number of times he'd worn a non-clip-on tie on one hand, his older brother was doing the job.

"If you need any help, I am far too used to that. I could make just about any knot in my sleep," Trunks joked, walking up to the brothers.

Gohan pulled the blade of the tie tautly, straightening up the knot. "I've got it," he said quietly without looking towards him. Trunks wrote off his strange demeanor as being due to his focus on the task.

"Hey!" Goten cheerfully greeted. "Glad you could make it."

Trunks scratched the back of his head, smiling uneasily. "I'm sorry I'm late. I know you were with me all morning during my day and I…"

Goten slapped the side of his arm and smiled. "You've got a lot going on. I'm just glad you're here."

Gohan scratched his chin and adjusted the knot one more time, straightening out his brother's collar before calling it good. "I'm going to the bar. I'll be in a little later," he said, walking out of the ready room and into the main section of the venue. He never so much as glanced towards Trunks.

Trunks raised an eyebrow and watched him leave. Is he avoiding me?

"How are things today?" Goten asked, distracting Trunks from his silent question.

"Quiet," he answered, pulling out his phone to verify a lack of messages. "She's sorry she missed it though. You ready?"

Goten smiled. "Very."

"Really? No cold feet or anything?"

He shook his head emphatically. "Nice and toasty."

Trunks laughed and patted his friend on the back. "Okay – well, is there anything I can do while we wait? I feel like I'm dropping the ball here."

Goten twisted his lips in thought. "Go make sure some of her family is sitting on the groom's side. The room's getting lopsided and the ushers are doing shots behind the bar."

"Consider it done," he said with a salute as he obediently left to usher the crowd.

. . .

Bo fussed and cried impatiently as Pan worked to get him out of his car seat. "Your wiggliness is only making this worse," she playfully scolded. She was just glad he wasn't coordinated enough to figure out how to break it yet, but he would be soon enough, and then she doubted she'd be able to keep him in a car seat for longer than a minute or two. Luckily, they didn't need one very often.

Finally, the last buckle had been unclipped, and she noticed in horror that the moment the straps were gone, he started levitating from his chair. That was a new one. She quickly grabbed him in her arms, looking around with wide eyes, hoping no one had seen it happen. "You'd better not do that in the middle of your granduncle's wedding. He'll never forgive me for it," she whispered. Although she was mortified at the thought, she couldn't deny the pounding of pride in her chest. He hadn't even spoken his first word yet, and he was already ready to fly.

"All good?" her male companion asked from behind her, missing the baby's gravity-defying trick.

She smiled and nodded, and he pushed the button on his car to encapsulate it. Well, really it was her car, but after crashing it in his front lawn and making him and his wife drop everything to help her, she was happy to gift it to them once she was done with it so it could actually get used. He entwined her arm with his, escorting her through down the walkway to the venue.

"You don't need to be so formal, Yari," she said with a laugh.

"Taani said I was supposed to treat you like my lady," he argued with a smart-alecky smile. "And any lady of mine gets the option to hold my arm, doors opened for her, and in the event of inclement weather, my jacket."

"Such a gentleman," she said dryly. "You don't have to pretend that hard. I just didn't want to come with my parents or show up alone."

"Didn't Taani say you have a guy?" he asked in confusion. "He couldn't make it?"

Pan sighed, choosing her words carefully knowing her good friend would likely want to give her a hard time about it later. "That's – complicated," she said, ignoring the cocked eyebrow on her escort's face. "It's just that wedding dates can have added pressure, and my parents are here, my kid, and – other people… He'd also wonder why I wanted to skip the reception."

"Yeah – why go through the pain of a wedding if you're going to skip out on food and cake?" he asked. "Isn't that the fair cost of making people sit through the ceremony?"

"I said I'd buy you a burger on the way back," she argued. "I would stay, but Bo will get fussy in a couple of hours when he's hungry and I don't want to have to hold him on my lap the whole night. Plus, there are a few people here I don't really want to talk to and a wedding reception would give them every excuse to… shit…" She trailed off, seeing the familiar blue hair of a woman she hadn't seen since that day six months ago in her parents' house. She'd hoped Bulma wouldn't manage to see her at all if she left early enough. Instead, to her massive displeasure, the woman smiled as though absolutely nothing was wrong and began walking right over.

"Is she one of those people?" Yari whispered.

Pan nodded, frowning deeply. "Would you mind going inside? I don't think I'm getting out of this one."

He smiled uneasily and walked past the woman, noting that she seemed to be sizing him up the entire time.

"Pan," she greeted cheerfully, seemingly forgetting everything that had happened at the Son house six months before. Her hand went over her heart as she looked at the growing Bo in Pan's arms.

"Bulma," Pan returned her greeting cautiously, fighting the temptation to hide Bo from his grandmother's stare. He nuzzled into her arm shyly when he saw the strange woman, apparently supporting that idea.

"He's gotten so big," she said, her face falling into a sad frown as though she lamented missing the boy despite the fact that it had been largely by her choice, or so Pan believed. She held out her arms. "Can I…?"

Pan hesitated, but a little voice spoke up in the back of her brain reminding her that she was still his blood. She fought with herself for a few moments, attempting to find an excuse not to hand him over. Ultimately, she couldn't, and put him carefully in her arms. Bo allowed the transfer with very little struggling, but looked up uncomfortably at Bulma, like the stranger she was. She tickled his belly, quickly inspiring him to crack a smile as he giggled loudly.

A wide grin lit up Bulma's face. "He looks so much like Trunks," she said, regretting it the moment it slipped out of her mouth. Pan crossed her arms defensively, shifting her weight uncomfortably in reaction. "Oh – I promised myself I wasn't going to be pushy about it if he was here, but I was really hoping you'd bring him."

"Don't you have another one you can dote over?" Pan asked.

Bulma's smile faded. "Soon," she said, ignoring the inference Pan had made with that statement. "I'll be interested to see how much they look like each other. They will be half-brothers after all and…"

Pan interrupted her before she could continue, pulling Bo out of her arms. "The wedding will be starting soon. We'd better go in," she mumbled as an excuse for her abrupt change of heart, walking back towards the venue. Bulma sighed dejectedly, but didn't follow her in, deciding it was better to give her some breathing room. Maybe she would get another chance to hold him before the event ended if she didn't push too far.

Pan sighed in relief when she made it inside and realized Bulma wasn't following. She took Yari's offered arm again and they meandered through the venue foyer, occasionally stopping to say their hellos to people Pan knew, mostly those who hadn't seen the baby yet. Yari was doing an excellent job at pretending to be a legitimate date, and it wasn't nearly as awkward bringing him as it would've been a real date.

Her ability to relax did not last long. Inside the main hall, the newly arriving guests on the bride's side were being funneled to the groom's side to even out the crowd. The temporary usher was none other than the best man, who was pulling this double-duty at the front near the stage and the wedding décor. There were seats in the front reserved for family and she knew she'd be expected to take some of them, but to do so, she'd have to get close, and she really didn't want to have to talk to him.

She shut her eyes, admonishing herself for her cowardice and sat in one of the back rows. It'd be better with a baby anyway, as it would be an easier exit if something went wrong in the diaper department. Yari followed, sitting next to her, wondering why the man with the purple hair at the front was suddenly staring at Pan. Pan was doing everything she could to look everywhere except for where that man stood, a deep frown set on her face that contrasted to the smiles in the rest of the room, including the one on the baby in her arms.

"So – what's our lore?" he asked in an attempt to distract her from her suddenly sour mood.

"Our lore?" she raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah – you know – our story? The epic romance we tell people explaining why I'm here with you?" he clarified, giving her a charming wink.

Her frown softened into a smile, which had been his intention, she realized. "I didn't really take the time to think one up. I thought we could just say we were friends in school."

"Nah – no good. You should've given me a character sheet. I've got to know my stats going into this thing, you know?" he said. "Like – am I supposed to be a smarmy bard, a wise sorcerer, or a regal paladin?"

"You are – a geek. Through and through," she said with a chortle. "You and Taani are perfect for each other."

"Ah – I managed to trick her into marriage and get you to smile, so I'm thinking bard's the answer," he said with a chuckle.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, even though she didn't completely understand what he was saying. Although Trunks was still actively doing his job, she could feel his blue eyes locking on her. This would've been immensely uncomfortable if she would've brought Arán, but Yari was making it easier. "I know this wasn't the best way you could've spent an afternoon."

He shrugged. "Anything for a friend," he said cheerfully. "Besides, it's not everyday a guy gets to feel like a high-priced gigolo."

She chuckled again. "I'm sorry, I…"

"I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing," he said. "But Taani did warn me to get at least 100 Zeni up front if you wanted to sell it with a quick peck."

Pan raised her brow in surprise and blushed lightly, but laughed heartily despite her embarrassment, understanding the nature of his joking. "I don't think it'll come to that," she said, "but for the record, I would've gone higher."

He feigned disappointment, snapping his fingers and shaking his head. She sighed, relaxing even more as she leaned back in her chair. She looked at the boy in her lap, sucking away contentedly on his fingers. She felt immensely guilty for it, but had the thought that she wished she could make him cry so she'd have an excuse to get away from Trunks' stare. But Bo was by nature an extremely happy baby, and really only became upset when he was hungry, which wouldn't be for a few hours.

Just like your great-grandfather, she thought with a sad smile.

"Is he still looking over here?" Pan asked Yari quietly.

Yari nodded. "I recognize his face from the news, but the way he's staring – it's pretty easy to figure out the one you're trying to avoid," he said. "Also, the kid looks like him. Sorry," he added, realizing that might not have been the smartest addendum.

She twisted her lips and winced, but her tone remained lighthearted. "You're not the first person to say that," she said. "Is he looking at me or the baby?"

"Just you," he said with a dry chuckle. "I don't even think he's noticed I exist."

She had mixed feelings about that, but if it had been Bo he'd been staring at, that would've been worse. She'd lied to him after all, and according to some sources, that was not a strong skill for her. It wouldn't take much for him to realize it if he really looked at some of Bo's features.

Before she had to worry about it too much longer, he checked his phone and walked away.

. . .

Trunks was immensely upset with himself. He felt Pan's presence when she landed at the venue, and thought he was prepared to be in the same room with her after how long it had been since he'd last seen her. He was wrong.

The moment she walked in, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. It wasn't as though he had been fixated on her this entire time; he'd had so much going on in his own life, he barely had time for a waking thought that wasn't about pregnancy problems, preparing for the likelihood of a premature baby, and work, which he still had to somehow find the time and energy to do. However, as soon as Pan walked through the foyer doors, he found himself immersed in nostalgic feelings for her and a strong desire to make amends. He'd missed her.

She was wearing a sundress under a sweater, not unlike the one she'd worn to Goten's engagement party. She looked almost exactly the same as that day; childbirth had not taken an ounce of her youth except to add a maturity to her eyes she didn't hold before. Memories came flooding in of that party, the conversations they'd had, the coy glances and fun they'd shared pretending like there was nothing going on between them, and the way her eyes pleaded with him for the quick moment in the dark privacy of Capsule Corp while their families partied and picnicked just a short distance away.

The speed at which his thoughts turned towards the wrong direction surprised him. Apparently, those feelings hadn't entirely disappeared after their time apart either.

You're just getting your own case of cold feet, he told himself ashamedly, pulling his phone out to make sure there were no messages waiting for him. Your wife is sick at home with your son on the way and all you can think about is the carefree past.

He shook himself out of it, refocusing on the guests and where they were sitting. A deep frown set in on his lips as he mentally kicked himself for allowing his mind to stray.

She's obviously got her own life figured out anyway, he thought, his eyes moving back towards her. First the instructor at the dojo – now this guy. She probably has them lined up.

He risked a glance at her date. Definitely not the father, he realized. Yari had dark skin, curly hair, and eyes as brown as hers. Saiyan genes did tend to provide the dominant features, especially in the Sons, but judging by the pictures Goten had shown him, the baby's eyes were blue. Whoever he was, the man next to her seemed to be skilled at making her laugh.

Good for her, he thought.

Since the time for the wedding was drawing near, the trickle of guests coming into the room slowed down. Both sides were pretty full, so Trunks had done his job despite the distraction. His eyes drifted back up to the couple, who were now having a quieter, more serious discussion. He wondered if that guy would be taking advantage of that sun dress like he had – taking her somewhere like the relative privacy of the coat check room, pushing it up to her waist and pressing her against the wall…

He was thankful for the ongoing conversation noise in the room when he audibly groaned. He swore the moment he left this wedding, he was going to go home, hug his wife as tightly as she could withstand it, and tell her over and over how much he loved her. This thing with Pan had been short and was over a long time ago. He wasn't going to let his mind wander wherever it wanted to and distract him from what mattered.

He pulled his phone out again, checking it one more time in paranoia before heading into the ready room. Gohan and Goten were having a lighthearted conversation about something and Trunks walked up to join them. The moment he did, Gohan paused in the middle of a sentence.

"I'm going to go wait in the foyer – and make sure Goku has the rings," he said, giving his brother another squeeze on the shoulder.

Trunks frowned. "Is – everything okay with Gohan?" he asked Goten. It didn't seem like he was angry with him, but it was a little weird that he walked away every time Trunks entered the room.

The other man shrugged. "I think so. He was just telling me about Bo… By the way, you should make a play date between him and your kid once they're old enough. I'm sure Pan would love it," he said.

"Yeah, I was thinking I'd say 'hi' at the reception," he said. "I haven't caught up in a while."

"Oh, she's going home after the ceremony," Goten said, acknowledging Trunks' confused expression and adding, "she doesn't want to sit around for hours with a baby in her lap."

He nodded in understanding. You could always just call her, Coward, he thought to himself. "So, have you started getting the baby question yet?" he asked his friend with a smile, wanting to change the topic for his own sake.

"From just about everyone here – and the event hasn't even started yet," he said dryly. "I can't wait to hear it all at dinner again."

Trunks chuckled. "They didn't even wait for the wedding for me. It started coming in as soon as they got the invitation. The press was the worst though; be glad you don't have to deal with that."

Goten smiled, but looked uneasy about the subject. "We're uh – waiting. Probably a while," he said quietly. "If we do it at all."

He looked at him in surprise. "You've always talked about a big family."

The younger Saiyan rocked on the balls of his feet, debating about his answer before responding. He could see the disappointment on Goten's face when he'd said it. He'd wanted kids for a long time. "Yeah – I mean – if things are safe for her and she'd be healthy…"

"Oh," Trunks started, suddenly understanding where his change of heart was coming from. "I wouldn't weigh that decision based on us. There are a lot of extenuating circumstances there. I'm just not sure how much of it she wants me to share. And – there are plenty of other examples of it going well. Pan turned out fine."

"She's got Saiyan blood," Goten argued.

"Videl popped out two," Trunks retorted. "So did our moms."

"And one of Videl's broke a bone getting out," he answered. "Plus, Videl and my mom were martial artists and were in great shape – and Bulma waited over a decade and had the dragonballs to rely on."

Trunks sighed and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's never going to be easy. It's better to keep your mind on the reward than the risk," he told him, repeating the mantra he'd been saying to himself nearly every morning for the past several months.

"Would you do it again knowing how tough it is on her?"

He considered Goten's point-blank question carefully, wanting to answer honestly. His shoulders sank, giving Goten a glimpse of the truth, but he wouldn't admit the thoughts going through his mind. "Ask me again in a month," he said, scratching the side of his head and checking his phone again.

For the first time that day, Goten's smile faltered slightly, though it didn't last for long.

"It's a good idea to wait," Trunks said, trying to improve the slightly dampened spirit of his friend and put him at ease. "I don't feel like I've had a moment to breathe since my wedding. Waiting a little won't hurt anything and it'll give you time to adjust to married life."

Goten nodded in appreciation of the point and his smile returned some of its radiance, but Trunks was secretly disappointed as well. He'd hoped his son would have a friend to grow up with like he'd had Goten, someone who could match his "genetic talents", who didn't need to be kept in the dark about certain subjects, and who could be a shoulder for him when things were rough. It was bad enough they'd definitively decided he was going to be an only child, but now it looked as though he'd have to find friends the traditional way – unless he could somehow bury the hatchet with Pan.

He opened the door, peeking out from the wide crack to look at the crowd. Just as he did, for the first time that night, Pan's eyes met his. It was an accident on her part; she just happened to look up at the wrong time, but once they locked in on each other, their gazes lingered for longer than either of them had meant to. He was partially relieved to see that her expression no longer shifted into one of anger in reaction to him as it had before, but the fact that it seemed to be replaced with one of worry and sadness brought him very little comfort. Trunks sighed and looked away first, checking his phone screen for possible emergency messages once again while he attempted to swallow the feeling of guilt in his chest.

The wedding planner interrupted any further thought on the subject, pulling everyone from the ready room into the foyer. They were lined up shortly afterwards for the aisle walk and the ceremony began.

Pan watched with a smile from her seat. She'd been invited to be a bridesmaid, but since Videl and Gohan were walking in place of the mother and father of the groom, she would've had to have found a babysitter, so she turned it down. In any case, she enjoyed the view better as a member of the crowd. She got to see her father's proud, beaming smile and he held her mother's arm, and her brother awkwardly count his steps to the beat of the music as he walked up with the rings balanced on a pillow. He was a little old to be a ring bearer, but did his duty perfectly. The bridesmaids were all lovely and the groomsmen, dapper. It was no wonder it had taken her uncle time to save up money, despite the bride's family's assistance. It was beautiful.

Someday, maybe, she thought to herself, looking down at Bo who was watching the people walking by. She swore she heard him giggle, but his mouth was full with his own fingers and he couldn't have made the distinct noise she thought she'd heard. She shook her head, tucking the confusing moment away for further consideration of her sanity later.

After the ceremony, she stayed for a few pictures with the family, and then left for the foyer to meet her date.

"You ready?" he asked. She nodded. "I'll go de-capsule the car and pull it up near the door. The weather's turning a little."

She agreed, but saw that other people were getting similar ideas. The line of cars to pick people up at the door for the reception was getting long. It was going to be a minute or two, so she stood by the door, looking out at the stormy-looking twilit sky grateful she wasn't going to be flying Bo back herself all the way from the venue. Yari would take them back to his and Taani's place, which was closer to her new apartment, where she and Bo now lived.

Bo stirred in her arms as though he was excited to get back to his new home too. He'd be eating before long, and then it would be an early night to bed for both of them. He'd started solid foods a while ago, but it was still done in combination with milk since he was always so hungry. Nursing a perpetually hungry, quickly growing Saiyan and going back to work at a physical job was exhausting. Just another reason to be glad she wasn't going to be sitting around a reception for the next three hours.

"We've got to get you weaned soon," she whispered to him with a yawn.

He squealed as though complaining about the idea, wiggling around and squirming in her arms until his chin was rested on her shoulder, looking behind her at the people still mulling around the room.

Trunks had been drifting between the ceremonial room and the foyer, staying close by in the event he was needed for pictures. Some of his attention was split among checking his phone and on finding Pan, debating on what to say if he did, or even simply how to break the ice. He'd finally found her by the door, looking out at the line of cars outside and the other passengers loading in to them. She was waiting to leave as well.

Her back was turned towards him and he doubted she knew he was there, but as he approached, he found his feet had practically frozen to the floor before he could get to her. He genuinely wanted to make things right between them before the baby was born, and before life changed forever. She might not have thought so, and it was his fault for it, but she was an important part of his past and an important member of his circle. What had happened between that hadn't changed those feelings. If anything, it had grown them, because now they had a deeper understanding of each other beyond just being extended family friends. Truly making things right between them would take much more than a two-minute conversation at a wedding though, and while he knew that, it would at least be a start in the right direction. After that, maybe in a few years, their sons might find an important friendship, like he had with Goten, and she would support the idea.

He scratched the back of his head, finding himself without the fortitude to simply say her name and get her attention. Before he could completely make up his mind on what to say or whether to give up and walk away, her son's head popped up from the other side of her shoulder. The boy's crystal blue eyes focused on him intently through two stubborn and out of place strands of black hair, and a wide, gummy grin spread across his lips.

Despite his concerns and stress of the day, Trunks found himself smiling back at the boy's bright face. Bo was definitely a Son, through and through, but Trunks couldn't help but wonder whose genes had managed to break through the dominate features of the Son family and give the boy those striking blue eyes.

As that thought trickled through Trunks' consciousness, he sudden felt a warm "ping" in his mind. It wasn't unlike the feeling of abruptly sensing a strong ki, but while that was usually electric and sharp, this was softer. It occurred to Trunks that it had a similar sensation to what he felt before he heard his father's voice in his head. It wasn't often Vegeta used his psychic abilities, but during the times he'd experienced them, they'd always had a unique mental "flavor". This felt exactly the same.

His eyes narrowed and he twisted his head. Those abilities weren't always gifted in the cosmic pool of powers that Saiyans normally freely drank from. Vegeta had them and had passed them down to his sister, but the gift had missed him entirely. He'd heard Goku had been able to occasionally use them as well, but not all the time and he never really seemed to care enough about them to train up that rare set of skills. As far he knew, none of the other Sons had the capability. It was a big surprise to learn Pan's son seemingly had that particular gift; it would've had to skip a number of generations, but Bo's stare and continued cooing in Trunks' direction was hard evidence that he was trying reach out psychically.

Are you – talking to me? he asked, using the same sort of "voice" he used in the rare moments when his father had reached out to him.

Of course, the baby didn't say anything back. That was a stupid idea. He "heard" nothing but silence in reply. However, he did come to feel something. He couldn't describe it at first, but after a moment he recognized its warmth. What qualities there were about the message that gave him that impression, he wasn't sure, but if anyone had asked him what the reply was, he wouldn't have waivered from his original answer: a "hello."

He opened his mouth to speak, but before a single noise came out from his throat, he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate, sending his nerves into hyperdrive. His hand stumbled into his pocket. When he pulled out his phone, he nearly dropped it before he could get a read on the message displayed on the screen.

"Breaking: Stocks rise amid interest rate cut…"

He grumbled at the pointless alert, turning that system off before shoving the phone back in his pocket. When he looked back up, Pan and Bo were gone, and the presence he'd felt in his mind had faded. He sighed in disappointment for a few reasons, already missing the joyous impression he'd received as a small gift from Son Bo and regretting his procrastination in speaking with Pan. It was a missed opportunity.

He stared at the empty doorway for a moment before the wedding planner called him back in for more pictures. He thought of calling her again, asking her to meet him face-to-face, doing something that might help them find a balance between where they were and where they need to be. If she wouldn't do it for their own relationship, maybe she would for the sake of their sons.

While he resolved to reach out to her, part of him knew life was going to get in the way any day. But if it didn't happen today or tomorrow, he hoped it would happen soon. His mother was right about one thing: the Sons were too important to let another ten years pass before he fixed things.