" Once So Blue"

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball GT.

Rating: R

Warnings: angst, sap

Summary: The night before Pan leaves for college in the states, she admits her feelings to Trunks, causing the two to spend a night of passion together. The next day, Pan leaves for college, leaving Trunks a note. Five years later she returns.

"Once So Blue"

Chapter 7

“Daddy, Mommy, look at me!”

Trunks turned his attention to his laughing daughter and smiled, Bulma and Chi-Chi had suggested he take Mariko to the park in order to bond with her, of course he was all for the idea, until he was told he had to pick her up from Gohan’s house, this caused Trunks to get a little uneasy considering his long stay in the hospital at the hands of his child’s grandfather. Fortunately Chi-Chi and Videl held Gohan off of him and Trunks, Mariko, and shockingly Pan made their way to the park, incident free.

“She’s a doll isn’t she?” Pan said, more as a compliment than a question.

Trunks nodded a curt yes, keeping his attention on the playing little girl. He and Pan sat on a bench together, in all truth it was originally suppose to be only him and Mariko, but Pan decided to come and when questioned why by her daughter, she claimed, “I need to talk to Daddy about some grownup things.”

He was wondering what it was Pan wanted to talk about, although he had a vague idea of what ‘it’ was, he knew she was working up her guts, and to be honest he was in no hurry for her to gain her nerve.

“Trunks,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground.

He flinched inwardly, ‘Here it comes.’

“We need to talk,” she began, “About . . . about everything.”

Trunks nodded and told her to go on.

“First of all, how will it be with Mariko? Do you want her at certain periods and then I’ll get her. I know I want to keep custody of her, but I won’t keep her away from you.”

“I understand,” Trunks said.

“I am marrying Derek here soon, how does that make you feel? Do you have any objections to it, as to how it could affect Mariko’s and your relationship.”

For some reason, the inside of his heart twisted into a knot hearing this, “It shouldn’t,” he lied, Trunks didn’t want Pan to marry Derek, ”that is unless Derek has any objections…”

“Oh no,” Pan cut in, “No he’s all for the idea of you and Mariko bonding.”

“I see,” Trunks said keeping his eyes low, a blush crept across his cheeks as the next question popped from his mouth, “And what about us?”

Pan blushed and looked down as well, “I . . . what about us?”

“I don’t know, after all we did bring Mariko into existence, and at one time I know you loved me or at least felt something for me, didn’t you?”

“True, I did,” Pan sighed, “but I was younger and more naïve than what I am now. Those years I was missing, I had time to think, and after I had Mariko, I realized my feelings for you was just teenage puppy love. I grew up.”

Trunks’ heart fell even more, “So there is no chance for a me and you?”

“I’m afraid not Trunks,” Pan said regretfully.

“Would there have ever?”

“I don’t know, Trunks,” Pan said, “You once made me so blue. I watched you skip from girl to girl when I was younger and do you want to know how bad that made me feel, it hurt to know that I would never be that girl on your arm. You don’t know how much I begged Kami for you to feel the same.”

“I never realized you felt that way, Pan. I’m sorry if I hurt you, I never meant to.”

Pan grinned sadly, “Story of my life.”

Trunks put a warm arm around Pan, “No worries anymore, I’ll always be there for you and Mariko, even if you hate me.”

Pan leaned her head against his arm, allowing his warmth to comfort her.

She didn’t love Trunks anymore, she loved Derek, and of course she did. Derek was the only one for her.

‘Then how come you stayed by Trunks’ side the whole week he was in the hospital? Not very many engaged women stay in the hospital room of their ex-lover,’ a traitorous voice hissed in her head. ‘I was merely concerned for him,’ she reasoned, ‘Bra, Goten, and everyone else was worried as well, but they didn’t stay in the hospital every hour of the day.’

It was true, Bulma and all of Trunks’ friends were concerned but Pan had been the one that stayed at the hospital with him, she would hardly eat the whole week he was unconscious, very unusual for a creature containing the blood of a Saiyajin.

She tried to clear her mind but as she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent more memories came flooding back, mixed feelings came back. Temporarily she was lost in a jumble of baffling feelings and memories, Trunks caused so much confusion, but she was in love with Derek, wasn’t she? Pan’s heart began to beat faster. Yes she was, even if she had to prove it to herself, even if she had to prove it to the world. Pan inhaled softly, Trunks holding felt so right, it was as if she were falling in …

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” hearing her child’s voice caused Pan to fall from the void she was entering. Abruptly she jumped up and looked to her daughter, silently thanking her daughter for not allowing her to slip back.

“Okay Mariko, where do you want to eat, Mommy can only afford so much.”

“I’ll take care of it,” said Trunks.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“It’s no problem, I promise, I think the richest man in the world can pay for his family’s lunch.”

“Okay I guess.”

Trunks grinned and took Mariko’s hand, Pan took the child’s other hand, and the trio began to walk to Trunks’ car.

Had anyone passed by without knowing the circumstances, the three holding hands would have looked like a picture perfect family.

~--~

Marron and Bra sat together in Marron’s living room. It was a cozy little place, not as vast or luxurious as the sitting rooms at Capsule Corporation, but it held a homely charm that usually wasn’t felt at Capsule Corp.

Marron held up her teacup and sipped casually from it, “Videl tells me, Trunks, Mariko, and Pan all went out to ‘bond’ this morning.”

Bra raised a sculpted eyebrow, intrigued, “Really? Did Trunks force Pan to go?”

“Apparently Pan forced Trunks to let her go, seemed Chi-Chi and your mother had set up a date for Trunks and Mariko to get closer, and Pan wished to come as well. The big push-over allowed her to go.”

Bra smirked, “Trunks loves her, you and I both know that.”

“It’s apparent in the way he looks at her, but what about Pan?”

“She has to feel something for brother, I mean, she stayed with him everyday in the hospital and now she’s going with him and Mariko on every single ‘play’ date.”

“But we have Derek,” Marron reasoned, “He’s a nice guy, maybe Pan does love him.”

“Or maybe she’s using Derek to assure herself she doesn’t love my brother,” Bra said cleverly, sipping her tea.

“Why would she do that?”

“Don’t you know? It’s all about pride. Pan may have feelings for brother, but she convinced herself she didn’t; now she’s trying to prove to herself and everyone else she is truly in love with Derek and feels nothing for Trunks.”

“I see,” said Marron, “So Pan is using Derek, that’s cruel.”

“No not like that, she isn’t toying with anyone, she’s merely trying to convince herself that Trunks is a love from the past and that Derek is the one for her.”

“Oh,” Marron understood, “So there’s hope for bringing those two together?”

“Of course Marron, even if we have to strap Pan down and keep her there until she admits she loves Trunks, we’ll bring them together.”

“But what if they aren’t meant to be together, what if fate isn’t on our side?”

“Then we’ll just force fate on our side,” Bra said, her eyes lighting up challengingly.

Marron smirked, “Of course, those two will get together, we’ll even get Goten and Uub to help.”

“And if we get desperate, Paris will help too.”

“Of course.”

The two women sat in silence, while they both thought up their own plans to combine.

~--~

“So that’s what’s wrong with you,” Goten observed, “I thought you’ve been sick or gay even.”

His companion, Uub, blushed a very dark red causing Goten to smirk, “No I’m not gay!” he said defense for his own masculinity.

“I can’t believe you like Bra,” Goten gushed like a certain blonde wife of his.

“Shut up!” Uub shouted.

“Okay Okay,” Goten laughed, “It’s just so funny.”

“Look you can’t tell Bra about this, there is no way she would have feelings for me, she is . . . she’s perfect in every single way and there is no way in Hell she would want a poor slouch as her boyfriend.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself man,” Goten said, comforting the younger warrior, “I’m sure Bra doesn’t feel that way.”

“Yeah right.”

“Aw come on…”

“If she found out she would probably avoid me like the plague.”

“Why would Aunt Bra avoid you, Mister Uub?”

Both men turned to see Mariko standing in the doorway, her eyes staring at them curiously. Her head tilted to the side every so slightly, her small hands fiddled with her skirt.

“Uh,” Uub said, completely befuddled.

“Aunt Bra would never do that Mariko,” Goten assured, rubbing the little girl’s hair.

“She better not!” Mariko said threateningly, “Mister Uub is a very nice man and I would love to have him as my boyfriend!”

Uub blushed and Goten busted out laughing again. It seemed Mariko had developed a little girl’s crush on Uub, and she was very protective of him. Goten found the whole situation hilarious and adorably cute.

“I can assure you,” Goten said stifling giggles at Mariko’s expression, “your Aunty Bra wouldn’t do that to Uub.”

“Okay,” she said hesitantly, in seconds her serious features melted cheerfully, reminding Goten so much of his father.

“Where’s your mom?” Uub asked.

“She and Daddy are in another room talking,” Mariko pointed down the hall.

“About what?”

Mariko shrugged, “Grown up things.”

Being the type of person he was, the first thought that ran through Goten’s mind wasn’t exactly a clean one, although other more ‘sanitary’ ideas came to mind after the initial dirty thought.

“So they sent you in here to play with your dear old uncle?”

“Yes,” she said, looking at Uub, then looked down bashfully.

“Okay,” Goten said, he was desperately bored, and then a brilliant idea came to his mind, something that would not only cease his boredom, but give him a good workout as well, even though he owned a karate shop, the humans he trained didn’t give him that great a fight.

“Say Mariko, have you ever sparred before?” Goten asked.

“A little with Mommy.”

Realizing Goten’s idea, Uub asked, “Did you like it?”

“Oh very much! Can we spar Uncle Goten? Please!”

Hearing that begging tone, Goten knew Mariko could have only inherited from her mother, he nodded a yes.

“YES! Let’s go and spar now!” Mariko shouted and led both men out the door with a firm grip on each of their hands.

~--~

“Are you sure it’s smart to leave Mariko in Goten or Uub’s care?”

“Are you kidding? Mariko will be fine!” Pan exclaimed.

“I was talking about Uub and Goten,” Trunks grinned.

Pan laughed catching on to the joke, “I hope she won’t abuse them too bad.”

“Goten said he wanted to spar with her,” Trunks said.

“Bad idea,” Pan grinned, “Poor unfortunate soul, it seems our daughter has acquired both her grandfather’s and great grandfather’s love of sparring.”

Trunks grimaced, “If father found out.”

“Yeah, she’d be in that gravity room before we could say no.”

Trunks smiled, remembering all the times he sat in this exact room talking for hours and hours to Pan, topics ranged form sparring to dating. Trunks felt so comfortable talking around Pan. He always had. She was his best friend, his Pan.

Had he been told ten years ago his tomboy Panny would have grown into the beautiful woman sitting before them today, he would have thought they’d been hit head on by a KameHame Wave.

His eyes roamed her face, kind eyes like Chi-Chi, Videl’s nose, a body to give Playboy models a run for their money. Her smile was glorious, brightening up any room she was in.
A sudden hit of jealousy made a snarl begin to rumble in his chest. She was his Pan, not Derek’s.

‘Lucky,’ Trunks thought, ‘I need you Pan.’

Pan heard a strange noise emit from Trunks, “You okay?”

“Fine,” Trunks dismissed. Pan didn’t believe his tone a bit.

“Sure?” she pressed.

Trunks took on a mask, to hide his jealousy, “Just hungry. Come on let’s get something to eat.”

“Alright,” she said hesitantly, the low sound that had come from Trunks had scared her a tad. Whatever the sound was it sure didn’t sound like the growling of a stomach to her, it sounded more like a snarl.

~--~--~

“How was you day, Goten?” Marron asked from the bed, reading casually from a book.

Goten who was in the bathroom cleaning himself up for bed answered, “It was great, Mar. After I closed the shop, Uub and I met Trunks, Pan, and Mariko at Capsule Corp. and I sparred with Mariko and Uub while Trunks and Pan talked alone.

‘Interesting,’ Marron thought, Bra would like this new development.

“Did you manage to hear anything about what they were talking about?” Marron asked.

Goten walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck, water dripped off his bare chest onto the floor, “No, why?”

“You’re dripping water on the floor,” Marron said.

Goten glared at Marron suspiciously, “You avoided my question.”

“I was just wondering,” Marron said, “And you’re still dripping water on the floor.”

Goten shook his head and went back in the bathroom, “What do you think they talked about?”

“I don’t know, Goten. I’m not Trunks or Pan.”

Goten came back out and hopped into the bed beside his wife.

When she didn’t talk his ear off, Goten sat up on his shoulder, “You’re planning something.”

“What?” Marron asked, looking up from her book, “What makes you say that?”

“You always read when you’re planning something,” Goten said, pointing to the book in Marron’s hands, he remembered all too well the plans that had come out of Marron’s reading.

“What are you planning?”

“Uh,” there was the hesitation, “Nothing.” ‘Nothing yet anyway.’

“Yes you are. You never were that good of a liar, Mar.”

Sighing Marron broke down, “Fine, Bra and I are planning something to bring Trunks and Pan together.”

Goten looked at his wife in astonishment, “Are you joking?”

Marron shook her head, “Come on Goten, we have nothing better to do, and you know there has got to be something between them.”

“But,” Goten whined, “They’re our friends, they can work it out.”

“Do you think Pan is actually going to stop seeing Derek and pursue Trunks just to prove everyone right that she loves Trunks?”

Goten knew this answer, “No,” he said in a defeated tone.

“So you’re going to help, right?” His silence irked her, “Right Goten?”

“I don’t know Marron, maybe we shouldn’t pry into their business. What if they aren’t fated to be together?”

Marron’s eyes took a hardened determined look, “They are, Goten, and we’re going to get them together.”

Goten said nothing, his wife’s firm voice kept him silent.

“Are you going to help Bra and I?” she questioned sweetly, too sweetly for Goten’s good.

Goten had two alternatives, neither which he liked, help his wife and Bra hook up Trunks and Pan, his niece mind you, possibly fail and have both Trunks and Pan hold a grudge against him, or refuse to help and deal with a very angry Marron, cutting him off from his . . . nightly activities. It was too hard to choose, though his choice came eventually.

“I guess I will,” he pouted, “But if this doesn’t work out, you better not blame me.”

Marron kissed her husband on the forehand, “I would never do that,” with a devilish grin aimed at Goten, she put her book down and turned off the side lamp.
~--~--~--~

Next Time: Bra and Marron commence to formulate a plan, Mariko has fun spending time with Grandpa Vegeta, Trunks asks his mother for advice, and Pan and Derek begin arranging their wedding.

Chapter 8
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