TRUNKS AND PAN   
CHAPTER 2

	Trunks woke up with a start.  I thought I heard something, he thought.  He got up and walked out into the hall.  I thought so, now he could tell that he was hearing the voice of his sister, Bra.
	“Well I don’t know what his problem is,” she was saying on the phone.  “All he does all day now is train Pan and sleep.  I think Dad is getting mad at him.”  
	Who was she to talk about his training!  The most training she ever did was learning how to put her nail polish on straight.  Who was she talking to anyway?  She better not be talking to Gohan.  He would have a fit if he knew that I liked Pan.  He’d say, ‘she’s too old for you and you know it!’  Then he’d probably tell him that he couldn’t see her anymore even to train.
	“No Marron, he hasn’t said anything about you lately,” he heard her say.  So, she was talking to Marron.  Of course he had no intention of getting back with her.  The thought kind of made him sick.  I mean, she’s a nice person and all, but I just can’t see kissing her.  Gross!  
	“Do you know what’s been wrong with Pan lately?  She’s said she’d come over about a hundred times but then the next day she calls and says she forgot.”  Trunks moved a little closer to Bra’s door; he didn’t want to miss anything she said about Pan.  You know, he thought, maybe I should talk to Bra about this.  After all, she is Pan’s best friend.  Hopefully she’d know something useful.  Then again, my sister is one of the biggest air-heads I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.  She’s probably just making conversation.
	With that thought, he returned to bed.  Although he didn’t sleep much for the rest of the night, he did get a lot of thinking done.  I wonder what Pan thinks of me, he asked himself for the millionth time.  I hope that she doesn’t hate me.  Maybe that’s why she wants me to train her all the time!  Oh God please let that be it!

*    *    *

	Vegeta was also lying awake that night pondering the situation.  On one hand, there’s the good side; she’s a Saiyan.  On the other, she’s related to Kakarout.  I didn’t ever think this day would come.  My son has found his mate.  I wish he would be more suttle about it though.  I can see right though him.  Well, maybe that’s just because he’s my son.  They don’t seem to notice.  The thing that bothers me most though, is the way it’s affecting his training.  He hasn’t seriously worked in weeks!  He’ll train for a while, then start smiling and laughing to himself and walk off.  Vegeta groaned out loud at the disgust the thought brought him.  Bulma stirred beside him.
	“What are you groaning about honey?” Bulma asked, rolling over and opening her eyes.
	“Shut up woman and go back to sleep!  I have no intention of dealing with you tomorrow if you haven’t had your sleep,” he spat at her.
	“Fine!  You just be a jerk then!  I’m going back to sleep!” Bulma hissed back at him.  She rolled over and was back to sleep in minutes.
	Goofy woman, he thought with a smile.  She just can’t seem to understand all the nice things I do for her.  I have to treat her like a newborn, she even gets her way most of the time.  That woman is the only living creature besides my daughter I have a weakness for.  Trunks had better not mess this thing with Pan up.  He’s found his match, much as I hate to admit it, and if he loses her, he’ll never get over it.



	The next morning while Pan was eating her breakfast, Gohan was watching her like a hawk.  Something is wrong, he thought.  She’s never this quite.  She was acting weird last night at dinner too; she didn’t eat hardly anything.  
	“What’s wrong Pan?” he asked not sure where he would go from there.
	“Nothing Dad, why?” she answered, plastering on a smile.  The last thing she needed was for her Dad to start asking her about Trunks.  He'd get madder at her than Grandma Chichi had ever been at him; and she’d heard some horror stories.
	“You just look kind of…” he paused searching for the right word, “Never mind dear.”  He had chickened out.  He couldn’t believe it!  I can face Cell, Buu, and Vegeta all at the same time, but I can’t ask my own daughter what’s bothering her.  Dad would be so proud, he thought with a smirk.
	“Dad?  I’m going over to Bra’s for a while, ok?  I’ll be back around two o’clock or so,” she got up and came over to him.  “Bye,” she said as she gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left.  
	That’s it!  I’m calling Goten.  He can always find out anything.  He’s good at locating gossip.  He went to the phone and called his little brother.  Goten said he’d keep his ears open and follow Pan around a little.
	“Thanks Goten, you’re my favorite little brother,” Gohan said gratefully.
	“Yeah well, I’m your only little brother.  And Pan is my only niece.  I’ll find out something,” he promised.
	I really hope so little brother, Gohan thought as he hung up.  Some thing is wrong with Pan and she won’t tell, that means it’s serious.  I haven’t seen her this focused on her training in a long time either.  I wonder, is she just worried about reaching SSJ?  I certainly hope that’s all.  I remember that I acted strangely just before I reached it, maybe that’s all that is plaguing her.  I wonder if Videl knows anything.  She is the girl’s mother, even if she isn’t a Sayian.  Oh my God, I’m beginning to sound like Vegeta.  Now I know I’m worried, he thought with a smirk.
	You better believe I’ll find something out, thought Goten.  I noticed that Trunks was acting strange about her the other day.  I wonder if he knows something!  I’ll go over there in a few minutes.  I want to do something though, I’ll see if he wants to have a party.  I’ll invite him, Bra, Marron, Pan and some of my friends, that is the best way to see how they act towards each other.
	He walked to the phone to inform Trunks of his plans and smiled to himself about his little scheme.  I will find something out by the end of the night, he vowed to himself.

*    *    *

	A party huh, thought Trunks as he listened to Goten babble excitedly.  By the time Goten was ready to hang up, Trunks had started ignoring him.  So tuned out was he, that he almost missed Goten’s last statement.
	“Hey, I almost forgot.  I’m picking up almost everyone else.  Will you pick up Pan on your way?  You’ll have to call her and tell her.  She doesn’t know about the party yet.  Well, I have got to go.” 
	“Wait!” Trunks hollered, but it was too late.  Goten had already hung up.  Great!  Now Goten will expect me to bring her.  He doesn’t know what he’s done.  Now I have to call her and tell her I’m inviting her to a party.  It’ll sound like I’m coming on to her even if it’s her uncle’s party we’re going to.  I hope Gohan doesn’t get mad.  He may not fight much anymore, but I’ll just bet that if he gets mad enough, his Saiyan blood will get the better of him.  Trunks shuttered at the thought.  Well, I guess I had better get this over with, he thought as he walked to the phone.
	“Hi Videl, this is Trunks, is Pan there?” he asked politely.
	“No, as a matter of fact, she’s over at your house with Bra,” Videl said.
	“Oh… ok,” he stammered.  “Small world huh?”
	“Bye Hon,” Videl said.
	“Bye,” Trunks said and hung up.  I’m a moron.  I call over to her house and she’s here at mine.  That just makes it worse, now I have to ask her in front of my sister.  It’ll be all over the place by the end of the day.  Damn it!  Oh well.
	Gohan had been standing there for most of the conversation but had only heard his wife’s end of the conversation.  
	“Who was that?”
	“Just Trunks dear.”
	Gohan’s thoughts clouded as a new possibility for Pan’s aloofness occurred to him.  No, it can’t be that.  She’s too smart for that.  Even though Gohan tried to comfort himself with the thought, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just hit the nail on the head.
	Trunks found his sister in the living room doing her nails.  That didn’t surprise him, but what did was that she wasn’t talking.  She was just siting on the floor by herself.  
	“Where’s Pan?” he asked.  When she didn’t respond, he began to get nervous.  “Where is she he asked again.”
	“Look behind you genius,” she replied without looking up from her work.
	Trunks whipped around to find himself standing face to face with Pan.  He never intended to get this close to her.  She looked just as uncomfortable as he felt.  Was that a good thing or a bad thing?  Before he had a chance to think anymore Pan broke the uneasy silence.
	“What did you want to see me about?” she asked looking him in the eyes in a way that really made him nervous.
	“Uhh … um… oh!  Goten wanted me to ask you to come to a party he’s having tonight,” Trunks managed taking a step back to regain his thoughts.  He wished the world would stop tipping over and over.
	“Oh, ok.  How am I getting there?  I’ll have to ask Daddy.  Mom won’t care though,” she said, also looking more comfortable with greater distance between them.  Again he wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
	“I’ll take you,” he said.  That was the worst way I could have put that, he thought.  Now it looks like I just want to be alone with her.  I really hope Gohan isn’t mad.
	“Ok, I’ll go home and ask Dad.  I’ll call you if I can go,” she said.  She gathered up her purse and car keys and left.
	Trunks watched all of this in a sort of daze.  She was so beautiful when she moved.
	“Earth to Trunks,” his sister said jolting him out of his dreams.  “Am I crazy or did you just ask my best friend out?”
	“No I didn’t.  Goten said that to tell you that you’re invited too,” he spat at her.  “Don’t start getting smart with me either.  You can ask Goten if you want to.  He’ll tell you that he told me to bring her,” he retorted and stalked out of the room.



	“He wants you to what?!” Gohan hollered at his daughter.
	“Dad, don’t have a fit!  It was Goten’s idea.  Trunks is just my ride there and back, ok?  Come on Dad, Goten’s parties are always the best.  Please!” she pleaded. 
	He couldn’t say know to his only child, he never could.  Besides, if this was Goten’s doing like she said, then this was how intended to find something out.  “All right, you can go,” he said.
	“Thanks Daddy!” she yelled, her usual brightness restored to her eyes.
	I hope I don’t regret this, he thought watching her skip upstairs to get ready.  Despite his lineage, Trunks is a nice guy.  I just hope I know him as well as I think I do.  The best scenario, however, would be that I’m barking up the wrong tree.
	Pan was ecstatic and worried at the same time.  She had just called Trunks and told him she could go.  He’d said that he’d be there at about 8:30. 
After she hung up the phone she began to worry.  What if he really doesn’t want to take me, and Uncle Goten just made him?  Then again, what if it was Trunks’ idea all along?  How will I be expected to act?  She continued to worry and fret while she showered, changed, and even put on a little makeup.  She didn’t usually wear any since she was such a tomboy, but on a night like this, it couldn’t hurt anything.
Eight seemed to take forever to get there and then the last 30 minutes flew by as she tried to quite her nerves.  She was sure she was prepared until the moment she opened the door.  This was a mistake!  She thought quickly, said she’d forgotten something upstairs, and flew up to collect her self.  It’s not a real date she kept telling herself.
Her absence gave Gohan a good chance to size Trunks up.
“Come in Trunks!” he bellowed in a way that could have been friendly, but Trunks wasn’t so sure.  Once again he remembered how the Saiyan blood worked against one’s better judgment.  He nervously followed Gohan into the living room to visit with him and Videl.
“How are you tonight Trunks?” Videl said in a tone that made him feel better.  At least she didn’t seem mad at him.
“I’m fine.  How are you?” he replied flawlessly.
They continued to visit with Gohan watching quietly from the corner chair.  He reminds me of my Dad Trunks thought.  For once I can’t read his thoughts.  Videl seemed open enough though; maybe he was misreading the entire situation.
When Pan thought she had collected herself, she came back downstairs.  I hope Dad didn’t pounce on him, she thought.  She calmly walked into the living room and told her parents she’d be back before two.
“Ok honey,” her mother said.  Her Dad just nodded.  She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and headed out the door to Trunks’ car.
Now for the hard part, Trunks thought.  Now I’ve got to figure out how she wants me to act before the next hour is over.  It was easily that far to Goten’s house.
Gohan watched as they drove away, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He just knew he would regret this.  Apparently he didn’t hide his feelings as well as Vegeta because Videl saw right though him.
“Quit worrying, it won’t help.  You know she’s not going to do anything,” Videl said trying to soothe him.  Gohan didn’t answer.  He just looked down the empty road feeling helpless.  I’m loosing my little girl, he thought with a grim smile, and there’s nothing I can do about it.