Disclaimer: Basically all of the characters were burrowed from their respective owners and do not belong to me. However, this story does - June 17 2001.
Author's Note: This goes out to my own father - for allowing me to spend his money on huge Trunks piggy banks at anime conventions. (Best $35 I've ever spent). Luv ya, dad.
Happy Father's Day!
Don't Fear the Name 'Father'
It's weird how things turn out. Today is the day to honour fathers; Father's Day. Pan sat up in her bed, resting comfortably against the head board; just thinking. She had been up for hours, just relishing the day. Pan loved Father's Day. It had such loving memories for her. Days in the park with her own father, making breakfast in bed for him, and her favourite... Pan cocked her head and thought about her past Father Day experiences. Yes, it had been four years today that she had spoke of the news that changed her life forever.
Pan stretched her legs out, trying to get the cramps out of them. She had been sitting up thinking, and watching the sun rise ever so slowly, for the past few hours. She had been doing this traditionally every Father's Day. It was her official time to reflect on the past and what could have been or whatnots. The time she had was one of the reasons she enjoyed this day so much. There had been a time when she was the only one that looked foreward to the day.
Father's Day was a day to cherish your fathers, and in their group of acquaintances, father figures were hard to come by. For Gohan, it was that he missed his father so much. Him and Goku had been extremely close, but after he passed on, this day was a reminder of what was lost for Gohan. For Goten the day was full of regrets, mostly on his part, wishing he had gotten to know his father better so he would have memories to reflect on and not regrets. Vegeta didn't believe in most of the earth holidays, so it wasn't a field day for Bra, not that he shunned the day, he just didn't participate. So for Bra, it was just another day in June, perhaps one where on her own time would take the time to reflect on her father, but nothing more. Trunks hated the day. All in all, Father's Day just wasn't that big of a deal for them, except for Pan. Pan loved waking up early, under the tutelage of her mother, being able to make breakfast and serve it to a half-awake Gohan. Just being able to sit on the bottom of his bed and share this time with him made the day one to look foreward to almost as much as her birthday. However, it was still early in the morning.
Taking her eyes off of the sunrise, Pan turned to the digital alarmclock on the nearby night stand and looked at its numbers. There was a still a good half-hour remaining before the breakfast in bed ritual began once again. Having left over time, she decided to remember. To go back and remember her absolutely favourite Father's Day ever...
Four Years Ago...
"Pan, what's wrong?" Videl cocked her head to the side, concern evident in her deep blue eyes. Gohan turned his gaze towards his daughter to see why his wife had asked the question.
"Nothing." Pan quickly answered, not liking both of her parent's stares on her. It was a beautiful day outside, but they were enjoying it inside. Pan was cozily cropped up in her favourite blue easy chair.
It had always been deemed her chair since she was a child. Her grandfather, Goku, used to play with her while he sat on that chair. So more than hers, it was like the Goku/Pan chair, where they both sat together when he came to visit. Some of Pan's greatest memories were spent in that chair, listening to her grandfather tell her stories of past battles... in extreme detail, while Gohan gave his father disapproving looks at what he was telling a five-year-old, or Chichi would have enough and yell at Goku herself. But no matter, how many people came over to their house, no matter the lack of chairs, that spot was always reserved for Goku and Pan. Even in her pre-teen years, she could still be found on his lap listening to the past adventures. Every time he came to call, he would go to the chair, pluck himself down, than call out in that care-free voice of his,
"Where's my Pan?" With that sung out, Pan would barrel from where ever she was, run in with a grin that matched the one he always wore, and the traditional story-telling would begin. He would always ask her about what was going on in her own life, so the talking was as equally distributed as the listening. Her father, Gohan, often expressed his opinion that the reason Goku was so attached to Pan and his time together was because he had missed large chunks of both his own sons lives, that he didn't want to miss any of his granddaughter's. And Gohan couldn't be more happy. He loved his father so much, that he was so glad he and his own daughter had such a close relationship.
But there would be no more story-telling, or laughing, or sitting on Goku's lap. The fact that she was a now, grown-up married woman, and that she had moved out of the house and into the city years ago, had nothing to do with it. It wasn't Pan's lack of time in her childhood house that prevented them from seeing each other. It was Goku's. The fact was he couldn't show up at the door with a grin, and stroll to the blue easy chair. Even if he wanted to - he couldn't. Goku was dead.
For almost a year after his death, Pan wouldn't go near the chair. She wouldn't walk near enough to even brush by it, let alone sit in it. She almost feared what would happen if she were to plunk down in it all alone. But one day, she wasn't looking where she was going, and had absent-mindedly sat down in the easy chair. The reason she even noticed she was in the chair, was from a comforting feeling that settled on her. To this day, she believed that when she sat in the chair, somehow her grandfather sat there with her. Out of unspoken understanding and respect for both Goku and Pan, no one else sat in that spot.
Pan felt her parents' continual stares on her and she sighed in frustration. Gohan bore his dark eyes into Pan, and it was the look every parents seemed to learn of 'I don't believe you, what are you hiding?'.
"Mom, Dad. Nothing is wrong. I just... have some things on my mind." She drifted off quietly, vacantly brushing her hand over her stomach and looking down. However slight this movement was, Videl seemed to catch onto it.
Videl smirked despite herself. Somehow, her daughter's 'out-of-it' attitude made some sense. All morning she had been rather slow and it was obvious, even to Gohan, that she had her mind on other things. Not implying that Gohan was short in the brains, it was quite the opposite. Gohan, to his mother's delight and most likely from her influence, had become a scholar and was a great one. But when it came to the matter of people and their well-beings, Gohan was rather slow to pick up on people's hidden feelings. Not that he was to be blamed - he grew up in the woods sheltered from the normal outside world until highschool; so it was expected. Surely hanging out with expressionless nameks and shrimpy monks didn't help him to get ahead either.
But Pan's behaviour had struck a bell in Gohan's head, and he recognized her emotion difference, but he couldn't identify what it was. However, Videl had. Even if Gohan had been one-hundred percent in tuned to people's emotions, she doubted that he could have picked up on Pan, due to the sheer nature of her blankness that day. It was something only a woman could really relate to. Actually, only something a mother could.
"Pan. Kitchen. Now." Videl ordered, standing up. In no time, Pan was being dragged from her chair by her mother into the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Gohan behind.
Videl only stopped when she thought that they were out of ear shot, and then turned to her daughter with a bright smile and the hint of tears.
"Pan, I think I know what's up." Pan's mouth twitched slightly, and she looked around the kitchen, trying to divert her eyes from her mother.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Pan said casually.
"Not believing is always the first step. Looks like your in denial now. Just skip to acceptance, then understanding, and then we can start to work on this." Videl said matter of factly.
"Denial? Mom what are - "
"It's nothing to worry about. We all go through it. Have you told him yet?" Videl asked, getting hyped up at the ideas and plans she was concocting in her head.
Pan looked at her mother, and dropped her head. It was obvious she knew. Her mother had guessed her secret. The secret she had only found out that morning. That secret would change her life forever.
"How'd you know?" Pan asked quietly.
"That you were pregnant?" She shrugged and looked at the ceiling. "Instinct."
"Oh." Pan replied, looking down. She really hadn't gotten used to the idea of herself being pregnant. The little life growing inside of her was made by her, and the man she loved. It was the product of the things they shared together.
"Pan? You look faint. Are you okay?" Videl asked worriedly. She took Pan by the hand and sat her down in a nearby chair. Pan had her head bent, her ebony locks shielding her eyes. When she looked up, she was smiling and had tears in her eyes.
"It was the best thing, mom. Right on Mother's Day, I found out I would be a mother." Videl joined her daughter's smile, and leaned over to gather her into a hug.
"I can imagine it Panny. I can't believe I'll be a grandmother." She whispered. Pan's smile grew at her familiar nick name. She leaned out of the embrace and looked at her mother. Videl's face was still young, her hair barely streaked with a gray hair at all. This was the woman that Pan had grown up to. The one she strived to follow in her proud footsteps. The woman that had chased away her nightmares, comforted her over lost puppies and gossiped with her during homework. This was her mother.
"Thanks mom." Pan said, and the two shared a comfortable giggle over the news.
"Pan, have you told Trunks?" Videl asked, all laughter turned to seriousness. Pan looked down at her clasped hands and shook her head.
"I want to wait for the right moment."
"Well, you can't wait too long. When you start turning into a blimp, he might think something's up." Videl commented with a laugh, that was followed by a glare from Pan. "And I mean that in the best possible way." She added.
"I know. But can you not tell dad or anyone until I tell Trunks?" She asked, pleadingly.
"Sure honey." Videl said with an understanding nod. "Now, we better get back, before your father gets worried." She went ahead, and Pan followed her back into the living room. Gohan looked up at them with a questioning look.
"Where'd you guys go off to?" He asked playfully, obviously not annoyed with their short leave of absence.
"Never mind, dear." Videl said with a wink towards Pan. Pan grinned and reached behind the couch. Videl watched her daughter leaning over her special chair and behind the couch. Pan sat back up with a box covered in a lilac pattern and handed it over to Videl.
"Happy Mother's day, mom."
"Happy Mother's day, Pan." Videl replied back, beaming with pride at her only child, as she slowly undid the ribbon, and opened the gift.
"Panny, you're home!" Pan turned from the doorway and turned to the direction of the voice that she knew so well. Her eyes landed on her husband standing tall at the top of the staircase clad in only a pair of baggy sleeping pants, having his hair slipping into his eyes which Pan found oh so desirable.
"Hi Trunks." Pan said with a bright famous Son smile. She dropped her keys carelessly on the side table, and added her purse to the ground. She dashed up the stairs, two at a time, and lunged herself into her husband's waiting arms. "I missed you." Pan said into his chest, already thinking about how to tell her love that he would soon be a father.
"Didn't anyone tell you? Patience is a virtue. You should have seen yourself run those steps. I'm not going anywhere." Trunks said with humor, pulling her into a loving hug. He played with her hair gently, and began to guide her towards their room. "How was your day, hmm?" He asked softly into her ear, getting her to walk while still maintaining their embrace.
"Great. You know I love this day."
"So you can get away from me? Ah, my lady doth offend me! I am hurt to the quick." He said, mockingly grasping his heart and collapsing on the floor. Pan gazed down at her child of a husband and smiled. The lug of a man sprawled out on the floor, gasping in mock pain was Pan's future. He would be the one that she would share the rest of eternity with. And from her point of view, eternity was looking pretty good. Pan shook her head at Trunks' antics before turning on her heel and resigning to their bedroom. Losing his audience, Trunks scrambled off the floor and went in search for his wife.
He found her quickly, and looking into their room he watched her picking up his own discarded clothing with a scowl on her face. This woman, nag as she will, was his wife. And Trunks wouldn't like to have her any other way. How he had evolved from being her babysitter to her partner in life was beyond him, and a topic neither of them liked to spend time thinking about. The answer hadn't come to them in the time they had been married, and they found it better to not even wonder how they got together, but more why they got together, which was as obvious as Goku's passion for food. They loved each other.
Pan turned from picking up his shirt to see Trunks leaning in the doorway watching her with a smile. A smile which had almost any woman weak in the knees including herself.
"You know I like Mother's Day because I get some time with my mom." Pan said, incase he actually thought she was trying to escape him. Trunks closed his eyes and nodded, shifting his body from the doorway and entering the room.
"Yeah. I like to see mom too." Trunks said quietly. The family holidays were one of the only days where the two actually separated with each other. They were self-absorbed with themselves since they got married, so these days were set aside for their families only. On Mother's day Pan would go to her family to be with her own mother, and Trunks would go see Bulma for the day. Father's day was the same - but Trunks stayed home. Father's day was a pointless holiday for him since his father wouldn't participate in such things.
That day, Trunks had left early for the commute over to his childhood home, and Pan had left only minutes later for hers. Pan usually spent the morning with her parents, then all three of them would go over to Chichi's, so that Gohan could spend the day to honour his mother. Pan's afternoon was usually spent catching up with her uncle Goten, who had to endure the entire morning alone with his mother.
Trunks finished walking the distance to Pan and rested his hands on her strong shoulders, before letting them slide down her sides and rest at her hips. He pulled on her back slightly, bringing her towards him. Pan willingly leaned into the embrace and rested her head on his bare chest.
"What time is it?" Pan asked comfortably. She could feel Trunks shrug, and the slight movement of his body as he leaned back to see the clock.
"After ten." He murmured into her ear. His whispers made her shiver slightly, and he knew it. Trunks had a knack for knowing exactly what to do in any situation to get Pan aroused. "That still leaves pleaaaanty of time..." Pan took her head off of his chest and leaned back into his arms so she was looking up at his face.
"Plenty of time to do what I wonder." Pan said back with a twisted smile. He smirked, and grabbed his petite wife and with a quick motion had slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Pan shrieked, not expecting his sudden movement, but just laughed as he stalked over to the bed and dropped her hard on it. "Trunks!" She squirmed, as he lay over her smirking all the while.
"Maybe we should get rid of this, hmm?" He questioned, tugging gently at the hem of her shirt. He started to roll the fabric up her stomach with both of them smirking towards each other.
RING - RING
Pan gave a small yelp and Trunks shot his head towards the phone, both equally shocked at the sudden outburst. Trunks groaned, and contemplated merely blasting the phone with a ki-blast, but Pan had other ideas. She gently pushed him off of her body and crawled across the bed to the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, annoyed at the interruption, but also glad, because she really had to talk to Trunks about things.
"Hi Pan! Did I catch you at a bad time?" Trunks glared over at his wife who had taken the phone over him. Pan caught his glare, and waved him away with a grin.
"Bulma? No, you didn't interrupt anything." Pan replied, sitting back against the headboard leisurely. Trunks had turned away, but his interest was suddenly piked when he discovered the identity of the caller. Scowling he reached over and grabbed the phone from Pan's unexpected hand and brought it to his face.
"Mom! Can you call back? I was about to get laid." He cried into the receiver. Shooting daggers at her husband, Pan snatched the receiver back and thwaped Trunks over the head with a pillow.
"Jerk." She mouthed to him, before turning back to the caller. "Sorry Bulma." She heard a soft laughter on the other end.
"Pan, I'll make this quick, okay?" Bulma offered. Pan looked over to Trunks but he was gone. Guilt washed over her, the thought of hurting Trunks made her heart ache, but there was nothing she could do until she hung up with Bulma. She turned her attention fully towards the phone conversation in hopes of ending it soon to go find Trunks.
"Thanks." Pan replied to Bulma's earlier offer of being quick.
"It's just Trunks left a folder over here for work, and I wasn't sure if he would need it. Why don't you tell him he left it here, and he can pick it up tomorrow morning before work?" Bulma suggested. Pan nodded.
"Sounds like a plan." She could hear Bulma agree and could picture her nodding with her eyes closed the way she had habit of doing.
"I'm so glad he had a chance to come over here again. He so rarely gets a chance to now a days." Bulma commented, her voice tainted with sadness. Pan picked up on it and sighed. There was now way she could quit the conversation early if Bulma was going to get emotional. Pan closed her eyes, and shifted her body so she was leaned back against the headboard with pillow underneath her head, getting as comfortable as she could.
"Alright Bulma. Spill." Pan said, trying to hide the tiredness from her voice. She heard Bulma take an intake of breath, and the sliding of chairs as she too got comfortable by taking a seat, and by the sound of it, in the kitchen.
"I'm worried about Trunks. He seems distant." Pan listened carefully to Bulma go on about things that supported her fears. "He never spends time with us anymore. I mean, I think it is great that you and him are so close, but I still want to see him."
"Well, why don't I ship him over on Father's Day? He doesn't need to go with me."
"Pan, Trunks hates Father's Day." Bulma said quietly. Pan sat up straighter and pressed the receiver close to her ear to hear better.
"Well, sure he dislikes it..."
"No," Bulma cut her off, "He detests Father's Day. He never enjoyed it as a child, but as an adult...
"See when he was a child, the teachers at school had them make Father's Day presents every year. Most of the time Trunks would make them, but just end up 'forgetting' or 'losing' them, so that they would never find their way to Vegeta. Trunks was positive that Vegeta would hate them and get mad at Trunks for giving him homemade gifts and such on an earth holiday. But then one year, I was foolish enough to convince Trunks that Vegeta would like his gifts. I hadn't had the time to talk to Vegeta about it before Trunks presented the gift to him.
"All of the other boys and girls made paper ties for their fathers, but not Trunks. Since I convinced him to actually give the present to Vegeta, he made an effort into it. He made a paper crown out of yellow construction paper. Vegeta raved on about being the Prince of the Sayians even more than he does now, so I suppose Trunks just wanted the entire world to know who his father was.
"He came home that day, smiling brightly with his paper crown held carefully in his hands so that the glued on feathers and pipecleaners wouldn't fall out of place. He burst in and showed me the crown before dashing away. He kept it hidden until Sunday, when he came down the stairs with crown in his hands. He asked where Vegeta was, and I told him he was outside getting ready to go in the gravity room. I was so proud of him... I thought that it would make Trunks so happy. It was Father's Day after all, and he had never given a gift to Vegeta before. All I know is, a minute later, Trunks ran into the house in tears, and I later found the paper crown ripped in pieces on the front lawn. Neither of them talked about the incident. Trunks never came home with a gift for Vegeta ever again." Bulma finished, obviously fighting back tears, from the wavering of her voice. Pan bit her lip. She had never heard that story before.
"How old was he?" She asked quietly. She heard Bulma sniffle before answering;
"Seven. But Pan, I don't think that's what made him hate Father's Day. Trunks had come to terms with having a cold father since day one. It wasn't until many years after that day, that Trunks felt the worse of it. I'm sure it had hurt him a lot when Vegeta ripp- turned down his gift. But when Bra was eight, she too made a gift for fathers day. She hadn't shown it to me, or I would have warned her not to give it to him. But come Father's Day, she presented him with a cardboard badge with 'Number One Dad' on it." Bulma stopped, and Pan could hear her crying softly. Letting out all the sorrow she felt for her children seep out. "But this time... Vegeta wore it. He wore it proudly."
Pan was shocked. Pan had heard that Vegeta was colder before his daughter was born, and she could have seen him tearing apart Trunks' gift. But to wear one years later presented by another child. It was practically like declaring to the world that he loved his daughter but not his son. She noticed that Vegeta had different relationships with his two children. With Bra it was as close as Vegeta would ever get to being a true father figure. He showed the same kind of treatment towards her, as Pan had grown up with in her home. But with Trunks it was more of a honour type of relationship, and although deep down, Vegeta is extremely proud of Trunks - ridiculously so - it was doubted that he loved him. Not to the degree that a father/son should be.
Now all of Trunks' actions towards the day of the year made some sort of sense. Pan was surprised that he didn't hold a continual hatred towards his sister, but only felt it on Father's Day. Somehow it didn't seem right that one should hate such a day. Pan sighed. No matter what she said, no matter what she did or gave, Trunks would always hate Father's Day. There wasn't a single thing that could make him...
Or maybe there was. Pan gazed down at her stomach and smiled. There was a gift she could give Trunks. This gift would bring him out of the world of disgust for the day, and instead of it being a lack of giving towards his father, he could be on the receiving end.
"Bulma. Don't worry about it. I have something that may make him like the day..."
"What?" Bulma asked, still sniffling, but her voice seemed lighter.
"I can't tell you. Just wait and see." Pan replied with a grin. She clicked off the phone, and placed it back in its cradle. She remembered the feeling of learning she was to be a mother on the day that honoured mothers. Perhaps if Trunks had this same knowledge, he would forget the past pains the day brought and look foreward to the future.
Trunks smiled sleepily down at his wife. They had the window opened half-way since the summer heat was starting to creep up again, but the cool breeze seemed to chill Pan slightly. Instead of getting up and closing the window, Trunks just held Pan close to him and kept the blankets tightly around her and she seemed fine. It did catch him as odd that while he was fine, perhaps even a bit too warm, Pan was shivering.
She was cuddled up deep into his chest, and he could hear as well as fell the rising of her chest as she slowly took air in. Her raven hair was strewn all over the pillow behind her, and she had an arm wrapped around on his neck and the other resting gently beside her face on his chest. His strong arms were snaked around her own waist, making the two extremely close and comfortable while she slept, and Trunks watched over her peacefully.
He would sleep in any position if it meant Pan getting a good night's rest, for lately she hadn't been sleeping well at all. She would wake up in the middle of the night, with pains in her stomach, and she was sick to her stomach some mornings. He had asked her to see a doctor, and when he got home from work she said she had forgotten to, or she didn't need to. Finally, Trunks ordered her to go, and when she came back she said it was nothing, just a bug. Going on instinct, Trunks called the doctors and he confirmed it for him. He had a feeling it wasn't just a 'bug' but he didn't know what it was, he wished to God he did, because whatever it was, it was keeping her in pain.
That night he had decided not to go to sleep at all, but to just watch over his wife as she slept. There was no point to go to sleep because in a few hours he would have been woken up by Pan, desperately attempting to quiet her cries, but his hearing was keen, ad he could always tell when something was wrong. She had started going through the routine of late night stomach pains and early morning sickness near the end of May. That was two weeks ago and Trunks was getting very worried. If it didn't clear up soon, he would drag her to the doctor's himself and hold her down if he had to.
Trunks shifted his hand from around her waist and brought it up to her face where he gently moved a strand of hair from her pale complection. He turned his cerulean eyes towards the digital clock for the time, and as if on cue, Pan jerked under Trunks. He turned his gaze back down to watch her. Her eyebrows furrowed and her once happy expression turned to a twisted one with a frown. She took the hand of his chest and garbed her stomach with it, her expression of pain getting deeper and deeper. After what seemed like an eternity to Trunks, she let go of hm completely and turned so that she was lying on her stomach. The soft mattress seemed to offer little comfort for her, and the pain ended up bringing her out of dream land. Pan let out a soft moan, and kicked the blankets off of her body, making a move to sit up. She swung her feet over the side of the bed, and Trunks realized that she was going to leave.
Several nights he had woken up alone, and after a quick search found her on the couch downstairs or in another room where she could toss and turn without waking him up. This time however, Trunks had other plans. He joined her sitting up, and grabbed her shoulder before she could stand up. Pan squeaked, not expecting Trunks to be awake and turned to face him. She tried to lose the expression on her face and keep a happy one, but the one of her discomfort shone through.
"Did I wake you? Sorry. I'm just going..." She started, making another move to stand up, but Trunks held her still. He took his other arm and pulled her back down, his strength being more than hers.
"You didn't wake me. Pan stay here." He ordered, lying her down then joining her. She bit her lips and he caught the little tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Trunks, please let me go." She begged, closing her eyes tightly. She made a weak attempt to move away but he had his arms tightly around her. He brought her close to him, and rubbed her temple soothingly.
"Panny, why won't you tell me what's wrong? You have me worried." He whispered to her. He took his hand off her temple and brought it down to her midsection. He gently laid it down there and looked towards his wife. Seeing her eyes were still closed, he turned her head and got her to open them.
"Here hurt?" He asked, applying light pressure to her stomach so she would know where he meant. She slowly nodded. He grinned, and concentrated his ki, bringing a bit to his hand. He used it to create a heat source for her stomach, then turned back to her. "Better?" He asked hopefully. Pan was expressionless for a minute but the turned to her husband with a weak smile.
"Yeah... where'd you learn that?" She asked, bewildered.
"I remember my dad did that when mom had stomach pains. Coarse she was pregnant with Bra at the time." He told her. Pan unwillingly coughed and looked away from his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow confused and asked, "Was it something I said?" Pan didn't reply, but concentrated on getting back to sleep, now that Trunks was numbing the pain with his ki. It was getting more difficult by the day to hide the fact that she was pregnant. Sooner or later, he would discover it for himself if she wasn't careful. It would be so much easier if she could just tell him. She wouldn't have to be so secretive and he wouldn't have to get so worried. She had even had to ask the doctor to hold back the information on her pregnancy after explaining to him what she was trying to do. She had made a promise to herself that she would tell him on Father's Day, which was only about a week away, and she would not give up now. She could hold up for a week, and in her heart, Pan knew it would well be worth the wait.
"Happy Father's Day!" Pan cheered. On the other end, Gohan smiled at his daughter's voice. Stifling a yawn, he reached over the sleeping form of Videl and snatched up his glasses. Sliding them unto his face he glanced over at the clock.
"Thanks Panny, but, uh, you are aware it's five in the morning." Gohan said, amusement tinted in his tone.
"Yes daddy. You see, unfortunately I won't be able to join you this Father's Day." Gohan zapped into a sitting position at his daughter's words. Videl, who had been sleeping on his arm, got plunked down onto the bed at Gohan's sudden movement, waking her up. She gazed up at Gohan with a small glare, but leaned in to hear who he was talking too.
"What do you mean? You always come over for Father's Day." Gohan pouted.
"I know, I'm sorry daddy. But... I have to take care of something important today."
"But..."
"I'm really sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to you. I have to go. Bye." Gohan heard the click of the other end disconnecting, and he made a frown, placing the phone back.
"Bye." Gohan whispered. He turned to Videl, who was grinning like mad, which caused a raised eyebrow out of Gohan. "What?" He asked his wife. She merely shook her head, and pulled Gohan back down on the bed.
"Just leave her alone. Trust me." Videl said, keeping her grin, knowing full well why Pan couldn't make it over to see Gohan today. Gohan looked at her suspiciously and hugged her tightly.
"Why do I think you know what's going on?" Gohan asked.
"Because I do."
"Could you fill me in?"
"Not a chance."
"Wake up sleepy head."
Trunks turned in his sleep, and grabbed the pillow to pull over his head. Pan laughed, and yanked it away, only to be replaced by the sheets, and a muffled voice saying,
"More sleep." Pan giggled at her child-like husband, pulled the blankets and any other objects he could use to hide under, and waited patiently for him to open his eyes. This was the moment Pan had been waiting for since Mother's Day. Today was the day she would share her secret with her husband.
Trunks slowly lifted his head up from under his arms and looked over at Pan. "I smell something good..." He said with a smile. Pan joined his facial expression and pulled a tray of breakfast from behind her. Piled on were sausages, bacon, toast, eggs and other assortments of breakfast foods. She waited until Trunks had sat up before placing it on his lap.
"Happy Father's Day." She said with a laugh, and pulled out a small package from behind her back. She placed it on a spare spot on the tray and motioned for him to open it. Curious, but also suspicious as to what his wife was doing, he slowly unwrapped the small box and opened the lid, keeping an eye on Pan the entire time. Once it was opened he took his stare off of her and directed it towards the box in his hand. Inside was a silver watch, one that he had been looking at buying himself. He then turned back towards Pan, more suspicious then ever.
"Pan?"
"Happy Father's Day! Obviously it can't pick out the gift itself, so I had to," Pan said motioning towards her midsection, "but it did help. One kick for 'no', two for 'yes'..." She trailed off. In actuality the baby wasn't old enough to be kicking yet, but she wanted to get Trunks to know what she was implying before she actually said it. Trunks looked at her, back down to the food and watch, the returned to her.
"You're... Pan you mean... there's a ..." He stumbled over his words, and Pan just grinned and nodded. Trunks stared at her with his mouth gaped open, and his eyes spread widely. He moved his stare between her face and her abdomen over and over, until he was sure he fully registered it. He then turned down to the tray in his lap and stared. "The bacon smells good." He whispered. Pan tilted her head and glared. She had just informed him that he would be a father, and all he could say was the food smelled good?
"Trunks!" She screeched angrily. Trunks looked up at his wife with a smirk, and shoved the tray of food of off his lap, yanking her towards his body in a tight hug.
"When did you find out?" Trunks asked happily, never ceasing his strong hold on her. Pan bit her lip and closed her eyes. Now was the moment of truth. She had to make a decision. Since she hadn't told Trunks the minute she knew, there was a chance he would get upset at her. She could either lie and say she just found out, or she could tell him the truth. Honesty is the best policy after all.
"Mother's Day." Pan whispered. She could feel Trunks grip noticeably relax and his breathing became almost non-existent. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. Fear and uncertainness played in them. Her eyes had always been the window into her soul. Inherited from her grandfather, they shone with happiness most of the time, but the occasional uncommon emotion would flicker by, and a determined one always replaced the go-lucky when a challenge was presented. Trunks had gotten a lot of that during their year in outer space collecting the black dragon balls.
According to Pan, she had discovered about their child that was now growing inside of her over a month ago. Trunks was at a loss for why she kept it from him. Was she afraid he wouldn't want a child? If he had been, he would have gone to lengths to prevent it; which he hadn't. Seeing a connection of when they each found out about the child; on the day that honours their future occupation, Trunks had a feeling it was planned. As to why, he wasn't sure, and he didn't really care. All that mattered was that he was going to be a father. Like it or not.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? At least then I would have known why you're puking every morning." Trunks said in amusement. All of Pan's worries slipped away and she grinned her famous inherited grin. Trunks matched hers, and dipped her backwards onto the bed.
"Ah, what are you doing?" She asked as Trunks leaned over her, pulling her shirt up. "Trunks... we can't - " Pan trailed off, as he laid his head on her stomach and didn't move. "Trunks... you're hair is tickling me." She said with a small giggle. He held up a finger to get her silent. Pan watched her husband, beyond confused, and asked, "What are you doing?" Trunks' once closed eyes shot open and he looked up at her with a smile.
"I felt it." He said, keeping his smile on his face. His smile was one of Pan's favourite things. Not just the favourite thing about her husband, but one of her favourite things. She was once asked what her favourite thing to wake to was, and she said it was in fact his smile. It captivated her, and it made herself glad to know Trunks was happy. But now, she had no idea the nature of his smile and this confused her.
"Felt what?" She breathed, most of his upper body still on top of her, with her shirt pulled up. Trunks' expression didn't falter at all, and he leaned down, placing a light kiss on her un-expecting lips.
"Felt our baby." He whispered, getting up and pulling Pan up with him. They looked at each other, each lost in the their spouses' eyes, neither one having anything to say. There was nothing to say, yet there was everything. They were going to be parents.
Both sensing what had to be done, they leaned in simultaneously for a hug. Not just a normal hug, or a happy hug, or even a comforting one; but one with so much force and vigor, normal humans couldn't achieve it. They stayed there, locked in each other's arms, the sheer knowledge they weren't alone helping them, with the breakfast tea dripping into the white satin sheets and the alarm clock going off.
"Must go faster, must go faster!" Trunks cursed to himself, dashing around the kitchen at maddening speeds. His hair was limp, unkept and in a desperate need of a good brushing. The kitchen was a place of disaster with pop cans, tv dinners, microwave pop-corn and other quick-meal items. Trunks grabbed the strawberry poptarts that just popped out of the toaster and flung them onto a plate, then went to find something else to add to the meal.
Pan was coming along good in her pregnancy and all the normal symptoms were present... all of them. When Gohan had warned Trunks about mood swings, he hadn't thought it would be that bad. Pan was the worst. Her morning sickness had passed, and even her stomach cramps only popped up once in a while. She had a few minor cravings once or twice, but her moods would swing faster than Goku eating on an empty stomach.
Trunks heard a slight stumble by the stairs, and dashed towards the cupboards. Pan was almost downstairs and to the table, he had to have breakfast ready or there's a chance he might face one of her monster mood swings. He turned to the table, checked over the poptarts, the orange juice, the eggs, yogurt and miscellaneous milkshakes and such. Within seconds of Trunks plunking down in his chair and pouring orange juice for both him and Pan, she stumbled into the kitchen. Five months ago, Trunks would have been appalled by her appearance, but now, he could say it was one of her better days.
Her hair was a sight, the straight ebony locks were sticking out at odd angles and matted down. She was paler than usual and the dark rings under her eyes helped add to the look of a ghost. Her feet were bare, and she wore shorts and a gigantic shirt that read 'Casino Rama'; obviously a tourist shirt, but those were among the select things that Pan could fit in to these days. The baby would be born in only a few weeks and her stomach was really showing it.
She grabbed the table ledge for support before collapsing into the wooden chair, and pushed some stray hairs away from her eyes. She looked over the food, and then looked up to Trunks. Neither of them had been getting much sleep lately, Pan being up with pregnant symptoms, and Trunks being up to be with her, but Pan definitely had the worse deal of the two.
"Panny, you look great this morning!" Trunks chirped, meaning it since, today's appearance was an improvement over some earlier days. Pan just stared at him, not making any move to reply, but her eyes began to shimmer and shine. Trunks looked up from dishing her some yogurt and saw her eyes. Small water droplets were beginning to form, and it was obvious she was trying to hold back some tears. But to no avail.
Pan threw her head into her hands and began to sob. She just sat at the table, whimpering, sniffling and crying as loud as her body would let her. Within a second Trunks was by her side, taking her into his arms.
"Pan what's wrong?" He asked. Obviously a mood swing had hit, and Trunks had long ago learned there was no safe way to deal with a pregnant woman, but he generally liked to know the cause of her mood swing or her tears. Pan lifted her head just enough so that Trunks would be able to hear her reply.
"I don't knowowowow." She said, messing up the last part. Trunks cocked an eyebrow and gently asked,
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?"
"Just that. I don't know." She replied. Trunks sighed. The breakfast was going cold, he still had to get to work, and he held a pregnant wife who was sobbing for no reason. Today was going to be a long day.
"What is the African elephant." Pan said, seconds before the player on the television show answered.
"Right. Pick again." Alex Trebek sounded. Gohan turned to glare at his daughter. From what had started out to be a friendly 'play along with the tv' had turned out into an all out battle of daughter and father.
Since Trunks did have his company to run, he couldn't stay home with Pan as much as he would have liked to. And since Pan really didn't want, or should be left alone, one of the parents would always pop in to keep her company, especially now that the delivery date was any day now. Pan was contentedly laid back on the sofa, with half a dozen quilts strewn around her body. She seemed to be getting a mild cold, so Gohan had ordered her to bed, but since she had openly refused, he had to settle for resting on the couch. Their lunch bowls lay on the coffee table, which Pan had her legs propped up on. She held a mug of cocoa, and was continuously brushing stray strands of hair away from her loose pony tail.
Turning back to the televison screen, Gohan listened carefully to get the next clue. He and Pan had often had matches while watching Jeopardy, especially since Chichi let playing along count for study hours, and Pan hated study time, so in her highschool years Pan memorized every time slot Jeopardy fell into. Gohan and Pan were both leaning slightly foreward, so far their match closely scored.
"Hey guys!" Trunks said from behind the couch. His sudden appearance made both of them jump in their seats. Gohan recovered first and stood up, but Pan had to make do with a glare since she wasn't in condition to be standing up suddenly.
"You jerk! You scared us!" Pan yelled. There was another mood swing. Trunks sighed, and Gohan twiddled his thumbs nervously. He had been through this once before with Videl, and it wasn't something he wanted to deal with. Trunks seemed to bring out the worst in Pan - at least in her mood swinging days.
"I better get going..." Gohan spoke quietly, leaning down to give his daughter a kiss on the forehead. His lips grazed over the skin, and he took a step back, concern in his eyes. "I think you have a fever." He stated, placing the back of his hand on her forehead and thinking. "Umm hmm. Off to bed young lady." Gohan ordered.
"Since when do I still have to take orders from you?" Pan retorted.
"Since I'm still alive." He said with a small grin. He stood up and walked around the couch. He stopped by Trunks and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take care of my little girl."
"Will do. Thanks for being with her." Trunks said lightly kicking his shoes off. Gohan nodded, and let himself out of the familiar house.
Trunks walked over to his wife, and checked her temperature to confirm Gohan's analysis. Sadly, she did in fact have a fever, on top of her slight cold and her pregnancy, she wasn't in a good boat. He bent down, and stretched his arms around her.
"I'm going to carry you up, okay?" He asked quietly, before gently lifting her into his arms. She was definitely more heavier than normal, but that of course was on account of the baby, either way she was still feather-light to Trunks. He walked slowly in order o keep Pan completely steady in his arms, and in doing so, he had the opportunity to gaze upon her. Trunks loved Pan with his entire soul and heart, and he couldn't have made a better choice for the woman to live with him for eternity. Pan was a beauty; dark hair and matching eyes that held so many mysteries behind them. She was slender, yet well built, total contradictions of each other, yet she possessed them both. His cerulean eyes left her gently face and gazed at the mound where his child was occupying. He had often wondered why most people feel more attached to their mothers than their fathers, but now that he was experiencing fatherhood he had a better grasp why. The child gets nine full months living off of its mother; sensing her, getting to feel and recognize her spirit - while the father is a yet to be discovered figure.
Trunks didn't have any fears that his child would despise him for that simple natural fact, but he did have his concerns. He had deep concerns; fears were more like it in actuality.
Trunks was afraid to be a father.
He didn't know how. What if he messed up? He never had someone to show him the way before. While Pan at least had her own mother to look up to for guidance, he couldn't do the same. Looking towards Vegeta would only get him a bunch of bad ideas on how to raise a child successfully. Vegeta wasn't a terrible father; Trunks loved him dearly, but he didn't want to have the relationship with his son that he had with his father. He wanted the kind of relationship Gohan and Goku had shared. Total bliss, understanding and love. Respect, kindness and charity. It was what he wanted... but didn't know how to achieve.
He was afraid of having his child hate him. Having his child curse him, despise him, and avoid him. He never wanted to cause his child pain or tears like Vegeta had caused for him as an infant. It was a known fact among the social world that Trunks had married in his later age than most people. Since it was not due to finances or looks (he was loaded in both areas) it became a local mystery as to why he had been single for so long. Trunks wasn't afraid of commitment. He wasn't afraid of love. He was afraid of being a father.
Walking up to their room, he pushed the door open with his hip and walked the distance to the bed where he gently placed his wife down. She was barely awake, and he decided to just let her sleep. She was in comfortable enough clothing so it would work. He pulled the covers close around her body, since the bed hadn't been made that day. With Trunks having to work and in his off hours look after Pan the house became a wreck. The only thing that would keep it together was when Chichi or Bulma volunteered to help out, or on one of Pan's better days where she tidied up herself. Trunks leaned down to his wife and kissed her temple. She stirred in her half-slumber, and opened her eyes to gaze up at her husband.
"I love you Panny." He whispered, seeing as she was awake. She smiled softly and made a struggled attempt to speak.
"It was nice and quiet..." She mumbled, pointing to her stomach, "While you were holding me, but now its gone into a kicking frenzy... I think it misses you." She said with a smile, her eyes scrunching up in an almost devious look. Trunks looked down, and placed his hand on her midsection, feeling the baby kick softly but continuously. However within seconds it slowly stopped. "See?" Pan asked with mischievously. Trunks grinned, and stepped over his wide onto his side of the bed, where he lay down, wrapping his arms around his wife, resting one on her stomach. "I love you too..." She mumbled in a yawn before closing her eyes again. Trunks smiled and rested his chin on Pan's head, and felt closely at the small life force that was in Pan. It was calm now and steady.
Maybe being a father wouldn't be so hard after all.
Present Day...
Pan smiled at the memory. She placed a hand over her stomach, remembering all to well the feeling of having a child within her. Not exactly missing the feeling, she sure didn't miss the morning sickness and walking around fat and bare-footed, but she did miss the closeness of the child. Taking another glance at the clock she smiled. Any minute now...
Knock Knock
There it was. That timid knock that belonged to her precious son. With a grin, Pan reached down beside her and shook the almost lifeless body that lay there.
"Trunks... wake up!" She whispered loudly, pulling him out of his dreamworld. He groggily opened his eyes and gazed up at Pan, annoyed.
"Pan," he whined, "it's Sunday... I don't have to go to work." He mumbled, turning over, attempting to go back to sleep. Pan wouldn't let him, so she pulled on his shirt and dragged him into a sitting position. Once she was sure he would remain sitting up she turned to the doorway.
"Come in." She cheered. Trunks raised an eyebrow and leaned foreward to see who was at the door, having a pretty good idea since no one else was in the house except them, which left only his son. The door opened slowly and the little boy poked his head in. His movements were uncertain. That was just the way he was. Never sure of what he was doing, always aiming to please. "It's okay, honey, come on in." Pan encouraged him on.
The lavender haired boy stepped fully in, baring a tray of breakfast dishes and slowly walked over to the bed. As Trunks was on the far side of the bed, the boy couldn't reach the tray over, so Pan had to give him a hand.
"Happy Father's Day, daddy." He said quietly, before climbing on the bed at his mother's feet. Trunks looked down at the sloppy eggs and over-buttered toast among extra-choclatey milk and a clumsily peeled orange. He smiled.
"You make this just for me, sport?" He asked. His son nodded cautiously, unsure of his father's reaction just yet.
"Thanks. Looks great..." He said with enthusiasm, regretting the stomach ache he would have later, but knowing Pan had just bought some Peptal-Bismol. His son grinned from ear to ear and nodded.
"You're welcome daddy. Mommy showed me how to make it, and we've been practicing, but today I had to do it all on my own." He said, beaming with pride.
"You did a great job." Trunks said to his son, eyeing his wife cautiously. He wasn't sure if he should thank her or if he should strange her. It must have been her that had put the idea of 'breakfast in bed' into their son's head, but if she hadn't shown him how to cook, he didn't want to see what would be on his tray that morning.
"Oh, I forgot something." He said in surprise and jumped off the bed, running towards the door. "I'll be back!" He called. Trunks nodded and turned to look back at the breakfast.
"Is this edible?" He whispered to his wife. She looked at it and nodded.
"I've made worse in my day." She said before letting a mischievous grin cover her features. "Just think how it'll be when you have to eat double the raw eggs just to please your pleasure-seeking children." Trunks choked back the gulp of chocolate milk he had in his mouth, and struggled not to spill it all over the white sheets. He got it under control and turned to his wife wide-eyed. Children? Double?
"Pan... Are you? Do you... Pan, are you pregnant?" He asked, grabbing the bedside for support. He couldn't do it. Stomach cramps, morning sickness, cravings... mood swings. He cringed, but kept his eyes on Pan, who's smirk turned into a grin as she held back her laughter.
"Heh heh. Nope." She said, placing a kiss on Trunks' still lips before laughing a bit more to herself. Trunks folded his arms and pouted over at her.
"That was cruel." He said, however he soon found himself joining in her grin and laugher. It was interrupted when their boy made his entrance again though. He held his hands behind his back and walked around the bed this time so he was on his father's side.
"Dad? Grandpa said that you're the prince of the sayians... is that true?" He asked timidly. Trunks tilted his head in thought before answering.
"Well, dad is the prince, but since his dad is dead... yeah, I guess that would make me the prince." Trunks said, nodding in confidence. "Why do you ask that squirt?" He asked, ruffling his son's hair.
"Oh its just..." He reached behind himself and pulled out the present he had for his father. "I made it myself... I just thought..." He placed the homemade item in Trunks' lap and stood back awaiting the reaction. Where his tray had been gently removed by Pan, lay the gift from his son - a yellow construction paper-made crown complete with beads and feathers. In messy four-year old writing was printed 'Dad - Prinse of Sayeens'. Tears fought there way to Trunks unconsciously and against his will. So much work had been put into the crown, he couldn't turn it down. He swallowed his emotions and looked up to his son.
"Thanks squirt." He whispered, remembering his own paper crown he had made so many years ago. He wouldn't make the same mistake as his own father had though.
"You're welcome dad." He said with a grin, and a look from Pan told him that he should give them some time alone. With a quick kiss on his dad's cheek, he dashed out of the room, but stopped dead in his tracks at the doorway. "Oh dad?"
"Yeah?" Trunks asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"I shouldn't get all the thanks..."
"What?" He asked, gazing at his son in curiously...
"Grandpa Vegeta helped me make it."
The End
By Angel Eevee
(c) June 17 2001