Disclaimer - See prologue.

Note: Yeah, yeah… That's the last time I give myself a deadline. So… it was a little longer than a week. *Shrugs* Excuse is at the bottom, if anyone cares. It's kind of a downer.

About my little cliff-hanger, by the way, A LOT of you guessed what was going on… and yes, I was going for the non-technical count of "two words". I'm not really making sense right now, so I'll shut up and let you read. (It's 3:15 in the morning! O_o;;)

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Two words…

She sat in awe, her mouth dropped open and her eyes wide due to the sudden surprise that seemed to have crept up on her. Slowly, as she regained her pattern of thought, she reached down and picked the phone up from where it had fallen when she dropped it seconds before. She had to hear him say it again… because he couldn't have said what she seemed to hear him say. He couldn't have said it. It couldn't have been real. It wasn't possible.

"Doctor?" She asked, in what turned out to be more like a constricted squeak from her throat.

The doctor laughed heartily in the phone. "I can certainly see why this is a shock to you, Ms. Pan, but I think you heard what I said the first two times. You're pregnant."

Her eyes still wide with astonishment, she sat back and listened to the rest of what he had to tell her. She had to struggle to comprehend what he was saying. Everything after those two little words seemed to be a blur of information, going in one ear and out the other.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Why did it take ten minutes for the doctor to tell her she was fine? He tapped the eraser end of his pencil on his desk in annoyance. He was worried over nothing… he knew it was nothing. No matter how hard he tried to dismiss it though, there was a hard fact staring him straight in the face. Out of the entire family, in all the years since Goku first landed on earth as a baby, the only sickness that had ever plagued any of the Saiyans nearly cost Goku his life. From what Trunks understood, it was nothing short of a miracle that his mother had somehow acquired the cure for that in time to save his life…

His lavender eyebrows knit together in worry as the thought occurred to him that the heart disease that had nearly knocked out the strongest Saiyan to ever live in his prime might have been genetic too. Of course, it wouldn't have been so easy to cure if it was genetic… but it was a virus and viruses aren't genetic… Then again, viruses often find a way to evolve beyond the realms of medical science and… no… she was fine.

Trunks sighed, ceasing his tapping momentarily so that he could check his watch. It would figure the three fates would once again conspire against him. Things were finally going good for him for the first time in a long time. He was finally able to settle down with someone that he loved. He was enjoying their time alone together more than he had enjoyed any other time in his life. Work was going well again… and having her with him made it seem so much easier to get through the day.

Pan was his life saver. Everyday he woke up next to her, thankful that he wasn't stupid enough to throw it all a way for some idiotic belief that the age difference would get in the way, or the crazy notion that she was too much like a sister. He was happy that he waited… and he would have waited for twice that long, if he needed to. Married life was good to him. For forty years, he had managed to stay single, dodging the bullets of commitment like it carried the plague, but for a reason he had yet to understand… he couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to be living that life again.

He looked up eagerly when he heard his door handle click, the wood creaking slightly as she opened the door carefully. She walked in very slowly and shut the door behind her, chewing her bottom lip as her mind reeled with the information she had just been told. She sat down in the chair across from him, looking down at her hands which were fidgeting nervously in her lap. Her confidence lost, a knot in her stomach, she couldn't even begin to think of a way to break it to him.

"Pan?" He asked. She looked up at him and smiled as she saw the horribly worried look on his face. Her smile did very little to make her feel better, but she knew it would calm his nerves a little.

For the hundredth time since she had hung up with the doctor, she wondered how she was going to tell him. They weren't planning on having children for a few years… and they were enjoying their time alone together very much. They wanted that time together. They had been doing everything they could to make sure that they had that time, even to the extent of researching the best birth control that would work the best for them. She always imagined telling him in some romantic surprise, planning a dinner or finding some cute way of hinting at it until he got the message and picked her up and twirled her in his arms as he grinned from ear to ear. She always imagined that they would be ready for such news. Was he ready? Better yet, was she ready?

He was expecting an answer immediately… she didn't have time to plan anything cute or romantic. Plus, this was sort of unexpected and very early for what they had talked about and planned for their upcoming family. The hard truth was, with only being married a couple of months… she could imagine him being not happy about the news, and it scared her. Not only did it scare her that Trunks might think of this baby as an "accident", though they certainly hadn't planned it, but it scared her that she apparently didn't know Trunks well enough to have any guess or clue as to how he would react.

"I'm fine." She answered him simply, trying to remoisten her mouth which had suddenly gone completely dry.

"Are you?" He asked again, not really being convinced with her first answer.

"Trunks…" She started, not really having a clue as to where to begin. "You… like being married to me, right?"

Trunks nearly laughed at the question, though his face barely softened. He cocked a curious eyebrow. "What kind of question is that? Of course I do."

"And you're happy with the situation we're in now? Being alone and not having to worry about anyone else or kids or anything?" She asked.

"Pan, please tell me what's wrong." He said emphatically, not giving her any more time to beat around the bush. "I'm worried about you."

"I know." She said quietly.

Pan took a deep breath and finally met his gaze. Those blue eyes of his were ice and she was nearly knocked back by the intensity of his worried stare. She wished that he would let up… that there was some way to skirt around the issue and hint around to find out how he really felt about the subject. She wished she had more time… that they could laugh it off and go home and she could come up with some cute way of telling him what was wrong.

She didn't, they didn't… and whether she liked it or not, he was silently demanding a straight answer… and he deserved one as well. As tears lined her eyes, she gathered up what courage she could and took another deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

"…" Trunks blinked as if his brain was suddenly overloaded with those two simple words. "What?" He asked, reacting just as she had.

"I'm… pregnant. W-we're having a… a baby." The words barely stumbled out of her mouth as she watched him try to process it all.

He sat back in his chair as his jaw went slightly slack. A million thoughts ran through his mind at once. He was silent, staring at some indefinable point in space. It was like the words were frozen in his mind, unmoving as he tried his best to understand them. He felt as if he suddenly didn't understand his own language or as if she had just said something in gibberish.

She watched him intently, never taking her eyes off of his expression as she tried to decipher it. She was worried… every second he took to react made her more and more nervous. There was no hugging, no twirling, no cries of joy and no grinning. Actually, there was nothing… and her small worries were suddenly amplified by a rush of emotion. It all came up at once, like a tsunami. To her, it was irrational, like it had come more from hormones than from actual feelings.

She was pregnant… she was… He continued to think about it for a moment. Was she crying because she was happy?

"I'm sorry, I…" She choked out, water spilling over her cheeks as he face displayed a concerned frown.

Trunks abruptly stood up from his chair and was at her side before she could even blink away her tears. "Pan!" He practically yelled as he knelt down in front of her, grasping her hands tightly.

"I-I didn't mean… I don't know what happened, I…" She started, her face red from her emotion.

He took her hands and pulled them up to his lips, kissing them several times. "No, Pan… You have nothing to be sorry for." He looked at her deeply, allowing her time to calm down.

She felt guilty… his heart broke with the thought that she actually felt guilty about having his baby. She was crying because she thought he didn't want it… because she was scared he would be angry. "Panny, why are you crying?" He asked, wiping his thumb over her moist cheek.

Finally, the information started sinking in and her tears began to dry. He wasn't angry? "But… I thought you would be upset…"

Trunks nearly laughed, though he wisely held it in. "Upset? We're having a baby." He suddenly paled. "Dende, we're having a baby." He repeated, as the information made a connection with his vocal expression of it.

Pan chuckled a little at the face he was making. "I mean… are you okay with this? You didn't look like you were happy about it a second ago."

"Of course I am! Pan… I know it took me a while to speak up, but you have to believe me, I'm very happy. It's just a surprise... a big surprise."

Pan nodded in agreement. "How do you think I felt about it?" She asked, sniffling. "The doctor said I'm already three months along."

"Three months?!" He nearly yelled in surprised. "How didn't we know? Didn't you… feel anything, or… notice anything or the lack thereof?"

Pan sighed. "Trunks, I've never had regular periods because I train so much… and the birth control stunted what little cycle I did have. I didn't notice any extra hunger and I really haven't felt that nauseous. The only clue I did have…"

"Your weakness?" He asked.

Pan nodded and smiled slightly. "The baby's taking all the extra energy I have in my body. The stronger I was when I got pregnant, the stronger the baby will be when it's born."

Suddenly, it appeared… the sight she had been waiting to see ever since she found out. He was grinning, smiling as big as he could as his eyes sparkled brightly. It was the kind of smile that made you smile too, no matter how you felt. "Panny…" He started with just a whisper. "We're having a baby?"

Once again, her tears started, but they were tears of joy. His face, the way he was playing with her hands, the smile on his face that stretched ear-to-ear… this was what she was hoping for. "Yeah, we are." She answered, kneeling down to his level hugging him tightly.

He moaned pleasantly and rubbed her back as his large arms wrapped around her waist. "Boy or girl?" He asked, his nose in her hair. "I think it's a girl."

"I'd bet it's a boy. Boys seem to be a little more common in our family."

"Care to put some money on that?"

Pan 'hmphed' and punched him lightly in the gut as she giggled softly. "We're not putting a bet down on the gender of our baby."

He pulled away from her and leaned down, pulling his legs out from under him and laying flat on his stomach on the floor. He put his head to her stomach, his ear pressed against her belly as he gently forced her to lean back to get a better angle. She giggled again as Trunks pushed her shirt up so he could rest his head against her bare belly.

"Stop moving." He commanded in response to her laughing. It only made her laugh harder. She grew silent as his smile once again spread wide across his face. "I think I can feel it… but the ki is so small." He said in barely a whisper.

"Of course you can." She whispered back as she ran her fingers through his hair. "He's our kid. He's going to be very strong."

"…or she…" Trunks corrected, his ear still pressed to her tummy.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"So…" he started, "What brings you back into the action after so many years of… domestication?"

Videl put down her coffee cup and looked over at his green eyes. She smirked, knowing exactly where that question was going and choosing not to take it as the half-insult it was intended to be. "I could ask you the same thing, Toru. The highest you ever made it in any kind of military was Eagle Scout."

He laughed smoothly and smiled at her, showing his pristine teeth as his eyes sparkled. She sighed and shook her head. For all the magazines and entertainment groups that had voted her son-in-law Bachelor of the Year, there was always someone who wasn't very far down on the list… Right now, he was drinking coffee with her in a quaint mom-and-pop diner down by the station.

"I asked you first, Videl." He dared, sitting back in his chair and maintaining his gaze at her. "The last time I saw you, you were wearing spandex and being driven away in an ambulance after getting shot. All of a sudden, you're married to a book worm and popping out babies. Don't tell me you let a little bullet get in the way of your fun. That's not the Videl I remember."

Videl twisted her lips, once again putting the insult behind her. "First off, Mr. Suit-and-Tie, I didn't get shot, I was grazed by a shell… and that wasn't the reason why I quit."

"Well?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I've been waiting for years to hear this story. Please don't disappoint me."

She leaned forward in her chair and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not telling all until you answer my question. You were only interested in the Explorer Police Training program because you knew your father wanted you to join the force. All of a sudden, you drop out and go to medical school… but you didn't become a doctor did you? And what's this I hear about you getting married?"

Toru chuckled and crossed his arms. "That marriage lasted about as long as my dream of becoming a doctor… one year."

"Why did you give up?"

"Please, Videl. I never quit at anything. I just… answered to a higher calling." He said confidently.

Videl looked at him questioningly for a moment.

"It turns out, I don't handle blood very well. I was fine with the text books, the tests and the dummies, but once they started the hands-on experiments, I couldn't take it. I passed out in class three times, before I realized what I really wanted to do. As it turns out, my Uncle's lust for justice sort of rubbed off on me. I went to law school and worked my way up to graduate as fast as I could. I've been a District Attorney now for ten years or so. I get to work with the force, but I don't actually have to be a part of it. My uncle's still proud of me and I get to wear Armani."

She smiled and sipped her coffee. It had been so long since she'd seen him last. They had a close friendship in their childhood. He was always trying to catch up with her… all the way through grade school and into high school. She would never ask him, but she had the feeling the whole reason for him joining the Explorer program was to be around her while she gallivanted around the city. They had always had a little competition going… but it seemed eventually, he wasn't ashamed to admit that she had finally outrun him. They fell out of touch shortly before she got married… Their long-time friendship was another unfortunate casualty of Videl and Gohan quitting their super-hero routine.

"I got bored." She said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You asked me why I was back in the action. I got bored."

"Of what?"

Videl shrugged, cupping her coffee mug in her hands. "My daughter is married, she really doesn't need me any more… and my youngest, my son, is old enough to get himself to school and back. Plus, Gohan's schedule has lightened up a bit since he doesn't have many patients in his new practice, so I really don't have to be home for anything. I'm not… needed as much around the house. Lately, my days have consisted of drinking a lot of tea and listening to my mother-in-law rant on and on about nothing. I just got a little tired of it all…"

Toru smirked, shaking his head lightly. Videl gave him a sideways glare. "What?" She asked accusingly.

"Nothing." He said innocently, grinning wider.

She huffed and crossed her arms. "What?!"

"I just…" He started, treading carefully with what he was trying to say. "I just… wonder what kind of Superman your husband must really be to get Videl Satan out of her super-hero, life ambition and into a apron and a pair of fuzzy slippers."

"Toru…" She started, "It's not like that at all. My life with Gohan has brought along more adventure in my life time than I care to remember… and it wasn't him who decided that I should stay home. It was my decision. Once I got pregnant, my perspective on life just… changed a little bit. I was planning on going back to work after Panny was born and old enough to go to daycare, it just didn't work out."

"What happened?" He asked.

"I had to raise a child, Toru." She explained. "Not only was she a terribly tempered child, but Gohan's father sort of… left for a decade or so and she didn't adjust very well at all. If I would have gone to work and left her in a daycare, it would have crushed her. By the time she was ready to go to normal school, I really didn't have any interest in going back into crime fighting. I was out of training and out of shape and I felt good staying home and taking care of my family. It wasn't because Gohan wanted me too… we sat down and had a very long discussion about it. I thought it would be a good idea if I stayed home for a few more years."

"Twenty-five is a few?"

Videl sighed. "Well, every time I thought about it, something else happened that made me think I should stay. Gohan's dad died… and I thought his mom would be better off if I stayed home and helped her around her house so she wouldn't get lonely. Before I knew it, twenty years had passed and I had another child to worry about… and the whole thing started all over again." She twisted her lips with the effort it took to omit certain details of why she had stayed home. Sure, Pan would have been crushed if she had been put into daycare, but it was more accurate to say that Pan would have crushed the daycare. Plus, the years of turbulent fighting while Pan was in her early teens didn't help anything either. If it wasn't one adventure, it was another… and they were all adventures she never would have had if it weren't for Gohan.

"So you just… decided to come back. Interesting." He said, shaking his head as if he found her plight amusing. "You know, if you would have married me, I would have made sure you never got out of the job. You were good, Videl. You were one of the best, and you weren't even official. I mean… for a sixteen year old girl come in and completely turn the police office upside-down… Videl, they needed you."

Videl blushed at his compliment, but her smile abruptly fell with the last statement that came from his lips. The sadness that dripped from his voice indicated that there was probably more to his story than he was letting her know. "What happened?" She asked in a soft, low voice.

He sighed and brushed his hair out of his eyes in annoyance. "We lost a lot of good men. The crime spree wiped out over half of our division. My dad… he would come every day stressed and panicked, afraid of another riot or looting that the service couldn't handle. They would go whenever a call came… no matter how hard or impossible the situation was. One time… a squad was sent to a raid down by the old abandon warehouses. There was an informant who told them that the West City drug boss had his processing plant down there. There were only five men… only five men to take down a major drug lord and fifty of his closest henchmen, plus probably a hundred workers."

"Why so few?"

"Because the department couldn't afford any more. All of the other men were so fresh and untouched, thanks to the Great Saiyaman, that they were scared out of their wits to do anything… It was a suicide mission. All five men were gunned down before they even had a chance to lay eyes on the boss. My uncle was so panicked, he actually put out a call for you two. It had been a year since anyone had seen or heard anything from you, but he made the call anyway."

Videl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Pan was a newborn and Gohan was working full time by then… I didn't… we didn't want to answer the calls anymore. We didn't want to have to find a babysitter or…"

"I didn't mean to make you feel guilty, Videl. I just wanted to let you know what happened to our city after you left. Please, don't be so quick to leave this time."

She smiled half heartedly. "I won't, but I'm only a secretary… There's not much I can do."

"You're Videl Satan. If I know you, sitting behind a desk all day isn't going to satisfy you."

She sighed, not being able to even imagine what he was saying coming true. She just couldn't picture it… being back, fighting criminals fist-to-gun and running around again. "Toru… what happened to your father?" She asked, a cold realization that her old friend the Captain was missing from the reunion scene earlier that day.

His lips curved downward, as his eyes avoided her gaze. "He was leading the squad that night. He was first in the door, but the last to die. My uncle said he made him promise to take care of me and my sister over the radio with his last breath. My uncle became like a father to me, after that night… even though I was all grown up. He's the reason I went into prosecuting law… He convinced me that I should do it to honor my father. And what do you know? The job stuck. I didn't have a clue that I would love it so much."

She smiled a little, swishing what was left of her coffee in her cup. His father had been a good friend of hers as well. He helped her learn most of what she knew about the police department, not to mention helped her stay as active in the force as she did without actually being a police officer. "Toru… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be… Just… promise me you'll think about getting your feet wet again. The department could really use another trained eye… and you know Uncle Yoshi will let you have free reign of the place as long as internal affairs doesn't pay that much attention."

"I know he would." She answered quietly. "I'll think about it Toru…"

Toru smiled again as his eyes lit up with something unfamiliar to her. She honestly couldn't believe that he didn't blame her even a little bit for his father's death. She had realized a long time ago that she and Gohan were responsible for the biggest crime spree Satan City had ever seen, but this was the first time she had ever been able to put a face to a victim. It had been easy for her and Gohan to live on with their lives, pretending like the announcement of their withdrawal from their super hero alter-egos didn't hurt anyone. It was easy to deny that the riots and looting weren't instigated by the poorly-timed, publicized announcement of their retirement. Truthfully, she felt more like a villain than a hero… and she knew Gohan did too.

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A few days later, yet another family lunch had been planned and orchestrated… this time, by Pan. Of course, her grandmother and mother-in-law both protested, saying that putting an entire Saiyan family meal together by yourself was more than she could handle. She used the excuse of wanting it to be the first family get-together in their house, not mentioning the surprise waiting for everyone at the end. When she told Trunks she was disappointed she didn't get to tell him how she wanted to tell him, he practically insisted that they do something clever for the family. After all, with it being Gohan, Videl, Bulma and Vegeta's first grandchild and Goku and Chichi's first great-grandchild, they should make a big deal out of it.

Pan cooked what she could and asked her Grandmother to bring some side dishes. It was really her first time cooking for the whole family as well. She didn't exactly know how much food to make, but as Trunks pointed out, once dinner was done and the surprise was out, nobody would care about the food anyway. She had been running around all day, starting early in the morning with the main courses of beef and chicken. She was sore and tired, but what surprised her the most was that her ankles were a bit swollen. She was only three months along, but apparently water retention came quickly in her family.

When she finally got the chance to sit down, her body thanked her. Dinner was over now, and they had just finished cleaning up. Trunks leaned over and kissed her cheek, taking her hand in his as the rest of the family made their way back to their seats at the dinner table to socialize and drink their coffee. "You should really be careful about working too hard, Panny." He whispered.

"Trunks…" She started, in that tone of voice that let him know he was about to get an argument. "I'm pregnant, not broken."

"I know Pan." He said, laughing lightly. "But this kid is making it painfully obvious to us that Saiyan pregnancies are different than human ones. We don't know what's going to happen. Just… be careful."

She scoffed. "Saiyans were built to fight and survive under incredibly difficult circumstances. I doubt any Saiyan women of the past would ever let pregnancy slow them down."

Trunks opened his mouth to argue, but the family crowd noise quieted and he chose not to risk them being able to overhear their conversation. Pan would surely kill him if anyone found out before she got the chance to spring it on the whole family at once.

"Well, we'd better head off." Goten started, breaking the silence as he looked at his watch. "I've got to get to the dojo early for a competition and Marron's got a meeting at work tomorrow morning."

"No!" Pan yelled, a little too loudly as everyone looked up in surprise at her. "I mean… I baked a cake too. You should stay for dessert."

"Well, we have a long drive…" He continued, standing up from his chair.

"Goten, stick around for a little while." Trunks said, looking over at his younger friend. Goten was a little confused by his tone of voice… Something seemed odd about the way Trunks had practically ordered him to stay.

"O…kay." He said with a little bit of surprise, sitting back down in his seat slowly.

They all just kind of sat there for a moment in silence, slightly shocked by Pan's outburst and Trunks' suddenly serious demeanor. A few minutes passed by; Nobody said a word or made a sound. Pan's head was down as she breathed in very deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. Trunks gave her a reassuring smile as he squeezed her hand a little harder.

"Pan, is everything okay?" Gohan asked, finally being the one to break the eerie silence.

She took a deep breath. "Actually…"

"Panny…" Trunks interrupted. "Why don't you get dessert?"

She smiled warmly and gratefully at her husband… who had been supporting everything she was doing for that night's dinner. Her father, along with everyone else at the table, watched her stand and walk into the kitchen from the dining room more confused than before.

She walked back in slowly, carrying in her arms a cake trimmed in blue and pink frosting. On the top, was a little candy bassinette with a single white candle next to it. Pan laid the cake on the table carefully, examining the confused expressions of the people at the table and giving them time for the questions that were sure to come… Nobody said a word.

Pan played with her fingers awkwardly as the other adults simply stared at her or the cake. She blushed heavily, the warm light from the candle in the dim room doing nothing to hide the red creeping up to the surface of her cheeks. "Umm… I… You see…" She started, stumbling for the words that she needed.

Trunks stood up next to her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and smiling coyly. "We couldn't very well wait for a year and a half until her or his birthday actually came around, so we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and have a house-warming family dinner and a first birthday all-in-one."

'Mr. CEO strikes again.' Pan thought, more than grateful for him taking the reigns for her.

Chichi's eyes grew wide, as Videl's jaw dropped nearly to the table. The men could only attempt to process the information, save Vegeta who was trying to pretend as if he didn't care.

Suddenly, a loud bang resounded as Bulma slammed her palms into the top of the table, standing abruptly and looking Pan dead in the eye. "Pan! No!" She shouted, smiling wider than Pan had ever seen her smile before. The younger girl barely had time to brace herself before Bulma nearly bowled her over as she ran to hug her. She glanced over at her husband desperately. He mother-in-law, despite her age and her normal human heritage, seemed to be strangling Pan in her grip.

"Panny? You're… you're… you're…" Gohan tried to complete the sentence.

"Pregnant." She completed. Videl gasped and ran to hug her as well, forcing Bulma to move on to the next in her line of fire.

"Good boy!" She cheered, patting her son on the cheek and dragging him down to her level so she could hug him around the neck. "Way to hit the mark!"

"Mom!" He protested, blushing at what her words implied.

Chichi was still in her seat, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe my granddaughter is going to have a baby. I feel so old! It's about time! I can't wait to have another baby around. I was so preoccupied with waiting for Goten to have one… I didn't even think that little Panny would beat him to the punch."

The comment wasn't meant to sting, but it did. It was meant more as a friendly jab, but that's not how he took it at all. Marron looked over at Goten, who had appeared genuinely happy with the news about his niece and best friend. He had literally flinched in reaction to her words, though he didn't say anything. His legitimate smile died quickly and was replaced with a masked one. Marron looked concerned, but he put a reassuring hand on her back. His mother was nearly seventy… and though she had been a little crass her entire life, this slip of the tongue was a serious one.

"Do you want to go?" Marron whispered, getting the feeling that he didn't want to really hang around anymore.

"Yeah, I think so." He answered honestly.

The couple made their way up to Trunks and Pan and worked in their congratulations. "We've got to go, I'm sorry to run." Marron told Pan as she gave her a hug.

"Why are you leaving so soon?" Pan asked, looking almost hurt.

"I think I'll call you with that answer later."

"Goten…" Trunks started. He knew Goten had been happy for them… but once Chichi had said what she said, his demeanor changed… and Trunks knew exactly why.

"It's not a big deal." Goten answered, knowing what Trunks was going to say. "This is happy news and I'm elated for you, I am. She just… she's just Mom. We're just leaving because we both have busy days tomorrow. Don't let me ruin your night just because I need to go to bed."

Trunks smiled lightly, knowing that there were more issues to why Goten and Marron were suddenly leaving than he was admitting. Still, he shook his hand and kissed Marron on the cheek. They walked out the door without saying much more. Pan looked over at Trunks, concerned, but he just smiled back. It was an issue he would have to work out with Goten… but like his "uncle-in-law" had said, he wasn't about to let it ruin the night. She had worked too hard for it.

"Vegeta! Goku! What are you doing?!" The shrieking voice of Bulma interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see his father and Goku both snacking on the cake that Pan had baked and decorated. Vegeta was eating the chocolate cake with white icing on a plate with a fork. Goku, however, was eating the cake on a plate… with his hands. "What possessed you to think that cake was meant for eating?!"

Pan laughed and went to save her candy bassinette before it fell victim to their onslaught. "It's okay, Bulma. It's not like I'm going to save it or anything. I just want the bassinette so I can…" Suddenly, there was a loud crunch… as if someone had just bitten down on a piece of hard candy. "GRANDPA!" She yelled, fiercely enough to shake the house.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Trunks and Pan escorted people out as the party concluded. It was late at night by the time their parents left and Pan was dead tired after pulling together the whole act from early that morning. Her parents were the last to leave, taking their time to make sure Pan was okay.

The grandparents-to-be got into their car. Gohan just sat there for a minute and sighed. Videl looked over at him expecting some kind of reaction. Her eyes were smiling, though she didn't dare curve her lips yet.

He chuckled as he looked at her expression. "Wow." Was all that could come out of his lips.

Videl laughed, mostly out of excited and surprise nerves that had built up over the evening. "Gohan, I'm not ready to be a grandmother!" She said emphatically.

"I'm still trying to get used to being a father. Where did all the time go?" He asked, shaking his head. "I swear Pan was just a baby herself yesterday… Now she's having one of her own."

Videl chuckled. "It's payback time." She started, "She's going to get a nice taste of what it's like to raise a Saiyan child."

Gohan smiled at the thought of his daughter having to chase a toddler around the house. Sure, she had helped a great deal raise her brother, but being the parent was a totally different situation. His paternal instinct told him that Trunks and Pan weren't ready to have a baby yet… but he knew that wasn't true. Maybe it was just the fact that the pregnancy happened so fast after they got married, but he was having a very hard time accepting the fact that his little girl was having a baby.

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Pan smiled as she watched her parents drive away. Trunks put his arm around her waist, happy that she was smiling. "My parents took the news pretty well, didn't they?" She asked.

"Yeah…" He said, kissing her lightly on the shoulder.

"Trunks," She started, turning around and hugging him fiercely around the neck. "Thank you so much for helping me with this whole thing. The cake was a great idea."

"Well, you said you were disappointed that you didn't get to surprise me. I think you managed to surprise everyone else. Are you satisfied?"

"Very. I loved the looks on everyone's faces." She laughed. "And I really got a kick out of how your dad tried to act like it didn't surprise him."

He smiled, leaning down again and kissing her neck. "Aren't you tired? You've been up since five this morning."

"Only a little… but I think I'll go to bed anyway."

"Are you going to be able to sleep? You seem kind of wired." He asked, amused that she had so much energy after such a long, emotionally draining day.

She winked coyly and took his hand. "Who said anything about sleep?"

He could only cock an entertained eyebrow as she led him up to their bedroom.

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Thanks big time for the reviews!

For those of you who actually wanted the excuse, crazy people!

I work at a bank and I was robbed by gunpoint on 11/3, so I'm kind of flying by my emotions right now. I'm a little freaked and haven't really felt like working on… well, anything. I'm on a nice little paid vacation at the current time, and I hope that writing will help me escape a little. I told you it was a stupid excuse, but if you were in my shoes, I know you would understand. I put this excuse at the end, since I know it's kind of a downer.

Anywho, I have "Watching" almost ready to send to my beta and I hope to get to writing more sooner than later. I've been distracted by my "Lord of the Rings" books too, which isn't helping anything!

^_^ Thanks to Morgause Nokami for beta'ing!

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