Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Change Of Heart ❯ Pan's Discovery, As Told By WHO??? ( Chapter 26 )

Pan looked through a magazine, cup of hot chocolate in hand. Bunny slippers on her feet, snuggly pajama's fresh from the dryer, she was content with her seat on the couch. Mary Kate hopped into the room, one cat over her shoulder, and sat down next to Pan, an anxious look on her face.

Pan looked up from her read and Mary Kate grinned from ear to ear, the cat hopping off her lap.

"Yes?" Pan asked, ready to get back on her magazine. Mary Kate giggled as if a brilliant plan was about to be exposed.

"Want to go shopping?" She burst out. "Ya' know, Christmas shopping?" Pan had to admit, it sounded like fun. "All of us girls are goin', please say ya' will!" She pleaded.

"Fine, fine." Pan said, sitting her magazine on the wicker coffee table and standing. "I'll go get dressed then."

And so, ten minutes later, Pan came down the stairs sporting khaki corduroy pants and a red sweater, her hair pulled half back, and red rhinestone studs in her ears. She had reluctantly shed off her layer of pajama's for the outfit, but at least this was some of her more comfortable clothes.

The girls set out together, the sun just setting, all walking abreast, and heading towards fun shopping in Soho.

"Ms. Pierce," Trunks said, walking towards Conner's secretary. "is Conner here?" The woman put down her work and swiveled her chair around to meet Trunks.

"Mr. Briefs, we've been trying to contact you, sir. Mr. Degraid had urgent business in London, and he left immediately. I'm sorry, sir-"

"It's fine." Trunks said with a smile. "I've been on his side before, I understand." He took a step back. "I'll be going then, thank you." She gave him a pleasant smile and he trotted down the steps.

He was actually relieved. He wasn't in the mood to go out tonight. No, a quiet night at home seemed much more his style for today.

Pan unzipped the back of the dress and stepped out of it. She had finally-after a long search-found the dress she deemed worthy as her Christmas dress.

It was red and glittered in the light. It had a v-neck that was off the shoulders, with a matching-although higher-v in the back. With Grecian muse style sleeves-or more true, sleeveless-it hugged her body until her knees where it began to flow out, although not as extreme as a mermaid skirt.

It contrasted beautifully with her jet-black strands, and made her black pools for eyes stand out, attracting attention to her sharp, elegant brows. She felt confident in it, even though if she didn't there would be no reason for it.

She had gone shopping for Christmas presents to take home-she was leaving in just three days-but she couldn't help but indulge on the dress…and matching, strappy sandals with a diamond clasp.

She had gotten a lot of presents though. A bound leather sketchbook along with some real, European pencils for Marron, along with a Scottish wool hat. For Bura she had bought some ritzy bangles and a necklace with a real, Irish four leaf clover in cased in glass. For Goten, a newsboy hat and a Video Game he had begged her for. Apparently it wasn't available in the states. For her mother, British lavender perfume, a cameo necklace, and sheep's wool sweater. For her father, Scottish kid gloves, a sheep's wool sweater, and a British tie.

There were many presents for everyone else-but too much to name all at once. Happy with her purchases she bought the dress and shoes, and the girls dashed out in search of a restaurant.

"Pan, that dress looks gorgeous on you." Lynda said when she and Pan were a bit behind the rest. "Really, it does." Pan smiled, rearranging her boxes and bags in her arms.

"Thank you, I hope it does." She said with a grin. "Oomph!" Pan dropped her boxes as she collided with a young man, and she scurried to get them off of the damp street. The young man gave an apology, kneeling down and helping her, and than Pan realized he had an American accent.

She straightened up, and he handed her the parcels he had retrieved.

"That's fine." She said back, taking them, then looked up. "Conner?" She exclaimed, and he grinned, recognizing her. "Conner Degraid!" She said and gave him a hug before she realized it. She drew back; realizing what she had done, and gave a nervous closed-lip smile.

"It's good to see you, Pan!" He said, and she had the feeling he really meant it, strangely enough. "That's right, you're going to school abroad now, aren't you." She smiled nodding, and he looked around, then back at her. "I just got out of a business meeting, why don't you come have dinner with me?" He asked, and Lynda poked her just when she was saying no.

"Sure!" She said anxiously, although she was anxious for nothing else but for Lynda to stop poking her. The other girls had come walking back by now, and they smiled at the dashing business man.

"Would your friends like to come-"

"Oh, thank you, but we really couldn't right now." Lynda apologized. "I'm actually glad Pan's going with you, because she was about to go home by herself for the evening. We have plans." She explained, and Pan shook her head to herself. Lynda was an excellent liar.

"Well, that can't happen. Please come have dinner with me." Pan nodded, and the girls said their goodbye's before leaving them.

"Where to?" He asked as they started walking down the street towards the more restaurant-heavy side of town.

"You're asking me?" She said, and he nodded, offering his arm. She took it. "I think you're more qualified." She said, and he turned to her.

"You've been living here for almost two months." He stated, and she shook her head. "No?" He questioned, and she laughed.

"Yes, I have, but you've probably visited London a lot. Enough to over qualify me." He laughed, saying `ok, you've got me' and they stopped at a parked limo.

Climbing in he announced a name of a restaurant and the limousine started on its way.

Half an hour later Pan walked into one of the nicest restaurants she had seen in a while. She looked disapprovingly at her casual clothing, but before she could worry too much, Conner grabbed her hand and led her towards a waiter that was standing next to an empty table.

She sat down and put her napkin on her lap, then opened her menu and started glancing at everything. There were so many things, how could she ever decide? She voiced her thoughts and Conner smiled.

"Always go with something that you know what it is, just a tip." She smiled and looked for something familiar. That brought her list down quite a bit. "That is," He added. "unless you want to try something new. In that case, go for the strangest thing on there." The strangest thing on the menu didn't look to appetizing, but with a good luck wish she closed her menu, deciding to get it.

"Trying something different, I see." He said, waving the waiter over. "Seared Veal with the Raspberry Sauce." He said, and turned to Pan expectantly.

"The L'garcon." She said, and Conner raised a brow. "Water for me, with lemon she added."

"Nothing stronger?" Conner asked, and she shook her head, holding up a hand. "That's it then. Water for me too." The waiter nodded and left, taking their menu's with them. "The L'garcon, eh?" He asked, and she nodded. "You couldn't find anything on there more…interesting?"

"No." She smiled. "I think northern French escargot is as risky as I get tonight." Conner's jaw dropped.

"Snails?" He asked, and she nodded. He put a hand to his forehead with a sigh. She looked at him questioningly, and he continued. "I had that just the other day, for lunch. I had no idea that was what it was." She laughed and soon caught him smiling.

Later, as the plates were nearly clean, it was Conner's turn to start a topic of conversation again.

"So, is Trunks anxious for you to get home?" He asked, and Pan looked at him curiously, holding her knife and fork still.

"What do you mean?" She asked back, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Is Trunks happy you're coming back so soon?" Again she looked at him curiously. "Haven't you talked to him recently?" He finally asked, and she looked down.

"Oh, no. Trunks and I haven't spoken since I left." She said, nudging her food a bit with her fork.

"What do you mean?" He said, distorted concern on his face. "What happened?" He asked once again when she didn't venture with any words.

"Oh, nothing really. We just left on a bad note." She said, skewering a snail and putting it in her mouth.

"What happened?" He asked again, prodding more. She shook her head and lied her fork down, leaning her elbows in the table.

"I found out about your bet." Pan said flatly, retrieving an arm and picking up her water, taking a sip. Conner shook his head, looking down at his plate. "Conner, it's fine, I'm not mad at you. I just-"

"He didn't take the money." Conner said, and her bottom lip dropped in confusion. "He said he didn't want the money. He said it had become more than a bet." Conner finished, looking at her straight on now. "He didn't care about it, Pan. He wouldn't take the money."

Pan threw clothes into her suitcase at a rapid pace, sending a constant stream of clothes from her drawers and closet to her suitcase which sat open on her bed.

Not even taking time to fold them nicely, piles of what looked like dirty laundry sat like mountain peaks from her luggage.

Mary Kate walked into the room with a piece of paper in one hand, a pen in the other, and a phone still perched on her shoulder. She folded the paper and handed it to Pan, tossing the phone on the bed and stuffing the pen in her bookbag by her own bed.

"It's a red-eye." Mary Kate said as Pan looked it over. "Leaves at 12:45…" She looked at her watch. "Two and a half hours. I suggest you go as early as you can; this is a last-minute ticket." Pan grinned.

"Ok, I got you." She looked around. "I'm almost done." She explained, one hand at the back of her neck, in a look so reminiscent of Goku. "Just need to grab some last minute things."

Pan sighed, sitting in her seat, looking out the window at a twinkling London. She couldn't wait to get home, but saying goodbye-even though not for long-to her roommates had been hard. She hadn't known them long, but they seemed so close to her.

Perhaps it was because they were the first people outside of her family that she had lived with. Whatever the cause, the goodbye's were hard, and she didn't like thinking of them.

Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes, ready for a nap.

That nap never came. Instead, she was kept awake all night, not able to sleep at all. Finally she resigned to write in her journal, but that wasn't a very restful occupation.

Hours later Pan was still trying to find something to fill her time. She had given up sleep, after the third try, and she had probably written in a good half of her journal. She had skimmed the magazines, tried to find a good movie to watch, eaten all the peanuts the flight attendant would give her, and tried to play solitaire on the computer in the back of the seat in front of her.

Pan was bored.

Very bored.

There was no one on her row to talk to, and the only person-who only spoke French-there was anywhere around had gone to sleep. Pan cursed her in her head.

Annoying Christmas music was playing towards the front, too dim to sing along, and still her destination wasn't for another couple hours.

With a sigh she looked out the window, gazing at the stars as they dimmed into sunrise. People were groggily waking up around her, and an old woman who had had too much to drink called out: "Turn up the *hic* music!"

The music was turned up and Pan clutched her pillow, shoving it over her face and leaning her head back against the seat with a groan.

Several hours later Pan fell through her front door with a thud. Her suitcase fell open beside her, sloppily packed clothes spilling out.

And, for the first time in just shy of twenty-four hours, Pan slept. Right on the floor in front of the stairs, hand still clutching her suitcase handle.

"Gohan!!!" Videl's voice bounded up the stairs to where her husband-was-sleeping peacefully. He jumped out of it and ran down the stairs to where Videl was standing over someone lying on the floor, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Wha-" Discovering it was Pan, his jaw dropped. "What is she doing here?" He asked, and Videl put a hand on her hip.

"Well I certainly don't know." Gohan leaned forward and shook her shoulder gently.

"Pan?" He whispered, and she groggily awoke. "Pan, what happened?" He asked as she got up. She stuffed her things back in the suitcase and latched it shut, then handed it to her father.

"I got home early." Was all she said before climbing the stairs and crawling into bed.