Disclaimer: I don't own anything, darn it.

Hello, this is my first work of fanfiction! I know this type of story has been done before, but it was never done to my liking, so I decided to try it out myself! Please review :)

Pan closed her eyes and sighed deeply. The wind whistled through her ears, blocking out any other sounds, loud enough even to drown out her thoughts. It was peaceful up in the air, far above any troubles. Especially on a beautiful evening such as this. She felt untouchable, light as air. If only she could bottle this feeling.

The fifteen-year old was on her way home from school at Orange Star High. Even though the journey was a five hour drive from her home in the mountains, she could fly it in only about 45 minutes. Lately, however, she was making the trip last twice that long, especially on the way home. This was about the only time Pan had to herself, away from her overprotective family's worried and vigilant eyes.

It was beginning to be unbearable, her grandmother telling her how much she loved her at every turn, her mother hugging her and saying "I'm here if you want to talk" about ten times a day, her uncle asking constantly how she was doing. Even Trunks kept calling to check up on her, nearly every day. It wasn't that she didn't love her family's affection and appreciate their support; it's just that she couldn't stand being treated like a baby. But that was her entire (extended) family's way of viewing her, and nothing she said or did could change it. She really wished that her Uncle Goten would settle down already and pop out a kid or two, that way she wouldn't be the center of attention anymore. He and Valese had broken up the week before though, so that day was probably a long way off.

About the only person that didn't annoy her these days was her father, which was really kind of ironic, since he treated her like a baby more than anyone. But for some reason it was okay when it was daddy. He was the only one she tried to seek any comfort from. Maybe that was because Gohan knew better than anyone what Pan was going through. It had been a month since her Grandpa Goku rode off on the monstrous dragon's back (practically the most random and weird thing ever, which is saying a lot for her family) and she could still remember it in every perfect detail. How he had jumped on with hardly a glance back at them all, no real goodbyes for anyone; not his wife, not his oldest friend, not even his oldest son, whom he loved more than anyone.

Not even me.

Pan shook her head viciously, her peace shattered. She had let the thought in, and now it would take root and grow, adding to the tangled vines of anger and hurt that already existed inside of her because of that one thought. Maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but it was exactly how it felt to Pan, whose face was now getting cold due to the wind hitting her tearstained face. Her grandpa had been with her constantly for the past year and a half, and to her it seemed like they were very close. At least close enough to deserve a proper goodbye, a hug, maybe even an 'I love you'. The first time he left her, he'd at least taken the time for that.

And there was the real kicker; he had done it again! Took off without his family, acting like it didn't even bother him. She supposed she only had herself to blame; she had let him get close again, when she knew he probably wouldn't be around for long. She knew the stories from her family's past. Pan wasn't really sure how her dad held himself together after his own father left him repeatedly, and she didn't envy him. He had always been even closer to Goku than even Pan had gotten. This was the reason he understood her feelings. This was why it didn't bother her at all when her dad gave her a sad smile, held her face and kissed her forehead. It also helped that he didn't really say anything, didn't pry or ask questions. He just held her when she needed it.

Pan scrubbed the tears away quickly. The young Saiyan was getting close to home and evidence that she had been crying was the last thing she wanted her family to see. She rolled her eyes just imagining their reactions.

Pan ran in the door to her home, although the heavenly aroma coming from her grandmother's house pulled her in that direction. She took the stairs two at a time to her bedroom. Orange Star High had adopted uniforms since her parents had attended the school, and Pan didn't stay in hers any longer than was absolutely necessary on any given day.

The girl changed quickly before looking herself over in the mirror. She paused suddenly, a little surprised with what she saw. Her hair had grown some, and now rested slightly past her shoulders. Growing it out a bit longer had brought back some of its more Saiyan tendencies, so it was more wavy than straight now. She no longer sported her orange bandana, although she sometimes wore a headband just to keep her hair out of her face, especially during sparring. Today she wore a plain black one, along with a simple, form-fitting short-sleeved lavender tee, a straight jean skirt that hit mid-thigh, and black capri leggings. She squinted her eyes to study her reflection more carefully. What was different? She still had her father's dark eyes and fair skin, her mother's nose and obvious attitude. Suddenly she realized exactly what was different-she had more curves. Her body had filled out a little, giving her more of a chest and hips. Quirking her lips to the side, Pan wondered when this had happened. She shrugged, no longer interested, and pulled on her favorite green Chuck Taylor's before running back down the stairs.

Wandering into the kitchen, she found her mother reading a book at the table.

"Hey mom," Pan said as Videl looked up. Her mother smiled at her as she closed her book after marking her place. "Are we going to Grandma's for dinner? It smells awesome over there."

Videl smiled at her, nodding. "I think she made your favorite, and Trunks is coming too."

Pan frowned at this news. She loved Trunks dearly, but lately it was almost painful to be around him. Seeing him made her think of the time they had spent together with her Grandpa, which she tried to avoid these days. She quickly smiled before her mom could catch that look. "Great!"

"Why don't you go find Dad and see if he's ready to head over," Videl suggested.

Pan headed to where she sensed her father's energy, in his office. As she walked in quietly, she saw her dad sitting at his desk, his head in one hand with his elbow resting on the desk, the other holding something which he stared at intently, a thoughtful and almost sad expression on his face. She tried to sneak up silently to see what it was that had him looking so focused. That was pretty much a lost cause-he looked up quickly as he sensed her presence.

Darn half-Saiyan senses.

"Oh, hey sweetie," Gohan gave her a big smile as his eyes lit up. She smiled too, loving that.

"Hey, daddy," she replied as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "What's that?" They both dropped their gazes to the object of Gohan's focus. Pan frowned as she realized what it was-a picture of her dad and grandpa, both in Super Saiyan form. Her father was young in the picture, and she didn't have to ask to know that it was one taken right before the Cell Games, during the resting period the two took after their training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It was a good picture, the girl knew. Her father was looking at the camera, a huge smile on his face. But Goku was looking at his son, the only child he had back in those days. Pan did a double-take at his expression, which shocked her just a little, because it so closely resembled the look she had just seen on her own father's face as he looked at her.

Wow, they really look so much alike, Pan thought. Her eyes moved over as she noticed another picture sitting on the desk. This one was of the entire group, presumably around the time after Buu had been defeated, if Trunks and Goten's ages were any indication. Everyone was looking at the camera this time (except for Vegeta), but her dad and grandpa were standing next to each other in the center, their arms around each other's shoulders. She was shocked again, by her dad's face this time. He looked nearly identical to the dad standing next to her, as if he hadn't aged a day. She shouldn't have been surprised by this, considering the fact that her mother grumbled about her "teenage husband" more and more. He'd been wearing those dumb glasses for years to make himself look older; it wasn't easy to be a college professor when you looked the same age or younger than your students. After a couple months of his female students (and a few male ones) hitting on and ogling him, the half-Saiyan had bought the nerdiest glasses he could find in order to deter the unwanted attention. Trunks had adopted the same technique to make himself look older, but it honestly hadn't helped either one of them much.

"Nothing," Gohan quickly dropped the pictures into a drawer and smiled apologetically at his daughter. He knew seeing a picture of his father would probably upset her, and he didn't blame her at all. He was struggling with his feelings toward his father himself.

"Don't feel bad, dad," Pan hugged him tightly, "It's okay, really. I'm just...confused is all. I'll get over it, you don't have to walk on eggshells around me or something."

Gohan wrapped his arm around her. "I know. I just hate seeing you sad. I love you more than anything."

Pan stepped back, putting the biggest smile on her face that she could muster for her father's sake. She knew that it was silly for her to be so mopey and pathetic over her grandpa when she had no right to next to her dad. It was a way bigger loss for him. The two had been so close, anyone that was around them at all could see that. She knew how much it hurt him when his dad wasn't there. They had a strong bond, and since Piccolo was now gone also, it was even worse.

"Momma wanted to know if you're ready to go to grandma's for dinner," Pan said quickly to avoid responding to his earlier statement.

Gohan frowned for a millisecond, looking slightly hurt. He didn't push it, he never pushed it. He put on a small smile and nodded, standing to follow his daughter from the room.

Pan felt bad for hurting his feelings. She grabbed his arm and hugged it as she pulled him toward the door. "I love you too," she said with a smile.

"Hey you!"

Pan let out a small shriek of surprise as Trunks lifted her off the ground in a hug. She had just opened the door to let him into her grandmother's house, barely having enough time to register that it was him before he was swooping her up.

She forced a small laugh. "Hey, Trunks..." she trailed off uncertainly. She never really knew what to say to him anymore. He set her back down but kept his hands on her shoulders.

He squeezed them gently as he gave her a strange look. "Huh, you've grown some."

She frowned in annoyance, taking a step back to remove his hands. He let them drop to his sides while giving her another weird look.

"Yeah, that's what people my age do," she snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. Trunks just smirked and moved forward to put less distance between them. As he raised his hands to cup her cheeks, she felt them grow red. She tried to keep it from happening, but had no control over the blush that crept across her face.

Damn my father for passing on this horrible trait!

Trunks' smirk widened. With a low chuckle, he bent down and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "You're so adorable," he said, effectively pissing Pan off even more.

She turned on her heel as she raised her arm to wipe the spot he'd kissed with the back of her hand. Trunks followed her with another laugh.

They heard the door open behind them as they walked, and turned to see Goten walk through. Pan kept walking while her uncle and Trunks greeted one another, but she didn't get far before Goten had grabbed her from behind and started spinning around.

"Oh my favorite niece!" he cried as he crushed her to his chest. "What are you doing walking away without greeting your only uncle?"

Pan rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. Goten was such a goof. "Hi Goten," she said to appease him.

Goten stopped spinning suddenly, dropping his niece to her to her feet and spinning her around to face him. "Whatsa matter, baby girl? Aren't you glad to see me?"

Ugh, he's such a dork! Pan couldn't help but laugh though, her uncle just thought he was so charming. Well, maybe he is a little, she thought.

"Much better!" Goten said as he swung her around again, flinging his arm around her shoulders as they all headed for the kitchen.

Why do I feel like a rag doll today? The teenager rolled her eye again. Man my family is pushy.

Once Trunks and Goten had arrived, everyone was there for dinner. They dug in quickly, complimenting Chi Chi on the delicious (as usual) meal. Soon the group started talking about the upcoming event. Bulma had decided to have a party at Capsule Corp. the next day to get everyone together. It had been a while since everyone had been together in a group, especially the non-alien members.

"I can't wait to see everyone," Videl commented. "It's been so long! I bet everyone's changed so much. I wonder how Marron's doing..." she glanced at Uncle Goten with that last part, Pan noticed. She looked down to hide her smirk. No one else noticed, but he had glanced up suddenly at Marron's name.

Interesting.

"Yes, I'll be surprised if Marron hasn't found a man and settled down, as pretty as she is," Chi Chi put in. Guess mom and I weren't the only ones to notice Uncle Goten's reaction, Pan thought to herself. Videl and her mother-in-law shared a look as Goten frowned slightly at that comment.

Very interesting...

"Well her mother probably scares any potentials off," Gohan laughed. The others joined in, agreeing wholeheartedly. Android Eighteen had come a long way, but she was still pretty intimidating.

Once the laughter had died down, a silence filled the room. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, if the sighs and looks on their faces were any indication. They were all thinking about who wouldn't be there, once again.

Pan sighed too, but mostly in agitation. Were they all pathetic or what? Why is anyone surprised? He's done this for years! What would make a difference this time around?

Trunks opened his mouth to speak, and Pan, knowing what was coming, squeezed her eyes shut as if that would keep her from hearing it. Gohan, glanced at his daughter as she stilled next to him.

"Hey!" Everyone looked up at him in surprise, Trunks closing his mouth before he could start talking. "Uhhh...Trunks, how's Capsule Corp., Mr. President?"

"Oh," Trunks responded, thrown off a little. He recovered quickly, "It's alright. Just as boring as ever really."

Pan threw her dad a grateful smile and breathed out a sigh of relief. Stupid topic averted, daddy to the rescue. Gohan returned the smile as he wrapped his arm around her, before turning back to Trunks. "Well it can't be all bad right, Most Eligible Bachelor?"

"And speaking of settling down, when are you going to find a nice girl?" Videl cut in.

The younger demi-Saiyan laughed as he placed his hand behind his head. Pan raised her eyebrows at this, thinking how funny it was that Trunks had just made that gesture. It was something Goku and Gohan were famous for, and Goten to a lesser extent. He really was just a part of the Son family.

"Yeah, well, I guess I just haven't found the right one yet," Trunks laughed. "Or something like that at least." Pan didn't think it was her imagination that he glanced at her for a split second as he said that last part, before turning quickly to Gohan with wide eyes. He laughed again before clearing his throat. Gohan cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed and a frown on his face.

And here was yet another awkward silence.

Trunks looked quickly away from Gohan and asked Goten to pass him something. Chi Chi quickly asked Videl what she was wearing to Bulma's party tomorrow, and the atmosphere became relatively normal again.

What the heck?

Pan soon brushed off the weird incident, and the rest of dinner was mostly uneventful.

Kind of like my life, she thought. Then she rolled her eyes at herself. Get over it you baby.

A/N: Sheesh, kind of boring, I know. But it's just getting started and hopefully will start to pick up! Nothing has really happened yet, but it will. This is my first try at fanfiction ever, so please try not to be too harsh! I'd love reviews however-good, bad, and especially constructive! Thank you!