A/N: I do not own Re-L Mayer, Vincent Law, Pino, proxies, or the Ergo Proxy anime. This fanfic takes place after episode 18, on their journey back to Romdeau from Mosk.

Pairing: Re-L/Vincent

The Usagi cruised along at a steady pace towards Romdeau, where the answers Vincent Law and Re-L Mayer were seeking lied. Vincent stood outside on the ship's platform, moving the rudder every so often. He stared off into the frozen lands, thinking of all the information he had gathered in the remnants of Mosk, his home, his city, his destroyed cradle of civilization. Learning about his past had been quite a painful awakening to memories long forgotten. He absentmindedly reached into his pocket and fingered the two proxy pendants. Vincent's mind wandered to what Re-L Mayer, head of the Investigation Bureau of Romdeau, had said three days ago.

"Will you give me that necklace before we reach Romdeau? I just felt like asking."

All he could think about now was her. Ever since he caught a glimpse of her back in Romdeau, he had fallen head over heels in love with her. Vincent thought of the kiss they shared. Although it was not motivated by love, Vincent had enjoyed it all the same. It was warm and soft, unlike her stone cold glare she usually had on. He was definitely going to give her a pendant. That way, they would always be connected, for better or worse.

He had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't seen or heard Re-L walking up the stairs. She gently put a hand on top of the hand Vincent had on the rudder, which snapped him out of his thoughts right away. He looked at her and blushed, her hand still on his. Her expression had become softer and, if he was right, he could see a hint of a smile on her lips.

"It's my turn to steer," Re-L said, moving aside to let Vincent pass. The blush had faded from his face. "By the way, I checked the supplies, and we're running low. We need to stop back at Ophelia to stock up again before we head back to Romdeau." He nodded and walked inside the ship, where Pino, the companion model Autoreiv child, sat drawing with crayons.

"Vince! Look what I drew!" she exclaimed, showing Vincent her drawing. It was of Vince, Re-L, and her standing in front of a house. They looked as if to be a happy family, with all three of them holding hands. He smiled and rustled her hair.

"That's a very good drawing, Pino," he said, sitting down on the couch. She smiled, picked up a children's book, and walked over to him. He lifted her and set her on his lap.

"Would you like me to read you a story?" he asked, knowing full well that she could barely read herself. She nodded and handed him the book, which he cracked open and started to read.

"One fish…two fish…red fish…blue fish…"

As Re-L entered the ship, she saw Vincent lying on the couch, his left leg and arm hanging off the edge, a Dr. Seuss book lying open on the floor beside his hand. Pino lay on his stomach, watching Vincent sleep. Since she was essentially an android, she didn't need to sleep, so sleep was very fascinating to her, just like eating.

Re-L nudged Vincent with her boot gently, waking him up. He groggily rubbed his eyes, looking up at her.

"We've arrived at Ophelia." Pino jumped off him and ran around, shouting "Shopping!" over and over. She was always energetic, and it seemed that only Vincent enjoyed such spunk for life, no matter how bleak it may be.

They jumped off the ship and entered the domed city. It took them a while to get to the deserted market. Along the journey, Re-L and Vincent walked side by side while Pino ran up ahead. Re-L and Vincent's hands bumped into each other from time to time, and it was all Vincent could do to keep from holding it. He desperately wanted to hold her hand, to hug her, to kiss her again, but he knew that could never happen. He was a Proxy and she was a human. Not only were they different in species, but he also knew that Re-L didn't reciprocate what he felt for her. But what could stop that from happening? Nothing ever said that a Proxy and a human couldn't be together. He tried to stay positive, but he silently cursed himself for being what he was. Everywhere he went, death followed. He would protect Re-L – and Pino – doing whatever he could, even if it meant dying; they were his only family. They finally entered the store and they split up, Re-L going alone and Pino staying with Vincent.

"You know what we need to stock up on. Just stop getting so many beans! They'll be coming out of my ears soon if I don't get to eat something else! And no peas!" Re-L shouted as she walked to the makeup section; she was in dire need of more blue eye shadow.

"But…I like beans and peas…" Vincent trailed off, frowning. He pushed his cart through the aisles, grabbing cans of fruit, vegetables, gravy, and other canned goods, including beans and peas. Just because she doesn't like beans and peas doesn't mean that I can't eat them, he thought to himself. Besides, he had a plan for a special dinner. He wanted to romance Re-L the best way he could. Although he wasn't the world's greatest cook, he could still make some things.

..

After they got back to the ship, Re-L started putting the groceries away. She looked at the labels as she put them away, and was surprised to find can after can of beans and peas. She grew annoyed and so frustrated to the point of kicking the ship.

"Ow!" she howled as her foot throbbed through her boot. Vincent came running, with Pino following closely behind.

"Re-L! Are you okay?" Vincent asked, concerned for her safety and wellbeing. He saw the cans of beans and peas strewn about in the snow. He figured out why her foot was hurting – it was because of the beans and peas. She scowled at him and hobbled into the ship, leaving him to finish packing the supplies.

Great, now she's in a bad mood, he thought, knowing his chances of wooing her were drastically reduced. He sat in the snow and continued to fill the supply compartment. He reached into one bag and found the package of tofu he had gotten. Thank goodness she hadn't seen it; it would've spoiled Vincent's dinner plans.

..

Re-L was awakened by the smell of sautéed vegetables and the sound of garlic popping in a pan. She sat up in her bed and saw Vincent and Pino cooking on the hotplate they had. Something sure smells delicious, she thought, yawning. Boy, could the cold winter make you sleep like a bear.

"Pino, can you go outside and get the package of…" he trailed off when he saw Re-L was awake. Not wanting to let on anything, he finished with "…the special ingredient?" Pino smiled and hustled outside.

"What're you making?" Re-L asked, walking over to him. He quickly pulled the pan out of her sight.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise," Vincent said, blushing a bit. She stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips, with her head cocked slightly.

"Are there peas in…whatever you're making?" she inquired, hoping to coax the answer out of him. Vincent put the pan back on the hotplate and continued to stir the vegetables around.

"Yes, some sugar peas, but there aren't very many in it. Could you go sit back down?" he used the wooden spatula as an extension of his hand, shooing her away. Re-L huffed and went outside. She had just gotten halfway down the stairs when Pino came rushing by with a small Saran wrapped package in her hands. Re-L scooted to the left to let her pass, sneaking a look at the package. Something white was in there, but she didn't know what it was.

"Here's the 'secret ingredient', Vince," she said in a cheery tone, handing him the package of tofu. Vince ripped the packaging off, diced the tofu into cubes, and threw them in with the sautéed vegetables. He gently stirred the mix, not letting anything burn.

Sorry guys, but this one might remain unfinished. ^^' I've sort of lost interest in Ergo Proxy.