I do not own Vash the Stampede or Rem; they belong to the incomparable Mr. Yasuhiro Nightow.

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Time

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Year 0950 month 12 day 4

Rem sat back and sighed contentedly as the light from the setting suns poured in through the windows. Shyla's cooking was always a joy to eat.

When she left the Saverem residence to marry William, she'd asked Shyla to write down several recipes that included most of her favorite dishes. She used those recipes often. Yet, somehow, Shyla kept coming up with others that she liked at least equally well.

"I want that recipe," she said, and enjoyed Shyla's bashful smile of pleasure.

"I'll get it for you," Shyla promised.

"Good idea," William agreed, grinning. "I could stand eating this more often."

Rem reached out and swatted her husband's shoulder. "Are you suggesting that my cooking isn't as good?" she demanded playfully.

Vash started laughing as William put up his hands defensively, though her husband didn't stop grinning. "Of course not!" he protested. "I just like this, too."

By this time, the children were all laughing, too. Milly was trying to conceal her snickering behind her hand. Ranita and young Vash sat there giggling helplessly. Even young William Junior, sitting in his high chair, joined in with his own shrill chuckles.

Rem smiled at her family, both immediate and extended. She loved these weekly gatherings, when all who were in town would come together and enjoy each other's company. She hoped the tradition would continue, even after she could no longer participate.

She glanced at her adopted son, Vash, and hoped that her actual passing would not wound him as severely as his belief that she'd died had done. Thankfully, he had his own wife and children now. He wouldn't have to face the loss alone, when the time came.

Her glance moved to Shyla, Vash's wife. Her daughter-in-law, also an independent Plant, was just beginning to clear dishes. Rem rose to join her. She followed Shyla's example of hugging each person as she passed them and collected their dishes.

Vash Saverem picked up little Vash Reeve, who was only five years old. Milly, Vash's youngest, instantly moved to William Junior's high chair and started getting him out of it. William (Senior) was helping little Ranita out of her chair.

Ranita Reeve was seven, but petite for her age. She still needed assistance with things like getting out of adult-sized chairs from time to time. She had her father's flaming red hair, and the face of a pixie.

Vash Reeve, Rem and William's older son, had inherited his mother's dark hair but his father's blue eyes. That coincidence of coloring had been part of the reason he was named after his adopted brother. William Junior, at two years of age, was almost a miniature of his father.

Milly Saverem had golden-blonde hair the same shade as her father's had been in his youth, and her features favored him. However, she also had her mother's pale hazel-green eyes. Milly was currently finishing her degree in teaching. Several schools around No Man's Land were hoping to hire her when she finished, even though she was barely twenty years old and looked like a pre-teen human.

Rem joined Shyla at the sink, plunging her hands into the soapy water and letting her mind wander just a little longer. Shyla was such a quiet and gentle soul. She'd not mistake a companionable silence for anything rude.

Vash and Shyla's older nine children were scattered all over the world. Half had become law enforcement officers, like their father's current job. The other half were mostly healers like their mother, though Sheryl had gone into teaching as her youngest sister Milly was in the process of doing.

Rem was proud of all her children and grandchildren. Part of her wanted to have another child, but she had lately felt that her body was indeed aging. Perhaps three children would be enough? She would need to decide, soon. If she had another, it should be done immediately – while she still had the energy to keep up with a very young child.

She had spent many centuries in cryo sleep, waking for only a few days at a time. Because of this, it was nearly impossible to accurately calculate her subjective age. The Seeds doctors speculated that her functional physical age was around 35. That worked well, since her husband was 37.

By the calendar, which was a little uncertain about precisely when the "Great Fall" had occurred, she'd been born around 985 years ago. Yet she was glad that various circumstances had allowed her to be alive today. If she'd lived her life and died so long ago, she would never have met William. Nor would she have had opportunity to know Shyla, nor a chance to see Vash living happily with his wife and children.

Vash... she glanced over her shoulder at her adopted son, grown into a fine man. He was on the floor, wrestling with William and their children, laughing gleefully. Would having another of her biological children to cherish make it easier for him, when her own time ran out?

Enough with the melancholy thoughts, Rem scolded herself. Enjoy this evening before it gets away. She smiled and turned her head toward Shyla, and spoke softly. "It's been awhile since you had any children," she said. "Is everything all right between you and Vash?"

Shyla blinked in surprise, and her cheeks grew pink. "We're fine," she said. "We just started taking pills. We wanted to raise these, and not neglect any of them while they grew. If we had any more, right away, we might be too busy with the younger ones to be good parents to the older. We may have more, in a century or so, after these are fully grown."

Rem nodded. "Ah, good," she said, trying to keep her sudden mischievous mood from showing itself in her voice. "I was worried that you might have had a quarrel, and started sleeping separately."

Shyla's blush deepened. "No," she said very softly. "We still... that is..." Her face grew still redder. "It's not like I became pregnant every time. There were at least three months after each birth when it seemed impossible. Naturally, after I was already expecting, I couldn't get pregnant again."

Rem giggled softly. It was difficult to avoid teasing Shyla about that subject, since she always blushed so prettily and sincerely when it came up. Yet that was the most she'd ever managed to pry out of her daughter-in-law. She must have caught her in an unusually communicative mood.

She leaned closer to Shyla, and said barely above a whisper, "I do hope you're not letting him bully you into more than you're inclined for."

Shyla dropped the dish she'd been washing back into the soapy water in the sink. Her blush had reached to her collar-bones and ears. "It is his idea oftener than mine," she confessed very softly, "but he's always so gentle and he always feels so good... it's never long before I grow inclined, also."

Rem reached an arm around her daughter-in-law and hugged her briefly, before returning to scrubbing dishes. "I'm glad," she said. "I can see that you're good for him. It helps to know that he's good for you, too."

"He's always been good for me," Shyla said, her blush finally beginning to recede as her eyes shone.

"I begin to think he's good for everyone," Rem said thoughtfully. "I'm glad he's not limited to an ordinary human lifespan. This world will still need him, for a long time yet."

She saw Shyla's nod from the corner of her eye. "He's so beautiful," she said, barely above a whisper. "And he has a way of bringing out the inner beauty of others, too."

"I almost wish I could take credit for some of that," Rem said. "I think it was already in him, though, right from the very start."

Shyla paused in her dish-washing to look first at Vash, still playing on the floor with the children, and then at her. "I think you helped," she said. "Your love of him specifically, and also of life in general, touched something deep inside him. He might not have clung to what's right as tightly as he did, without that from you. The memory of you helped him to get through many of the hardest times in his life."

Suddenly Rem felt misty-eyed. Shyla was not a flatterer. She was saying what she honestly believed to be true, and it was high praise. She hugged her again. "Thank you for that," she said, and smiled.

Shyla hugged her back, and they returned their attention to finishing with the dishes.

As they finished drying the dishes and putting them away, the mayhem in the sitting area grew slightly less. Suddenly she felt a very gentle tug on her hair, as if someone were running their fingers through it. She turned to see Vash standing behind them. He had an odd expression on his face.

Shyla reached toward her, but Vash reached out and caught her wrist before Shyla could touch her. He frowned, looking at Shyla, and Rem sensed that they were communicating telepathically. She'd seen it happen enough times to recognize the signs.

She watched Shyla's expression change from surprise to bewilderment to shock and finally to tears, under Vash's glare. Suddenly, Vash put his arms around both of them, holding Shyla almost fiercely as Shyla's initial tears transformed into heartbroken sobs.

"Is something wrong?" Rem asked gently, concerned by what she saw.

Vash leaned his cheek on Shyla's head, briefly turned his face to kiss her hair, and then looked at his adopted mother. "Have you ever felt anything... unusual... when Shyla touched you?" he asked.

Rem blinked at the unexpected question, but thought about it. "Yes," she said. "I guess she does so much healing that there's a bit of energy residue in her hands. There's always a warm tingling that lingers for a short while after she touches me."

"Every time?" he said, and then swallowed hard. He looked back down at Shyla, still weeping and leaning her head against his shoulder. His arm tightened around his wife again. "No more," he said softly. "I can't... I can't bear to lose both of you." His voice broke over the word "both."

Shyla turned more fully into his embrace, and put her arms around him. She buried her face against his shoulder as she continued weeping.

"It's not residue," Vash said softly. His eyes were misty. "I'd wondered why the black streak in her hair was still, slowly, growing wider. I just found out. I'm sorry, Rem. I can't ... I can't let her do that anymore."

It wasn't residue? Rem found herself leaning into Vash's gentle embrace. Suddenly, she felt a little dizzy. All these years, has Shyla been spending herself to improve my health? I felt that warm tingle every time she touched me. It never entered my mind that she might be risking her own life for my sake. It probably should have.

Rem turned a little, to hug both Vash and Shyla more completely.

"I had no idea," she said softly.

Vash nodded, again leaning his cheek against the top of his wife's head. "I know," he said gently. The tears in his eyes were spilling down his cheeks. "As long as she had the energy to spare, I would not have objected. But now..." he buried his face in Shyla's hair and fell silent.

Rem knew that she needed to say something that supported Vash's decision. It was difficult to say such a thing, but it needed saying. She took a slightly deeper breath than usual, and quickly composed a [hopefully!] appropriate response in her mind.

"Thank you, Shyla," she said gently. "I appreciate the thought. I really do. However, I must agree with Vash. I don't want you killing yourself for my sake. I know I'm human, with only a comparatively short span of years to enjoy living. I accept that. Don't weigh down whatever time I have left with worries that it's killing someone else, too, ok?"

For a few heartbeats, nothing happened. Then Shyla nodded, but her sobbing did not lessen.

"I'll take care of her," Vash said softly. "Please, look after the others?"

Rem nodded, squeezed both of them again, and then stepped out of the hug. Vash released her, and she turned toward the others and saw them looking concerned. She smiled, hoping that alone would reassure them. There was a lump in her throat, making it difficult to speak.

She walked over to her husband, sat and snuggled against his side. William put his arm around her, and held her close.

"We were about to read or tell a story," Milly said, her eyes large with concern. "Unless there's something else you'd rather do?"

Rem swallowed, and it took her two tries, but she finally managed to sound reasonably cheerful as she said, "A story sounds like a wonderful idea."

She smiled and nodded at Milly. The Plant girl opened the book she held, and began turning pages. A picture was recognized, and the children called for that story to be read. Milly smiled, smoothed the pages, and began reading.

...

After four stories, Rem's older children were yawning widely. William Junior was asleep on his father's lap. Vash and Shyla had joined them during the stories, careful not to disturb the nodding children.

"I always dislike it when these evenings end," Rem's husband said wistfully. "However, it looks like it's time to take them home."

"I'll walk you home," Vash offered.

Rem nodded permission, since it would otherwise be difficult to carry all three children.

Besides, Vash was always welcome.

The six of them walked to the Reeve home, the three adults carrying the three sleepy children. When all of the children were snugly tucked into their beds, the three adults gathered in the front sitting area.

"So," Rem said, looking at Vash. "What's on your mind?"

"Can we sit and talk just a little?" he asked. "There's an offer I'd like to make, and it's a little awkward."

"Of course," William said, gesturing toward their thickly padded chairs and couch.

They sat, and Vash fidgeted for a moment. Rem noticed that his eyes were still red, from when he cried with Shyla earlier in the evening. "I would like to offer your family a gift," he said, looking down at the floor. "I'm not meaning to intrude; I just want to do something for you."

"What might this gift be?" William asked, glancing at Rem.

Rem had no idea, but suspected it might be connected to the earlier conversation with Shyla. She shrugged, and waited silently.

"I know you will want to provide for your children's lives, and I wouldn't intrude on that," Vash began. He sat leaning forward, with his elbows resting on his knees. He looked not at them, but at the ground by their feet.

"However, I also know that, as much as we might wish it were otherwise, nobody lives forever," he continued. "I would like to provide a place for each of you to be buried, when ever your times come. I would do this for both of you, and also for all of your children and descendants who wish it."

Rem saw the slight quiver in his chin as he spoke those words, though his voice remained calm. She glanced at her husband, who simply looked surprised. She reached out and took William's hand, and then squeezed it fondly.

Rem knew of only one other family for whom Vash had made that offer: Luida and her descendants. William came from one of those family lines, so they would already have an option to use that family plot if they wished. However, it sounded like Vash wanted to begin a new family plot for them. She'd seen how the family plot for Luida's heirs had been made into a park-like garden, where people not in any of those family lines would go for picnics. As a result, Luida, Lumia, and Larissa were remembered better than they might otherwise have been.

Vash was offering to make a place where she and William would be remembered, also. The idea of monuments and a garden where people would come for picnics, simply to remember her, was a little humbling.

It was also touching, realizing that Vash wanted her memory to live on well after she herself was gone. He evidently wanted it so much that he was willing to personally make the arrangements necessary to cause it to happen.

"That's a very generous offer," she said softly. She looked at Vash thoughtfully. "Are you sure?"

"I've spoken with Shyla, and we have reached an agreement," he said, still looking at the floor. "Yes, we are sure."

"Then thank you," Rem said. She looked pointedly at her husband, who still looked a little dazed. She squeezed his hand again, and he blinked.

"Yes, thank you," he said. "This is very unexpected. However, I know that you will do right by us."

Vash looked up, and smiled one of his bleaker smiles. "I hope this gift won't be needed for a very long time," he said, "but I wanted it settled. Thank you for permitting me this."

Rem nodded mutely, and saw William do the same.

Vash stood, still looking awkward. "I'd best be getting home. It's late, so I imagine that you're probably tired."

Having an idea what this cost him, Rem released William's hand to go hug her adopted son. "Thank you," she said softly, "very much."

He hugged her back, and then released her. He nodded, and extended a hand to William. Those two didn't hug this time, but they did shake hands warmly.

"Goodnight" was said all around, and then Vash left to return to his own home.