Rai: Ok heres the deal I was pissed about the lack of SnakeXMeryl fics, hell I was more pissed about the lack of non-yoai fics in this category.. So I decided to stop bitching and deal with it...thats right I'm taking out the big guns now...and this is what I did.

No I don't own Metal Gear and I will not make any money off of this cause well...I wouldn't pay for this crap. I mean its on Fan fiction net for Odin's beard's sake.

Thats The Way

Chapter One

High Enough

Snake pretended to sleep as he watched her nude form cross the wood floors of his Alaskan home from his bed still amazed by the sway in her hips that she failed to notice, mentally he laughed at the very...pleasant memory came to him...ah yes, she had a very, in the words of Hal, cute way of walking, even the uniform of a Genome solider could do noting to hide the behind he had come to drool over hell it did little to hide other round areas as well. She reached into the pocket of his pants hanging on a chair to retrieve one of his Cigs, putting it to her lips she lit it and he watched her body raise slowly then fall in exhale. Smoke danced in the cold air making his hawk like eyes drift to follow its journey around his red haired rookie, He could relate to the nicotine smoke, he loved that trip too. She was strong, and tall, but beautiful as she stood looking out the glass door to the balcony of his room at the mountains in the far distance , and its rivers coming closer, the trees hiding them. She, he remembered from experience was as smooth to the touch as she was to look at, his eyes dived lower down her back.

Those scars.

What was left to show she'd survived, she'd been bit by the wolf. There were three of them, all where Sniper Wolf had shot her. He closed his eyes feeling the cold again. Those were scars that she did not deserve...but it was the price of battle...and she was lucky to be so green. He had a lot more then she. He smirked remembering her reaction to them, that was quite the treat,it felt so good last night.

She ran a hand through her hair, exhaling a puff of smoke, and he closed his eyes as she looked back at him, still playing possum under the covers. Down to the last few puffs of the smoke she eased her self over to her acting lover, hearing her quiet foot pads agents the wood he opened an eye with a grin that she shared, crawling up to him and his open arms.

Kissing him deeply she shared the taste of his lucky charm with him while battling the life long solider she put out the cigarette before letting her fingers tangle in the longer parts of his hair.

"Good Morning." She said rolling to her back, only to have him put his weight on his elbow looking down on her, his hand dancing with callused fingers over her skin, his blue eyes playing her for Loki's favorite hobby, goose bumps left in his wake not from the cold of an Alaskan morning.

"Your up early." He told her absently exploring with a physical road map. She moaned in response tracing patterns in his abs the smile of the cat that caught the mouse apparent in her face.

"Just what are you thinking about?" He asked leaning over to place kiss after kiss to her neck.

"How good it would be to have a piece of you."she smirked, almost natural her hand tangled in his hair his attention catching the breath from her, making his way back to her cherry lips he guided her arms with the feather touch of his fingertips up above her head before dipping down to lead his hot tongue to the soft pillows of her breast, making use of his teeth down the path of teasing the moaning mound of red haired flesh under him. She gasped feeling him, his lips on her nipple his hands on its twin her hands now clutching tighter to the thick locks of his chestnut hair.

Meryl rode out the cold chills her tiger like Snake had brought to her her head thrown back sure her nails were digging into his scalp his hand, her breathing quickened to his game, eyes closed in the pleasure the legendary Solid Snake gave to her, and she took it all...She kept her breath feeling his hand drift lower his pleasure from the heavens mouth placing soul consuming powerful kiss after kiss down the valley of her breast , thus contenting to her rock hard, flat stomach in worship to her body. Her purr like moaning fueling him in his war path, and to his destination burning fire in all the places in between, The two rose high with the tides of pleasure giving all the love two beings can give to each other. On through the night they wrestled as one under sheets of white satin, taking all they could from the beginnings of a new day. Many times they dove through the seas of love's everlasting sweetness, taking their bodies to its farthest limits and beyond.

Soon Snake found himself laying awake as the sun began to set on the home they shared. He listened to her breath, feeling her chest rise and fall with her breathes. Her head below his chin he stroked her hair with fingers as gentle as they were dangerous, sheets wrapped around their legs he dared not move the arm he had stationed protectively around her waist. She looked so happy and content, he didn't have the heart to wake her. Looking up to the celling he feared just how long this, good good thing would last. He was a mercenary, before that a marine... He had once fought hard to protect his country, Several times fought hard to protect a world that just didn't get the concept of peace. Now even as a musher, now even in retirement, they could still force him into a mission at anytime... At anytime some psycho could build and control a metal gear... That thought alone sickened him to no end, people like him fought the battles of war, bled the blood of a nation, sacrificed the everlasting soul, broke the bones, suffered through the nightmares and the consequence of sin. He had done his duty, wasn't the government's duty to keep the peace won on solder's backs?

He looked down at his red haired lover using him as a bed, their bodies held flush together in the coming night. He smiled hearing her awaken herself. She looked up at him with great big eyes and kissed his lips.

"Good Morning." She grinned making him laugh and kiss her back quickly.

"I believe the morning has passed us." Said he merely teasing. She grinned kissing him again before jumping up.

"Then Good Evening. I'm off to take a shower." She announced leaving his bed.

"Alright, if you need help just call for me?" He joked as often was the case.

"I'll be sure to do that Snake, don't get to lonely while I'm away."

He couldn't help but shake his head and smile. She was something else, He had no idea what mind you, but whatever it was made him want more, whatever she was made him and his little heart happy. He wanted things to stay this way, he wanted her to be safe, he wanted for whatever children they would have, if so be the case to be safer then he had ever been. Meryl and he were both solders, that didn't mean the next generation had to be too... Metal Gear shouldn't have to be the fear of hard working people...Thats why he took Otacon up on his offer to join Philanthropy, the anti Metal Gear force... He could be called at any moment to go get rid of the next threat by the biped nuke carrying tank. He didn't know how to tell that to Meryl, he didn't even want to tell her. He wanted to pretend, to make believe that he could stay here in this bed, under these sheets, with the woman he loved. He wanted to lie to himself a little bit longer and say that he was allowed to have this life of love and lust and the treasure that her smile brought. Didn't he deserve these things? Did the world not owe him something for his blood and sweat?

He sighed heavy trying to rid these thoughts of his from his mind, even if he had to go she knew damn well he'd come again. At least he hoped so, He hoped she knew how he felt... it wasn't easy for him to say, but he showed it again and again. Then again what if he died? He had never asked that before... it felt so new so awkward to be asking himself that question when once long ago, he knew that if he died, if he failed the mission and died, that was it. Some would say it was the death of a hero, some would say it was the death of a legend, some would say it was the death of a murderer. It really made no difference in the broad scope of things, death was just death, no one he cared about would morn for him, he had nothing to come back home too, why should he even think of death, there was no time.

Getting up he stretched the stiffness from his bones, the cold hitting his bare body like a round of FAMAS bullets, he brought in a sharp breath and got dressed in jeans and a black sweater before going down stairs to the kitchen. It was night well it was Alaska so it was practically always night, kinda depressing really. Darkness blanketed all of the outside world, he didn't know why but coffee felt right at this moment so he made a pot and poured a mug. The hot nectar chasing away the woes of living even if it was only for a small moment in time all seemed at peace on the planet Earth, and everything was in its right place. As the coffee brought him into euphoria he failed to notice Meryl walk down the stairs her hands on her hips she laughed at him and his coffee ritual, grabbing some orange juice for herself. She watched him worship his coffee wondering how he kept the edge off of battle in the civilian world. On the battlefield he showed none of this, but it was he who told her that in war, men are not men. They're animals, desperate beast come to the slaughter losing track of good and evil is easy when there really is no defining line. He didn't like being called a hero. He said hero's are normally bad news, but he was her hero... Weather he liked it or not, he'd saved her from Liquid and Revolver Ocelot's twisted games, and he gave her something she'd thought physic therapy would take away. She thought she'd lost what Snake gave her so readily, but by the stars he'd loved her and she thanked him for it, after all being alone is a no where state of mind, no one needs it.

Grinning like the cat who caught the mouse she snuck up to the man called Snake, strutting up like a stray cat on a fence post she moved to unheard music her fingers in his hair she decided to take the place of the coffee that now could be found abandoned on the table. Being replaced in his hands by her hips as the strong man pulled her closer with a grin a mile wide and into his lap.

"Hungry?" She asked with a smirk feeling him take the opportunity to nibble at her ear lobe. He growled in response directing his kisses downward to the base of her neck, his teeth and his tongue hitting all the right places for excitement.

"Depends." He replied his hands slipping through the waist band of her pants.

"Oh? On what Dave?" She asked knowing what he was about to say, she tried hard not to get giddy but damn he was good.

"On if your on the menu." He spoke only to feel her roll her hips into him. He grinned taking that as a guaranteed yes.

And so it goes, the movie never ends they went on and on and on crisoning the kitchen chair, the table the counters and finally the marble floor. Taking each other in the battle their bodies craved more then food. ((Rai: well unless your Snake then you got your meal anyways... Zel: Shut up Rai! Gross! Kaden: STOP INTERUPTING THE STORY!))

So they lay spent on the floor their bodies cuddled for warmth as they came down from the high, neither set of hands keeping to its owner. They painted a pretty picture holding each other in the aftermath of love making as intense and soul consuming as that, smiling like foxes after a great big meal of chicken with no farmer in sight. Neither ever wanting to let go. One oblivious, the other knowing it had to come.

There was a knock at the door, and the two jumped up to grab their robes, throwing them on Snake answered the door only to see Hal Emerick, Otocon himself standing in the same old lab coat, black framed glasses and heart broken smile. He laughed, pushing the bridge of his glasses back up his nose.

"Did I interrupt something Snake?" He joked knowing damn sure that he did. Snake smiled back holding his hand out for his one and only best friend. He'd cut his hair since Shadow Moses, grown quite the beard...he looked like one of those SciFi movie scientist that try to revive a monster or destroy the world. The creator of Metal Gear Rex stepped in upon Snake's offering hand.

"Yeah but I wont hold it agents you. Sit down...let me get dressed. I'll be right out." Snake said offering him an empty but comfortable looking over stuffed red chair.

He sat and waited, not surprised at all when a very pissed Meryl walked into the room, dressed in her favorite camos and a black t-shirt.

"I know this visit isn't just a catch up session, whats the mission Hal?" She asked coldly sitting on a sofa beside the chair. That in its self scared the engineer inventor. He wasn't a fighter. That was the understatement of the year. He was the one who was so afraid of the Cyborg Ninja that he pissed himself and hid in a locker until Snake saved his pathetic chicken wuss ass. He shook off that memory and went forward carefully. While Meryl was one of his closest friends, he knew without a shadow of a doubt she would not hesitate to kick his ass... and she could too.

"There is evidence of the US Marines corps having a Metal Gear prototype. We need an investigation. This is strictly a stealth mission, he is to go in undetected get some photos and come out undetected." He gave her the truth, the plain and simple truth, knowing her she would have smelt out his lie whatever it would have been and beat the shit out of him otherwise.

"No evil twin brothers, taking down Metal Gear, fighting tanks, Hind D's, super snipers or psychopathic old men?" She asked remembering the past the three of them shared.

Hal laughed, understanding fully her worry and shook his head.

"I give my word as an anime fan, he may have to take out a few pawns but thats nothing Dave can't do with his eyes closed and a hand tied behind his back. In fact he'll be going in with a tranquilizer gun instead of having to fend for himself." He smiled seeing her flash a look of relief. Snake came down and sat between the two.

"Alright, just tell me what I have to kill before I change my mind Otacon." The scientist nodded throwing a suit case on the coffee table.

"We've gotten a tip on a new Metal Gear, the US government is putting in the "Capable" Hands of the Marines, all we need to do is expose this threat to the outside...raise awareness to the public and put a stop to it. You'll be going into the tanker using my old stealth camo, you'll go down into the holds where RAY is being stored, you'll take pictures using this digital camera, you'll use a terminal to e-mail them to me then you'll get the hell out of there."

"In the suitcase you have your sneaking suit, Scopes, a ration, some bandages and an M9 tranquilizer gun with scilancer." Otacon told him opening it up.

Snake took out the suit and nodded. "Alright, when do we start?" He asked letting a cold expression freeze over his blue eyes.

Otacon checked his watch. "We'll be heading out as soon as it takes you to put on your equipment." With that Snake got up taking the suitcase with him, Meryl followed him and sat on the bed. After he took a shower she watched him slip on the spandex tight sneaking suit, and she watched him slip on his hoister, his ration belt, extra magazines and grab his smokes.

He sighed pulling open his nightstand, in it was his old bandanna, almost as if it was Apollo's leaf crown he tied it on and closed his eyes to keep his wits about him. He really hated this job.

"Meryl," He said quite as can be. "Come here." He said beaconing her with his arm. She did as told clinging to him like a scared child, tears breaking free from their prison.

"Don't cry Meryl, this isn't good-bye...you know damn well I'll be back again." Kissing her with as much passion as any kiss could ever reach it was the last thing he did before walking out the door with Ottacon and climbing into the hello copter headed for the Gorge Washington Bridge.

Meryl watched him go preying to whatever gods that had protected him in Shadow Moses, that they would protect him again, and bring him back to her not in a pine box. He didn't look back and she didn't blame him. "Loyalty to the end." That was a real solider. To reason and rhyme weather he wanted it or not he was the son of Big Boss, the ultimate solider.

Rain: FINISHED! Its shorter then I thought it would be but oh well.

Kaden: Thats OK Rai your shorter then people think too so all is well.

Rai: Can you cool it with the short jokes.

Kaden: No.

Rai: -rolls eyes- Well its 4:54 AM August 1st and I am now 19 years old... also Physical Graffiti just turned three...Happy Birthday to us both.

Snow: PARTY TIME!

Zel: Yeah bring forth the rock!

Rai: Or someone just as hot... Ah hahaha puntastic.

Cy: Please R&R and Rai will get busy on the next chapter while she looks for a job.

Alex: Get a job you bum!

Sky: Cut your hair!

Zel: Make us proud Kit-chan!

Rai: Aw I love ya'll too. I'll get busy and I'll get a job but I'm not cutting my hair.