When Meryl had showered, dressed, put on make-up and headed out the door of hers and Millie's little hotel room, she had expected a normal day. Which- according to the majority of people- wasn't normal at all. Vash the Stampede always encountered at least one disastrous problem. Today however, she was presented with the blessing of Vash's luck. After being nearly ran-over by a spastic teenager, breaking her shoe, and tripping down several stairs, she had the pleasure of encountering an old school mate. Her name: Gabby.

Everyone knew Gabby when Meryl was growing up, and no one could say her name didn't fit her better. As Meryl had remembered, Gabby could take more words describing something than Meryl had thought humanly possible. Meryl had never been on close terms with her for the sake of time (sometimes Meryl had even gone out of her way to eschew her), and she was quite irritated with how it took Gabby so long to say something that could have taken Meryl a sentence. So, to make a very long story short, (after about an hour and half of repetitive words) Meryl was asked whether she was intending to go to their high school reunion.

"I'm definitely going," Gabby announced. "Jason is going, and I can't wait to tell him all about being a manager and of course I'm going to bring Richard, my husband. I bet Jason hasn't even held a job for more than a week that bum!"

Meryl was only half listening to this. She had forgotten all about high school reunions…it was difficult for her to receive mail while she was always on the road. She hadn't ever really thought of going to one… was she that old?

"…oh! And when he finds out about my kids-!" (Gabby was saying loudly)

Finally, Meryl departed slightly amazed that an individual could carry a conversation in which she said two words in.

The priest was over when she entered her hotel room.

"Welcome back, Miss Meryl!" Millie said.

Miss. Miss was right. What had she been doing with her life? She was still single, and hadn't even gone on a date for ages. Sure, she worked for the Insurance, but that was it…it was hardly a bragging right.

"My high school reunion is coming up," Meryl said.

Slowly, this introduced another conversation, one where the Priest had plenty to say.

"I'm telling you," Wolfwood insisted. "If you're so worried about it, use Vash."

Meryl mouth dropped. "Vash?"

Then, without warning, Wolfwood began banging on the wall. "Hey! Spiky!" He called.

Because the hotel they were currently taking refuge in was so cheap, the walls sounded like they were made out of paper. Meryl had woken up nearly every night since their arrival due to the talking from the room above hers. Vash would have had to been deaf not hear the familiar voice of Wolfwood bellowing from next door.

"Spiky! Come over here! Meryl has something to tell you!"

"No I don-"

But before Meryl could finish, her door (which was home to a rusted and broken lock) was pushed open by the outlaw.

"Could you guys keep it down?" Vash asked, rubbing his head. "My head hurts."

Wolfwood stared at Meryl expectantly, but when Meryl didn't speak, he took the liberty.

"This Insurance Girl needs to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" Vash asked, still rubbing his head.

Wolfwood and Millie stared at Meryl.

"It's nothing, I just-"

"-What she means is she needs you as her husband next week."

Vash stopped rubbing his head.

"What? I never- no! That's not what-" Meryl raged, turning red in the face.

"She was assuming, Spiky, that you could pay her the pleasure."

Meryl rammed into the Priest and pushed him out of the way, still red. What was he thinking? He was almost as idiotic as Vash.

"What?" Vash blinked.

Great. Now she would have to explain her situation to him.

"Mr. Priest, are you alright?" Millie asked. "All this with Vash and Meryl getting married seems to have created some violence."

Oh my. If Meryl didn't do something now it was definitely going to go down in the ditch.

"It has nothing to do with that!" Meryl growled. "We were just discussing my high school reunion."

"And Mrs. Meryl has a favor to ask," Millie added, helping the Priest away from her dangerous partner.

Meryl stared at Vash a moment, her mind racing- trying to come up with a good lie.

"Go on, Mrs. Meryl," Millie insisted.

"It's Miss," Meryl corrected through clenched teeth.

Vash waited for an explanation patiently. His eyes stared at Meryl with an odd glow.

"Spiky, maybe you should leave, she looks like she's going to blow," Wolfwood pointed out.

"I am not!" Meryl rounded on the Priest, who suddenly turned to Millie.

"Didn't you need to pick up some stuff from the store? Groceries?" He asked. He somehow knew when Meryl had been pushed too far, and he didn't want to stick around for it. He could find something better to do.

"Oh yeah, I did, it's-"

"Well, let's not waste time," he insisted.

The Priest grabbed Millie's hand and quickly led her passed Meryl. Millie gave Meryl a quick goodbye as they squeezed by the outlaw.

When the sound of their footsteps vanished (which took a while, because Vash and Meryl could hear through all the thin walls) Meryl felt even more awkward than before. For a fleeting moment she wondered what was worse: being embarrassed, or feeling awkward.

"What was it you wanted to ask me?" Vash asked with sincerity.

Meryl started at once; it was as if she couldn't get the explanation out fast enough, and she hadn't thought out her words, making it longer to explain than necessary.

"I hadn't thought about going to my high school reunion until I ran into someone I knew who was going and she was talking all about it and how she has done so much- she's married, a manager, and has three kids; if I don't go to the reunion everyone will think I've done nothing with my life, and if I do they'll see that I haven't been married or anything, and it was Wolfwood really who suggested it. I understand if you wouldn't, but I guess it sounded like a good idea, sort of-" and then she paused, not daring to look up at the outlaw. In a flick of a second she decided the best way to say it was fast. "He said that maybe if you went with me I wouldn't be a completely lost case."

It was silent, and after staring at the ground for a long time, Meryl dared look up to see whether the outlaw was still in her doorway or not. Immediately she regretted it. He was smirking at her! And he looked like he was slightly lost in some sort of superior disbelief. She looked away, muttering.

"How could I let that Priest talk me into this? No," she shook her head, "never mind."

"Why don't you go with him?" Vash asked, still sincere.

Meryl slipped a disgusted look at the ground, and then looked back up at Vash in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

And Meryl could tell by his expression he was.

"Millie likes Wolfwood!" Meryl exclaimed. "Doesn't Wolfwood like Millie?" She asked Vash.

"Wha- well…I guess. I just wasn't sure if…"

"But it was a really stupid idea, he slightly reminds me of someone I know…"

"Does he?" Vash asked.

"I guess…"

It was silent, and they both avoided each other's eyes. Vash had never noticed that the cupboard in Meryl's hotel room had such a large dent, and Meryl had forgotten how shiny Vash's boots really were.

But what was she going to do?

"It's a stupid idea," Meryl said again. "But would you?" She looked up into his aqua eyes.

"Yeah…if you want me to…"

"You'll have to be with me or something…or…or they'll think I've done absolutely nothing with my life!" Meryl answered desperately.

A smile broke across Vash's face. He stepped closer now. "How many of them have been traveling with Vash the Stampede the last year and a half? That's got to count for something…and being married to him? Vash the Stampede isn't-"

"Don't be stupid! We're changing your name!"

The smile was wiped clean from Vash, as Meryl began to think hard. "You'll be called Mark and you're uh… a doctor. We met…"

"I was your doctor and-"

"No," Meryl shook her head. "What patient dates their own doctor? Do you look too young to be a doctor though?" Meryl studied him.

"I'm definitely old enough." Vash announced.

"Oh well, you're just really ambitious, and graduated really early to start college."

"When is your reunion?" Vash asked.

"Next week," Meryl sighed.

Vash glanced at the nearby slanted dresser. He found a small paper full of grocery items. "I think Millie forgot the grocery list."

"Getting groceries," Meryl scoffed. She picked up the list.

"They do like each other?" Vash said. He was indecisive on whether it was a positive or negative idea.

"Well, I don't think they're getting groceries…"

They locked eyes again, wordlessly questioning themselves. Vash's aqua eyes and Meryl's lavender eyes were on each other longer than what was normal for friends. Meryl looked away, fidgeting with the grocery list, while Vash debated whether or not to find a new topic to talk about, and when he tried to look for a subject, he found little to choose from.

"You really showed Wolfwood…" Vash broke the heavy silence.

What was that supposed to mean? Meryl wondered. "He deserved it, making you think that I really wanted…"

She felt Vash's eyes back on her.

"…but with his wording, he wasn't very honest." She answered carefully. "He somehow forgot to mention the acting involved."

Vash gave her an innocuous smile; this was going to be interesting.

Author's note:

Thank you for reading. Please take the time to review… it helps a whole lot.