Night had finally drifted over the city of Caliber, and Vash was thankful for a successful day with Meryl. He was also glad she had talked him into bringing them out into the sun for a game of ball. Clint seemed to be a lot happier, and even Vash felt lighter. The day had been wonderful while it had lasted. Vash had finally forgotten so much of his troubles. But now as the stars shimmered outside the living room window, he was slowly brought back to reality. As the day started coming to a close, a part of him wondered if it could have been a day wasted. Still no sign of Knives had come, and Vash was sure he wouldn't hear from his brother for a long time. He knew what needed to be done, but the idea did little to sooth his reoccurring nerves.

Meryl sat next to him on the living room couch. She too was growing tired, but felt utterly content. Staring out the window, she could see the fifth moon hanging in the air.

"When do you expect Millie to be back?" Vash asked.

"An hour or less… but she'll know I'm here."

"I need to ask her a favor…" Vash said distantly.

"A favor?"

"I feel it's coming to a close. It's too dangerous with Knives and Chame both acting like devils. I'm going to meet them in Brooklin, just like the note requested Knives do. There will be no one to fall back on while I'm there, and it would be better for both of us if Clint stays behind. There are few I trust to take care of him. Millie comes from a good family- perhaps her brother will be so kind."

"If you die, I'll never forgive you," Meryl said.

The look Vash gave her was much too serious for the comment, and caught the small insurance girl unexpected. What exactly was Vash planning to do? He had survived the thrash of Knives before, but Meryl didn't like the idea of him getting in the middle of his brother and Chame. And of course, Vash, being the hero, had already requested on going all alone.

"I'm serious! I… always worry… so you better write." She ended in a small voice.

Looking away Vash began to worry about her on top of everything else. Why must she look at him with those eyes? Even after all the time they had been apart, she was still so concerned about his well being. He wanted her to be happy.

Gently, he felt her finger tips touch his shoulder, and he looked back at her. Her eyes were concerned as they stared into his. Time elapsed, and still they stared.

Meryl's arm was moving across his upper back and she was coming closer.

They had been staring for too long, but Vash felt frozen. He was unable to move, unable to speak. He could feel her arm brushing across his back.

Still she came closer, her eyes beginning to draw shut, and Vash heard his heart pounding in his ears. His eyes fell upon her ring finger where a diamond shown beautifully, pure, and chaste. His heart pounded louder as he redirected his stare to her. Somewhere along the moment he had lost his breath. She was coming to kiss him.

Immediately he felt self conscious, unable to match her porcelain beauty. Unlike her, he was weathered, scarred, and rough. Meryl was spoken for. 'She's engaged!' His mind told him fiercely. 'She belongs to Charles.' Yet a large portion of him longed for the affection- she was making the move. It would only last a moment, and who would ever know?

But what if it didn't last a moment? What if somehow he found himself unable to pull away? And he was lost in her arms?

His eyes darted back to the ring.

Charles would hate him forever. No. Meryl may hate him forever even though she came to him first.

But if Vash didn't kiss her, maybe she would go as far as to think he had no feelings for her. A medium must exist. Could he perhaps let her do as she pleases, yet do nothing in return? For some reason he didn't think he could handle her kissing him while he stayed stiff, the situation would be too tempting.

What if Clint had been a fluke- a serious problem that caused Meryl to forsake Charles? Clint was theirs. It would be the fastest way out… No, Vash couldn't do this to them, Clint being Meryl's mistake was too disappointing. He would not let Clint be a mistake.

His eyes felt heavy, she was so close that he could feel her exhaling breath on his face.

'It could poison everything.'

Vash clasped Meryl's shoulders in a tight grip, as if waking her from a dream. He turned his head away, unable to look her directly in the face.

Drawn to reality, Meryl opened her eyes.

"I wouldn't, if I didn't care…" Vash told her, sheepishly sneaking eye contact under her stare.

Without warning a pain erupted in Meryl's chest like her heart had been severed in two. Like the darkness outside, some kind of disappointment fell upon her. She felt heavy, like excess gravity was pressing down on her, squashing her insides.

"You're getting married. This is something I have no right to."

Meryl was stunned to silence, unable to produce an understandable strand of words. What had she just attempted? To kiss this man when she had another for a fiancé?

They stared at each other, Vash remaining stern in the face, while Meryl's expression wavered with doubt and insecurity.

Footsteps sounded. Clint had just walked in.

"Hey, Vash, could y-" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell on them. Feeling suddenly awkward and out of place, he didn't know where he found the nerve to speak again. "Did I come at a bad time?" He asked.

All three of them owned a blushing expression now, frozen.

Clint had thought Meryl had left already. He was unaware that she and Vash were in the living room together. He was almost positive he had ruined an important moment by the look on their faces and frozen closeness. Unsure of what to do, he tried to repair his entrance as politely as possible.

"Excuse me, I'll ask later." He spoke. As he turned to leave, he heard Meryl stand up as well, breaking free from Vash's snug grasp. Vash felt the couch cushion rise under him. They had been so close that he had forgotten how cool the room was.

"No," she said. "I was just leaving."

She walked roughly passed a dumbfounded Clint, and departed through the front door before Vash could say anything. It shut with a profound noise, leaving another silence between the two blonds, both still blushing.

"I'm sorry," Clint answered, still feeling awkward and out of place.

Vash shook his head and stood up. The air in the room felt cold now that no one was next to him, his skin even went as far as to prick up when he had left the couch.

"It's nothing." He answered.

Clint didn't believe him, not for one second. He could hear Vash walking up behind him, but felt unable to look into the gunman's eyes.

"I didn't know-"

"Clint, you walked in on nothing," Vash said truthfully.

Clint remained silent, and both ventured into their bedrooms, still showing signs of a blush.

Sitting on his bed, Clint felt uncomfortable. A part of him wished to know exactly what had happened, but the awkwardness he felt left him relieved he hadn't. What had been attempted? Everything was going so well between them today, they even seemed to subconsciously flirt, but maybe that was the problem if Vash had set them straight. Meryl was still engaged.

The sight couldn't escape his mind. He saw their individual expressions; Vash's so serious, and Meryl's so off guard. Remembering their closeness he shifted, Vash had his hands on her shoulders, gripping, and Meryl was so close to him with her arm resting on his back. Something about it made him uneasy, even though he had seen both his parents act a little more intimately. He had worked hard today trying to play some kind of cupid, but he hadn't expected to see them so close.

His eyes lingered to a blank wall. It was useless taking the time to decorate them with anything, because soon he and Vash would be leaving again.

Confused and frustrated, his hand clenched the blanket. Everything had turned into such a mess. Vash and Meryl belonged together. She really loved Vash, didn't she? Charles couldn't be near as good as Vash.

"Did I mess everything up?" He wondered.

…

Unlike Clint, Vash was already laying in his bed, hoping he would find some solitude in sleep, but he felt too ill. He was afraid he may have made a mistake, and slightly disappointed he had not gotten that moment to taste his love for Meryl. What if he had lost opportunity and Clint would be just a memory in his mind? 'Maybe Clint was mistake', he thought miserably. 'If I don't go through with it, what would happen to him?' His stomach felt poisoned. 'It's wrong. I know it's wrong. But if that's what happened… if that's the only way to ensure his safety, I would have to make her dishonest.' He sighed. 'And would it even be that easy when we're so different? I am a plant after all.'

He would never have the nerve, not tonight, not any night. Meryl didn't deserve to be manipulated in order to break her loyalty any further. Acts like that, they couldn't be true love. Tonight he had felt too self conscious, and it felt too wrong. If he was engaged to Meryl, he wouldn't be able to bear her to be taken over by another man.

Vash didn't know whether to trust facts, or to trust his own instinct. Confused, he hugged his pillow in his arms as he pondered- another one of his childish attributes. The fluffy mass helped occupy his empty arms and helped relieve the burning sensation he was feeling. 'It's wrong,' he thought again, 'it's such a negative way to bring innocent life into the world.' Resting his chin on the pillow, he felt the soft cotton condense under the fabric. 'I could have kissed her,' he thought and a sense of despair occupied his body. He had refused Meryl's love twice now.

…

"Meryl, are you alright?" Millie asked when the small insurance girl entered their hotel. She looked close to tears, but tried to hide her face as she collapsed on the nearest bed.

Millie, who had begun to write a letter to one of her family members, dropped her pen. The writing utensil clattered on the small round desk the hotel provided, and Millie patiently waited for Meryl's reply.

The silence that overcame the room was strong evidence that Meryl was not alright. Frowning, Millie retreated from her letter and sat on the edge of the bed that was parallel to Meryl's.

"Is Vash alright?" Millie asked gently.

'Is Vash alright?' Meryl thought. 'The problem is that he's too good!' When had she stopped loving the outlaw? Truth be told, she never could pin point the moment. She knew she had found Charles well before, because it was he that numbed her Vash withdrawal with his attributes. Charles was a hero to others in his everyday life, he was unselfish, a peace maker, he loved the quiet life, and he had repented of a serious sin… attributes Vash shared also.

"Millie, I'm so confused." Her voice muffled as she talked into the pillow.

While Millie pondered over what to say next, silence drifted over them again.

"Charles is a good man," Meryl spoke. Guilt rushed over her with the phrase. 'Eh! I'm such an awful person!' She thought savagely. She could hardly stand to be with herself. Whether her eyes were open or closed, she could see Charles' face perfectly. "I don't want to hurt him!"

"There are a lot of good people in this world," Millie said.

"And I'm not one of them, Millie!" Meryl almost yelled as she turned her head to see her best friend sitting by her empathetically. Meryl felt so sick with herself. What was she doing? She sighed. "I can't even trust myself anymore." Her eyes drifted to her ring. Charles had always been honest with her, even from the very beginning. He needed her. Did Vash? 'Vash has always been alone,' she thought, 'and in the end he always will be alone, whether I love him or not.' He could never be upfront with her… but that wasn't his fault, she remembered. What was she thinking? It was safe ground with Charles, it always had been.

"I have a safe future with Charles," she said.

"Bad things happen to everyone, whether or not they are good-hearted," Millie said. "Unfortunately that's how life is, but our agency to deal with them makes our life."

'It's people like me that inflict bad things on good people,' Meryl thought savagely.

"Millie?"

"Yes?"

"I have to leave as soon as possible. When is the next bus heading east?"

"The day after tomorrow," Millie answered in a soft voice. She restrained from adding anything else.

"Millie?"

"Yes?"

"Would you please stay with Vash?" She paused. "The Insurance Society may be back in business soon, and I need you to continue our research."

"Yes, Meryl."

….

When a knock on Vash's door sounded mid afternoon the next day, he wondered if he would find Meryl behind it. But when he swung it open he found Millie, alone. Suddenly he wondered if Meryl had confided anything to her, the idea made him feel embarrassed.

"Meryl isn't feeling well," Millie told Vash as she entered the little house. "But I have some information for you. I ran into Chame yesterday, on the bus ride." She started. "He said that… he said that Wolfwood was working for Legato, but he didn't really want to," she added quickly, "Chapel pulled both him and Chame into the mess. Wolfwood was desperate because he had no money for the orphanage, and I guess Legato had promised to solve that problem. Vash, Wolfwood became a Gung-ho-gun."

Vash's mind was taking in everything she said, working fast to find the flaws. He shook his head. "No, Millie, that's not right, it can't be. I had wondered about it," Vash admitted. "He knew too much about me and about Knives, sometimes more than I even knew. And he knew the Gung-ho-guns… and Knives was always so vague and awkward to mentions of Wolfwood, but it can't be true, Millie. Why would Wolfwood protect me? Why would he-" Vash stopped mid-sentence. His eyes seemed to be focused in on his thoughts. "Oh, no." He said, halting at a realization. Suddenly he felt violated, Wolfwood had been there, right under his nose, hadn't he? His stomach turned over. Knives had been even more dreadful than Vash had thought. It did fit, didn't it?

"I know why they killed him…" he said quietly. "That's why he changed so fast… Wolfwood was supposed to kill me, but he didn't," Vash shook his head again. "He helped me instead. He got in the way. He-"

Before Vash could finish, Millie had him in her arms. He returned her hug as his mind continued on the matter.

"Oh, Vash, Wolfwood died for you."

Millie could hardly contain her emotion.

"I'm sorry, Millie," Vash answered, feeling guilty.

"No, you don't understand, I was so worried- I was beginning to fear that Wolfwood had been a horrible man… but what was I thinking? I knew he was good-hearted all along." To his surprise, Vash found joy in her voice. "It would have been awful to find out I had loved someone who had done so many terrible things without my notice. I know there is good in everyone, but I was just so worried."

Vash gave her an unsure small smile. Personally, he wouldn't have considered it to be good news.

"Oh…" Millie suddenly remembered something. Her face fell limp and then her eyes reached his with concern. "But I'm afraid that's the least of your trouble, Vash."

For a moment Vash was afraid they had reached the subject of Meryl, until Millie brought up Chame again.

"I tried to talk him out of it, Vash, but he is just too hurt. I don't think Chame is really such a horrible man, he's just trying to do what he thinks is right. He looked like he was having a really tough time, but I'm afraid he has another plan to carry out, and he was very confident in it. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't necessary to continue fighting, but he wouldn't listen."

"Do you know what it is?" Vash asked.

She shook her head.

"Why did he tell you all this?"

"He said it was because I was the only person Wolfwood ever cared for… I guess he reveres Wolfwood so much that he felt I was safe to talk to."

"He must not think we're still in contact."

"Vash," Millie spoke again, sounding unsure. "Meryl is leaving tomorrow."

The words sounded hollow. They joined his mind where so many thoughts were continuously drifting. He had to say something to her, to apologize and make all his intentions clear.

….

Early that night, Vash found himself in front of Meryl's hotel door. He didn't know how to approach the situation, or what to say. If he explained Clint to Meryl, surely that would win her over, but he was doubtful and uncomfortable with such an advance.

Vash gripped the room key in his sweating palm. Millie was with Clint, and she had given the key to him, confident Meryl wouldn't open the door for him if he knocked. Her comment had discouraged Vash. Meryl didn't want to see him, and he was just going to walk in uninvited. He shifted uneasily, staring at the chipping paint on the door. The darkness made it difficult to distinguish the color, but he knew it was a sandy tan. He had passed by this hotel before and knew that all the doors were a sandy light brown.

Taking a deep breath, he inserted the key into the hole. The longer he stared at chipping paint the less likely he would ever enter. Sometimes, in fearful situations, it is better not to think at all. Not to think about what could happen. Not to think about what to say. Not to think about what to do. Sometimes, in fearful situations, it is better to take life as it comes- one step at a time.

Vash removed the key. Carefully, he pushed open the door.

"Meryl?" He asked cautiously.

The room was nothing spectacular, two beds occupied most of the space, and Vash could see a door leading to the bathroom. His eyes didn't have time to take in much else because he had spotted Meryl next to the bed furthest from him, packing. Her luggage case was opened wide and she was putting away a number of items including a little notebook Vash recognized as her journal.

Nervously, Vash sat on the edge of the other bed, the mattress sank under his weight. His elbows rested on his legs as he watched her.

Meryl began to put her belongings away more violently, never giving him a glance. She nearly broke her toothbrush in half when she forced an extra pair of shoes in.

Heavy silence crashed over them, making them feel more terrible and awkward. Both were mentally confronted with thoughts of 24 hours ago when they had been sitting on Vash's couch. The outlaw had done his best to avoid the living room today, whenever he neared it he felt weight pressed down on him. But he had been running away from it for too long, and now he was here for a deathbed conversation.

Vash felt the quiet was too dense to survive much longer.

"I'm sorry about last night," he said timidly.

"Not as sorry as I am." Meryl sounded bitter, but still refused to look up at him. " 'Move on, Meryl' that's what you told me five years ago. 'If you truly love me, MOVE ON.' Well, Vash, I did."

Vash watched her retreat into the bathroom, collecting more items.

"I was afraid. I wanted you to be happy," he answered softly.

She returned with her arms full, but finally she looked into Vash's sober eyes.

"Was it impossible to be happy with you?"

"It was impossible to be safe."

Meryl thrust her bathroom supplies on the bed.

"I was always in danger," she said loudly, almost yelling at him. She paused for a split second and then found the courage to add more. "You were too obsessed with Rem to ever let me in!"

"You only tried to come in once, and I was afraid. I wasn't the one involved in the danger- it was too difficult with Knives."

"Are you telling me you've loved me all along?" Meryl asked, quieter.

"Meryl, I've loved you for so long."

For a moment she stared at him, at his eyes, and then she turned away and stuffed a feminine can of shaving cream into her bag.

"You've always been a terrible liar," she said harshly.

"How do you know if I'm lying?"

Meryl's hand slowly slipped away from the can, and moved to the outside of the luggage bag, her fingers hanging on to the edge while her wrist fell limp. "Your eyes," she sighed. "They didn't look like they have lately. You honestly didn't feel that way about me before. You were serious, you wanted me to leave and move on."

"Meryl," Vash paused. "You were crying."

She froze, remembering the terrible day. In her mind's eye, she could see Vash standing in front of her, blurred.

"You couldn't see my eyes."

She had been crying, hadn't she?

"I'm sorry I lied to you when I said I didn't feel that way… but if I had told you, you would have never left. You were strictly devoted to me. No matter what, you would always follow, whether gun point, murder, or violence. So I used your strongest quality against you. Your love for me."

All of Meryl's hurtful anger began to melt away, giving her eyes permission to water.

"You had been waiting for me to solve my life's troubles, but with Knives in my hands, I found you would have to wait even longer… I didn't know how long it would be. Please. I need you to understand that I see everyone come and go. I didn't want you to wait…" his voice softened, "because it might never happen, and I wanted you to experience a real life."

Tears began to slip down Meryl's cheeks, and her luggage bag blurred with the mixture of light. Why did he have to wait so long to tell her this?

"You didn't notice," Vash continued, "but Knives was already meddling with you and Millie. He's too sly. I wouldn't tolerate such abuse on you two… so I asked you to leave, because I cared."

Vash stood up

"I just wanted you to know the truth."

Meryl heard him leave through the door. She collapsed against the bed, knees on the carpet and arms across the bed sheet. Furiously, the tears picked up speed, and she buried her face in her arms.

Outside, Vash could hear her crying. His fingers were glued to the door knob. He had never heard her so emotionally broken. Hesitating, he wondered what to do as her sobs drifted into his ears. He couldn't take it. He never wanted Meryl sad, but yet it felt like he had broken everything and everyone he had ever touched. For some reason disaster was always in his wake. 'I just want a moment of peace', he thought, 'without having to worry about anything… She's still crying.'

Vash reopened the door carefully. He stood in the doorway, staring at Meryl huddled against the side of the bed. Unsure, he walked over to her. She still had her face buried when he neared. He pressed his hand on her shoulder, and motioned her to face him. As his eyes hit her melancholy face he grew conscious and nervous again, and for some reason he wondered what she would think of him. But he pushed his useless thoughts away and put his arms around her.

He was surprised how much she shook in his lock, and held her tighter.

"I don't even know," she sobbed with sharp breaths, "if I ever loved Charles, or if I just saw you in him instead."

Vash listened.

"At the time," she sobbed again. "It- it felt like I was whole again I-"

The sound of her trembling voice caused Vash's eyes to water. He never could take people crying.

"I thought I found you in someone else."

"Sshh," Vash hushed. "Just cry."

Her hands gripped his shirt tightly. She could smell gunpowder mingled with dust on him. Soon afterward she felt drops of water falling on her head.

Slowly, she regained her breathing as her tears turned silent.

Vash placed his head on hers.

"Sooo…" he started soothingly. "On the first evening a pebble…" A lullaby would have suited the moment better, but Vash didn't have any memorized. He did what he could to smooth the tune.

"What do I do?" Meryl asked when he had finished.

"I just want you to be happy. Do what will make you happy."

"I don't know anymore."

Vash would hold her until she stopped crying. Maybe it was something childish he did, but he had hated tears since his days with Rem. Life was too hard and no one deserved to be left alone.

"Vash," Meryl said calmly into him. "I love you."

His emotional reaction surprised himself. For a moment he felt… safe, accepted, and understood. He remembered the first time he had heard those words from her; he had asked her to stop and later to leave, but now they were alone. Everything else outside the walls of the room felt far far away.

"Meryl," he started, and began to grow nervous again. "I… I love you too." He had been almost afraid to say the words, afraid he would lose her, and now that they were out he never wanted to let her go.

Meryl's grip on his shirt loosened, and instead she placed her arms around his body. He had always loved her. Vash deserved someone there, and she wanted to be there.

"I'll come back," She promised. "Next week, I'll meet you at Mosello it's near Brooklin. I'll meet you- Millie is going with you to help you."

"I don't think I will ever stop crying." He answered and slightly smiled.

And neither did Meryl for a very long time.

….

Clint was never fond of Old Maid, and he had never played it with just one other person. Yet when he lost at chess twice, he was willing to find a new way to pass the time.

He reached for Millie's cards and frowned when he pulled the joker. As he tried to mix it in his deck (so Millie would lose sight of it), they heard the front door open. Both froze, their eyes finding one another, and then they rushed to meet Vash.

"How did it go-?" Clint's heart sank the moment he spotted the outlaw. Smeared on his shirt- across the chest- was mascara and makeup. Tears were definitely shed. He could tell Vash had shared Meryl's misery by his red eyes. He watched Vash, trying to decipher an answer from his face, and grew more nervous as time passed.

"She's coming back." A little sheepish smile slipped onto Vash's face.

Millie and Clint were silent.

Vash felt his eyes water again. They ached, and the bright light inside the house wasn't helping. His mind could hardly catch up to his emotions. He felt so different. He felt… important.

"What happened?" Clint finally asked.

"She's not in love with Charles." He answered.

Clint didn't understand. Why would Meryl be engaged to someone she didn't love? He didn't think this could get anymore complicated than it already was.

"I need to sit down," Vash said.

They walked into the living room, where Clint's and Millie's cards were scattered across the table. Vash sat lightly on the couch.

"She's coming back next week… for me…"

Millie departed into the kitchen. Clint could hear her filling up a glass of water.

"Why was she engaged to Charles?" Clint asked curiously.

"It's complicated… she missed me a lot when she found Charles."

Vash's reply did little to solve Clint's confusion. Before he could further interrogate his father, Millie had returned. She handed Vash the chilled drink.

"Thank you," he took it gratefully. After drinking about half the glass, he silently blushed. Meryl was engaged to Charles because she had seen Vash in him. Meryl loved him, and it was safe for her to.

"You seem a little shocked," Millie noted.

"I don't know what to think," he admitted.

Clint smiled, Vash had a long way to go, but it was sweetly appealing to see his surprise.

"I'm starting to get nervous…" He continued. After his eyes wandered to Clint, he felt oddly awake. It was suddenly too hard to sit still when his mind and heart were quickening. Putting the glass on the table, he stood up and began pacing.

Predictably, Clint watched him start to the left. He always started to the left.

"Don't worry. Meryl has liked you for a long time." Millie said reassuringly. She sensed worry in his expression.

"Exactly," Vash sighed. "I can't screw this up, but I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I've never really been involved with something like this." He glanced at Clint again.

"Just be yourself," Clint advised.

"Take it easy, Vash." Millie told him. "Sit back down, everything is fine."

"No, I can't sit down." He answered. Personally, he felt like a lot needed to be done, although he was unable to pinpoint what at the moment. "Meryl still has to break the news to Charles… she having a really hard time. I tried to calm her, but she is so worried about him."

"I will give her a hand, Vash. And don't worry. Everything will be fine." Millie promised. She forced him to a stop with a hug. "I'm happy for you, Vash. I just knew you two were meant for one another, and now I'm glad you know it too!"

"Bye Millie. I'll beat you at chess next time," Clint said.

"Bye." Millie said. She let go of Vash, and departed.

Vash stayed frozen until he heard the door shut. Then he turned to Clint urgently.

"What year were you born, Clint?" He asked and began to pace again.

"I told you, I won't tell you anything more," he answered. His eyes followed Vash's pace until he grew dizzy, and then he redirected them to the coffee table, staring at the face cards.

"I take it we settle down… am I home a lot?"

"Would you be home a lot?" Clint asked.

"I would like to be…" He answered, trying to catch a sliver of an answer on the teenager's face. "Do I work?"

"Ha!" Clint laughed. "Do you work?"

Eyeing him, Vash came to a stop, he definitely had a job, but he had no idea what he could possibly do being an outlaw. It would have to be something mundane, and yet it would make a difference in someone's life. That was the kind of job he would like to try.

Clint stared at Vash's expressive face. His eyebrows crinkled together in thought, his eyes darted around the room, and his mouth was a small thin line.

"Don't worry, it's a good relationship."

"Is it…?" He asked quietly.

"Well…just don't look so far ahead, you still have a while. You can ease into it." Clint advised.

"I eased into it?" Vash asked.

Clint was taken aback. "I don't know, I wasn't there! I just mean do whatever you're comfortable with."

Vash still obtained his worried look.

Clint gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just relax, okay?"

Relax? He couldn't relax, not now, not after the time he had just spent talking to, listening to, and holding Meryl. No, all this must be a dream, one he never wanted to wake up from. Maybe someday he would finally settle down, but he shouldn't spend his thoughts on it, there was still so much that needed to be done.

Author's note: well, I hope it turned out okay, it was one heck of a chapter to maneuver. I was trying to capture the essence of Vash and Meryl without it being overly done. I worked hard to develop the relationship between them so this chapter would come across alright. Being a writer, I re-read, re-write, and re-think chapters over so much that I wonder if it even makes sense by the time I post it up.