Wow! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Haha, Rockerbaby, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for your words of encouragement! I know, Vincent is going to be a scarred little boy and Xavier has even more trauma to go through - can you believe it? I'm so mean to that kid. Anyhow, I did not write the Death Song - it's Aura from .hack//SIGN. Haha...I wish I'd written it though!

R.K. --- you really think I could have faithful reviewers?? *eyes get big and watery* WOOOW!! That'd be cool!!

Hello_lola, I know, isn't Billy a tortured little girl? Thanx for your reviews.

Orangeslime1, I can't believe you read this story all in one night! I'm glad it kept your attention!

Sorry about that weird text thing going on guys - I don't know what happened. It makes me cringe in irritation...

The song Stormie sings is Only in Dreams by Weezer - one of my favorite songs!

TOO ALL YOU KNIVES/STORMIE FANS! I dunno if this chapter will make you sad or happy...it depends on how you take their encounter, I guess. But I can't make anything easy, can I? ^_^

~~~~~

Billy was thrown back by the intensity of the pain, flying into a wall and then crumbling to the ground. But she wasn't dead. Not yet. She lay silently on the cold stone of the train station, staring blankly at the ceiling. The bullet had scraped against the side of her head, not actually entering her skull but causing a nasty cut that caused unimaginable pain. A collective scream had rung through the crowd, and she heard her little boy crying out for her. She tried to raise her head to see if he was ok, but she just couldn't.

"Gray...fall..." she pleaded, and the man was at her side immediately. "Vinn...y..."

Suddenly, Naoshi's face was just over hers, and she looked at him, tears in her eyes. It hurt so much. How could he do this to her? The man seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he was very pale, very horrified. They gazed at each other for a few moments, and she became aware of Grayfall trying to pull him back, calling for the security guards, but she shook her head, croaking, "No...I need...him..." She had actually meant that she needed to tell him something, but wasn't what she said true too? He had told her a long time ago he didn't love her the way she wanted to be, that he wanted her to go home and back to her parents because that was the right thing to do, but she had said that above all she needed Naoshi, and if only he stayed with her, she'd be happy.

Grayfall heard her and froze in complete surprise, watching in disgust when Naoshi pulled away from him and merely glared at everyone gathered around. His gaze settled on Oriole and his eyes widened. Grayfall, intent on not letting him get to her again, dashed forward and placed himself before the woman, acting as a shield. "SECURITY!" he screamed louder. "THIS MAN HAS A GUN!"

No one seemed to be listening. There was complete havoc and panic, people struggling to get away.

Oriole was hugging both sobbing children close to her, trying to cover their eyes and shield them from the gory scene. Angrily, she glared at her half-brother, thoroughly appalled by the demented scene unfolding before her. How in the world could she be related to this man?

"N-Naoshi," Billy whispered, her eyes flooding with even more tears, the liquid gushing out and streaming down her cheeks. "Why...?" She was having memories of so many happy times, a gentle smile coming to her face. Staring at the man who had shared his life with her, who had been her first love, who had given her a son and lived with her for so long - the one she had woke up to every morning - she saw that he was looking around, cold and angry and...scared. All he wanted was a normal family, he told her once. He loved his family. Her eyes closed slowly and then opened again, breathing coming slow and ragged.

Oriole, glimpsing into Billy's shattered mind, delved into her emotions and frowned, feeling the strong love and affection. It forced her to grimace.

Naoshi's gaze landed on the sprawled out Billy and tears of regret flooded to his eyes. He had had no idea she meant so much to him. But what was that? Her lips were moving. Looked like she was trying to say something... His face softened but he could not stay. Longingly, he glanced at his son, reached out a hand to take him, but Vincent shook his head and shied away, hiding behind Oriole.

"It's over," Grayfall said quietly. "Unless you want your children to hate you more than they already do. A family... What were you thinking?"

"This," he growled, raising his gun again and pulling the trigger.

Grayfall closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, prepared to take the bullet, but a sudden weight was upon him as well as Oriole and the children, a small, firm body throwing them all out of the way with a grunt and then scream. When he regained his senses, he found himself flat on his back on the floor, the children and Oriole beside him, and kneeling down by his feet was a woman he had never seen before, small and petite with blonde hair cut jaggedly at her shoulders. Her arm was bleeding, where the bullet had hit, he guessed, and in her clenched hands she held a gun, which she was rapidly firing off at Naoshi. Who was this woman who had saved his life?

And with a whirl of his foot and a sweep of his black cape, the plant assassin was gone, darting back through the crowd and swiftly disappearing. Now he was nothing but a whisper of a nightmare.

But Billy lingered in her dream world where he was still with her. The smile that had crept over her lips widened slightly as she chuckled. "You had so many secrets, but I had one too," she said quietly, and then blackness began to overtake her. But just before it did, she realized she needed to tell Naoshi that one last thing she had not revealed before leaving. Drowsily, just before passing out, her lips shaped the words, "Naoshi, I'm pregnant..."

~~~~~

"My name is Bailey," said the woman, extending her good hand to shake Grayfall's. Her other arm was held slightly away from her and in the process of being bandaged by a paramedic. The first ambulance had already carried Oriole, Billy, and Vincent away, while Grayfall and Faith had opted stay with their mysterious savior. "I'm a plant - been tracking Naoshi for about three months. This is the first time I've seen him, and from the looks of it, you have ties with the man."

Grayfall nodded. "He's my fiancee's half-brother. We've been having problems with him."

"Hey, who hasn't?" Bailey winced, squinting one of her dark gray eyes. "Be a little more careful, please," she told the man bandaging her wound, and then to Grayfall she said, "Where are you guys heading now?"

"Off to a friend's. She's rallying together some other plants to track down Naoshi and put an end to all this." Grayfall's keen, golden eyes slid off to the side, glancing at Faith. "It's a long story."

Bailey looked at the man with a mop of chocolate colored hair and deeply tanned skin, his face long and solemn, cat-like eyes gleaming in seriousness. He sparked her interest. "Would you mind if I tagged along?"

"The more," Grayfall said with a slight smirk, "the merrier."

~~~~~

Meryl was startled out of staring blankly out the window by a gentle hand shaking her shoulder. But she didn't want to wake up. She was too upset, too lonely, and although the person trying to get her attention was persistent, she was stubborn. Only when she realized Milly was growing upset did she come back to life.

"Sempai," the tall woman said softly, bending over Mery's tiny form, which sat hunched over in a wooden chair. "There's a phone call for you."

"Who?"

Milly bit her lip. "Your ex-husband."

Meryl blinked dully, not fully comprehending. Still too dazed. She took the phone and cradled it gently to her ear, murmuring, "Hello?"

"Meryl," said the deep voice on the other end of the line, sounding slightly choked up. "Meryl, I got a call at work today."

Meryl's eyes widened as she listened to him talk, having been unprepared for the onslaught of emotions that would come with hearing from him once again. A lump formed in her throat as she battled the fear that divorcing him was the worst mistake she had ever made. "From who?" she croaked.

"Billy."

"Billy...?" It was a hopeful whisper.

There was an awkward silence and then, "Can I come over? Tell you in person?"

"Y-yes."

"Alright." Another pause. "Meryl, I miss you."

And then the other end of the line clicked, leaving her with the steady dial tone and tears in her eyes.

~~~~~

There was a big uproar at Stormie's little house out in the middle of nowhere. People were running back and forth, trying to make everything suitable for their visitors and family, and to make things even more crowded, Desma and Desiree, the two plants that were staying nearby, had dropped in, and both Meryl and Vincent had arrived to anxiously greet their daughter and grandson. Their coming together had been strange, to say the least, for, as Vash observed, Meryl could only stare at him in regret and longing while her ex-husband gently, comfortingly touched her hand and smiled.

Stormie was a wreck, dashing here and there and bursting into tears for no apparent reason. Mitayo was always there beside her though, comforting her, telling her it'd be okay and everything would work out. Everyone could see now that some sort of relationship was developing, though nothing was official.

"This sucks," Knives told his brother, who patiently listened to his every complaint. "I don't like Mitayo. He doesn't belong here."

Desma and Desiree were lounging in the living room beside them, the two plants quietly listening.

"I don't really like him either," said Desma dully. "He's keeps to himself too much. Barely speaks to anyone besides Stormie and that kid of his. What's his deal?"

Desiree examined her nails closely, speaking up nonchalantly in Mitayo's defense. "I think he's very kind. The way he is bending over backwards to make Stormie comfortable shows he cares. And he's a very good father."

Knives snorted. "The kid just got out of a bulb. He hasn't had to interact with the boy up until recently. And what's his name again? Some sort of number?"

"It was Eleven," Vash supplied. "But they call him something else now."

Eleven - or Xavier - sat out on the porch for endless hours, searching the horizon for his lost playmate, unaware he was being discussed.

When the big truck came rumbling down the road, he was the one to call the whole crowd out front, and in a stampede, everyone poured out the front door and stood there, waiting and holding their breath. Upon stopping the vehicle, Grayfall was the first to hop out from the driver's side, holding in his arms a small boy who's eyes were wide with fear and excitement. He then turned and reached up his hand, helping down a fragile looking woman with black hair cut in a pixie. She had bandages wrapped around her forehead, noted both her parents with a gasp, and Meryl stumbled at the sight, having to be caught by Vincent.

Billy turned and walked slowly to her parents, leaning heavily on Grayfall. She could only smile weakly and introduce them to their grandchild, tears flowing from all three the whole time. "I'm sorry, momma," she sobbed as her voice broke after announcing her son's name to be Vincent. Her mother hugged her and her father ushered them all inside.

"Where's Faith?" Stormie asked, her voice trembling, looking back and forth, fear reflecting in her big, blue eyes.

Eleven, who had stumbled on ahead, limping all the way, waved back to her, calling, "She's in the car! She won't budge!"

Stormie took off across the sand, her heart beating wildly, and tore open the car door, staring at her seemingly comatose daughter. "Faith," she breathed, just an instant before the girl had launched herself into her arms, crying uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Eleven was curious as to who was in the back of the truck, for he had caught a glimpse of two figures there as it pulled up. Hobbling around the side, he lifted himself on tiptoes and peaked over. Two women. Curious. He squinted at them and said timidly, "Hello."

The one with black hair smiled. "Hello. Are you Faith's little friend, Xavier?"

"Yup." He nodded, eyes trained on the blonde woman beside her, for she was staring at him in the strangest way. "You're Oriole?" he asked, addressing the brunette.

"Yes."

"Pretty name."

"I like yours too."

"Well," he said, grinning now, "it started out as Eleven, but that's what the plant called me, and Faith said a number isn't a good name so she called me something else. Dad didn't really care."

"My name is Bailey," the blonde volunteered. She was rather pretty, and he felt very comfortable around her, like he knew her.

"Hi, Bailey. I should go back to the others now. Are you coming too?"

"You bet we are," said Bailey, getting up and swinging one leg over the side of the truck, next hopping down. He saw a little pain seep into her expression, but she quickly disregarded it. She turned to wait for Oriole, and once the woman had joined her, they made their way towards the others, where things had miraculously calmed down.

Meryl and Vincent (her ex-husband) were already loading Billy and their new grandson into their car, wanting to get her home where she could rest as soon as possible. She'd told them everything - even about how she had another child on the way. They didn't scream of cry like she had imagined - they just said they forgave her. It was...amazing.

Mitayo slung an arm around Stormie's shoulders, who was still hugging Faith. "I told you everything would be fine," he whispered in her ear, warm breath tickling and pricking at her skin. She released her child, who was thrilled to see Xavier alive and not dead as she had suspected, and hugged the man back, sighing.

"As long as you're with - " she started to say, but another female's voice interrupted.

"Mitayo?" The name was spoken with soft doubt and fear, yet hope and affection. "Mitayo...!"

Stormie pulled away from the male plant to see another girl facing them, a young plant - absolutely stunning. Her body was so perfect, slender, curvy, that Stormie was immediately jealous, and her face was heavenly. Her eyes, so deep and gorgeous, were a dark gray that shone like something out of this world, and her hair was shoulder-length, looking messy yet like a strand was not out of place. The expression she wore was imploring, and Stormie could feel Mitayo moving away from her, gravitating towards the other woman.

"Bailey?" he whispered, and held out his hand, needing to touch her, needing to know if she was real.

All fear fled from her face as she squealed in delight, leaping into his arms, and he in turn lifted her off the ground, twirling in a circle. The two laughed, sharing some secret delight that left Stormie feeling alone and alienated.

"I thought you were dead!" he said, setting her down, arms still around her waist.

"I almost was! They shipped me to a different plant and I was able to heal on the way there! I escaped after that, and I wanted to mentally contact you so badly, but I was afraid they'd find out and track me down or punish you or something! I didn't know you'd gotten out!"

Knives, who was leaning in the doorway, arms folded, didn't know whether to be happy at the turn of events or march out there and punch Mitayo in the face.

"Eleven!" called Mitayo, and the boy looked over in surprise. "I want you to come here! Meet Bailey!"

"I already did, Dad!" he called back, slowly walking over, sensing something big was about to happen.

"Oh my gosh!" Bailey held Mitayo at arm's length, mouth gaping open in happy surprise. "Eleven is...he's the one?! I - I - when I saw him, I - !"

Stormie felt that all had forgotten her, so she quickly demanded, "What's going on here?"

Mitayo glanced at her apologetically, but did not answer. Instead, he looked back to Eleven, saying in a calmer, dignified voice, "Eleven -"

"Xavier," he reminded him.

"Xavier - I want you to meet your mother."

~~~~~

They walked through Stormie's small garden, arm in arm, talking about their lives and Xavier. He explained to her about her child's life and previous experiences, commented on how much Xavier needed his mother and the way he had clung to Stormie. He was so glad, Mitayo said, that she had taken him under her wing along with her own daughter, and he lavished the attention on him that he had been so starved for. "But now that you are here," he finished up, "I'm sure Xavier will be thrilled."

Bailey wistfully smiled at him, asking, "That woman you were hugging...that was Stormie?"

"Yes," he beamed proudly. Somehow, just the thought of her made him light up, and the mention of his being close to such a beautiful, intelligent woman brought a grin to his face. However, when he looked down at Bailey, memories of their short time together slashing through his find, the smile was instantly gone, replaced by a look of awe. What were these strange, mixed feelings she brought to surface?

The short woman, still very much a girl in her youth, stopped walking, and he automatically halted beside her. Her hands, so small and smooth, took one of his rougher ones between her palms and stared at it intently, eyes narrowed in thought. Suddenly, the air was thick and tense and visions flashed by, shared by the two as they silently reminisced over their short but intimate past. Gray eyes flew shut and sharp nails dug into his skin; her breathing hitched. Then, clearing the thoughts away, she asked softly, "She your...girlfriend?"

"No," he said quietly, hoping she would leave it at that. It wasn't a lie, because, after all, he'd never asked Stormie out, even though that was inevitable in everyone's eyes, as well as his - until recently. He was confused. Him and Bailey...they shared something special, and he definitely had spent a good deal of time mourning her, but he'd never considered himself attracted to her. More like, sorry for her. Things were different now. No one was forcing them into anything and they seemed perfectly tuned to the other's emotions, longing for that closeness they'd once shared and somehow feeling as if they were one and the same.

Bailey looked up at him seriously, a smile playing at her lips. "No? You seemed pretty close to her."

"Wait," he told her, shaking his head in utter astonishment as he realized what was happening, what he was saying, "no. I - I didn't mean it like that. You see, she's not my girlfriend, but she's - I mean, we - we're like an unspoken pair right now. She thinks we're pretty much together, and she's right."

"So you like her?"

"Yes."

Bailey's face fell. He hated to disappoint her like that, especially when she looked away with a crushed expression and murmured softly, "Oh...I was sort of hoping...that you wouldn't be taken...when I found you. Hmm. She's very pretty though. I'm sure she makes you happy." And raising herself onto her tiptoes, she gently brushed her lips to his mouth. When she sunk back and next spoke to him, her tone was teasing. "You still taste the same, Mitayo."

He groaned. "Bailey, please, don't say things like that "

She ducked her head in a shy nod. "I'm sorry," she apologized, smiling ashamedly. "But you do. And I couldn't resist a little joke to lighten things up."

"I'm sorry, Bailey. I just can't betray Stormie like that."

The female plant managed a halfhearted smile, letting a sigh escape past it. "No, it's ok - I wouldn't want you to have to hurt anyone either. Whatever is meant to be will work out, right?"

He couldn't help but smile back.

~~~~~

Water distorts things. It creates illusions and ripples and tricks your eyes. Even dish water. Stormie frowned as she sunk her hands into the warm, soapy liquid, scrubbing halfheartedly at a dish from breakfast. Through her window at the sink, she could see Mitayo and Bailey walking, arm and arm, through the small garden, talking over the past, over their feelings, and over Xavier. Stormie wasn't blind - she could see that they were instantly attracted to each other, especially he to her.

She sighed.

Just when she thought she could actually love someone who would love her back... Her gaze lifted just in time for her to see Bailey lean up and kiss Mitayo, all without him resisting, though she couldn't clearly see him respond either. Nevertheless, a kiss is a kiss and Stormie felt her heart sink as the pit of her stomach contorted into knots.

It hurt.

Turning eyes back down to her task, she began to hum, for it always comforted her to do so when she felt down. At least it kept her mind off the current situation. "You can't resist her," she sang softly, lifting a dripping plate out to dry. "She's in your bones... She's in your marrow, and your ride...home..."

Yes, Stormie was definitely in a melancholy mood.

"You can't avoid her... She's in the air..." The song, she thought, definitely applied to Mitayo concerning Bailey. What were the odds his assigned mate from the plant would rise from the dead and come looking for him? What were the odds he would suddenly have feelings for her when before he had had none? "In between molecules of oxygen...and carbon dioxide..."

Knives had been making his way down the hall when he heard the faint song wafting out on a breeze from the kitchen. Curious, he paused in the doorway and listened, and then towards the end of the chorus, through which she had began to furiously scrub at a pan, he joined her, something he never would've done two years ago.

"...And so it seems...only in dreams..."

She turned around in absolute shock, eyes wide, cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "Kn-Knives," she said shakily.

He nodded. "Need help?"

"Yeah. Sure. You can dry." A rag was tossed his way.

He took his place beside her, carefully rubbing at a bowl to clear out the water that had collected in a small pool inside, and said, "Don't stop singing just because I'm here."

"I'm a little embarrassed now."

"Don't be. It's your favorite song." He cleared his throat, and much to her surprise, softly sang, "You walk up to her...ask her to dance..."

Stormie, chuckling, took off where he paused, singing, "She says, 'Hey baby, I just might take the chance'..."

"You say it's a good thing, how you float in the ~air~...cuz there's no way I'll crush your pretty toe nails into a thousand pieces!" Teasingly, he gently stepped on her foot with his heel and ground down with just a light enough pressure that it wouldn't hurt, grinning at her when she laughed.

"Knives, I'm such a fool," she said quietly when the humor had subsided. "Everyone saw me and Mitayo. You and Vash must think I've only grown more stupid over the years. I can't believe he did this to me."

"He's the fool," spat Knives venomously.

She turned around to face him, a frail smile on her lips. "Knives, you've been so nice to me these past few days. You haven't even told me I'm fat once this whole visit."

He was shocked. "I never," he whispered in surprise, "thought you were fat."

"You didn't?" She looked at him uncertainly, and undoubtedly, visions of their last moments together were flashing through both their minds. When he had cared for her after the encounter with Naoshi, how she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder more than once, their whispered conversations in the night...

"Never," he said firmly. "I like the way you look."

She glanced away nervously and then looked back to him, lips curled up in sad, trembling smile. Leaning in, she kissed him gently, on the lips, and it seemed to last an hour or so, though it was but a few seconds. He leaned in - he'd been waiting for this, desperately, and he wanted to put his arms around her, but he couldn't move. When she pulled away, he licked his lips and stared at her, nervous and afraid, but all she said was, "Sometimes, Knives, I wish someone like you could love me, but I guess that's just wishful thinking."

He watched her walk away, unable to stop her and tell her she could stop wishing, because he loved her, but it just happened to fast.

He'd tell her tomorrow.

But that'd mean waiting another day!

Sitting down at the table, Knives picked up a dish rag and slapped himself in the face with it.

He was such an idiot.