Well folks, this is it. (I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry) I'm just glad I could finally finish this story. To everyone who read this fanfic, I offer you my eternal gratitude and hope that it brightened your day a little bit. Thanks for the memories. Love and peace!

And now the conclusion…

When It's Over

Chapter 9: Ticket to the Future

Meryl lifted her hand to knock on the door to Vash's room a few nights later, after he had received the blood transfusion, donated anonymously by Knives. With all the commotion and events occurring over the past few weeks, she could finally breath easier, knowing that Vash was going to be all right. Now, all she had to do was find out if Vash really meant what he said at the hospital after their confrontation with Knives.

Meryl hadn't really let it sink in at the time, when he told her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and their child. After all, they had been under a tremendous strain at the time. She wouldn't have been the least surprised if he said what he did, just to make her feel better. But now…now things were different. Meryl didn't want Vash's pity. She wanted his love.

She was about to leave when he opened the door.

"I…I hope I'm not bothering you," she said nervously.

Vash smiled at her and shook his head from side to side.

"You never bother me, Meryl."

"Can I get that in writing?" she quipped jokingly, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"My word isn't good enough?" he replied, pretending to sound deeply offended.

"No," she returned automatically, in a deadpan voice.

Vash chuckled merrily (no pun intended) and invited her into his room.

Meryl walked over to the window and leaned against the sill.

"You're looking much better."

He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and leaned against the dresser.

"Funny isn't it? It's almost as if I was never sick."

"Vash, why do you think you brother helped you?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe…maybe he wanted to make amends for what happened in the past."

"I highly doubt that."

"What makes you say that?"

"He doesn't strike me as the kind of person who has any regrets about his actions."

Meryl would not forget almost having her head blown off any time soon.

"People can change. How else do you explain his change of heart when he donated his blood for me?"

"I can't," she replied softly.

Vash stared at her in contemplation. "Meryl, you didn't come in here just to talk about Knives. What's really bothering you?" he asked astutely.

She lowered her gaze to the floor before answering.

"If we're going to have any sort of relationship with each other from here on, I need to know something."

"I have no secrets from you."

"Could you ever love me, Vash?" she asked softly.

He stared at her in genuine shock. He thought he had made his feelings known to her already.

"What makes you think that I don't?"

"You've never told me, at least not in so many words. I know you care for me, but there's a world of difference between affection and love. I need more than that. I want to be more than just the mother of your child…or as a replacement for Rem," she finished with great difficulty.

"I never said you were a replacement."

"You didn't have to. After all, Rem was the only one who ever truly had your whole heart. There was never room for anyone else."

"That's not true, Meryl. You're wrong."

She looked up at him with painful eyes. "Am I? How can I think otherwise?"

"Did it ever occur to you to ask me how I felt?"

Meryl shrugged her shoulders, as she crossed her arms over each other.

"So many things happened so quickly the last time you left. You were still depressed about what happened with Legato, and then you went off to confront Knives. When exactly was I supposed to bring up the subject of whether or not you loved me?"

"Point taken," he replied, understanding her point of view.

Vash walked over to her and looked up at the moon. Neither one of them said anything for a long time.

"Do you know what it's like to be able to live for so long, without aging physically?"

"I can't say that I do," Meryl replied. She looked away in distraction, so that he wouldn't see her inner turmoil.

"Everyone you care about grows up, moves on, and eventually dies. And not necessarily in that order. If I had allowed myself to fall in love with someone, I would have gone through the same painful ordeal over and over again. Maybe I didn't want to fall in love. Maybe I was afraid of losing them just like I lost Rem. I didn't notice. I guess that's why I never cared for anyone more than just a friend. And besides, people who get close to me always end up getting hurt. That's why I didn't come back for so long. I wanted to give you and Milly a chance to start over."

"I knew it," Meryl thought to herself. "He'll never feel the way I do about him."

"I've lived this way ever since I became stranded on this desert planet. I've never allowed myself to feel again…until I met you."

Her head whipped up to stare at him in shock and disbelief.

"Does that mean…?"

He turned to face her and smiled broadly. Seeing him smile from his heart made her own heart skip a beat.

"I love you Meryl Stryfe. Heaven help me, I fell in love with you in spite of myself and all my intentions."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Be serious, Vash. I need to know."

He closed the gap between them and took her small hands in his and held them against his chest.

"You know something? I am serious. You saw through all my barriers and pretenses, in spite of what you heard about me. You were even willing to give up your life for me over and over again."

"Anyone could have done that."

"Anyone could have, but the fact of the matter is that you did. You gave me my life back again Meryl. And you gave me a family. How could I not love you?"

"But you said you couldn't allow yourself to fall in love with anyone."

"I can't allow myself to let you go either. I never really realized how much I cared for you until you were out of my life. I need you Meryl. I need your strength, your courage. And your stubbornness."

"I am NOT stubborn," she protested.

Vash laughed softly.

"Most of all, I need your love. Because I love you."

Meryl's eyes filled with tears. Was she dreaming all of this?

"You've always had my love, Vash," she admitted, no longer able to contain her emotions.

He leaned down to kiss her, when she put up a finger on his lips to stop him.

"But there's one more thing I need to know. Do you only love me because I remind you of Rem?"

"How can you even ask that?"

"When I left you after we spent the night together, you called out her name."

Vash's eyes acknowledged her. His gaze shifted downward.

"You've been carrying this on your shoulders all this time?" he asked quietly.

All she could do was nod her head.

"Would you stop loving me if I told you that I might call out her name again in my sleep once in a while?"

"I could never stop loving you, Vash. But I can't be someone I'm not either. I can't be her."

"The person I want to be with is right here in my arms. Meryl, Rem was a mother, sister, and a friend, and she will always be a part of me. But Rem is my past. You're my future, if you'll have me. Please Meryl, you have to believe me."

He pleaded with his eyes for her to accept him.

Meryl reached up to frame his face as she searched his eyes deeply. They were always the window to his soul. In them, she found the answer she had been yearning for all these years, but never dared to hope for.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say those words," she finally answered.

He reached up to clasp her hands and brought them to his lips as he kissed the back of her hands. He then held them reverently against his cheek.

"How could I have pushed you away for so long, Meryl? Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. You were fighting your own inner demons, Vash. And I didn't exactly make it easy for you either."

He lifted up his head to look into her smoky blue-gray eyes.

"I guess I deserved it, didn't I?"

Meryl smiled, confident enough in their love for her to tease him.

"Yeah, you did," she agreed and gasped in surprise when he took her into his arms and brought her close enough so that she could feel his breath wafting gently across her face. Her heart pounded thunderously against her chest as she could feel every part of him against her body.

Vash smiled seductively before lowering his head down to meet her lips.

Meryl linked her arms around his broad shoulders and brought him even closer to her, as she returned his kiss with equal enthusiasm. She felt like she had finally come home at last.

"Mama!" Ai called out from her bedroom, interrupting their special moment.

"Your daughter's calling you," Vash said in a husky voice, as they reluctantly separated.

"I'll only be a minute," Meryl said, giving him a quick kiss. "Remind me were we were later."

"Let me go," Vash offered, wanting to take care of his daughter. Correction. Their daughter. He had a lot of lost time to make up for.

She smiled and nodded understandingly. "Don't be too long," she replied, with a very suggestive hint in her voice.

Vash shot off immediately like a bullet, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

Meryl laughed at his antics.

"What a broom head," she murmured to herself. "But he's all mine."

Meryl waited anxiously for Vash to return and paced back and forth like a caged animal. She didn't know why she was so nervous. After all, it wasn't the first time they had been intimate with each other. But it would be the first time they would make love with both their body and soul.

The prospect shook her up slightly. All her life, she had been reserved, both in her conduct and emotions. She had never really experienced being so free and uninhibited with her feelings, especially when it came to the opposite sex. It was probably fitting that it would take the Humanoid Typhoon to turn her world upside down.

Meryl went over to the bed and gathered the long red overcoat she had made for him into her arms and clutched it to her chest. Just thinking about how close she had come to losing Vash again, was enough to make her shiver involuntarily.

She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, pulling her against a warm body.

Vash lowered his head down and brought his cheek against hers as he nuzzled her softly.

"I can't believe that you made this for me."

Meryl leaned back against him, loving the feel of his body against hers.

"It wasn't just for you. It was also for Ai. If you never came back, I was going to tell her about you, when she was old enough to understand."

"Sometimes I wonder if she would feel the same way that she does now, if she knew the truth about me and who I really am," he said in a poignant voice.

Meryl turned around abruptly.

"Who you are, is her father, and the man that I love. That's all that really matters. Ai loves you so much. Don't ever doubt that."

"For the longest time, I told myself that I didn't deserve to be happy after all the destruction I had caused. That no matter how much I tried to atone for my sins, it would never be enough to redeem myself."

"And what about all the good that you've done?" Meryl replied in his defense. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"But is it ever going to be enough?"

"Stop being so hard on yourself. Everyone deserves a second chance. Isn't that what you always say?"

He smiled in amusement.

"Since when did you ever listen to what I say?"

"Who says that I did?" she responded facetiously.

He pulled her close to him, keeping her in his arms.

"I see that I'm going to have my hands full from now on."

"Someone's got to keep you in line. Now are you going to shut up and kiss me or do I have to get tough?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't call m…"

Meryl's protests were muffled by his mouth covering hers. She quickly felt her defenses slip away as she returned his kiss.

He easily lifted Meryl in his arms and gently deposited her on his bed. As he reached over to shut off the lamp, she stopped his hand.

"Meryl…" he began uncertainly, not wanting her to see his scarred body in plain view with the lights on.

"I want to see all of you," she replied, gently fingering one of his metal implants. "Including that."

She wanted him to know that she loved him unconditionally, scars and all.

"It's not a pretty sight. You wouldn't be the first to run away."

"I've seen you like this before, remember? I didn't run away then. I don't intend to do it now, or ever. You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

He stared at her with admiration before joining her in bed.

"I love you Meryl," he whispered into her ear.

"I know."

After a blissful night of passion, Vash woke up in the morning with a satisfied cat-like grin on his face as he stretched his muscles tiredly.

He reached over to where Meryl had curled up against him during the night and was surprised to find that she wasn't there. He sat upright instantly and scanned his room, but there was no sign of her.

"Where could she be?" he asked into the empty room.

Vash got dressed and was beginning to worry when he couldn't find Meryl anywhere. Was it possible that she had changed her mind after all?

"What's wrong, Papa?" Ai asked worriedly, tugging at his pant leg.

Vash bent down to her level and put a hand on her head.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetie. Have you seen Mama?"

"She's right here," Meryl answered from behind him. "You didn't think I would leave, did you Vash?"

Vash stood up and turned around to find her leaning against the doorjamb and put a hand behind his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Did you get it, Mama? Did you get it?" Ai asked anxiously.

Meryl smiled at her daughter and winked knowingly. "Yup. Do you want to give it to him or should I?"

"Give me what?" Vash asked curiously. "Are you two plotting something against me?"

"It's a surprise!" Ai replied. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands, Papa."

He obeyed the little girl, wondering what they had up their sleeve.

"Okay they're closed. Now what's this surprise?"

"You can open your eyes now," Meryl answered, after putting the object in his hands.

"Meryl…I…I…" he replied, completely lost for words.

"It's a scrapbook. I've been keeping pictures and little mementos of Ai, ever since she was born. I was hoping one day that you would come back."

There was even a set of hand prints done in ink pressed in between the pages. Meryl had given him so much. It was almost too much to handle without completely losing his composure.

Suddenly he gathered both Meryl and Ai in his arms and began bawling uncontrollably.

"That is just SO SWEET!"

Meryl gave an exasperated sigh at his usual over the top reaction, but then smiled. She knew that underneath the goofiness, he was touched beyond words. After all, he wouldn't be Vash the Stampede without being the loveable misunderstood outlaw with a heart of gold that she had come to love. Meryl wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

Knives stood outside of the orphanage where Vash was staying at and stared at the building in silent contemplation. He still didn't know what drove to him to help Vash after all. He had spent so many years in bitterness and hatred against his own brother. So why did he spare his life in the end?

"Excuse me, mister. Can I have my ball back?" Ai asked.

Knives looked at the little girl in front of him, who was the spitting image of Vash. He bent down to get the ball that rolled to his feet and handed it to her.

"So this is Vash's daughter," he thought to himself.

"Thank you. Do you know my Papa?"

"Why do you ask, kid?" Knives replied warily.

"You look like him," Ai stated observantly.

"I knew him once."

"Really? Tell me more."

He stared at her in bewilderment.

"Aren't you scared of me?"

"Why should I?" she replied innocently.

"You know, you shouldn't talk to strangers."

"You're not a stranger. You know my Papa."

He had to give the kid credit for not being afraid of him.

"Ai-chan! It's time for lunch," Meryl called out.

"I have to go now. Wanna come?"

"Maybe next time," he answered cryptically.

"Okay. Bye mister!"

Knives stared after his niece until she disappeared into the house. In that little girl, he remembered a part of him that he thought had died a long time ago.

"Take care of yourself, kid," he murmured to himself before turning to leave.

He didn't need to look out for Vash anymore.

Several months later...

"You know, I could get used to this," Vash murmured sleepily as Meryl massaged his aching muscles. "Boy, I didn't know people could be so touchy."

"It's your own fault," Meryl chided him. "What do you expect when you insult the mayor's daughter?"

"She was the one who started it," he answered automatically. "And besides, it was accident. You know that I never get into trouble on purpose."

"Whatever you say, Vash," she answered skeptically.

"Thanks a lot. I thought you were one my side. Mmmm, that feels good. Want to trade places?" he asked suggestively.

She leaned down to whisper in his ear, "You're insatiable. Do you know that?"

He turned her over onto her back and smiled knowingly before replying, "So sue me."

Several hours later...

"You know, I've heard that Vash the Stampede is an infamous outlaw with a reputation for being a womanizer," Meryl said, drawing lazy circles on Vash's chest as they lay in bed together.

"Don't believe everything you hear," he replied nibbling on the sensitive part of her neck.

"I wouldn't want you to lose your reputation. I suppose I could be your mistress," she added jokingly.

"Impossible. It's too expensive."

Meryl giggled uncontrollably.

"You'll simply have to remain my wife," he replied, brushing his lips against hers.

"You know, for a while, I thought we would never make it," she admitted in all honesty.

"Nothing will ever keep us apart again, Meryl."

"Will you still feel that way, when I'm old and gray?" she asked quietly.

Vash looked at her pensively.

"Do you really think I'm that shallow, Meryl?"

"I would understand. After all, you'll still look the same way you do now."

"You were never a good liar," he replied knowingly. "I fell in love with you Meryl. If it means dying my hair and walking around with a bent back and a cane, I'd do it without hesitation, if that's what you wanted."

"You would, wouldn't you?" she asked, realizing the depth of his love for her.

"Have I ever lied to you? Wait, on second thought. Don't answer that."

Meryl reached up to kiss him tenderly.

"Thank you, Vash."

"I can think of a better way for you to thank me."

"Is that all you can think about?"

"Given a choice, yes."

"Who am I to say no to Vash the Stampede?"

The End

I hope you have enjoyed this little project of mine. Thanks again for all the reviews and comments. V/M forever!

Written by: Babboo Oct. 3, 2003