Chapter 23
"MR. WOLFWOOD!" Milly shouted, many pure tears falling pouring down from her eyes. Meryl gasped, shocked at Wolfwood's state. Vash's face was no longer expressionless, but a face of anger. Gripping his fists in anger, Vash glared at Jake, who looked amused in the fall of Wolfwood.
Jake laughed maniacally, now pointing his gun at Milly. "One down, three to go. Milly Thompson, you're the target now."
Aiming carefully at Milly's head, he pulled the trigger. Blood splattered into the atmosphere like a fountain, spraying the ground into a streak of red. Milly fell to the ground, more tears running down her face. Wolfwood's body covered her own, thus receiving the bullet once more. He fell on top of her body, no more of his energy left.
"I...told you...not to...lay a...hand on...Milly..." Wolfwood whispered as he closed his tired eyes. Milly's eyes were full of tears, crystalline drops falling down on Wolfwood's bloody body. Her stungun was left alone in the sandy grounds, forgotten.
"I give up, Mr. Jake! Please don't hurt Mr. Wolfwood anymore!" Milly shouted as she covered Wolfwood protectively. Jake smirked as he put his gun down.
"Wise choice, Milly. I've always known that you were the intelligent one...Two down, two more to go, eh? You're my target next, Meryl." Pointing the gun at Meryl, he smiled, his eyes turning once more to the eyes of the Diablo. Meryl took a deep breath before pointing a derringer at Jake, her other hand supporting her shaking one.
"You don't want to do this, Jake...you don't...please, stop it..." Meryl's voice was pleading and at the same time, gentle. Jake had to shake away the wonderful memories of Meryl before glaring at her again.
Her voice sounded just like Elaine's...gentle, kind, and somewhat pleading...
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT, TRAITOR!" Jake yelled, pulling the trigger. The bullet grazed against Meryl's shoulder, but her expression didn't change, still a gentle and pleading face.
"Please Jake...I don't think Elaine wants you to do this..."
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ELAINE?" Jake shouted, shooting more bullets. Yet something in his heart caused the bullets to miss all of Meryl's crucial parts of her body, with only a few scrapes on her shoulders.
"Jake...I don't want you to do this...please..." Meryl felt a single tear drop from her eye as Jake shot another bullet at her, this time scraping against her cheek. The teardrop mixed with the blood running down her cheek and fell down onto the sandy grounds.
"WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT? WHAT ABOUT ELAINE? SHE'S GONE BECAUSE OF THE JACKASS THAT'S STANDING NEXT TO ME!"
"Instead of lingering onto the bitter memories...let them go, Jake...Don't cry because it's over...Smile because it happened..." Meryl whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vash nodded slightly behind her, one hand on his silver gun.
"If you want to shoot me, go ahead. But even after you shoot me a million times, those bitter memories won't leave you, unless you leave them first." Vash said quietly, remembering the bitter memories he had once embraced.
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT, YOU MURDERER! AND YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM, AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ELAINE?" Jake yelled on the top of his lungs, his black gun now directly pointed at Vash.
"You're right...I don't have the right to say that...and I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you...but still, you have no right to take a life another. No one does." Vash grimaced, his shoulder receiving a single bullet.
"Heh, you don't have the right to say that either, since you've killed people in the past, Vash the Stampede." Emphasizing Vash's name in pure disgust, Jake ran over to Meryl and Vash in a matter of seconds.
"You two are foolish...with my speed, you'll never be able to defeat me...do you know how long I've trained for this day? The day I'm able to slay the Humanoid Typhoon? Tell me, Vash the Stampede...what will you do after I kill Meryl? Will you weep? Will you kill? Or would you like me to do that for you?"
"I...don't know, Jake. I really don't know. But one thing I know is that I'll never dip my hands into innocent blood."
"SHUT UP!" Yelling, Jake took hold of Meryl right before Vash's eyes and ran back to where he was originally standing, in front of an old general store that was half blown up by his grenades.
"YOU'VE TAKEN MY OTHER HALF, VASH THE STAMPEDE. LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU COPE WITH WHEN I TAKE YOURS!" Pointing his gun at Meryl's head, Jake panted heavily in satisfaction. Meryl realized that his own hand was shaking, just like her hand was shaking a few seconds ago.
"Jake...how long did you train for this day?" Meryl asked quietly, looking into his amber eyes which were full of pain and sorrow, resembling Vash's eyes in a different way.
"Since the day Elaine died...Meryl, do you realize how painful it was, when Elaine died? It was as if my other half didn't exist anymore...The second she died, I felt so small...and I think that when she died, I first realized how small I am on this planet..." Jake said softly, lowering the gun slightly. Meryl saw tears gather in his eyes, and for a second, she thought that his eyes had turned back into a brown shade, like the Jake she always knew.
"Jake...to the world, you are one person...but to Elaine, you were the world to her...and she was the world to you..."
As Jake turned his head around to Meryl, his eyes were the gentle brown shade that she always liked. It almost seemed as if she got Jake back into her grasp again, right where she could always watch over him and take care of him.
"Meryl...Elaine was really precious to me...but I never told you the whole story..." Jake said grimly, looking straight ahead at Vash, who pointed his gun at Jake. The look that was on Vash's face was the same face when he had to shoot Legato. Meryl hated that face; it showed so much pain in his face, and she somehow felt part of the pain that he felt.
Before Meryl could stop Vash from shooting Jake, a single bullet hit Jake's stomach, causing him to fall onto the ground in pain. Although it had only taken less than a second for the bullet to enter Jake's body, to Meryl it seemed like a whole minute. The world seemed to be in a slow motion, with the surroundings frozen in time, with only Vash active.
Meryl hated herself for that second, not being able to protect Jake from that bullet.
'I'm so sorry...'
Panting hard, Jake put his hand over his wound, blood flowing out profusely. It felt sick for Meryl to see Jake's blood staining the sandy grounds. Managing a weak smile upon his face, he smiled at Meryl, his eyes no longer the yellow eyes of the Diablo.
"Meryl..." he whispered, somewhat motioning for her to come closer to him. Bending down, Meryl first realized that this was the last time she would ever be able to speak to Jake.
"Jake, don't die...I know I left you, but...you can't just leave now...Not right now..." Meryl whispered tearfully, a single tear escaping from her eye. Gripping onto Jake's other hand, she tried to memorize Jake's every features in that second.
Jake slowly put a single finger to Meryl's mouth, and smiled gently before putting his hand back down onto the ground.
"Listen Meryl...He's right; I won't feel any better after I kill him...and even though it's too late, I want to apologize for hurting you...I doubt you'll ever forgive me for that...
"And you're right Meryl...I shouldn't cry that Elaine died...I should smile because I even got to know her...and I'm smiling because I got to know you..."
Jake whispered slowly, each word using up the leftover energy he barely had. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his mouth as his wound continued to bleed.
"Meryl...when you left, I just used Elaine as a substitute for you...but as time went by, she became really cherished to me...We only spent an year together, but I really did love her.
"And I owe you the truth..."
Meryl shook her head, continuing to grip onto his hand. More tears ran down her face, some falling onto Jake's body.
"You don't owe me anything, Jake...I owe you an apology for being a traitor...I'm so sorry..." Meryl buried her head into Jake's chest, her tears soaking his bloody clothes. Jake gently pulled her shoulders away from his chest, smiling a bright smile with all the energy he could muster.
"I don't hate Vash the Stampede...it was actually my fault that Elaine died...I couldn't protect her...Meryl, I'm a failure...I can't do anything, except screw up and kill people...But what I can do now, is to protect you..."
"Don't die Jake! Please...don't leave me..." sobbing, Meryl hugged Jake, trying to learn by heart his warmth that she felt when she hugged him.
*~*~*~*~
Vash felt horrible about shooting Jake. Not only had he went against Rem's belief, but he had hurt both Meryl and Jake.
He knew that the shot was crucial.
And something in his heart had told him that Meryl knew that too. But he did do the right thing, didn't he? Jake was going around killing people, and that would mean more lives would be wasted for nothing.
He shouldn't have made the shot crucial. But something in his heart told him that Jake had to die. It wasn't exactly jealously or justice, but something from past experiences told him that Jake would be happier in Heaven that he would be on this planet.
'When you died, Rem.I wanted to die along with you...but I promised you that I'd take care of Knives...But there were plenty of times when I wanted to die...Like the time I ruined July and Augusta...and the other time when I had to kill Legato...or when I failed to save the people...
I miss you, Rem...if I could bring back just one person from Heaven, it'll be you. No doubt. But would you want a murderer to bring you back to life?...I'm sorry Rem...I really am...'
A rough wind blew Vash's red coat, and the luminosity of the sun made his amber sunglasses shine. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes weren't that visible. But if anyone saw through the sunglasses, it was obvious that there was a lot of pain embedded in those aqua-green eyes.
"I'm sorry Meryl..."
Vash whispered before disappearing into a cloud of sand.
Walking one step at a time, his excellent hearing didn't catch a slight crumble of the building behind where Jake and Meryl were. Another crumble was heard, but Vash continued to walk on one step at a time.
Each time he heard some gravel falling from the building, Vash continued to move his foot on step further.
'She doesn't need a murderer to hang around her...'
He moved forward, taking two steps this time.
'She loves Jake...She loves him...and I have no right to ruin his happiness, nor hers, after what I did...'
Taking a small step, he stopped and turned back, looking at Meryl and Jake, who were barely visible with the dusty winds making a barrier between Vash and them.
'I'm sorry Meryl...for all the pain I've caused you...and...I hope Jake lives...'
Before he moved another step forward, he heard a loud crashing sound behind him. Squinting to get a closer look, he realized that it was probably the building behind Jake and Meryl that had collapsed.
Eyes alert in a split second, he ran over to the building with only one word and one thought in his mind.
'Meryl! You can't die!'
*~*~*~*~
Meryl closed her eyes, imagining that she would die in the crash. She was ready for this, actually. Or actually, she wanted to live a little longer.
Just to say good-bye to him.
The one person that she heard in the astral space.
And the one person that she loved.
'I'm sorry...just remember that I love you...'
She opened her eyes one more time, taking a glance at Jake, who had closed his eyes. Was he dead already?
She didn't know.
But her previous wounds hurt, and she could barely get up now. The rocks from the building fell over her in almost a slow motion, but she didn't want to see it anymore.
Life was grossly unfair.
'If I could have one wish, I wish I'd be able to see him again...just once, and I'll be the happiest person on Gunsmoke.'
And then, the whole building, which used to be a general store completely collapsed onto Meryl Stryfe and Jake Hunter. Other than a small crumple made by the gravels, Vash heard nothing but his own heart thump loudly as he ran over to the building. But before he could reach the debris, he felt a hand tug at his coat.
"Mr. Vash..." Milly whispered quietly as her eyes filled up with tears again. Milly had placed Wolfwood's head onto her lap, stroking his hair as her fresh tears fell onto his face.
"Milly..." Vash bent down, taking a glance at Wolfwood.
"Is he...still..."
"Oh yes, Mr. Vash...we made a promise together...and Mr. Vash? I have a premonition in my heart that Meryl's alive..." Milly said quietly, continuing to stroke Wolfwood's hair.
"Just watch from here, Mr. Vash...you'll see." Something in Milly's voice sounded sure, and Vash wished he had the same assurance that Meryl was alive.
'Meryl...'
*~*~*~*~
Meryl opened her eyes and saw nothing but endless darkness. Was this where all the dead people went?
She felt a sharp pain to her stomach, and realized that she was still alive. 'But how did I? I couldn't have survived that unless...Jake?'
Somehow managing to move all the rocks around her, tears streamed down Meryl's face when she saw Jake's limp body. Hugging his body, she was surprised when she heard a faint thumping beat in his chest.
"Jake...?"
"Meryl...when I die...will I be able to see Elaine...and watch over...you?" Jake whispered, a single tear rolling down the side of his eye. Meryl felt more tears welling up in her eyes as she nodded, brushing a few strands of hair away from his eyes.
"Of course you will, Jake. Of course."
Jake smiled, and closed his eyes for the last time. His expression was peaceful, as if he wished for this.
'and I'm smiling because I got to know you...'
'But what I can do now, is to protect you...'
"Oh Jake...thank you..."
Author Note: Okay Wolfwood-fans, I've got to apologize for picking on poor Wolfie so much. It's just that he is soooo handsome when he gets hurt and gets all protective of his loved ones, and I thought that it'll be a good plot. But don't worry, he won't die ^^; -huggles Jake plushie- But poor Jake dies. A lot of you probably hated him for being such a jerk, but after you read this chapter, I'm sure your views might change a tiny bit. Thanks for reading this fanfic tho! Huggles to all of you!!!
"MR. WOLFWOOD!" Milly shouted, many pure tears falling pouring down from her eyes. Meryl gasped, shocked at Wolfwood's state. Vash's face was no longer expressionless, but a face of anger. Gripping his fists in anger, Vash glared at Jake, who looked amused in the fall of Wolfwood.
Jake laughed maniacally, now pointing his gun at Milly. "One down, three to go. Milly Thompson, you're the target now."
Aiming carefully at Milly's head, he pulled the trigger. Blood splattered into the atmosphere like a fountain, spraying the ground into a streak of red. Milly fell to the ground, more tears running down her face. Wolfwood's body covered her own, thus receiving the bullet once more. He fell on top of her body, no more of his energy left.
"I...told you...not to...lay a...hand on...Milly..." Wolfwood whispered as he closed his tired eyes. Milly's eyes were full of tears, crystalline drops falling down on Wolfwood's bloody body. Her stungun was left alone in the sandy grounds, forgotten.
"I give up, Mr. Jake! Please don't hurt Mr. Wolfwood anymore!" Milly shouted as she covered Wolfwood protectively. Jake smirked as he put his gun down.
"Wise choice, Milly. I've always known that you were the intelligent one...Two down, two more to go, eh? You're my target next, Meryl." Pointing the gun at Meryl, he smiled, his eyes turning once more to the eyes of the Diablo. Meryl took a deep breath before pointing a derringer at Jake, her other hand supporting her shaking one.
"You don't want to do this, Jake...you don't...please, stop it..." Meryl's voice was pleading and at the same time, gentle. Jake had to shake away the wonderful memories of Meryl before glaring at her again.
Her voice sounded just like Elaine's...gentle, kind, and somewhat pleading...
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT, TRAITOR!" Jake yelled, pulling the trigger. The bullet grazed against Meryl's shoulder, but her expression didn't change, still a gentle and pleading face.
"Please Jake...I don't think Elaine wants you to do this..."
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ELAINE?" Jake shouted, shooting more bullets. Yet something in his heart caused the bullets to miss all of Meryl's crucial parts of her body, with only a few scrapes on her shoulders.
"Jake...I don't want you to do this...please..." Meryl felt a single tear drop from her eye as Jake shot another bullet at her, this time scraping against her cheek. The teardrop mixed with the blood running down her cheek and fell down onto the sandy grounds.
"WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT? WHAT ABOUT ELAINE? SHE'S GONE BECAUSE OF THE JACKASS THAT'S STANDING NEXT TO ME!"
"Instead of lingering onto the bitter memories...let them go, Jake...Don't cry because it's over...Smile because it happened..." Meryl whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vash nodded slightly behind her, one hand on his silver gun.
"If you want to shoot me, go ahead. But even after you shoot me a million times, those bitter memories won't leave you, unless you leave them first." Vash said quietly, remembering the bitter memories he had once embraced.
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT, YOU MURDERER! AND YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM, AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ELAINE?" Jake yelled on the top of his lungs, his black gun now directly pointed at Vash.
"You're right...I don't have the right to say that...and I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you...but still, you have no right to take a life another. No one does." Vash grimaced, his shoulder receiving a single bullet.
"Heh, you don't have the right to say that either, since you've killed people in the past, Vash the Stampede." Emphasizing Vash's name in pure disgust, Jake ran over to Meryl and Vash in a matter of seconds.
"You two are foolish...with my speed, you'll never be able to defeat me...do you know how long I've trained for this day? The day I'm able to slay the Humanoid Typhoon? Tell me, Vash the Stampede...what will you do after I kill Meryl? Will you weep? Will you kill? Or would you like me to do that for you?"
"I...don't know, Jake. I really don't know. But one thing I know is that I'll never dip my hands into innocent blood."
"SHUT UP!" Yelling, Jake took hold of Meryl right before Vash's eyes and ran back to where he was originally standing, in front of an old general store that was half blown up by his grenades.
"YOU'VE TAKEN MY OTHER HALF, VASH THE STAMPEDE. LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU COPE WITH WHEN I TAKE YOURS!" Pointing his gun at Meryl's head, Jake panted heavily in satisfaction. Meryl realized that his own hand was shaking, just like her hand was shaking a few seconds ago.
"Jake...how long did you train for this day?" Meryl asked quietly, looking into his amber eyes which were full of pain and sorrow, resembling Vash's eyes in a different way.
"Since the day Elaine died...Meryl, do you realize how painful it was, when Elaine died? It was as if my other half didn't exist anymore...The second she died, I felt so small...and I think that when she died, I first realized how small I am on this planet..." Jake said softly, lowering the gun slightly. Meryl saw tears gather in his eyes, and for a second, she thought that his eyes had turned back into a brown shade, like the Jake she always knew.
"Jake...to the world, you are one person...but to Elaine, you were the world to her...and she was the world to you..."
As Jake turned his head around to Meryl, his eyes were the gentle brown shade that she always liked. It almost seemed as if she got Jake back into her grasp again, right where she could always watch over him and take care of him.
"Meryl...Elaine was really precious to me...but I never told you the whole story..." Jake said grimly, looking straight ahead at Vash, who pointed his gun at Jake. The look that was on Vash's face was the same face when he had to shoot Legato. Meryl hated that face; it showed so much pain in his face, and she somehow felt part of the pain that he felt.
Before Meryl could stop Vash from shooting Jake, a single bullet hit Jake's stomach, causing him to fall onto the ground in pain. Although it had only taken less than a second for the bullet to enter Jake's body, to Meryl it seemed like a whole minute. The world seemed to be in a slow motion, with the surroundings frozen in time, with only Vash active.
Meryl hated herself for that second, not being able to protect Jake from that bullet.
'I'm so sorry...'
Panting hard, Jake put his hand over his wound, blood flowing out profusely. It felt sick for Meryl to see Jake's blood staining the sandy grounds. Managing a weak smile upon his face, he smiled at Meryl, his eyes no longer the yellow eyes of the Diablo.
"Meryl..." he whispered, somewhat motioning for her to come closer to him. Bending down, Meryl first realized that this was the last time she would ever be able to speak to Jake.
"Jake, don't die...I know I left you, but...you can't just leave now...Not right now..." Meryl whispered tearfully, a single tear escaping from her eye. Gripping onto Jake's other hand, she tried to memorize Jake's every features in that second.
Jake slowly put a single finger to Meryl's mouth, and smiled gently before putting his hand back down onto the ground.
"Listen Meryl...He's right; I won't feel any better after I kill him...and even though it's too late, I want to apologize for hurting you...I doubt you'll ever forgive me for that...
"And you're right Meryl...I shouldn't cry that Elaine died...I should smile because I even got to know her...and I'm smiling because I got to know you..."
Jake whispered slowly, each word using up the leftover energy he barely had. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his mouth as his wound continued to bleed.
"Meryl...when you left, I just used Elaine as a substitute for you...but as time went by, she became really cherished to me...We only spent an year together, but I really did love her.
"And I owe you the truth..."
Meryl shook her head, continuing to grip onto his hand. More tears ran down her face, some falling onto Jake's body.
"You don't owe me anything, Jake...I owe you an apology for being a traitor...I'm so sorry..." Meryl buried her head into Jake's chest, her tears soaking his bloody clothes. Jake gently pulled her shoulders away from his chest, smiling a bright smile with all the energy he could muster.
"I don't hate Vash the Stampede...it was actually my fault that Elaine died...I couldn't protect her...Meryl, I'm a failure...I can't do anything, except screw up and kill people...But what I can do now, is to protect you..."
"Don't die Jake! Please...don't leave me..." sobbing, Meryl hugged Jake, trying to learn by heart his warmth that she felt when she hugged him.
*~*~*~*~
Vash felt horrible about shooting Jake. Not only had he went against Rem's belief, but he had hurt both Meryl and Jake.
He knew that the shot was crucial.
And something in his heart had told him that Meryl knew that too. But he did do the right thing, didn't he? Jake was going around killing people, and that would mean more lives would be wasted for nothing.
He shouldn't have made the shot crucial. But something in his heart told him that Jake had to die. It wasn't exactly jealously or justice, but something from past experiences told him that Jake would be happier in Heaven that he would be on this planet.
'When you died, Rem.I wanted to die along with you...but I promised you that I'd take care of Knives...But there were plenty of times when I wanted to die...Like the time I ruined July and Augusta...and the other time when I had to kill Legato...or when I failed to save the people...
I miss you, Rem...if I could bring back just one person from Heaven, it'll be you. No doubt. But would you want a murderer to bring you back to life?...I'm sorry Rem...I really am...'
A rough wind blew Vash's red coat, and the luminosity of the sun made his amber sunglasses shine. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes weren't that visible. But if anyone saw through the sunglasses, it was obvious that there was a lot of pain embedded in those aqua-green eyes.
"I'm sorry Meryl..."
Vash whispered before disappearing into a cloud of sand.
Walking one step at a time, his excellent hearing didn't catch a slight crumble of the building behind where Jake and Meryl were. Another crumble was heard, but Vash continued to walk on one step at a time.
Each time he heard some gravel falling from the building, Vash continued to move his foot on step further.
'She doesn't need a murderer to hang around her...'
He moved forward, taking two steps this time.
'She loves Jake...She loves him...and I have no right to ruin his happiness, nor hers, after what I did...'
Taking a small step, he stopped and turned back, looking at Meryl and Jake, who were barely visible with the dusty winds making a barrier between Vash and them.
'I'm sorry Meryl...for all the pain I've caused you...and...I hope Jake lives...'
Before he moved another step forward, he heard a loud crashing sound behind him. Squinting to get a closer look, he realized that it was probably the building behind Jake and Meryl that had collapsed.
Eyes alert in a split second, he ran over to the building with only one word and one thought in his mind.
'Meryl! You can't die!'
*~*~*~*~
Meryl closed her eyes, imagining that she would die in the crash. She was ready for this, actually. Or actually, she wanted to live a little longer.
Just to say good-bye to him.
The one person that she heard in the astral space.
And the one person that she loved.
'I'm sorry...just remember that I love you...'
She opened her eyes one more time, taking a glance at Jake, who had closed his eyes. Was he dead already?
She didn't know.
But her previous wounds hurt, and she could barely get up now. The rocks from the building fell over her in almost a slow motion, but she didn't want to see it anymore.
Life was grossly unfair.
'If I could have one wish, I wish I'd be able to see him again...just once, and I'll be the happiest person on Gunsmoke.'
And then, the whole building, which used to be a general store completely collapsed onto Meryl Stryfe and Jake Hunter. Other than a small crumple made by the gravels, Vash heard nothing but his own heart thump loudly as he ran over to the building. But before he could reach the debris, he felt a hand tug at his coat.
"Mr. Vash..." Milly whispered quietly as her eyes filled up with tears again. Milly had placed Wolfwood's head onto her lap, stroking his hair as her fresh tears fell onto his face.
"Milly..." Vash bent down, taking a glance at Wolfwood.
"Is he...still..."
"Oh yes, Mr. Vash...we made a promise together...and Mr. Vash? I have a premonition in my heart that Meryl's alive..." Milly said quietly, continuing to stroke Wolfwood's hair.
"Just watch from here, Mr. Vash...you'll see." Something in Milly's voice sounded sure, and Vash wished he had the same assurance that Meryl was alive.
'Meryl...'
*~*~*~*~
Meryl opened her eyes and saw nothing but endless darkness. Was this where all the dead people went?
She felt a sharp pain to her stomach, and realized that she was still alive. 'But how did I? I couldn't have survived that unless...Jake?'
Somehow managing to move all the rocks around her, tears streamed down Meryl's face when she saw Jake's limp body. Hugging his body, she was surprised when she heard a faint thumping beat in his chest.
"Jake...?"
"Meryl...when I die...will I be able to see Elaine...and watch over...you?" Jake whispered, a single tear rolling down the side of his eye. Meryl felt more tears welling up in her eyes as she nodded, brushing a few strands of hair away from his eyes.
"Of course you will, Jake. Of course."
Jake smiled, and closed his eyes for the last time. His expression was peaceful, as if he wished for this.
'and I'm smiling because I got to know you...'
'But what I can do now, is to protect you...'
"Oh Jake...thank you..."
Author Note: Okay Wolfwood-fans, I've got to apologize for picking on poor Wolfie so much. It's just that he is soooo handsome when he gets hurt and gets all protective of his loved ones, and I thought that it'll be a good plot. But don't worry, he won't die ^^; -huggles Jake plushie- But poor Jake dies. A lot of you probably hated him for being such a jerk, but after you read this chapter, I'm sure your views might change a tiny bit. Thanks for reading this fanfic tho! Huggles to all of you!!!