Sorry (again, I know) that this is late. I just had a lot of stuff to get finished up at the U, and my journalism class still takes up a lot of my time. But, it's spring break! So I'll try to update more then once this week to make up for it, promise.
Thank You's: Thanks to returning readers Rosebud, Magnet Rose, Jami and Neptune Butterfly for not only coming back after my absence, but for the wonderful reviews that keep me writing even when I'm not so sure of myself. And thanks to my new reviewers Elantis Seasali, PurpleRoses and angelstryke, you don't know how much it encourages me to realize that other people want to read this thing. Also, I don't know who you are (I looked) but I saw that somebody put me on their favorites list. I couldn't find you, but thanks a bunch. You certainly surprised me!
Author's note: None really for this chapter. Constructive praise and criticism are always welcome and very appreciated.
Me: Ugh, I'm getting sick of this. . .
Millie: What?
Me: Disclaimers. . .
Millie: Oh, like you own nothing to do with Trigun, so you can't be sued? *big smile*
Me: Yep, like that
Chapter V: Sins of the Father
Meryl couldn't believe it.
At first she thought that she had imagined it all, because the moment the sentence left Millie's lips, it seemed to lose its substantial veil of truth.
Besides, Millie would never say something like that. . .sweet, innocent Millie, the young woman that told her partner about all her hopes and dreams with such honest longing. The girl that had always listened to her senior partner about never getting involved with a case, as work and pleasure were always separate matters. The same girl who once told Meryl that she wanted to really know and love a man before she gave herself to him, in case he was actually the wrong one.
The reality of the situation hit Meryl like a ton of mud bricks. She should have noticed something was amiss all along, the signs were garishly obvious.
But she really hadn't made the time, or even bothered to open her eyes when it really mattered. Because, well, there had been the Humanoid Typhoon, and then a real typhoon, and then she had started to feel even stranger about Vash. . .and to sum it up, she hadn't really talked at all with Millie lately.
No, that was wrong. They had talked, but not about the girl stuff that was so important to their friendship but pointless in their partnership.
It all fell into place in the same blinding instant. Why Meryl had been so busy with other things and not put two and two together still eluded her.
Millie's late-afternoon absences whenever Wolfwood had sauntered into town and flashed his cocky grin her way. The morning of his death when Meryl had found her in Nick's room, waiting for him. Even during the several months of Vash's absence, when they had grown far closer, she hadn't seen it. She had been so worried about Vash, and fighting the sensation, that she hadn't even batted an eye their way.
Now, she realized how much she had let Millie down, and that one realization hurt more then the fact that her friend had been keeping such a vital secret from her.
"Meryl. . .um, did you hear me?"
The older woman fought with what she wanted to say, and what she knew she should say. What actually came out was neither.
"Millie. . .he was a priest."
The other sighed, then sat back down. She truly looked sad, not upset or disappointed, just unfathomably alone behind her sea-colored eyes.
"Ma'am, he was the right one. We disagreed about a lot of things, and we fought about some of them too. But he was a man. . .and he was the right one."
Who could disagree with that?
"Well," Meryl hunted for something, anything, worth saying. "I suppose things are going to have to change around here then. . .?"
Millie looked up and smiled slightly. Meryl, always the practical one in every situation.
"Yep."
"Did Wolfwood know?"
Millie looked down at the bare table again, one of her fingers tracing a looping pattern on the varnish.
"Yes. . .he was the first to know, besides me, of course. I haven't told Mr. Vash though. . .I was a little embarrassed. I don't know if Mr. Wolfwood ever told him either. They were such close friends, and he was so excited when I told him, he seemed like he wanted to tell the whole world. You really didn't know him, Meryl. He was such a kind man. . .and he told me that he'd always love me. . .and he loved kids so much that I couldn't help but be happy for us. I didn't plan it. . .honest. . .it just sorta happened."
Meryl tried to quell her own anger, in part because she knew that Millie needed support, both in the situation at hand and with the loss of the only man she had ever chosen to really love. The wounds caused by his absence wouldn't heal for a long time. . .and now Meryl understood that maybe they never would completely.
"Ma'am. . .I don't really know how to take care of a baby."
The words startled Meryl back into the present. Millie almost looked like she was about to cry.
"You don't know how to. . .oh."
It made sense, she had been the youngest of ten children, and so she had never really had the chance to live with a baby in the house. Meryl had two younger sisters, and though Millie liked kids, she had to be a little lacking in certain areas of experience that only a younger sibling could generate, as Meryl had discovered.
"No," Millie continued. "I mean, I've taken care of other people's children before. . .I've babysat. . .but this is so different. I don't know what I should do, Nick said that he would help me."
Suddenly, Meryl realized that it was Millie who needed the comfort at the moment, not herself and the terrible way that she felt.
"Millie?"
She managed to keep her eyes on her partner's face, and Millie seemed to take strength from that. She sniffed, then straightened, eyes glassy.
"Yes ma'am?"
"You've always told me that it's not okay to just give up on something. That you have to be strong and work for it if you truly want it. . .and you want to keep this baby, right?"
Millie almost seemed offended. All sadness vanished from her face and was instead replaced by surprise.
"Of course Meryl. Mr. Wolfwood would want that, and I do too. I want more then anything to keep our baby, even if he isn't here to help me now. I know that I can still love our child. I just need a little help, that's all."
Meryl leaned forward just a little, wrapping one of Millie's larger hands in her two delicate ones. The warm touch was reassuring to them both, and Meryl knew that Millie wouldn't keep something like this from her again.
"Then it's settled. You know that I'll help you. . .because, well. . ."
Millie smiled softly, scrunching Meryl's fingers very gently with her own.
"You don't have to say a word, I know why you would help me. For the same reason I would help you of course!"
"Yeah," the other woman sighed, relieved that the girl had been able to express what she just couldn't say. "And, Vash will help, I think. He's good with children for some reason that is still completely beyond me. Yes, he'll help because -?"
"Because, silly," Millie giggled, finishing for her, "we're becoming a family, a family that all of us kinda need. . .in one way or another. And he is part of that family. Speaking of which-"
* * *
Vash returned at noon to find Millie in the street and Meryl nowhere in sight. This confused him for a moment because usually it was the reverse, unless Millie was taking the day off. Such a situation rarely, if ever, actually happened. When it came to her construction crew, Millie seemed to have a much stronger work ethic then she did at being an insurance girl.
Unsure of exactly what she was doing, he put on his best smile and peered at her sideways, though the slight tilt of his head didn't answer the question either. She still appeared to be exactly the same Millie, scuffing at the dirt and whispering to herself.
Maybe conversation would help?
"Hey, insurance girl, you sure look down today. Were you worried I was really gonna leave or something?"
Millie glanced up at him, eyebrows scrunched.
"No Mr. Vash. Should I be?"
Out of nervous habit, and because someone was now staring at him, he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. How was he supposed to continue the conversation now?
"Um, no? You just looked upset about something."
"Oh, that's nothing!" She put on a smile that he knew was meant to reassure him, because he did the same thing so often himself. "Where did you go anyway?"
He realized that she was changing the subject, but he didn't let the frustration behind his eyes show.
"Oh, just out. I got back my coat," he held up one arm, the red fabric folded over it rustling gently. "And my gun. . .Knives' gun too. . .and the Punisher. . ."
Millie suddenly got the feeling that there was something that he wasn't telling her, but desperately wanted to.
"Um. . .Mr. Vash?"
"Yes?" His voice was soft, and his eyes pained as he glanced away.
"Can you answer something for me?"
He sighed, then nodded. "Anything, sure big girl."
"Did Mr. Wolfwood ever say anything about me? It's important. . .and, I would like to know, if you'll tell me."
Vash gave her another hurting smile.
"Oh, Nick didn't talk very much when we didn't joke, that's the kind of guy he was. But when he did talk, it was all about you. I guess when we weren't fighting, you were really the only thing on his mind. I think that he felt terrible about not being able to come back that day, because you did mean so much to him. But he couldn't change reality, even though he must have tried. In the end, he made a mistake. . .and I'm sure he regrets it now, because he told me that humans always do. He had no other choice, really. It was who he was." The man paused, considering something for a moment. "He even asked me to look after you because he couldn't. . .he said that it was important, I will, of course, but-"
Millie didn't let him finish. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him so tightly that he thought he was going to suffocate. "Really? Thank you Mr. Vash! You don't know how much that means to me. . .to know that he thought about me at the end. You sounded like him for a moment, you made me happy."
From his experience, she had never been the type to cry about something that she couldn't change, but how else could he explain his damp shoulder and her muffled sobs? Surprised and not knowing what she wanted he blushed, finally grinning, and meaning it, for the first time in a while. "Well, I don't really know why he had to tell me that, or why you're crying. . .but. . .hey, free hugs!"
The front door to the house slammed open, bouncing on its rusted hinges.
"What are you two doing!"
Standing on the porch, was, of course, Meryl. She looked about ready to kill, in part because she had been caught smiling for some odd reason and also because she seemed a bit angry about something that that neither of the two could figure out.
Millie let go of Vash, who likewise took a deep breath to make up for his previous amount of no-breathing room.
"Nothing ma'am that you need to worry about! Mr. Vash was just telling me about Mr. Wolfwood. . .that's all. Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?"
"Oh. . .um." Meryl seemed to realize that her outburst had looked a little weird, now that she thought about it. She shrugged. "Forget it. Vash, Knives looked a little better when I checked on him about an hour ago. He actually tried to move away from me, which, of course, didn't happen. I was just trying to clean the wounds on his shoulders! Where HAVE you been anyway?"
"Out," Millie giggled, then put a hand over her mouth as Vash gave her a reprimanding look.
"Oh, here and there," he smiled, "mostly 'there' though, as you haven't seen me."
Meryl glared at him, then looked away. "I was hoping you had come up with a plan to get rid of that man after your brother, but I can see now that such a thing IS a lost cause. Anyway, it's about time you dragged your sorry self back here! I have to go to work and Millie's already late and-"
He shrugged. "But I do have a plan."
"Of all the impossible things that you could have said. . . huh-?"
"I just told you insurance girl!" Vash glared at her. "I have a plan to save this town AND Knives at the same time! Now why don't we all go inside and I'll tell you."
Meryl stepped back as Vash started to walk toward her and the door beyond. He wasn't looking at her though, he was glancing back to see if Millie was coming.
So now he wasn't looking at her or calling her by her name? Feeling disappointed, but masking it with anger, Meryl took a step forward.
"Why don't you just tell us out here?"
This time, he did turn his head, but only to give her a condescending look that made her feel extremely dumb. It got even worse when he spoke.
"Because it's hot out here Meryl, and I've been walking around in the desert all morning. I don't want to fry out here anymore then I have to. Now," he skirted by her, and entered the cool shade inside, voice softening as he held out his hand. "Why don't you come too?"
* * *
"No. . .that IS NOT going to work!"
Meryl pounded her fist on the table again and rose from her chair, pushing it out of the way and glaring up at Vash. He had gained his feet as well, and they had been shouting at each other for the past five minutes. Millie was watching both of them from her own chair and trying not to laugh.
"My my," she finally managed to restrain her laughter, "you two fight like an old married couple! Remember Granny and Pa Thompson Meryl? You two are just like them!"
Vash stopped, eyes widening. Meryl tried to hide her blush and sat back down, smoothing out her skirt and the black nylons underneath it.
"Anyway," Millie continued, watching Vash slump back down into his chair, "tell us again what the plan is. I think it made sense to me."
Meryl leaned her head on one hand and nodded too. If it made sense to Millie it must be worth an actual listen. Why not?
"Do you girls promise to hear me out and not interrupt thirty billion times? I mean, jeeze Meryl, every other word-"
"Sure, sure," she rolled her grey-violet eyes and exhaled dramatically.
"Okay. . .well, here it is then. I went back to get my coat and the guns because I'm going to have to face off against Caverral myself. Knives can't, we all know that. So I'm the only other logical choice, I mean, it's obvious that this guy isn't just suicidal if he willingly wants to fight my brother. He obviously has something up his sleeve that even Knives couldn't handle. AND," he looked across the table at Meryl, "for the disapproving part of the peanut gallery, I'd like to know what else you want me to do."
"Well, for starters," she snarled back, "why don't we just leave!"
"Mr. Vash can't leave," Millie interjected, "Caverral promised to kill the people in this town if he didn't fight Knives. And he'll just find us at some point anyway. I don't think he's likely to give up. So why not just take care of the problem now when we know what to expect."
"Fine Millie." Meryl had known the answer all along, of course, she just didn't want to admit that the only thing holding them back from running were a bunch of people she hardly knew and a genocidal maniac. "But what about the obvious? Did you give that even a moment of thought? Vash really doesn't look much at all like Knives. I mean, they have the same nose, and they seem to be roughly the same height, but a thomas and a desert quail don't add up to two thomases' if you know what I mean."
"Oh," Vash put his chin on his hands, "thanks for comparing me to a thomas."
"Whatever, just answer that one thing for me and then maybe I'll think about agreeing."
Vash nodded, straightened back up, and continued.
"This man has obviously not seen Knives in quite a while, so I doubt he'll remember what my brother looks like other then very vaguely. Knives was busy with the Gung-Ho-Guns for some time, I think. So he had to have known Caverral before. . .um, we both had a little brotherly disagreement, because after that Knives was hurt pretty bad. Still. . .that doesn't make much sense, because you told me that this guy is little older then you two. I suppose that it's possible. . .but-"
"None of this makes any sense," Meryl tilted her head to the side in her own palm. "I feel like we're missing something critical here that would bring all of these pieces together. . .but I can't-"
"And that's another reason," he said, "because I want to know. If this guy has a score to settle with my brother, then he has a score to settle with me. Whatever he's after, and why, I have to know because if he's powerful enough to go LOOKING for Knives, then he's probably out to hurt others as well. . .and I can't let him."
"Fine broomhead, you've convinced me." Meryl stood up and started for the hallway to their rooms. "Just don't go getting hurt again, I'm running out of bandages for you."
She turned her attention toward Millie, and the two shared a look that Vash could clearly tell meant something important, but he wasn't sure what. The younger girl looked upset for a moment, and then she turned toward him.
"Um. . .Mr. Vash, I have something to ask you."
"Hey, fire away Millie."
She hesitated, twining her fingers in her shirt.
"Will you be taking the Cross Punisher with you, or just the revolvers?"
Behind her, Meryl's mouth dropped open and he got the distinct impression that this wasn't what the shorter woman had been expecting. What she had been expecting, he couldn't even begin to guess at.
"Um. . .I think I'll just be taking my revolver. Knives' Colt still has an aim that is slightly off. Frank Marlon fixed mine, but he didn't fix my brother's, so I'd rather go with a weapon I trust. As for the Punisher, I'll be leaving her here. If things get bad, I know that you can operate it Millie, and along with Meryl's Derringers, I want you both to stay safe. You'll do that for me?"
"Yes," the younger woman nodded, "we can do that, right ma'am?"
"Why wouldn't we Millie? Now come on, we have work, and I'm not looking forward to being chewed out anymore then I have to be."
Millie trotted off after her partner, and then realized that Meryl had stopped in the hallway seconds before she bumped into her.
"Oh, why did you stop Meryl? Huh? Oh."
Millie turned to see that her friend was watching the outlaw. Vash hadn't moved, he was just standing there, watching them like a lost puppy. Meryl gave him a long glance, then turned around again, frowning.
"Uh, I still have a question Meryl."
The woman sighed and swiveled again, only to realize that Vash was smiling at her this time. For a moment she could almost believe that he might have finally realized how she felt. In this moment of tension was he about to ask her something she'd been waiting for?
"Yes Vash?"
"Well, I was wondering. . .since you did so well stitching up my coat last time. . .do you think that you could do it again?"
Meryl sauntered back over to him, her smile fixed and faintly alarming. She took the coat from his outstretched hand and considered it for a moment, poking at the various holes and missing sleeve. After a moment she gazed back up at him again, her smile still pasted on as she balled up the coat in her hands. Seconds later, Kuroneko hopped out of one of the pockets and dashed away with a startled meow.
"Sure Vash, right after I do this."
THWACK!
Meryl rolled the very useful coat back up, and danced off, leaving Vash to rub the red lump on his cheek with confusion.
"Oww… fine," he whimpered, "mean insurance girl! Hey, don't walk away from me like that, I'm still talking to you! Meryl!"
Endnotes: I realize that not much is ever said about Meryl's past in the anime. We know a lot about who Millie is, but very little about Meryl. We do know that she has a mom and a dad, but I'm going to take a little "artistic license" and give her siblings as well. I mean, she doesn't really act like an only child, so she probably isn't one (and no, being the "PMS Avenger" doesn't count!). Just thought you would also want to know that I've finished my rough drafts for chapters up to part three, and decided that's all the parts I need, so the number is now set. I won't be writing four parts, just three. I figured the action needed to be sped up anyway.
Thank You's: Thanks to returning readers Rosebud, Magnet Rose, Jami and Neptune Butterfly for not only coming back after my absence, but for the wonderful reviews that keep me writing even when I'm not so sure of myself. And thanks to my new reviewers Elantis Seasali, PurpleRoses and angelstryke, you don't know how much it encourages me to realize that other people want to read this thing. Also, I don't know who you are (I looked) but I saw that somebody put me on their favorites list. I couldn't find you, but thanks a bunch. You certainly surprised me!
Author's note: None really for this chapter. Constructive praise and criticism are always welcome and very appreciated.
Me: Ugh, I'm getting sick of this. . .
Millie: What?
Me: Disclaimers. . .
Millie: Oh, like you own nothing to do with Trigun, so you can't be sued? *big smile*
Me: Yep, like that
Chapter V: Sins of the Father
Meryl couldn't believe it.
At first she thought that she had imagined it all, because the moment the sentence left Millie's lips, it seemed to lose its substantial veil of truth.
Besides, Millie would never say something like that. . .sweet, innocent Millie, the young woman that told her partner about all her hopes and dreams with such honest longing. The girl that had always listened to her senior partner about never getting involved with a case, as work and pleasure were always separate matters. The same girl who once told Meryl that she wanted to really know and love a man before she gave herself to him, in case he was actually the wrong one.
The reality of the situation hit Meryl like a ton of mud bricks. She should have noticed something was amiss all along, the signs were garishly obvious.
But she really hadn't made the time, or even bothered to open her eyes when it really mattered. Because, well, there had been the Humanoid Typhoon, and then a real typhoon, and then she had started to feel even stranger about Vash. . .and to sum it up, she hadn't really talked at all with Millie lately.
No, that was wrong. They had talked, but not about the girl stuff that was so important to their friendship but pointless in their partnership.
It all fell into place in the same blinding instant. Why Meryl had been so busy with other things and not put two and two together still eluded her.
Millie's late-afternoon absences whenever Wolfwood had sauntered into town and flashed his cocky grin her way. The morning of his death when Meryl had found her in Nick's room, waiting for him. Even during the several months of Vash's absence, when they had grown far closer, she hadn't seen it. She had been so worried about Vash, and fighting the sensation, that she hadn't even batted an eye their way.
Now, she realized how much she had let Millie down, and that one realization hurt more then the fact that her friend had been keeping such a vital secret from her.
"Meryl. . .um, did you hear me?"
The older woman fought with what she wanted to say, and what she knew she should say. What actually came out was neither.
"Millie. . .he was a priest."
The other sighed, then sat back down. She truly looked sad, not upset or disappointed, just unfathomably alone behind her sea-colored eyes.
"Ma'am, he was the right one. We disagreed about a lot of things, and we fought about some of them too. But he was a man. . .and he was the right one."
Who could disagree with that?
"Well," Meryl hunted for something, anything, worth saying. "I suppose things are going to have to change around here then. . .?"
Millie looked up and smiled slightly. Meryl, always the practical one in every situation.
"Yep."
"Did Wolfwood know?"
Millie looked down at the bare table again, one of her fingers tracing a looping pattern on the varnish.
"Yes. . .he was the first to know, besides me, of course. I haven't told Mr. Vash though. . .I was a little embarrassed. I don't know if Mr. Wolfwood ever told him either. They were such close friends, and he was so excited when I told him, he seemed like he wanted to tell the whole world. You really didn't know him, Meryl. He was such a kind man. . .and he told me that he'd always love me. . .and he loved kids so much that I couldn't help but be happy for us. I didn't plan it. . .honest. . .it just sorta happened."
Meryl tried to quell her own anger, in part because she knew that Millie needed support, both in the situation at hand and with the loss of the only man she had ever chosen to really love. The wounds caused by his absence wouldn't heal for a long time. . .and now Meryl understood that maybe they never would completely.
"Ma'am. . .I don't really know how to take care of a baby."
The words startled Meryl back into the present. Millie almost looked like she was about to cry.
"You don't know how to. . .oh."
It made sense, she had been the youngest of ten children, and so she had never really had the chance to live with a baby in the house. Meryl had two younger sisters, and though Millie liked kids, she had to be a little lacking in certain areas of experience that only a younger sibling could generate, as Meryl had discovered.
"No," Millie continued. "I mean, I've taken care of other people's children before. . .I've babysat. . .but this is so different. I don't know what I should do, Nick said that he would help me."
Suddenly, Meryl realized that it was Millie who needed the comfort at the moment, not herself and the terrible way that she felt.
"Millie?"
She managed to keep her eyes on her partner's face, and Millie seemed to take strength from that. She sniffed, then straightened, eyes glassy.
"Yes ma'am?"
"You've always told me that it's not okay to just give up on something. That you have to be strong and work for it if you truly want it. . .and you want to keep this baby, right?"
Millie almost seemed offended. All sadness vanished from her face and was instead replaced by surprise.
"Of course Meryl. Mr. Wolfwood would want that, and I do too. I want more then anything to keep our baby, even if he isn't here to help me now. I know that I can still love our child. I just need a little help, that's all."
Meryl leaned forward just a little, wrapping one of Millie's larger hands in her two delicate ones. The warm touch was reassuring to them both, and Meryl knew that Millie wouldn't keep something like this from her again.
"Then it's settled. You know that I'll help you. . .because, well. . ."
Millie smiled softly, scrunching Meryl's fingers very gently with her own.
"You don't have to say a word, I know why you would help me. For the same reason I would help you of course!"
"Yeah," the other woman sighed, relieved that the girl had been able to express what she just couldn't say. "And, Vash will help, I think. He's good with children for some reason that is still completely beyond me. Yes, he'll help because -?"
"Because, silly," Millie giggled, finishing for her, "we're becoming a family, a family that all of us kinda need. . .in one way or another. And he is part of that family. Speaking of which-"
* * *
Vash returned at noon to find Millie in the street and Meryl nowhere in sight. This confused him for a moment because usually it was the reverse, unless Millie was taking the day off. Such a situation rarely, if ever, actually happened. When it came to her construction crew, Millie seemed to have a much stronger work ethic then she did at being an insurance girl.
Unsure of exactly what she was doing, he put on his best smile and peered at her sideways, though the slight tilt of his head didn't answer the question either. She still appeared to be exactly the same Millie, scuffing at the dirt and whispering to herself.
Maybe conversation would help?
"Hey, insurance girl, you sure look down today. Were you worried I was really gonna leave or something?"
Millie glanced up at him, eyebrows scrunched.
"No Mr. Vash. Should I be?"
Out of nervous habit, and because someone was now staring at him, he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. How was he supposed to continue the conversation now?
"Um, no? You just looked upset about something."
"Oh, that's nothing!" She put on a smile that he knew was meant to reassure him, because he did the same thing so often himself. "Where did you go anyway?"
He realized that she was changing the subject, but he didn't let the frustration behind his eyes show.
"Oh, just out. I got back my coat," he held up one arm, the red fabric folded over it rustling gently. "And my gun. . .Knives' gun too. . .and the Punisher. . ."
Millie suddenly got the feeling that there was something that he wasn't telling her, but desperately wanted to.
"Um. . .Mr. Vash?"
"Yes?" His voice was soft, and his eyes pained as he glanced away.
"Can you answer something for me?"
He sighed, then nodded. "Anything, sure big girl."
"Did Mr. Wolfwood ever say anything about me? It's important. . .and, I would like to know, if you'll tell me."
Vash gave her another hurting smile.
"Oh, Nick didn't talk very much when we didn't joke, that's the kind of guy he was. But when he did talk, it was all about you. I guess when we weren't fighting, you were really the only thing on his mind. I think that he felt terrible about not being able to come back that day, because you did mean so much to him. But he couldn't change reality, even though he must have tried. In the end, he made a mistake. . .and I'm sure he regrets it now, because he told me that humans always do. He had no other choice, really. It was who he was." The man paused, considering something for a moment. "He even asked me to look after you because he couldn't. . .he said that it was important, I will, of course, but-"
Millie didn't let him finish. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him so tightly that he thought he was going to suffocate. "Really? Thank you Mr. Vash! You don't know how much that means to me. . .to know that he thought about me at the end. You sounded like him for a moment, you made me happy."
From his experience, she had never been the type to cry about something that she couldn't change, but how else could he explain his damp shoulder and her muffled sobs? Surprised and not knowing what she wanted he blushed, finally grinning, and meaning it, for the first time in a while. "Well, I don't really know why he had to tell me that, or why you're crying. . .but. . .hey, free hugs!"
The front door to the house slammed open, bouncing on its rusted hinges.
"What are you two doing!"
Standing on the porch, was, of course, Meryl. She looked about ready to kill, in part because she had been caught smiling for some odd reason and also because she seemed a bit angry about something that that neither of the two could figure out.
Millie let go of Vash, who likewise took a deep breath to make up for his previous amount of no-breathing room.
"Nothing ma'am that you need to worry about! Mr. Vash was just telling me about Mr. Wolfwood. . .that's all. Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?"
"Oh. . .um." Meryl seemed to realize that her outburst had looked a little weird, now that she thought about it. She shrugged. "Forget it. Vash, Knives looked a little better when I checked on him about an hour ago. He actually tried to move away from me, which, of course, didn't happen. I was just trying to clean the wounds on his shoulders! Where HAVE you been anyway?"
"Out," Millie giggled, then put a hand over her mouth as Vash gave her a reprimanding look.
"Oh, here and there," he smiled, "mostly 'there' though, as you haven't seen me."
Meryl glared at him, then looked away. "I was hoping you had come up with a plan to get rid of that man after your brother, but I can see now that such a thing IS a lost cause. Anyway, it's about time you dragged your sorry self back here! I have to go to work and Millie's already late and-"
He shrugged. "But I do have a plan."
"Of all the impossible things that you could have said. . . huh-?"
"I just told you insurance girl!" Vash glared at her. "I have a plan to save this town AND Knives at the same time! Now why don't we all go inside and I'll tell you."
Meryl stepped back as Vash started to walk toward her and the door beyond. He wasn't looking at her though, he was glancing back to see if Millie was coming.
So now he wasn't looking at her or calling her by her name? Feeling disappointed, but masking it with anger, Meryl took a step forward.
"Why don't you just tell us out here?"
This time, he did turn his head, but only to give her a condescending look that made her feel extremely dumb. It got even worse when he spoke.
"Because it's hot out here Meryl, and I've been walking around in the desert all morning. I don't want to fry out here anymore then I have to. Now," he skirted by her, and entered the cool shade inside, voice softening as he held out his hand. "Why don't you come too?"
* * *
"No. . .that IS NOT going to work!"
Meryl pounded her fist on the table again and rose from her chair, pushing it out of the way and glaring up at Vash. He had gained his feet as well, and they had been shouting at each other for the past five minutes. Millie was watching both of them from her own chair and trying not to laugh.
"My my," she finally managed to restrain her laughter, "you two fight like an old married couple! Remember Granny and Pa Thompson Meryl? You two are just like them!"
Vash stopped, eyes widening. Meryl tried to hide her blush and sat back down, smoothing out her skirt and the black nylons underneath it.
"Anyway," Millie continued, watching Vash slump back down into his chair, "tell us again what the plan is. I think it made sense to me."
Meryl leaned her head on one hand and nodded too. If it made sense to Millie it must be worth an actual listen. Why not?
"Do you girls promise to hear me out and not interrupt thirty billion times? I mean, jeeze Meryl, every other word-"
"Sure, sure," she rolled her grey-violet eyes and exhaled dramatically.
"Okay. . .well, here it is then. I went back to get my coat and the guns because I'm going to have to face off against Caverral myself. Knives can't, we all know that. So I'm the only other logical choice, I mean, it's obvious that this guy isn't just suicidal if he willingly wants to fight my brother. He obviously has something up his sleeve that even Knives couldn't handle. AND," he looked across the table at Meryl, "for the disapproving part of the peanut gallery, I'd like to know what else you want me to do."
"Well, for starters," she snarled back, "why don't we just leave!"
"Mr. Vash can't leave," Millie interjected, "Caverral promised to kill the people in this town if he didn't fight Knives. And he'll just find us at some point anyway. I don't think he's likely to give up. So why not just take care of the problem now when we know what to expect."
"Fine Millie." Meryl had known the answer all along, of course, she just didn't want to admit that the only thing holding them back from running were a bunch of people she hardly knew and a genocidal maniac. "But what about the obvious? Did you give that even a moment of thought? Vash really doesn't look much at all like Knives. I mean, they have the same nose, and they seem to be roughly the same height, but a thomas and a desert quail don't add up to two thomases' if you know what I mean."
"Oh," Vash put his chin on his hands, "thanks for comparing me to a thomas."
"Whatever, just answer that one thing for me and then maybe I'll think about agreeing."
Vash nodded, straightened back up, and continued.
"This man has obviously not seen Knives in quite a while, so I doubt he'll remember what my brother looks like other then very vaguely. Knives was busy with the Gung-Ho-Guns for some time, I think. So he had to have known Caverral before. . .um, we both had a little brotherly disagreement, because after that Knives was hurt pretty bad. Still. . .that doesn't make much sense, because you told me that this guy is little older then you two. I suppose that it's possible. . .but-"
"None of this makes any sense," Meryl tilted her head to the side in her own palm. "I feel like we're missing something critical here that would bring all of these pieces together. . .but I can't-"
"And that's another reason," he said, "because I want to know. If this guy has a score to settle with my brother, then he has a score to settle with me. Whatever he's after, and why, I have to know because if he's powerful enough to go LOOKING for Knives, then he's probably out to hurt others as well. . .and I can't let him."
"Fine broomhead, you've convinced me." Meryl stood up and started for the hallway to their rooms. "Just don't go getting hurt again, I'm running out of bandages for you."
She turned her attention toward Millie, and the two shared a look that Vash could clearly tell meant something important, but he wasn't sure what. The younger girl looked upset for a moment, and then she turned toward him.
"Um. . .Mr. Vash, I have something to ask you."
"Hey, fire away Millie."
She hesitated, twining her fingers in her shirt.
"Will you be taking the Cross Punisher with you, or just the revolvers?"
Behind her, Meryl's mouth dropped open and he got the distinct impression that this wasn't what the shorter woman had been expecting. What she had been expecting, he couldn't even begin to guess at.
"Um. . .I think I'll just be taking my revolver. Knives' Colt still has an aim that is slightly off. Frank Marlon fixed mine, but he didn't fix my brother's, so I'd rather go with a weapon I trust. As for the Punisher, I'll be leaving her here. If things get bad, I know that you can operate it Millie, and along with Meryl's Derringers, I want you both to stay safe. You'll do that for me?"
"Yes," the younger woman nodded, "we can do that, right ma'am?"
"Why wouldn't we Millie? Now come on, we have work, and I'm not looking forward to being chewed out anymore then I have to be."
Millie trotted off after her partner, and then realized that Meryl had stopped in the hallway seconds before she bumped into her.
"Oh, why did you stop Meryl? Huh? Oh."
Millie turned to see that her friend was watching the outlaw. Vash hadn't moved, he was just standing there, watching them like a lost puppy. Meryl gave him a long glance, then turned around again, frowning.
"Uh, I still have a question Meryl."
The woman sighed and swiveled again, only to realize that Vash was smiling at her this time. For a moment she could almost believe that he might have finally realized how she felt. In this moment of tension was he about to ask her something she'd been waiting for?
"Yes Vash?"
"Well, I was wondering. . .since you did so well stitching up my coat last time. . .do you think that you could do it again?"
Meryl sauntered back over to him, her smile fixed and faintly alarming. She took the coat from his outstretched hand and considered it for a moment, poking at the various holes and missing sleeve. After a moment she gazed back up at him again, her smile still pasted on as she balled up the coat in her hands. Seconds later, Kuroneko hopped out of one of the pockets and dashed away with a startled meow.
"Sure Vash, right after I do this."
THWACK!
Meryl rolled the very useful coat back up, and danced off, leaving Vash to rub the red lump on his cheek with confusion.
"Oww… fine," he whimpered, "mean insurance girl! Hey, don't walk away from me like that, I'm still talking to you! Meryl!"
Endnotes: I realize that not much is ever said about Meryl's past in the anime. We know a lot about who Millie is, but very little about Meryl. We do know that she has a mom and a dad, but I'm going to take a little "artistic license" and give her siblings as well. I mean, she doesn't really act like an only child, so she probably isn't one (and no, being the "PMS Avenger" doesn't count!). Just thought you would also want to know that I've finished my rough drafts for chapters up to part three, and decided that's all the parts I need, so the number is now set. I won't be writing four parts, just three. I figured the action needed to be sped up anyway.