Bah.  I wanted to update this last week, but a fit of pique as well as actual work-type things prevented that.  Huge thanks to Arafel and Clinesterton to kicking this chapter into postable shape.

Misconception

Chapter Three

The road to New Oregon was long, and it only took a few hours for the sight of endless sand dunes and gritty earth passing outside the windows of the truck to get old.  By the time the suns began to go down, they were hundreds of iles away from the city they called home and Meryl's seat was growing more and more uncomfortable no matter which way she turned.  Vash seemed to be perfectly peaceful despite the fact that he'd been driving for hours without a break.

"Do you want to switch?" she asked.

Vash glanced sideways for scarcely a moment, intent on the road.  "That's all right.  I know the way better, and you should rest."

Meryl suppressed a growl.  "I'm not an invalid.  Besides, sitting in one spot for hours at a stretch isn't exactly relaxing me.  Can we at least stop somewhere to stretch our legs?"

"Right, sorry."  He looked properly contrite.  "I'll pull over at the next town.  We can walk around and get some sandwiches."

Meryl's relief at this statement faded when Vash allowed them no more than twenty minutes in the next tiny burg.  She'd never seen him so driven—she'd grown too used to watching him wander as aimlessly as a tumbleweed.

But then, he didn't have such a reason to rush before.  With a sigh, she leaned against him and tried to get some rest.

Meryl was nearly asleep when the growing-to-be familiar feeling of her stomach lurching sideways jerked her awake.  "Vash, pull over," she mumbled through the sickening lump that rose in her throat.

"Oh?  Do you have to go to the bathroom?"  Vash glanced sideways at her but didn't slow down.  "If you can hang on a little longer, there's a town coming that that will have some sanitary—"

"Pull over NOW!"  Her shout startled him into following her orders, and Meryl swung open the door of the car as he slowed to a stop.  The gritty sand was harsh against her knees, but she barely noticed as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the desert.  She heaved again, the nausea coming in waves.  She was dimly aware of the sound of Vash's door opening and his heavy footsteps moving around the car to her side.

"Here, take this."  Breathing heavily, she accepted the water bottle Vash pressed into her hands, drinking and swishing the liquid around her mouth to rid it of the sour taste of vomit.

"Thanks."  He placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently, and Meryl leaned into them.  "Welcome to pregnancy," she said.

"I thought this sort of thing was supposed to happen in the morning."  He helped her to her feet and away from the mess. "Can I do anything?"

Meryl shook her head.  "Just wait it out.  I'll be grateful if this is the worst I have to face."

 "I don't like seeing you sick."

"I don't, either."  She opened the passenger-side door and climbed inside  "Come on, we should go a little farther before we have to stop for the night."

"Are you sure?  You won't get sick again?"

"I'm all right now," Meryl assured him.  "It's not really motion sickness.  Besides, I don't think there's anything left to come up," she added, wrinkling her nose.

It was a short distance to the next town, and they pulled into Mooresville as the last stars were coming out.  Vash paid for a room at the closest inn, and Meryl crawled into bed as soon as they entered.  She stopped only to remove her leggings but was content to remain in her blouse as long as she could.  She fell into a light doze, dimly aware of Vash dragging Knives' cot into a corner of the room.  Once his twin was properly settled, Vash stepped into the bathroom to perform his usual evening ablutions.  The creak of the mattress woke her again as he lay down beside her.

"Hey," she said, rolling over to face him.

"Hey," he replied in a low tone.  "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it."  Meryl let him put an arm around her and snuggled into him. 

"You smell nice."  They lay together in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. 

"Vash?"

"Yes?"

"Never mind.  I don't know what I was going to say."

"Are you sure?"  Vash traced her eyebrow with one finger, his breath soft against her skin.  "What are you thinking about?"

"Honestly?"  Meryl pulled away so she could see his face.  "I wish my mother were here."

Vash raised an eyebrow.  "It'd be kind of crowded, don't you think?"

She pondered hitting him with a pillow.  "Not here here.  It's just…"  She started over.  "When I was a little girl and I had a problem, I went to my mother because I knew she could fix it, no matter what it was.  I really wish I could do that now.  I wish she would just hug me and promise everything would be all right and it would be because she said so."

"I think that sounds pretty good," Vash said.

Meryl shrugged.  "Not like it could happen anyway.  I didn't adore my mother so much once I got older, and we've never really been close since I moved out.  If she was here right now, she'd probably want to kill me."

 "Why's that?"

"I've committed what she assured me was the ultimate sin when I was a teenager," she said.  "I got pregnant outside of marriage, by the world's most famous outlaw, no less."

"So you're saying I should make sure she's unarmed when I meet your parents?"

"Unless you feel like being marched to a priest at gunpoint, yes."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

Meryl looked away.  "Vash…"

"I'm not suggesting anything," he said.  "Not yet.  I know there's a lot left to do just to find out whether the baby will even be okay.  Just thinking out loud, that's all."  Vash smiled gently.  "Go to sleep now.  We've still got a long drive tomorrow."

***

It was early evening when they reached New Oregon.  Meryl's memories of the town itself were faint.  She'd spent most of her time there as a hostage on yet another hijacked sandsteamer.  Then they'd found Vash again, and the warm joy she'd felt had overshadowed any other remembrance.  The fallen ship was visible long before they reached the outskirts of the city, its gray metal hull shining dully under the two suns.

A few dwellings dotted the land outside of the ship, but there seemed to be no one around.  As they drove by one house, Meryl thought she saw something move rapidly back from the window.  "Where is everybody?" she asked.  "Is the town just ignoring the ship?"

"I don't know," Vash replied, looking solemn.  They drove around the border of the ship before Vash spotted an entranceway that appeared to be in use, judging by the hard-packed path leading up to it.

Meryl stared at the strange doorway as they approached it.  She ran a hand over the smooth metal that wasn't yet wearied by the blowing sands.  "How does it work?"  She felt stupid for having to ask the question, but no handle or catch was immediately apparent.

"Like this."  Vash stepped up to a small key panel to the left of the door and punched in a series of numbers without hesitation.  Meryl jumped away from the door as it moved into the wall with a low groan—and jumped again when it revealed two glaring men holding guns pointed right at them.  "What are you doing here?" one man growled.

One of Meryl's hands went to her abdomen, the other to a derringer, but she dropped it when Vash placed a calming hand on her arm.  "I'm here to see Doc," Vash answered.

"Oh yeah?" The same man sneered at them while the other remained silent.  She noticed that they held the guns strangely—gingerly, as if they knew what one did with them but not quite howThis didn't comfort her; untrained men wielding weapons were often more dangerous than those who were comfortable with them.  "What if we tell you Doc's not available anymore?" he continued.

"Did something happen to Doc?"  Vash's voice rose and Meryl felt another stab of dread.  If something had happened to this friend of Vash's, if he couldn't help them…

"Doc is fine, no thanks to you."  The second man finally spoke.  His eyes were rimmed with red, and he held his gun steadier than his partner did.  "He's just too busy to see you at the moment.  There's been a lot to deal with since you crashed our home."

Vash's flinch was tiny, but Meryl noticed it.  "Look, I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said.

The first man snorted.  "Aren't we lucky.  This time you might blow the place up instead of just crashing it."

Vash ignored him.  "I just need to see Doc," he continued.  "Please, it's important.  No one's after me anymore; there's no danger."

"Why should we believe that?"

"Look, just let me see Doc for a minute," Vash argued.  "If he tells me to leave, I will."

The men took a long time to answer, looking Vash up and down—noting, Meryl was sure, the lack of a gun by his side.  Not for the first time, she felt grateful for her hidden weapons. 

"All right," one man said at last.  "We'll take you.  But you better be careful."

"Thank you."

Though there was no one in the halls of the ship that they passed through, Meryl had the uncomfortable feeling that they were being watched.  A shiver ran down her back, and she was grateful for Vash's hand as he laced his fingers together with hers.  The ship was the strangest place she had ever seen.  After living in December and later visiting some of the planet's largest cities, she'd seen plenty of buildings constructed of metal, but even those were usually supplemented with stone and whatever other materials were available.  This place was entirely metal.  Sleek and attractive, but alien.

The sounds of human activity reached them before the hall ended in a common area.  There were a few people in the larger room, conversing with each other at the tables that dotted the room.  Some were eating from small meal trays; others seemed to be going over computer printouts. 

A woman glanced up at them and gasped, then tugged on her companion's shirt and pointed.  In the twenty or so seconds it took the cross the room, the sounds of people whispering rose to a low buzz, and everyone was staring at them.  Meryl was faintly glad that the men leading them were moving too swiftly for them to stop, otherwise she might have turned on her heel and demanded to know what was so damn scary about Vash.  His brother was the psychotic one, not him.  None of what had happened was his fault!  She wanted to shout at them, but she couldn't, so she just kept moving.

The route they took was long and twisting.  By the time they took an elevator to a different level, Meryl was feeling thoroughly lost and irritated.  Why did these people seem to think Vash was some sort of criminal?  He was just a man who'd been dealt a hand in life far more difficult than anything they'd have to face.  Vash hadn't wanted any of this; all he wanted was to live peacefully. 

Their escorts halted abruptly in front of a door set away from the main hall.  "He's here," one said, looking unhappy about it.

"Come on in."  A muffled voice answered Vash's knock, and they stepped inside.  Once there, Meryl was faced with an elderly Asian man seated at a desk.  Looking at him, she felt an absurd sense of relief that there was someone in the world who was shorter than she was.

"Vash!" the man exclaimed.  "How wonderful to see you!  I'm sorry didn't greet you.  We weren't expecting visitors."

"Yeah, I could tell."  Vash sighed but grinned anyway.  "Meryl, this is Doctor Chi Wu.  Just call him Doc.  Doc, this is Meryl."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.  "Vash speaks very highly of you."

Doc smiled and reached out to shake her hand.  "Well, you can never take him too seriously.  Please, have a seat."

"Doc, what's happening around here?" Vash asked.  "I've been greeted with guns before, but I never expected it from anyone here."

Doc's smile slipped.  "There have been a lot of changes around here, Vash.  After the crash, people got scared.  I blame myself.  I should have known we'd all end up here sooner or later.  I should have done more to prepare them."  He pulled a miniature blueprint from his top drawer and indicated a section that was circled and surrounded by new construction notes.  "The lower three levels of the ship were too damaged to use, but we landed in a remarkably stable position.  It's still safe for us to live here, but I know we can't pretend the outside world doesn't exist anymore."

"What about the people from New Oregon?" Vash asked.  "I can't believe they haven't been all over this place."

 "Credit Max for that," Doc said.  "His standing in the local community helped him convince the townspeople that we meant no harm.  Since then he's acted as a go-between," he said.  "A few did journey out here after the crash.  I'm afraid they didn't know what to make of us.  Max managed to persuade them to leave us alone, of course never letting on that he used to live here.  We're lucky to have him.  A few of our braver souls have established a small village just outside the ship, as I'm sure you noticed."  He sighed.  "It's been very difficult, Vash.  Not everyone is taking our new lifestyle well.  Some are willing to explore the land.  Others are living in denial, hoping we can somehow make the ship fly again.  Most are just scared."  He straightened in his seat.  "But enough of that.  What brings you here?  Is it Knives?"

"Not really."  Vash rubbed the back of his head.  "Actually, Knives is still in the truck.  He's not awake!"  He rushed to reassure Doc at the sight of the other man's eyebrows shooting upward.  "I finally found him.  We fought, and I won.  He's been in a coma ever since.  But that's not why we're here."  There was a slight pink tinge to his face.  "You see…well, Meryl and I, we sort of…and it's like this…"

"I'm pregnant," Meryl announced.

"It's mine," Vash added helpfully.  She gave him a dirty look.

Doc blinked a few times.  "Well.  I suppose that is pretty serious."  He peered at Meryl and she squirmed under his gaze.  "How far along are you?  How do you feel?"

"A little over a month, I think," she said.  "I've been more tired than usual, and there's been some nausea, but nothing too bad.  Everything seems normal as far as I can tell.  But with what Vash is…is normal even possible?"

"I'll have to examine you in order to even hope to answer that," Doc replied, not unkindly.  "It's a good sign that you didn't miscarry in the first few weeks."  He looked at Vash.  "There's a lot we don't know about the plants.  Even with all the information in the ship's database, there's very little we know about their true nature.  Sometimes I wonder how much even the original crews knew.  Since we found Vash and he allowed me to examine him, I've wondered just how many connections between plants and humans do exist.  Look at you, Vash.  Spontaneously born from a plant, without human aid, and yet you have all the outward characteristics of a normal human male.  Obviously."

Vash and Meryl both tried—and failed—not to turn red.  Vash jumped in to move the topic away from what characteristics he did or did not share with a normal human.  "So, Doc, can you help us?"

 "I'll do my best, Vash," Doc said.  "No matter what some people may feel right now, as far as I am concerned, you're one of us and you'll always be welcome here.  Both of you."  He reached for a small book on his desk and opened it to a listing of appointments.  "If it's all right with you, I'd like to see you both first thing in the morning.  I want some time to look over Vash's medical records, and I've got a few patients in sickbay who need my attention.  Besides, I'm sure you're tired from your journey."

Vash nodded.  "Thank you, Doc."

***

Vash stood alone in front of the bulb that held the ship's remaining plant.  That the being inside it had survived the trauma of the Gung-Ho Guns' attack and the subsequent crash was a miracle.  It was almost ironic that the being responsible for the trauma, one of her own kind, now shared the protection of her bulb.

It was the only way.  The ship folk might have mixed feelings towards Vash, but he was certain that if they found out that Knives was lying helpless in sick bay, they would kill his brother without a second thought.  He couldn't quite blame them, but he couldn't let it happen, either.  This way Knives would be protected and would still be confined if he were he to awaken from his sleep.

Meryl had changed into her nightshirt when he returned to the small, out-of-the-way quarters Doc had given them.  Her hair was still damp from the shower.

"Hi."  He leaned down to kiss her, noting her weariness.  "Feeling more relaxed now?"

"A bit."  She smiled.  "How's Knives?"

"Resting comfortably."

"Hopefully that will make two of us in a few minutes."  Meryl yawned.  "I'm exhausted.  Sitting in a small and uncomfortable seat all day really takes it out of you."

"You should sleep.  Do you mind if I go talk to someone before I join you?"

"Go ahead."  She flopped down onto the bed and waved him away.  "I'm so tired I doubt I'll even notice you're gone."

"All right."  Vash stayed for a few more minutes, listening as her breath slowed and grew more even.  Once he was sure she was asleep, he untucked the other side of the blanket she laid on to drape it over her.  He brushed his lips over her temple before leaving the room and retracing his steps to Doc's office.

"Doc, have you got a few minutes?"

The smaller man looked up from his desk.  "For you, Vash, as much time as you need.  What can I do for you?  I assumed you'd want some time to rest."

"Well, yeah, but there's something I need to tell you about," Vash said, scratching the back of his head.  "Something Meryl doesn't know."

Doc raised an eyebrow.  "What's that?"

Vash sat in the chair across from the desk.  "It's about my arm," he said.  "When I was searching for Knives, he sent a number of his henchmen after me.  One of them…had my arm."

Doc frowned.  "I don't understand.  You mean your old mechanical?"

"No," Vash said.  "I mean my real arm.  The one I lost in July.  Knives attached it to Legato's body."

He looked up.  A slight paling of Doc's face was the only sign of surprise or disgust.  "I see," he said.

"Don't ask me to explain how Knives' mind works," Vash said.  "I suppose he thought it would bring me closer to him."

"Are you sure that he was telling the truth?"

Vash nodded.  "Legato loved to cause pain through the truth.  He had no reason to lie."

"What happened to him?"

"I shot him," Vash replied quietly.

The air was still for a long moment before Vash spoke again.

"It's just…I was thinking.  If he could wear my arm, if it was a successful graft, doesn't that mean there's a possibility that humans and plants like Knives and me could be compatible with humans?"

"It might," Doc said.  "I wouldn't have dreamed that such a procedure would be possible, but I don't see how any human could wear a totally alien body part.  Organ transplants between humans are very difficult under the best of circumstances and impossible between totally incompatible species."

Vash's shoulders slumped in relief.  "God, I hope so.  I didn't tell Meryl because—well, it's pretty freaky, and I didn't want to get her hopes up if you didn't think it was anything.  But I wanted so badly to believe it myself—"

"Vash."  Doc leaned forward. "Have you thought about what might happen if the baby's not all right?"

Vash looked up.  "I've barely been able to think about anything else."

"I'll examine Meryl, and I'll do anything I can to help her if there's a possibility that your baby can be born healthy," Doc said.  "But I can't guarantee a miracle.  There's so much we don't know about the plants, and so many ways that you're different from them.  I can't predict how a hybrid child will grow in her womb.  It may not develop properly.  It may grow too quickly and become a danger to Meryl's life.  If it comes down to it, you may have to make a choice between Meryl and the baby."

"I know."  Vash's head hung low.

Doc stood up and walked around his desk to place a comforting hand on Vash's shoulder.  "I'll do my best, and if luck is with us, you won't have to make that choice.  You need to think about it, but right now I think that it's best that you get some rest.  Wearing yourself out isn't going to help you, Meryl, or the baby."

"All right."  Vash stood.  "I'll see you in the morning, Doc."

"First thing."

Meryl didn't appear to have moved an inch when Vash returned to her room.  He slipped his shoes off and curled up on top of the sheets beside her.  A mixture of fear and hope filled him as he waited for sleep and the answers morning would bring.