AN- Well, I plan on getting this chapter to have some more Bernardelli action in it somehow. Because Bernardelli cracks me up.

Loving Vash- Chapter 5

Meryl sat at the small, wooden table, her fingers tapping the top lightly as she stared at the phone sitting in front of her.

Vash came up behind her, putting his head on hers. "So... you gonna call 'em?"

Meryl grumbled, placing her head in her hands. "I don't wanna do it yet."

"Yeah but Meryl," Vash argued. "We need money. And if we ask them to support us, we'll be fine."

"But asking Bernardelli...?"

"You got the dirty little secret though," Vash said. He chuckled.

"Well, you're right," Meryl sighed, picking up the phone. She dialed the phone number for Bernardelli. She heard a slight click.

"Hello?" answered the same Brooklyn voice that had answered before. "May I help ya?"

"Yes," Meryl mumbled. "Um... may I speak to the Chief?" She had forgotten how to be formal around Bernardelli employees. In fact, she had pretty much forgotten about all her co-workers. Except for Milly, of course.

"Hold on, let me transfer ya cawl," came the voice. There was a beep, and through the phone came Chief.

"Erm... yes, hello?" Chief grumbled hoarsely. He coughed into the phone loudly, causing Meryl to pull it away from her ear for a moment.

"Yes, this is Meryl. Meryl Stryfe?" she said. Meryl bit her lip, feeling rather nervous.

There was silence. "Um, yeah. Well... what is it?"

Meryl wiped a sweat bead from her fore head. "I don't know how to put this, but uh, see Chief, I'm pregnant."

Chief let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "With the Humanoid Typhoon's kid, I presume?"

Meryl's eye twitched. "Yeah."

"Well," he began. "Is that all?"

"No," Meryl said. "Um, Chief? Y'know your- our, little secret?"

Chief sighed. "Yes."

"I've been thinking," Meryl said, twirling the phone cord with her fingers. "Since I quit Bernardelli, Vash and I have been hiding out. And I haven't had much money because, well, as you know, Milly quit, and she's living with us also, with her boyfriend. She has been working but, well, Vash and I are very expensive people to feed," Meryl paused. "But I guess you are aware of that because of past company parties that I've attended. Anyway, I was wondering, in exchange for keeping your little secret, I'd like you to support my family. And if you don't know, that consists of me, Vash, Milly, Milly's boyfriend Wolfwood, and the soon-to-come baby. So... what do you think?"

Chief agreed. "I can't very well leave you to starve. My husband wouldn't let me." He laughed. "Now Meryl, I expect you to listen to my instructions. I'll send you, oh gosh, about seven-hundred double dollars a week. That's only is you keep the secret. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Meryl said, happily. "Thank you!"

"Bye bye Meryl," Chief said. "Keep that secret between us."

There was another click, and the dial tone came through. Meryl had just scored herself seven-hundred double dollars.

"Well-"

The phone cut off Meryl, ringing, and instead of finishing her curtailed sentence she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Meryl?" Once again, it was the Chief. "May I ask you something?"

"Chief? Nevermind, what?"

"Are you, by chance, having a baby shower?"

"Yes," Meryl replied skeptically. "Why?"

"I was thinking," Chief mused, "that we could fund it for you. You know, the company?"

"Why would you do that?" Meryl asked. "Not like you care. I mean- the company."

Chief laughed. "Well, actually, this is for business. We could send out flyers and say that we're supporting your poor family."

Meryl raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Chief replied. "But it'd be held about two weeks before you're due, so that the guests are really aware that you're pregnant."

"Ah," Meryl agreed. "I get it."

"You wanna do that?"

"Sure," Meryl said, feeling rather positive about the whole idea. "Call me in about eight months."

"Nearing when you're due?"

"Yes."

"Gotcha. Bye!"

The phone clicked. "Well Vash, we got ourselves a paid baby-shower, and seven-hundred double-dollars a week. How does that sound?"

"Pretty good," he agreed.

-The Next Day-

Meryl plopped down on the couch next to Vash, slumping into the pillows. "I feel so lumpy. And lazy."

"So?" Vash replied jokingly. "I feel that way every day."

Meryl sighed heavily. "I don't like this. Not a bit," she grumbled.

Vash wrapped his arm around her. "Yes you do, you know you do. You like being lazy, don't you?"

"No." Meryl crawled out of Vash's grip. "I'm going to bed, you gonna join me?"

"Yeah!" Vash excitedly hopped off his seat and headed for the bedroom. There was nothing like being married.

AN- Yeah, yeah, bad me. Extremely short chapter, but I've got three chapters to go until I wrap this story up and begin a new one. Ah, I love the feeling of having a new story to write. If you're interested about what the story is going to be about, it's going to be a Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) fic. About Wakaba and Saionji. Love and peace, ya'll.