Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, I'm just borrowing it for awhile. Trigun is property of Yasuhiro Nightow, Mad House, Pioneer, and whoever else was smart enough to get a piece of the action. I just know I wasn't. T_T
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
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A Glimpse of Eden
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Chapter - 5
~
"I said no. You can have a piece tomorrow, Locke." Meryl said firmly, and lifted the cake a bit higher, further out of the small boy's reach.
"But I want it!" Locke whined, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement, his hands stretching up toward the cake.
Ignoring his pleading blue eyes, she turned and placed the cake on a shelf, out of his reach, and then walked over and sat down at the kitchen table. Earlier in the day, she had baked the cake as a surprise, but the boy had found it hidden in the cupboard while he was searching for some crackers and he hadn't stopped pestering her about it since.
Picking up a crayon, she started drawing on a piece of paper, hoping the boy would forget about the cake and rejoin her at the table. A scrapping noise drew her attention away from the red-coated stick figure she had been making and she twisted around in her seat to find Locke dragging a chair over to the shelf, his eyes focused on the cake.
"Locke!" she jumped out of her chair and hurried over to the boy, who was already climbing onto the chair in an effort to reach the baked good. "I said no!" she repeated, more firmly than before. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she carried him back to the table and deposited him in a chair. "Now be good and play with your crayons, okay?"
"No! I want cake, Meryl," he pleaded, pointing toward the shelf. "Please?"
"And I said no," she replied through gritted teeth, trying to control her temper. "I made it for tomorrow. You can have a piece then."
Sticking his bottom lip out in a pout, he crossed his arms and glared at the crayons in front of him, as if contemplating his next move. Warily, she sat back down in her chair, wishing that she had never made the cake in the first place.
The door slid open and Knives walked in, carrying an empty coffee mug in one hand and a notebook in the other. With a happy squeal, Locke hopped out of his chair and ran over to him, bouncing around in his excitement.
"Knives!" Locke shouted in greeting, tugging at the older Plants' pant leg, "Can I have a piece of cake?"
"No!" she said at the same time Knives shrugged and absently muttered, "Sure."
With a frustrated sigh, she watched Locke leave Knives' side and hurry over to stand in front of her.
"Com'on, Meryl," the boy said, eagerly pulling on her hand, "give it to me."
She stared down at the child in a state of disbelief. Oh, she'd give it to him alright, but it sure as hell wouldn't be a piece of cake. "Locke, I told you no. It's too close to your bedtime."
He looked up at her, his eyes bright with tears. "But Knives said it was okay."
Meryl threw a glare at Knives as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, seemingly oblivious to the mess he had caused. As Locke's whining increased in volume, he leaned back in his chair and frowned at her. "Just give him what he wants."
Planting her hands against her hips, she ignored Locke's tears and focused her attention at Knives. "Are you crazy!? It's full of sugar! He'll be up all night!" she shouted, having to raise her voice in order to be heard over the boy's crying.
"Than what else would you suggest?" he shouted back, irritated.
She bit her lip, unsure. What would her mother have done in a situation like this? Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Locke and quickly, but firmly, smacked him on his behind. Locke's crying ceased immediately, his blue eyes widening in shock, the sudden smack surprising him out of his tantrum. Knives stood up from his seat, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.
Ignoring Knives, she spoke calmly and firmly to the child. "That's enough, Locke." She noticed his eyes starting to waver toward Knives and she knelt down in front of him. "Don't look at Knives. I'm the one in charge of you, not him." Taking his chin in her hand, she tilted his head up so she could look into his eyes. "I'm not going to put up with anymore of your tantrums, Locke. When I tell you to do something I expect you to obey me, not go to whining to Knives to try to get what you want, understand?"
Blinking back tears, he nodded. "Yes, Meryl."
Wiping away the remaining traces of tears on his face with her thumb, she stood up and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Now I want you to clean up your crayons. It's past your bedtime."
"Yes, Meryl," he said, and moved to comply.
Knives sat back down in his chair, upset by what had just happened. "Was that really necessary?"
She glanced over to him. "What?"
"Was striking the boy really necessary?" he asked, struggling to control his anger, "Or is that the human response to every problem?"
Meryl frowned and shot him a look of annoyance. "I hardly 'struck' him, Knives. I barely touched him. Locke is going to have to learn that there are boundaries, that there are some things he can't get away with. And temper tantrums," she muttered, "is one of them."
"All he wanted was a piece of cake. You're making too much out of this," he insisted.
She walked closer to him and lowered her voice before replying, "This isn't just about cake, Knives. Locke's at the age where he's testing his limits. He was trying to play us against each other to get what he wants and I'm not going to allow that."
He frowned, thinking over her words, and she continued, "It's perfectly natural. Children always try to play one parent off the other," she smiled, remembering some of the things she pulled against her parents.
Knives snorted. "But we're not his parents."
"No," she sighed, her voice sounding sad, "but we're the closest thing he's got."
His eyes widened and he glanced over at Locke, watching quietly for a few moments as the boy tried to cram all of the crayons back into the box, before quietly asking, "Then what should we do?"
Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled. "We have to back each other up. When one of us makes a decision the other has to enforce it, no matter how much Locke whines." At his dismayed expression, she laughed. "Don't worry, Knives. Like I said, he'll grow out of it soon enough. It's just a stage kids go through."
"Meryl?" Locke approached, almost hesitantly, "I'm done."
"Alright then," she replied lightly, "it's time for bed."
"Will you tell me a story?" he asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
She laughed and ruffled his hair. "If you want."
Locke grinned and then reached for her hand. "Will you tell me two stories?"
Meryl laughed again, and bent to gather the small boy up in her arms. "Maybe."
The boy buried his face in the curve of her neck, whispering words to her too low for Knives to hear, and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling himself closer into her embrace. The girl brushed a kiss across his brow and ran her fingers lightly through his hair, murmuring in low, soothing tones.
Knives dropped his gaze to his cup, feeling a sharp pang of... envy? Longing? He wasn't sure. Sometimes he found himself wishing that the boy was as affectionate with him as he was with the girl, but then he would always hurriedly dismiss the idea. Open displays of affection, or any type of emotion for that matter, just wasn't part of who he was. Not anymore.
"Have you said good night to Knives yet, Locke?" Meryl asked, drawing Knives' attention back to the pair. Bending down slightly, she shifted Locke slightly and allowed the boy to lean forward and wrap his arms around Knives' neck in a quick hug.
"Good night, Knives!" the boy chirped happily, before releasing his grip and grinning down at the stunned Plant.
A light chuckle drew Knives' attention from the boy to the girl who held him. Smiling, she straightened and met his shocked gaze with her amused one. "Good night, Knives," she said firmly, "and don't be late for breakfast tomorrow."
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End chapter 5
~
Magnet-Rose: I'm sure Knives will, in a couple more chapters anyway. Thanks for reviewing!
Yma: Vash will enter into the fic soon enough. I wanted to save his entrance for something good. Glad you're enjoying the fic!
Neptune Butterfly: Right now, Meryl and Knives are still trying to get used to each other's presence to trust the other that much. Knives especially. I mean, he's not exactly fond of humans and having to trust one will take some time. ^_^
WW: Thank you! I hope I'm not making Locke too cute... lol
Taedere-Belletrist: I'm not really rushing, this fic is almost finished on my end. I'm working on the last two chapters now, in fact. So glad you like my fic!
Jeril Dragonsoul: Wow, you've been busy. Thanks for reviewing all the previous chapters. I'm guessing you're a major fan of Knives. Oh, and it's Lock with a silent e. I guess I should have mentioned that, eh? ^_^
angelarms: Thanks! I'm glad you're still enjoying my fic. And Vash will come... I promise.
EmpressGalaxia: Yes, I was rather worried about my Meryl in the earlier chapters myself. I wanted to make her more calm (since this takes place a couple years after Trigun I thought she'd have mellowed a little) but then I was afraid I'd calmed her too much. Right now, she's still rather afraid of Knives, but once she realizes that he isn't going to suddenly snap and kill her or something, she'll start acting more like her old self. I'll just say, that once things settle down and he gets more used to her, one of Knives' favorite activities is going to be pushing Meryl's buttons.
~
Next time: Um... it's the chapter before chapter 7! Actually, I think chapter 6 isn't as good as the previous chapters, and in no way is it as good as that chapters that follow. I wrote it just before I took a break from my fic and watched a marathon of Trigun (all 26 episodes in a row!) to renew myself, so I was kinda on empty when I wrote it. Chapter 6 does set up the following three chapters, though. And hey, Vash is sure to be in those three somewhere...
~
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
-----------------
A Glimpse of Eden
-----------------
Chapter - 5
~
"I said no. You can have a piece tomorrow, Locke." Meryl said firmly, and lifted the cake a bit higher, further out of the small boy's reach.
"But I want it!" Locke whined, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement, his hands stretching up toward the cake.
Ignoring his pleading blue eyes, she turned and placed the cake on a shelf, out of his reach, and then walked over and sat down at the kitchen table. Earlier in the day, she had baked the cake as a surprise, but the boy had found it hidden in the cupboard while he was searching for some crackers and he hadn't stopped pestering her about it since.
Picking up a crayon, she started drawing on a piece of paper, hoping the boy would forget about the cake and rejoin her at the table. A scrapping noise drew her attention away from the red-coated stick figure she had been making and she twisted around in her seat to find Locke dragging a chair over to the shelf, his eyes focused on the cake.
"Locke!" she jumped out of her chair and hurried over to the boy, who was already climbing onto the chair in an effort to reach the baked good. "I said no!" she repeated, more firmly than before. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she carried him back to the table and deposited him in a chair. "Now be good and play with your crayons, okay?"
"No! I want cake, Meryl," he pleaded, pointing toward the shelf. "Please?"
"And I said no," she replied through gritted teeth, trying to control her temper. "I made it for tomorrow. You can have a piece then."
Sticking his bottom lip out in a pout, he crossed his arms and glared at the crayons in front of him, as if contemplating his next move. Warily, she sat back down in her chair, wishing that she had never made the cake in the first place.
The door slid open and Knives walked in, carrying an empty coffee mug in one hand and a notebook in the other. With a happy squeal, Locke hopped out of his chair and ran over to him, bouncing around in his excitement.
"Knives!" Locke shouted in greeting, tugging at the older Plants' pant leg, "Can I have a piece of cake?"
"No!" she said at the same time Knives shrugged and absently muttered, "Sure."
With a frustrated sigh, she watched Locke leave Knives' side and hurry over to stand in front of her.
"Com'on, Meryl," the boy said, eagerly pulling on her hand, "give it to me."
She stared down at the child in a state of disbelief. Oh, she'd give it to him alright, but it sure as hell wouldn't be a piece of cake. "Locke, I told you no. It's too close to your bedtime."
He looked up at her, his eyes bright with tears. "But Knives said it was okay."
Meryl threw a glare at Knives as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, seemingly oblivious to the mess he had caused. As Locke's whining increased in volume, he leaned back in his chair and frowned at her. "Just give him what he wants."
Planting her hands against her hips, she ignored Locke's tears and focused her attention at Knives. "Are you crazy!? It's full of sugar! He'll be up all night!" she shouted, having to raise her voice in order to be heard over the boy's crying.
"Than what else would you suggest?" he shouted back, irritated.
She bit her lip, unsure. What would her mother have done in a situation like this? Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Locke and quickly, but firmly, smacked him on his behind. Locke's crying ceased immediately, his blue eyes widening in shock, the sudden smack surprising him out of his tantrum. Knives stood up from his seat, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.
Ignoring Knives, she spoke calmly and firmly to the child. "That's enough, Locke." She noticed his eyes starting to waver toward Knives and she knelt down in front of him. "Don't look at Knives. I'm the one in charge of you, not him." Taking his chin in her hand, she tilted his head up so she could look into his eyes. "I'm not going to put up with anymore of your tantrums, Locke. When I tell you to do something I expect you to obey me, not go to whining to Knives to try to get what you want, understand?"
Blinking back tears, he nodded. "Yes, Meryl."
Wiping away the remaining traces of tears on his face with her thumb, she stood up and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Now I want you to clean up your crayons. It's past your bedtime."
"Yes, Meryl," he said, and moved to comply.
Knives sat back down in his chair, upset by what had just happened. "Was that really necessary?"
She glanced over to him. "What?"
"Was striking the boy really necessary?" he asked, struggling to control his anger, "Or is that the human response to every problem?"
Meryl frowned and shot him a look of annoyance. "I hardly 'struck' him, Knives. I barely touched him. Locke is going to have to learn that there are boundaries, that there are some things he can't get away with. And temper tantrums," she muttered, "is one of them."
"All he wanted was a piece of cake. You're making too much out of this," he insisted.
She walked closer to him and lowered her voice before replying, "This isn't just about cake, Knives. Locke's at the age where he's testing his limits. He was trying to play us against each other to get what he wants and I'm not going to allow that."
He frowned, thinking over her words, and she continued, "It's perfectly natural. Children always try to play one parent off the other," she smiled, remembering some of the things she pulled against her parents.
Knives snorted. "But we're not his parents."
"No," she sighed, her voice sounding sad, "but we're the closest thing he's got."
His eyes widened and he glanced over at Locke, watching quietly for a few moments as the boy tried to cram all of the crayons back into the box, before quietly asking, "Then what should we do?"
Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled. "We have to back each other up. When one of us makes a decision the other has to enforce it, no matter how much Locke whines." At his dismayed expression, she laughed. "Don't worry, Knives. Like I said, he'll grow out of it soon enough. It's just a stage kids go through."
"Meryl?" Locke approached, almost hesitantly, "I'm done."
"Alright then," she replied lightly, "it's time for bed."
"Will you tell me a story?" he asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
She laughed and ruffled his hair. "If you want."
Locke grinned and then reached for her hand. "Will you tell me two stories?"
Meryl laughed again, and bent to gather the small boy up in her arms. "Maybe."
The boy buried his face in the curve of her neck, whispering words to her too low for Knives to hear, and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling himself closer into her embrace. The girl brushed a kiss across his brow and ran her fingers lightly through his hair, murmuring in low, soothing tones.
Knives dropped his gaze to his cup, feeling a sharp pang of... envy? Longing? He wasn't sure. Sometimes he found himself wishing that the boy was as affectionate with him as he was with the girl, but then he would always hurriedly dismiss the idea. Open displays of affection, or any type of emotion for that matter, just wasn't part of who he was. Not anymore.
"Have you said good night to Knives yet, Locke?" Meryl asked, drawing Knives' attention back to the pair. Bending down slightly, she shifted Locke slightly and allowed the boy to lean forward and wrap his arms around Knives' neck in a quick hug.
"Good night, Knives!" the boy chirped happily, before releasing his grip and grinning down at the stunned Plant.
A light chuckle drew Knives' attention from the boy to the girl who held him. Smiling, she straightened and met his shocked gaze with her amused one. "Good night, Knives," she said firmly, "and don't be late for breakfast tomorrow."
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End chapter 5
~
Magnet-Rose: I'm sure Knives will, in a couple more chapters anyway. Thanks for reviewing!
Yma: Vash will enter into the fic soon enough. I wanted to save his entrance for something good. Glad you're enjoying the fic!
Neptune Butterfly: Right now, Meryl and Knives are still trying to get used to each other's presence to trust the other that much. Knives especially. I mean, he's not exactly fond of humans and having to trust one will take some time. ^_^
WW: Thank you! I hope I'm not making Locke too cute... lol
Taedere-Belletrist: I'm not really rushing, this fic is almost finished on my end. I'm working on the last two chapters now, in fact. So glad you like my fic!
Jeril Dragonsoul: Wow, you've been busy. Thanks for reviewing all the previous chapters. I'm guessing you're a major fan of Knives. Oh, and it's Lock with a silent e. I guess I should have mentioned that, eh? ^_^
angelarms: Thanks! I'm glad you're still enjoying my fic. And Vash will come... I promise.
EmpressGalaxia: Yes, I was rather worried about my Meryl in the earlier chapters myself. I wanted to make her more calm (since this takes place a couple years after Trigun I thought she'd have mellowed a little) but then I was afraid I'd calmed her too much. Right now, she's still rather afraid of Knives, but once she realizes that he isn't going to suddenly snap and kill her or something, she'll start acting more like her old self. I'll just say, that once things settle down and he gets more used to her, one of Knives' favorite activities is going to be pushing Meryl's buttons.
~
Next time: Um... it's the chapter before chapter 7! Actually, I think chapter 6 isn't as good as the previous chapters, and in no way is it as good as that chapters that follow. I wrote it just before I took a break from my fic and watched a marathon of Trigun (all 26 episodes in a row!) to renew myself, so I was kinda on empty when I wrote it. Chapter 6 does set up the following three chapters, though. And hey, Vash is sure to be in those three somewhere...
~