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 - 13
~
Knives strode purposely through the corridors of the ship in the direction of the kitchen area, appearing aggitated and muttering to himself about 'mothers who abandoned their children'.
An hour earlier, Locke had shown up, alone, at the door to the computer room explaining that Meryl had sent him there to 'keep Knives company'. At first, he had been all too happy to spend some time alone with the boy, but after an hour of answering a seemingly endless amount of questions about his work and trying to keep the boy's curious hands off the delicate equipment, Knives' patience had finally reached it's limits and he was forced to take action and seek out Meryl. He had tried taking the boy with him, but Locke had steadfastly refused, saying that Meryl had told him to stay there until she came for him.
And so, Knives had been forced to leave Locke unchaperoned, with only a stack of blank paper and a pen to entertain himself, while he searched out Meryl, determined to unload the energetic boy back on her so he could continue his work in peace.
Arriving at the ship's kitchen area, Knives entered, his eyes searching the room for the small, dark-haired girl whom he could unleash his wrath upon. He had thought up some clever insults on his way there and almost couldn't wait to try them out.
The girl was standing at one of the preparation counters, so absorbed in her cooking that she didn't hear his approach until he was right behind her. "Locke, I thought I told you to stay with Knives until I came for you," she sighed, the irritation evident in her voice.
"I'm not Locke," he replied, crossing his arms and waiting for her to turn around.
Her head jerked up and she turned to face him, surprise widening her eyes, her left hand holding a batter-caked wooden spoon. "Oh, Knives!" she gasped, and held her arms out slightly as if to hide something from his view, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be working by now."
"I was," he answered, his jaw clenching slightly, "until you sent Locke in. I can't get anything done with him there. I need you to come and take him."
She frowned and turned back to her cooking. "I can't! I sent him there for a reason. I needed someone to watch him until I get this done, and you're the only one availible."
"I'm not a babysitter! Locke is your responsiblity and I'll not have you--" he cut himself short as a sweet-smelling odor distracted his attention. "What's that?" he asked curiously, and pressed closer to get a look at what she was making.
In answer, she reached back over her shoulder and held something in front of his face, and he, surprised, opened his mouth and allowed her to put it in. "Cherries?" he asked after he'd taken a tentative chew, wondering where she got them. Cherries were extremely rare on this planet and also extremely costly.
"Yes," she smiled, glancing back at him, "I was exploring the arboretum with Locke the other day and came across a cherry tree, so I decided to make a special desert tonight as a surprise for him. That's why I sent him to you, so I could make it without him finding out about it until tonight."
"What kind of desert?" he asked, interested.
She turned back to stir a bowl. "It's an old family recipe my mother taught me." She added something to the mixture and resumed stirring. "It gets passed down from mother to daughter. I've never gotten a chance to make it until now."
"What's in it?" he asked, pressing closer and trying to figure out the ingrediants. He thought he smelled cinnamon, but he wasn't sure.
"Oh, no!" she said, spinning around and placing her hands against his chest to keep him away. "No peeking! It's a secret family recipe and no one else is supposed to know!"
He frowned down at her. "I'm not going to steal your family's recipe. I'm just curious."
"You can have a piece later," she insisted, pushing him toward the door, "right now I need you to go and keep an eye on Locke."
"And just how am I supposed to do that?" he muttered, allowing her push him out the door and into the hall, "He won't settle down."
Meryl sighed, and blew a lock of hair out of her face. "You could take him to the arboretum and play with him for awhile."
"Play?" he asked, a mix of confusion and horror settling on his features.
"Yes, play," she smiled, "you just might enjoy it." She waved her hand, dismissing him. "Just keep him busy until dinnertime."
The door slid shut and he was left standing alone in the hall, wondering if all human women were as bossy as Meryl. With a resigned sigh, he set off back toward the computer room. Maybe he would bring Locke to the arboretum for awhile. But he most certainly would not play.
~
Locke hurried his step, practically having to run in order to keep pace with Knives' long stride. "Knives," he finally complained, "I can't keep up with you." The older Plant looked annoyed, but he slowed his pace, and the boy immediately reached for his hand. "How long did Meryl say we have to wait in the arboretum?"
"Until dinner," Knives grunted, his fingers ackwardly tightening around the boy's. He still wasn't used to such things.
When the doors to the arboretum opened, Locke eagerly dashed forward, pulling a disinterested Knives along with him. Stopping under the oak tree, the boy released Knives' hand and grinned up at him. "What shall we play?"
"Play?" Knives asked, beginning to shake his head. "I don't--"
"Meryl sometimes plays hide-and-seek with me," Locke volunteered, "Maybe we can play that."
"I don't think so." Knives responded before sitting down on the grass. "I'm not much for games, Locke."
"Well..." Locke said, kneeling down on the grass next to Knives. "Meryl also tells me stories."
"Does she?" he asked with a note of interest, "What kind of stories does she tell you?"
The boy's face scrunched up in thought. "Um, mostly stories about when she traveled with Vash and her friend. Have you heard them? Some of them are really funny. You should ask her to tell you about the time Vash accidently got his head stuck in his dufflebag." He ended his sentence with a small laugh, obviously still amused by that particular story, and Knives couldn't keep from smiling at the boy.
"Do you know any stories?" the boy now asked, looking up at Knives hopefully.
"Not any like Meryl's been telling you." Knives answered, and after seeing the boy's dejection expression, he hesitantly added, "I might know a few fairy tales, though."
The boy shifted his weight into a more comfortable position and grinned up at Knives. "Can you tell me some?"
"I guess..." he muttered, uncertain. He tilted his head thoughtfully to one side, trying to remember the stories he'd heard in his childhood from Rem.
Locke moved closer and settled comfortably against Knives, his head resting lightly against the older Plant's arm. "Make sure it's a good one."
Knives glanced down at the boy pressed against him, his eyes studying the child with open affection. "Are you ready?" he asked, and when the boy nodded, he began. "There was a boy named Jack--"
"No, no, no." Locke interrupted, shifting his position so he could glance up at Knives, "Fairy tales always begin, 'once upon a time'."
Knives nodded, the hint of an amused smile visible on his lips. "I'm sorry, you're right. I remember now." The boy settled against him again, and Knives tried again, "Once upon a time... there was a boy named Jack..."
~
Meryl laid her fork down and leaned back in her chair, happy with how well dinner had been recieved. The roast had been cooked to perfection, and the mixed greens and bicuits had turned out well, too. But the biggest hit of the meal had been the desert, with her cherry cheesecake earning a rush of compliments from Locke. And even though Knives didn't, as usual, say anything about her cooking, he hadn't objected when she placed a second helping on his plate. He had even opened a bottle of his precious wine, and had even poured her a glass.
She folded her napkin and glanced across the table at Locke. He was fast asleep in his chair, his head slumped back and his mouth slightly open. She turned to Knives and caught his eyes before nodding her head at Locke. He followed her nod to the sleeping the boy and chuckled lightly before turning back to Meryl. "Was our conversation that boring?"
"I guess so," she laughed softly, so as not to wake Locke.
He reached for his glass and took a sip, his eyes studying Meryl from over the rim. She had changed for dinner and was wearing a rose-colored dress that he felt quite suited her. It bought out the flush in her cheeks and her eyes had never looked so lovely.
"Wha... what are you staring at?" she became self-conscious under his open scrutany and glanced down at her plate.
"Your clothes." he replied, setting his glass down. "I got so used to seeing you in that white outfit, it's almost strange to see you wearing something else."
"Oh," she sighed, and reached for her drink. "You mean my uniform."
"Uniform?" he asked, uncertain.
"My Insurance Society uniform. I was wearing it the night you... well, the night you kidnapped me." she said, sending him an annoyed look as she mentioned the last part.
"Insurance Society?" he repeated, still unsure. After a moment his face lit with understanding. "Ah, yes. I believe my brother mentioned something about that while I was in his care. You work for an insurance company and were sent to track my brother."
Smiling, she nodded. "Yes. Well..." she frowned slightly, "Milly and I don't really work for Bernardeli anymore. After Vash settled down and stopped traveling they didn't need us to report on him anymore, so... they kind of put us on 'standby'."
"Standby? What's that?" he asked, sounding amused.
"Since Milly and I didn't want to return to the main office, they stopped paying us and kinda layed us off." she muttered, somewhat embarassed. She had loved working at Bernardeli, but she had wanted to be near Vash even more. "Officially, Milly and I are listed as 'inactive' until further notice."
He laughed softly and shook his head. "How did you ever become an insurance agent anyway? You don't seem the type."
Her face shadowed and she glanced away. "It wasn't really... a choice I had."
"What do you mean?" he asked, immediately curious at her sudden shift in mood.
"It's a long and boring story. Let's just say I became an insurance agent because it was the first job offered to me." She fidgeted with her drink, absently tracing the rim of the glass with her finger. "I'd rather not talk about it."
He watched her silently for a few minutes, realizing just how little he know about the girl. "Why don't we talk about other things then? I'm curious, where do you come from and what does your family do?"
She glanced up sharply. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged, feigning indifference. "I'm merely curious. I just realized how little I know about you, other than you're an 'inactive' insurance girl and followed my brother around for years." He leaned forward, his face darkening somewhat. "You promised you'd never lie to me."
"I never promised I'd tell you everything about myself either!" she retorted, annoyed. Why the sudden interest in her life? She had nothing to hide, but there were things she wasn't comfortable sharing. Especially with this man.
He tilted his head to one side, studying her. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and asked again, "Where are you from and what does your family do? It's a reasonable question, is it not? I'm not asking you to expose all your family's dark little secrets, I merely wish to understand you better." He reached for his glass again, but didn't drink. "You once mentioned that your father had taught you about computers and from another of your comments I assume he has alot of books; quite an expensive hobby. From this I surmise that your family is quite rich, am I right?"
She sighed and rubbed her fingers against her temple. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?" she asked, and he responded with a triumpant smirk.
Obviously, the man wasn''t going to back off, so with another sigh, she began, trying to keep it as short as possible."I'm from Kent, a town located near the city of December. My grandfather, Dmitri Alexander Stryfe, was one of the town's founding members and his son, my father, is a successful businessman based out of December. I was an only child who my family tried their best to spoil with everything a child of priviledge could ever want. When I was sixteen, my father arranged a marriage for me with one of his business partner's sons, and when I resisted he threatened to disown me." She sighed again, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "We had a huge argument and I ran away. A friend of my mother's got me a job with her husband's insurance society, and here I am."
"You gave up all that just because you didn't want to marry the boy? What was wrong with him?"
"There wasn't anything wrong with him." she mumbled, "He was handsome, smart, funny, had a good head for business and a great future. Alot of girls were crazy about him."
"So then why didn't you marry him?" Knives asked, confused. From Meryl's description, the boy sounded like the kind of mate that human females prefered.
She glanced up to meet his eyes and held them before replying softly, "Because I wasn't in love with him." She looked away, suddenly shy. "I couldn't marry someone I didn't love. It wouldn't be fair to either of us." She frowned, glancing back at him. "So why this sudden interest? I don't see how knowing all this is of any importance to you."
"It's very important to me," he whispered, his eyes locking with hers again. He seemed just about to say something else, when Locke suddenly mumbled something in his sleep and they, almost reluctantly, turned their attention to him, the moment seemingly past.
The boy mumbled something else and Meryl giggled before smiling fondly at the child. "I sure am going to miss him when I leave. The little pest grew on me."
Knives frowned, annoyed by the reminder that she would soon be leaving. "Ah, yes. It's almost been a year, hasn't it? How time flies..." he murmured, almost to himself.
"I hope I can get my jobs back," she mused, not hearing him, "but of course this whole thing wasn't really my fault so maybe they'll understand." She paused for a moment as if to consider something and then nodded to herself, not noticing the way Knives was studying her. "I'm positive they'll give me my jobs back! I worked hard, I was always on time..." she paused again before adding, "Well, mostly on time, anyway."
"I'm quite sure you'll be able to get your jobs back," he said calmly, "If I allow you to leave, that is."
She glanced sharply at him, her eyes widening. "What do you mean, 'if you allow me to leave'? I only agreed to stay for a year, after that I assumed I was free to go."
"That was the original arrangement," he replied, looking bored, "but perhaps I've changed my mind."
"You... you can't do that!" she gasped.
"Can't I?" he asked, sounding amused. "You forget, you belong to me."
"I don't belong to anyone!" she replied, unconsciously rising out of her chair in anger.
"Of course you do. My brother, Locke," he nodded toward the sleeping boy, "and you all belong to me."
"That's not true!" she yelled, and recieved a warning look from Knives.
"Shh! Do you want to wake the boy?" he asked, and watched as she slumped back into her seat, staring at him in shock. "Don't look so scared, Meryl. It was only a thought."
After a minute, she rose to her feet, still appearing stunned. "I think, I should get Locke to bed now." She moved to the other side of the table, deciding to ignore Knives' words for now. Maybe he was only teasing her again. He had always seemed so eager to be rid of her in the past, why would he suddenly change his mind? It didn't make any sense.
She stood at the side of Locke's chair, wondering how she was going to carry him to bed, when Knives drained the rest of his drink and rose to his feet. "I'll carry him." Stepping past her, he easily lifted the small boy in his arms, being careful not to wake him. "Go on ahead," he said, his voice lowered to a whisper, "I'll follow."
Meryl exited the dining area and walked out into the hall, heading toward Locke's room, Knives silently trailing along behind her. Upon entering the boy's room, Meryl pulled the covers down and Knives gently deposited Locke on the bed. Brushing past Knives, Meryl removed Locke's shoes and pulled the covers back up, tucking them securely around him. He murmured her name in his sleep and she bent down to press a soft kiss to his forehead.
She turned off the light and headed toward her room, Knives once again silently following behind her, even though his own room was in the opposite direction. His silence was almost eerie and she almost hoped he would say something to break it, but then was afraid of what he might say if he did.
Upon reaching her door, Meryl turned around and forced a cheerful smile on her face, despite the uneasiness she felt. "Thank you for walking me to my room, Knives. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
She reached to press the button to open the door and couldn't contain a gasp of surprise when Knives reached out and pushed her hand away. Stepping aside, she pressed her back against the door to her room, trying desperately to hide her nervousness. He stepped close and looked down at her, studying her calmly. Her eyes darted to the side and she wondered if she could manuver around him if the need arose. Almost as if catching her thoughts, he leaned down and placed his hands against the door on either side of her head, blocking any possible escape she might attempt. She bit her lip as he leaned down closer to her and she wondered briefly if he was going to kiss her.
He smiled and whispered into her ear. "I said don't look so scared, Meryl. I was only... half-serious about what I said earlier." With a mocking smirk, he turned and started down the hall toward his own room, leaving behind a flustered Meryl Stryfe confused as to why his nearness has caused her heart to race.
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End chapter 13
~
Magnet-Rose: Heh, thank you!!!
Arika*: I'm glad you finally updated your fic. Cliffhangers drive me insane. _
angelarms: Vash will be back soon. There's not many chapters in my fic left. :(
Neptune Butterfly: Wow... I think that's the longest review I've ever received! Hmmm, I think that if Meryl and Knives ever did get together, he'd have to put off his 'wipe out humanity' plans, at least while she was still alive anyway. I made you blush!? *lol* Actually... *whispers* I was kinda embarassed to post that part, too. ^_^
Akiko Hitori: Thanks!!!
Yma: Thank you for your continued support! And also thanks for updating your fic. *sniff* Poor Pete...
Beckira: Thanks for the review!
Mabel4gs: Nothing much really changed in Knives after his fight with Vash and the 'rehabilitation' that followed, at least nothing major, but he did promise his brother to behave himself if he was allowed to return to his ship, and until he can gather more followers to replace the Gung-Ho Guns, he plans to do just that. At least, that was his original plan before he found Locke. Nope, I don't have kids and I have no younger siblings either, so how Locke acted while he was growing was mostly guess work on my part. I'm so relieved to hear I succeeded. And thanks for telling me about the mistake in chapter 7! I'm usually really careful with my writing, but I guess they slip through occasionaly. ^_^
WW: Thank you! I appreciate it! ^_^
Kelly Vingelli: Thank you!!!
Ana: Ah, you've finally decided who you're going to root for, huh? *lol* Thanks, Ana! ^_^
Calumongal: Thanks! And good luck writing your term papers!
SanoGirl: Thank you, and I'll definately try! ^_^v
~
Next time: The chapter that I've been working on! And it's still not complete yet! *curses work schedule* I'll try to finish it soon, and then I still have to write another new chapter... *ugh* Anyway, next time: Meryl and Knives aren't speaking to each other, is it up to Locke to step in and fix things? And when that fails miserably, he decides to take a more drastic approach to the situation.
"..." is talking
'...' is thinking
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A Glimpse of Eden
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Chapter - 13
~
Knives strode purposely through the corridors of the ship in the direction of the kitchen area, appearing aggitated and muttering to himself about 'mothers who abandoned their children'.
An hour earlier, Locke had shown up, alone, at the door to the computer room explaining that Meryl had sent him there to 'keep Knives company'. At first, he had been all too happy to spend some time alone with the boy, but after an hour of answering a seemingly endless amount of questions about his work and trying to keep the boy's curious hands off the delicate equipment, Knives' patience had finally reached it's limits and he was forced to take action and seek out Meryl. He had tried taking the boy with him, but Locke had steadfastly refused, saying that Meryl had told him to stay there until she came for him.
And so, Knives had been forced to leave Locke unchaperoned, with only a stack of blank paper and a pen to entertain himself, while he searched out Meryl, determined to unload the energetic boy back on her so he could continue his work in peace.
Arriving at the ship's kitchen area, Knives entered, his eyes searching the room for the small, dark-haired girl whom he could unleash his wrath upon. He had thought up some clever insults on his way there and almost couldn't wait to try them out.
The girl was standing at one of the preparation counters, so absorbed in her cooking that she didn't hear his approach until he was right behind her. "Locke, I thought I told you to stay with Knives until I came for you," she sighed, the irritation evident in her voice.
"I'm not Locke," he replied, crossing his arms and waiting for her to turn around.
Her head jerked up and she turned to face him, surprise widening her eyes, her left hand holding a batter-caked wooden spoon. "Oh, Knives!" she gasped, and held her arms out slightly as if to hide something from his view, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be working by now."
"I was," he answered, his jaw clenching slightly, "until you sent Locke in. I can't get anything done with him there. I need you to come and take him."
She frowned and turned back to her cooking. "I can't! I sent him there for a reason. I needed someone to watch him until I get this done, and you're the only one availible."
"I'm not a babysitter! Locke is your responsiblity and I'll not have you--" he cut himself short as a sweet-smelling odor distracted his attention. "What's that?" he asked curiously, and pressed closer to get a look at what she was making.
In answer, she reached back over her shoulder and held something in front of his face, and he, surprised, opened his mouth and allowed her to put it in. "Cherries?" he asked after he'd taken a tentative chew, wondering where she got them. Cherries were extremely rare on this planet and also extremely costly.
"Yes," she smiled, glancing back at him, "I was exploring the arboretum with Locke the other day and came across a cherry tree, so I decided to make a special desert tonight as a surprise for him. That's why I sent him to you, so I could make it without him finding out about it until tonight."
"What kind of desert?" he asked, interested.
She turned back to stir a bowl. "It's an old family recipe my mother taught me." She added something to the mixture and resumed stirring. "It gets passed down from mother to daughter. I've never gotten a chance to make it until now."
"What's in it?" he asked, pressing closer and trying to figure out the ingrediants. He thought he smelled cinnamon, but he wasn't sure.
"Oh, no!" she said, spinning around and placing her hands against his chest to keep him away. "No peeking! It's a secret family recipe and no one else is supposed to know!"
He frowned down at her. "I'm not going to steal your family's recipe. I'm just curious."
"You can have a piece later," she insisted, pushing him toward the door, "right now I need you to go and keep an eye on Locke."
"And just how am I supposed to do that?" he muttered, allowing her push him out the door and into the hall, "He won't settle down."
Meryl sighed, and blew a lock of hair out of her face. "You could take him to the arboretum and play with him for awhile."
"Play?" he asked, a mix of confusion and horror settling on his features.
"Yes, play," she smiled, "you just might enjoy it." She waved her hand, dismissing him. "Just keep him busy until dinnertime."
The door slid shut and he was left standing alone in the hall, wondering if all human women were as bossy as Meryl. With a resigned sigh, he set off back toward the computer room. Maybe he would bring Locke to the arboretum for awhile. But he most certainly would not play.
~
Locke hurried his step, practically having to run in order to keep pace with Knives' long stride. "Knives," he finally complained, "I can't keep up with you." The older Plant looked annoyed, but he slowed his pace, and the boy immediately reached for his hand. "How long did Meryl say we have to wait in the arboretum?"
"Until dinner," Knives grunted, his fingers ackwardly tightening around the boy's. He still wasn't used to such things.
When the doors to the arboretum opened, Locke eagerly dashed forward, pulling a disinterested Knives along with him. Stopping under the oak tree, the boy released Knives' hand and grinned up at him. "What shall we play?"
"Play?" Knives asked, beginning to shake his head. "I don't--"
"Meryl sometimes plays hide-and-seek with me," Locke volunteered, "Maybe we can play that."
"I don't think so." Knives responded before sitting down on the grass. "I'm not much for games, Locke."
"Well..." Locke said, kneeling down on the grass next to Knives. "Meryl also tells me stories."
"Does she?" he asked with a note of interest, "What kind of stories does she tell you?"
The boy's face scrunched up in thought. "Um, mostly stories about when she traveled with Vash and her friend. Have you heard them? Some of them are really funny. You should ask her to tell you about the time Vash accidently got his head stuck in his dufflebag." He ended his sentence with a small laugh, obviously still amused by that particular story, and Knives couldn't keep from smiling at the boy.
"Do you know any stories?" the boy now asked, looking up at Knives hopefully.
"Not any like Meryl's been telling you." Knives answered, and after seeing the boy's dejection expression, he hesitantly added, "I might know a few fairy tales, though."
The boy shifted his weight into a more comfortable position and grinned up at Knives. "Can you tell me some?"
"I guess..." he muttered, uncertain. He tilted his head thoughtfully to one side, trying to remember the stories he'd heard in his childhood from Rem.
Locke moved closer and settled comfortably against Knives, his head resting lightly against the older Plant's arm. "Make sure it's a good one."
Knives glanced down at the boy pressed against him, his eyes studying the child with open affection. "Are you ready?" he asked, and when the boy nodded, he began. "There was a boy named Jack--"
"No, no, no." Locke interrupted, shifting his position so he could glance up at Knives, "Fairy tales always begin, 'once upon a time'."
Knives nodded, the hint of an amused smile visible on his lips. "I'm sorry, you're right. I remember now." The boy settled against him again, and Knives tried again, "Once upon a time... there was a boy named Jack..."
~
Meryl laid her fork down and leaned back in her chair, happy with how well dinner had been recieved. The roast had been cooked to perfection, and the mixed greens and bicuits had turned out well, too. But the biggest hit of the meal had been the desert, with her cherry cheesecake earning a rush of compliments from Locke. And even though Knives didn't, as usual, say anything about her cooking, he hadn't objected when she placed a second helping on his plate. He had even opened a bottle of his precious wine, and had even poured her a glass.
She folded her napkin and glanced across the table at Locke. He was fast asleep in his chair, his head slumped back and his mouth slightly open. She turned to Knives and caught his eyes before nodding her head at Locke. He followed her nod to the sleeping the boy and chuckled lightly before turning back to Meryl. "Was our conversation that boring?"
"I guess so," she laughed softly, so as not to wake Locke.
He reached for his glass and took a sip, his eyes studying Meryl from over the rim. She had changed for dinner and was wearing a rose-colored dress that he felt quite suited her. It bought out the flush in her cheeks and her eyes had never looked so lovely.
"Wha... what are you staring at?" she became self-conscious under his open scrutany and glanced down at her plate.
"Your clothes." he replied, setting his glass down. "I got so used to seeing you in that white outfit, it's almost strange to see you wearing something else."
"Oh," she sighed, and reached for her drink. "You mean my uniform."
"Uniform?" he asked, uncertain.
"My Insurance Society uniform. I was wearing it the night you... well, the night you kidnapped me." she said, sending him an annoyed look as she mentioned the last part.
"Insurance Society?" he repeated, still unsure. After a moment his face lit with understanding. "Ah, yes. I believe my brother mentioned something about that while I was in his care. You work for an insurance company and were sent to track my brother."
Smiling, she nodded. "Yes. Well..." she frowned slightly, "Milly and I don't really work for Bernardeli anymore. After Vash settled down and stopped traveling they didn't need us to report on him anymore, so... they kind of put us on 'standby'."
"Standby? What's that?" he asked, sounding amused.
"Since Milly and I didn't want to return to the main office, they stopped paying us and kinda layed us off." she muttered, somewhat embarassed. She had loved working at Bernardeli, but she had wanted to be near Vash even more. "Officially, Milly and I are listed as 'inactive' until further notice."
He laughed softly and shook his head. "How did you ever become an insurance agent anyway? You don't seem the type."
Her face shadowed and she glanced away. "It wasn't really... a choice I had."
"What do you mean?" he asked, immediately curious at her sudden shift in mood.
"It's a long and boring story. Let's just say I became an insurance agent because it was the first job offered to me." She fidgeted with her drink, absently tracing the rim of the glass with her finger. "I'd rather not talk about it."
He watched her silently for a few minutes, realizing just how little he know about the girl. "Why don't we talk about other things then? I'm curious, where do you come from and what does your family do?"
She glanced up sharply. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged, feigning indifference. "I'm merely curious. I just realized how little I know about you, other than you're an 'inactive' insurance girl and followed my brother around for years." He leaned forward, his face darkening somewhat. "You promised you'd never lie to me."
"I never promised I'd tell you everything about myself either!" she retorted, annoyed. Why the sudden interest in her life? She had nothing to hide, but there were things she wasn't comfortable sharing. Especially with this man.
He tilted his head to one side, studying her. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and asked again, "Where are you from and what does your family do? It's a reasonable question, is it not? I'm not asking you to expose all your family's dark little secrets, I merely wish to understand you better." He reached for his glass again, but didn't drink. "You once mentioned that your father had taught you about computers and from another of your comments I assume he has alot of books; quite an expensive hobby. From this I surmise that your family is quite rich, am I right?"
She sighed and rubbed her fingers against her temple. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?" she asked, and he responded with a triumpant smirk.
Obviously, the man wasn''t going to back off, so with another sigh, she began, trying to keep it as short as possible."I'm from Kent, a town located near the city of December. My grandfather, Dmitri Alexander Stryfe, was one of the town's founding members and his son, my father, is a successful businessman based out of December. I was an only child who my family tried their best to spoil with everything a child of priviledge could ever want. When I was sixteen, my father arranged a marriage for me with one of his business partner's sons, and when I resisted he threatened to disown me." She sighed again, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "We had a huge argument and I ran away. A friend of my mother's got me a job with her husband's insurance society, and here I am."
"You gave up all that just because you didn't want to marry the boy? What was wrong with him?"
"There wasn't anything wrong with him." she mumbled, "He was handsome, smart, funny, had a good head for business and a great future. Alot of girls were crazy about him."
"So then why didn't you marry him?" Knives asked, confused. From Meryl's description, the boy sounded like the kind of mate that human females prefered.
She glanced up to meet his eyes and held them before replying softly, "Because I wasn't in love with him." She looked away, suddenly shy. "I couldn't marry someone I didn't love. It wouldn't be fair to either of us." She frowned, glancing back at him. "So why this sudden interest? I don't see how knowing all this is of any importance to you."
"It's very important to me," he whispered, his eyes locking with hers again. He seemed just about to say something else, when Locke suddenly mumbled something in his sleep and they, almost reluctantly, turned their attention to him, the moment seemingly past.
The boy mumbled something else and Meryl giggled before smiling fondly at the child. "I sure am going to miss him when I leave. The little pest grew on me."
Knives frowned, annoyed by the reminder that she would soon be leaving. "Ah, yes. It's almost been a year, hasn't it? How time flies..." he murmured, almost to himself.
"I hope I can get my jobs back," she mused, not hearing him, "but of course this whole thing wasn't really my fault so maybe they'll understand." She paused for a moment as if to consider something and then nodded to herself, not noticing the way Knives was studying her. "I'm positive they'll give me my jobs back! I worked hard, I was always on time..." she paused again before adding, "Well, mostly on time, anyway."
"I'm quite sure you'll be able to get your jobs back," he said calmly, "If I allow you to leave, that is."
She glanced sharply at him, her eyes widening. "What do you mean, 'if you allow me to leave'? I only agreed to stay for a year, after that I assumed I was free to go."
"That was the original arrangement," he replied, looking bored, "but perhaps I've changed my mind."
"You... you can't do that!" she gasped.
"Can't I?" he asked, sounding amused. "You forget, you belong to me."
"I don't belong to anyone!" she replied, unconsciously rising out of her chair in anger.
"Of course you do. My brother, Locke," he nodded toward the sleeping boy, "and you all belong to me."
"That's not true!" she yelled, and recieved a warning look from Knives.
"Shh! Do you want to wake the boy?" he asked, and watched as she slumped back into her seat, staring at him in shock. "Don't look so scared, Meryl. It was only a thought."
After a minute, she rose to her feet, still appearing stunned. "I think, I should get Locke to bed now." She moved to the other side of the table, deciding to ignore Knives' words for now. Maybe he was only teasing her again. He had always seemed so eager to be rid of her in the past, why would he suddenly change his mind? It didn't make any sense.
She stood at the side of Locke's chair, wondering how she was going to carry him to bed, when Knives drained the rest of his drink and rose to his feet. "I'll carry him." Stepping past her, he easily lifted the small boy in his arms, being careful not to wake him. "Go on ahead," he said, his voice lowered to a whisper, "I'll follow."
Meryl exited the dining area and walked out into the hall, heading toward Locke's room, Knives silently trailing along behind her. Upon entering the boy's room, Meryl pulled the covers down and Knives gently deposited Locke on the bed. Brushing past Knives, Meryl removed Locke's shoes and pulled the covers back up, tucking them securely around him. He murmured her name in his sleep and she bent down to press a soft kiss to his forehead.
She turned off the light and headed toward her room, Knives once again silently following behind her, even though his own room was in the opposite direction. His silence was almost eerie and she almost hoped he would say something to break it, but then was afraid of what he might say if he did.
Upon reaching her door, Meryl turned around and forced a cheerful smile on her face, despite the uneasiness she felt. "Thank you for walking me to my room, Knives. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
She reached to press the button to open the door and couldn't contain a gasp of surprise when Knives reached out and pushed her hand away. Stepping aside, she pressed her back against the door to her room, trying desperately to hide her nervousness. He stepped close and looked down at her, studying her calmly. Her eyes darted to the side and she wondered if she could manuver around him if the need arose. Almost as if catching her thoughts, he leaned down and placed his hands against the door on either side of her head, blocking any possible escape she might attempt. She bit her lip as he leaned down closer to her and she wondered briefly if he was going to kiss her.
He smiled and whispered into her ear. "I said don't look so scared, Meryl. I was only... half-serious about what I said earlier." With a mocking smirk, he turned and started down the hall toward his own room, leaving behind a flustered Meryl Stryfe confused as to why his nearness has caused her heart to race.
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End chapter 13
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Magnet-Rose: Heh, thank you!!!
Arika*: I'm glad you finally updated your fic. Cliffhangers drive me insane. _
angelarms: Vash will be back soon. There's not many chapters in my fic left. :(
Neptune Butterfly: Wow... I think that's the longest review I've ever received! Hmmm, I think that if Meryl and Knives ever did get together, he'd have to put off his 'wipe out humanity' plans, at least while she was still alive anyway. I made you blush!? *lol* Actually... *whispers* I was kinda embarassed to post that part, too. ^_^
Akiko Hitori: Thanks!!!
Yma: Thank you for your continued support! And also thanks for updating your fic. *sniff* Poor Pete...
Beckira: Thanks for the review!
Mabel4gs: Nothing much really changed in Knives after his fight with Vash and the 'rehabilitation' that followed, at least nothing major, but he did promise his brother to behave himself if he was allowed to return to his ship, and until he can gather more followers to replace the Gung-Ho Guns, he plans to do just that. At least, that was his original plan before he found Locke. Nope, I don't have kids and I have no younger siblings either, so how Locke acted while he was growing was mostly guess work on my part. I'm so relieved to hear I succeeded. And thanks for telling me about the mistake in chapter 7! I'm usually really careful with my writing, but I guess they slip through occasionaly. ^_^
WW: Thank you! I appreciate it! ^_^
Kelly Vingelli: Thank you!!!
Ana: Ah, you've finally decided who you're going to root for, huh? *lol* Thanks, Ana! ^_^
Calumongal: Thanks! And good luck writing your term papers!
SanoGirl: Thank you, and I'll definately try! ^_^v
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Next time: The chapter that I've been working on! And it's still not complete yet! *curses work schedule* I'll try to finish it soon, and then I still have to write another new chapter... *ugh* Anyway, next time: Meryl and Knives aren't speaking to each other, is it up to Locke to step in and fix things? And when that fails miserably, he decides to take a more drastic approach to the situation.