"Millie, I can't believe you talked me into this!" Meryl exclaimed while dragging the tall girl off to the bathroom. "I know how you feel about that priest, but did you have to bring Vash and me into this?"

"But, Sempai... I just thought it would be nice for the four of us to go to dinner! I didn't think he was going to take it that way!" Then she giggled, "Mr. Vash has a crush on you!"

"Millie! That's not funny!" Meryl sighed and turned, speaking more to her reflection in the mirror than her friend, "Who could have known? All this time I've been regarding him as an older brother, and he's been harboring something deeper...." She turned back to Millie, "I feel horrible... I don't want to hurt him...."

"Well then, you'll just have to tell him! Be strong!" she wrung her hands and pleaded, "but don't be mean!"

Meryl covered her tired and weary face with her hands and mumbled, "You're right... "

When she took her hands away from her face, her features were replaced with a grim smile, and a determined look in her eyes, "This is one time I definitely won't be mean to that man...."

-Later that night -

Meryl paced the narrow hallway of the hotel she, Millie, and the boys were staying in, walking closer to the boys' room each time, and farther from it every time she turned around.

She stopped, and leaned against the wall, forehead pressed against it in desperation, and fingers massaging her temples.

"How am I supposed to do this without hurting him? He's so sensitive... I don't want to make him cry. The thought alone of upsetting Vash is bad enough! I don't know if I can do this...." She murmured to herself.

She turned, leaning her back against the wall, scratching her nails against its grainy surface. "How am I supposed to do this, Vash?" she spoke to the empty hallway.

She slid down the wall into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around her knees. She stayed like that for several moments, trying to work up the courage to confront Vash, but quickly lost hope with the task that presented itself that night.

She was just standing to retreat to her room when Vash stepped out of his, eyes quickly focusing on her. He grinned.

"Hey, Insurance Girl!" He started walking in her direction, "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, hi, Vash... I was just taking a walk...."

"Oh..." His eyes brightened, "Mind if I join you?"

"Uh... no. Not at all."

"Great." He smiled, and they walked side by side down the hall and out of the hotel.

Once outside, they headed right, following the road that led out of town. They walked in silence for a while, both reveling in the first quiet moment either had had in months.

As they made their way further from the hotel, buildings gradually became scarce, until they had all but disappeared. The road slowly faded away into sand, and bits of rock, and the twin suns began their descent to the horizon.

They stopped when several large boulders, casting long dark shadows on the ground, loomed about them.

How anything as ominous and intimidating as those boulders could put Meryl at ease was a wonder to even her. She assumed it was because they created a semi-shelter, and helped block the wind that was slowly picking up as night fell. No matter how, they helped give her the courage to do what she knew she had to that night. She let out a small sigh, and sat down to watch the setting suns.

"Beautiful night." Vash sat down beside her.

"Yeah, it sure is." Too bad I have to ruin it for you.... "Vash, I..." Meryl stopped, suddenly uncertain of herself for maybe the second time in her life.

"You what, Meryl?"

Please don't say my name... it just makes this so much harder.... "I wanted to tell you..." She paused, not quite sure how to go on.

He gave her that serious look that asked so many questions at once, but above all asked, "What's wrong?" and said everything would be okay. That look that made her want to scream and rip her hair out. That look that reminded her why she didn't want to do this... That look that reminded her why she had to.

"Vash... when you were gone so long.... When Millie and I were sent back to December... I met someone...." She cringed inside. I can't believe I just said it....

He stared at her, his expression unwavering, harder to read than ever. "Who did you meet?"

"That's just it..." she said in barely a whisper, "I can't really remember."

"What do you mean, you can't remember? Why would you tell me? This person didn't hurt you, right?"

Oh, great... he's got it all wrong... "No, he didn't. In fact, he was very nice..." Maybe he'll get the hint; he's perceptive.

"Oh, well, that's good. But why are you telling me this? Unless..."

Meryl looked away from him, concentrating on smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt.

"Oh..." He stood, stretching his long limbs, "Well, it's getting late! Maybe we should head back?" He grinned, lending a hand to help up the petite woman.

"Vash..." She took his offered hand to stand, and kept a hold of it afterwards, "I know you well enough by now to tell when you're faking it..." She said quietly, not looking up at him.

"Yeah, I should know that." He chuckled softly.

"I only told you because... I didn't want to lead you on. You mean the world to me, Vash... but we both know it could never work.

"When I met that guy in December..." She looked up into his eyes, searching for his thoughts... his emotions... anything. But his face was a closed book. "I never intended to hurt you. The last thing you need is more betrayal and suffering."

His eyes finally softened, and the corners of his lips turned up a bit, hinting at a real smile, but she could see some underlying hurt in them.

"I understand why you did it..." He scooped the small insurance girl into a gentle hug and murmured a "Thank you."

With that they started their walk back to the hotel.

-------

I felt like putting my two-cents in at the end, this time..

Again, Magnet-Rose honored me by beta-ing this! ::hugs:: Go read her story Nova and leave her some love! Also, go leave FuzzieEars67 some love, as she is just totally awesome, and oh-so supportive! ::hugs!::

Really, I suppose that's it.. Leave me love, and stay tuned to see what happens NEXT on A Hard Day's Night!