Disclaimer: Trigun is not mine.
Thanks for all the reviews!!!
Hmm... Warnings? Sap. Sap. And hm- sap.
Vash was asleep, sprawled out on the seat, Meryl leaning against the wall in the seat next to him, also fast asleep. Zoe, Allie, Jack, Rich and Luke were curled up on various chairs sleeping soundly. Sam and Riff were in the front, Mac was driving, Kate was playing lookout above. Millie was curled up against Wolfwood's shoulder, her breathing soft and even.
Wolfwood was studying Meryl; Millie's comment still floating around in his head. Lighter- how is she lighter? He let his eyes travel over her, comparing the picture of her in his head from when he first met her with the Meryl across from him now. Same figure, same face, same dark hair... no... wait. Wolfwood's eyes narrowed. He focused in on the sweep of Meryl's bangs were they hung across her forehead. Not all black... the tips... the tips were blonde. Just a bit. No... He tilted Millie away from him and leaned across to look closer.
Yes. The tips- just barely gold. Was it a dye? How the hell did you only dye the very tips of your hair? His eyes swept over the rest of her hair. Yep, every strand that he could see was tipped with blonde.
"Wolfwood, what are you doing?" Vash said softly. Wolfwood refrained from jumping out of his skin.
"Damn it Vash! Don't do that!" He whispered fiercely.
"Sorry. Why are you staring at Meryl like that?" There was a hint of a challenge in Vash's voice.
"Whoa, down boy. Look at Meryl's hair."
"Huh?" Vash blinked.
"Just do it!" Vash leaned over and looked down. He stared for a moment.
"I don't.." He blinked and leaned closer. "What the hell?"
"Did you know she was dyeing her hair?"
"That doesn't seem like Meryl..." Vash replied uneasily. He ran a hand through his own blond strands. "Yet- it wasn't always like that? It was all dark before- right?" Wolfwood nodded, then shrugged.
"I'm almost positive it was all black- no blonde. Maybe she was dyeing it black all this time? And it's fading now?"
"Then why isn't the rest of her hair showing the fade?"
"Got me. Millie just made a comment about her being lighter somehow. Weird huh?" Wolfwood leaned back. "Ask her about it in the morning, okay, Vash?'
"Okay."
But in the morning they had reached Meryl's hometown. A crowd was waiting for them as the caravan pulled up the main street.
"That was like running into a mob," Wolfwood said to Vash later on. "A large friendly mob, mind you, but I didn't think we were ever going to get free."
"I know," the gunman yawned. "And then dragged from house to house, shown the town, fed..."
"I liked that part," Millie commented. "But my favorite was when they found out Nicholas was a preacher..." Vash leveled a cool stare at Wolfwood.
"Are you sure you can perform marriage ceremonies?"
"Of course I can." Wolfwood frowned at him. "Granted, I've done more funerals- know that one by heart. Have to look up the marriage service..." He paused. "Hope I have that book still." He looked towards the room he had tossed his bag in.
"It was nice of them to put us up in the hotel." Millie leaned back on the sofa. Wolfwood was still frowning.
"Yeah, well somehow they're related to Meryl..."
"Married to her second cousin," Millie supplied.
"Yeah, and a suite too." Vash commented. Millie looked around the small sitting room that connected the three bedrooms.
"I know Meryl's mom felt bad that she didn't have room for her or Sam anymore."
"I know Vash isn't complaining," Wolfwood teased.
"Don't you think you should find that book, Wolfwood?" Vash suggested lazily, leaning back on the sofa and winking at Millie. "I mean, don't they want to practice tomorrow or something?"
Meryl walked up the stairs of the hotel. Her mom was so happy- that was obvious. She and Uncle Dan were a good match.
"Hey Meryl!" Vash greeted her as she opened the door. His smile was warming, and she went to sit next to him without a second thought.
"Where's Wolfwood?" Meryl asked. Millie smiled.
"Can't you hear him?" The sound of muffled cursing echoed from the middle room where all the men's things had gotten tossed.
"What's wrong?"
"He's looking for his book of services. He knows the funeral service by heart, but not the marriage one." Millie explained.
"You'd better find it, preacher man!" Meryl called out.
"I know, I know...."
"Doesn't it go something like, 'If anyone has a reason why these two shouldn't be wed, why didn't you speak up before now'?" Vash grinned at Millie, who burst into laughter. Meryl smiled, but she had her eyes on the door, waiting. Wolfwood cursed again, then:
"AH HAH! Here it is!" He appeared in the sitting room and tossed the book on the table. "I KNEW I had it."
"Yay!" Millie clapped.
"Thank goodness," Meryl smiled, relieved. "I'm glad you found it."
"Yeah, or you would've been dead." Vash teased.
"This calls for a celebration," Wolfwood smiled wickedly. He walked over to where Millie was perched on the edge of the sofa and swept her up into his arms. "I've been waiting three days for a place with some privacy." He hauled her towards her bedroom. "See you two later." The door shut behind them. Vash and Meryl sat in a shocked silence for a moment, then Meryl began to giggle. Vash joined in, unable to help himself.
"What finesse," he commented, which only made Meryl laugh harder.
"He does have a point though." She said wistfully when she had calmed down. Vash immediately got to his feet and offered her his hand.
"True. Could I possibly..."
"You know you could." Meryl slid her hand into his.
"Even after yesterday?" He asked as he pulled her to her feet.
"Yesterday? Oh, the coffee thing," Meryl shrugged as Vash shut the door. She leaned against him and he bent his head to hers. Several minutes later, after caresses and kisses and the loss of some clothing, she tugged him to the bed.
"It'll be more comfortable here."
"I was asking you a question," he reminded her as they tumbled onto the soft mattress.
"Later..." Her mouth moved downwards. Vash leaned back, thoughts fleeing from his brain. Damn, he'd be lucky to remember his name later, let alone to... to...
Vash was asleep, sprawled out on the seat, Meryl leaning against the wall in the seat next to him, also fast asleep. Zoe, Allie, Jack, Rich and Luke were curled up on various chairs sleeping soundly. Sam and Riff were in the front, Mac was driving, Kate was playing lookout above. Millie was curled up against Wolfwood's shoulder, her breathing soft and even.
Wolfwood was studying Meryl; Millie's comment still floating around in his head. Lighter- how is she lighter? He let his eyes travel over her, comparing the picture of her in his head from when he first met her with the Meryl across from him now. Same figure, same face, same dark hair... no... wait. Wolfwood's eyes narrowed. He focused in on the sweep of Meryl's bangs were they hung across her forehead. Not all black... the tips... the tips were blonde. Just a bit. No... He tilted Millie away from him and leaned across to look closer.
Yes. The tips- just barely gold. Was it a dye? How the hell did you only dye the very tips of your hair? His eyes swept over the rest of her hair. Yep, every strand that he could see was tipped with blonde.
"Wolfwood, what are you doing?" Vash said softly. Wolfwood refrained from jumping out of his skin.
"Damn it Vash! Don't do that!" He whispered fiercely.
"Sorry. Why are you staring at Meryl like that?" There was a hint of a challenge in Vash's voice.
"Whoa, down boy. Look at Meryl's hair."
"Huh?" Vash blinked.
"Just do it!" Vash leaned over and looked down. He stared for a moment.
"I don't.." He blinked and leaned closer. "What the hell?"
"Did you know she was dyeing her hair?"
"That doesn't seem like Meryl..." Vash replied uneasily. He ran a hand through his own blond strands. "Yet- it wasn't always like that? It was all dark before- right?" Wolfwood nodded, then shrugged.
"I'm almost positive it was all black- no blonde. Maybe she was dyeing it black all this time? And it's fading now?"
"Then why isn't the rest of her hair showing the fade?"
"Got me. Millie just made a comment about her being lighter somehow. Weird huh?" Wolfwood leaned back. "Ask her about it in the morning, okay, Vash?'
"Okay."
But in the morning they had reached Meryl's hometown. A crowd was waiting for them as the caravan pulled up the main street.
"That was like running into a mob," Wolfwood said to Vash later on. "A large friendly mob, mind you, but I didn't think we were ever going to get free."
"I know," the gunman yawned. "And then dragged from house to house, shown the town, fed..."
"I liked that part," Millie commented. "But my favorite was when they found out Nicholas was a preacher..." Vash leveled a cool stare at Wolfwood.
"Are you sure you can perform marriage ceremonies?"
"Of course I can." Wolfwood frowned at him. "Granted, I've done more funerals- know that one by heart. Have to look up the marriage service..." He paused. "Hope I have that book still." He looked towards the room he had tossed his bag in.
"It was nice of them to put us up in the hotel." Millie leaned back on the sofa. Wolfwood was still frowning.
"Yeah, well somehow they're related to Meryl..."
"Married to her second cousin," Millie supplied.
"Yeah, and a suite too." Vash commented. Millie looked around the small sitting room that connected the three bedrooms.
"I know Meryl's mom felt bad that she didn't have room for her or Sam anymore."
"I know Vash isn't complaining," Wolfwood teased.
"Don't you think you should find that book, Wolfwood?" Vash suggested lazily, leaning back on the sofa and winking at Millie. "I mean, don't they want to practice tomorrow or something?"
Meryl walked up the stairs of the hotel. Her mom was so happy- that was obvious. She and Uncle Dan were a good match.
"Hey Meryl!" Vash greeted her as she opened the door. His smile was warming, and she went to sit next to him without a second thought.
"Where's Wolfwood?" Meryl asked. Millie smiled.
"Can't you hear him?" The sound of muffled cursing echoed from the middle room where all the men's things had gotten tossed.
"What's wrong?"
"He's looking for his book of services. He knows the funeral service by heart, but not the marriage one." Millie explained.
"You'd better find it, preacher man!" Meryl called out.
"I know, I know...."
"Doesn't it go something like, 'If anyone has a reason why these two shouldn't be wed, why didn't you speak up before now'?" Vash grinned at Millie, who burst into laughter. Meryl smiled, but she had her eyes on the door, waiting. Wolfwood cursed again, then:
"AH HAH! Here it is!" He appeared in the sitting room and tossed the book on the table. "I KNEW I had it."
"Yay!" Millie clapped.
"Thank goodness," Meryl smiled, relieved. "I'm glad you found it."
"Yeah, or you would've been dead." Vash teased.
"This calls for a celebration," Wolfwood smiled wickedly. He walked over to where Millie was perched on the edge of the sofa and swept her up into his arms. "I've been waiting three days for a place with some privacy." He hauled her towards her bedroom. "See you two later." The door shut behind them. Vash and Meryl sat in a shocked silence for a moment, then Meryl began to giggle. Vash joined in, unable to help himself.
"What finesse," he commented, which only made Meryl laugh harder.
"He does have a point though." She said wistfully when she had calmed down. Vash immediately got to his feet and offered her his hand.
"True. Could I possibly..."
"You know you could." Meryl slid her hand into his.
"Even after yesterday?" He asked as he pulled her to her feet.
"Yesterday? Oh, the coffee thing," Meryl shrugged as Vash shut the door. She leaned against him and he bent his head to hers. Several minutes later, after caresses and kisses and the loss of some clothing, she tugged him to the bed.
"It'll be more comfortable here."
"I was asking you a question," he reminded her as they tumbled onto the soft mattress.
"Later..." Her mouth moved downwards. Vash leaned back, thoughts fleeing from his brain. Damn, he'd be lucky to remember his name later, let alone to... to...
