Disclaimer: Trigun is not mine. Sorry for the long delay! This chapter was a struggle to get done- I know what happens afterwards, but I had to find a way to get the explanation stuff out of the way. Hang in there- Knives is on his way....
"What are we going to tell the others?" Meryl asked as they walked back to her mother's house.
"Do we have to tell them anything?" Meryl punched his arm.
"Hair color?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, that would be kinda hard to explain, wouldn't it?" Vash grinned.
"Yes it would." Meryl stopped walking. "I don't think I can tell them that I'm... well, a weapon...but..."
"Then we don't tell them that. We tell them that you're like me. Millie and Wolfwood would understand."
"But my family? They don't know what you are. What if- what if they can't handle this?" Vash reached out and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Meryl, they love you. Have faith in them. It will be fine."
"I hope you're right."
Much to Meryl's amazement, Vash was right. They arrived at her mother's house to find a nervous group of people who at first seemed to be happy that she was found, rather than upset over her hair color. When her mother finally asked her about it, Meryl explained, with many nervous stops and starts, part of what the plant had told her.
Only Wolfwood looked puzzled by the explanation.
"So she's like you-" he said to Vash when they finished. "But why is your hair changing colors?"
"The plant here said the color change was just our levels balancing out. We're not really sure what that means- but the plant said it couldn't hurt us." That was what the plant had said after all. Meryl was looking at her mother who had sat quietly through the whole explanation.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Meryl said softly. "I know this is difficult.." Mrs. Stryfe shook herself.
"Difficult? Don't be silly honey. You're my daughter no matter what. I don't really understand it, but I love you and that's all that matters." Mrs. Stryfe leaned over and hugged Meryl's shoulders. Sam got up to hug her too. Meryl relaxed in relief.
"I have a question, now," Vash waited until the hugging was over. "Where did your husband find Meryl? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Of course not. John was out with one of the thomases, looking for part of the herd when he found one of the ships. He said it was a total wash- most of it smashed to pieces. Only one section remained."
"The part with the plant," Vash supplied.
"Yes. That's how our town got it. We had to go way out for supplies before that. In the same section was a... well... container." She turned to Meryl. "You were in it honey. Just a baby. Your Dad opened it up and you woke up. He brought you home that day. There wasn't a name or anything on you... we didn't know who you might have belonged to, and he couldn't leave you out there by yourself."
"I'm glad he didn't," Meryl smiled.
"He didn't find anything else?" Vash asked.
"Nope. He went back several times to look. John wanted to make sure there were no more people stranded out there like Meryl was."
"Dad was a good man," Sam added.
"And Mom's marrying another one tomorrow," Meryl decided to change the topic. "Is everything ready?" The talk turned to wedding plans.
[Well, that went better than I hoped.] Meryl said to Vash as they walked up the stairs behind Millie and Wolfwood.
[What did you think they were going to do, Meryl? They love you. It doesn't matter to them what you are]. Wolfwood opened the door to the room.
"Okay you two, spill it." Wolfwood said abruptly, making Meryl jump, as he closed the door behind them.
"Huh?" Vash looked at him.
"There's more to this than you were telling us. I know Meryl's family didn't notice, but I did. I know you Vash. Something is up."
Vash folded his arms across his chest and frowned. Wolfwood mimicked the pose and glared at him. "C'mon, level with us, you two. It can't be that bad." Meryl touched Wolfwood's arm, gently.
"I'm a weapon. A plant-based weapon. One that needs a mobile plant to charge up."
"And Vash is the mobile plant?" Wolfwood looked from one of them to the other. "Holy..."
Meryl cut him off before he could finish. "Don't. I'm not going to go boom anytime soon."
"That's a relief," Millie laughed. Wolfwood looked at her in amazement. How could she take this so lightly?
"She's a weapon, Millie!" He pointed out.
"She's Meryl, Nick. Relax." Millie smiled back at him. Wolfwood put his hands in the air.
"Fine, fine. I'm going to bed. Got a wedding to perform and all tomorrow..."
"Don't worry about him," Millie told the other two after he left. "He just needs some time to think about it." She followed after the preacher.
[Vash?] Meryl looked at him.
[Millie's right. Wolfwood will be fine in the morning. We need to get some sleep.]
"What are we going to tell the others?" Meryl asked as they walked back to her mother's house.
"Do we have to tell them anything?" Meryl punched his arm.
"Hair color?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, that would be kinda hard to explain, wouldn't it?" Vash grinned.
"Yes it would." Meryl stopped walking. "I don't think I can tell them that I'm... well, a weapon...but..."
"Then we don't tell them that. We tell them that you're like me. Millie and Wolfwood would understand."
"But my family? They don't know what you are. What if- what if they can't handle this?" Vash reached out and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Meryl, they love you. Have faith in them. It will be fine."
"I hope you're right."
Much to Meryl's amazement, Vash was right. They arrived at her mother's house to find a nervous group of people who at first seemed to be happy that she was found, rather than upset over her hair color. When her mother finally asked her about it, Meryl explained, with many nervous stops and starts, part of what the plant had told her.
Only Wolfwood looked puzzled by the explanation.
"So she's like you-" he said to Vash when they finished. "But why is your hair changing colors?"
"The plant here said the color change was just our levels balancing out. We're not really sure what that means- but the plant said it couldn't hurt us." That was what the plant had said after all. Meryl was looking at her mother who had sat quietly through the whole explanation.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Meryl said softly. "I know this is difficult.." Mrs. Stryfe shook herself.
"Difficult? Don't be silly honey. You're my daughter no matter what. I don't really understand it, but I love you and that's all that matters." Mrs. Stryfe leaned over and hugged Meryl's shoulders. Sam got up to hug her too. Meryl relaxed in relief.
"I have a question, now," Vash waited until the hugging was over. "Where did your husband find Meryl? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Of course not. John was out with one of the thomases, looking for part of the herd when he found one of the ships. He said it was a total wash- most of it smashed to pieces. Only one section remained."
"The part with the plant," Vash supplied.
"Yes. That's how our town got it. We had to go way out for supplies before that. In the same section was a... well... container." She turned to Meryl. "You were in it honey. Just a baby. Your Dad opened it up and you woke up. He brought you home that day. There wasn't a name or anything on you... we didn't know who you might have belonged to, and he couldn't leave you out there by yourself."
"I'm glad he didn't," Meryl smiled.
"He didn't find anything else?" Vash asked.
"Nope. He went back several times to look. John wanted to make sure there were no more people stranded out there like Meryl was."
"Dad was a good man," Sam added.
"And Mom's marrying another one tomorrow," Meryl decided to change the topic. "Is everything ready?" The talk turned to wedding plans.
[Well, that went better than I hoped.] Meryl said to Vash as they walked up the stairs behind Millie and Wolfwood.
[What did you think they were going to do, Meryl? They love you. It doesn't matter to them what you are]. Wolfwood opened the door to the room.
"Okay you two, spill it." Wolfwood said abruptly, making Meryl jump, as he closed the door behind them.
"Huh?" Vash looked at him.
"There's more to this than you were telling us. I know Meryl's family didn't notice, but I did. I know you Vash. Something is up."
Vash folded his arms across his chest and frowned. Wolfwood mimicked the pose and glared at him. "C'mon, level with us, you two. It can't be that bad." Meryl touched Wolfwood's arm, gently.
"I'm a weapon. A plant-based weapon. One that needs a mobile plant to charge up."
"And Vash is the mobile plant?" Wolfwood looked from one of them to the other. "Holy..."
Meryl cut him off before he could finish. "Don't. I'm not going to go boom anytime soon."
"That's a relief," Millie laughed. Wolfwood looked at her in amazement. How could she take this so lightly?
"She's a weapon, Millie!" He pointed out.
"She's Meryl, Nick. Relax." Millie smiled back at him. Wolfwood put his hands in the air.
"Fine, fine. I'm going to bed. Got a wedding to perform and all tomorrow..."
"Don't worry about him," Millie told the other two after he left. "He just needs some time to think about it." She followed after the preacher.
[Vash?] Meryl looked at him.
[Millie's right. Wolfwood will be fine in the morning. We need to get some sleep.]
