Disclaimer: I in no way own Trigun. Too bad for me...


A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! And no, I haven't forgotten about this story at all. Honestly, I have no good excuse for taking so long with this. For those of you who may still be out there, thanks for sticking around! I've really got to credit a couple of friends for encouraging me to finish this, namely Ravenwings (check out her Zoids fics!) and the Straightedgeruler (you know who you are!).

This is the final installment of "Desert Sands". Writing this fic as been a joy, from start to finish. There were times that I didn't know if I would ever finish it, but all of the reviews have helped push me to the finish line. Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story, and even to those who didn't. Enjoy!


Desert Sands

By: Batbabe


Epilogue


"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The occupants of the small waiting area jumped at the sudden sound. They had been there for hours, patiently waiting for the baby to make his or her appearance. The expectant father had been pacing the room the entire time while his two companions had taken two of the chairs. At the sudden wail, all three jumped toward the door. It only took a few moments for the doctor to return to the waiting room with a bright smile on his young face.

"Well? Is she alright? What about the baby?" Wolfwood asked in a rush before the doctor could get a word out. The preacher's face was etched with concern and nervousness. Milly's sudden labor had scared all of them, considering that there was still two weeks til the original due date.

Dr. Phelps' smile widened, "Don't worry Mr. Wolfwood, mother and son are doing just fine."

The concern on Wolfwood's face was replaced with a look of astonishment. His jaw dropped and his eyes brightened. He looked at the closed door, not truly seeing it. Vash let out a cry of joy at the doctor's pronouncement and clapped his hand on the preacher's back several times in congratulations. Meryl reacted similar to Vash, except she took Wolfwood's arm.

"I...I have a son..." Was all the new father could manage, still not quite believing it.

The doctor smiled again. "Yes, yes you do. Congratulations Mr. Wolfwood, you can go in and see them now." Dr. Phelps stepped aside to let the group through.

Vash and Meryl hung back to let Wolfwood be the first inside to greet his new family. The preacher had a glazed look to his face as he walked into the room and caught sight of the woman he loved and the little bundle she held in her arms.

Milly looked exhausted, yet she seemed to still glow with happiness. For a moment, she didn't notice that her companions had entered the small room but then she turned her head and her smile became brighter. The new mother looked at each of them in turn before her gaze finally rested on the priest.

"Come and meet your son, Nicholas..."


Vash and Meryl walked home from the hospital in silence. It was the first time that the two of them had been alone together since the incident with Knives. Both of them had done everything they could to avoid being with the other, which made the walk home quite awkward.

Neither wanted to be the one to speak first, but both knew that they had to. They couldn't keep avoiding each other forever. Deciding to be the bigger person, Vash stopped suddenly in the middle of the dusty street.

"We have to talk." The tone in his voice left no room for argument.

The petite woman paused and turned slowly to face him. They were about two yards away from each other, staring intently into each other's eyes. Meryl looked away after a moment, growing too self-conscious and embarrassed to hold his gaze. Suddenly her foot seemed to require her attention.

"Meryl, please..." The pleading in his voice was unmistakable and immediately drew her eyes back up to meet his. The hurt on his face was evident.

The insurance girl gulped and looked away again. "Alright Vash, what do you want to talk about?" She did her best to act nonchalant, but didn't quite succeed.

The gunman tried his best not to roll his eyes and shout in frustration at her stubbornness. Instead, he settled for a disappointed sigh before explaining. "It's been over a month since..." His voice choked audibly and he found he still couldn't form the words. "Since things quieted down, and we haven't said more than two words at a time to each other. Don't you think that it's time we talked about what happened?"

Meryl stiffened, knowing that he was right but not wanting to admit it. Instead, she turned and continued towards the house. "There's nothing to say really. Everything's back to normal..." Her words trailed off as Vash placed a hand gently on her arm. She could feel the heat radiating from it even through her clothes and she couldn't help but bring hers up again to meet his.

"What happened to you, to you and Milly, was all my fault. Knives never would have taken you if it hadn't been for me." He paused. "I want you to know how sorry I am and how I wish I could have spared you that pain."

The petite woman felt her throat contract and looked back down at her feet, touched by his words but also somewhat disappointed. For some reason, she had expected him to say something else...

As if sensing her disappointment, Vash moved his other hand to cup her chin and lifted her face to meet his eyes again. "And, I also want you to know...how much you mean to me..." Before she could react, the gunman lowered his face and his lips touched hers.

Shock overtook Meryl momentarily and she stood stiffly, wide-eyed before allowing herself to relax and leaned into the kiss. She let herself get swept away in the experience, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him closer. The kiss deepened and Meryl noted distantly that his human hand had moved from her arm to the small of her back. Both had forgotten that they were still in the middle of the street, neither noticing that they had attracted a small crowd.

After some moments, the pair separated, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"So," Vash began, somewhat at a loss for words, "I guess this means you don't hate me anymore, huh?" He flashed a boyish smile and scratched the back of his head. He was surprised when she started to laugh lightly in response. He had actually thought that she might have hit him or yelled at him, like she normally did, but there was no sign of impending attack.

The insurance girl grinned up at him. "Of course I don't hate you, idiot. I thought you would have realized that by now." She took his hand in hers, making him blush lightly.

"Well, you don't exactly make it easy on a guy..." His muttering was cut short as she kissed him again.


"We're home!"

The preacher's deep voice echoed throughout the small house as he and Milly entered with their son cradled in her arms. They were met immediately by the other two occupants of the home, both giddy with excitement. Three days had passed since Milly had given birth and this was the first time that the doctor had allowed her to leave due to her early delivery. And since Wolfwood had stayed with them at the hospital almost the entire time, Vash and Meryl had the house completely to themselves. The group quickly exchanged hugs before Meryl whisked Milly and the baby over to the couch to rest.

"Oh Milly, I'm so glad you're home!" Meryl looked down adoringly at the tiny newborn. "Have you two figured out a name yet?" She spoke quietly so as to allow the infant to continue to sleep soundly.

Milly grinned brightly as Meryl sat down beside her, the men coming up behind them. "As a matter of fact, we have." She stated proudly. "We've decided to call him Liam Owen Wolfwood." Both parents beamed with pride.

"That's a great name, Milly! I'm sure he'll love it." Vash chuckled lightly, pleased with his friends' choice in name.

"Yeah, it's a wonderful name! I'm so glad that you were finally able to choose one you both liked" said Meryl.

Wolfwood snorted slightly. "Believe me, it wasn't easy." His demeanor quickly lightened. "But once I asked her to marry me, she was open to just about anything..." Both Vash and Meryl jumped in surprise.

"YOU WHAT!"

The new parents laughed hysterically at their friends' surprise, as both looked at them with their jaws practically hanging on the floor. It took them a moment to recover their senses and get over the shock at the sudden announcement. Vash spoke first.

"It's about time! What took you so long?" He slapped the preacher on the back playfully.

Wolfwood smirked. "Probably the same thing that's taken you so long, needle-noggin."

Vash paled.

Meryl giggled.

Milly stared.

An awkward moment later, "Meryl? Is that the locket you lost?" The new mother leaned over to get a better look at the gold trinket barely visible hanging from her neck. Meryl smiled proudly, stealing a glance at the man in red.

"As a matter of fact, Milly, it is..."

The other woman blinked and then grinned cheerily. "Well I'm glad you found it. I know that it means a lot to you." Milly missed the look that passed between Vash at Meryl.

"You're right," Meryl said softly, still looking at Vash, "it means more to me than anything..."

It was obvious that she wasn't talking about the locket.

FIN