Hi! Took me a while to get through this one for some reason. Thanks to Jaina and Arafel for letting me bounce ideas off of you both. And thanks to everyone else for the encouragement and for sticking with the story.

Chapter 10

Millie sat at the kitchen table, forehead furrowed in concentration. Her delivery date was less than a month away, but she had yet to decide on a name. The baby name book she was reading was already dog-eared and worn. In typical Millie fashion, she searched for names in her own way, looking at pages in no particular order.

Vash slouched in the chair across from her, serving as a sounding board for the names as she called them out.

"David—beloved. Maybe for a middle name?"

"I like that one."

"Ezekiel—God strengthens."

"That's a mouthful for a little guy."

"Peter—Rock."

Vash laughed. "We've got enough rock on this planet, don't you think?"

"Alexander—Protector of men." Millie smiled. "That's a nice goal for a child." She flipped through the pages again. "Jason—healer."

"Healer…can't have too many of those around here."

"Andrew—Manly." Millie frowned. "I don't like that for a baby."

Vash shrugged. "Have you thought about naming him Nicholas?"

"Yes…but I want him to feel like his own person. Not a replacement or anything."

Millie she continued to flip through the book. She paused on one page, and her eyes softened.

"Isaiah—salvation of the Lord," she said. "I think…if his daddy was still alive…that this baby would have been the last thing he needed to feel redeemed…to feel saved." She wiped away a tear and smiled. "What do you think, Mr. Vash?"

Vash forced his words out around the lump in his throat. "I think Isaiah is a great name."

"Isaiah David Wolfwood." Millie patted her belly. "Oh, sweetie, we can't wait to meet you."

One week after the baby's name had been decided, Meryl received a response from the Bernardelli headquarters in December City. Her idea had been well received by the management, and the powers that be were open to her idea of setting up shop in the small town.

They were especially pleased by Meryl's proposal to use the boarding house as both home and office, as the women could then be on call at any hour of the day or night. In the response letter, they sent enough money for three months rent, plus extra for furniture and other necessities. After the first three months, another agent would be sent out in order to decide whether the building was sound enough to buy, or if it would be more cost-effective to construct a new one. The Sweetwater branch of the Bernardelli Insurance Society would be the newest office to open in the region.

Full of excitement at the news, Meryl and Millie rushed around making plans for the move. Meryl made the arrangements to rent the boardinghouse, and the owner was so grateful that someone was taking the property off his hands that he would have agreed to anything. He walked through the house with Meryl, helping her with a checklist of items they might need. There were some items left in the house, beds and a few tables and chairs, but they would need a kitchen and a dining room set, and the office needed furniture as well.

And Meryl didn't even want to think about what had been sleeping on those leftover mattresses for the last few years. Those would have to go.

Even if Millie hadn't been so close to her due date, cleaning the entire house would have been a huge task for the two women. Knives and Vash were not to be trusted with cleaning on this scale. In typical male fashion, the bigger the cleaning task, the weaker and more helpless the brothers became; until they were hardly able to move dust around with a broom. The landlord offered to arrange for some extra hands, as there were women in the town who would be happy to earn a few extra double dollars.

So with a smile on her lips and a dangerous glint in her eye, Meryl announced that the twins would spend their weekend driving to LR, loading their new kitchen and dining room furniture onto a rented truck, and driving it back.

Knives balked, scowling when Meryl asked if he would rather sleep on the floor and eat dinner standing in front of the fireplace. Millie couldn't go, and Meryl didn't want to leave her alone. That left the two men to handle it. Millie ended the argument by suggesting Knives take the opportunity to do his own shopping. He paused, then looked thoughtful and left the room.

When Meryl questioned Millie what she had meant, the taller woman simply smiled and declined to respond.

"Come on, Knives, it won't be that bad." Vash said cheerfully. "We get to go on a trip, just us guys." He loaded his bag into the back of the borrowed truck.

Knives grunted, and swung his own bag into the truckbed. It was still dark, and too damn early for his brother's nonsense.

"Do you have the list?" Meryl asked. She would have preferred to go herself, to make sure everything went smoothly. Millie stayed in bed during the sendoff, having said her goodbyes the night before.

"It'll be fine, Meryl. Don't worry so much."

She snorted in response. "Just remember what I said. Low profile. Stay out of trouble." She looked at Vash. His hair had grown out, and he no longer kept it in its trademark spikes. Even so, she worried that he might be recognized.

"Yes, dear," Vash said, smirking at Meryl's answering scowl.

"Millie and I ordered some clothes. Don't forget to stop at the store for those. All you have to do is pick them up; they're already paid for."

"Yes, yes," Vash sighed. He guessed he couldn't blame her for worrying. Trouble did have a way of following him around.

Knives nodded to Meryl and got into the truck. :Let's go.:

:Just a minute.: Vash responded.

He leaned in closer to Meryl, enjoying the light flush that rose to her cheeks. "Will you miss me?" he asked cheekily.

"If you do what I tell you, you'll be back tomorrow. I have tons of work to do. I won't have time to miss you," Meryl muttered.

He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. Damn that man, Meryl thought, as her heart skipped a beat.

"You didn't answer me," he said softly.

Meryl decided it was time she took some control out of his hands. A slow smile spread across her face as she placed her hand around his neck. Eyebrows raised, he bent closer to her.

She began tracing small circles on the nape of his neck and watched his eyes darken.

"Maybe…" she said slowly.

"I'm driving across the desert to furnish our home and all I get is a maybe?" Vash shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "I need encouragement for all my hard work."

Meryl raised an eyebrow and pulled his face even closer to hers. She could feel his breath against her mouth. His eyes widened in anticipation.

She tipped her head and lightly brushed her mouth against his, pulling back when he attempted to deepen the kiss. At his puzzled noise, she moved forward once again, kissing him harder, while running her other hand along his chest. His sharp intake of breath proved that he liked that very much.

Meryl broke the kiss, enjoying the dazed look on his face. "If you do a good job, just think how glad I'll be to see you when you get back." The hand on his chest slid down to the waistband of his pants. The muscles of his abdomen tensed in anticipation, and Meryl held back a chuckle.

She smiled and stepped back, removing her hands and quirking an eyebrow. "You'd better get going. The sun will be up soon, and you want to do as much traveling before sunrise as possible."

Vash nodded dumbly, wondering where this new teasing Meryl had come from. Not that he was complaining.

She stepped around him and climbed back up the porch, giving him a cheerful wave before entering the house.

Vash blinked, then climbed into the car.

"Can we go? Maybe if we drive fast enough the sand can scour the sight of that disgusting scene from my eyeballs," Knives said.

Vash grinned and started up the truck. Not even his brother could ruin his mood now.

They arrived in LR shortly before midday. Knives was surprisingly calm, having passed the time in silence. The time spent alone with his brother was balm to his sensitive nerves, and it showed. His eyes were calmer and the seething anger normally present in his stance was banked.

He would need every bit of calm he could get. LR was easily ten times the size of their current home, and it was a struggle for Knives to adjust. His mental shield would get a workout here.

After a couple of hours, he was beginning to understand why Meryl was so snippy all the time. Looking after his brother when he'd decided to put on his idiot act was demanding, and it was a chore to keep him on task. Knives didn't want to stay in the town any longer than necessary.

The brothers took care of the easiest task first and picked up the girls' new clothes at the haberdasher. After visiting the furniture store, they arranged to pick up and load it onto the truck later when it wasn't as hot. Most of the furniture needed assembly, and were packed in boxes and flat parcels. The mattresses would be the bulkiest pieces.

The twins checked into their hotel, and set down their things. Vash looked at Knives. "Are you hungry? We should be able to find somewhere that serves both donuts and cookies."

Knives nodded, and his eyes brightened. "I want real food, not just cookies."

"Well, we can go to a bakery afterwards," Vash responded. "Let's ask downstairs."

The two men were directed to a restaurant just a few blocks away. It was small and family-run, and the smells wafting from the front door produced answering grumbles in their stomachs.

Knives was about to head in when he heard his brother's surprised laugh. There was another restaurant across the street, and his brother was pressed against its front window. With a sigh, Knives followed him, wondering what had grabbed Vash's attention this time.

The window was there to showcase the chef's abilities. Instead of cooking in an enclosed kitchen, a large flat grill was set up in the front of the restaurant. The chef took a bowl of noodles, meat and vegetables, tossed it out on the heat, and chased the food around the grill with a long wooden stick to keep it from burning. By the time the food traveled around the circular grill once, it was done.

Knives shrugged. This looked as good as anything else, so he grabbed Vash's arm and dragged him into the restaurant. They were welcomed and immediately seated.

After a glass of water, the two ordered their meals and sat in silence. After a few moments, Vash said, "I've been thinking of going to visit the plant here. Do you want to go?"

Knives looked at his brother, surprised, before nodding. It had been more than a year since he had been in contact with any plant besides Vash. "You trust me to do that?"

Vash shrugged. "I want us to get along again. If I never trust you, what's the point?"

Knives considered this. "Then you would let me go alone?"

Vash snorted. "Regardless of what you and Meryl may think of me at times, I'm not stupid. I can't expect the past few months to have changed your outlook completely."

Knives smiled. "I never thought you were stupid. Gullible, misguided, foolishly obstinate and childish - but not stupid."

Vash's brows drew down in something close to a pout. He opened his mouth to respond, but the waitress arrived with their food and his eyes lit up.

The smells rising from the heaping bowl of noodles, vegetables, meat and sauce were too much for Knives as well, and both twins dug in with healthy appetites.

:We should ask one of the women if they know how to make this. It's good Knives said, not wanting to stop eating long enough to speak.

Vash grunted in agreement, his attention on the meal in front of him.

After ordering seconds, the brothers sat back and relaxed for a while, letting the food settle. Vash caught the waitress' eye from across the room and motioned for the check. When she dropped it off, Vash touched the back of her wrist. She looked at him, surprised and a little wary.

Vash grinned. "I wanted to thank you for not rushing us out of here. I didn't realize we'd been here so long."

She relaxed, and smiled back. "No problem. You boys look like you've had a long day, and needed the time to relax."

Vash chatted with the woman as he paid the bill. He smiled to himself as he noticed her sneaking glances at his brother. Knives, silent as usual, seemed not to notice the attention, although Vash knew better.

Finally, Vash pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. "Well, it was nice meeting you!"

"It was nice meeting you too! I hope you boys have a safe trip back," she said.

Knives' eyes lost the faraway look they'd had since he finished eating and he rose to his feet as well. Looking at the woman, he made sure to soften his gaze from his usual contemptuous glare.

"Excuse me, miss. Could you tell us if there is a bakery around here?" he asked.

The waitress almost swooned. What a voice. The other twin was cute, but this one…something about him just couldn't help but attract female attention. She cleared her throat and gave them directions to one not too far away.

"Do they have good cookies?" Knives asked, all seriousness.

"Oh yes," she responded.

"Great! We'll trust your judgment," Vash said cheerfully.

Knives gave her a slow smile and turned towards the door. After a surprised blink, Vash winked at the waitress and followed his brother outside.

The woman let out a huge sigh and placed a hand on the table to support herself. The cook was taking a break at an empty table and laughed at her. "Looks like your heart's all aflutter, Mavis!" he called out to the young woman.

"Or something a little lower," another waitress said slyly. Mavis swatted at her, embarrassed.

"Stop it, you two!" She fanned her cheeks. "They were handsome, I'll give you that."

"Handsome? Honey, they were gorgeous!" The second waitress looked over at Mavis. "But men like that can be dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Mavis asked, her eyes wide.

"Some men can make you so devoted, you never want to leave, even for your own good." The older woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned. "But the quiet one had a nice ass, didn't he?"

Early evening found the twins loading the rest of their purchases into the truck. It was much cooler, but still light enough to work outside without any trouble. They drove the truck back to the hotel and locked it up tightly. The man behind the desk assured the two that there were rarely any problems with theft in that neighborhood.

The last of their chores done, the two set out towards the plant.

"Do you have a plan?" Knives asked.

"Kinda," Vash responded.

"Please don't tell me it involves walking up and asking to see the plant."

Vash grinned. "I'm charming enough to get away with it, but no. We don't want to cause an uproar, so we can't be seen."

Knives nodded. "And I suppose you want me to take care of that?"

"You do have more experience."

"I'll take care of the first few people while you watch, then you do the rest. You've let yourself grow lax in your powers, Vash. Being a pacifist is no excuse for that."

Vash frowned. "What do you mean?"

Knives sighed. "Vash, Legato should never have been able to have the kind of control over you that he did. No mere human should."

Vash's eyes grew shadowed, remembering the man who had forced him to kill. "But…"

Knives grew impatient. "Honing your powers does not mean you have to stop playing human. If nothing else, you would have been a better protector had you not spent so much time denying what you are."

Vash did not respond, and the brothers remained silent the rest of the way to the plant. They stopped a few hundred yarz away, hidden in the wreckage of the fallen ship that littered the desert floor.

"There are three men in sight right now. Watch me," Knives ordered.

Knives concentrated, sensing the three minds he described. Two were guards at the gate, while the last served as lookout, higher up in the structure.

Effortlessly, he mentally told the three men to ignore anything to do with the two brothers. When he was done, he turned to Vash and nodded.

The low hum of the Plant's energy changed, sensitive to the mental activity just outside its bulb. Vash sent a wave of reassurance back, and the being subsided.

"Lucky you," Knives said in a low voice. "It seems like those three are the only ones here. You get out of any work."

Vash shrugged. "It's the weekend. I guess it makes sense."

He looked up at the enormous plant bulb. They were almost upon it now, and Vash could feel the warm glow of recognition and welcome. As Knives tentatively reached out as well, it changed to shock, then the warmth returned in greater intensity.

Vash laughed. "It's good to see you too."

Knives sent a questing thought: why had the plant been shocked to see them?

The plant responded with impressions of anger and battle connected to the two of them.

Vash answered with images of himself and the girls nursing Knives back to health and Knives becoming accustomed to humans without trying to kill them.

Approval mixed with reproach washed over Knives, and he reddened, feeling like a scolded child. The plant viewed the humans in her town fondly, especially the children. It saddened her that Knives wanted to destroy them all.

Knives burst out, "But they're feeding off of you!" His outburst was accompanied by a pained vision of a flickering plant on its last legs as the humans around it went about their business unconcerned, callously demanding more energy for their own needs.

:And what would you have me do with my energy, little one? Scorch the sky? Destroy the moons?:

Both brothers were taken aback. :Since when have you used human words?: Knives asked, shocked.

He caught a definite sense of amusement from the plant. :I have had plenty of time to learn. The best plant engineers here are often those most receptive to my voice, even if they do not realize it.:

Vash regained his composure. :Then…then you speak to humans?:

:When I need to. They often attribute it to their own intuition. A very few suspect the truth.:

:But…: Knives was distraught. :Doesn't this hurt you?:

:You know for yourself what power we have; no human can hold either of you without your consent. Why should it be any different for us? If it hurt us, we would leave. Those who no longer wish to function, cease to do so.:

:They will themselves to death?: Knives was shaking with fury. :After humans leech off their life essence for more than one hundred years, they just give up and die?:

A wave of reassurance and affection washed over Knives, calming him. :Not at all. They cease to function.: The plant then projected a scene of someone leaving—walking through the glass of an inert plant bulb. The figure straightened its clothing, then began to make its way towards the town.

:You mean…there are other plants that live among humans?: Vash asked.

:Very few. They tend to keep to themselves, unlike some.:

The words were accompanied by a vision of a tiny Vash running and crying while his flailing arms and legs smashed through buildings and knocked over vehicles. He was chased by a tiny Knives, who watched as all the traps he set for Vash failed. In anger, Knives destroyed the rest of the town with his tiny tantrum.

The plant paused, clearly for effect. Knives' dignity was bruised. "I don't act like that," he muttered. Vash scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Geoplants have become more available in recent decades." The plant continued. "Mobility aids us in making the changes necessary to support life. Eventually, humans will not depend on us as much, and it will take fewer of us to power the cities.:

The two brothers were silent, made speechless by the plant's revelation.

"So there is a way for both races to live together," Vash said in awe. "It'll take time, but it's possible."

The plant hummed affirmation, and Vash laughed in response. He looked at his brother with hope shining in his eyes, but Knives was too rattled by the plant's words to respond.

Meryl was tired, but as long as she didn't stop for too long, she figured she would be fine. Despite her words to Vash, she found that she did miss him, far more than she would have thought possible for one day's absence. She had spent all of the previous day cleaning the new place with the hired help as Millie stayed behind to pack their few belongings. The work was useful for keeping her from worrying about Vash. She just had to trust that he would keep himself out of trouble.

She fell into bed and was out like a light the first night, only to be up bright and early the next day. The twins would return around noon, if they kept to the schedule she set for them. This would give them time to rest during the hottest part of the day before emptying the truck.

Her new clothes would also arrive with the brothers. Shopping for clothes by catalog could be hit or miss, but Madame Suzanne's had an excellent reputation and a satisfaction guarantee. She was able to pick up some casual clothes here in town, but the more… exciting garments had to be ordered from one of the cities.

She couldn't wait to see them, and more to the point, she couldn't wait till Vash saw her in them. Meryl frowned; he better not have peeked into the parcel when he picked it up. That would completely ruin her surprise.

Even what she currently had on was miles away from her usual clothing. Meryl was a bit self-conscious, but between her own resolve and Millie's encouragement, she suppressed her fears and went with it. She had taken a pair of scissors to an old and comfortable pair of jeans that she hardly ever wore, but had picked up secondhand during her travels. The desert planet grew cold at night, and the jeans were useful when she had to do any investigation after dark.

The resulting cutoffs left her long and toned legs bare, and hugged the curves of her backside the way only well-worn denim could. It was topped off by a white tank that Meryl was convinced Millie had gotten out of the children's section. But the outfit was comfortable, and since every single article of clothing she owned was mysteriously in the laundry, she didn't have much of a choice other than to go with Millie's "suggestion."

After moving some furniture around in the lobby of the new place, she decided to go around to the kitchen and cool off. The kitchen was offset partway underground in order to take advantage of the cooler surrounding earth while cooking. She stood in front of the sink, sipping a glass of water, before giving in to temptation and splashing her face and head with the rest. The water would evaporate quickly once she went back outside, but the momentary pleasure would be worth it.

The brightness of the outdoors after the cool darkness of the kitchen caused her to pause outside the doorway. A glance at the new kitchen clock told Meryl it was almost mid-day, so she decided to get some food and cold drinks ready for the twins' return. They should be back any time now - if they had stayed to her schedule, that is.

There wasn't any food in the house yet, so Meryl paid a call on the local diner and returned laden with sandwiches, drinks, donuts, and cookies. It was a splurge, but she could expense it. After all they'd been through, Bernardelli could pick up the tab for a couple meals.

She smirked to herself at the brothers' imagined reaction to the feast and decided to put some aside for herself before they ate it all. Giving in to a moment's whim, Meryl left her face in the fridge for an extra few seconds before closing it on the food inside.

The coughing rumble of a truck outside caught her attention. A door slammed and Vash called out.

"I'm in the kitchen, Vash!" Suppressing her smile, Meryl walked over to the sink, splashing her face again with water. She shook her head at herself. She'd been so wasteful ever since they discovered that well.

Vash was more than happy to get out of that truck and into the house. He was hot and dusty and couldn't wait to see Meryl and have a shower. He sniffed himself discreetly. Maybe he should switch that to have a shower and see Meryl. He called out to see if anyone was around, and Meryl answering voice gave him a happy thrill. Not wanting to see Knives' disapproving face, he hurried into the kitchen.

He stopped inside the doorway to let his eyes adjust. When they did, they widened in shock. Meryl was bending over the sink in profile to him letting him drink in the sight of those long shapely legs that he suddenly wanted wrapped around his waist. As she stood up, patting her face dry, she slicked her bangs back with the excess water, which of course started to drip down to her shirt, and oh, God, where did she get that shirt?

:Knives.:

:What?:

:Why don't you go back to the house and see if Millie needs any help?:

:Hmph,: his twin responded. His irritation and disdain were evident, yet Vash could sense him begin the short walk to the old house.

"Vash?" She sounded happy to see him, but he could have been wrong, as his attention was definitely further south.

Meryl gasped; visions of her and Vash in erotic poses bombarded her mind, leaving her throbbing and short of breath.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Vash watching her intently in the doorway. "Are you doing that?" she breathed.

He nodded. "Sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all.

Her eyes lowered to his groin before moving back to his face. "Tease."

A/N: Y'all know the drill. Anyone interested and of age can read the rest over at aff .net or mediaminer .org. Username is Scathach at both sites.