"I met up with a group of bounty hunters on my way out of town," Wolfwood said to Meryl as they left the hotel after finishing their coffee. It had taken them a few hours to come up with the plan they would use to get Vash and Milly apart. Meryl was a stickler for organization, Wolfwood found out as she put it all on paper and had everything planned down to the minute. Now that they'd spent the morning talking, he was ready to get to business and finally the little girl was willing as well. "The reason that I didn't leave was I wanted to tell Needle Noggin about them."

Meryl nodded, "Where were they?"

"On the outskirts of town," he was carrying his cross on one shoulder and Meryl eyed it wearily. She really hoped they wouldn't need an artillery with them to visit these bounty hunters. It bothered her they would have to rely on outside help, especially knowing how the last Vash the Stampede hunt turned out. She still had nightmares about the Nebraska family.

"Do you think we can convince them not to destroy the town as they go after him?"

Wolfwood looked down at her through his dark sunglasses, "What do you mean?"

"I mentioned what happened with the Nebraska…"

He laughed, "Ah! See, those were just regular folk going after him, not trained bounty hunters. This is completely different." He patted his cross, "Believe me, I've had plenty of experience with these types to know what I'm talking about."

Meryl felt a lump in her throat as she thought about the strange priest. First he was just a guy collecting money for an orphanage, then he started acting like the womanizing Vash, and now she found out that he had a huge gun and was a very experienced gunman. What else wasn't he telling her? Who was this guy anyway? "That's what I'm afraid of. Really, I'm thinking that what I said to Milly will sink in and she'll give up on Vash in a few days."

Wolfwood shook his head, and pulled his sunglasses down his nose to look at her. His gray eyes were dark pools. "You're misjudging the effects that a handsome man has on a simple woman like the big girl."

"I'm fully aware…"

"Really?" He stopped walking and set his cross onto the ground. Meryl stopped and he put his sunglasses into his front pocket and set a hand on her shoulder. She shivered under his touch, "Can you honestly tell me that you know what's going on in her mind when Needle Noggin looks at her?"

"Sure…" Meryl trailed off as Nicholas lowered his head to look into her eyes, "Don't look at me like that…" He was fairly handsome, although the tall dark types weren't really up her alley. Meryl preferred someone a bit… She bit her lip because he was still looking at her with 'bedroom eyes' and it was starting to become very stuffy all of a sudden. Meryl stepped away from him and Wolfwood chuckled.

"Fine, I'll do it your way if you like, but I can guarantee you that if we do it my way, no one is going to get hurt."

"And how can you?"

Wolfwood slipped his sunglasses back on and shouldered his cross. "I know where Needle Noggin took the big girl this morning. There's an old mine in the center of town that was abandoned a few months ago when they found natural rock formations in there. It's quite breathtaking I'm told. However, only a few people know about it and a couple of the families have been fighting over who has rights to the possible tourism that it might bring in. Right now only the children in town go in and out of there. Since the kiddies are in school right now it will be completely empty but for your friend and the stampede."

Meryl had to admit he was thorough in his planning, even if she still didn't like the idea of siccing bounty hunters on Vash again, it was the only plausible plan they had come up with. "Okay, but if anything happens to Milly I'm putting it on your shoulders, you get that?"

The priest nodded, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

I wish someone would read this story… Thanks to Sunsilver and Themis56 for your reviews – you guys are the best! I know this story is a bit different but hang on with me everyone – it's really fun!