AN: okey dokey there's gonna no wolfwood(well sans one flashback) no legato, erm if you like meryl, stop now, i beg you, if you dont like her(althought after working out a bunch of stuff about her i must confess i am warming.) or are indifferent, this is baiscly a knives and vash and oc centric story.(althought she doesnt even go into the romantic zone, or is even liked off the bat so she's non mary sue) anyways y'all will see, r&r please.

oh yeah if its in italics its telecomincations or whatever you wanna call that thing vash and knives do when they talk in each others heads and too the plants.

thankies for reading r&r and i'll love you for forever and day

adelia

Chapter one:

A young girl lay on her bed staring at the stone ceiling of her room. The room itself was a bland room with a cold flagstone floor and grey stone walls. To the left of the bed the girl laid on, which was positioned in the centre of the room, cut into the wall was an arched shaped window. The window itself was made of two frames with that opened and were held together with a small catch. The sandstorm outside buffeted the window making them rattle.

Opposite the window on the other side of the room was a six inch thick wooden door. With three metal hinges on it and three bolts. At the end of the bed against the wall was an oaken desk with several sketchbooks of varying sizes piled on top of it, as well as several other drawing materials and a few paint pots. It also had a paint stained empty water pot and many different sized brushed on it as well.

The bed the girl lay on was an old wooden one. It had a thick mattress that was slightly itchy and a bit lumpy to sleep on. it was covered with a rather thin duvet that didn't keep out the cold of night that well, however the occupant of the room didn't really care about the cold all that much. Said occupant was a teenage girl, she had just turned eighteen years old and had long sandy blonde hair which brushed her shoulders then cascaded down her back, stopping halfway down her spine.

The girl was a little tall for age, reaching five feet eleven and was rather well conditioned, as her previous traveling life style until almost two years ago had demanded. The girl wore a faded red t-shirt that had a wide rip around the shoulder left area exposing a thin pink scar running along upper of the arm, just below the shoulder joint. On her lower half she wore a pair of jeans that were also faded and a little frayed at the knees. Next to her bed was a heavy pair of black walking boots. Polished so well that one could see there face in them upon looking. The boots reached halfway up her shin when worn, they six thick leather straps attached to them slid into buckles on the other side of the boots. The girl sighed and sat up, she ran her hand through her hair, bushing some that had fallen in front of her eyes behind her head.

Reaching behind her the girl slid her hand under her pillow. She felt about under the hard pillow for a few seconds till she found the cold metal object she was looking for. A smile crossed the girl's lips for a brief second as she grasped the metal object and ran her fingers over it gently tracing the pattern engraved into the handle. Secretly she loved the feeling of the patterned metal against her finger. Although she would never tell anyone that. Grasping the object fully now she slid it out from under the pillow and looked at it. It was a gun, a derringer variant, adjusted so it kept its small size but now was reload able. The derringer slim and refined, But powerful. Craved deeply into one side of the handle and also the dual barrels was a strange pattern that reminded her of a flame. Calved into the other side was a set of initials. E.M.S. a gift from her mother. The girl clicked open the breach and checked that there were two bullets there. Before twirling the pistol on her finger and then sliding between her belt and jeans just above her back right pocket.

Standing up the girl was about to exit the room when the door was flung open and a blur of black and brown came bursting into the room. The blur ran at the girl, who sidestepped quickly and the blur was sent sprawling face first onto the girls' bed.

The girl burst out laughing. She wiped her eyes away tears formed there.

"Eliana stop laughing it wasn't that funny." A voice moaned. The blur, now clearly a girl, a little older Eliana, said slightly muffled by the bed sheets. Eliana continued to laugh. The girl rolled over and stared up her best friend.

"I come to do you a favor and all you do is laugh at me, well I'm sorry for trying to help you." The girl huffed. Eliana smiled as she looked at her best friend. This was Sophie Thompson. The nineteen year old almost exact clone of her mother. Except her hair. Sophie had pure black hair that was slightly messy and a bit unruly. Sophie's hair reached her shoulders and hung roughly about her face, contrasting with her pale skin. And her two light blue grey eyes orb like eyes. Helping to keep her unruly hair in place was bandanna that covered her forehead, and was concealed by a layer of hair at the back. She wore a black shirt with a mesh like material covering it, which then filled out into billowed cuffs at the end of the sleeves. Hugging her thighs was a black skirt which reached her kneecaps. Around her waist Sophie had two belts, one which held the skirt up and another which hung a little lose. Dipping down to reach her thighs. Both were made of tough brown leather and had polished silver buckles. The second of her two belts, the one which hung lose was a gunslingers belt, minus gun holsters. On her feet were a pair of brown sneakers, slightly worn out.

Eliana had now stopped laughing. She extended a hand and bending over Sophie, grasped her wrist and pulled the older girl to her feet. Sophie nodded a thanks. Eliana smiled back in reply. She sat down on the bed again and picked up her boots. As she slid her feet into the solid and stiff sided walking boots Eliana looked up at Sophie and asked, her curiosity perked by the favor remark.

"So Sophie what's this favor you were going to do me." Eliana asked buckling her left boot up. She by the time Sophie had responded she had finished

"Well I was going tell you that your mom's on her way here, but since you were mean to me I'm not gonna." Sophie said.

"Say Soph anyone ever tell you that you remind them of your mother." Eliana said as she clicked the last buckle on her right boot down. Standing up she walked out of the room, followed by Sophie who added.

"Yeah people actually tell me that a lot, maybe I look like her." The response was a groan and a half whispered.

"Why me."

Eliana led the way down the building's corridor. Which was made of the same grey stone as her room. Well actually the whole building was made of it. Outside of the thick walled bedrooms one could here the howling wind of the storm outside. Eliana looked over her shoulder at Sophie.

"Where did you say my Mom was." Eliana asked slightly worried.

"Erm, well I didn't and neither did Mom." Sophie replied curiously her own curiosity and worry now aroused by Eliana's question. "I'm sure she's fine thought." Sophie added to the end of her statement. In an attempt to try and raise Eliana's hopes.

Eliana smiled at this but then her face turned back to a frown. They walked the rest of the way down the hall in silence. At the end the hall opened into a large room which had four large wooden tables in it. At the back of the room was an archway leading in a small alcove which housed a kitchen, separated from the main room by a pair of saloon doors. To on the far side of the room were three stain glass windows. Each depicting a scene from the bible. Next to windows was another thick door, like that in Eliana's room. The room had a little girl .She was around eight and smiled when she saw Eliana and Sophie enter the room.

"Sophie, Eliana." The girl said jumping to her feet and running to the two girls. When she got to Eliana she threw her arms around the girl's leg. Eliana looked down at little girl and smiled. She had mahogany brown hair with a single streak of pure white which ran from her left temple all the way to the base of her left pigtail. It was very thin, and as long as Eliana and Sophie had known this girl, no explanation had arisen as to how she got it. Her hair was itself was in pigtails. When lose it usually reached midway down her back. The little girl had large green eyes that had a childlike innocence in them. She wore a sky blue dress which as a little large as all her other clothes were all messy and a little tatty from too much playing' Vash the stampede' with the boys. Eliana smiled, she remembered doing that at Kaitlyne's age.

"Good morning Kaitlyne." Eliana greeted the little girl with a smile and after regarding her attire asked.

"Why're you dressed up?"

"Aunt Millie told me, she said someone special was coming, I hope there aren't gonna try and take me away last like last time. I don't wanna leave. I wanna stay here with Aunt Millie an you an Sophie." The girl said sadly. Eliana smiled again.

"Don't worry, I wont let anyone take you away." Eliana reassured. Kaitlyne's eyes lit up and she beamed a big smile.

"Promise."

"Promise, now have you had any breakfast."

"Nope aunt Millie's making some now." The little girl informed Eliana and Sophie.

"I'll go and see if mom wants some help." Sophie dashed into the kitchen. Eliana stood and walked to a table. Her boots echoing as she crossed the cold stone floor. Kaitlyne followed and sat down in the seat next to Eliana. A few seconds later Millie Thompson backed through the Saloon doors carrying two plates in her large hands. She had aged during the seventeen years since the Vash returned from his battle with Knives. Her hair was now turning slightly grey, but she remained her happy bubbly self. Her hair was currently tied back into a ponytail that swayed wildly when she pushed thought the doors. Millie wore a pair of brown slacks and a white shirt. Customary clothes for her. Millie had left Vash and Meryl shortly after Vash's return with the unconscious Knives. Millie stalwart in her reserve had decided to take her dead love's profession and run his orphanage. Even during her during her pregnancy. As she did to this very day. Vash had once remarked on one of his frequent visits. That it was slightly ironic that Wolfwood's own child had been born his orphanage. The ever happy Millie spun around and smiled.

"Good morning Eliana." Millie addressed the teenager.
"Morning Sweetie." She added to Kaitlyne.

"Mornin' aunt Millie." Eliana and Kaitlyne echoed pleasantly. Eliana knew better than to ask after her mom, her 'aunt' could be evasive about that subject at the best of times. Millie set a plate down in front of Eliana and Kaitlyne. Both girls stared at the plates in front of them Sophie then emerged. Carrying only one plate. She took a spot opposite the other two girls Millie turned and smiled to the three before saying.

"Meryl wanted me to call her on the radio. So I'll leave you to eat okay."

"Sure Mom." Sophie replied between hastily swallowed mouthfuls of her meal.

"Say hi to her for me." Eliana added as Millie left the room by the door next to the stain glass windows. She then looked down at hers before deciding weather to eat it. Millie had been known for some rather unconventional food combinations before. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it was just bacon, toast and eggs. Eliana began to tuck in, taking small mouthfuls of bacon. She didn't really feel like eating so ate slowly although to her time seemed to stand still. This always seemed to around her birthday. For some reason beyond her comprehension Eliana's body seemed to defy time, when she was ten she looked sixteen, when she sixteen she looked twenty three. But no matter how many times she had asked her mother Eliana had not gotten an answer. She sighed and poked the yoke of her egg with her fork. The yoke burst and poured out over the egg white. That was another matter her mother. Eliana hadn't seen her for a year and a half.

"Aren't you hungry Eliana." Kaitlyne asked. Looking up at Eliana.

"Not really. I was just thinking about stuff." Eliana replied quietly. Eliana pushed her plate away and got up. She crossed the room quickly and exited the room by the same door as Millie. As she closed the door behind her Kaitlyne and Sophie exchanged worried looks. Eliana walked down a short corridor past the entrance to the orphanages church and into a tall and wide corridor, she looked left and right down corridor and saw no sign of Millie. Quickly Eliana walked down the hall towards a set of large wooden doors at least twice her height, with a smaller door cut into the larger ones. Eliana walked quietly slightly fearful that Millie might hear her boots echoing in the corridor.

Eliana however reached the end of the corridor safely. Near the end next the cloak room was a rack on the wall that had a several thick, sandblasted coats on it. These were for going out in sandstorms such as the one outside. The coats were at a least an inch thick and made of very heavy leather. They made walking slow. However walking in a sandstorm was no easy feet. So the added weight didn't matter much . They were originally all a dark brown color but use over time and the repeated battering with sand and worn them to a dull brown. as well as the coats there were scarves and pairs of goggles to shield you eyes from the sand. Eliana walked to the rack and pulled a coat off. She shrugged it with a bit of difficulty and then buttoned it up. Eliana then picked a pair of goggles her size and pulled them onto her forehead ready to push down when she got out of the door. Eliana took one look back down the corridor to see if Millie or anyone else was there.

Sliding her hand inside her jacket Eliana checked her derringer was still in place. When she was sure it was in easy reach should she need it. Eliana walked to the smaller door. Turning the key in the lock she swung the door back and was greeted by two things. One was a blast of wind. The other was something far more dangerous. A woman of medium height, with jet black hair. Dark hazel eyes. A winning smile and a deadly temper. The woman wore a similar sand coat to the one Eliana now wore. She also wore a pair of sand goggles that were opaque to block the sun. Although Eliana couldn't actually see them the steely eyes she knew they were boring a hole into her. And displeased expression the rest of the face told Eliana she wasn't in for an easy time. Meryl Stryfe wasn't known for going easy on people she was angry at.

"Erm. Hi Mom." Eliana said meekly.