Author's Ramblings: Oh my. What a fast update. And the plot is moving rather fast. :0 Actually this stuffs about Meryl and Vash isn't the actual plot but rather a fl—We'll see.
;Standard Disclaimer applies.
Chapter two: Expecting
Milly stared, utterly dumbfounded. "Oh my goodness…" Meryl flushed and her cheeks began to glow.
"But," Milly protested. "You… you're sure?" She was fumbling for words.
Meryl nodded, sinking into her shoulders, blushing. Milly simply stared.
"I'm really happy, Milly."
"Well…" Milly started, still completely lost for words. "Then I'm happy for you too, Meryl!" Milly's mouth broadened and she gave her friend a bear hug. "That's completely wonderful, Meryl!"
"Yes. It is." Meryl patted Milly's shoulder, hunched up in her arms, letting a great big smile spread across her face.
"So. It is…?" Milly posed, hesitant of furthering her sentence.
"Yes. His." Meryl went magenta. Milly giggled.
"Well I sure am happy for you, Meryl. Overjoyed! Are you going to tell mister Vash tonight? Soon? Or have you already told him?" Meryl's heart quickened.
"N-no. I haven't told him. I don't know what his reaction would be." She tugged anxiously at the hem of her skirt.
"I'm sure mister Vash would be just as happy, if not more!" Milly chipped reassuringly.
"Happy about what?" Vash's voice inquired from the foot of the stairs. Meryl shrieked in horror, spontaneously lobbing a sudsy frying pan at him.
"ACH!" Vash yelled and toppled over backwards, a spurt of blood cascading out of his nostrils.
"Oh my gosh! Sorry Vash!" Meryl hastily made to his side, pulled out a handkerchief and began swabbing away the blend of soap and blood.
"N-no biggie," he managed, socked dumb from Meryl's greeting. Milly chuckled.
"Er… Umm…" Meryl shivered in her jacket. "H-how much did you… h-hear?"
"Nothing critical, I swear!" Vash waved his hands vigorously in protest to being dealt another lemon fresh beating. Meryl heaved a sigh of relief.
"Good," she said forcefully, ignoring Milly's giggles. She flopped down beside Vash, hugging herself and sighing.
"Something I wasn't meant to hear?" Vash sat up, facing Meryl. Meryl curled up.
"Well… Not that you weren't meant to hear," she mumbled. Milly paused for a moment then quickly sidled out of the room, not wanting to pry on blossoming romance.
"Meryl?" Vash shuffled forward. Meryl looked up, her eyes alight, and absentmindedly began tracing Vash's features. Damp, tousled strands of blonde fell over his forehead. Meryl followed them down to his eyes and there she lost herself. Conscious thought slipped out of her brain and she could no longer move. She simply sat, mesmerized, spent within those eyes of Vash's: those piercing, but soft and cool and amazing and brilliant and bright and… andwonderful green-aqua eyes.
"Meryl?" Vash repeated.
"Aha!" Meryl snapped out of her spell, shaking thought back into her head. "Y-yes?"
"You were saying?"
"I was?" she relayed, still slightly stunned. "Ah. Oh yes. I was, wasn't I?" She laughed slightly. Vash cocked an eyebrow and Meryl flushed.
"What's up?" Vash insisted.
"Ah, well…" Meryl's voice caught in her throat, terrified of a negative reaction on Vash's part if she were to tell him her secret.
"Is it something important?"
Meryl nodded, staring down at her knees.
"Very important," she replied.
"Do you want to tell me?"
She nodded again.
"Yes, I do, but I'm not sure."
"I don't understand." Vash gave her a puzzled expression.
"I just…" Meryl choked, folding her arms firmly over her middle. She felt her face tempering again. Vash gazed at her inquiringly.
"I do have something really important to tell you." Meryl stood up, leaving Vash looking up at her still quietly and confusedly. "But I don't think I'm bold enough to tell you right now." And without further ado, she stole herself and ran up the staircase into her room, shutting the door quickly behind herself.
For the second time that day Meryl was breathing heavily, pooling that secret in her room. She sighed, glancing out of the window at the night sky, the stars within it twinkling. Meryl felt she needed something soothing, so she let herself into the bathroom. She took a warm bath, washing her hair and cleansing her body of the day's air. She lay in the soapsuds for a long time, brooding to herself as the water became tepid. What had he called her? Insurance girl? Hadn't Vash taken to just calling her Meryl now that there were no reservations between their relationship? She towel dried her hair, brushed it vacantly and slipped into a tartan nightgown.
Stepping into her fluffy slippers, she shut the bathroom door behind her and flicked the light off, sighing. Moonlight dammed at the walls outside but leaked in through the open, she noticed, french windows. She made to close them then suddenly registered the ominous figure perched on the balcony railing.
"Vash?" Meryl ventured a little closer. "Ah, you pervert," she said, but she didn't really mean it. She looked at him sitting there beautifully and, yes, even a little sexily, on the black rails. He wore nice light blue pajamas and white slippers. The moonlight painted over him and exaggerated his features, shadows clinging to every depression on his form. Vash looked at Meryl and smiled smugly.
"I'm not letting you get away," he said.
"Get out of my room," Meryl replied curtly.
"If I let you go tonight, you'll just find more and more ways to avoid me." The smirk was gone.
Meryl paused, taken aback. "I-it's not like that," she whimpered weakly, looking away.
"Meryl," Vash spoke firmly. "I don't recall this room solely belonging to you. I seem to remember it was 'ours.'"
Meryl was silent. "…It is," she finally let out. Vash erased the distance between them, and tucked his hand under Meryl's chin, making her face him.
"I'll never figure it out," he told her. "You're always telling me how dense I am, so you'll just have to tell me straight out and, I know, if you don't tell me now, you'll get less and less likely to as we go on."
"I said it wasn't like that," Meryl choked, swallowing back tears.
"It probably isn't, but that doesn't make it right for you to hide from me."
Meryl let her head fall onto Vash's chest, resigning.
"I was so happy," she whispered calmly, but shaking a little.
"And I ruined it by coming back?"
Meryl's eyes widened. "No! No, of course not! No way! I'm overjoyed to have you back. But I'm just… frightened of what you might think if I tell you."
"Meryl," Vash spoke delicately, setting Meryl's senses afire. "I told you then…"
She shifted away from the bed slightly.
"…That I would protect you." Vash slowly put his arms around Meryl's shaking form, leaning down and resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. "You don't have to be bold."
Meryl let out a muffled whimper, Vash's voice weakening her to the point of breaking down and throwing herself at him. She raised her arms, putting them against his warm chest and clutching at the fabric of his pajamas. "Okay," she murmured. "Vash, please be ready for this."
Vash gave her shoulder an amorous squeeze in assurance.
"Something really wonderful has happened to me," Meryl breathed to him.
"And you've been making it seem so horrible."
"Vash!"
"I'm sorry."
Meryl took a deep breath, her body shaking.
"Vash…I'm…"
"Mm?"
"I'm…expecting." Meryl squeaked shrilly.
"Expecting what?" Vash asked thickly. Meryl growled lightly.
"Ahh! You know what I mean!"
"No, I don't."
"Grr! You are so dumb sometimes!" Meryl groused.
"Dumb? You're being evasive! It's hardly a matter of me being stupid!" Vash retorted hotly.
"Fine! I'm pregnant, okay? There! Are you happy now?"
Vash froze. Meryl draped her arms over him, a mixture of fear, happiness and petulance at Vash's stupidity coursing through her.
"You're really serious, aren't you?"
"You think I'd joke about a thing like that!"
"Meryl, that's," Vash stammered. Then a small smile crept up his face. "Meryl, that's fantastic!" And with that he hugged her so tight, she could barely return his affection.
Meryl beamed. "I know. I'm really, really happy."
"So am I!" Vash declared, spontaneously hoisting Meryl off her feet and twirling around the room with her. "I'm so happy! I'm, I'm! –Oh, Meryl!"
"I know," Meryl replied, staring deep into Vash's smile, savoring the happy moment they were sharing. She gave back his smile, leant down and kissed his cheek.
-
"Daddy?" Came a tiny voice of a child from a nearby threshold. The child's father jumped slightly, drawing his eyes away from the album on the table in front of him.
"What is it, sweetie?" He replied croakily, giving his child a tired smile.
"I can't sleep. Can I have a drink?"
"Yes. Yes, of course you can."
"Can you get it for me?"
"Sure. What would you like?"
"Just a drink of water."
-
The following morning, Meryl awoke feeling entirely content. She propped herself up onto her elbows and looked around. Every seemed beautiful that morning. The gentle breeze fanning the gossamer curtains, the mid-morning sunlight flowing in through the French windows, the cool, fluffy feather pillows; the simple scene and atmosphere surrounding Meryl made her feel completely relaxed. She flopped back down onto the pillows, smiling to herself.
'What a perfect morning,' she contemplated. Wait. Something was missing. She glanced at the space next to her and saw only quilt. He wasn't there with her.
"Vash?" she called, somewhat anxiously. Where was he?
'Wait. What time is it?' Meryl looked to a clock on the dry wall. 'Oh.' It dawned on her. Of course Vash wasn't still in bed! He rose at sparrow's, for heaven's sake! Who could have expected him to stay in bed until ten o'clock?
"Ten o'clock?" Meryl digested the information. "Ah! I overslept!" she shrieked, flying out of bed. Meryl never liked to sleep more than the healthy amount of eight hours.
"Yes, indeed you did! And I'm very ashamed of you," came a mock scornful voice from outside the bedroom door. "You should've been housecleaning hours ago, little miss slugabed!" Vash pushed open the door with his elbow, carrying a tray laden with toast, pancakes, waffles, fried eggs and a jug of orange juice. Meryl stared.
"Sit!" Vash ordered with the air of a looming schoolteacher. "Back in bed, you!"
Meryl suppressed a snort of laughter and sat back down on the bed. Smirking, Vash strode over to her and laid the tray across her lap.
"Breakfast in bed," he announced.
Meryl looked down at the contents of her meal.
"Well aren't you being strangely lovely?" Meryl eyed Vash suspiciously, furrowing her brow. Vash whistled innocently. Meryl paused then began to sniff the air.
"What?" Vash said defensively, staring at her.
"I can't smell smoke," she said. "I didn't know you could cook without imploding something," she sneered. Vash glowered.
"Eat!" he insisted. Meryl chuckled, raising a waffle to her mouth. Vash took a seat on the bed and reclined.
"Aren't you going to eat something?" Meryl asked after finishing an egg.
"Oh, already ate," Vash replied simply, folding his arms behind his head.
"I see," said Meryl. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and finished her meal with one last pancake, leaving a little less than half of it to waste.
"That was actually quite nice," she said, lightly dabbing her lips with a napkin. "Lovely, in fact," she added, much to Vash's surprise. "And I can't eat another bite." Vash smiled warmly at her.
"I'm glad you liked it," he said, taking the tray off her.
"I did. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Vash took the tray and made for the door.
"I should tell you that I'm pregnant every day, if that's the kind of treatment you give me for it," Meryl tittered
"Heh. Maybe," Vash chuckled. "But I'm sure you would get it anyway." With that he blew her a tiny kiss and left the room smiling. And it was true. Meryl did receive lovely treatment from Vash from that day on, no matter what mood she was in.
Months passed easily by and Meryl began to take the expected symptoms as her middle gradually widened. Milly was helpful and supportive of Meryl, by her side almost always and caring for her when a less than wonderful symptom took its toll.
-
"There you go, honey."
"Thanks, dad," the small child said, taking the glass of water from their father's hand and toddling back towards their bedroom. "G'night, daddy," they bid.
"Good night, sweetie. Sleep well."
The somnolent male sighed, slumping down onto a somewhat moth-eaten sofa, resting his head in his hands. A large figure clad in bright yellow pajamas appeared at the doorway of another bedroom, unnoticed by him.
"You're still up, mister Vash?" exclaimed the woman in the vivid nightclothes.
And there is, as they say, chapter two for you. :0
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