Love and Peace

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Again I do not own Trigun...wish I did, but I don't. But all ideas in this fic are of my own creation.

Vash's POV

Slowly I made my way into the town of Empresia my brother Knives slung over one of my shoulders, and the sun beating down upon us. Happiness flowed through me at the thought of being back, and an even happier thought of finally coming home to her.

'This is it. I'll finally be able to tell Maryl how I feel about her, I just hope she feels the same.' Slowing to a halt I stand in front in front of a cozy looking two storey home silently I just stood there taking in the sight of it.

"I'm home." Those were the best two words to ever leave my mouth for as long as I can remember.

Standing outside the house for a few minutes longer I took in how it looked, the girls obviously have been doing some remodelling, the front yard now had some flowers planted in the flowerbed that was in front of the house. And they had repainted the fence that surrounded the spacious front yard. It looked nice, I wondered what the inside now looked like. Not wanting to waste anymore time I quietly opened the gate and made my way up to the front door and entered our home. When I got inside I quickly slipped my boots off and gently removed Knives without waking him and proceeded to walk into the front room, there I saw the room was completely redone. The couches that once were in the room were gone and new ones in their place, pictures of the insurance ladies, Wolfwood and myself were scattered about the room as well. But what surprised me most was a small crib set up in one corner of the room.

'But why is there a crib set up? I guess I'll have to just ask later.' I heard shuffling footsteps make there way down the stairs and a mans voice I instantly recognise calls out.

"Who's there? Is that you Meryl?" Wolfwood gets to the bottom of the steps and stops short at the sight of me. "Vash? Good to see you friend, welcome home."

Wolfwood and I take my brother upstairs to my old room and settle him into bed before making our way downstairs to the kitchen to have a drink and celebrate my return home in one piece. Once we were in the kitchen and sat down at the table with a drink in front of us each, Wolfwood and I start up a conversation about what has happened since I left.

" So what's with the crib? Is someone you know having a baby?" At my question Wolfwood's face breaks into a wide grin.

"Well as a matter of fact it's someone that you know as well, Millie and I are expecting a baby in about seven and a half months. I'm going to be a father Vash, who knew hey?" To say I was surprised was an understatement, would I ever get to experience the joy that these two will? I was cut out of my musings when I heard the front door slam and the sweet voice I longed to hear while I was away.

"Hello, I'm home! Are you around Wolfwood?" The soft footsteps that belonged to Meryl were approaching the kitchen and my heart started racing in my ribcage. I look up as the footsteps stop in the kitchen doorway, and there she was just as beautiful as I remembered her and a shocked look adorned her face.

"Hey there insurance lady! Long time no see!" Slowly I watched Meryl's face drain of all color and her eyes roll back in her head as she fell to the floor in a dead faint. I look to Wolfwood concern etched on my face.

"Was it something I said?"

End Vash's POV

Quickly Vash rushes around the table from where he sat and swiftly scoops Meryl up into his arms and carries her over to a sofa laying her down. Wolfwood appears by his side a moment later with a cool damp cloth in his hand, taking the cloth from the priest Vash lays it upon Meryl's forehead. Gently he grasps her by the shoulder and shakes her.

"Meryl. Hey Meryl, wake up. Come on, please wake up!...It's me, Vash." Vash's voice was laced with worry as he looked upon the unconcious girl laying before him.

"You know I have to say that's quite the way to surprise someone Vash, mighty impressive, yet I don't think that I'll take that up myself." Vash looked up when Wolfwood spoke and smiled while rubbing the back of his sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess it would be a bit of a shock for her to just come and see me sitting there at the kitchen table like that. I just hope she wakes up soon. I really want to talk to her." Wolfwood watched as Vash looked back to Meryl on the couch, a look on his face that he'd never seen before.

'Does Vash love Meryl?' He silently wondered to himself, just then the front door opened and Millie's voice flooded the house.

"I'm home from work hunny! Is Meryl back yet?" Millie rounded the corner going into the front room and stopped short surveying the scene before her, there kneeling beside the couch was Vash and standing beside him her partner Wolfwood. A smile spread from one side of her face to another and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"MR. VASH! You're back! Oh I just knew you'd be back soon, and you know I was just telling Meryl that today too! By the way where is she? She said she was heading straight home." Walking up to where the boys were at she then noticed her best friend passed out on the couch. Vash looked up at the big girl sheepishly and Wolfwood laughed.

"Well, you see, I was having a drink with Wolfwood here in the kitchen when Meryl got home, and when she came into the kitchen and saw me she fainted." Vash explained, while Millie looked at her friend in confusion.

Pushing her way past the two men Millie sat next to Meryl on the couch, "Well if you want to wake her up all you have to do is this, MERYL STRYFE IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP NOW YOU'LL BE LATE FOR WORK!!"

No sooner had Millie stopped shouting at the unconcious girl, Meryl's eye flew open in pure shock and she was leaping off the sofa in a rush.

"Oh my gosh! I'm going to be late! I've got to get ready, wait what time is it?" Vash looked at Millie astonished as she sat there snickering at her friends panic attack. Slowly Meryl stopped and looked around to see where she was, that's when everything came flooding back to her as her eyes rested upon Vash standing there with a lopsided grin looking at her.

Millie rose from her spot on the sofa and grabbed Wolfwood by the arm dragging him to the kitchen with her, claiming that she and the baby were hungry. Silence filled the room as the only occupants in it stood there staring at each other. Meryl couldn't believe her eyes, the man she loved was finally home and standing right in front of her.

'Quick Meryl, think of something to say, anything!' Meryl wrapped an arm around her waist and opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out.

Vash also at that moment was having similar thoughts, ' Come on Vash, out with it, say something! Do something anyways!'

"Hi." Both spoke at the same time a blush spreading on both of their faces. Vash scratched the back of his head out of nervousness finally deciding on what he was going to do.

"Umm say do you want to go for a walk or something Meryl? I'd love to catch up with you if that's alright." Meryl looked up shocked when Vash used her name and her cheeks turned an even rosier shade than they already were. Slowly she nodded her head in an affirmative way.

"That would be lovely Vash, I don't have to work until after dark tonight so yeah, I'd love to go for a walk." Making their way to the front entrance Meryl called into the kitchen that they would be back in a bit and proceeded out the door with Vash.

Once they were out in the yard Vash came and stood beside Meryl and offered her his arm to hang onto as they walked. Meryl gratefully accepted and they made their way into the streets of the town. The first few minutes of walking were silent as each one of the duo was lost in their thoughts and watching the children play and run through the streets laughing. Suddenly Vash breaks the silence.

"So how have you been? What have you been up to since I've been gone?" He asks in a quiet voice.

"I've been doing well, I'm working at the local tavern here as a barmaid to help pay some of the bills. I assume you heard from Wolfwood that he and Millie are engaged and will be having a baby?" Vash smiled.

"Yeah, I did. That's wonderful news, I'm very happy for them. So do you have a suitor as well?" Meryl shakes her head and laughs all the while looking ahead.

"No I do not have a suitor, although I have had my share of proposals from the locals at the tavern while I'm working. But they were all drunken proposals so they don't really count now do they?" Vash looks at Meryl amusement dancing in his bright green eyes. She looks up at him and their eyes meet sending almost electric like shocks through their bodies, not even noticing that they'd stopped walking they just stood there looking at each other.

Little did they know but just a few feet away they had an audience watching them silently behind a newspaper, sitting there by the well. Millie and Wolfwood sat there watching their two friends as they stood there in the middle of the street staring at each other. Wolfwood after watching the two for a while finally got fed up with the staring match and jumped to his feet yelling.

"Oh for God's sakes will you two just hurry up and tell each other how you feel. This is getting to be ridiculous!" Snapping out of their trance at the sound of Wolfwood yelling, Meryl and Vash look away from each other blushing. Meanwhile Millie was now towing the fuming priest away by his ear all the while he continued to shout.

"Umm so, where's your brother Vash?" Vash looked back in the direction that the house was and smiled.

"He's actually back at the house, he's unconcious now but I'm guessing he'll probably wake up in a day or two. I had to shoot him, I feel badly that I did. But that's the only way we could both survive our battle. I want to rehabilitate him and show him that humans aren't what he thinks they are. It'll take time but I know he has good in him deep down." Meryl looked up in shock at Vash as he spoke of his brother with such adoration, despite the fact he tried to kill him so many times.

"That's really great Vash, I know we can do it. All of us are behind you one hundred percent of the way. I'll try and help you as much as I can." Eyes shining Vash swooped in and hugged Meryl tightly spinning them about on the spot whooping for joy.

"Are you serious? You're really going to help me with Knives?" Vash questioned Meryl as he finally set her back onto her feet. At her nod saying that she would Vash started to grin and spin her about again, while Meryl laughed as he did so.

Back at the house Wolfwod and Millie sat cuddled up on the sofa conversing about their two love struck friends.

" So what do you think we should do to help those two admit their feelings for each other hunny?" Millie aks as she slowly rubs her stomach absentmindedly, imagining what it will feel like once their baby starts moving around in there.

"I don't think we should do anything dear, we should let them get to it on their own. Besides it's much more amusing watching those two dance around each other and not to mention it's pretty fun to embarrass them like I did earlier." Quietly Wolfwood begins to chuckle as he recalls how red his friends' faces were when he interupted their moment back in the town square. Looking thoughtful for a moment Millie speaks.

"Yes, maybe you're right dear. We'll leave them be for now. But if they don't make much more progress by the end of the month, then we'll do something."

Meanwhile with Vash and Meryl the two resumed walking and soon found themselves at the bluff where they once sat under the stars just before Vash left to find Knives. The suns were slowly setting and the horizon was turning a rosy color as the two of them sat upon the ledge of the bluff looking out at the surroundings and the growing town below them. A breeze started to blow causing Meryl, who was only dressed in a green tank top like shirt and tan colored skirt, to shiver slightly. Noticing this Vash removed his jacket and settled it upon her shoulders, making sure she would be warm enough.

"Thank you Vash. Not just for the jacket, but for coming back. I was so worried about you, I would try to keep myself busy during the day but sometimes it didn't work. I would always wonder where you were and if you were hurt, or sometimes if I was really tired my mind would make me wonder even worse things!" At Meryl's confession of her worry over him while he was gone Vash's heart raced with excitement, but at the same time he felt badly she worried so much. And when he looked closely he could see the fatigue in her face from sleepless nights and worry lines if you looked even closer.

Swiftly he pulled the girl to him in a tight embrace, hanging onto her for dear life, slowly she wrapped her arms around his torso as sobs wracked over her as she at last got to shed the last remnants of her worry. Soothingly he rubbed a hand over her back and shushed her as the last of her sobs subsides, sniffling she pulls away from Vash and rubs her eyes gently.

'Was she really this worried about me? Do I really mean thatmuch to her? Does she care for me like I care for her? Well I guess there's only one way to find out, here goes nothing.' Vash thought wildly to himself.

He brings his hand up to Meryl's face and gently wipes a couple stray tears away with his thumb, slowly he incehs his face closer to hers so they're only an inch apart. Meryl sat there shocked at this sudden movement from Vash, her heart pounding excitedly in her chest at their proximity. Suddenly Vash closes the distance between them and slowly claims her lips in a gentle kiss, it took Meryl's breath away, slowly she melts into the kiss pressing her lips against his in a sign she enjoyed it. A small moan rose in Vash's throat as Meryl wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingernails up into his hair. Lightly he runs his tonuge across her bottom lip seeking permission to explore her mouth further, while he wrapped his free arm around her small frame to cradle her to him. Slowly she opens her mouth partially and their tongues begin a dance together, moving in perfect sync. Soon though a need for air occured and the two reluctantly pulled apart, placing gentle pecks on their lips as they did so. Vash lay his forehead against Meryl's and stroked the side of her face with his thumb that he already had resting on her face.

'Well Vash, now's the time. Tell her you love her. You already kissed the girl, now hurry up and confess!' Vash's mind argued with himself and he finally had the courage he was trying to summon all night.

"Meryl, I wnated to tell you all night that I..." Just as Vash was about to say anything there was a noise in the bushes that were near them and one of the local villagers came from behind them looking rather emabarrassed.

"I-I'm very sorry to interrupt Miss. Meryl and Mr. Vash. But Miss. Millie and the priest sent me up here to come and get you. They said it was urgent. You have a visitor Miss. Again I-I'm very sorry you two. I-I'll just be going now." And with that the villager was off.

Meryl's POV:

Of course! Just when the man I've secretly loved was about to open up to me after the most romantic moment of my life, there just has to be something come up. Wel might as well get this surprise visitor out of the way. For some reason I just can't shake this feeling that somethings happened, oh I really hope not. I look at Vash apologetically and give him a small smile before speaking.

" Well Vash, shall we go and see who decided to interrupt our evening. I'm really sorry about this, I mean the interruption, not what just happened." Mentaly I slap myself for how stupid I just made myself sound. Way to go Meryl, way to go.

"Sure, lets go. And I'm sorry too for the interruption, I was really enjoying myself." Quickly he stands and offers a hand out for me to grab onto, pulling me up to my feet. As fast as we can without falling down the rocky bluff we make our way to the bottom, making small talk along the way. I try to stay focussed on the conversation he's having with me but I keep finding my mind drifting back to our kiss. I will never forget that kiss for the rest of my life. Soon we were walking into the house and for me I was about to receive another big surprise, I just didn't know it yet.

End of Meryl's POV

Author's Note: Well that is the end of chapter 2. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it and there is much more to come. Tell me what you think by reviewing. And what's Meryl's next big surprise!? Read on to the next chapter and find out! You know you want to! Later days!