Disclaimer: Trigun is sadly enough not mine, or there would have been way more episodes!

Chapter24: Milly's POV
When she first gets up she is not as startled to not see Meryl in the other bed. When Meryl had gotten home, Mr. Vash had been waiting for her on the porch. She was fairly sure that they were still feeling their way in how to deal with each other in their situation. That was alright, it was adorable to watch.

Scrubbing her face with her hands, she dresses, changing into the second set of dirty work clothes that she has. Though as she dresses she looks herself over in the mirror. I don't look any different, she thinks as she studies herself, still all long limbs and solid. I've not put on any weight, and I am still flat when I turn sideways. Oh well, she considers, I'll just have to plan for getting some new clothes when I do start to show.

Once she done, she heads into the kitchen to get her coffee. She is extremely happy to see Meryl fluttering around in her normal pre-breakfast style as she throws together whatever it is she is cooking.

"Morning Meryl," she mutters as she grabs a cup of fresh hot coffee, "hmmmmm, tasty."

Meryl smiles at her, "You'll have to thank Knives, he was up before me, and got the coffee started before taking a shower."

Her eyes widen slightly in shock, it's the first time he has done something around the house that she can think of. Mostly he has kept to himself, occasionally watching her, but preferring to spend time with Mr. Vash. Thinking of them makes her wonder where they are at.

"Where are Mr. Vash and Mr. Knives?" she inquires, trying to remember if she had seen them yet.

Meryl's smile changes, it seems more pleased, more pronounced, "Vash is outside, some of the kids from town wanted to play, and you know him, never an opportunity missed to do so. Knives, well last I knew he was showering, so I don't know where he is if that's not it."

She nods, knowing exactly what she means. There had been plenty of times he had spent time in a community just to play with the kids. As she drinks her coffee she wonders if Mr. Knives likes children too. Almost every community that had been massacred, the children had been left living so it made her wonder. Shaking her head, she finishes her first cup of coffee and feels far more awake.

"Now that you have had your first cup of coffee, did you go see the doctor like you were supposed to?" Meryl asks her as she starts setting the food on the table.

She nods, replying, "I did, she said I was around four months pregnant, she also said I am to take vitamins."

Meryl smiles at her, responding, "Alright, did you get the vitamins or do we need to get them today? Best if you start those as soon as you can."

She shakes her head, "No, not yet. She said vitamin but I don't know what one she thinks I need."

"Hmmmm, probably the prenatal they're for women who are pregnant, so that would make sense." Meryl replies, "you realize that Knives knows your pregnant, I am not sure if Vash understood the conversation or not, he was distracted I think."

Her eyes get wide at that, "How does Mr. Knives know?"

Meryl shrugs, "He's a telepath, who apparently was curious about something in your head. Past that, apparently the third sister decided his punishment for the havoc he has caused is to make sure your little ones okay." She pauses, glancing at her, "I am certain that he will respect it."

Shock fills her eyes, she had not expected it to go that way. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she had expected. A long conversation over breakfast? Who knows just not that he had been assigned to her by his sisters and that's why she didn't need to worry. What about not worrying because he realized he was wrong? That would have been a better thing won't have? Shaking her head she gets a second cup of coffee and stares at it, still lost in thought.

She's pulled from it however, when Meryl sighs, sitting down across from her, "Listen Milly, when I confronted him on it, it offended him. I am fairly certain that he would help you without the order." She shrugs, "He's changing too much to be same guy as Vash brought here."

"Really, Meryl? You really think so?" she hopes that Meryl is right, because then her image of a happy family is complete. She really doesn't like the idea that he would help because he has to.

Meryl nods, standing up and grabbing the dishes, "Indeed, besides, you have your own name with him besides spider. That has to count for something. Now why don't you go tell Vash and if you see Knives, Knives, that breakfast is done?"

Smiling, she stands up, "Alright Meryl, be right back."

She stands up and turns around, slightly surprised to see Mr. Knives standing in the doorway, his electric blue eyes locked on Meryl's back in a rather nasty glare. For a moment she is startled by the expression but she trusts that Meryl is right. The only time Meryl has been vastly wrong in the past is when dealing with her emotions about Mr. Vash, so she is pretty sure she is right about this.

"Hi Mr. Knives," she greets him, "did you hear Meryl say breakfast is done?"

His gaze shifts from Meryl's back and there is a visible change in tone to it, flashing her a smile he nods. "I did."

"Oh good," she replies noticing the change in demeanor but not saying anything about it. Smiling she passes him and goes to the door. Opening it up she laughs as she watches Vash play with the kids for a minute before calling out, "Breakfast is done, Meryl says come eat."

Gracefully, he withdraws from the game and comes looping over. "Morning tall girl, how are you?"

"I'm good, Meryl has breakfast done." She tells him, something seems different she just isn't sure what it is.

Smiling at her, the two of them head inside, when they reach the kitchen she can just about feel the contest of wills going on between Meryl and Mr. Knives. She is not sure exactly what it is about, but she really hopes it's not going to be a problem. Glancing at Mr. Vash, she realizes that he feels it too.

"Found him, he was rolling in the dirt so are you going to tell him to get clean like you do me?" Milly inquires off-handedly.

It seems to do what it was designed to because the staring contest ends as her glance flicker over at him. "No, he's not abosultly covered in mud like you do. Just some dust," comes her friends reply.

Mr. Vash glances between everyone before taking a seat, "So breakfast, I smell breakfast, I see breakfast, so why aren't we eating yet?" his tone is playful, directed at no one in particular as he sits down.

Once Milly is in her seat, Meryl pours her another cup of coffee while pouring her own as well.

"You weren't trying to have an actually discussion with her before her coffee were you?" Milly comments, directed at Mr. Knives. "Neither of us are morning people, she's just better at acting like it then me."

Mr. Vash grins and nods, "That's true, I've seen her some mornings before the coffee she's something else."

"Says the guy who can demolish an entire bag of donuts without breathing," Meryl rejoins, her sense of humor coming back.

With the tension gone, she glances between Mr. Vash and Meryl, commenting, "You could bring her coffee in the morning," to Mr. Vash who almost falls out of his seat while blushing.

The rest of breakfast goes smoothly, with easy banter. Mostly, Mr. Knives remains quiet except for the occasional pick towards his brother. There seems to be almost a cease fire between Meryl and him, they seem to be avoiding speaking with each other as well. Once breakfast is done, she goes to cleaning up. Surprisingly enough, both brothers help while Meryl goes and showers in the second bathroom. When she gets back out, wearing her black and white insurance outfit she has a pad a paper and a pen.

"Well, we've all discussed the future at one point or another, though not all at once, so how about we get this out of the way before it is time for Milly and I to head to work?" Meryl takes her seat and waits for the others to do the same.

Once everyone is seated at the table her glance flickers of each of them before coming to rest on her paper. "So here's what we have, Milly's pregnant, I've already filled an appeal with the Feds in regards to Vash, and we have both put in for max vacation in order to have time to plan."

Mr. Vash is staring at her, his eyes wide and something not understandable in them. He seems shocked and Milly decides it is best to clarify things before he jumps to a conclusion, "Meryl's getting your name cleared. She's well known for being honest and collecting all her facts, so generally the guys in the main office listen when she sends something in."

"Oh…" he mutters.

Meryl glances his way and raises an eyebrow at him, "You really weren't thinking I was going to turn you over after all this time were you? 'Cause that would be plain stupid, there were plenty of chances to do that, remember."

He blushes, looking at the wall on the other side of the room.

"Anyways, now that the points of the matter are covered let's move on. Is there a particular region that any of us want to settle in?" she asks, glancing around again.

"Not near one of the big cities or Amerkar, if we're too close to Amerkar then the entire family will want to come and stay and I don't want all of the questions that will come with that." Milly replies after thinking about it a bit.

While she loves her family, she really does not want to deal with them about this yet. She hasn't yet figured out a way to tell them that she was pregnant and that the father of the baby was dead. She sure as hell was not sure how to explain the current situation with the brothers either. So instead she figures the can find a place of their own and settle.

Mr. Knives comments next, "Somewhere with space to grow things, I like green and being surrounded by straight up desert is annoying."

Meryl nods, writing it down.

"Somewhere quiet, nowhere near any of the main communities." Comes Mr. Vash's soft answer.

"Alright, so somewhere away from all major communities, where there can be a big enough property in order to have a garden, while staying away from Amerkar. How about somewhere near Maran? It's fairly small, doesn't have a high crime problem, and according to records is not somewhere you have visited long enough to have bounty hunters show up." Meryl eventually comments after writing everything down.

She knows that Meryl had done a great deal of research prior to them leaving to find him the first time, she had also done another round of research during the two year period he was missing as well. She also knew that Meryl had been researching how to clear Mr. Vash's name prior to the events leading up to Legato's death but had been unable to find an exact reason why someone who intentionally frame him. Until she had a way to prove that he had not been the cause of the problems she had just continued to amass paperwork. Then came the events including Legato.

Mr. Knives just shrugs, Mr. Vash looks at her oddly, and she smiles remarking, "Well no one is saying no, so let's make that our destination. When do we want to go?"

Meryl taps the pen against her paper for a moment, thinking, "Well Judge Ulem should be here within the week, might as well get that out of the way first, any time after that."

Mr. Knives narrows his eyes at her commenting, "You seem awful sure he is going to withdraw the bounty, why?"

She pipes up before Meryl can reply, "Isn't that the judge in charge of damage that works with the insurance company?"

Nodding, Meryl replies, "He is, he is also the leading judge for the appeals courts. It's in his favor to void the bounty since I have the proof, affidavits, and written statements to back the fact it was actually bounty hunters and a host of other now-imprisoned criminal who caused most of the damage that is attributed to him." shrugging she continues, "beyond that, he wants the matter closed and this is the easiest way to deal with it. He'll probably want a form of compensation for the July incident, which I have an idea for that as well."

Both brothers just stare at her, one surprised that she tried and the other surprised that she thinks it will work.

"Listen, we spent almost a year with you before you vanished for two, during that time I had plenty of paper work to do, and plenty of opportunities to observe your actions. During that missing two years I went back to do interviews with different people, and get even more paper work. It wasn't until a couple of months ago that I was finally able to get it organized to a point where I could turn it in, so that's what I did." Meryl informs Mr. Vash seriously before shrugging, taking another sip of coffee. "Your highly intelligent, have a minor reputation for being a dork, and many are beginning to wonder if about the killing rep since there never seems to be any casualties."

Mr. Vash nods after a few minutes of considering it. He seems shocked at how much thought she had put into the effort. She is not sure why he is surprised at Meryl's effort. He should realize after all the times she had tried to keep him away from the bounty hunters that she was good at her job.

Mr. Knives eventually inquires, "What do you think he will want for compensation?"

She shrugs, giving him a look, "Either money or a service, I'd suggest the service myself. According to the memories that Merra gave me, your both skilled at working the machines that burns the girls extra energy and runs the communities. Since there is no one who can do so as effectively, my suggestion would be to fix or reprogram several of them, its worth more than the money in the long run, gives you a valid reason to visit them that no one can question, and allows them to not have an idiot trying to tamper with them." Pausing, she glances between them, "So?"

For a while the four of them sit there in silence, eventually Mr. Vash comments, "It might just work. I never thought that it would be that simple."

Milly giggles, trying not to outright laugh. Mr. Vash really should consider who he is talking about here, Meryl is way too determined for things not to go the way she wants when she puts her mind to it. At this point she has decided that the bounty needs to go so that's what she is doing. Smiling to herself she considers that both brothers are in for some surprises when it comes to Meryl. Mr. Knives has no idea how accurate his name for her really is.