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Chapter27: Vash's POV
It was still full dark outside when he awoke laying in his side, body tightly curled up against Meryl's. Even though this wasn't the first time, he still found it shocking that she had fallen asleep with him. As his thoughts turn to the night before, the idea of being free of the bounty surprises him. It is something he had hoped for but never expected. Who was this judge that she spoke of with such easy regard and dismissal? Why did she refer to him so familiarly?

Giving a small shake of his head, he shifts a little bit so he can carefully look at her. In sleep her lavender eyes are closed giving her a peaceful look. He hadn't noticed her lack of clothing the previous night because she had distracted him with the news on his freedom. Now as he studies her, he realizes that the towel that had been wrapped around her is no longer there, and she is still pressing against him.

Smiling, he brushes his hand against her face delicately, running his fingers across her skin. Her eyes flicker open, and she smiles back at him, her expression full of happiness.

"Hey," she murmurs, "how long have you been awake?"

He gives a small shake of his head, "Not long, I was trying not to disturb you."

She leans over a little, kissing his shoulder since it is the first thing in reach. "You're not disturbing me."

He ducks his head a little, shifting his body a little. He is uncomfortable with his skin. While he is used to the various marks covering him, he still finds it odd that she is not repulsed by them. Sometimes he wonders if it is just pity that keeps her with him. Giving a shake of his head, he pushes those thoughts away. Meryl is not the type to stay with a person out of pity.

"You're being silly aren't you?" she inquires, watching his face.

He flushes, "A little, however let's not talk about that right now."

She smiles as he leans over her, kissing her deeply. The hand that had been skimming her face shifts to skim over her body. He enjoys the way she arches into his touch, the feel of her skin, and breathy response to him. It's more than he had hoped for. He takes his time learning about her, enjoying the various responses she makes as he worships her body with his own. She has a beautiful body, soft and perfectly filled out.

A couple of spots always draw his attention include the small scar on her side of stomach, the birthmark on her hip, and the tiny sun and moon tattoo on her left hip. Smiling to himself he takes the time to pay attention to them as much as he does her breasts. Eventually, as both of them gasp for air, he moves up her body, kissing her the entire time. When they are perfectly lined up, he surges into her wet warmth gasping at the feel of her surrounding him. For a while nothing can be heard within the room except the soft moans from her, and the harsh noises he is making. As the sun shimmers into the room around the curtains, he finds himself gasping as all aspects of control are lost in the moment. Together they arch, straining against the other as release hits them hard. Gasping, he holds himself just a little above her by using his forearm to support his body.

The look in her eyes makes him hope for something more, that this isn't something temporary but long lasting.

Shifting to his side, he pulls her close, holding her as they relax in the afterglow.

"What's the scar on your stomach?" he eventually asks, the curiosity getting the better of him. Normally, he wouldn't inquire because he know he doesn't like to talk about scars so he doesn't ask others, but it makes him so very curious he can't help himself.

She stretches beside him, arching like a cat as she does so. "I got shot, once, a long while ago trying to save my cousin. I failed, she died, I got revenge on those who were responsible. None of them died, but none of them will ever walk properly again either." She shrugs, telling him, "Lila was Ethan's wife, my first cousin. The three of us grew up together. He became a judge, she was his assistance and record keeper, and I studied law. Then she died, I went into insurance instead, he stayed as a judge, but we stopped talking often. Now the only time we deal with each other is when there is a case. It annoys the hell out of him, because we had been friends for years, however I hold him partly responsible for her death, since he had a completely new group of guards at the time who did not know the first thing about dealing with surprise attacks and I had told him that before the attack, that they were not ready."

Her voice is soft as she relays all of this to him, but he can hear the sadness in her tone. She had been fond of this Lila, very fond of her. So that is why she had learned to use a gun and understood the law so well. Her temper, well it explained why she had that edge of raw anger, a short fuse when dealing with most people. She never really dealt with her loss. Unlike Knives who had turned his rage into blind hate, she had used hers to fuel herself, to keep herself going. No wonder he annoys her, he probably reminds her of herself.

Knives, how good are you at keeping people calm? He sends out the mental inquiry after feeling to see if his brother is awake.

A mental smirk is his reply, Fairly good at it actually, makes it easier to move around if spiders are not freaking out and annoying me more than normal. Why?

We're going to have company, a guy who makes Meryl's temper worse. He replies mentally sighing.

I can kill it if you want, Knives offers in an offhanded manner.

No. They're related to Meryl, but she is pissed at them.

Well if you insist. When are they going to be here?

After breakfast.

Alright, tell temper I have a pot of coffee waiting for her. Knives replies before cutting the connection.

When he stops focusing on his brother he is startled to see Meryl giving him a questioning look, blushing he tells her, "Knives says he has coffee waiting for you."

She glances at the clock as she sits up, a small smile on her face. "Coffee?" she repeats, she seems startled. "That's two days in a row, he keeps that up and it will become his job to make sure there is coffee."

He sits up as well, chuckling. "Some reason I think he wouldn't mind that."

Its her turn to chuckle, leaning over, she kisses his lips before getting out of bed and heading into the bathroom to bath. While she is doing that, he goes through his morning exercises. Even though Tala had healed some of the muscle damage, he still has some stiffness in his side and shoulder that only goes away with exercise. He doesn't hear when she gets out of the shower, nor is he paying attention when she passes through the room with an appreciative glance in his direction that he notices without realizing it.

While he stretches the muscles in his body, he reflects on the new details that he had learned.