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

Chapter 52: Meryl's POV
"What am I going to do Meryl? One baby is hard to deal with, but there are two of them?" her tall friend inquires as she paces back and forth in her room.

When they had gotten back from the plant, Milly had asked her to come to her room, almost as soon as she shut the door, Milly had started with the pacing and worrying. Her idea was to just let her friend work it out of her system before answering. When her cousin had been pregnant she had done the same thing on a couple of occasions where she had fretted about the child. It seemed to work letting her get it out of her system. Finally, after over an hour of the fretting, she looks at Milly and switches to boss mode.

"Milly Thompson sit down this moment." She eventually commands her.

Milly almost automatically does as told, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Now listen to me Milly, we've gone over this, everything is going to be fine. You've got me and both of them, plus apparently a couple thousand bound plants. I am sure that if need be they will be some of the most protected children out there. It is nothing different than when you knew about the little boy." She tells her friend. "You'll have two children instead of one, but it's alright Milly. They will be well loved and well protected."

She nods, considering it, finally she smiles, "Thanks Meryl, I think I needed that, but I'm really tired now that the emotions are wearing off."

Giving her tall friend a quick hug, she bids her goodnight before leaving and heading to the room she shares with Vash. Since he is not there yet, she grabs her night shirt out of her bag before hopping in the shower. As she scrubbed herself down, she carefully considered all of the facts that she had learned about the Seeds village. Since they had gone to the plant today, she was pretty certain that they would go to the property tomorrow and meet up with the lizaeri that were supposed to meet them there. After that they were going to the Seeds village, and she wanted to be well prepared.

Sighing to herself, she rests her head against the back of the shower, considering the fact she was acting like the lawyer she hadn't been in several years. It had taken her a long while to break the habits she had formed as a lawyer, and she had been happy as a seemingly impulsive person with a short fuse. It was a lot better than a easily angered, overly thoughtful person. Oh well, it's time to shelve the impulsiveness, they had enough with Vash. Smiling, to herself she allows her mind to turn to Vash.

Vash's POV
When he got to the room he was surprised to see that Meryl was not lying down. As he shuts the door, he hears the sound of the water running and realizes that she must be in the shower. Smiling, he pulls off his jacket and armor, laying them on the small dresser and leaving him in only his underwear. After walking over to the bathroom, he quietly opens the door and glances inside. Sure enough, she is soaking in the hot shower.

Just loud enough for her to hear, but not so loud as to startle her, he inquires, "Can I join you?"

"Alright," comes her water muffled reply.

Smiling to himself, he finishes undressing and drops his undergarments to the floor. Slipping into the shower, he is slightly surprised to find that she is leaning against the wall, enjoying the water against her skin. "Hi," he softly murmurs as he leans down to kiss her, "Is everything all right with tall girl?"

She nods, smiling and wrapping her arms around his waist before replying, "Of course, she was just nervous about the children. After all, it's startling to discover you're pregnant with two when you had just got used to the idea of one."

He thinks about it a moment before nodding and pulling her wet body close to his. Nuzzling her jaw, he kisses her again. "We'll be there for her," he comments, "now I have heard something about showers having some other interesting uses." He blushes as he makes the second remark.

She turns her head just a little and kisses his jaw before gently pushing him back against the wall behind him. A mischievous smile curves her lips as she slowly kisses, licks, and nips at his chest and stomach, working her way down wards. Dropping to her knees puts her just about level with his hips, which she uses to her full advantage as she teases all around without ever touching where he is really beginning to ache. Finally, after what seems like hours to his sensory overloaded mind, she takes him slowly in her mouth. Spots dance in front of his eyes, his empathy goes into hyper drive, doubling his desire as he feels hers pouring through him. Slender fingers press his hips against the wall as he arches against her, control just about lost. She switches between slow even strokes to hard suction and those spots seem to explode as he comes.

Breathing hard, he watches her through half closed eyes as she kisses her way back up his chest, tilting her head into the water for just a moment to rinse her mouth before kissing him.

"There's one," she murmurs, kissing him softly on the lips. "Are you ready for bed? I think it is going to be a long day tomorrow and we're going to need rest."

He almost smirks as he shuts the water off and picks her up, "In a little bit, I think I have something else planned first."

Carrying her into the proper part of the bedroom, he does not even bother to dry them off before taking his time to show her how much he wants her as well. The nice thing about being an empath? The gift can be used in both ways, funneling the feelings back to her, he shares everything, linking them together as they spend the next few hours lost in carnal pleasure.

Knives' POV
A burst of lust hits him before a wall seems to come up between him and his twin. At least he is finally getting how to shield against sharing those types of thoughts and emotions, he thinks as he sprawls out on his bed. Despite how quickly Vash had thrown the wall up, he still finds himself curious as to why one would willing want to do more than just satisfy themselves with another. It was one of those concepts that he was having a hard time understanding. Physical desire made sense to him, it was a bodily need that did not require any sort of attachment, but for some reason he couldn't help but wonder about the difference that attachment made.

Frowning, he considers the fact his brother had avoided any sort of contact of that nature until he found someone that he had an attachment to as well. It was unusual. Knives on the other hand had had no problems using any of his minions to deal with need as he had needed. It had meant nothing to him, just a physical release of his otherwise useless hormones. Perhaps that is why he was now curious about the difference between having that attachment and not. Did it really make it better? Or was that just his brother's outlook? Wait, not just his brother, he thinks as a memory teases at the edge of his mind.

He had been nearby when the fight between the two chapels had occurred. The elder chapel determined to kill the younger for betraying the guns, never caring that the younger had been ordered to protect his brother. His telepathy had allowed him to listen while they fought. Wolfwood had fought with a determination that had startled him, not because he was protecting Vash even though that was there in his thoughts, but because he was protecting the girl who gave him hope even in his deepest despair.

Curiosity had compelled him to seek this creature who made his minion willing to do anything to protect, what he had found was a girl who's mind was full of sadness and fear but determination was there too. Her thoughts had been unusual to him, a person who considers someone else before themselves? Not possible. Yet here they were several months later and he had learned it had been completely possible. It was the way she was.

That memory his frown shifting into a scowl as he recalls that he is not the one anyone would ever fight like that for. True his brother would always come for him, now he even understood that he had been wrong and that his brother had been right. But he still lacked anyone with whom he was really connected to. The sisters didn't count. They were going to be there in the back of his mind for the rest of his life. Temper would assist him just because of Vash, not for himself. Blue-eyes, well he was not sure where he stood with her, and he had been trying to be polite by staying out of her head. It was a matter of control that he had never felt the need to use before.

Sitting up, he rubs his face, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind. Not that it worked, all it managed to do is remind him he needed to shave.

Blue-eyes… he thought, glancing at the door. There's a situation he really doesn't understand. He finds her physically appealing, gets amusement out of her no nonsense behavior, enjoys her unique view on things, and feels an irrational need to protect her. There is even a hint of affection for her. Is that the kind of attachment that Vash feels for temper?

Tala? He calls out, wanting to talk with someone but not sure who to talk to. He would discuss it with Dai but that did not seem right for some reason, so instead he decides to discuss it with the plant that was a major part of how he was changing.

A fluttery feeling brushes against his mind, much like a caress, Yes little brother?

How do you know when you feel more than just friendship for someone? He inquires after a moment's thought.

The impression of a smile, followed by warmth comes before she replies. When there is more than friendship, you find yourself considering what makes them happy, how to take care of them, and what they would think of your actions. It's wanting to be with them and not caring in what way. It is acceptance of faults and gifts, right and wrong, and being willing to work with them. She pauses for a moment, he can tell she is considering something but he cannot tell what. More than friendship is ever so important, but should never be rushed or forced. If it will happen, then it will happen naturally. You just have to remember acceptance and patience are the keys to it. Both of which I have noticed your improving on.

He cannot help but convey the blush staining his mind. Was it really that simple? Oh brother, had he been over thinking if it was. Despite his embarrassment, he sends his thanks through the link, both emotionally and with words. Thank you Tala, I was not sure who to talk with about this. I… he begins but trails off not sure what to say.

Warmth much like a hug brushes against him, We are family. She tells him simply as if it explains it all. Maybe it does, blue-eyes thinks like that too as her guiding reasoning at times. Rest well little brother, things will work themselves out over time. I will not say it will be easy, but it will be worth it in the grand scheme of things.

Rest well, he replies, his thoughts turning back to the blue-eyed girl who had caught his attention even before he had realized it.

Milly's POV
She was so very thankful to have Meryl as a friend. Who else would take the time to have patience when reassuring her that everything was going to be fine? Her short friend might have a temper, but she was loyal and honest. For three years she had watched as her friend had fallen head over heels in love with their guy that was supposed to be their job. She had watched and waited, sometimes chuckling to herself over her friend's refusal to accept who he was at first and then her refusal to accept that he was a man after that. Thankfully though, whatever seemed to be holding the two of them up had finally been resolved if the fact that they had taken to sharing a room was any indication.

As she gets ready for bed her mind turns to her own situation. She had just come to grips with the fact she was pregnant only to discover that she was pregnant with twins. Since twins ran in her family she was not sure what surprised her about it, only that it did surprise her. One boy and one girl, with the boy being the more active of the two, that meant he was probably the one that she felt fluttering around. Smiling to herself, she decides that he will be Nicholas, like his father. She doesn't have any idea what she is going to call the girl though.

Nicholas, she sighs to herself, why did you have to die and leave me wondering? Pulling back the blankets on her bed, she crawls into it, reflecting on the dark haired man who had caught her attention just by being. He might have been a priest but he was not very priest like. Somehow, thinking of him also brought up Mr. Knives in her minds eyes. Maybe it was because he was partly responsible for Nick's death. Maybe it was because she could see the similarities between them, both had been abused, both had taken to violence to solve their problems, both had little hope in humanity as a whole. The big difference was Nick had started to heal without having to force the matter. He had started to heal just by being with Mr. Vash, Meryl, and her. Perhaps the same would have happened with Mr. Knives too, but she is sure it would have taken far longer since his pain was far older.

Mr. Knives, now there is a situation she is really not sure of what to do. She can still see the coiled violence in him, just below the surface at times. Particularly when Meryl and he face off over things, yet it seems to be tempered by something and she is not sure what that something is. The changes in him were massive. When he had first come to stay with them just a few short weeks before he had been a lot like a feral animal, snarling at anyone who got too close to him, and yet today he had willing opened up. They had spent several hours up on that cliff, with her doing nothing more than offering comfort and support as he quietly told her about his life. She can just imagine how bad things must have been even with him glossing it over, no wonder Meryl had accepted him as is after she had actually seen it through his eyes. That kind of gift was terrifying and not something she wanted to do herself, she was sure she wasn't strong enough to handle it.

When it had been time to leave the cliff he had surprised her again, willingly offering to touch her without any promoting from her. Even more startling had been the fact he had trusted her with his secret as she was fairly certain his wings were. There had been only a moment's hesitation before she had accepted his offer, and that hesitation had nothing to do with trust and everything to do with her fear of falling. But it was Mr. Knives, the plant that she had been assured never lied. The man her best friend trusted with her protection and that was saying something since Meryl had gotten rather over protective of her since discovering her pregnancy. So she had accepted his hand, and the gift that went with it.

That first step off of the cliff had scared her deeply, but his grip never wavered, and his wings had caught the wind, taking them upwards before he had started the downwards spiral. She was annoyed with herself for falling asleep in his arms, but it had felt right having his strong arms holding her, being nestled against his solid chest and warm body. When they had landed she had barely felt it, the only reason she had awoken was the wind was no longer moving against her face. Her first thought upon waking had been much like her first thought upon seeing his wings, she had thought him beautiful.

He is beautiful, she thinks to herself, in a purely masculine way. Smiling, she drifts off to sleep, never realizing that her thoughts echo those of the plant in the room across the hall from her.