Beyond A Sky So Blue -- Part IX

One year later. . .

Meryl gave a contented sigh as a calloused hand caressed her side. She stubbornly kept her eyes closed. She was unwilling to give up on sleep just yet.

There was a chuckle and a shifting in the bed. Kisses trailed up her neck and along her jaw. Meryl leaned her head back but continued to keep her eyes closed, which garnered another chuckle.

“Wakey, wakey, Meryl,” Vash whispered.

“Why?” she protested. “What time is it?”

He smiled against her skin. “It’s early.”

“Then why are you awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Vash said, curling an arm around her. “Have other things on my mind.”

Meryl giggled and finally opened her eyes. “Vash, is that really all you think about?”

“Only when I’m around you,” he promised. He suddenly glared at her abdomen. “Hey, no kicking! I’m seducing your mother!”

She laughed and placed a hand on her stomach. The baby was definitely active. “Apparently someone has other things on their mind, too.”

Vash’s look of disappointment almost made her laugh again. She traced the edge of his face and gave him an affectionate smile. “But you know I may need some help washing my back while I shower.”

“I’ll race you there!”

After a brief but heated kiss, he was gone. A moment later she could hear the water running. Vash definitely didn’t waste time.

Meryl didn’t either.

* * * * *

She saw him off to work, reminding him that Milly would be joining them for dinner. Humming a tune, Meryl carried her coffee into her office. She had a few clients scheduled for this morning and wanted to review their claims before they arrived.

The branch office she had set up for Bernadelli had been more successful than she had ever dreamed. She was the only agent for iles. However, there wasn’t enough work to support Milly as well.

Thankfully, her partner happily accepted a permanent position on Ben’s crew. Ben had been happy about that development as well. And if Meryl was reading everything correctly, it wouldn’t be too long before Ben was offering a ring.

Meryl studied the ring on her own hand. She had become known around town as Mrs. Saverem, the surname that Vash had taken. Yet, because of Vash’s circumstances, they couldn’t be legally married, not without raising a lot of unanswerable questions. While part of her still longed for a proper church wedding, she realized that she had everything she truly wanted.

She worked through the morning. Most of the claims were simple and legitimate. Alvin Carruthers wasn’t happy when she demanded a complete inventory of the contents of his barn, but she knew that the structure and its entire contents couldn’t be worth what he was claiming.

After escorting Alvin out, she ate a quick lunch. She had some time before her two mid-afternoon appointments and decided to do some chores. While the doctor and Vash had had forbidden her from heavy lifting, she could still manage dusting and laundry. She was finished just as the next person arrived.

The two appointments were pretty easy. Mrs. Tate seemed to want to visit and quiz Meryl about Vash and their unborn child more than to discuss an upgrade to her policy. Meryl managed to get the older woman out before her temper flared. The last was claim for damage left from the last sandstorm.

She put the closed sign in the window and locked the outer door. She re-entered the house through the back door of her office. With all of her paperwork done, she was free from work until tomorrow morning.

Noting the time, she began to set the table for dinner. She set four places in case Milly decided to bring Ben along. Satisfied that the table was ready, she made sure that her homemade pudding had reached the right consistency. Then she began working on chopping some vegetables.

She felt rather than heard someone enter the kitchen. ‘Vash and his games,’ she thought. She finished chopping the last stalk of celery. “Well, you’re home early,” she said, turning around. Then she gasped.

Knives smiled. “Hello, spider.”

* * * * *

Vash shouldered his shovel. A feeling of uneasiness had been nagging him all afternoon. At first he had contributed it to his usual worry about Meryl and the baby. Although she was only five months along, she was nearing term. However, the persistence of the feeling lead him to think it could be something more.

He walked over to Ben, who was reviewing plans for the next stage of the irrigation project. The foreman looked up and smiled. “Hey, Vash. Needing something?”

“I thought I would cut out early today if that’s okay with you.”

Ben surveyed the worksite. “Yeah, we’re about done for today. Say hi to Meryl for me.”

“Why don’t you say hi yourself and come to dinner tonight?” Then Vash said the magic words. “Milly will be there.”

“Well, I just might.”

“Good. See ya then.” Vash was practically jogging as he left with a wave.

Ben shook his head. “Odd man.”

* * * * *

“Knives, what are you doing here?” Meryl demanded. She kept a hand on the large chopping knife. What she wouldn’t give for a derringer right now.

“Did you and my brother actually think that I would merely disappear?” He eyed her swollen stomach with disgust. “That I would allow this atrocity to happen?”

“Get out of here. This has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me!” he roared. “How could he allow our superior blood to mix with yours? You creatures are barely capable of thought. This bastard mongrel is the gravest insult my brother could inflict on me!”

“This child has nothing to do with you, Knives! All your brother wants to do is live in peace. Why can’t you stop hurting him? Why can’t you just let him be?”

Understanding flared in his eyes. “It’s you now, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“I thought I had finished it by getting rid of that woman and her descendants. But it’s you now. You’re his tie to humanity. If I get rid of you, he can be free.”

“Do you really think Vash will ever forgive you if you kill me?”

“Who said anything about killing you?”

Meryl wasn’t a fool. She made a desperate slash with the knife, which Knives easily dodged. He grabbed her arm and twisted it savagely. Meryl cried out at the pain. Her fingers quickly went numb and the knife fell to the floor.

“How dare you attack me!” He backhanded her, sending her to the floor. Meryl saw stars but stubbornly held on to consciousness.

She scrambled for the knife. Just as her hand grabbed the blade, Knives slammed his foot down on her hand. She screamed as the knife bit into her palm and bones snapped.

Knives grabbed her hair and pulled Meryl to her feet. He gave her a disgusted look before throwing her against a wall. She was unconscious as she slid to the floor.

He became aware of his brother’s approach. When he confronted Vash, it was going to be on his own terms. As of now, he was at a disadvantage. He scooped up Meryl and left.


Shattered One year later. . . Meryl gave a contented sigh as a calloused hand caressed her side. She stubbornly kept her eyes closed. She was unwilling to give up on sleep just yet. There was a chuckle and a shifting in the bed. Kisses trailed up her neck and along her jaw. Meryl leaned her head back but continued to keep her eyes closed, which garnered another chuckle. “Wakey, wakey, Meryl,” Vash whispered. “Why?” she protested. “What time is it?” He smiled against her skin. “It’s early.” “Then why are you awake?” “Couldn’t sleep,” Vash said, curling an arm around her. “Have other things on my mind.” Meryl giggled and finally opened her eyes. “Vash, is that really all you think about?” “Only when I’m around you,” he promised. He suddenly glared at her abdomen. “Hey, no kicking! I’m seducing your mother!” She laughed and placed a hand on her stomach. The baby was definitely active. “Apparently someone has other things on their mind, too.” Vash’s look of disappointment almost made her laugh again. She traced the edge of his face and gave him an affectionate smile. “But you know I may need some help washing my back while I shower.” “I’ll race you there!” After a brief but heated kiss, he was gone. A moment later she could hear the water running. Vash definitely didn’t waste time. Meryl didn’t either. * * * * * She saw him off to work, reminding him that Milly would be joining them for dinner. Humming a tune, Meryl carried her coffee into her office. She had a few clients scheduled for this morning and wanted to review their claims before they arrived. The branch office she had set up for Bernadelli had been more successful than she had ever dreamed. She was the only agent for iles. However, there wasn’t enough work to support Milly as well. Thankfully, her partner happily accepted a permanent position on Ben’s crew. Ben had been happy about that development as well. And if Meryl was reading everything correctly, it wouldn’t be too long before Ben was offering a ring. Meryl studied the ring on her own hand. She had become known around town as Mrs. Saverem, the surname that Vash had taken. Yet, because of Vash’s circumstances, they couldn’t be legally married, not without raising a lot of unanswerable questions. While part of her still longed for a proper church wedding, she realized that she had everything she truly wanted. She worked through the morning. Most of the claims were simple and legitimate. Alvin Carruthers wasn’t happy when she demanded a complete inventory of the contents of his barn, but she knew that the structure and its entire contents couldn’t be worth what he was claiming. After escorting Alvin out, she ate a quick lunch. She had some time before her two mid-afternoon appointments and decided to do some chores. While the doctor and Vash had had forbidden her from heavy lifting, she could still manage dusting and laundry. She was finished just as the next person arrived. The two appointments were pretty easy. Mrs. Tate seemed to want to visit and quiz Meryl about Vash and their unborn child more than to discuss an upgrade to her policy. Meryl managed to get the older woman out before her temper flared. The last was claim for damage left from the last sandstorm. She put the closed sign in the window and locked the outer door. She re-entered the house through the back door of her office. With all of her paperwork done, she was free from work until tomorrow morning. Noting the time, she began to set the table for dinner. She set four places in case Milly decided to bring Ben along. Satisfied that the table was ready, she made sure that her homemade pudding had reached the right consistency. Then she began working on chopping some vegetables. She felt rather than heard someone enter the kitchen. ‘Vash and his games,’ she thought. She finished chopping the last stalk of celery. “Well, you’re home early,” she said, turning around. Then she gasped. Knives smiled. “Hello, spider.” * * * * * Vash shouldered his shovel. A feeling of uneasiness had been nagging him all afternoon. At first he had contributed it to his usual worry about Meryl and the baby. Although she was only five months along, she was nearing term. However, the persistence of the feeling lead him to think it could be something more. He walked over to Ben, who was reviewing plans for the next stage of the irrigation project. The foreman looked up and smiled. “Hey, Vash. Needing something?” “I thought I would cut out early today if that’s okay with you.” Ben surveyed the worksite. “Yeah, we’re about done for today. Say hi to Meryl for me.” “Why don’t you say hi yourself and come to dinner tonight?” Then Vash said the magic words. “Milly will be there.” “Well, I just might.” “Good. See ya then.” Vash was practically jogging as he left with a wave. Ben shook his head. “Odd man.” * * * * * “Knives, what are you doing here?” Meryl demanded. She kept a hand on the large chopping knife. What she wouldn’t give for a derringer right now. “Did you and my brother actually think that I would merely disappear?” He eyed her swollen stomach with disgust. “That I would allow this atrocity to happen?” “Get out of here. This has nothing to do with you.” “It has everything to do with me!” he roared. “How could he allow our superior blood to mix with yours? You creatures are barely capable of thought. This bastard mongrel is the gravest insult my brother could inflict on me!” “This child has nothing to do with you, Knives! All your brother wants to do is live in peace. Why can’t you stop hurting him? Why can’t you just let him be?” Understanding flared in his eyes. “It’s you now, isn’t it?” “What?” “I thought I had finished it by getting rid of that woman and her descendants. But it’s you now. You’re his tie to humanity. If I get rid of you, he can be free.” “Do you really think Vash will ever forgive you if you kill me?” “Who said anything about killing you?” Meryl wasn’t a fool. She made a desperate slash with the knife, which Knives easily dodged. He grabbed her arm and twisted it savagely. Meryl cried out at the pain. Her fingers quickly went numb and the knife fell to the floor. “How dare you attack me!” He backhanded her, sending her to the floor. Meryl saw stars but stubbornly held on to consciousness. She scrambled for the knife. Just as her hand grabbed the blade, Knives slammed his foot down on her hand. She screamed as the knife bit into her palm and bones snapped. Knives grabbed her hair and pulled Meryl to her feet. He gave her a disgusted look before throwing her against a wall. She was unconscious as she slid to the floor. He became aware of his brother’s approach. When he confronted Vash, it was going to be on his own terms. As of now, he was at a disadvantage. He scooped up Meryl and left.


Part X: Secrets Back