Ticket to the Future

"Can this peaceful life last?"

Meryl looked around for the person attached to the voice. She couldn't remember how she got to this town but it was riddled with death and destruction.

"Can you keep your precious life?!"

Meryl realized that she couldn't catch her breath. "Vash! Vash! Where are you?!" She turned to see Knives's sadistic smile staring at her.

"YOU THINK IT WON'T ALL BURN?!"

She couldn't scream. Her voice was taken from her. She stumbled back.

"It will all turn to ashes! All of it!"

She was paralyzed with fear. Nothing would move.

"Remember one thing…"

She looked to see a noose around his neck. She noticed he was suddenly standing on a wooden box that was barely supporting his weight.

"Your peace… will die."

She tried to shout.

"Just. Like. This." He kicked the box from under him.

"NO!" Meryl threw herself awake, sitting up immediately. She had broken out into a cold sweat and she was breathing in heaves. Her heart was beating fast; she placed her hand over her chest and another on her forehead. She managed to steady her breathing. It didn't ease her discomfort, though. Her dreams had been vivid, lately: the nightmares representing a terrible past always bothering her. She rubbed her eyes.

"Meryl?" her husband slowly lifted himself up. "You okay?"

She looked at him and smiled, "I'm fine, Vash."

He looked her over. "You're not fine. What's wrong?"

She kept her smile, hoping to mask her fear. "Nothing, honey. Just go on back to sleep."

He sat up and put his arm around her. "Bad dream?"

She let her smile fade.

"About Knives?"

Of course Vash knew. No one knew her like he did. It was just one more reason why she married him. Meryl stopped trying to pretend and let her fear come through. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and nodded. "…yeah."

He didn't blame her.

It was just over a year ago since Knives's defeat. They had been living in a new town since that time, another where Milly and Vash helped the townsfolk strike a new water vein.

Their lives were happy. Simple. Perfect.

It sickened Knives. He tried to steal other guns, raise armies, and cause trouble. But Vash quickly stopped him. But every defeat for Knives further deteriorated his perception of this kind of life. More and more, he lost whatever remained of his sanity. Unable to cope with this new world, he did the only logical thing he could do; in his mind, anyway.

He found a chain. He chose a high ledge.

Meryl was the first to find his body hanging from their home. That all happened about three months ago. Nothing was quite right for a little while after that between the couple. Vash became a zombie for the next few days and Meryl wasn't much better. By committing suicide, Knives took away the one thing he knew his brother couldn't control: his choice of death with it also act being the one thing that Vash disapproved the most. And that was why even in death, Knives wore that same sinister smile on his face.

A month after the shock, Vash started smiling again and making jokes. They moved to a different house and the memories seemed to fade for Vash. But not for Meryl. She worried every day. She worried that every time they would be happy, something else would come up. What Knives really took from her was her peace of mind.

Vash looked at his wife and pulled her closer. She leaned her head on his chest, placing her hand one of his numerous scars. She knew every scar and every story.

"I know it's been hard," Vash said. "I'm sorry for being so distant."

"Don't apologize for something you didn't do," she said, tracing a scar with her finger. "You've been there. I just… it's been hard for me… ever since that day."

"But it shouldn't be anymore. We don't have anything to be afraid of anymore."

Meryl looked a little unconvinced.

"There's no reason to be afraid, Meryl. Nothing's gonna happen. All of our enemies? They're gone. It's over. We're fine… from now on."

She rested her head on his shoulder again. It was a relief to hear out loud.

"Knives tried to ruin everything we have. He had the unfortunate ability to do that. Even long after the fact, it kinda works. But that doesn't mean that the fear stays forever."

She sighed. "I just get scared sometimes. Things are just… going so well… they were then, too but… that happened and…"

"It was his last gamble. His very last one."

She looked at him.

"But I can't let that cost us everything. I won't let it. Knives won't win this. He won't."

She teared up a little. "I know we're safe. I really do. I just get really scared sometimes. I mean… I…"

He put his hand on her cheek. "I know. But that's why I'm here. It's why I'm always gonna be here." They leaned closer. "Always."

They were just about kiss when they heard a baby crying.

Meryl smiled. "Is that Nicholas or Rem?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say Rem," Vash groaned. "Girl has the worse timing."

She started to move. "I'll get her."

Suddenly, there was a meek knock at the door.

Meryl blinked, "Milly? Is that you?"

"Yeah, sorry," the tall brunette's voice came from the other side. "It was Nicholas. I got him. Rem's still asleep, though. So, everything's fine. Go back to bed, Meryl."

"Thanks." She laid back down and Vash laid next to her, putting his arm around her. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"There's nothing more to be afraid of, Meryl," the blonde gunman spoke softly.

"You promise?" she asked.

"I promise. All the demons are gone. We can live a happy life now."

Meryl exhaled, first time she had let go of her anxiety in three months. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Stop it. I wasn't any better for a while."

"It's like you told me once: the ticket to the future… is always blank."

He smiled at her. "And we can write it in. We can control where the ticket takes us. We can write it in."

"Together."

A/N: I actually wrote this one some time ago and just recently completed it. I took the title from the Episode 26 Preview from the anime as it was the one line that really stuck out for me in that case. I loved the previews from the anime because every one was poetic and episode 26 was my favorite one. I hope you all liked it. REVIEWS!