Wait? Could it be?

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Anne paused on the last landing before her apartment. She turned to Mark and smiled slightly. "I'm not going to tell you to play nice. You're a big boy, old enough to take care of yourself and smart enough to stay out of most kinds of trouble."

"That's sweet," he interrupted, the sarcasm dripping from his lips.

Her smile quirked a little, but she continued undaunted. "I just thought it might be prudent to point out that you are going to enter into a not-very-large apartment filled with killers." She stopped smiling and looked at him very seriously. "So mind your manners. I know that Knives has impulse control problems, and Ace may as well. You've been pushing at me all day. Don't push at them."

He glared at her. "What part of that wasn't telling me to play nice?"

"Just the parts where I want to keep you alive."

"I thought you said that plants weren't dangerous. Isn't that what you're trying to prove?"

"Let's just say I don't want you to end up proving me wrong." She started up the last of the stairs and paused at her front door. She pushed gently at it, but someone had fixed the latch and it didn't open. Feeling slightly foolish, she knocked tentatively at her door.

Vash opened it. His eyes lit up as he saw her in the hallway. "We thought you were kidnapped again," he exclaimed, sweeping her into a hug and into the living room.

"No, just working," she said, voice muffled by his arm. "There's this concept where you spend a certain amount of time at a place performing a service, and in return you get money so you can support a houseful of wastrel relatives." She fought her way out of the hug and looked around the room, smiling. "Hey guys," she grinned. "What brings you all to December?"

"You," said Ace flatly from her perch on the couch. She was curled up in the right corner, legs tucked beneath her, one elbow resting on the sofa arm, her chin propped on one fist. Her stare held nothing friendly, and Anne felt her smile trying to slip. Ignoring the cold shoulder, she turned and looked at Meryl. She had just come out of the kitchen and was wiping her hands on a towel.

"You seem to be making a habit of saving my life," she said mildly, looking intently into Anne's face before giving her a quick hug. "Thank you for the rescue, and I'm sorry we left you behind."

Anne waved that away. "You didn't leave me; I stayed. I'm not running from this life."

"Like you ran from the last one," she heard Ace mutter under her breath.

"There's been a bit going on here that I'm sure you're a little curious about."

"Like the fact that you decided to abandon us? We have that figured out, thanks," said Ace.

"I didn't just abandon you. I ran like a chicken and abandoned you," she said deadpan. "And them my life got a bit hectic. Oh!" She turned beck to the door. "Guys, I want you to meet Mark. He'll be staying here, too, for a bit. Play nice," she admonished as she gestured for him to come in.

He walked in the door, face kept perfectly blank and eyes staring at the far wall. Anne introduced everyone to him, but stopped at the end feeling like she was missing something.

"Alex, get in here. Kiley's here, and she brought a friend," yelled Meryl as she closed the door to the hall. "He's having fun people watching out the kitchen window," she explained as he entered the living room.

"Hello," he said politely, coming over to shake her hand. "I've been told I have you to thank for being born."

Anne flushed a little and looked down. "I didn't do anything."

"You can say that again," Ace muttered.

"But I'm glad that you're here. Excuse me a moment," she continued gamely before turning to Ace.

"You. Girl."

"Woman."

"Girl. Shut up or learn some manners."

"You have no right to tell me to do anything."

Anne walked over and kneeled by her and looked her in the eye. "Do you have any money?" she asked softly.

Ace shook her head slightly and narrowed her eyes further. "Why? Is this supposed to be a hotel?"

"No. This is my home. And you are a guest. And as a guest you should at least try to pretend to like me, or I will toss your ass out onto the street."

"So? I'm not here because of you."

"But you are here. And you will behave yourself in my home or you will not be in my home."

"Fine by me. I don't want to be here in the first place."

Anne drew back a bit. "Door's over there. I'm not stopping you from walking out."

"Anne, stop it." Knives spoke up from the other side of the couch. "She's tired."

"She's an ill-mannered brat," Anne said as she looked her in the eyes. "You can hate me all you want, child. But you will be civil or you will leave."

"She's not going anywhere," he said, stepping in again.

"Why? Are you saying that I no longer have the authority to say who can and cannot be in my own home, Knives?" She looked at him. "This isn't like your ship. There isn't a great deal of room for all of us here. We can either be civil and pretend that we aren't acting like a spoiled brat, or we can leave."

"We aren't leaving."

"Then grow up. Both of you, quit sulking."

She sighed and stood, her knees creaking a little as she shifted her weight. "Welcome to my dysfunctional family," she intoned wryly to Mark.

He had the look of a man not entirely certain of what was going on, and Anne couldn't help it. She laughed.