Feeling less sick!! Yay!!

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Getting back to sleep was out of the question, and after a few minutes of trying, Anne even admitted this. So instead of the last few sweet minutes of sleep, she got up and stumbled into the kitchen. Sitting on the counter, she waited for her legs to finish waking up and for the coffee to finish brewing. It wasn't much of a race, since the coffee nearly always won. Mostly, Anne just let the coffee cool a bit before she tried even pouring it to drink it, but today she idly wondered if she would even get some of the first batch. She knew that fresh coffee was an expected treat for many of her houseguests, and since they hadn't shown much inclination to share her house yet, she was willing to assume that she would get the dregs of the coffee as well. The scent drew in her houseguests like she had assumed as it wafted through the apartment.

The first to join her was Mark. He stumbled in yawning and rubbing at the stubble on his chin and mumbled something inarticulate as he fell into a chair. His head slumped nearly to his chest, but he caught himself before indulging in a nap. Anne nearly laughed at the picture he posed, and was pleased to see that he woke up about as easily as she did. With a yawn, he leaned back and stretched. She could hear his shoulders pop as he rotated them, and she couldn't suppress a smile as he nearly overbalanced in the chair. The shock and the wild flailing about woke him up the rest of the way, and suppressing the laughter that bubbled inside did a good job of waking her up as well.. His ears were still faintly pink when he stood to get his coffee, but Anne politely continued to refrain from laughing at him. She did, however, indulge in a wink that raised the color in his cheeks again.

Watching his antics had given her enough time to wake up, herself, so she slid off the counter and waited for him to finish with the carafe before pouring herself a cup. Inside, she indulged in the selfish pleasure that she was actually getting some of the first batch.

The next to come into the room was an entirely too perky looking Alex. He graced the two of them with a wide smile as he got a mug out of the cupboard.

"Why are you drinking coffee?" asked Anne. "You look too awake as it is," she continued, not quite able to keep all of the grumpiness out of her voice. She couldn't help it; morning people annoyed the heck out of her.

"It's for mom. She is much more pleasant if she gets her morning caffeine before she is asked to move." He gave them a little wave as he left, his step much too bouncy for the near dawn hour.

Mark leaned over and mock-whispered to Anne, "Are there more where he came from? And can I have one?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure how he came from where he came from. Meryl must be a great mother."

"Why," asked Vash rhetorically as he entered the kitchen, "when the boy is good everyone assumes that it is Meryl, and when he misbehaves, it's my fault?" He poured the last cup of coffee in a mug and refilled the percolator. "Could it possibly be that I was a good example of the way you treat a lady?"

"Hmm," mused Anne. "No."

Vash sighed and took up position on the other side of Anne. He blew gently on his coffee before he began sipping at it, but seemed content to stay silent. A hush fell over the kitchen as each person thought privately. Dawn, coffee, and quiet companionship were enough for the moment.

Then Ace came in and heaved a huge sigh as she saw that there wasn't any coffee ready. The silence was broken, not to be regained for the day, and three slightly annoyed pairs of eyes turned her way.

She was oblivious, her attention focused on the problem before her. "Weren't you expecting guests?" she asked as she watched the drips fall down. "You need a bigger coffeemaker."

Anne finished off her cup and rinsed it out. Mentally she counted to ten, then ten again before speaking. The girl didn't know that she was doing anything annoying, and it would be pointless to take out her frustrations on her. Instead, she turned and looked Ace in the eye as she walked the few steps to the counter. Setting it on the counter by the percolator, she smiled at Ace. "I only have four mugs," she said simply before walking into the bedroom.

Ace sighed dramatically and took up her vacated position between Vash and Mark.

"Morning, boys," she said sweetly, bestowing a beatific smile on Mark. "I love the early hours, don't you? So quiet and peaceful." She sighed loudly and sipped at her mug.

Mark didn't reply. He finished up the last of his coffee in silence, then rinsed it out and set it by the coffeemaker for the next needy soul before leaving the kitchen.

"Humans," she said with a snort to Vash after watching him depart.

"I don't think he likes the way that you've been treating Anne," he said softly.

"Oh, what does he care about her," she said airily, setting the barely touched mug next to her on the counter. "He just wants to kill her. I can see it in his eyes."

"That's not what I see there," he said as he sat down at the table.

"What do you see?"

He shrugged. "He likes her."

"No way. He wants to kill her. He's the one who stabbed her leg; he hates her."

"He wants to hate her, but I don't think he's succeeding."