And *poof* stuff happens.

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Anne left work and went home for lunch. She debated finding Mark and inviting him along, but decided that she really wanted a little time where it was just her and her family. There were a couple things that she wanted to ask that she didn't feel comfortable asking in front of someone who wasn't family, no matter how good a friend he was. But the way things turned out, she didn't have to ask after all.

As she entered her apartment, she noticed that Ace was very cozily snuggled up on Knives' lap. And that Knives was playing with her hair. And that when the two of them saw her, Knives flushed slightly, but Ace only curled closer to him.

Oh.

Anne smiled at them while her mind raced so quickly that it seemed blank. Without breaking stride she walked into the kitchen and opened the door to the refrigerator.

Then she closed it.

Then she opened it again.

And after a moment, closed it.

She turned and saw that her actions had made even Vash pause in eating, his sandwich halfway to his mouth.

"Eh, hi guys," she said with a sheepish smile. Her eyes met Meryl's, and she mouthed, "Are they a couple?"

Meryl nodded slowly. Yes.

"Ahhhh," she exhaled. "I see." She found herself sitting in front of the refrigerator. "Really?" she asked, not liking the whine that entered her voice but not able to make it go away.

Vash silently stood and left the room. Someone said something in the living room, then the front door opened and closed. At some point Meryl came over and settled down by her. One hand settled on her shoulder.

"Knives and Ace have been together for a little over a year now."

"Oh."

"They seem to be happy together." The hand began to massage her back.

"Oh."

"We are happy together," said Ace frostily from the doorway.

Meryl stopped trying to comfort Anne. "I'll let you two sort things out," she said as she exited for the bedroom.

"Thanks, Meryl," said Ace as she passed. "It's good for us to get this in the open now. No more misunderstandings." She smiled a little while she waited for Meryl to enter the bedroom, then dropped the façade when she knew they were alone.

"He's mine," she said shortly.

"Oh."

Ace came and squatted down in front of Anne. "He's mine, and what a nice man he is. Good in bed, good outside of it, easy to manipulate. Your leaving devastated him, you know. You made it so easy for me to take him from you."

Anne's eyes opened wide and she stared at Ace. "You… what?"

"You heard me. I took him. He was yours, heart, body, mind, all of it. But you left. You left us both, and you made it so easy for me to make him mine."

"Why?"

"Because I knew it would hurt you most." Rage dripped from each softly uttered syllable. "You left me. You ran away and you never came back. You have no idea what you did, you could never fathom how much pain that caused us, caused me, could you? I waited. I waited and waited but you never came. So I took the only thing you wanted of all you left behind. I took Knives."

"You… took?"

"You made it so easy for me, too. Make him realize that he has a heart, then leave him for whoever comes along? That's a nice set up for me. And not letting anyone know that you're a plant? Double bonus. He's so afraid of humans, of losing you to age and death that he would rather just quit your relationship," she drawled the word, "where you left it, rather than have to watch you grow old and leave him."

"But…"

"Really, I should almost thank you. Knives has been very good to me. Almost like he's trying to make up for the way he treated you. And I love it. He's attentive, and sweet, and pays attention to me and me alone. I have him so wrapped around my finger that he can't even see how much I loathe him."

"You…loathe?"

"Yes. He was tainted by being with you. He no longer thinks that all the humans need to die. But they will. Humans are evil creatures, bound by their mortality to think so shortsightedly that they create problems because they know they won't have to solve them. I liked your idea of germ warfare, by the way. Too bad plants and humans are too genetically similar for that plan to work, but I think I will try something a bit more subtle than Knives' plan of blowing things up, or taking the masses into the desert to starve."

"No."

"Yes," she said solicitously. "All this time you thought that Knives was the danger. And you were wrong. Too bad no one will believe you, even if you try to tell them. I'm just young and flighty to them, hardly older than a teenager. A bit melodramatic, but that's fine, it's part of being young." She sneered.

"You know, maybe when all this is over, I'll let you have Knives again. But if he ever comes back to you, you'll know it's because I let him go. Not because he wanted me more than you, but because I let him go."

"Oh." Anne stood, using the refrigerator as support. "I see. Excuse me." She walked slowly into the living room, trying to ignore the sneer on Ace's face as she picked up her jacket. It was funny to try to force her arms through the sleeves. They were shaking so hard that the task was difficult. Keeping her face averted from Ace, she dung around in the sofa cushions until she found her computer. She slipped it in her pocket, then grabbed her key ring out. Sliding the key to the apartment off, she dropped it on the floor.

"Rent is paid through the end of the month," she said, then walked out the door.