Disclaimer: Wow, haven't done one in awhile… Anyway, you know the drill. Me own nothing, pleez no sue! I only do it for pleasure. (O_o…did that sound right??)

A/N: Tanx so much to you AlantisB for the review. It really got me wanting to finish this chapter. This Chapter is dedicated to you! Much Luv. 

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            The twin suns rested near the horizon, as three companions sat about a counter in a bar, each nursing a hard drink. When they had returned, Jess had immediately posted the 'Closed' sign, knowing that he and his assistant needed to talk more than to do business. Too bad that 'Ericks' guy had to come too.

            Jess tilted his head up and looked at the tall man, who sat hunched over his drink with a confused and worried look on his pale face. The bartender sighed and returned to contemplating his whisky. What was he supposed to do now?

            "Will you two quit being so damn quiet and explain what happened please?"

Jess and Vash both started at the sudden words, and quickly looked up at Nicolae, who frowned lightly, her eyebrows furrowed. Jess leaned back and gulped the rest of his drink down, thinking quickly on something to tell her. But Vash beat him to it.

"You,… lost yourself to,… the other side of you." He said quietly, hesitantly.

Nicky's features portrayed confusion first, but swiftly changed to a look of fright. Her face paled, and her eyes widened, giving the appearance of a frightened child.

The stocky bartender looked between the two blonds, quite confused and not liking it one bit.

"What the Hell are you talking about, Ericks?!" He half snarled to the other male.

Vash sat back, taken aback by the other one's hostility. He glanced at Nicky, who was off in her mind, silent and brooding.

Vash looked at the man beside him, confused and unsure of what to do. Should he say anything to Jess about what Nicky had told him?

"Well, you see,…um,…"

"Spit it out!" Jess roared, his face turning an odd shade of purple.

Vash looked around wildly, unsure of what to do.

"Please, tell him." Called a quiet, firm voice.

Both paused in their verbal (almost physical) fight and craned their heads to take in the pale, but composed woman on the other side of the counter.

"What?" Vash asked. "Are you sure?"

Nicky only nodded, her face set in grim resignation. "I must speak with her anyway."

Jess looked confusedly from one to the other, but remained silent.

Vash hesitated a moment. And then he began.

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Knives stood, leaning against the wall by his bed and panting heavily. His face was paler than normal, a fine sheen of sweat covering him. He looked a round the room, and decided that his brother's bed would be his next stop. The blond plant used the bed stand as a new stabilizer and took several steps before he collapsed on his twin's bed. Knives lay for several moments regaining his breath and assessing how much more punishment his body take.

It will get me where I need to go.

Millions Knives sat up slowly, conscious of his wounds.

If Vash hadn't gone to see what all the shooting was about …

He scowled at the window, as though it were responsible for the departure of his dimwitted brother and leaving to deal with this on his own. The plant growled suddenly to the empty air as a sharp twinge appeared in his nether regions and Knives quickly sat up, wincing as he pulled on all his wounds, braced himself on the bed and hobbled feverishly to the door beside the kitchen. Throwing it open, Millions Knives flung himself into the small room and slammed the door.

Tink-tink-tinktinktinktinktinktinkssssshhhhhhhhhhhh.

"Aaahhhh!" Knives sighed in elation.

…ssshhhh…tink-tink-tink…

Silence.

"What? Argh! Damn you Vash, what the Hell did you do with the toilet paper!?"

(a/n O_o;; )

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Vash finished relating what Nicky had told him earlier to the bartender, sighing in relief. Nicolae had only interjected absentmindedly a few times to 'clear' up several misconceptions and misinterpretations, but otherwise she remained silent, eyes glazed over.

Jess stared at the girl, seeing her, but now conscious of what his eyes could never see.

"When were you planning on telling me this?" He asked quietly.

Nicky blinked and tensed slightly at his tone, but didn't take her eyes off her vodka. "I wasn't planning to tell you. Not really. I'm sorry, it just didn't seem like something that needed to be shared."

Her employer gave her a reproving look mixed with not a little disbelief. "Didn't need to be shared? You honestly thought I didn't need to know about something like this?"

"It's not that I thought you didn't need to know, it's that I didn't want you to know."

"…Why? Did you think I wouldn't want you around anymore?"

"Of course. Who would?" She replied with scorn-laced depression. Grabbing the drink she gulped it back.

"I would."

Nicolae looked up, startled by the quiet honesty in his voice.

 Jess smiled at her surprise, the lines around his eyes crinkling merrily.

"Yeah. Me too."

The blond girl shifted her gaze to the plant beside her employer. He was grinning broadly at her, and she couldn't help but smile return. Jess on the other hand, didn't look to glad that Vash was still there, but kept any off color comments to himself. Instead he turned his attention back to his employee, some questions of his needing answers.

"So, you had … 'Ericks' … explain because you needed to, uh, talk to it?" He asked, Vash's faux name said with barely concealed contempt.

Nicky showed a faintly reproving face to Jess, but answered his question. "Yes. I questioned her on the events of this afternoon." She paused and sighed. "Voice admits to accepting control."

Both men looked startled by this.

"What do you mean 'accepting control'?" Vash asked.

Nicolae was silent a moment, but turned quickly and grabbed the vodka bottle from behind her. After pouring another shot, the girl with dual colored eyes continued.

"Well, when Jeremiah grabbed me, I half wanted to let Voice take over. She used that moment of weakness to surface."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I shouldn't have done that."

Vash shook his spiked head. "It's alright. No one was hurt. We can't keep our defenses up all the time."

The female just nodded, contemplating the lonely ice in her glass. Jess snatched it up, sensing that if he didn't, it would be a repeat of the poker game. Nicky scowled at him halfheartedly as he exited to the kitchen, but relented and settled for staring at her hands, eyes tracing all the scars that riddled them. They reminded her of nothing so much as a bunch of spider's webs. A light shiver ran up her spine as the thought struck her. She loathed spiders. They all deserved death as far as she was concerned. Nicky shook her head, bangs brushing her forehead.

"Hey, Ericks, how's your brother?"

Vash blinked in mild surprise, but smiled congenially. "Oh, he's fine. In fact, he's doing so well that we should be able to leave in a week or so."

Nicolae looked a bit crestfallen at his reply, but swiftly covered it and smiled as well.  "Ah. That's good."

Vash nodded happily. His face suddenly went blank for a moment. Then…

"OH CRAP!!" He screamed and jumped up.

"Waaahhh!!" Nicky yelled back in response.

"I left him alone all this time!"

Jess stood in the doorway of the kitchen, the yelling attracting him, but staying quiet as it didn't seem to be anything important.

"Vash…I'm sure Knives can watch out for himself for a few minutes." Nicolae said.

The blond man was almost jumping in agitation. "No, I was only home for an hour or so, and we talked the whole time! He's probably half starved by now!"

Nicky sighed in mild exasperation. "Well, then get going. I'll see you later."

The lanky man nodded absently and quickly dashed out of the bar and down the street, disappearing from view.

Nicolae shook her head as she watched him go.

That man is an idiot.

She grinned.

Yeah, but it just makes him cuter.

Birds of a feather…

Jess watched the girl and went to stand on her left.

"Just one question." He asked without looked at her.

She appraised him from the corner of her eye.

"Sure. What is it?"

"…Are you going to start referring to yourself as 'we' now?"

She looked over at him in unbridled surprise.

He raised his eyes in a look of perfect innocence and turned, returning to the kitchen, barely dodging a fist to the head in the process. He laughed quietly as he took refuge in the adjoining room.

Nicky shook her fist at him in a sign of mock vengeance, grinning happily.

Maybe things won't be so bad here after all.

She thought happily as she jumped up the stairs to her room, intent on a warm shower and a good lunch. At least her friends didn't hate her. To her, things couldn't get any better, and as long as that held, she didn't care if things got worse.

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Two cold, black eyes watched the scene with interest. Shadows drifted across the void orbs as its owner smiled in child-like glee.

"Oh, things will be bad my dear, and get much worse. And believe me, you'll care. You'll care a great deal."

A mirthless laugh echoed through the endless space, it's volume rising and falling, but never stopping.

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A/N     ^_^ heeheehee!!

More plot crap! Yeah! School's starting soon so chapters will either start getting shorter or just become more infrequent.

Gomen, but that's just how it has to be. Tanx again AlantisB!

-Later Dayz and Tanx!! ^_^

Luv and Huggies.