Blue: Chapter three is finally finished! I know my chapters to this story aren't very long, I apologize, but this isn't my main project at the moment. This is just something I work on when I get tired of writing my other fic or have writers block.

Ivey: And you're also lazy…

Blue: ::glare:: I'll have you know that I spent all afternoon and evening working on my Fruits Basket story and I wasn't finished until midnight. I wasn't even going to bother updating this one, but I thought the wonderful, kind people who take time out of their lives to read this thing deserved to get another chapter too.

Ivey: "Wonderful, kind people?" You are such a suck up!

Blue: Am not! Anyway, let's get on with the reviews shall we? AnimeFreaks13- Thank you once again for the review! You guys are such great friends! Inkydoo- Poor, poor Millie… she should know better than to drown her sorrows in a bottle. ::sigh::

Ivey: You made her OOC!

Blue: No, I didn't. Millie has always liked to drink (when Meryl lets her) she's just usually a happy drunk hehe! Moonmage – I'm glad you like it! I've got the plot mostly figured out and I promise it will get interesting. I'll try to update again soon. Your turn Ivey.

Ivey: Blue ownsTrigun dvds and manga, but she doesn't own the rights to them. ::snicker:: Like she could ever afford them…

Might As Well Be Strangers

By Blue

Chapter Three- Picking Up the Pieces

"Do you think maybe they're asleep?" Vash asked Knives who had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"It's one in the afternoon you fool. Besides can't you read them from hear?"

"Well…" Vash said sheepishly.

"You're utterly useless Vash. There's only one person in that house and she is very inebriated," he said matter-of-factly. A look of concern swept over Vash's face and he retrieved the spare key, which was, luckily, still hidden beneath the doormat. The kitchen, which was once spotless, was now littered with empty pudding containers and dirty spoons. 'Millie's here alright,' thought Vash. Both men walked down the hall and Vash eased the door open to Millie's room. Only the sunlight peeping from behind the white lace curtains lit the room and the overwhelming scent of booze filled the air. The infamous typhoon scanned the cluttered room and quietly strode over to the bed. Lifting the covers up by the corner he peered at the limp form before him and it broke his heart. The beautiful, vibrant Millie Thompson was curled up in a ball still dressed in her work clothes. Her long golden-brown hair was a tangled mess and was oily from not having been washed in two days. Her face was buried in a pillow and she recoiled from the lack of warm quilts.

"Insurance girl?" Vash said softly. Millie's blood shot eyes peeked from the pillow. Tears began to stream down her ashen face again and she retreated to the safety of the pillow. "Oh Millie…" Vash said mournfully, pulling her into his arms as tears fell down his own cheeks.

"M-Mr. Vash… is that really… you?" she asked between sobs.

"Yes, I'm here," he said soothingly. "Where's Meryl?" The tall insurance girl began to sob harder at the question and panic welled up in his chest. Vash tried to shush her as he rocked her back and forth. "Did something happen to Meryl?" He relaxed slightly when she shook her head.

"But everything is so wrong Mr. Vash. Mr. Priest is dead and Meryl went back to Bernardelli and doesn't want to remember us anymore and… and you left and never wrote us. Meryl said you weren't coming back. That since you didn't write you wouldn't bother. Oh, I just wish Nicolas was here!" she exclaimed, burying her face into Vash's shoulder and clinging to him.

Stepping off the bus onto the street of the business district of December left Meryl with a large feeling of nervousness. She had planned on coming up with a strategy for getting her job back during the twenty-six hour long bus ride, but had ended up sleeping most of the time and talking to Gram. Now she was all alone in a city without family or friends and very little money to her name. Well, almost alone…

"So, Ms. Meryl Stryfe, where are you off to now?" Gram asked slinging his pack over one shoulder with ease.

"Oh, well, I'm going to stay with a friend tonight and then I have an appointment at Bernardelli in the morning," she lied. There was no "appointment. Actually, she was going to walk in unannounced, praying not to immediately be shown the door, and request to see the chief. Gram cocked and eyebrow at her and smirked.

"You're a terrible liar. Come on then," he said, while Meryl gapped at him with astonishment. Having nothing better to do at the moment she started after him with her suitcase wheeling behind her.

It had taken a solid hour for Vash to calm Millie down while Knives look on with interest. Millie was finally composed enough to let Vash go make her some tea and she sat on the edge of her bed hiccuping softly. Knives was sitting in a chair across from Millie with his arms folded, studying her.

"I'm sorry Mr. Knives, but could you please stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" he asked coolly.

"Staring at me like that." Knives gaze stayed on her another moment before he glanced around the room. "You know this place was a lot more sanitary when I was here last." This was meant to be conversational, however, to Knives surprise the human began crying again. "Why are you crying?"

"You're right Mr. Knives. Everything is such a mess… me, the house, Meryl, everything." He discerned the female spider was referring to more than cleanliness… she was referring to her life. "Yes, well… things could be worse," he said as compassionately as he could though it sounded more scolding than comforting. Millie wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and was quiet for a minute.

"You're right. It's like my big, big sister always said, 'Be happy with what you have, because there's always someone worse off.'" Hearing Vash's approaching footsteps she wiped her face again and donned a smile. Vash entered the bedroom carefully carrying a ceramic mug filled with Ceylon tea.

"Thanks Mr. Vash," she said cheerfully as she took the mug from him and sipped the steaming liquid.

"Millie, why did Meryl leave?"

"She said she didn't want to be a waitress forever so she went to the main office to get her job back, but I think she just didn't want to keep thinking about you all the time. Have you ever seen this before Mr. Vash?" she asked picking the journal. Vash just shook his head no. "It's Meryl's journal. She used to write in it every night after she finished the reports. I didn't read it though until after she threw it away."

"What'd she write about?" he asked tentatively.

"Mostly about you," she said handing it over to Vash who looked at it curiously. It was bound in brown leather with the name Meryl Elizabeth Stryfe embossed in gold in the bottom right corner of the front cover. The loose left sheets of paper and paper clips made it look a third bigger than it actually was and the clasp threatened to pop open at any moment.

"Where is he main office?"

"December City."

"Are you ok now, Millie?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" she said with a weak smile.

"I'll be back in a few days then I promise." He said and left the room. Knives voice stopped him in his tracks.

"What about her? Do you really think she's level headed enough to take care of herself?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know…"

"What are you going to do about it then?"

Blue: Thank you for reading my story. Don't forget to review!

Ivey: Don't review if she knows you like it she makes me work harder.

Blue: Don't tell them to do that!