The branches swayed and creaked in the night wind as the sand rose up in small clouds along the path.

Milly watched a leaf twirl past her. "It's so strange here."

"I think it's wonderful."

She glanced down at Meryl as they walked together. "Are we getting paid for this?"

Meryl chided her. "Milly!"

"That was a rude question?"

"Yes it was. We're serving as this old couple's bodyguards until they can send the deed to the bank in the morning...and we're doing it completely out of the kindness of our own hearts."

The tall insurance girl cocked an eyebrow. "Bernardelli won't let us accept payment, will they?"

Meryl huffed. "It's the stupidest policy I ever heard of."

Something moved behind one of the trees and Milly was off before Meryl could stop her.

He placed both hands in the air just as Milly got to him and she slid to a halt in confusion. "You're surrendering already?"

The man glared at her. "I don't need any more abuse from you crazy chicks."

Meryl ran up to them. "You're that guy from town this morning! The one that shot at the old man and woman!"

He walked past her. "I'm just here to talk to my parents."

The short girl staggered back. "You're their son?"

"Yes. Now let me through, so I can try to reason with these old fools one last ti-."

He hit the dirt clutching his caved-in cheek. Blood began to drip from his mouth as he stared up at Milly in shock.

She glared down at him. "Jerk! How could you hold a gun to your own parents?"

Meryl stared at her. Milly was a lot like Vash sometimes. Peaceful until one of her core beliefs was broken. The bonds of family were sacred in that girl's mind. To betray your own blood was unthinkable. But wasn't this just how the world was? Meryl felt a tinge of jealousy towards Vash and Milly, for their ability to still be angered by the things she had already accepted as part of life.

Badwick screamed as he slammed his fist on the table. "DAMMIT! ARE YOU REALLY SO STUBBORN AS TO GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR THIS PIECE OF DIRT!"

The old man was unmoved. "I don't expect you to understand. You've never built something from nothing as we have here. This is our life. Morgan will not have this land."

"HE'S COMING TONIGHT YOU OLD FOOL! HE WILL NOT SHOW MERCY!"

"Let him come."

The insurance girls leaned against the kitchen wall as the argument raged on. Eventually, Milly just couldn't listen anymore. She walked outside and Meryl followed. But they could still hear Badwick's pleas just as clearly.

Meryl felt bad for her. "It's not our business, Milly."

"I know...it never is." An explosion shook the ground and she gave a sad smile. "But we always get involved anyway."

Why the hell had she made him go back to the hotel? Things were quickly going from bad to worse. No one had seen them yet but they needed to act soon. The man named Morgan had brought his own gang...plus the rest of the Nebraska family. And now Milly kept glaring at her. If she didn't make a decision soon, Milly was just going to do her own thing. Meryl's mind was racing. How to save everyone? Dammit! How did Vash's mind work? What would he do?

All Morgan's men leveled theirs guns at the old man and Milly looked at Meryl one last time. If there was no plan, then you just dived in headfirst. It's all you could do. She took one last deep breath and pulled down the brim of her hat. Papa always said confidence was half optimism and half acting...

Morgan glared as someone stepped in front his target. A woman...in a brown trenchcoat and a hat that hid her eyes. She smiled while speaking.

"This is foolish, Morgan. You have no right to this land. Why won't you respect this man's desire to keep what is his?"

He raised his gun at her. "Who the hell are you? This isn't your business little girl."

Her mind reeled. Little? The calm, smiling act always unnerved the old bounty heads. But of course a lot of them had known dad, and the thought of being hunted by even a kid of his freaked them out. She'd drop her name anyway. If even one of those people had been in a town where it still meant anything, it might help. "Heh. You are a very rude man." She tipped her hat up. "My name is Coyote Thompson, and I've been hired as this man's bodyguard. So this is every bit my business."

Mama Nebraska made a loud groaning noise. Her daughter looked at her then down at the girl in the trenchcoat. "Hey girlie! My mother says you're a liar! Coyote Thompson was killed a long time ago!"

Dad knew the Nebraska family? "Forgive me. I didn't realize you knew him. Let me be a little clearer." She smiled, nodding politely. "Coyote Thompson the 2nd at your service."

Mama Nebraska squatted down to get a better look at Milly. Morgan yelled at her. "Who cares what her name his? We're here for the deed! I've paid you people good and well, what the hell are you doing?"

Meryl peered from the bushes, completely confused...while Vash observed from the safety of his hidden trashcan.

Mrs.Nebraska pointed to her own face and made gestures. The daughter spoke for her. "She said she believes you now. You look like him, especially in the eyes."

They always remembered the eyes. "May I ask how she knew him?"

Morgan fired a bullet into the air. "WE'RE HERE FOR THE DEED, DAMMIT!"

Milly shot the gun out of his hand. "You know it's really not healthy to be that stressed all the time..."

He blinked at his empty hand then screamed. "KILL THEM ALL!"

Meryl dove out and took stance beside Milly with her Derringers drawn. The girls looked at each other. Milly cocked an eyebrow. "Why? You could have just escaped..."

Meryl smirked. "You kidding? We're the insurance girls! If we go down, we go down together!"

Badwick rocketed by on his motorcycle waving a piece of paper. "HERE'S YOUR DAMN DEED, MORGAN!"

Morgan's face brightened as he outstretched his arms...and was instantly passed up.

The trashcan giggled to itself. "Ooh...burn."

Morgan made one last plea to the Nebraskas. "STOP HIM!"

The mother took one of her sons and promptly hurled him towards the unfortunate Badwick.

Milly hung her head, completely losing the cool act. "Ah, we messed up! There's no way we can stop that!"

Meryl aimed a Derringer. "We've got to try."

Milly sighed. "You can pump him full of holes all you want, but he's still gonna land on him!"

Meryl pulled the trigger.

Nebraska Jr. exploded in mid air, landing armorless in the dirt. The short insurance girl fell completely over and the tall one cheered after realization set in. "WOOO! DERRINGER MERYL JUST KICKED YOUR A-!"

"MILLY!"

The trashcan laughed hysterically.

NEXT DAY

Meryl sipped her coffee on the bus. "So your dad was a famous bounty hunter, huh?"

Milly grabbed another cookie out of their bag. "Well, famous in the criminal underworld kind of way. James Thompson, The Desert Coyote, Coyote Thompson...I don't know, everyone called him something different."

"He teach you how to shoot like that?"

"Nah, I was just a little girl when he died. But these guns were his."

Vash leaned over the top of their seats and made puppy eyes. "I want a cookie..."

Meryl threw one at him and he caught it in his mouth.

"Dank kyu!" He swallowed it, then coughed on her when some went down the wrong tube.

Crumbs landed all over her typewriter. "You are disgusting."

He looked down at it. "Whatcha typing? Ooh! Did you just put something like, 10:01am...Vash The Stampede is leaning behind me. He just blinked twice. If you are noticing the stains, that is cookie. He just got cookie on my report. I am extremely angered. I would employ risk management to his face. But he is so darn beautiful. We are madly love and I wish to have his childr-"

5 Minutes Later: Middle Of The Desert, 20 Miles From Jeneora Rock

"I can't believe we got kicked off the bus." Milly hung her head. "Actually, I can't believe I got kicked off the bus. I didn't even do anything..."

Meryl was sitting next to her with her arms crossed, but remained silent.

Vash sat twenty feet away, glaring at Meryl and holding his bleeding face.

Milly sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. These two definitely needed some time alone. She regained her usual cheery tone. "Well...I'm just gonna head on, okay? It's too hot out here. Guess I'll see yall in a little bit. Bye guys!"

After a few minutes, Meryl got up and walked over to Vash. When he didn't say anything, she sat beside him. "Look...we're going to have to stop doing this."

He had a makeshift bandage wrapped around the wound in his forehead. "I agree."

She pulled her knees to her chest. "I can admit...that I do tend to overreact, slightly."

Vash looked at her. "SLIGHTLY? You hit me with your typewriter! Blood went everywhere! People were screaming and stuff..."

She glared. "Yeah, but you know how I am...you should have known better! What did you think was gonna happen?"

He whined. "I don't know..."

"We just need to come to an understanding. You know what makes me mad, so just...stop doing it."

He stood up and outstretched his hand to her. "Just ask me to stop breathing why don't ya."

She took his hand and got up. "Did this conversation accomplish anything?"

He smirked. "Probably not, just try to use smaller devices of torture next time...or at least a lighter typewriter." He rubbed his head. "That thing's a beast."

Meryl smiled. "I'll consider it."