AUTHORESS TYPE PERSON: Not a very long chapter. And guess what, school's fixing to start again! Sigh. At least high school's over. But my first year of college...that's a whole new kind of suck. I'll be a freshman all over again. Funny though. I feel like an old woman among you guys. The big 18. At least I can buy cigarettes...not that I even smoke. Lung cancer's only cool if you plan on dying before it happens. Ahem. Like some people we know. But anyway, I love the last passage of this chapter. I don't know why, but the thought of the two couples in a situation like that, just amuses the hell out of me.

It...it just couldn't be. He took a step back as a lump formed in his throat.

"Hmm?" Milly gave a casual glance over her shoulder and the man's eyes went wide.

That scar. It was. But how? He drew his gun. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

"Huh?...AAH!" She jumped aside as the bullet grazed her. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!"

Yeh, it was her all right. Jim's baby girl...alive and well. He fired again and again. "QUIT MOVING YOU STUPID CUNT!"

What the hell? Everything was going smoothly, they were fixing to get in, and now this. Meryl shot the gun out of his hand and motioned for Milly. "RUN! COME ON!"

He shielded his bleeding hand while screaming at the guards. "STOP HER DAMMIT! SHE'S A BOUNTY HUNTER! A FUCKING BOUNTY HUNTER!"

The men were a lot faster than they looked. In an instant, the girls were both struggling to breathe as insanely strong hands grabbed them up by their throats.

Milly kicked frantically at her captor. "I DON'T...DO THAT ANYMORE!" Why wasn't he letting go? She knew these boots could break bone. Her vision began to blur and she focused all her strength to one last desperate shot to his crotch. If it worked on Nick, it'd work on anyone.

Meryl was seconds from losing consciousness. There was no way she could overpower him. Only one option. She grabbed a Derringer from each pocket and fired.

The girls hit the dirt, coughing and gasping for air. Milly looked up at the sound of her anonymous enemy cocking his recovered pistol. She pleaded. "Look I'm sorry...but whatever I did to cross you, I'm sure I had a good reason. Please just let it go."

He stared at her down the sight of his gun. "Victor said he killed you."

Her face paled. "He's...here?"

Seemed that name struck more fear in her than any gun ever would. Course it's not like she didn't have good reason. "No...I don't run with them anymore." He couldn't help but focus on her eyes. That weird color blue. So light, they almost seemed to shine. Just like Jim's. He holstered his gun. "Dammit! You're just like him. Freaking pain in the ass. Don't know why I ever trusted that jerk. Get outta my sight Coyote!"

She was a little surprised, but smiled graciously. A little mercy in everyone. Reinforcements were already on the way to investigate the disturbance, so the girls didn't waste another moment and ran inside and out of sight.

He looked at the guards. One in a fetal position, vomiting on the dirt and the other writhing around with a bullet in each foot. He sighed observing his bloody hand. "Unbelievable..."

"Care to explain?"

Milly looked from one door to another while running. They needed a new plan. She could hear guards getting closer. "Don't know...one of papa's old gang?"

A woman stepped into the hallway and the girls slammed right into her. The three fell to the floor and Meryl covered her mouth before the scream could escape her lips. The woman's eyes widened as the taller stranger sat painfully up.

"Ow..." Milly's hair had come free in the collision and she moved it casually aside while picking her hat off the floor.

The woman looked back at Meryl and the insurance girl spoke. "That's right. We're girls too. Cat sent us to help you...now promise you aren't going to scream?"

She nodded and Meryl let her go as a yell came from a nearby hallway. "Two chicks in trenchcoats! They went down this way!"

She jumped up, pulling Meryl by the hand. "Hurry! Follow me."

Vash cast nervous glances, taking in the uncomfortable setting. He and Wolfwood were seated across from each other at one of many small, identical round tables spread across a huge ballroom. An elegant chandelier hung over head, contrasting the cheesy color scheme. Hot pink carpet stretched from wall to wall and gold tablecloths dressed each table. At the front was a large stage with shimmering silver curtains and four bronze poles. Some women danced on the stage while others made their way through the room. A few carried trays, bringing alcohol and food to the different tables. But the majority walked back and forth, waiting to be propositioned. The place was extremely crowded. Boisterous outlaws and bandits made sure to make their presence known. Loud drunken conversations...slurring at the women. He cast his gaze to the table, not wishing to observe much more. "Enjoying yourself?"

Nick cocked an eyebrow at the outlaw's sudden stab of sarcasm. So the priest did happen to be observing the topless girls on the poles at the moment...but Vash was rushing to judgment. Wolfwood was well old enough to know the difference between casual looks and true interest. He slouched back, taking a long drag on his cigarette. "Just trying to pass the time, Tongari..."

He looked up. Nick was in a bad mood right now. They'd had an argument earlier about how to go about taking this place down. Wolfwood just wanted to shoot up everything until whoever was in charge presented himself, but Vash insisted that there had to be a better way. And that's what they were doing now, waiting on Vash to think of a plan. "Relax. It won't be much longer." He already had plenty of less violent ideas, but was still running them through his mind...weighing all the risks and possible consequences. Vash was a lot more systematic than most people realized. All the plans that usually seemed like spontaneous or lucky mishaps, were nearly always scenarios he'd played a thousand times over before deciding to carry them out.

Milly blushed at her own reflection. "Is that...me?"

The girls laughed, admiring their work. "Let me guess...tomboy growing up?"

The tall girl uneasily examined her new outfit. A sleeveless, skin tight, sky blue dress. So short it barely covered her underwear, and if that wasn't bad enough...it had a V neckline that plunged nearly to her navel, and it's not like she could wear a bra. She looked over her shoulder. "I feel naked."

Meryl sighed. Her dress was the same cut as Milly's but a bright, fiery red instead. Both girls had black chokers and black, open-toed high heels. It was pretty crazy, but it's not like they had much choice. Their old disguises had become obsolete. "Well, thanks for the help girls. I guess we'll leave our stuff with yall. We're going to go find those guys we told you about." She strode out into the hall with Milly. "And I promise...this will be the last day you ever have to live like this."

"Good luck." The women waved them off. The whole idea seemed impossible. That in one day, four strangers could just wander into town and destroy an establishment that had enslaved countless souls for decades. But for some reason, these women seemed just strange enough to believe in.

"Milly, just give up already...you're fighting a losing battle."

She looked up from adjusting her dress for the millionth time. "What?"

"Just quit tugging at it. When you try to pull it down to make it longer, you just show more cleavage...and when you try to pull it up to show less cleavage, you only make it shorter."

"I can't believe you don't feel exposed!"

"We're blending in! And for God sake quit trying to wipe your face...you'll only smear the makeup."

She whined in discontent, but said nothing else. At least she had the high heel strut down pat. Bernardelli had taught her that much...but makeup and skimpy clothing were completely new to someone who'd spent nearly all her teen years out in sandstorms and random nowhere towns.

Meryl came to a stop, scanning the ballroom. "There!" She'd know that broom hair anywhere.

Milly followed reluctantly. She really didn't want to be seen like this.

Nick sighed. "Dammit Needle Noggin. I've been patient...letting you play your little pacifist act and all, but enough is enough. My butt's falling asleep. We gonna kick someone's ass or what?"

Vash just stared at him. "You really don't mind sharing anything that pops into your mind do you?"

Wolfwood ignored him. "Yep. It's definitely asleep. Kind of itches too."

He groaned. "Ugh. That's a lovely image."

Nick blinked. "Ah, you're just jealous. I've seen your bony ass. Pasty white boy."

"Excuse me? Girl's love my butt!"

"Why? It's all scarred and pale. Mine's tan and tight."

Vash glared and the maturity could almost be felt as it fled for dear life, completely abandoning that particular table. The boys' rivalry was so strong that even the stupidest subject was not beneath debating over. They paid little mind to strangers' passing glances as their unusual argument became louder and louder.

But it was barely a few taunts later when something else caused Wolfwood to stop in mid-sentence, completely slack jawed.

"Wha-" Vash froze as two slender arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and slid down his chest.

Meryl knew they were being watched. She tried her best to keep a straight face. "Lapdance, sir?"

The Typhoon looked up slowly and was instantly rendered speechless. Seductive eyeliner framed those stormy blue eyes. Dark lipstick contrasted her white smile. Her chest looked like it may escape at any moment...

Wolfwood gave a frantic sign of the cross, hoping to God he would be forgiven for the instant carnal thoughts that filled his mind as Milly slid easily into his tensing lap. He was absolutely certain that no woman had ever rattled him this badly. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if drool didn't just start dripping from his mouth at any moment. "Damn..." was about all he could muster given the circumstances.

She blushed averting her eyes as she mimicked some of the other women, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Uh, hi Mr.Priest...we kind of decided to come too."

Meryl cocked an eyebrow, now teasingly seated in the lap of the sixty billion double dollar man. "Well? Are you gonna say something sometime this century?" Her eyes narrowed with a bit of enjoyment as she brought her palm up to his cheek. "Don't tell me you're tongue tied..."

The Stampede stammered, trying to keep his eyes above her neckline. There was a lump in his throat, butterflies in his stomach, and a nervous tension already forming down below. "Mer...Meryl? I don't understand..." She was a total knockout. Perfect ten all the way. "Why...why are yall here?"

She smirked. It was fun to see him this unnerved for her for a change. "We figured you might need some help."

"Meryl!"

"Huh?" She looked across at Milly.

The tall insurance girl pointed slightly. Armed men were walking their way, casting searching glances over the tables they passed.

Meryl frowned. "Dammit. They're probably looking for us..."

Nick gave Milly a suspicious look and she smiled. "Yeh, um...we caused a bit of a scene on the way in..."

The men were almost to them, so there was no time to escape. Only one other option...blend in and hope they weren't recognized. Meryl threw her arms around the shocked Vash, planting a mind-blowing kiss as she pressed her upper body firmly against him.

It might not be under the most romantic of circumstances, but he was still a male and sure didn't take long to respond. The Typhoon slid his arms around her waist, opening his mouth over hers.

Milly and Wolfwood blinked in simultaneous shock as their usually reserved friends began almost shamelessly making out right in front of them.

Nick quickly snapped out of the stupor, mentally scolding himself for even wasting a fraction of a second gawking at those two when he had his own golden opportunity to attend to. He managed to regain his suave tone as he suddenly gripped her around the waist. "Well...we gonna be outdone, babe?"

She blushed as the taste of cigarettes suddenly entered her mouth, and her eyes closed on reflex. The club's sleazy music pulsed in the background of her mind, mixing with drunken shouts and screams to cheapen the experience even more. Milly promptly closed her legs and swatted his hand away as it briefly tried to slip beneath her dress. How did she get herself into situations like this?