Felicity had been poorly named. Once they realized I was looking for a certain property they became quite infelicitous. I finally paid my waitress at the local coffee shop enough to get some directions. She said the locals called it The Beyond and that I was a damn fool to go out there.

It took me another good two hours of driving before I finally arrived. The building was off the main road, but visible from it. The tire tracks in the dirt outside might have been decades old. The lands around the building were not a place of great water. I parked the car in what seemed to be a parking lot and got out to look around.

The building itself was massive. Just as Vash had said, it looked like several houses that were fused together to the wrap around porch in an odd glue-gun style accident. It had an odd Technicolor paint job to match, as if each house had been painted a different color before it had been slowly fused together and refused to become homogenized after the fact.. The bricks that fused each of the houses together were unpainted and made from several different kinds of mud, adding to the patchwork feel of the building. There was an outer earthen wall that surrounded the entire complex that was a foot or so taller than I was. The only way in that I could find was a single iron gate that was orange with rust and open as an invitation. The outer wall that surrounded the place was at least two feet thick, and unnerved me for some reason. There were scorch marks staining the inside of the wall that were absent on the outside.

The wrap-around porch was painted whitewash white with pale purple accents here and there. The overall effect was much more homey than I would have thought, yet strangely disconcerting.

"Hello?" I yelled. The echo startled me.

I started to walk around the building behind the outer wall. I noticed each door had a different color, mostly blues, greens and grays. But after a while, I came to a door that was red. Painfully, brilliantly red.

I took a chance, went up and knocked. No one answered so I knocked again, and the door opened of its own volition. Nothing and no one rained down fiery death on me for my intrusion for five seconds, so I went in.

It was warm inside, and for the first time in my life, I understood how warmth could have been soothing. The furniture within, the couch, the bureau, the coffee table was all nice, but obviously second hand, even before they were left to rot here. Overall the place was naturally haphazard, yet somehow neat as a pin at the same time. The only thing that seemed out of place was an old cardboard box that was thrown on the kitchen table, the lid crushed underfoot and lying on the floor. Inside the box was bundle of old red leather, sprinkled with cloth buttons, which had originally been as red as sin. In the fading sunlight I could see the imprint of a huge revolver on the leather. And as I kept looking at it, I realized the revolver that left that imprint was a very familiar one.

I'm still not sure why I took out the red leather from the box. As it unfolded, I saw that it was what I had thought it would be. The coat Vash had been wearing in the color photograph I had found in December's files. One arm was blown off and the leather itself looked like it had been out in the desert, unprotected for years. An old, small, birthday card was stuck at the bottom of the box, signed by Meryl and Milly.

After I carefully folded the coat back up, I replaced the lid, and actually looked out the window. The picture window that dominated one side of the three chair kitchen table had held my attention briefly, but I hadn't actually looked out it. I did now. Then stared.

I found the door out into the courtyard easily enough, but once opened, I stood on the landing with the door wide open, not knowing whether I should go in or out.

The brick that joined the houses together made a huge, private courtyard within, that could not be seen from the outside. Inside the courtyard was a riot of green plants. Living growing, breathing plants. The trees that had heavy burdens of fruit, there was a massive carpet of grass, real grass with a few brightly colored weeds here and there. And against the wall of one huge house at the other end of the courtyard, there was a massive spray of red and white roses, all in full bloom, overcoming the entire wall.

I finally let myself be drawn into the courtyard. I stepped down onto the grass, then stepped back, and took my shoes off. It felt wonderfully cool between my toes. I walked over to one of the fruit trees and looked up. I thought about taking an apple, but that which surrounded me felt so much like Eden, that I feared retribution from a god I was starting to worry didn't exist.

I took my time, slowly working my way across the courtyard. I couldn't turn away from those roses, huge bud in blood red and virgin white. I walked slowly up to the wall and let one roll into my hand, cool and serene.

I wanted to see what was behind this door. I carefully walked up the stars, and had a hand on the doorknob.

Someone grabbed me from behind.

"No! Don't go in there." Vash's strained whisper sounded in my ears. "Never go in there."

I turned around, ready to greet him with breathless joy, but stopped when I saw him. He looked like he had been trampled by a Thomas herd, once if not twice. I kissed him anyway, full and deep, and felt my heart soar when he kissed me back. I could taste blood in his mouth. What had he done to keep me safe?

"Vash?" I asked when I pulled away.

He smiled as he collapsed into my arms.