Meryl screamed as she fell and she flung her hands out wide in hopes of finding something to grab hold of. The bright flash of the explosion had half-blinded her and she could barely tell which way was up—but almost immediately she managed to catch one hand on something. Her descent stopped abruptly and she gave a yelp of pain as the sudden stop nearly wrenched her arm out of its socket.

Strangely, Meryl thought for a moment that something had grabbed her. She could swear her hand was empty but her wrist felt like it was clamped in a vise. Vision returned to Meryl in a matter of moments, her eyes adjusting to the dim moonslight, and suddenly she was looking out at open desert sand and fifteen yarz of empty space between her toes and the ground. She screamed again and flung her left hand up to meet the other. For an instant her fingers wrapped around something as solid and unyielding as cast-iron, but then she was looking for something else to support her weight.

Her hand met the rough wood siding of the inn's outer walls and Meryl dug her fingers under one of the boards that had warped and bowed outward with age. Her stocking feet were sliding against the side of the building as she tried desperately to push herself up, hoping her toes would catch on something she could stand on.

And something was still gripping Meryl's right wrist—and it was pulling her up. Her tenuous hold on the warped siding was yanked free as she was hauled skyward and Meryl squeaked, reaching up higher for something, anything, to hold on to. The side of the building abruptly gave way to empty space again and Meryl's palm slapped down on a level surface. She used the new leverage to pull herself up until her elbow rested on the ledge, then even managed to throw her leg up over onto the same surface. With a gargantuan effort Meryl dragged the rest of her body up as well.

And then somehow she was falling again, rolling the other direction, and she hit the ground four-stories below in just an instant, crushing all the air from her lungs.

But she was alive, and she wasn't quite sure how. Meryl gasped for breath and her chest was heaving against strangely warm and solid sand.

"Hey—hey—"

Meryl heard the words, somewhere, but she couldn't really listen. She was still just trying to breathe properly and figure out how the hell she wasn't just splattered all over the sands in front of the saloon.

"Hey, look at me—look at me!"

Hands touched her face, pushed hair out of her eyes, and very suddenly Meryl found herself staring down into fierce green eyes as she lay flat on Vash's chest. He was looking up at her from just iches away, holding her face firmly between his gloved hands.

"Hey," Vash said again, more quietly. His thumb swept gently over her cheek and his gaze softened now as he saw recognition in her eyes. "It's okay, you're okay now." He gave Meryl a small, genuine smile as she began to calm again.

It took her a while to make sense of what had happened, and Vash seemed patient enough to let her. She was back in the bathtub, back in that room on the fourth floor, and her heart was still racing. He had caught her. It was the only explanation; that had been his grip on her wrist, hauling her back up into the room. It was impossible—but then again, things with Vash so often were.

Breath still came quick and shallow and she had to close her eyes and make an effort to force a long, deep breath. She let it out as slowly as she could, and when she opened her eyes again she felt considerably calmer.

Vash was still touching her face.

His gloved hands were warm on her skin and his thumb brushed over her cheek again as he looked up at her. He wore an expression now that Meryl couldn't quite read, and something in his eyes was making her heart beat too quickly again. She should have been freezing from the cold desert air seeping into the room, but she was practically burning up and was sure Vash would be able to feel it.

"Are you alright?" she blurted.

"Wha—" That unreadable expression was gone as Vash's eyebrows rocketed up, incredulous. "Am I alright?"

"Vash?" someone called out.

Vash sat up suddenly and carried Meryl with him, his hands on her shoulders. Meryl glanced sideways and realized the bathtub was perched precariously at the outer edge of the ruined floor, one of its clawed feet only iches away from splintered wood and open space. She sucked in a sharp breath and seized handfuls of Vash's jacket reflexively, just to have something to hold on to.

When Meryl turned toward the interior of the building, light from the hall was spilling into what was left of the room and she could just see Elizabeth standing at the open door, peering in with her eyebrows raised. Vash glanced back to Meryl for an instant, his eyes wide.

"It's not what it looks like!" he shrieked, shoving Meryl off him as he vaulted over the side of the bathtub and hurried across the room to prostrate himself at Elizabeth's feet. Meryl fell backwards and her skull met the opposite end of the tub with a loud and painful crack!

"Shhhhhhiiiiiit," Meryl hissed quietly, teeth clenched tightly against the pain as she pressed both hands over the back of her head and curled forward. "Oww..."

"Ma'am?"

Meryl heard Milly's voice from the door, and a moment later she appeared at Meryl's side. One of Milly's strong hands gripped the edge of the tub as she knelt down, and Meryl had the oddest feeling that the rest of the floor could crumble away beneath her and Milly would still be there holding the bathtub in place.

Milly interrupted this train of thought, asking, worriedly, "Are you alright?" Her other hand wrapped around Meryl's bicep and hauled her out of the tub before Meryl's previous theory could be put to the test. "What happened?"

"Bomb," Meryl managed, eyes watering from the stinging pain at the back of her skull. Milly frowned apologetically and smoothed her hand over the bump growing there, which did make Meryl feel a little better. "Somebody broke in," she continued. "Through the window."

"And what were you doing here?" Elizabeth interrupted, staring at Meryl with an expression so fierce it looked as though she hoped Meryl might spontaneously combust.

Meryl glared back at her and snarled, "None of your goddamn—"

"Nothing!" shrieked Vash, his shrill voice cutting across Meryl's words. He was still on his knees at Elizabeth's feet, now clutching desperately at her skirts, begging forgiveness. "Nothing, I swear!"

"Oh, Poochi," sighed Elizabeth resignedly, suddenly wearing one of her small, patronizing smiles as she looked down at Vash. "What am I to do with you?" The change in her demeanor—from fury to this parody of tenderness, in just an instant—was so startling that Meryl almost forgot her anger. "Come along, then," Elizabeth said, and she laughed as Vash followed her out on all fours.

Meryl felt her eye twitch once as she watched them disappear around the corner. She could hear Elizabeth still cooing to Vash. "It's a good thing I switched our names in the hotel registry," she was saying.

"What?" Meryl screeched, leaping to her feet and racing out into the hall. Suddenly dizzy, she gripped the splintered door frame to keep herself upright. Milly was there a moment later, putting a steadying hand on Meryl's shoulder. Elizabeth turned around to face them, but by now people were opening their doors along the hall, all in dressing gowns and pajamas, all half-exhausted and half-terrified, all talking loudly and at once.

"What's going on?"

"We're trying to sleep, here!"

"Was that a bomb?"

"My god, are the Nebraskas back?"

"There's a huge crack in my wall!"

"You switched the names?" Meryl had to scream at Elizabeth just to be heard.

"SHUT IT, THE LOT OF YOU!"

Every man, woman and child present jumped nearly half a foot in the air. At the end of the hall, a figure was taking shape in the darkness and for a moment Meryl couldn't be sure what it was. A bulky shape was lumbering into the light, something with a larger head than Meryl had ever seen on a man, with a very pale face and sunken eyes. Its gait was slow, shuffling even, across the uneven carpet, and Meryl tensed as the figure moved into the light.

Meryl felt very foolish. It was the woman innkeeper; the large head Meryl had seen was just the old woman's giant hair curlers, and the eyes were dark circles under a thick facial cream mask. She wore plaid pajamas under a terry-cloth robe, and—Meryl almost snorted in laughter as she glanced down—oversized bunny slippers.

"What in the hell is going on here?" she demanded.

Everyone started talking at once, though Meryl and Milly stepped forward first and tried to catch the woman's attention.

"There was an attack—"

"Don't you know?"

"You should be telling us what's going on!"

"Is it the Nebraskas?"

"Who's going to do something about my wall?"

"Enough," said the innkeeper, waving her hands. "Enough, enough, enough!" She ended up shouting and everyone fell silent again. The woman came forward and Meryl and Milly hurriedly stepped out of her way as she peered around the doorframe and into the remains of Vash's room. Meryl watched the innkeeper's eyes harden as her mouth set in a thin line, her lips pressed tight together.

The woman spun around again and now everyone took a step back as she glanced around at the gathering crowd with a murderous glare. She spotted Vash, still kneeling, attached to Elizabeth's side.

"You!" she shouted. Vash recoiled. "This is—was—your room." She pointed in at the room, her words clipped as she growled out, simply, "Explain. Now." Vash looked too terrified to breathe, much less give an accurate account of what had happened. He clutched at Elizabeth's leg, and the innkeeper glanced up at the other woman. "He's yours, isn't he? What happened?"

Elizabeth tried to push Vash away but he clung to her, so she kicked until he let go. "He's not mine," Elizabeth said, as though the idea disgusted her. Vash let out a whimper and slid to the floor in an awkward, gangly heap. "How should I know what happened?" Elizabeth scoffed. "An explosion, obviously."

"Don't you sass me, Miss-Fancy-Pants," snapped the innkeeper, stepping menacingly toward Elizabeth. The other woman looked both affronted and alarmed, and took a step backward. "Everybody else here pays same as you for a good night's sleep, your Highness, so shut your mouth 'fore I shut it for you." Meryl was delighted to see Elizabeth going bright red and almost inflating in her fury. "And you two!" shouted the innkeeper, making Meryl jump as her finger swung around to point at her and Milly now.

"Us?" squeaked Milly.

"You're from the insurance company," said the woman. It was more an accusation than a question, really.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Milly squeaked again.

"Good," the innkeeper grunted. "Tomorrow morning, you and I are going to have a nice long chat about the state of my inn," she said, ominously. Milly's hand was clutching spasmodically at Meryl's shoulder in terror.

"Yes, Ma'am!" squeaked Milly, this time at so high a pitch it was almost inaudible.

The woman grunted again. She gave Elizabeth another glare and spun on her heel, returning in the direction from which she had come.

"GET BACK TO SLEEP, THE LOT OF YOU!"

Every door down the hall slammed shut almost simultaneously, and the woman muttered under her breath as she shuffled away. Only Meryl, Milly, Vash and Elizabeth remained. Meryl glanced from Vash, where he lay sniffling quietly on the floor, to Elizabeth, who was grimacing as she smoothed her hands over the fabric of her dress as if she was trying to brush off whatever Vash-residue might be left on her skirts.

Meryl gritted her teeth and breathed slowly through her nose. "You switched the names," she growled.

"It seemed prudent," said Elizabeth, unabashedly. She was cool and aloof again, and addressed Meryl without even flinching at the death-glare Meryl gave her.

The nerve...

"Prudent," repeated Meryl.

"Of course," Elizabeth said, as though she was pointing out the painfully obvious. "If someone were to attack me, it would be my bodyguard's job to protect me. How better to do so?"

"It's not his job to be your decoy," Meryl fumed.

"It's not your job to define the terms of his job!" hissed Elizabeth, advancing on Meryl.

"Actually?" said Meryl, stepping so close to the other woman now that she was craning her neck almost painfully. "That's exactly—"

"That's enough."

Meryl and Elizabeth each gave a squeak of surprise and glanced back at Milly. The younger woman's face was set in a solemn expression and she fixed them both with the same look, something powerful. An authority Meryl had never seen before.

"Milly...?" she said, hesitantly.

"There's been enough shouting tonight," said Milly. "It's late, and everyone—" (with a very pointed look) "—needs to get some sleep."

Meryl wondered if Elizabeth would challenge this bidding. She watched the other woman's eyes narrow as she considered Milly, as though sizing her up. Milly's chin lifted a fraction of an ich, and Elizabeth backed down before even speaking. It was an odd exchange, and Meryl just watched in awe. Elizabeth caught Meryl's eye very briefly before turning her back on them entirely and stalking off.

Milly gave a small, dismissive, hm, as Elizabeth turned at the stairs and disappeared without a backward glance. Then she turned to Meryl and smiled her usual, serene Milly-smile. Meryl could only stand there, dumbstruck.

"Good-night, Ma'am," Milly said, nodding to Meryl. Then, "Good-night, Mr. Vash!"

Having forgotten Vash entirely in the midst of that strange interaction between Elizabeth and Milly, Meryl turned to see him slinking away in the opposite direction. At Milly's words, Vash gave a vague wave over his shoulder without turning.

Meryl didn't have a clue where he might be going, and for some reason she didn't want to ask. The whole evening had already been a strange series of experiences with Vash; she'd found the Idiot faking sleep when she sneaked into his room, then dealt with the man in red when she wanted to warn him, and then again during the fight and the explosion. And then in the bathtub, he had been...

Then Elizabeth had showed up and he was the Idiot again, and then she had cast him off and now Meryl wasn't sure what kind of Vash she'd be dealing with if she approached him again.

"Good-night, Milly," Meryl said, almost belatedly. The other woman was already closing the door to her room, but she managed a small wave out to Meryl before it shut.

Meryl sighed, and returned to her own room.

Thankfully, it seemed to have sustained no real damage from the explosion. She walked carefully along the wall her room shared with Vash's, trailing her fingers across the wood, searching for any cold air that might be sneaking in through a crack she couldn't see. Satisfied she wouldn't be freezing to death this particular evening, Meryl down heavily at the edge of her bed, letting her head fall into her hands with a sigh.

It's been a long night...

She rubbed her forehead and opened her eyes, and was dismayed to see David Copperfield lying on the floor. In pieces.

Its spine had broken again, and for good. The back cover had detached entirely and fifty pages or so out of the middle had come apart from the rest when it fell to the floor—or was flung there—when Meryl hurled herself out of bed to join the fray going on in the next room.

Now exhausted and depressed, Meryl gathered the book together as best she could and tied it shut again. She couldn't afford to think about it now, she was just too damn tired, so she put it aside and dressed for bed.

A few minutes later Meryl was pulling the thin blankets up over her shoulders, shivering in the cold that they couldn't keep out, and for a moment she thought she heard a soft knock on her door. She lifted her ear from the pillow and listened hard in the dark. After a few more beats of silence, Meryl nuzzled her nose into the pillow and rolled over with a sigh.

There it was again—slightly louder.

Meryl made a guttural grmph noise and kicked off the covers, slipping out of bed. As she opened the door, light spilled in from the hall and, dim though it was, she squinted sleepy eyes up at her caller.

"So," said Vash, leaning casually against her doorframe with what he clearly thought was a winning smile.

Definitely the Idiot.

"Since my room doesn't have a wall anymore, I was thinking—"

Meryl shut the door in his face and stomped back to her bed, falling heavily onto the mattress with another grmph noise, more vehemently this time. She thought she might have heard an "ow" and smiled a little to herself. Meryl had actually started feeling sorry for him, after Elizabeth had treated him so poorly, but clearly he was able to bounce back from the spurning. Maybe if he had actually asked her, rather than smarming it up...

Fewer than five minutes later there was another, more purposeful knock on her door and Meryl growled, calling out, "I said, no!"

"Ma'am, it's me!" Milly protested. Frowning, Meryl threw off the covers and hurried to the door. Milly stood outside in banana-yellow pajamas, and Meryl's eyes were drawn immediately to the suitcase she held under one arm.

"You didn't," sighed Meryl, wearily.

"Mr. Vash needed a room, seeing as how his got blown up," Milly said, matter-of-factly, coming inside (without invitation, strictly speaking). "I told him he could have mine and I would share with you!" Meryl sighed again and shut the door behind Milly, who had already set her suitcase down next to Meryl's. The younger woman practically jumped into the bed, and Meryl followed her, too exhausted to complain that Milly was sleeping on the side she usually took...

Even with Milly's snoring, it didn't take long for Meryl to fall asleep. The next time someone knocked on their door, Meryl was pretty sure it was a dream and didn't bother trying to answer it. But the knocking persisted, becoming louder and louder until Meryl finally, reluctantly, opened her eyes. Milly was still asleep, and there was early morning sunslight creeping across the floor.

Meryl yawned so widely her jaw ached and she rubbed her eyes as she stood up, again reluctantly, and walked to the door.

It was Elizabeth.

"I wish to speak with Vash," she said, though she didn't actually look at Meryl. Her nose was turned up and she seemed to be addressing the air several feet above Meryl's head.

Still tired, and apparently not quite sure what was actually happening, Meryl just blinked slowly a few times. "What," she said, finally.

"Vash," snapped Elizabeth, looking down to catch Meryl's eye. "I need to speak with him. Is he in there?"

"Why would he be here?" Meryl demanded, scowling.

"Oh, I don't know," said Elizabeth, wide-eyed, pretending to look puzzled as she tapped a finger to her lips, thinking aloud, "maybe because I found you two necking in a bathtub—"

"How dare you!"

Before Meryl had even noticed she was drawing one fist back to strike the other woman, Milly appeared and seized Meryl's arm, dragging her backward into the room and stepping in front of her to speak directly to Elizabeth.

"What do you want?" asked Milly, curtly, still holding Meryl back. It didn't matter; Meryl was frozen. Just as she'd been last night. Milly was never this short with people. Not with anyone. Not with criminals, in all their run-ins with trouble.

Milly was taller than Elizabeth, and now the other woman tried to draw herself up higher, nose in the air again as she replied, "My bodyguard. I need Vash to escort me to the plant this morning, for the maintenance."

"I thought he wasn't yours," said Milly, coolly.

Elizabeth's haughty attitude vanished as something inside her seemed to snap at this, violently.

"You listen to me, you little bitch," she hissed, stepping only iches away from Milly's face. Meryl started forward in alarm, seeing Elizabeth's eyes flashing dangerously, her whole face twisted and wrong. "I've been planning this for longer than you've even been—"

"Miss Elizabeth!" cried Vash, startling them all. "You've come back!"

All eyes turned to Vash as he sprinted down the hall and fell to his knees at Elizabeth's feet. Elizabeth's beatific smile was instantly back in place as she swept down on him.

"Of course I have, Poochi," she told Vash, sweetly. She kissed his cheek and Vash melted to the floor in a euphoric puddle of blonde hair and red jacket. "Now come along," said Elizabeth, patting her thigh as though she were encouraging a dog to follow her. Vash was up on his feet again in an instant, bouncing after her. In moments they had disappeared around the corner.

Meryl stood frozen in shock. She glanced sideways to Milly, whose eyes were just as wide and alarmed as her own.

"What. The fuck," said Meryl.