A/N
Don't worry, this isn't a trick, there is a chapter XD I just want to say thank you so much to everyone, coz 1k!!!!!!!!! I still get way too excited at that, but it's 1000 people! 1000 people have read this story!!! And I'm so thankful to everyone who has! I love you all, especially those of you who have helped me get the 153 votes and 170 comments!!! Also, are there any characters you want to see appear in this? I set myself a character limit and have gone over it so much I literally don't care how many characters there are anymore! Please tell me if there are any you want to appear or anything ^-^
Once again, thank you so much everyone!
MiddleEarth4eva
Now, on with the chapter...

Vash sat on one of the sofas in the huge living room of Roderich's house, Lili next to him, curling her hair around her little finger. Ever since Gilbert and Ludwig had come back, this was kind of their routine, to meet up once a month. Okay... Elizaveta had forced them to, literally at gunpoint... or... frying pan point, but still. She claimed it'd help them in their difficult relationship. He had to admit, it had worked, kind of anyway. He found it harder to argue with the aristocrat now, but that didn't mean they never did. They just got on better. Lili was happier with that arrangement too. She said that he was too unsocial. Now at least she'd stopped pestering him about that. Not that he'd really had an issue with it. It was good of her to look out for him, although, it should be the other way around really.

Elizaveta appeared in the doorway with a tray of tea and biscuit. "Hello" she beamed, coming over and sitting down on the settee opposite the pair. "Roderich said he'll be down in a minute."

"That's fine" Vash said, waving his hand about as if to show his lack of concern. "What about Gilbert and Ludwig?"

"Can't make it" Elizaveta shook her head as she started to pour out the tea, ignoring Lili, who picked up the plate of biscuits and sat back with them. "Gilbert... I can't remember why he can't come, but Ludwig is still helping Feliciano, and between the two of them and Antonio, they're trying to help Lovino."

"Is it working?" Vash asked, taking the tea she offered him and thanking her before wrestling a biscuit off Lili, who only ever got violent when her sweet tooth was on the line.

Elizaveta shook her head. "It's hard to say, but from the sounds of things, no. Ludwig says he remembers who they are, but I think that he's just putting it on to stop them worrying. They've told it to him enough times that it's probably drilled into his brain now anyway: 'this is Feliciano, your younger brother. This is Antonio, one of your closest friends. This is Ludwig. You hate Ludwig.'"

Vash snorted. "That must be tiring."

"We can't make fun of him though." Elizaveta glared at him. "He's been through a lot, and it can't be easy suddenly waking up somewhere and not remembering who you are, what you are or who you can trust."

"Let's just be thankful that we found him first" Lili said. "Feliciano told me that one of the first things Lovino remembered was that he had had to escape. If the counterparts had found him first, who knows what could have happened."

"But it didn't." They all glanced towards the door as Roderich walked in, closing the tall doors behind him. "So let's stop thinking bad things."

"You're late for a change" Vash raised an eyebrow as the Austrian walked through the door and sat down next to Elizaveta. "Are you ill?"

Roderich smirked. "No, just seeing to some things that had to be seen to today. After stopping, there's no way I would've wanted to go back to them."

Vash nodded.

"So how've you both been?" Lili asked, finally placing the now empty plate of biscuits back on the tray.

"Good" Roderich said, staring off into space. "I mean... as good as anyone can be really with all this... mess that's going on right now."

"But we're not here to talk about that at the moment" Vash put down his tea on the edge of the table. "That's the sort of thing we talk about at meetings, and quite frankly, I think we all find meetings just a bit depressing sometimes."

Roderich nodded in agreement. "What about you?"

"Hm?" Vash glanced at them. "What about us?"

"How've you been since last month?" Elizaveta smiled. "Meetings don't count as seeing each other really."

"Oh" Vash started. "Good, yeah. Lili's started shooting again."

Lili went bright red. "I don't like it. The gun's too violent went you shoot it."

"That's kind of the point Lili" Elizaveta sighed. "But it's necessary. There'll be a time when you'll have to use it I'm afraid, and then you'll be thankful that you have skills of some sort with a gun."

Lili shrugged. "I guess."

Roderich went to say something but faltered as the lights went out. "Damn fuse box" he growled, standing up. "It's been constantly blowing recently."

"Where is it?" Vash stood up too, glancing around the now grey room.

"Round the back of the house" Elizaveta picked up the tray and started walking towards the door. "I'll come with you."

"No" Vash, shook hid head. "Stay here with Lili okay?"

"I'll be fine" Lili said quickly. "Elizaveta probably knows what she's doing."

"I don't" Elizaveta grimaced. "Neither does Roderich. Not really anyway."

"So... what's the point in both of you coming?" Vash frowned.

Elizaveta shrugged. "Roderich's there for supervision. I'm actually returning the tray to the kitchen." She motioned with her head to the tray she'd picked up.

Roderich nodded and walked out of the room, Vash following.

"I'll be back in a sec Lili yeah?" Elizaveta paused at the door and turned around the smile at the shadowy figure of the small personification.

"Yeah it's fine" Lili nodded and curled up into the corner of the couch. She'd had the idea a bit ago that she wasn't strong enough. That was why she'd started training with the gun again. That was why she'd insisted she was alright. A fear of the dark was stupid anyway. So she waited, calmly as she could staring at the open door, waiting for someone to come through it. It didn't take long before someone did, and at first glance, it was her brother. Then she started to take in the minor details. His hair was slightly longer. Not too long, but long enough to be combed into a short ponytail, although it was left loose, and she couldn't be sure because of the light, but it seemed a couple of shades darker. His uniform wasn't quite the same either. His jacket was open instead of pulled closed, and that too looked a couple of shades darker, but still, she couldn't be sure.

He didn't see her at first, but when he did, he seemed to jump a foot. "Damn Liesel, I didn't see you there! I thought you were staying behind. As in... outside. Not back at the house I mean... that'd be stupid and... uh..."

"Hm?" Lili stared at him for a second. "Um... no."

He frowned. "I could've sworn you said you would... but that's probably me just being... you know... stupid per usual." He was so obviously not Vash, but there were pointers that rejected that thought, like the voice and the appearance on first glance. It didn't take her long to figure out it wasn't Vash, and after that, it took her even less time to figure out who Liesel was.

"No" Lili shook her head.

He looked awkward, standing there, tugging at his arm as though in discomfort. "Um... I... uh... I cut the cable like you told me to. They're... uh... they're out there now. They'll be back in a minute. Are we sending Roland in? I mean... we could wait? We could wait until later for it as there's two of them out there now. The... the other is in the kitchen and... well... if Erzsébet is here we could get her maybe? Or not? Or... or..." he trailed off into silence and stared at the floor. "I don't know."

"Who's out there?" Lili was confused by the whole thing.

"Uh..." he scratched the back of his head. "M... me I think? And Roland. Yeah... I think that's right. I mean... I didn't stop to wait around. I didn't actually see them... but... but I heard them and... I mean... it sounded like Roland and I, but it might not have been, but the only two other people in this house are you and Erzsébet, so it'd make sense if it was them as... you know... you're both female, and not male and I was sure the voices were male, but you know, they might not have been, but..." he trailed off again, this time not finishing what he was saying.

"Okay" Lili said, backing slightly further into the sofa. So this was Vash's counterpart. So then, Roland and Erzsébet must be Roderich and Elizaveta.

Vash's counterpart stood there awkwardly for a second, hopping from one foot to the other, eyes trained on the ground. Then, the lights flicked on again and he shrieked.

"How? What? I mean... I promise that wasn't my fault Liesel! I promise it wasn't! I cut the cable properly. The red one, like you said, I cut right through it, all the way. It sent sparks everywhere and I burnt my thumb. That's what's meant to happen isn't it? I mean... I wasn't sure, that it was the right cable I'd cut you know? So I cut all of them... that didn't effect anything did it? If it did I... I didn't mean to I promise. It wasn't my fault I promise Liesel, it just sort of happened. I didn't know they'd be able to turn them back on again that quickly... if... if at all and... and so... I... uh... I..." He glanced up at her and stumbled back, shock crossing his face. "You're... you're not..." he took another shaky step backwards before fleeing from the room.

Second later, Vash, the real Vash, appeared in the doorway. "Are you alright?" he inspected her carefully. "Who was that person who ran out of the room?"

Lili glanced at him. "That? That was your counterpart."

Vash went pale.

***

Voss had never been so scared in his life. He'd thought it was Liesel sitting on the sofa, but it wasn't. The girl had looked like her counterpart, but he couldn't be sure. He hadn't stuck around for long enough. And now the lights were on. He rounded a row of hedges in the slightly too large garden.

"So"

He froze and turned around. They weren't where they'd been before. They were behind a different hedge. He wheeled around so he could see them.

"You fucked this up too did you Voss?" Liesel glared at him from underneath her fringe in disgust and scoffed. "You really can't do anything right can you?"

"I... uh... I didn't mean to... I just..." Voss took a step backwards as she crossed the gap between the hedges, leaving the shadows of Roland and Erzsébet on the other side.

"Cut the fuses Voss. Kill your counterpart Voss. Tell us when the fuses are cut and he's dead Voss, then we'll do the rest" she grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged his head down towards where she held her gun. "It's not hard is it?" She yelled the last bit. "I don't know how you can fuck anything up anymore than you do! Is it really that hard?"

"I... uh..." Voss gulped and tried to back away.

"You're just crap at everything" Liesel shoved him backwards, turning before he hit the ground, and sighed, turning to the other two, who stood unfazed by the whole affair. "Okay, plan B. Charge in there while the fuses aren't cut and they can see everything." She started walking towards the house, them following, Voss staying sat on the ground for a moment before running after them. "Kill anything and everything that moves, and Voss?" He flinched as his little sister shouted his name from the front of their line. "If you don't have at least a little bit of blood on you by the end of this, I'll personally make sure there's a hell of a lot more on you than you would've got originally do I make myself clear?"

Voss nodded.