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TWENTY-SIX
"So I ran all the way home," Alethia finished. "Look, I probably wouldn't have reacted quite so strongly on any other day, but I was already freaked out, so I freaked out a bit more. When I got home, I called the girls, who said they'd come over, and...well...now you're here."
Stan's expression didn't look like it could get any darker. "I will find this man, and I will ensure you never set eyes upon him again."
"That sounds ominous. How exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Through any means necessary."
That sounded worse. "Stan, I'm going to need specifics here. Times have changed, and things that might have been acceptable when you were alive are...different now. So tell me exactly what you have planned, and I'll tell you whether it's a good idea or not."
"Such things are not fit for a lady's ears," Stan said stiffly.
"Well, there's no ladies here, buster. I dig up dead bodies for a living. I've seen shit you can't even imagine, and not just in movies, either." She rose to her feet, then winced as her ankle protested. "Now, are you my protector or aren't you?"
Stan bowed his head. "As I keep telling you, I am your demon protector. Bound to serve you."
"Well, can you see my ankle all swelled up? The person I'm in greatest danger from right now is me. I keep forgetting I'm injured and trying to walk on it."
Stan scooped her up in his arms and marched down the passage. "Then I shall carry you to bed, and see that you stay there."
"Uh huh, and who's going to cook while I'm stuck in bed? Carry me over to the couch. It's Saturday morning. Pretty sure I'm allowed to spend the day binge watching stuff, and maybe bring you up to speed on how much the world has changed since you were last part of it. Put me down there and pass me the remote."
Stan set her down, then stood in front of her, looking at a loss.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Now there was a wall of muscle with wings between her and the TV.
"Protecting you from yourself."
She had to laugh at that. "You can do that and watch TV, you know. Sit here, next to me." She patted the couch beside her.
"That would not be seemly."
Alethia sighed. "Look, Stan, I know things were different in your time. Just being alone with me last night was enough to ruin me, by the standards of your time, right?"
He shifted on his feet and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Well, yes, but no one knows I was here, so your reputation is safe. If I were to sit beside you, an unmarried woman, it would not be seemly."
"Okay, then...so if you won't sit on the couch, maybe the floor, then? So we can both see the screen."
Stan's gaze followed her pointing finger. "But the pictures are no longer on the slate."
Alethia waved the remote control. "I can bring them back. Just remember, if you decide maybe the couch is okay after all, there's plenty of space for you."
"I will not change my mind."
"Suit yourself."
She flipped through the options. She'd been all ready to watch Supernatural with the girls last night, but it seemed insensitive to watch the Winchesters kill demons when there was an actual demon in the room who'd been a perfect gentleman since he'd first appeared. Maybe something supernatural without the capital S. She clicked through to suggestions, and then had to choke back a laugh. A gentleman from the past who finds himself suddenly in the present, thanks to some supernatural assistance...yes, Sleepy Hollow should work just fine. It'd been ages since she'd watched it, and she did remember liking it when she had.
Less than a minute in, Stan folded his arms across his chest. "How is this possible? Seeing a battle from the past as though we were only looking out a window upon it."
Yep, the pause button was going to get a workout today.
"It's not real. It's...actors in costumes, with pretend weapons. Like in a play. Only the camera – the same device that took the picture of the mountains you saw on my laptop – filmed it, so we could watch it again whenever we want."
"But it looks real."
"The actors and the film crew did a really good job, then."
