Midnight

"They picked me up on my own driveway,"Matt admitted as Elena sniffled. "And they did it by the book, but they wouldn’t even look at the – the chaos al around them."

Mrs. Flowers approached again, looking serious. "Dear Matt, you’ve had a terrible day. What you need is a long rest."She glanced at Stefan, as if to see how this would impact him, with so few blood donors. Stefan smiled reassuringly at her. Matt, Stillbeing kneaded pliant, had just nodded. After that his color started coming back and a little smile curved his lips.

"There’s m’main man,"he said, when Saber butted his way through traffic to pant directly in Matt’s face. "Buddy, I love your dog breath,"he declared. "You saved me. Can he have a treat, Mrs. Flowers?"he asked, turning slightly unfocused blue eyes on her.

"I know just what he’d like. I have half a roast left in the refrigerator that just needs to be heated a bit."She punched buttons and in a short while, said, "Matt, would you like to do the honors? Remember to take the bone out – he might choke on it."

Matt took the large pot roast, which, heated, smel ed so good it made him aware that he was starving. He felt his morals col apse. "Mrs. Flowers, do you think I could make a sandwich before I give it to him?"

"Oh, you poor dear boy!"she cried. "And I never even thought – of course they wouldn’t give you lunch or dinner."

Mrs. Flowers got bread and Matt was happy enough with that, bread and meat, the simplest sandwich imaginable –

and so good it curled his toes.

Elena wept just a little more. So easy to make two creatures happy with one simple thing. More than two – they were al happy to see Matt safe and to watch Saber get his proper reward.

The enormous dog had fol owed every movement of that roast with his eyes, tail swishing back and forth on the floor.

But when Matt, Stillchomping, offered him the large piece of meat that was left, Saber just cocked his head to one side, staring at it as if to say, "You have to be joking."

"Yes, it’s for you. Go on and take it now,"Mrs. Flowers said firmly. Final y, Saber opened his enormous mouth to take hold of the end of the roast, tail twirling like a helicopter blade. His body language was so clear that Matt laughed out loud.

"This once on the floor with us,"Mrs. Flowers added magnificently, spreading a large rug over the kitchen floorboards.

Saber’s joy was only surpassed by his good manners. He put the roast on the rug and then trotted up to each of the humans to push a wet nose into hand or waist or under a chin, and then he trotted back and attacked his prize.

"I wonder if he misses Sage?"Elena murmured.

"I miss Sage,"Matt said indistinctly. "We need al the magic help we can get."

Meanwhile Mrs. Flowers was hurrying around the kitchen making ham and cheese sandwiches and bagging them like school lunches. "Anybody who wakes up tonight hungry must have something to eat,"she said. "Ham and cheese, chicken salad, some nice crisp carrots, and a big hunk of apple pie."Elena went to help her. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to cry some more. Mrs. Flowers patted her. "We are al feeling – er, strung out, "she announced gravely. "Anyone who doesn’t feel like going right to sleep is probably running on too much adrenaline. My sleeping aid wil help with that.

And I think we can trust our animal friends and the wards on the roof to keep us safe tonight."

Matt was practical y asleep on his feet now. "Mrs. Flowers –

someday I’l repay you…but for now, I can’t keep my eyes open."

"In other words, bedtime, kiddies,"Stefan said. He closed Matt’s fingers firmly around a packed lunch, then steered him toward the stairs. Elena gathered several more lunches, kissed Mrs. Flowers twice, and went up to Stefan’s room.

She had the attic bed straightened and was opening a plastic bag when Stefan came in from putting Matt to bed.

"Is he okay?"she said anxiously. "I mean, wil he be okay tomorrow?"

"He’l be okay in his body. I got most of the damage healed."

"And in his mind?"

"It’s a tough thing. He just ran smack into Real Life. Arrested, knowing they might lynch him, not knowing if anybody would be able to figure out what had happened to him. He thought that even if we tracked him it would come down to a fight, which would have been hard to win – with so few of us, and not much magic left."

"But Saber fixed ’em,"Elena said.

She looked thoughtful y at the sandwiches she’d laid out on the bed. "Stefan, do you want chicken salad or ham?"she asked.

There was a silence. But it was moments before Elena looked up at him in astonishment. "Oh, Stefan – I – I actual y forgot. I just – today has been so strange –  I forgot – "

"I’m flattered,"Stefan said. "And you’re sleepy. Whatever Mrs.

Flowers puts in her tea – "

"I think the government would be interested in it,"Elena offered. "For spies and things. But for now…"She held her arms out, head bent back, neck exposed.

"No, love. I remember this afternoon, if you don’t. And I swore I was going to start hunting, and I am,"Stefan said firmly.

"You’re going to leave me?"Elena said, startled out of her warm satisfaction. They stared at each other.

"Don’t leave,"Elena said, combing her hair away from her neck. "I had it al planned out, how you’l drink, and how we’l sleep holding each other. Please don’t leave, Stefan."

She knew how hard he found it to leave her. Even if she was grimy and worn out, even if she was wearing grungy jeans and had dirt under her fingernails. She was endlessly beautiful and endlessly powerful and mysterious to him. He longed for her. Elena could feel it through their bond, which was beginning to hum, beginning to warm up, beginning to draw him in close.