The Second Day with Alistair:

Abby awoke the next morning, but didn't feel refreshed. Trying to sleep was difficult when she knew there was a strange man right across the hall. She thought she had heard him saying something in the middle of the night after the storm ended. She knew he didn't have a phone on him. Where would he have kept it? Was he talking to himself now, or maybe he's a sleep talker?

She ran her fingers through her hair, but it was hopelessly wavy today after sleeping on it wet. She'd taken the time to throw the fish into the refrigerator so it wouldn't spoil, but didn't bother showering or drying her hair. Meeting her own green eyes in the mirror, she wished she had. Her freckles only got more pronounced over the summer, even though she did manage to tan a bit. Damned red hair. Sunscreen was definitely her friend, and she made sure to apply it several times a day. She slathered on a bit now, just out of habit.

Giving her reflection one last look, she sighed and headed out to the main room. The door to her uncle's room was still closed, but it was early still. Alistair was probably still sleeping. Her stomach gave a growl. She'd skipped dinner last night in the excitement, and breakfast was now at the top of her priorities. She checked the road conditions on her phone, but it looked like there were a lot of problems with downed trees and flooding due to the storm. At least they still had power.

She had planned on leaving the lake house tomorrow, so she didn't have much in the way of food stocked, but hopefully she had something she could throw together. Fish for breakfast didn't sound too appealing. Glancing in the fridge she saw a few eggs and a little cheese. She could at least make some omelettes. She also had two potatoes left that would make for a decent side. She set to work making breakfast.

She heard Alistair's door open, and then heard the door to the bathroom shut. A minute or two later, the door opened again and he came out into the living room area.

"Something smells incredible," he remarked enthusiastically, making a dramatic sniffing motion. "Dare I hope there's enough for two?"

"Good morning, Alistair," Abby said with a small chuckle. "Yeah, there should be enough. It's nothing fancy, just fried potatoes and cheese omelettes," she added apologetically.

"No, that sounds wonderful. I was worried that the food might be different here, too, but that's something familiar, at least," he replied, settling into one of the chairs at the small table in the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?"

"It's almost ready, but you could set the table, I guess. Plates are over there in the cabinet above the sink, silverware is in the drawer to the left of it."

He got up and dutifully set a proper place setting. She served up the humble breakfast and got him a glass of water. "Sorry," she said, apologizing again as they sat down to eat. "Normally, I'd keep juice in the fridge, but I was expecting to go back to home after today. I didn't bother buying a lot of food. School starts back up in a few days."

"School? So you're a scholar then?" he asked, in between bites, curious.

"I guess that's one way to put it."

"What field of study?" he asked.

"I've been having a hard time choosing, so I currently have two: history and biology," she answered. At his confused expression she now understood meant he hadn't understood some of the words she used, she clarified, "History is the study of the past. Biology is the study of lifeforms, including humans and animals. I'm considering trying to go to medical school to be a doctor."

"The world can always use more healers," he mused.

"Too true. Speaking of, how's your shoulder this morning?" Abby asked.

He flexed his shoulder, and shrugged. "Feels well enough."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" she asked.

Alistair's response was to remove his shirt. Abby gave a small sound of surprise, and looked away. He really does have a nice body, but I probably shouldn't be noticing that. I'm just helping him, and besides he's leaving this morning, right? She tried to stay professional, but was losing that war.

"What happened to the brave girl from last night who cursed at me?" Alistair asked with a laugh.

She met his eyes, and saw the humor there. "Don't make fun of me," she complained.

"Me? Make fun of you? Never, dear lady," he said, but gave himself away with a grin.

"I just wasn't expecting you to—I mean, what would you do if, right in the middle of us talking, I suddenly took my shirt off?" she asked pointedly.

"I...well, that's different," he replied. "You're female. It just seemed like an odd response from someone who wants to be a healer."

"I'm fine normally, but this isn't the same thing. We're alone in my house. And you know very well that you're..." she couldn't finish that statement.

He leaned in. "That I'm what, Abby? A lover of fine cheeses?"

"You're good-looking," she got out, her cheeks burning. "Guys like you always know. I mean, you obviously work out."

"Ah," he said with a nervous exhalation, and when she looked up, he looked a little uncomfortable too, his amusement mostly gone. "I see. No, I was raised in the Chantry, so that's not the sort of thing anyone noticed."

"Chantry?" she inquired, desperate for any other topic to switch to. "What's that?"

"It's the major religion in Ferelden. Most of Thedas, actually," he answered.

She was reminded of his strange stories from the day before. Could Alistair have escaped a cult? That would explain a lot, actually. Maybe he isn't crazy. Or, maybe I just don't want him to be crazy. Somehow that thought calmed her a bit.

"You lived in a place ran by a church?" she asked, clarifying.

"Yes, they send you there when you're a child, especially if you no longer have family that will take you in. They feed and clothe you, with the option to later serve the church. I was training to be a templar before Duncan came."

"What happened to your family?" Abby asked, picking the piece out of what he said that made the most sense. She retrieved the first aid kid from under the sink again.

He was silent for a moment. "I had been raised by my uncle and his wife for a while, but she didn't like me," he said, his face sullen.

"What? Why?"

"I'm a bastard," he explained. "I think she may have thought I was my uncle's bastard, and not his brother's. When they had a child of their own, she made sure I knew I wasn't wanted there anymore."

"Your parents not being married was a big deal where you come from?" she questioned, and removed his bandage.

"Yes," was all he said. He watched as she examined his wound.

"This looks better. The bleeding has stopped, and it seems to be closing up. You really should get stitches, though, it's probably going to leave a scar."

"I'm not worried about that. Thank you," he said softly and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, Alistair. All children deserve a loving home," Abby stated. "Things are a bit different here. There are all kinds of families. I'm adopted, for example. The people who raised me chose to make me their family."

"Did your family die in a war?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that, well not exactly. I never met them, but from what I understand, my father had no interest in being one. My mother had me when she was only sixteen. She struggled with drug addiction and wasn't mentally well enough to care for me. I'm a bastard, too. A nice couple who couldn't have children volunteered to raise me. They were older, but they were good to me. I had a wonderful childhood.

"I think I know what you mean. When Duncan conscripted me into the Grey Wardens, I was able to leave the Chantry. The Wardens have been like a second family to me ever since. It's not an easy life, but there have been plenty of friends and good memories that came from it too. Of course, now they're all..." he trailed off.

Abby cocked her head to the side to look at him and waited.

"They were all killed. We were betrayed, and Elissa and I were the only ones who survived. She'd only just joined, barely had any training at all before it happened. That's why it's so important I get back. It should be my duty to strike the final blow against the Archdemon. I don't want it to be her who does it."

"I don't get a lot of what you're saying, but I can tell it upsets you. I don't know the places you talked about, but maybe I help you in some way?"

"No, I've imposed enough on you already," he protested.

"You've been a very polite guest, Alistair. It's odd, I usually prefer the company of books to people, but for some reason, I don't mind having you here."

Abby collected the now empty dishes from the table and went to the sink to wash them.

Alistair picked up a nearby dish towel and put his hand out, waiting. "It wouldn't do for me to lose my standing as a good guest, would it? I have appearances to keep up, after all," he said, smiling.

She chuckled and hands him a damp dish to dry. They work together in comfortable silence for the couple of minutes it took them to clean up the dishes and skillet. "Thanks," Abby said.

"I take back what I said before," he said, and looked her in the eye. "You're still the same brave girl from yesterday."

"I have no idea where to even start looking for a way back," Alistair said.

Once they'd finished cleaning up, they sat on the rocking chairs on the front porch, looking out at the lake. It was humid still, but not overly hot the way it had been the last few days.

"I have an idea," Abby responded. "It's not much of one, but I can show you where I found you, at least. We can look around there. Maybe there will be a clue nearby."

"That sounds reasonable."

"You up for a swim?" she asked, smiling, then remembered. "Unless really you don't know how?"

"Um, yeah, I can swim. Sorry I panicked yesterday," he answered with an awkward sideways glance. "Yeah, good one there, Alistair."

Abby smiled. "It turned out alright in the end. But that's good. The water will probably be up a bit today after the rain, and we'll need to be careful. Let me go change," she said, and headed to her room again.

Shutting the door, she stripped off her clothes and put on her swimsuit. She found herself looking in the mirror again. It was a simple one piece, teal with a floral print. Nothing sexy, but it was comfortable, with its straps that crossed in the back. She put on a tank top and a pair of shorts over it, and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Slipping on a pair of flip-flops, she left the room.

She stopped by the linen closet and grabbed a couple of beach towels.

Alistair was staring at her when she came back into the living room.

"What is it now?" she demanded, a little frustrated.

"You didn't get fully dressed," he replied, but didn't turn away. "Unless that's something different here too."

"All women my age dress like this in the summer, Alistair. My shorts are longer than most girls wear them, even," she explained.

"Seriously?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," she said, shifting her feet.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said immediately. "I'm just not used to all this. Maker," he said, sighing, "handled with my usual brilliance."

"If your home is as different as you say, I think you're acclimating pretty well, actually. But we should get going."

They head out the door. Abby didn't bother locking it, as no one ever comes out this far. They walk down to the shoreline. The lake was fairly calm, but the water level was definitely still higher than it had been yesterday.

"You ready?" Abby asked.

"I suppose," he replied, eyeing the muddy waters warily. "You say you found me floating in the water?"

"Yeah, you were unconscious, but breathing. I pulled you part way out when you came to."

Abby reached for the button on her shorts and unfastened it. Thinking, she told him, "I'm wearing a piece of clothing underneath that's meant for swimming. I'm going to take off my outer layer of clothes, so don't freak out on me again, okay?"

Alistair turned away.

"It's more modest than what most girls wear swimming, but if my shorts bothered you, you might want to wait until I'm in the water to look," she remarked, laughing.

"Now who's making fun?" he grumbled, keeping his back to her.

"I've just never met a guy who didn't want to look before. It's kind of cute," she said, smiling to herself as she removed her shorts and tank top. She folded them neatly and sat them along with the towels on top if a stump near the water. She placed the rock on top that she kept there for just this purpose, and leaned her flip-flops up against the stump.

He mumbled something.

"What?" she questioned.

"I never said I didn't want to, I was just raised to be a gentleman."

"Oh."

Abby stood there for a minute, a little stunned at his confession. She shook her head and waded into the water. Once she was in about chest deep, she called out to him. "It's safe to look now."

He turned around. He took off his own shirt. She forced herself to keep watching, but then he grinned at her, and she broke eye contact after all, looking down at the water. She heard his amused chuckle even from as far away as she was.

She warned him, "You'll want to be careful, the bottom may have some debris like sticks and things that drifted downstream during the storm."

He nodded, and walked toward her. Her heart gave a little gallop, and she backed away, turning to swim. "It was over here," she called behind her. She swam with strong strokes, turning back every now and then to check on Alistair. He was doing okay, but his form needed some work. She giggled a little at the thought. She stopped and treaded water to wait for him.

He pulled along side her and sort of...floated, on his back. She had a flash of a memory, seeing him in a similar position from the porch of the lake house.

His voice startled her out of the memory, "Is this the place?"

"Yes," she said, maybe a little too sharply. She cleared her throat. "Yes."

They both looked around them, but saw nothing. The water was too murky and deep to see very far below them. "Let's try over there," Abby suggested, moving her hand to point to an outcropping of land that was a little closer than the shoreline where they started.

They got close, and stood in the shallows. She couldn't see anything from where she stood, she'd have to get closer to investigate. Damn this modesty thing. She'd been a lifeguard for years, she was no stranger to someone seeing her in a swimsuit. She walked out of the water. She examined the mud and rocks near the edge of the water. Nothing.

"This is pointless," she announced, turning around. Alistair wasn't there. She glanced around and didn't see him. Alarmed, she immediately ran back into the water. There, bubbles. Jesus.

She swam to where the bubbles were, not far out from where he had been standing and dived under the water. She made a connection with his torso. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled and kicked for the surface. Thankfully, his body rose with hers; he hadn't been caught on anything below.

Their heads broke out of the water, but she didn't let go. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

Alistair looked at her confused, "Yes, I was just searching the bottom. I thought maybe there was something down there."

Abby expelled a breath of relief, "Sorry, it was just after you were floating a minute ago, I was thinking about what you looked like when I found you yesterday, and then when I turned around and I didn't see you..."

"You thought I needed saving again. No, Abby, I'm fine," he told her gently, smoothing her wet hair away from her face. Realizing she was still holding onto him, she immediately let go.

"Sorry," she apologized again.

He pulled his hand back and frowned.

"Did you find anything?" Abby asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, you?"

"Nothing. I don't think this is going to get us anywhere. We're going to have to think of something else," she informed him.

The swam back to shore, and finally reached the shallows again. Abby got out of the water first, wrapping herself in a towel. Once she was safely covered, Alistair did the same, and they headed toward the house, and up onto the porch. She was about to open the screen door when Alistair put a hand on her arm to stop her. "Wait..." he said.

She turned her face back to look at him.

"You don't have to keep apologizing for everything," he said.

"Have I been doing that?" she asked, allowing her hand to fall away from the door.

"Yes. Abby, you've been nothing but good to me since I got here. I don't know what happened to you before, but I'm not going to hurt you. Say the wrong thing and make an ass out of myself, sure, but never that."

"Things really are different here, Alistair," Abby stated. "People usually can't be trusted, and to be truthful, I just don't like people in general. There's a reason I'm out here all on my own, instead of with my family, or the thousands of people a few miles away in town. I prefer to by myself. It's easier."

"And that's why you haven't made the decision to be a healer, even though you'd be great at it," he guessed.

She nodded.

"Abby," he said. His brow furrowed and he looked like he wanted to say more, but then her phone rang inside the house.

It startled her. She hadn't gotten a call in days. "I have to take that. I'll be back," she said, trying to avoid the word 'sorry', even though it was the first thing that came to mind. Why do I say that all the time? She walked to her bedroom where her cell was still plugged into the charger. She picked up the phone and saw it was her friend Kate. She put it on speakerphone.

"Hey Kate, what's up?"

"Hey Abs, I didn't hear from you after the storm. Just wanted to make sure you're okay," said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I'm good," Abby responded, but she was still thinking about the half-finished conversation with Alistair just now.

"You sound distracted, did I call at a bad time?" Kate asked.

"I...was just in the middle of something, but no, I'm good."

"Great, because you had better come back tomorrow. There's going to be this party," she remarked, her voice going up a bit in her excitement.

"Kate, you know how I feel about parties. They're just not my thing."

"Yeah, but there's someone I think you should meet. He'll be there."

"No, absolutely not. How many times do I have to tell you I don't want you to set me up with someone?" Abby asked.

"You've been single forever, ever since Erik, don't you want to date?" Kate wondered.

Alistair was standing in the doorway, listening in. Great.

"Kate, I don't need you to find a guy for me."

"Yeah, she already has someone," Alistair blurted out from across the room.

Silence on the other end. "GIRL, you have a guy at your place? Why the hell didn't you say something earlier?! You just let me go on. But seriously, you should still come to the party, bring your guy...um...what's his name?"

"Alistair," he offered, moving closer to her.

"Ooh, he sounds English."

"Fereldan, actually," Abby added, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Exotic. I like it. I didn't think you had it in you, Abs. But seriously, I just wanted to see you happy. Did he hear the part about Erik?" Kate asked quietly.

"Yes, Kate, he's been standing here the whole time," Abby groaned. "I'm gonna go now."

"Of course, enjoy your time with your new boyfriend!" Click.

Abby stared at him for a minute. "Why did you do that?"

"Because she was being pushy. I thought it would be funny to put her in her place."

"Yeah, but you realize you've just put me in an awkward position. Now she's expecting me to bring someone tomorrow," Abby sighed, and pulled her hair out of it's ponytail, shaking the water out of it.

"I can go with you."

"You're leaving, Alistair, you even won't be here."

"I don't even know how to leave yet. Assuming I'm still here, I'll go with you," he declared.

"What? No, I don't even really want to go to the stupid party."

"I'll need something to wear," he continued, smiling and drawing out his words, pointedly ignoring her protest.

"Fine, we'll go shopping. We're going to need food anyway, if we're staying more than today. By the way, how do you feel about fish for dinner?" she asked him.

Alistair showered while she was cooking dinner, she went afterwards. Alistair enjoyed the meal, thankfully. After cleaning up, Abby grabbed her keys, and led Alistair out to her car.

He eyed it like a beast that was going to try and maul him.

"Something else that's unfamiliar? It's called a car. I'm guessing you have wagons back home?" He nodded. "It's like a wagon, only it moves itself." She walked over to his side and opened the door for him. "Sit in there, and I'll shut the door for you." He did as she asked.

She climbed in the driver's seat. "See this thing?" she asked, showing him the seatbelt. "You pull it across and click it in here next to your hip. That's a seatbelt or safety belt."

"Safety, huh?" he asked nervously. "Safe sounds like a good thing, yes."

Abby smile. "I'm a good driver. I know it's new to you, but we're going to be fine, I promise." She turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear. She backed up and pulled out of the drive. The roads were passable this morning, but she saw a few places that had seen water, and some where large branches had obviously been dragged off the road. She was glad they hadn't attempted to leave earlier.

The lake house was down a long road, but it wasn't far to get to town. It only took about thirty minutes and she was pulling into the parking lot at a shopping center.

"We're here. This is a shopping center. We're going to try to find you some clothes that fit better.

"That part I understand," he said, and added sheepishly, "but can you get the door open for me?"

She showed him how to operate the latch from the inside, and he climbed out.

Shopping for Alistair proved to be relatively easy. She shook her head, thinking about the saleswoman jumping to help him once she saw him. He didn't seem affected by the attention, though. Every good-looking man she'd ever met had been an arrogant ass, but he seemed unfazed. Maybe she had been wrong about him.

He ended up with a couple of outfits: a casual set consisting of jeans and a t-shirt, and something a little nicer for the party, a button-up shirt with a vest and slacks. Abby put it on her credit card. She'd think about it later. Alistair still needed her help. Well, actually, wasn't he the one helping her now with the Kate situation? Somehow his quirks were seeming less dangerous now and more endearing. She shook her head to clear it. He's leaving . She couldn't let herself get used to this. This was a one-time deal with the party.

They picked up a few things that were easy to cook before heading home. How sad is it that I'm excited for his first taste of frozen pizza? Alistair had been fascinated at the grocery store, and had so many questions. She answered every one of them with a smile.

Alistair was less nervous on the car ride home. The sun was sinking low in the sky when they got back. They carried the groceries in the house and Abby turned on the oven for the pizza.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Abby asked. "You probably don't know what that is, either. I think you might like this one. Sit on the couch with me? We have a few minutes before the oven heats up."

The couch had enough room for three people to sit on it, but Alistair sat down first, and patted the seat close to him. Why not? She picked up the remote and sat down next to him.

"Wait," he said. "Before you do whatever it is you're going to do, I wanted to say something."

She sat the remote in her lap.

Alistair continued, "Thank you for today. You've helped me a lot since I got here, Abby. I can't imagine what this would have been like if you hadn't been here."

"Don't thank me yet. You're the one who volunteered to go to one of Kate's parties," Abby commented with a chuckle. "You have no idea what you got yourself into, and now you have to pretend to be my boyfriend on top of that."

He leaned in and said quietly near her ear, "That part won't be so hard."

She looked up at him sharply and saw him looking at her with a kind gaze. "Alistair?"

She felt his hand touch hers. "Should we start pretending now?" he asked, clearly amused. She laced her fingers through his, and leaned her head on his shoulder before raising the remote and turning on the TV. Alistair jumped next to her when the image and sound came up, and she laughed.

"Maker's Breath, how does this work?" he asked, leaning forward.

"It's kind of complicated to explain, but they make portraits of the people doing the acting in there, like a play, then they send it to us through the box," Abby explained. She flipped through channels.

"I see what you mean about women's clothing..." he said, trailing off. She ended up picking a history documentary. She figured it was safer than a lot of things they could have watched. Besides, she loved history. After a few minutes, the notification went off telling her the oven was ready. She stood back up, and threw the pizza into the oven on a tray and set a timer.

"How do you turn this off?" he inquired when she returned to the couch. Abby showed him, but wrinkled her brow.

"Did you want to talk?" she asked.

"This box thing is entertaining, but it's nice just being here, too. Your world has a lot of surprises. Sit," he told her, indicating the spot next to him again. She did, and they resumed the hand holding.

"So what happened with that Erik person that made your friend so worried about you?" he asked.

"Oh, so you did pick up on that," she said, and gave a snort of disgust. "Erik was a mistake. I trusted him, believed his false promises, and I shouldn't have. He...wasn't good to me."

"He hurt you?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Not physically, no. He just made me feel like nothing I ever did was good enough, that I was always less than him. It tore me down, and I stayed a lot longer than I should have."

"He's the reason you apologize," Alistair stated.

"Probably."

"Not all men are like that," he said.

"I think I know that, but I didn't want to go through anything like that ever again, so I've avoided dating ever since. I saw what my parents had—my adoptive parents that is—and I wanted it. They had so much love for each other that they had enough left over to want me, too, even when my own birth parents didn't. They really are amazing people. I think I just expected when I came to care for someone that it would be the same. I was an idiot."

"That's not a bad thing to want," he responded with a gentle squeeze of his fingers, and Abby gave a sad smile.

"I think I'm done talking about me. Your turn, mister."

"Ask away," he said, smiling.

"You brought up a lot of things that I didn't understand, and I guess I didn't really want to hear before. I still don't know what I believe about where you came from, but I think I'm ready to at least listen."

"There's my brave girl," he said quietly. "I'm not sure where to start, really. Ferelden isn't like here at all. It's brutal. There has been some war or another for as long as anyone can remember. And that's not including the ever present monsters. Like I said, after I left my uncle's estate in Redcliffe, I went to the Chantry and trained to be a templar."

"Yeah, that. Templars in the history here were like holy knights."

"That's fairly accurate, actually. We're were the soldiers for the Chantry," he replied. "Mostly, templars are guards, but they also hunt down rogue mages."

"Mages? You can't be serious."

"For once, surprisingly, I am," he continued with a smirk. "Magic is dangerous. Mages are born with their ability, but it doesn't manifest until later. They're then taken to special places called Circles that are ran by the Chantry in order to learn to control their power. Mages tend to attract demons."

"Demons. Clearly not a good thing, then."

"No, an abomination is one of the worst things I can think of—that's when someone becomes possessed. We faced a few recently when Elissa and I reclaimed Ferelden's Circle. One of the mages there had given into temptation and was practicing blood magic-something that is highly forbidden-and consorting with demons. It was a tough battle, but we finally won. It felt good, saving the other mages. That's something I would have done had I finished my templar training."

"But you become a Grey Warden," Abby said, remembering the next part of his story.

"Yes. Duncan ended up having to conscript me to get me out of there. I'm grateful to him. For so long, I felt under the shadow of my upbringing, but being a Grey Warden gave my life a true purpose, and a home."

"You mentioned Duncan before," Abby pointed out. "Sounds like he made an impression on you."

"More than anyone. He was probably the closest thing I had to family after leaving my uncle. He's gone now, but I still think about him a lot."

"I'm sure he felt the same," Abby added. "What's it mean to be a Grey Warden?"

"I was still a soldier, but of a different type. We recruit from all walks of life, commoners, elves, dwarves, criminals, noblemen, mages, but all are equal in the Wardens."

"You have elves and dwarves?"

"There are several races of people in Thedas. It doesn't look like you have them here, only humans. We also have Qunari, but I've never seen a Qunari Warden. That would be something to see, actually, now that I think about it. Almost as entertaining as your portrait box."

"I can't even picture what you're talking about."

"No, I don't suppose you can," he said with a huff. "But it's the duty of the Grey Wardens to fight Darkspawn, ugly corrupt beasts from under the earth. They come up in large numbers during a Blight. That's what was happening when I somehow ended up here. We had been collecting allies, like saving the Circle of Magi, to help us fight. We'd made some progress gathering our forces, and we were close to being ready to march on the Archdemon. That's the dragon that leads the Darkspawn army."

"You were going to fight a dragon ?" she asked.

"It wouldn't have been my first. Dragon, that is. But the Archdemon is different. Only Grey Wardens can kill the Archdemon..."

"You're thinking about Elissa, aren't you?"

"Yes, we were good friends. I hate to think that I can't be there."

"Any ideas how we could get you back? Who would you have asked in your world?"

"I probably would have talked to Morrigan first, much as I dislike her. She does understand a lot about magic. But a scholar on the subject might know something too."

"Scholars huh..." she pondered, thinking about the university.

The timer went off. The food was ready. She went to get it out of the oven, and Alistair was already setting the table. She sliced the pizza, and put a couple of the slices on each plate.

"Now it's hot, so be careful," Abby said, and showed him how to eat it. He loved it, and between the two of them, they made quick work of the remaining slices.

They did the dishes again as before. Abby yawned once they had everything put back away. It had been a long day. "I think I'm going to turn in. You're welcome to watch more TV if you want."

"No, I think you have the right idea of it. Might as well sleep."