"NO!" Sportacus seemed to materialize from thin air. He stood between Stephanie and the car. With one hand, he threw Stephanie to safety in the Mayor's yard. She flew over a stack of paint cans and landed hard. With his other hand, Sportacus picked up the front bumper of the car, inches from hitting him. The breaks were still squealing.

Ziggy, with his eyes covered, was waiting for the impact when the car hit Stephanie. He was surprised to feel a lifting sensation. Then he heard Sportacus.

"Ziggy, turn off the car!"

Ziggy peaked between his fingers and saw Sportacus. He turned off the car and Sportacus dropped it back to the street, none too gently. Ziggy looked at Sportacus again. He had never seen such a look on the superhero's face before.

Sportacus stared daggers at Ziggy. He didn't say a word, make a sound, or move a muscle. Slowly, Ziggy became aware of Sportacus' breathing. He could hear Stephanie sniffling, and Stingy was retching. The pop and emotions of the day finally got to him.

"Sportacus, I..., " Ziggy began, but he was cut off.

"What were you thinking? You could have killed Stephanie!" Sportacus spoke in almost a whisper. But his tone ... The day flashed in Ziggy's mind's eye. He knew a sorry wouldn't be enough this time. He screwed up today ... bad.

Sportacus tore his eyes from Ziggy with effort. He looked over at Stephanie still sitting where she landed. Then he walked over to Stingy.

"Stingy, are you just sick, or are you hurt, too?" Sportacus' voice was tightly controlled.

Stingy looked up at Sportacus. "Bumps and bruises. Ziggy stole my car," Stingy flatly replied.

Sportacus flexed his hands. He walked back to the front of Stingy's car and rubbed his eyes. For a split second, Stephanie thought she saw something. She didn't see a superhero. She saw an ordinary man. He was worn and tired, and maybe ... discouraged. Then, Sportacus stood straight and tall and tilted his face to the moon coming up. The last of twilight was receding into darkness.

Spotacus looked at Stingy and Ziggy in turn. "It's late. Go home."

Ziggy climbed out of the car. Stingy started to get in the car but Sportacus stopped him. "No, Stingy. You are in no better shape to drive than Ziggy. The car stays here until tomorrow." The look on Sportacus' face dared Stingy to argue with him.

The boys stood looking at the car while Sportacus turned to go to Stephanie. As they started to walk home they heard an odd sound and turned back around. Sportacus tripped over the pop can Ziggy had thrown earlier. He lost his balance, and fell head first into the pile of paint cans he had stacked on the lawn when he finished the painting in his airship.

"Fjandinn!" Sportacus uttered the word with feeling while spread on the grass covered in paint.

Stingy and Ziggy looked at each other in wonder. "Remember, Mayor Meanswell said when Sportacus first came, that he was from an island in the North Sea? Maybe it's a word from there."

Sportacus stood up and looked at the boys, who were looking at him. "Go. Home." The boys turned and once again started down the street. Sportacus looked down at himself with smears and blotches of paint. In the distance he could hear Stingy talking to Ziggy.

"I wonder if a superhero's suit is stain resistant. Do you think his crystal is waterproof?"

Sportacus turned and looked at Stephanie. Her mouth was hanging open in amazement at the sight Sportacus made. He walked over to her to help her up, but she jumped up on her own. She flinched a little when she stood up straight. They looked at each other in the darkening evening until Sportacus broke the silence.

He tried a smile. "We had a dinner date, didn't we?"

Stephanie gave him a smile back. "At sunset."

Sportacus sighed. "Let me get cleaned up, Stephanie, then I'll take care of everything. I'm sure you're hurt and I know we are both tired. I'll fix something simple for supper and we can call it a night. Okay?"

Stephanie nodded her head, yes.

Sportacus took off his boots and left them outside the door. No point in getting any more paint in the house than need be. He tried to make sure he was done dripping, then headed inside.

Stephanie followed him in and went over to the sofa. She sat down on it and hugged a pillow to her chest. The events and stresses of the day finally caught up with her. She nodded off curled up in a corner of the sofa.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Robbie Rotten had gone home after leaving the boys begging for more pop, feeling satisfied. That was a feeling he seldom experienced. When he got home, he immediately stripped out of his Stefan Karl disguise.

"Looking good is exhausting. I'm certainly glad I don't have curls, I'll bet girls would like to run their fingers through them." Robbie shuddered at the thought. "Still, the disguise served its purpose. Those brats were in bad shape when I left. Now, I just have to wait for the sun to go down, and I'll complete the plan!" Robbie sat down to watch some TV and eat an entire chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting, all by himself. Snuggling down in his furry chair he sighed with contentment.

Sometime later, Robbie woke with a start. He looked at his clock. "Yes! It should be dark!" Robbie grabbed a flashlight and headed topside. He climbed out his hatch and dropped to the ground. He turned on the flashlight. Then he started tiptoeing to a spot a few yards away.

"Here it is, the town's power station. Where did I see that switch?"

Robbie found a ridiculously large switch with the words TOWN POWER SUPPLY written in large letters above it. A slightly smaller sign below the first said, ON, and below the switch was a sign that said, OFF. Robbie looked up at the stars beginning to twinkle in the night sky. Then he looked at all the town lit up.

"Hope everyone is safe at home, and all the little kiddies in their beds." Robbie grinned wickedly. "'Night, 'night!" Robbie growled, then his laughter chortled through the air as he pulled the switch, and watched all the lights in the town go out. Robbie waltzed back home, his work complete.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Stephanie woke with a start. She realized what had awakened her was her stomach growling. She remembered she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast! She went to the kitchen and fixed a plate of sliced apples, bannanas, grapes, crackers, and cheese. She grabbed a couple pieces and made a mini sandwich.

Then she walked down the hall to her room. Her clothes were damp from where she landed in the grass. She peeled her clothes off and put on a pink tank top and matching sweatpants that were getting too short. Then she wandered back down the hall. As she passed the bathroom, it dawned on her the door was closed and she could hear water running.

"It has to be Sportacus." Stephanie stared at the door amazed. Once or twice she had wondered if he ever took his superhero suit off. Did he have several different suits, or just one that he washed over and over. Though come to think of it, Stephanie had never seen the suit dirty. Maybe Stingy had a point. She listened to the water running. She wondered if he wore his goggles in the shower. Stephanie shook her head at herself and went back to the living room. "He probably even sleeps in it, for all I know." She chuckled. "Now, that would be weird."

Stephanie started over to curl back up on the sofa to wait for Sportacus when she tripped over something. She looked down and noticed she hadn't pushed her CD's far enough under the table out of the way.

"Thank goodness I only kicked them and didn't step on any." Stephanie picked up all the CD's and started to walk to a shelf to put them up out of the way. She had taken one step toward the shelf when the lights went out. Startled, and scared out of her wits, she screamed a blood curdling scream, and all the CD's in her hands scattered about her back on the floor. The dream last night with the dinosaur, today with Stefan, almost getting hit by the car, came flooding back to her. She stood rooted in place, terrified of what would happen next.

Sportacus had rummaged around in the Mayor's clothes to find a shirt and boxers to tide him over until he felt safe to leave Stephanie and get back to his airship. He went to check on Stephanie and found her asleep on the sofa. Poor kid, what a rotten day. He then headed for the shower. The nice, clean, fresh, spare clothes were waiting on the bathroom counter. Sportacus finished rinsing off. He accidentally flicked soapy water in his eyes and reached past the shower curtain to grab the towl to swipe at them. As his fingers touched the towel, the lights went out and he heard Stephanie scream.

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Why does inspiration strike when I need sleep? Glad it's summer vacation and I can sleep in. I could use a can of Coca-Cola right now. Or maybe a Long Island Tea.