Claire would have to answer, Diana corrected glancing over at her sister and Dean. About to suggest Claire leave tonsillectomies to the medical profession, another phone rang. Actually, not another phone. Her phone. In her pack. Mom had clearly found a way around the dead battery.

At this point, the fastest route to Kris might be to answer it. While she hadn't broken any Rules, at this point in the proceedings, she was likely to catch just as much h.e.l.l. Leaning Jack carefully against the porch railing, Diana slipped off her pack and began to search for her cell. Finding it at last under a tuna-less tuna sandwich, her thumb was poised over the connect b.u.t.ton when the sound of squealing tires drew all eyes to the street.

A minivan pulled up in front of the guest house and stopped on a dime. With a tinkle of nine cents' change hitting the pavement, the side door opened and a familiar body exploded out onto the sidewalk.

"Freakin' OW!"

"Kris!" Diana raced forward as the van roared away. Throwing herself to her knees, she gathered the crumpled body of the elf up into her arms. "Kris say something!"

Kris blinked, and looked around. "This is h.e.l.l?"

"No, this is Kingston!"

She was still holding the wand, now flaccid and more puce than pink. "I was falling and this is where I landed."

"You were in a minivan."

"No. I think I'd remember that. Cavern. Falling. Pink stuff. Here."

Diana twisted around to stare at Claire.

"I kept trying to tell you." She leaned back against Dean's chest and wrapped herself in the safety of his arms. "Rule one . . ."

"The possibilities are not to be used to bring in HBO?" Diana asked, unable to see the relevance.

"Okay, rule two. h.e.l.l can't hold a willing sacrifice. It couldn't hold Kris any more than it could hold Dean."

"And you tried to tell me that?"

"A couple of times."

Diana's heart felt like it was beating normally for the first time in days. "Next time, try harder."

"You guys want to keep it quiet out there!" The voice drifted down from one of the surrounding windows, open because of the heat. "It's three in the morning and some of us are trying to sleep!"

"You want to sleep?" Claire reached into the possibilities.

"Then sleep." Diana added her two cents' worth as she helped Kris to her feet.

From where Diana had dropped it at the base of the steps, the phone began ringing again. She looked at Claire. Claire took a step forward, turned, and looked at Dean. Who took two steps sideways and brought his work boot down as hard as he could. Sam batted the pieces down into the area by the bas.e.m.e.nt door.

"Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb," Claire said with satisfaction.

"I could go for some lamb," Austin murmured as he followed Sam up the stairs.

"I don't know about lamb," Diana sighed as she led Kris into the guest house, "but I could eat."

Claire waved Jack in ahead of them, time for introductions when there was less chance of being overheard, and laid her head on Dean's shoulder as he slipped an arm around her waist. They climbed the stairs together. "Where's Lance?"

"He and Dr. Rebik are ... Uh ... Sleeping."

A half turn, and she could see his ears were pink. "Sleeping?"

"Probably. By now."

"What?"

His eyebrows made an appearance above the upper edge of his gla.s.ses.

"Oh. Happy endings all around, then."

"Well, Dr. Rebik definitely lost a few years and Lance, actually, since I wasn't after knowing him before, I don't want to a.s.sume . . ."

"Happy endings," Claire repeated, leaving no room for postgame a.n.a.lysis.

"Yeah."

"Good. I want to hear everything that happened while I was gone, but for right now, there's just one thing I have to know."

He kissed the top of her head as they stepped over the threshold. "What's that?"

"What were you doing with a basilisk in the bedroom?"

The door closed on his answer.

From King Street came the faint sound of a mini-van being pulled over by the police.

And for the first time in days, a cool breeze blew in off the lake.