our hospital facilities are nationally acclaimed

[cross_and_bow]

Bella wakes up a day and a half later, a medical miracle with a splitting headache. (Between what she knows about her own construction and what the doctors mutter to the nurses, the demon stepped on her, it broke her spine, she passed out from pain and shock, and she could have easily died if she weren't blessed or the Slayer - both were probably called for.)

[Sherlock? Giles?] she attempts, when she's solicited and received pain medication.

Comments

[cross_and_bow]

She does. What a pity.

Before getting into the driver's seat again Bella hauls herself into the back of the truck to look for any squares she may have missed.

She finds - two.

There is one that got wedged under the can of gasoline, and another that tucked itself into a gap in the wheelwell housing.

She looks at the last two squares, frowning.

She offers Sherlock one.

[eversomuchfun]

He accepts it.

"And let's hope we don't need them."

[cross_and_bow]

"Let's." She sighs. Kiss. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

[eversomuchfun]

"Goodnight, love."

[cross_and_bow]

Bella tucks her square into one of her socks, and gets in her driver's seat, and heads home.

She takes down the busy message for Giles. [You still up?] she asks him.

[pythbox]

[Yes. You solved the problem, I take it?]

[cross_and_bow]

[Yeah. We thinned out the Defenders enough that I could draw off most of the rest and Sherlock got past the others to kill the person controlling them, and then they all disintegrated. But we have literally two squares left.]

[pythbox]

[...Then I hope no one else figures out how to make Defenders.]

[cross_and_bow]

[Or that I get ahold of mint powers before someone does. This is a problem. Jarvis can make doors to Milliways whenever; I'm going to start asking him to make me one once or twice a day in case that improves my odds of running into one of the mints.]

[pythbox]

[Good idea.]

[cross_and_bow]

[Did we at least interrupt something that was worth all those squares to stop? Does a guy with a couple thousand Defenders dancing in rings around him underground after having them smash up some beehives amount to world-destroying business?]

[pythbox]

[Yes,] he says. [It absolutely does.]

[cross_and_bow]

[What would motivate someone who lives in a world to destroy it?] Bella asks, bewildered.

[pythbox]

[I have no idea,] says Giles. [And yet, they keep trying.]

[cross_and_bow]

[At approximately what frequency?]

[pythbox]

[Oh, once every few years,] he says. [Most of them wouldn't succeed even if they weren't stopped, of course.]

[cross_and_bow]

[I think I know why there are so many worlds similar to ours out in the multiverse,] says Bella dryly as she pulls up to her house. [I think if there weren't about a billion to start with, by now there'd be zero, so the fact that I've met representatives from two nearby worlds while the others all seem to be special snowflakes just means that at least Sunshine-type worlds have not yet dwindled to nothing.]

[pythbox]

...Giles lets out a snort of laughter over the brainphone.

[cross_and_bow]

[I'm going to bed. I'm beat. Thanks for all your help with looking up of things!] says Bella.

[pythbox]

[It's what I'm here for,] he says. [Goodnight.]