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like that won’t work. Which means we have .. .” She swung it up onto her shoulders. “... a few clothes, some preset odds and
    ends-possibilities having been used to create them but no longer necessary, so hopefully they’ll still work”
    “Hopefully?” Dean interrupted with a searching glance at Claire.
    “Hopefully,” Diana repeated when it became obvious that Claire had nothing reassuring to say. “But mostly we’re carrying food and water because it’s dangerous to eat or drink on the Otherside.”
    “Why?”
    “Are you kidding? They put sauces on everything so it’s all high-cholesterol-let’s-slap-the-calories-right-onto-the-hips time.”
    “The food changes you,” Claire interjected, shooting Diana a stop messing with his head look. She laced her fingers through Dean’s and smiled up at him.
    “Different foods do different things, and all of it ties you to the Otherside, making it harder to get home. You’ve heard of Persephone and the pomegranates?” Dark brows dipped down under the upper edge of his glasses. “Early eighties girl band? Had one hit ‘You’re Not Seeing My Depression’?” Diana snorted. “It was, ‘You’re Not Seeing My Repression.’ Although, given the hair, I totally admit they had reason to be depressed.”

    “How do either of you know what was going on in the early eighties?”
    “MuchMusic Classic Videos,” Sam told her, sitting down by Austin and wrapping his tail around his toes. “There’s, like, two hours of them every Saturday afternoon.”
    Claire looked from the younger cat to the older.
    “Don’t look at me,” Austin sniffed disdainfully. “If we’re not out saving the world, I’m usually napping Saturday afternoons. And speaking of saving the world, I’d just like to point out that we still haven’t reached the air-conditioning. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Much.“
    Hearing impending volume and duration in that final pause, Claire released Dean’s hand and reached for her backpack only to find Dean there before her. She turned so he could lift it up onto her shoulders and shivered as he kissed the back of her neck, murmuring, “Be careful.” against damp skin.
    “I’m always careful.”
    “What about Sharbot Lake?”
    “That wasn’t careless, that was just unexpectedly deep.” She turned again, facing him now. “Will you be okay?”
    He lifted her chin with a finger. “Without you? Probably not.”
    “Enough with the clichés, already.” Thumbs through her pack straps, Diana paced to the edge of the concrete and back making gagging noises. “I’ve just figured out why Keeper and Bystanders together are such a bad idea. You’re boring. And sappy enough to cause insulin shock.”
    Dean ignored her, his eyes remaining locked on Claire’s face. “I’ll be waiting here.”
    “We’ll be a couple days; remember?”
    “But only on the Otherside.” When Claire shook her head, he frowned. “Time runs differently there. You can come out just after you went in. Right?”
    “Probably not. Time might run faster or slower in pockets, but in order for the segue to work, they’ll have to make time run concurrent on both sides.“ Hands flat on his chest, she studied his expression. ”You knew that, right?“
    “And how would I be knowing that if you didn’t tell me?”
    “I didn’t tell you?”
    “No.” He sighed and pulled her closer. “You’ll actually be a couple of days on this side as well?”
    “Maybe more. I’ve set my watch so that we’ll know.”
    “Okay, now we’ve got that settled,” Diana prodded, “just say good-bye already, suck a little face, and let’s go before the Otherside comes to us.” Dean stared down into Claire’s face for a long moment before his mouth finally curved into a worried smile. “Got my heart?” She laid a hand lightly against her chest. “Right here. Got mine.” He mirrored the motion. “Safe and sound.”
    “And did I mention, barf! Hey! I said suck a little