[cl] 62. Hermit crab picture
[Set in allthatstocome. Not that we’ve actually established Bela anywhere in the verse or how she survived, but-details. smart_alec494 and hasperkynipples are used with permission and love.]
There was a small boy she’d never seen before sitting backwards on her couch.
She could only assume that since her security system was still intact-activated, even-that the boy had to come from someone who knew her well. However, the fact that they just left him here with no warning and no explanation of any kid did not sit well with her. The fact that he made it through the front door meant that he wasn’t a demon of any kind, but that didn’t rule out anything else. She took a few steps forward into the living room, but didn’t get very far before he turned around and gave her a smile.
“Hi. Are you Bela?”
“I am,” she said with a smile back. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but who are you and who do you belong to?”
“Ooooh-he didn’t say you’d have an accent. I’m Alec,” he said, shifting around so that he was sitting the right way on the couch. “And Gabriel says I belong to God.”
The words were said in such a point blank manner that there was no doubt that the child actually believed them. She wasn’t sure what to make of that really, but she decides that a clarification was in order. “I mean, who are your parents, love?”
“Oh. One of my dads is Dean Winchester. He told me to tell you that you owe him a favor so you can handle keeping an eye on me for a few hours, and to make sure I reset the alarm system after I break in.”
Her first response was meant to be annoyance that Dean thought she was just some kind of babysitting service, but the second half of that statement caught her interest more than anything else. “You broke into my security system? Dean didn’t help you?”
“Sure,” he shrugged, before his attention was drawn back to the plastic cage that was sitting on the table behind the couch again. “It was easy.” Bela wasn’t sure what that said about her security system, but it was obvious that Alec, whoever he was, was getting more interesting by the second.
“Did Dean mention why he decided to leave you alone?”
“He said that your place was a supernatural-proof Fort Knox and he had some grown-up stuff he needed to take care of. He didn’t tell me what it was.” His finger came out and poked at the plastic box as Bela moved to sit next to him, watching him closely. “What’s this?”
“A hermit crab,” she replied, resting her elbow on the back of the couch as she spoke to him. “I’m waiting him out.”
“Waiting him out for what?” he asked, confused.
“Hermit crabs leave their shells when they get too big for them. I’m waiting for him to leave the shell that he’s in now, and head into that one, on the far side.”
“Why do you want him to do that?”
“Because the shell is enchanted, and a man is going to pay me a great deal of money if I can get it for him. For my own karma, I’d rather not just kill the crab in order to speed up the process, so in the interim, I just buy lots of peanut butter.”
“He eats peanut butter?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she nodded. “I put it on that shell for him, he scuttles around, and eventually he’ll climb out of that shell and I can get it to who it needs to go to.”
“Huh,” he commented, before turning around and looking at the rest of the room. “You have a lot of cool stuff.”
“Thank you,” she paused for a moment, before looking at him, concerned. “You haven’t touched anything, have you?”
“Nope. Dad said not to touch anything, unless I wanted to fall flat on my face or suddenly have a tail.” He made a face. “I figured that’d be a little embarrassing.” Then he paused. “But having a tail might be kinda cool, though.”
She smirked at that. “I’m sure it would be.” She glanced back over at the kitchen for a moment, trying to see if she had anything a kid would eat. “How long have you been here?”
“An hour or so?”
“Hungry?”
“Starving.” He gave her a bit of a sheepish look. “Dad didn’t say anything about raiding your fridge.”
“Well, that’s a good thing because there isn’t really anything in it.” She thought for a moment. “What do you like to eat?”
“Anything?” he smirked. “I don’t eat grapes. Or blueberries. Or anything that hasn’t been cooked.”
“Italian?”
“Like spaghetti?”
“Among other things. I can get you a menu?”
“Okay!” She started to get up to go find it, when Alec spoke up again. “Bela-it is okay that I’m here right? Dad said you can get a little crazy and start shooting things when you’re upset.”
She chuckled softly before shaking her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll have to have a chat with your father about advanced notice, but really-you’re more than welcome to stay.”
“Good.” He shifted back around to look at the hermit crab. “Does he have a name?”
“Who?”
“The hermit crab.”
She paused at that before shaking her head. “No, I hadn’t thought to give him one.” She pulled out the take-out menus and started sifting through them. “Why?”
“Gabriel says everything should have a name,” he replied, using his finger to tap the plastic again.
She gave a small smile at that. “You can name him, if you’d like.” Alec was quiet for a long minute, while she located the menu, before making her way back over to sit next to him. “Well? What’s the verdict?”
“Mr. Scritchy,” he said with a nod, before flashing her a wide smile. “It’s the sound he makes when he moves.”
“Nice choice,” she said with a smile, before handing him the menu. “How about dinner?”
“Sounds good to me.”
992 words
There was a small boy she’d never seen before sitting backwards on her couch.
She could only assume that since her security system was still intact-activated, even-that the boy had to come from someone who knew her well. However, the fact that they just left him here with no warning and no explanation of any kid did not sit well with her. The fact that he made it through the front door meant that he wasn’t a demon of any kind, but that didn’t rule out anything else. She took a few steps forward into the living room, but didn’t get very far before he turned around and gave her a smile.
“Hi. Are you Bela?”
“I am,” she said with a smile back. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but who are you and who do you belong to?”
“Ooooh-he didn’t say you’d have an accent. I’m Alec,” he said, shifting around so that he was sitting the right way on the couch. “And Gabriel says I belong to God.”
The words were said in such a point blank manner that there was no doubt that the child actually believed them. She wasn’t sure what to make of that really, but she decides that a clarification was in order. “I mean, who are your parents, love?”
“Oh. One of my dads is Dean Winchester. He told me to tell you that you owe him a favor so you can handle keeping an eye on me for a few hours, and to make sure I reset the alarm system after I break in.”
Her first response was meant to be annoyance that Dean thought she was just some kind of babysitting service, but the second half of that statement caught her interest more than anything else. “You broke into my security system? Dean didn’t help you?”
“Sure,” he shrugged, before his attention was drawn back to the plastic cage that was sitting on the table behind the couch again. “It was easy.” Bela wasn’t sure what that said about her security system, but it was obvious that Alec, whoever he was, was getting more interesting by the second.
“Did Dean mention why he decided to leave you alone?”
“He said that your place was a supernatural-proof Fort Knox and he had some grown-up stuff he needed to take care of. He didn’t tell me what it was.” His finger came out and poked at the plastic box as Bela moved to sit next to him, watching him closely. “What’s this?”
“A hermit crab,” she replied, resting her elbow on the back of the couch as she spoke to him. “I’m waiting him out.”
“Waiting him out for what?” he asked, confused.
“Hermit crabs leave their shells when they get too big for them. I’m waiting for him to leave the shell that he’s in now, and head into that one, on the far side.”
“Why do you want him to do that?”
“Because the shell is enchanted, and a man is going to pay me a great deal of money if I can get it for him. For my own karma, I’d rather not just kill the crab in order to speed up the process, so in the interim, I just buy lots of peanut butter.”
“He eats peanut butter?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she nodded. “I put it on that shell for him, he scuttles around, and eventually he’ll climb out of that shell and I can get it to who it needs to go to.”
“Huh,” he commented, before turning around and looking at the rest of the room. “You have a lot of cool stuff.”
“Thank you,” she paused for a moment, before looking at him, concerned. “You haven’t touched anything, have you?”
“Nope. Dad said not to touch anything, unless I wanted to fall flat on my face or suddenly have a tail.” He made a face. “I figured that’d be a little embarrassing.” Then he paused. “But having a tail might be kinda cool, though.”
She smirked at that. “I’m sure it would be.” She glanced back over at the kitchen for a moment, trying to see if she had anything a kid would eat. “How long have you been here?”
“An hour or so?”
“Hungry?”
“Starving.” He gave her a bit of a sheepish look. “Dad didn’t say anything about raiding your fridge.”
“Well, that’s a good thing because there isn’t really anything in it.” She thought for a moment. “What do you like to eat?”
“Anything?” he smirked. “I don’t eat grapes. Or blueberries. Or anything that hasn’t been cooked.”
“Italian?”
“Like spaghetti?”
“Among other things. I can get you a menu?”
“Okay!” She started to get up to go find it, when Alec spoke up again. “Bela-it is okay that I’m here right? Dad said you can get a little crazy and start shooting things when you’re upset.”
She chuckled softly before shaking her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll have to have a chat with your father about advanced notice, but really-you’re more than welcome to stay.”
“Good.” He shifted back around to look at the hermit crab. “Does he have a name?”
“Who?”
“The hermit crab.”
She paused at that before shaking her head. “No, I hadn’t thought to give him one.” She pulled out the take-out menus and started sifting through them. “Why?”
“Gabriel says everything should have a name,” he replied, using his finger to tap the plastic again.
She gave a small smile at that. “You can name him, if you’d like.” Alec was quiet for a long minute, while she located the menu, before making her way back over to sit next to him. “Well? What’s the verdict?”
“Mr. Scritchy,” he said with a nod, before flashing her a wide smile. “It’s the sound he makes when he moves.”
“Nice choice,” she said with a smile, before handing him the menu. “How about dinner?”
“Sounds good to me.”
992 words