Chapter 42

They slept in, not getting out of bed until nearly noon. Rob carefully peeked behind the curtains to see what is was like outside and discovered the sun was shining brightly. He reached out to touch the glass and found it cold, with frost around the edges.

Rob came out from behind the curtains to find Elaina stretching like a cat on the bed.

"What were you doing back there, beloved?" she asked with a kittenish smile.

Rob snorted. "Checking the weather outside," he answered.

"Mmm," she purred. "What's it like?"

"Sunny and cold," he replied. He looked back over his shoulder at the window. "I could wish there was a better way."

"Didn't Stefan say the new windows were here?" she asked curiously. At his nod, she said, "Then why don't you get together with him and put them in today? It's not like we have anything else planned for today."

"You wouldn't mind?" he asked in turn.

"Not at all," she answered. "I'll just stay in here while you work."

"Good. Thank you," he said. "Let's get dressed and I'll go talk to Stefan about it."

Rob thought about how cold it was outside, but thought this might be his best chance to get the new windows installed. After dressing, he went to see Stefan with that plan in mind.

He knocked at the door and Stefan promptly answered, showing Rob inside.

"So what brings you to my humble abode this fine winter day?" he cheerfully asked.

"Elaina and I thought it might be a good time to get those windows taken care of," he answered. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a cold day, but I don't think we'll get better for a while," he said consideringly. "Come on, they're stored in the basement. Let's get this done."

He led Rob to the basement and pointed at a stack of three crates, one being smaller than the others.

"You're a young man. See if you can't get those two big crates up to your place while I get my tools together."

Using the handles cut into the sides, Rob hustled the two bigger crates upstairs, getting there only to find Stefan already hard at work. A quick glance down the hall showed that the bedroom door was closed. The shield was resting against a wall, and the curtains and rod were on the couch. Stefan had two big suction cups with handles secured to each of the panes. Rob helped uncrate what turned out to be two full windows, not just glass like he had expected.

"The Lady," Stefan said, "She will be all right?"

"This was her idea," Rob answered. "She's got the curtains to protect her. She'll be fine."

First, Stefan removed the casing from around the windows so he could get at the bolts holding the windows in. Then he dug out the caulking that sealed the windows to the frame. Stefan had Rob hold the handles of the suction cups while he removed the bolts, then they each pulled until the whole thing came out of the frame.

Stefan rushed about, getting the two new windows connected, cursing inventively at not having done that before they pulled the old windows out, then attached the cups to the new windows. Together he and Rob lifted the new windows into place, and Stefan seated them with a rubber mallet. When they were positioned the way he wanted them, he reinstalled the bolts. He showed Rob how to apply caulk then handed him his own gun to get to work. Rob noticed the glass was a lot like the glass in the Mustang. A good amount of light still came through, even though the glass was dark.

The room had cooled dramatically while the windows were out; as he worked the caulking, he felt the heat building up again. By the time Stefan had the casing nailed back in place, the apartment was toasty warm again.

"Just a little paint to touch things up, and they'll be right as rain," Stefan said proudly. "And look, it only took us two hours. Not bad, if I say so myself."

They stowed the old windows in the crates, and Stefan had him take them down to the basement.

"Those windows still have a lot of use left in them. You never know when they might come in handy," he said. "Grab the smaller one while you're down there and bring it up."

By the time Rob had come back from the basement with the other crate, Stefan had touched up the frame from a little can of paint he had in his tool bag. Rob looked at the bag, wondering if Stefan knew Mary Poppins.

Rob went to the bedroom and knocked on the door. Elaina opened the door a crack, giving him a curious look.

"The new window is in. Wanna come see?" he asked. She came out to the living room wearing an old bathrobe over her shorts and tank top.

"Why do I smell paint?" she asked.

"Stefan touched up the frame where we scraped it getting the windows out." He waved a hand at the windows.

Rob had cleaned up the bits and pieces and vacuumed, getting the dust off the carpet. Stefan was washing the windows when Elaina came out. She stopped when she realized she could see daylight through the windows. Her eyebrows went up when she saw how dark the glass was, and she cautiously stepped over for a closer look.

"Oh, Rob, this is wonderful!" she gushed. "Now we won't have to use the shield anymore."

"You're going to have to wait an hour before you can hang the curtains again, Lady," Stefan said. "Come, let me show you how these work."

There was a small crank handle at the base of each, which caused the lower panel to swing away from the bottom, allowing fresh air in while still preventing direct sunlight from entering.

"Oh, how clever," Elaina said. "Did you ask for that, Stefan?"

"No, Lady, I did not. I was told it has something to do with keeping the glass between the target and a sniper. It presents less of a breach this way," he answered laconically.

"Rob, grab the other crate," Stefan continued. "We have some work to do in the bedroom."

"What do you mean?" Rob asked.

"What I mean is, I got a replacement for the bedroom window, too," he said impatiently. "That curtain is fine as it is, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting a little light in when the sun is high and no longer a threat."

Rob looked at Elaina. She waved a hand at the crate and said, "Go ahead. I'll put something together for an early supper while you're doing that. Stefan, you're invited."

"My Lady, no, I couldn't..." he protested.

"You can and you will," she said imperiously.

"Very well, Lady," he replied humbly.

"And my name is Elaina," she told him forcefully.

Stefan wore a little grin as he said, "As you wish, my Lady."

Elaina frowned at him and huffed. She stomped off to the kitchen and started banging pots around.

"That wasn't nice, Stefan," Rob smirked.

"We must keep to our places, don't you think?" he answered with a grin.

Rob grabbed the crate, and Stefan his tools, and they got to work in the bedroom. As it was only the one window, Stefan did most of the work with Rob playing tool monkey. The job took an hour and was just as effective as the others. Elaina came in when they were done and oohed and aahed appropriately, obviously pleased with the change.

They cleaned up the mess and Rob took the crated-up old window to the basement. By the time he got back, Stefan was seated in the kitchen, with Elaina bustling about the stove putting the final touches to the meal.

"You," she said, pointing a wooden spoon at Rob, "go wash up. Dinner's ready."

Stefan held up his damp hands, grinning to show he'd already followed orders. Rob smiled back and went to follow his.

The three of them enjoyed some type of stir-fry concoction that Elaina had whipped up, and they sat around after, shooting the breeze. Rob had talked Stefan into helping with the dishes over Elaina's protest, with Stefan offering "My Lady" until she stopped.

"Stefan, I have a question for you," Rob said, getting a look from Elaina. He chose to ignore it. "In that book of yours, did you ever find a reference to 'blood servants.'"

He nodded his head, eyeing up Rob thoughtfully. "Yes, they were referred to often, but never in detail. The master was said to have one. They were considered to be especially favored by the master, and ... dangerous somehow. The journal never said why, so I can only guess. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. It was just something I'd heard, and I wondered if it was real," he replied breezily.

"I think it is more than that," Stefan commented, "But I believe I will keep those thoughts to myself," he finished when he caught the look Elaina gave Rob.

"Stefan, do you consider yourself to be a servant?" Rob asked next.

Stefan sat with a look of deep thought on his face, rubbing his chin. "Not in the traditional sense, but yes, I would serve my Lady."

Elaina looked uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat.

"Ah," he said. "I see. You never had a household, did you, Elaina?"

"No, I saw no reason to. It's always been just me, and for a time, another like me," she answered uncomfortably.