Angels Among Us

"Nothing," he said. "Not even static." He switched it off and returned it to his coat pocket. "It was worth a try," he said.

"Too bad it didn't work," she said sympathetically.

They looked at each other. He indicated their clothes, his heavy overcoat, her T-shirt and walking shorts. "It would appear we're from different latitudes," he said. "Where, exactly, were you?"

"I was in a small town in Nova Scotia," she said, and added automatically, "Canada."

"Really? I was in Montreal. There'd been a heavy snowfall just a few days ago."

"In June? That's hard to believe, even for Montreal."

"No. January the fifteenth." He looked at her clothing more closely. "You were in June?" An eyebrow lifted as he considered this. He wondered if she meant the June past or the one coming up. "What year?"

"1999. You?"

"2008."

They stared at and then through each other. He began slowly to think he might actually be awake and aware. He couldn't explain how or why they were here, but the reality was sinking in.

"Oh good. We're not only from different 'wheres' but different 'whens', too," she said. She focused her eyes on his face. "This can't really be happening. I bet I hit my head when I fell and I'm in a coma in the hospital and pretty soon, I'll come to, and everything will be okay again."

He made a tentative gesture, as if to pat her shoulder reassuringly, but withdrew his hand, wiping it across his forehead instead. "I rather doubt we are sharing a coma dream, Ms..."

"Baker," she supplied the name automatically. "Seren Baker."

He held out a hand. "Daffyd ap Owen."

"Pleased to meet you," she shook his hand and then laughed. "I can't believe we're doing this...acting like we've met at the mall or something. I mean...LOOK!" and she dissolved into laughter. He chuckled quietly with her. She was right. The situation was insane, and their reaction possibly moreso, for all it seemed so 'normal'. She regained her composure, but with occasional snorts of suppressed giggles.

"Well, Mr...Owen or ap Owen?"

"ap Owen."

"Mr. ap Owen...no sense standing here. I think I'll keep moving along."

"Do you mind if I join you? I can carry a couple of those for you." He didn't relish the idea of being alone in this place. It made him uneasy, which he successfully hid under his confident demeanor.

She shrugged. "Sure. I don't mind." He seemed nice enough; not really the ax-murderer type. She grinned inwardly, thinking she had written one horror novel too many. But she supposed there were worse things than having company in this strange world, especially when the company in question was this pleasant.

He took off his heavy coat and draped it over his arm. "I'd hate to be returned to Montreal without it," he explained, relieving her of a pair of grocery bags. They headed down the road in companionable silence. Occasionally they passed a lone person sitting or wandering on the side of the road. No one responded to their greetings, so they didn't bother to stop. There was enough weirdness going on today without their going out of the way to add to it.