***Chapter 4***

I walked out of Merlin's office and started to head towards the stairs when Trix caught me.

"How was your trip home?" she asked, batting her eyelashes and jingling with her wings.

"It wasn't as relaxing as I hoped," I replied with a wry expression. "I left this job and New York to protect Owen, but it seems that magic follows me wherever I go now."

"That's okay, hun. You're back now and we're all excited to have you back for more than one reason." She glanced at the door of the executive assistant's office and we both laughed.

"I'm going to be taking over my role starting tomorrow, it seems. Can you make sure that there are no traces of the previous owner by tomorrow?" I gave Trix a mischievous glance and headed toward the stairs.

"I'm expecting to have lunch with you today!" I heard Trix yell as I descended down the stairs.

I headed down to personnel first. Isabel greeted me with a giant hug as I approached. "It's so good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," I said, trying not to get squished by her grasp. Isabel seemed to be part giant, so sometimes she underestimated her hugging abilities. "Is Rod free now?"

"Let me check his schedule." While Isabel was busy looking through Rod's schedule, the office door swung open and Rod emerged. I wondered if he still wore an illusion. His skin cleared up over the time I have been gone and his hair looked well groomed. His smile actually made him look rather charming. I wondered if Marcia knew about the illusion that Rod put up.

"Katie! Are you here to see me?" He beamed as he approached me.

"Actually, I am."

"Come on in."

"I'll see you at lunch," I heard Isabel call out after me. No wonder I have missed this place.

I sat down on the big plush armchair in front of Rod's place. His desk was not as cluttered as Owen's, but it contained a number of books about teamwork, corporate events, and other business related topics.

Rod noticed me scanning over the book titles. "I might've been reading up on how to build a better work environment," he admitted. "But what brings you here on your first day back?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about Marcia." Rod's ears perked up a bit.

"Oh," was all that he said.

I sighed. "You two are my friends, but Marcia has been one of my best friends since college. I just don't want her to get hurt." I looked at him and saw him staring at the floor. "I think you're a great guy, Rod, but I just have to look out for my friends."

"Trust me, I understand." He looked me and smiled. "I would do the same for my friends." I wondered if he had a similar talk to Owen before. "I know that I don't have the greatest reputation with ladies, but I honestly like Marcia."

"I'm sure you do. But don't think you can snatch her away by taking her to your parents for your birthday!" I nudged his arm and he laughed.

"You and Owen should come, too. And you can tell Gemma and Philip to come as well. My parents would be delighted to have a company over."

"Thank you. I would love to. Owen and I can stay at his foster parents' house. I really like them."

Rod's telephone rang. "Well, I better get back to work. It's great to have you back."

Now I was off to R&D. I didn't have the silver key card anymore, but I hoped Owen would know I was coming. As I approached the department doors , they flung open and a lion with wild eyes galloped through them. I yelped more from surprise than from fear. The lion ran another few feet and disintegrated mid-air. I walked through the doors and went into Owen's lab. Jake clung to the wall, looking shocked and abashed, while Owen had his hands in his hair, looking as if reading to pull them out.

"That was not supposed to happen," Owen muttered.

I cleared my throat and their heads turned towards me.

"Did I come in at a wrong time?"

"We're testing a new spell I discovered." Owen sighed and Jake scooted over to the whiteboard.

"I take it a lion wasn't supposed to appear."

"No. It's supposed to be a healing spell. But I can't get the translation right." Owen sighed again and looked at me. "You don't have your office back yet, do you?"

I nodded.

Owen looked around the lab. It looked even more cluttered with books than before. "Find yourself a spot then. Just don't move anything." As messy as Owen was, he knew exactly where everything was. It was a comprehensive chaos, as I would call it.

I moved a chair from the corner to the empty-ish desk and set my stuff. All I had was a laptop for now, but it was enough to keep me busy while Owen and Jake tested their spells. Occasionally I would look over the screen to see what the loud pops and yelps meant.

When lunch time came, I quietly left the office and headed to eat lunch with Trix and Isabel. The girls asked me all the details about my trip to Texas, especially about the battle with Idris. The office grapevine proved to be as effective as ever.

The rest of the day flew by. At 5 o'clock I closed my laptop, put my cardigan on, and stuck my head into Owen's lab. He had his nose in the books.

"It's 5 o'clock," I said.

His attention snapped back to reality. "Already?"

He got up and headed into his office. "Let me grab a couple of things and we can head out."

He did not drop his business mode even as we walked out of the MSI building, but he put his protective arm around my waist. I looked up at him and accidently brushed my cheek against his neck. That sent Owen into a deep blush. He looked down at me with a sparkle in his eyes. I held my breath as I expected a kiss.

"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late." Finn appeared in front of us out of thin air. That made me jump. Owen got a shade pinker. "Did I startle you again? Sorry about that… again."

Owen shook Finn's hand and we walked towards the subway station. We got on the express train downtown and proceeded to the restaurant that Owen had in mind. The restaurant was a small place, but very cozy. The tables were standing far apart and there weren't many people. It was a good spot to chat about magic without anyone overhearing it. Owen got the chair for me first and then sat next to me. Finn sat across from us.

The waitress handed us our menus and we ordered. As we were waiting for the food, Finn started the conversation.

"I have gathered a lot of information pertaining to the case, but I am still missing your side of the story, Miss Chandler."

"You can call me Katie."

"I would like to hear what happened and how Philip Vandermeer got disenchanted."

"It all started out as a joke actually. I was out with my coworkers and somehow they convinced me to go with them to go to the Central Park to kiss some frogs in hopes of finding a prince." I could tell that Owen was chuckling on the inside. "I didn't know they literally meant kissing frogs. When we got to the park and it was my turn to look for a frog, I saw a man crouched in the bushes. He was naked and making croaking sounds. At first I thought it was a joke, but my friends saw him as a frog. I was worried that he would get hypothermia, so I kissed him." I couldn't bring myself to look at Owen. I wonder what he thought right about now. "The person was Philip. He was under an illusion spell which made him think he was a frog. I saw him only because I'm an immune. Long story short, he ended up with my roommate, Gemma."

Finn finished taking down notes in his oversized notebook, then asked, "And how is it that you found out about Vandermeer and Company?"

"Philip asked me to come to a meeting with Mr. Meredith with him. He wanted to find out what was going on in his company, but under a disguise. I accompanied him to make sure there was no magic used on him or any paperwork that Philip might've signed. It was then when I met Sylvia Meredith. I never got to meet her uncle, as we were told he was indisposed."

Finn scribbled down some more notes. "So you would be willing to testify before the Magical Council?"

"If it's necessary, then yes."

Finn frowned. "I won't lie to you. There have been a number of cases brought against the company before, but none of them ever came close to winning. I never trusted Mr. or Miss Meredith, but I did not think that they would stoop so low."

Finn's expression lightened up as he thought out loud. "Maybe this case will be different." I wasn't sure if it was luck or what, but getting Finn on our side would be easier than I anticipated.

"Mr. Palmer, would you testify before the Council, too?" he said as he turned to Owen. "You have recorded the traces of the spell that was cast on Mr. Vandermeer."

"Of course. There are multiple reasons why we need the company to be returned to its rightful owner."

Finn's eyebrows shot up. I could tell that he was intrigued. The food was brought in by the waitress and it was silent for a few minutes as we all enjoyed the dinner.

"Would you mind filling me in on what you know about the Merediths?" Finn asked, breaking the silence.

I sat there, watching Owen and Finn, as Owen recapped the story about Idris and the funding that came from Vandermeer and Company. Owen was handsome and shy. Finn was also good looking, but total opposite from Owen in personality. He was outgoing and social. But they shared a common trait it seemed – they both were willing to stand up against the dark forces.

Once the conversation and food were over, Finn and Owen exchanged business cards. Owen insisted on paying the bill and we left the restaurant.

"It was a pleasure talking to you and I hope this won't be our last meeting." Finn disappeared before Owen or I could respond. Owen shrugged and we walked towards our homes. It was a nice evening and the walk was not long.

"Would you like to come inside?" Owen asked as we stood outside of his condo and blushed.

Before I could reply something hit me in the back of my head and everything went black.