I am SO sorry this took so long, but I was busy with school and all, and...

Anyway, I don't own anything. Please enjoy!

PREVIOUSLY…

Misty and Lucas watched behind a bush as Dawn awoke. She turned, her face facing towards them. Misty signaled Lucas to duck, but he was too excited to. Dawn opened her eyes.

"Lucas…?"

LUCAS'S POV

This is not happening. Please tell me this is not happening.

I look at Misty. I know she's as shocked as I am, but she doesn't show it. Instead, I see a look of sheer pleasure on her face. Traitor.

NORMAL POV

"Dawn!" Damion cried worriedly, on the verge of tears. "Dawn, please wake up!"

Much to Damion and Haley's relief, Dawn stood up, albeit rather shakily. However, she took no notice of them and went straight for the bushes.

"Dawn?" Haley asked worriedly, shaking the girl. "Are you okay?" But Dawn merely pushed her off and headed straight.

"Dawn!" the princess's companion cried. "Dawn, what's wrong?" But his childhood friend simply ignored him.

---

"Misty?" Lucas called, trembling. "Misty, was this supposed to be the plan?"

His swimming tutor shook her head. But the prince could see that she wasn't afraid. In fact, she looked rather pleased.

"Misty!" he almost screamed before Misty acknowledged him.

"PLEASE tell me this is just a joke," he pleaded.

"Oh, this is no joke," she said sweetly. "In fact, this is MUCH better than her having a crush on Damion."

"Traitor!" he screamed at Misty's departing figure. He turned around, terrified, to see Dawn with an almost eerie smile on her face. Afraid, he ran towards the palace.

---

"ERIKA!" Lucas screamed, barging into the gardener's room.

The silent girl looked up and smiled. "Your Highness," she greeted politely. "How are you doing?"

He frowned. "Cut the crap, Erika," he leered. "What's going on?"

Erika blushed. She had a feeling she knew what he was going on about. But she held her ground. "With whom?"

He frowned.

"Miss Yuki, then," she 'concluded.'

"Yes," he scowled, barricading the door. "I'm sure you know. Anyway, the operation went berserk and now she's all lovesick all over me!"

The usually serene young woman stood up indignantly, quite forgetting she was in the presence of royalty. "You wasted my love potion?" she almost screamed. "Do you know that it took three years of perfect care just to perfect and prepare that thing? And what do you do? You waste it!" she cried, pausing for breath. "You waste my precious love potion!"

She ranted and raved for a while, but only before the prince grabbed her by the shoulders. "For Arceus's sake, just LISTEN!"

Erika looked startled, then cleared her throat, clearly ready to listen. "All right, then," she sputtered, trying to catch her breath. "C-carry on, Your Highness."

"Good." Lucas gestured for her to sit, and he sat down on her bed. "I need you to prepare another love potion."

The perfume manufacturer blushed again. "I could do that, but – "

Lucas cut in. "Yes, yes, I know you can. But I need it NOW."

"But – three years –"

"Can you make it by Saturday?"

"Y-your Majesty…"

"Good. Then…"

"YOUR MAJESTY!!!" she screamed, then blushed. The prince looked indignant. "What?!"

Erika cleared her throat. "Well, what I was going to say was that love potions usually wear off in one year."

Lucas's mouth fell open, but he closed it and said, "So I'm going to have a lovesick stalker for the next year?" When the pretty gardener nodded, he added, "Create an antidote, then," as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Erika groaned. She was seriously getting exasperated. In fact, she was wondering why she didn't just quit. Oh, yeah. It was because she couldn't find another job and she couldn't leave until she was twenty-eight because her parents got her another seven-year contract. Brilliant.

"Well?"

She suppressed an inward scream. Stupid kid. She just wanted to yank that stupid red beret off his stupid black-blue-haired head, throw it on the stupid ground, and step on it with her not-so-stupid shoe. (Hey, a girl can't insult her own fashion sense!) She wanted to grab his stupid shirt, never mind if it was made from stupid silk from stupid silkworms all the stupid way from Japan.

Breath in, breath out.

But still, she wanted to do it so badly.

But if she did, she would be fired. Lucas would find a way to make it happen – he had the "power" to do it, according to she didn't want that to happen. If it did, then no money would go towards her grandmother's medicine…

Luckily, she didn't have to, because at that moment Damion marched into the room with a "I knew you'd be in here!" and did it for her. Yes, the whole beret and shirt thing. And just so you know, he did have the "power to do it," being the supervisor and all.

Lucas looked like he was about to cry. "B-but that was made from Shetland yarn and Japanese silk!" he wailed.

The blonde snorted. "Oh, how fascinating. I suppose I wouldn't care either if your freaking shirt was a gift from the Queen of England."

"But it was!"

He groaned and was about to bite back when little Haley dashed into the room. "Big brother!" she cried. "What did you do to Dawn-chan?! Mommy's away and Daddy's busy and Zoey's getting frantic and…"

"Stop."

Haley looked at her brother. "But big brother…"

"Stop it, Haley!" he cried. "I don't believe you! Of all people, you choose not to support you own brother. Instead, you choose to support her."

Haley looked like she was about to cry. Erika leaned forward. "Oh, Haley…"

But Haley swatted the gardener away and turned to glare at her brother. "Meanie," she spat out before she left the room.

"Ooh, she is so gonna get it…" the prince mumbled as he stomped out after his sister.

Damion sighed. "Well, I suppose you can't help me now," he said as he turned to leave.

Erika sucked in her breath. Either way, Lucas wouldn't know, right? "Wait."

She saw his blonde head move and his orange eyes look straight into hers. "Yes?"

She sighed. "There is a way to revert the love potion," she whispered. Damion's eyes gleamed. "Well? Tell me tell me tell me!"

Erika nodded. "Sure, but you're not going to like it."

"I will!" he cried. "I will like it. As long as it'll help Dawn as soon as possible."

"Are you sure?" He really likes her, she thought. I wish I'd find a guy like that.

When he nodded, Erika breathed in and said in one breath:

"To counter the potion's effects, the victim has to be kissed on the lips by the one he or she fell in love with."

Ooh, twist!!!