Chapter Five:

A year had passed since Glenn's murder. Nothing unusual had happened to Morton and Danny save the occasional visit from the sheriff making sure she was all right. Mort and Danny lived together in happy harmony, forgetting about Glenn entirely as time passed on. There were thankfully no visits from Ciara that year either.

Morton believed his life was finally coming together one day as he made his way to the town jewelers. He hummed a few bars of "As Long As You're Mine" as he looked at the different diamond encrusted rings. There was a particular ring he wanted—a simple, silver band with a small, solitary diamond, size 7 ½. Before long, he found it and made his purchase.

The man behind the counter asked, "Big night tonight?"

Morton smiled and said, "Yesh." The man gave him the ring box and said, "Good luck."

"Thank you," Mort said, happily exiting the jeweler, and headed home. There was a spring in his step as he got out of his car and headed towards the front porch. By the absence of Danny's Camry, he knew she was still at rehearsal for the local production of "Wicked." (When Danny had gotten the phone call saying she was cast as Elphaba—the lead and her favourite character—she was so excited, she kissed Morton and danced around the cabin for a good three hours.) Morton ran into the cabin and started dinner even though it was her night to cook.

He tidied up the cabin with lightning speed and even vacuumed before the oven was warm enough. Carefully, he made dinner, hoping for the closets thing to perfection in his try at Irish BLTs (her favourite) and Mertinelli's. Checking the time, he slid the tray of French bread into the oven and raced upstairs to change his clothes. Just as he was setting the table, she walked in and literally gasped.

"Wha-what happened? Who cleaned the cabin?" she asked, dropping her bag onto the couch. Then she noticed the enticing aroma of dinner wafting through the kitchen doorway. Danny entered the kitchen and her eyes grew wide with surprise. Smiling broadly, she walked over to Morton, kissed him and said, "Oh, my god! Look at you! What's so special tonight?"

"You are," he kissed her and turned her towards the living room. "Now, as much as I love you in your dancewear, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable when I look so good and you're all sweaty. Go upstairs and change."

Danny smiled and, grabbing her bag, dashed upstairs. No more than five minutes later, she came back down. Having ditched her black leotard with an embroidered shamrock on the sleeve and black pajama pants that had "Just Step" printed in green across the seat for what she affectionately called her "Wood Nymph Outfit"—a knee-length black skirt, brown peasant blouse and bare feet with her hair done up Heidi-style—she looked absolutely gorgeous. She had even re-done her make-up. Danny was the only actress Morton had heard of who could do a complete transformation/quick-change including new hairstyle and make-up in five minutes or less. He was shocked when she came down so soon. Especially when he expected her to take at least twenty minutes just to pick out an outfit.

They ate dinner in relative silence with the occasional, "Morton, this is delicious..." Just before he got out the second bottle of Martinelli's, Morton said, "Danny, I have a question to ask you. Do you mind?"

A look of concern crossed her face briefly. "No, of course not. What is it?"

He didn't say anything at first, but walked over to her chair, knelt and took her hand. "Danny, I know this will seem sudden. And I know we haven't really defined our relationship, but..."

Short of breath because of slight disbelief, Danny asked, "But, what, Mort?"

He pulled out the ring box from his pocket and, handing it to her, asked, "Will you marry me?"

Danny opened the box, saw the simple ring she always wanted and tears came to her eyes. "Of course, I'll marry you!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him for all it's worth. She fell out of her chair, but she didn't really notice it since she was so happy.

At about ten o'clock, the two of them were having a slightly corporal discussion when the front door slammed open. They looked over, confused, to see who had come to call since they hadn't expected any company at all that night.

In the doorway stood a furious Ciara. She stalked over to them, took hold of Morton by the upper arm and dragged him outside. When Danny moved to follow, the door slammed shut in her face, seemingly of its own accord. Try as she might, Danny couldn't get the door unlocked or open.

Outside, Ciara slapped Morton across the face and demanded, "What do you think you are doing? Do you know what this means?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, spitting blood out onto the dirt path from the driveway.

She slapped him again. Harder, this time. "This marriage will destroy everything! Do you not remember our agreement when you gave your soul?"

Morton glared at her. "What are you talking about, Ciara?"

"'Of mortal and stolen soul There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'"

Morton stared at her, incredulous. "I have never heard that before," he said, noting the front door was shaking from Danny's efforts to open it.

"You must abolish this engagement," she said, fire in her eyes.

He glared at her and defiantly said, "No."

Ciara stared him down and said, "Either you call off the engagement... Or deliver her soul to me." As soon as she disappeared, Danny was able to open the door and dart over to Morton.

"Mort, what was that about?" she asked, genuinely confused without even the tinniest hint of jealously—another reason why he loved her.

"Danny, I need to talk to you about Ciara..."

~*~

Danny said nothing as Morton explained his arrangement with Ciara. She only nodded when she understood, but shook her head when she didn't so he could explain. When he finished, she slowly said, "So, you sold your soul to Ciara—the devil—so you could continue writing as long as you have something to write about and the arrangement helped you through whatever the sheriff keeps referring to? Why would you do that?"

"Because I was blinded by two loves—the love of writing and love of Amy. I felt if I lost one, I wouldn't be able to continue living without assurance that the other would always be present," he explained, great sadness in his eyes. "So when Amy cheated with Ted, I turned back to Ciara and she became my muse so I could write. But now that we're together, I've found another muse and I don't want anything to do with Ciara. Unfortunately—"

"That's impossible," Danny finished for him. "I thought you had more sense than this, Morton! Honestly, have my own dealings with Hell taught you nothing?"

"I hardly think attempts at witchcraft to be—"

"Where do you think the magic comes from? It sure ain't commin' from Heaven," she said, interrupting him. She took his hand in hers and said quietly, "Look, I'm not here to condemn, though I know that's what it sounds like... What can I do to help?"

The next morning, Ciara called for breakfast. Danny welcomed her openly and the two sat down at the kitchen table. The devil looked at Danny inquisitively and said, "Tell me, Danny, has Morton told you about our little relationship?"

"He has."

Ciara was slightly surprised. Being the devil, she wasn't inclined to Know All, like He was. "Ah, but he tell you the whole truth, or just part of it?

Danny leaned back in her chair and said quite calmly, "Well, there's not much to him selling his soul so he can have an assured muse if he lost his natural one. If there's any more to that, enlighten me."

Ciara cleared her throat and recited quite clearly and firmly:

"'Of mortal and stolen soul There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'"

She gave Danny a challenging look.

But Danny just had a look of mere amusement. She knew that verse well. When she and her friends were slightly on the rebellious side during their senior year in high school and they attempted witchcraft, their leader—Jamie—would often go into a strange trance an that verse would spill from her parted lips. Of course, Danny knew there was more to it than Ciara was saying. She looked at the devil squarely and said, "Well? What happened to the rest? Surely you remember it. Or have the rules changed since I was eighteen?"

Ciara didn't say anything. Morton looked over from the stove where he was making French toast. The two women just stared at each other.

Finally, Danny broke the silence, "But, of course, if you really aren't the devil, Herself, then there's no point to you threatening Morton and I all the time."

Ciara stood angrily and suddenly. She pointed a clawed finger in Danny's face, not even an inch away from her nose and snarled, "Listen, wench—no one and I mean NO ONE talks to Ciara Wirewood, Hell's All Powerful and Mighty Queen that way!"

Danny didn't flinch. She just looked calmly into Ciara flaming eyes and said, "I believe I just did." Without another word, she stood, left the kitchen and made her way upstairs, calling over her shoulder:

"'If a muse the writer finds, So there's meaning between the lines, The devil is to back away Ne'er to return 'till his death day.

But should the writer's muse Her life so tragically lose, The devil may return A strange lesson soon the writer learn.'"

Ciara turned to Morton. "How could she know that?" she demanded, striding over to him. "HOW?"

Morton was making his French toast with care and said, "She practiced witchcraft when in high school. It's in one of her spell books or something. I dunno."

Ciara grabbed the front of his shirt and yelled, "Find that spell book! NOW!!"

Ten minutes of searching, Morton came back downstairs with an old, tattered book in hand. In it's prime, the book of spells was bound with green leather and had gold stitched into the cover announcing the title and several different sealing spells. Of course, only Ciara knew that. She snatched the book from Morton and flipped through it. She stopped at a certain page and read aloud:

"The Devil's Way

"'Of mortal and of stolen soul There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'

"For the one who wished to write, There shall be no faith. For if he fails to close his task, He shall be a wraith.

"If a muse the writer finds, So there's meaning between the lines, The Devil is to back away Ne'er to return 'till his death day.

"But should the writer's muse Her life so tragically lose, The Devil may return A strange lesson soon the writer learn.

"Such is the Devil's way...

"'Of mortal and of stolen soul, There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'

"Of the one who wished to sing A sour note, the Devil ring To save his life and to mend the tone 'Till silence endless, the singer known.

"But if the singer find the one To help his note and loose his tongue, The Devil will deaf her ear And ne'er the singer's songs to hear.

"If the singer lose his voice By some unlucky, stupid choice, The Devil shall arrive And into Hell the singer dive.

"Such is the Devil's way.

"'Of mortal and of stolen soul There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'

"To the father, the Devil say: "Mend the Road and pave the way For thy children linger near And sweet, the Devil's song to hear"

"If the father, wise and true Keeps the Devil from their view, The children will grow strong and wise And keep the Devil from their lives.

"But if the father turns away, The children march to their damnation day And their children after them the same, In the stupid father's name.

"Such is the Devil's way.

"'Of mortal and of stolen soul, There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'

"Of the actor, sweet of face, The Devil gives no help in race To find the fame the actors longs And he'll find no mercy in the throngs.

"If the actor makes a deal, The Devil with the stronger will, May see the actor safely home, Unless to Him the actor thrown.

"The unwise actor to Heaven thrust, His deal with Ciara ever bust, And shall be damned from here on out, With no time to cry or pout.

"Such is the Devil's way.

"'Of mortal and of stolen soul, There shall be no bind. Should this occur, in time, The mortal shall be mine.'

"For the Devil wise and smart Catching mortals is an art. Though she's beautiful of face, Hers is the blackest heart of any race.

"So be not tricked by this proud maid. She'll make sure yer debt be paid With either yer soul or with the life Of yer son or of yer wife.

"So when yeh see her comin' A jaunty tune she hummin' Turn away before she sees yeh there, But if yeh don't, beware...

"Such is the Devil's way.

"Such is the Devil's way..."

After hearing the cryptic poem, Morton didn't know what to think. Ciara shut the book with a snap and said, "It's old rubbish set down on paper by Elfiba and Galinda centuries ago before they ever met me. The only part that is true is the verses about the writer and the father. That's all I've been allowed to do by Him. I am all powerful, but there are restrictions on what I can do and I must honor them or be cast aside to the slaughter as the devils before me."

There was a brief silence that Morton couldn't stand. "Ciara, the verse about the writer, where it says, 'If a muse the writer finds, So there's meaning between the lines, The Devil is to back away Ne'er to return 'till his death day...'"

"What about it?"

He looked at her from the book. "Do you have to honor that?"

"Yes. Do let me know when she's croaked, will you, Morton?" Ciara said, leaving the cabin as Morton ran up the stairs.

He burst into the bedroom and found Danny curled up on the bed reading from her script.

"'Glinda, you look hideous in that getup. I thought you'd have developed some sense by now... When in the provinces, you have to show them a little style.'" She didn't notice Morton when he entered until he cleared his throat. Then she looked up at him. "Ah, what's the verdict?"

"She's leaving us alone until you or I die. Or if we get divorced," he said, smiling happily. "I'm so glad you thought of that old poem! I must be marrying the cleverest girl in all of New York!" He flopped gracelessly onto the bed beside her and kissed her.

Six weeks later, at the wedding reception, Danny and Morton were walking around the park when they ran into Robert again. Danny smiled and hugged her old trainer happily. "How have you been?" she asked him.

"Oh, y'know, the usual. We finished the film last week; that's why I could come," he said, brushing his hair out of his ace. "How have you been? I wanna offer my condolences about Glenn—"

Danny held up a hand to silence him. "I'd rather not talk about it, all right, Robbie?"

"Gotcha."

Instead of having a honeymoon, Danny and Morton indulged themselves with Martinelli's and horror flicks that night. They fell asleep on the couch, so when the phone rang at 3:29 in the morning, not only was Danny extremely ticked off, but they spilled the large bowl of popcorn they had made all over the carpet. "Great..." she muttered irritated. "Get that, would you, Mort?"

"Hello?" Morton's face held no expression as he listened to whoever it was on the other line. "Okay..." He slowly handed the phone over to Danny who took it and spat, "Hello?"

"Danielle Tomlin Reiny, this is important. I need you to step outside your house and walk over to your car. Now," the voice on the other end said.

Danny, grateful she had convinced Mort to get a cordless, complied and walked to her car. "All right, I'm at my car. Now what?"

"Take a look in the trunk."

"Why should I do that? Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"JUST LOOK IN THE TRUNK!" the voice was screaming so loud, Danny had to hold the receiver away from her ear.

Groaning because of being awoken at such a lousy hour, Danny fished the car keys out of her pocket and unlocked the front door as Morton walked up and whispered, "What's going on?"

"Shh... All right, I have the trunk popped," Danny told the person. "The question now is why do you want me to look n the trunk and for what point and purpose. And I still wanna know who you are so I can drop-kick you into the next week."

"Look in the trunk and I promise you'll get a big surprise."

Sighing, Danny looked at Morton who shrugged. She walked over to the trunk of her Camry and, holding Morton's hand tightly, allowed her husband to lift the lid...