:O More, haha.

Chapter Two

"Hey, I'm not finished with you yet."

"I hope that means you want to ravish my body."

I rolled my eyes at Diesel, grabbed the remote from his hands and clicked off the television. His reaction was wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Nothing more. I put hands on hips and said sternly, "You'll get the remote back after you answer my questions."

Diesel stared at me with slanted eyes and slumped down in my couch. Hah, I had him. Wrote this fact down ladies: Men will agree to anything as long as you take away what is most precious to them. And no matter what they are; a Trenton cop, Batman, mystical being, they WILL cave when television becomes unreachable.

"So...tell me exactly; how does this curse work?" I asked.

"Don't call it that. That makes me sound like a bad guy." I raised both of my eyebrows and he shrugged. "I put it on him, he opens up, and that's it."

"Okay, okay," I shook my head while waving my hands in the air. "Let's say that, for an irrational, unbelievable moment, I believe this-"

Diesel sighed. "You don't believe it already? You had front seats to it, did you not?"

I had but there was no way I'd admit it. Because admitting I believed it was like admitting I was insane. I mean come on, I wished for a better job, a lot of cash and doughnuts every day but that never happened!

"Maybe if you wish a little harder, it'll all come true." He said, grinning wide. I hung my head. "Listen sweetheart, it's not all that incredible. A few mind blocks, tearing down barriers, digging down deep and then BOOYAH." He snapped his fingers for effect. "Ranger's honest."

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he really trying to simplify putting a spell on someone?! I shook my head to clear and then said, "Fine. Okay. Whatever. So let's say Ranger does have a spell on him, alright? What uh....happens after that? I mean...are there...guidelines? What?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"YOU DID IT!"

"No." He wagged his finger in disapproval. "You did it. You wished for it and I just made it come true."

"You're not making any sense at all! So what, your power is to grant wishes? You're a genie!?"

"I'd need a lamp to be a genie. DUH."

I felt my fingers twitch into fists and had a very, very strong urge to punch Diesel in his nose. Not only was he being the most uncooperative man I've ever encountered but he was confusing me even more than I already was. Too much confusion was a bad thing. I needed a cold shower, some cake and then I wanted to walk back into reality. Into the real world. Where curses, spells and any other magical things were only fictional on the big screen.

I was raising my fist to bash his face in but froze when I heard the lock click on my door and it swung open. I turned on my heel and smiled sheepishly at Ranger who came walking in.

He didn't look so good.

"Steph!" His voice was uncharacteristically high and...worried? He grabbed my shoulders and stared me in the eye. His once calm, stoic face was replaced with a frantic, looking nervous Ranger who couldn't seem to stand still. "Something's wrong, man. I don't feel good. I can't-I feel-" He stopped abruptly in his slight plea and I knew immediately who he had spotted.

I turned slowly to where Ranger's eyes were staring and saw Diesel do a little finger wave from his spot on the couch, smiling widely.

"Long time no see, Ranger!"

"What the fuck is he doing here?"

I laughed nervously. "Well, he..." Then I trailed off because I didn't have an answer to the question. Not a good one anyway.

Ranger's eyes narrowed dangerously. He stared at Diesel's guilty looking face for a minute, then at my shamefaced smile then back at Diesel before he growled out, "You." And began to stalk towards the man.

I quickly shrieked, jumped in is way and put a hand to his chest. "Wait-"

"You did this to me." Ranger was still barking out angrily, pointing at Diesel. "I knew it. I could feel it. You always fuck up everything. I just knew it. What the hell did you do now?"

All credit due to Diesel, he didn't even flinch. He smiled, stood up and came to stand a few feet behind me, hands in his pockets. Bold. "I resent that. I don't fuck up everything."

Ranger reached out for him but I managed to force him back enough to keep Diesel out of reach. "Hey, no fighting! We have to talk!" I grabbed Ranger by his wrist and led him into the kitchen. Or, more so, I tried to pull him into the kitchen, whined when he didn't bulge, shot him puppy dog eyes and he relented.

I watched him start to pace around the small enclosure and blinked. Seeing Ranger like this was surreal. Even though he was still dressed in his usual black, he wasn't emitting any mysterious vibes at all. He was all nervous, angry, jittery Cuban male. He looked like he wanted to strangle something.

On that note, I took a slight step backwards. The news I was about to tell him would, in no way, improve his mood and I didn't want to be strangled. "Rang-"

"I'm sick of that guy." He grunted, eyes down on my tile floor while he increased his speed of pace. "He does nothing but bring out the bad in me. Fucks with my karma, gives me headaches, drives me insane with jealousy and now he's somehow, controlling my brain!? How the hell is that even possible?"

I didn't answer. Mostly because I don't think he was really waiting for an answer but partly because of something he had muttered. "You're jealous of Diesel?"

Ranger stopped, turned to face me and I saw the struggle on his face. He was trying really hard to maintain something. His cool? His control? His facade?

"Damn it!" He exclaimed suddenly, making a face I had never seen on him before. "YES. Yes, I'm jealous of Diesel. And the fact that I'm admitting that should tell you why I HATE him. He's around you way too much, he always fucking spells like Christmas and he's the reason I'm making this god damn rant right now!"

I know it was a suicidal thing to do but I laughed. I tried, I tried really hard not to but seeing Ranger like this was a once in a lifetime thing and he just looked so cute when he was frustrated. Not only that but he sounded so sincere and sweet. Ranger was jealous of Diesel because of me? How flattering! Of course, I only got out half a giggle before he sent me a death glare and I immediately shut up.

He sighed and stared at me wearily. "Just tell me already. What did he do to me?"

"Why do you think he's behind it?"

"Because he's around and I can't keep my mouth shut." Very perceptive.

Alright, here I go folks. Pray for me. I braced, took another step back and said quietly, "Diesel...kind of...put a spell on you."

Silence.

"HE DID WHAT!?"

"I don't hear happy in here." Diesel said, poking his head in the kitchen. One look at Ranger made the man's eyes go wide. I took another step back so I was behind Diesel. This way, he'd be the first person in the path of Ranger's rage.

Ranger was angry. And I'm talking real angry. Seeing him mad was one thing because he was usually silent mad. The kind of mad where he just stared at you, didn't say a word and then hacked your face off.

But Ranger open, mad was a totally different story. The dark tone of his skin didn't conceal the red pooling in his face, his fist were clenched, his body was shaking and his cloudy, fury filled eyes were locked onto Diesel and yours truly.

Diesel and I spent a good minute tripping and scrambling to get behind the other while Ranger stalked towards us and in the end, I was in front. I sent Diesel a glare. Chicken.

"Stephanie wished for it!"

"Traitor!" I whispered angrily, turning to glare at him. "Yo-you made it happen!"

"I wouldn't have done it if you would have had some food in here."

"You little-!"

"Quiet." We turned to Ranger who had uttered the low command and instantly did as told. He stood there glaring for a minute, most likely summoning up the last bit of control he had to keep his cool.

"I think I might have messed up a little." Diesel whispered to me out the side of his mouth. "I think my spell might have heightened his emotions."

That was one theory. I was thinking more along the lines of Ranger being closed up for a good, long period of his life and now that he was forced to open up, it was coming out explosively. That couldn't be healthy. Then again, I didn't know jack squat about spells so I glared at Diesel.

"You messed up!?" I whispered back harshly.

He only shrugged. "I'm not that good at placing spells. Actually, this was my first time."

I thought I might faint. I saw the stars dance before my eyes and waited for my head to hit the floor. Sadly, it didn't. "You're going to get us killed!"

"No way. He wouldn't hurt you."

We turned to Ranger once again who had abandoned his glare to pace around and mutter to himself. "Head for the door if he makes any sudden movements...."

*********

Ranger

Diesel.

He was the first on my hit list at the moment. Put a fucking spell on me? This son of a bitch. The thing that made me angrier was the fact that I believed that he could do it. That was what I hated about that little worm. He had...powers and that shit made me wary. The closest I ever came to seeing magical things happen was when my Uncle Rey balanced ten books on his head while he juggled water bottles. He was drunk all through the routine by the way.

Now Diesel could put spells on people, disappear out of thin air and send my kismet into a frenzy. He was like Superman.

The bad news for him was that there was only room for one superhero in Trenton and Stephanie's life. And that was Batman.

I glanced back at the two of them, who looked to be in a heated argument and focused on Diesel. I was no longer concerned about who was responsible or if Steph had been apart. I was only looking for one thing. "Undo it."

They both froze and turned to stare at me. "What was that?" Diesel asked, eyebrows raised, feigning confusion.

"Undo IT." I repeated. I think I sounded pretty damn composed considering that I was feeling homicidally angry. Diesel glanced at Stephanie who looked pretty smug and then back at me, smiling slowly.

"Well...uh...alright. Okay. First, I need uh...a piece of grapefruit...a tire, two African birds, five beetles-"

"You can't reverse it, can you?" I asked flatly.

"Nope."

That was when I lost it. Fuck this. Fuck going to jail. Fuck everything. Diesel was a dead man. I reached for my back pocket, clutched the handle of my gun and was just about to swing it forward before I felt a hand grab my wrist. I looked down in amazement to see Stephanie blinking up at me fearfully and telling me not to do it. I stared into her eyes, sighed and dropped my hand. I couldn't do anything in her presence that she didn't want me to do. She was Achilles heel.

FUCK.

"Aww, how sweet. She's your Achilles heel."

I ignored the fact that I had said that out loud, glared at Diesel and reached for my gun again only to be stopped by Stephanie once more. I blew out a sigh.

"Diesel, shut up!" She screamed at him. I watched his face fall and smirked. "Now, I'm sure we can work something out-"

"What's to work out? Either the bastard undoes the spell or I'm going to put five bullets in his brain."

"You're very violent now that you're open, do you know that?" He asked, eyebrows rose.

"All thanks to you."

Diesel frowned. "Fine." He drawled out dramatically. "I'll reverse it."

Stephanie brightened and I slumped my shoulders in relief.

"In exactly....." He glanced at his watch. "One month."

**********

Diesel

I saw Ranger reach for his gun again and rolled my eyes. He was so dramatic. Stephanie gave him a look and he relaxed. It was pretty remarkable to see how much of an influence she was on him. If only he could see that. I'm not good at matchmaking and the last time I did try it was with Stephanie and we totally bombed the whole thing but hey, why not use my powers for good? And yes, I was using them for good. If Ranger finally tells her how she feels, they can get married and I wouldn't have to hear her whine about her love life all the time.

Because when she whined, she cried and when she cried, I wanted to comfort and do...other things. Manly things. And the last thing I needed was to get involved with a woman who was already in love with two different guys and couldn't choose. Why bring a third factor into it?

Of course, that didn't stop me from flirting and hoping. I was a straight forward guy. I just wasn't ready to settle down. Besides, I figured Ranger was a good choice for her. He was strong, smart, protective....male.

Don't get me wrong, I had no quarrel with that Morelli guy but there was a very compelling argument I could use for his behalf. Like, for instance, where the hell was he all the time?

So yes, I was trying to help Stephanie and Ranger out. The least they could do was show me a little bit of respect, maybe offer to buy me some food and NOT blow my head off. Hmph. Ungrateful people these days.

Then again, I'd be pretty mad too if someone put a spell on me. Especially someone who was just learning how to. I figured I should train my powers so placing it on Ranger was like my warm up. Okay fine, maybe I did it more out of entertainment than trying to help but I was having a hard time trying to track down my latest unmentionable and I needed a few laughs.

"Listen," I spoke up, rocking back on my heels. "The spell has a time limit. I'm guessing it's for a month because well...that's what I intended but...I'm not very good at-" I paused, saw the shock on Ranger's face and skimmed past that fact. "Anyway, after a month, I'll be able to take it off. Promise." I put a hand to my heart and grinned.

Neither of them looked too trusting of me. Sadly, I couldn't blame them.

"I said I promise."

"I promise also. I promise I'll penetrate your skull if you're lying." More dramatics. I was starting to miss less talkative Ranger. "Now what if I just shoot you now. What happens then?"

"Then you'll be stuck like that."

He narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?"

I gave him a wolfish grin. "Would you risk figuring out?"

I saw him grind his teeth while he considered it. "It's worth it." Then he pulled out his gun and I widened my eyes in fear. Uh oh. Not good.

Before he squeezed the trigger, Stephanie screamed, "No shooting in my house! I MEAN IT!" She lowered his hand and stared him hard in the eye. He stared back but only lasted a few seconds before he sighed and put the weapon away. I wiped my forehead. Phew. Thank the lord for Steph.

"Now," She started, moving cautiously in the middle of the room, holding both of her hands out in warning. "Diesel was wrong. I see that, he sees that, Ranger sees that, we all see that."

"You-" I started with furrowed eyebrows.

"BUT," She cut in, glaring at me. "But, that does not mean that you can shoot him." She said this while glowering at an annoyed Ranger. "Let's all just calm down and think rationally."

Leave it to her to try and be the civil one. She was the walking tragedy who had no right to tell us to think rationally because she rarely ever did Stephanie was a woman who followed her instinct and got lucky all the freaking time. "Hell of time to be rational." Ranger muttered.

Stephanie ignored him and glanced at me. "Are you sure that it has to last a month?"

"Positive." Or at least, 80 percent positive.

"Then after that, it's gone?"

"Gone forever." Or until I decide to put it on him again. Ranger seemed to pick up my thoughts, narrowed his eyes at me and mouthed, 'Don't even think about it.' I forced a smile his way and then sighed when I glanced down at my feet.

"Well okay then." Steph shrugged with a gentle smile. "A month isn't that long. Only four weeks. This won't be so bad, huh?"

I turned to look at Ranger who had hands on hips and was shaking his head. "Yeah," He started sarcastically. "It'll be as bad as the time I got my zipper stuck on my dic..."

He trailed off and turned to stare wide eyed at us, managing to catch himself in the act. He glanced at my amused face then at Stephanie's open mouth and growled, "SHIT!" before storming away, slamming the door on his way out.

"That was an image I'd rather not have pictured." I said, grinning wide.

Stephanie blinked at me, sighed, shook her head and stomped off into her bedroom muttering about men and spells and cake.

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