You Have To Believe We Are MAGIC
The chubby little hamster jerks awake and blinks in confusion, feeling eerily tired and exhausted. Slowly he looks around and gapes at his surroundings. He's back inside the old glass aquarium, right on top of the narrow kitchen counter inside the familiar shabby 2nd floor apartment, and he has absolutely no idea how and why he ends up here. "Grab a bottle and make your wish." That's what the kind black sheep told him. So he did exactly as he was told and chose the empty bottle—Hello! Of course it is the third bottle. Remember the story of the 3 axes? The gold axe, the silver axe, and the plain iron one? And everyone knows the old wooden cup Indiana Jones chose is the real Holy Grail—and made his wish. So why is he here inside Stephanie's old apartment? Why is he still a hamster? He wished for a life without regrets and full of love and happiness. He wished for Stephanie's hand in marriage. He wished for a beautiful long life with his precious Cupcake and their 6 cute kids. He wished that Ranger could simply disappear...
Joe Morelli twitches his little hamster ears and turns his head upon hearing the faintest sound of the old security chain sliding back into place, and suddenly feels a sharp pang of anger rising deep within as a tall dark shadow silently appears. Ranger. What the Hell is Ranger doing here at this unholy hour of the night? Why is Ranger smiling his barely there but still dazzling smile? The furious hamster is about to jump up and down, wave his tiny front paws and scream in protest when Stephanie steps out of the darkness and wraps her arms tightly around Ranger. He almost passes out in a dead faint the moment he hears his Cupcake tell the crazy ruthless cold-blooded calculating mercenary that she loves him. His heart and soul and dreams and hopes then crack and shatter into millions and millions of tiny debris as they kiss. Loneliness, pain and despair swallow him whole and he becomes unconscious...
Morelli blinks in surprise as he finds himself back inside his body. He's all alone in his 2-story house. Bob is currently staying with his mother. He breathes in the familiar soothing smell of his home, his castle, his kingdom: 14-hour-old extra cheese and garlic pizzas. Half-eaten but still yummy meatball subs. The last drop of beer at the bottom of the bottles. His favorite brand of aftershave and cologne. And of course, Bob. He looks down and frowns at the pinkish bubbling liquid inside the tiny delicate crystal bottle. Today is the day of Stephanie's wedding. Raging waves of bitter jealousy and murderous hatred fill his whole being. Unbearable pain and desperate sorrow almost choke him.
This is his last chance to love and any happiness. The woman he wants and desires is going to marry his sworn enemy/rival in less than 10 minutes. He has tried all he could to stop her from marrying that crazy bastard. He has rushed to a jewelry store and bought her the cheapest diamond ring he could afford. He has dropped down onto both knees and cried and pleaded. But still he failed his mission as she looked into his eyes and gently told him in front of everyone inside Pino's, "Joe, I'm sorry. I'm in love with Ranger and he loves me, too."
Her open rejection nailed his fate. All his dreams and hopes and longings were smashed. All the purpose and meaning of his life were erased. He was searching on the Internet for a painless method to rid him of his permanent heartache when he came across the little ad:
Solution to Save Lost Love.
His frantic prayer got him no answer. His teary regret brought him no redemption. So he paid online with his credit card and received a small package 2 days later. And inside the black velvet box lay this bottle and a note written in dark black ink, "Drink it 5 minutes before the wedding."
And now here he is, standing all alone in his sad lonely empty two story house with a shattered broken heart. "Drink it!" His envy and jealousy of Ranger calling out to him. "Drink it!" His desperate love for Stephanie whispering to him. So he closes his eyes, takes a long breath, and drinks the magic potion. The world around him starts to fade. It was the sentence at the bottom of the ad that helped me make the decision, he suddenly remembers.
Take Your Enemy's Place At The Altar.
Yes, he wants to be the man standing at the altar waiting for his Cupcake. He wants to be the one putting the wedding ring onto her slender finger. He wants to be the one spending the rest of his life with her. He wants to be the father of their beautiful children. He wants...he wants to be Ranger...
Joe Morelli loses his consciousness and wakes up slowly a brief second later. And inside the small, serene church where the Manoso—Plum wedding will soon be held, the tall dark handsome groom smiles a most charming smile. He is going to marry Stephanie Plum, the love of his life...