Cassie glanced at herself in the mirror as she waited for Adam's arrival. She looked changed, somehow. Her face was evidently more resolute, and a light seemed to shine from her eyes. She recognised this as a mixture of hope and determination. Adam wanted to figure this out, and so did she. The elixir had stripped him of his love for her, but not his memories. He still remembered how it felt to love her, and she was certain that he wanted to again. They, together, would make it happen. If they really were written in the stars, it would take more than a silly elixir to make Adam lose his connection to her.

Just then, Cassie caught sight of Jake's reflection in her long mirror. He was standing relaxingly against the window frame, unabashedly watching her. She felt guilt flame through her entire being; when Jake had left, she'd known that she had some sort of confused feelings for him, but they were gone now, evaporated. She still cared for him, but that was all. Cassie turned to give him a slight smile, before moving out of sight of his intense gaze.

Cassie almost felt Adam's presence before he knocked at the door. That was good, she thought, they still had some sort of connection. She ran down the stairs two at a time, excitement and possibility bubbling through her. It was only once she'd swung the door open, so manically that she was sure she could almost tear it from its hinges, that she felt the emptiness envelope her once more. He was there, framed in all of his candescent beauty, and yet his eyes still conveyed no emotion. He was there in theory, but not reality.

"Cassie." Adam murmured huskily, clearing his throat. He passed by her raised arm held as an invitation, and brushed against her slightly. He felt a sharp tingle, almost painfully shoot through his arm. He looked at her quizzically, had she felt that, too? It was almost like they were starting afresh.

The shock in Cassie's eyes informed him that she had also felt it. Her lips arranged themselves into a slight smile. "I guess all hope isn't lost." She whispered almost inaudibly.

Cassie closed the mahogany door, and turned to face her soul mate. "How do we do this?" She asked determinedly. "How do we make you love me again?"

"I think…" Adam began, watching her intently, "I think that the best way is for me to just fall in love with you all over again."

Cassie stared. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't something as simple as this. She'd presumed that since it was magic that had caused their demise, magic would be what solved it once more.

"But will it be the same?" She asked, feeling moroseness arise inside her.

Adam's eyes were as hard as stone as he thought intently. "I'm not sure." He finally replied. "But it's our best shot, isn't it?" He asked, grasping her hand in his. The warm sensation of his lingering touch spread like wildfire from Cassie's hand to her heart. She could almost see their souls connecting before her. It couldn't be that difficult for him to fall in love with her again, could it? As she watched, Cassie saw a dawning comprehension fall onto Adam's features, a recognition of sorts flickered in his wide eyes, replacing the ghostly look he had worn just seconds before.

"I can still feel you, Cassie. It's like you're still trapped underneath my skin. I can feel you, but I can't reach you." He exclaimed, clinging to her hands desperately. He felt lost, too.

"Then search, Adam. Try to feel the feelings you associate with me. Please." She begged unashamedly. She needed to feel him close once more.

Cassie broke away from their interlocked fingers to pull his face down to hers. Her hands wove through his hair, feeling its softness caress her fingertips. She kissed him suddenly, helplessly, as though they're lips contained magnets that could no longer resist one another. She thought this would help her feel his presence again, but it was gone. Cassie had the image of trying to find somebody who was right there in front of you, yet somehow still out of reach. She was kissing a stranger. She broke away feebly, and stepped back from him.

"I'm trying, Cassie, but it's like there is a barrier between me and my feelings. I just can't access them. All I know is that I desperately want to." Adam muttered weakly.

Well, that was something, Cassie thought. At least he wanted to love her again. She thought she could work with that, as long as her emotions didn't get the best of her. It would be so easy to give up; rather than face the pain that would submerge her every single time she felt Adam's ghostly presence.

"I'm going to talk to my dad." Cassie announced suddenly, surprising herself. The idea had come from nowhere. Adam opened his sculpted mouth to interrupt, but Cassie continued on; "I know I said that I don't trust him wholly, and I don't. But he was the one who knew about the elixir, Adam. Maybe he knows of some way that we can be together without the curse hanging over our heads? Maybe he knows a way that you can love me again." She finished feebly. It was a desperate attempt, and she knew it, but what other choice did she have?

Adam looked defeated, and an unwelcome thought suddenly occurred to Cassie. Why hadn't her grandmother told her about the curse before that day? Mrs Blake had certainly known that Cassie and Adam were spending time with one another, and she was a clever woman. She would have put two and two together. Cassie was certain that the grandmother she knew wouldn't have deprived her of such crucial information. Cassie voiced this to Adam, who nodded animatedly, an idea suddenly occurring to him.

"Your grandmother's mind isn't right at the moment, is it Cassie?" He asked intently, she nodded. "Well, it would be easy for someone to mess with it, change memories or maybe even create new ones." His eyes flickered menacingly.

Cassie struggled to match his quickening thinking. "You think that someone faked the curse?" She whispered guessingly. He nodded in agreement. "Why would they do that?"

"It would have to be someone who didn't want us to be together." He muttered thoughtfully. His eyes drifted over to the house on the right. Cassie followed his gaze incredulously.

"You think Jake did this?" She exclaimed. "No way. He wouldn't put himself in that kind of state just to force us two apart." Cassie was sure Jake wouldn't do anything like that, and besides, how would he know a spell like that? It would take more than a few years of practice to be able to successfully convince the rest of the circle and John Blackwell that he was dying because of some curse. And Cassie was sure that Jake didn't know any memory charms, let alone a hugely powerful one that must have been used to alter her grandmother's mind.

"He loves you." Adam said blankly, as though that was reason enough.

Cassie laughed without amusement. "He still wouldn't do that Adam, even if I thought he was capable of the spells it would take. He can't do solo magic, and I can't imagine anyone in the circle that would help him. And that doesn't explain how my father knew-" She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening with realisation. How could she have been so stupid?

Adam watched her questioningly, his head tilted to one side.

"My father" Cassie whispered. She watched the realisation dawn over Adam's face. Of course, it had to be. Hadn't the entire circle known about John Blackwell's jealousy over Ethan and Amelia? Hadn't they suspected that he had been searching for a way to use magic once more? Well, maybe he'd found a way. It made sense. Too much sense.

"Do you think he has a crystal?" Adam asked excitedly. To know who was behind this; was to be one step closer to the crucial knowledge of how to solve it.

"One, or more." Cassie muttered thoughtfully. "Or maybe he's had magic all along. This is all hypothetical, though, Adam. We don't even know that the curse is fake, maybe this is all just us thinking what we want to think. It's a way for me to prove that my father has been up to something, and a way for us to love each other in peace."

Adam marched over to her, closing the distance between them in one stride. "I don't believe that." He muttered, cupping his hands around the delicate, creamy skin of her face. He gazed into her childlike eyes. "I don't believe that there is a curse that stops us from being together. It's our destiny, Cassie. I told you I would figure this out, and I will." He promised, lowering his face to let his soft lips graze her cheek. Cassie whimpered helplessly, she needed this idea to be true. She suddenly found herself filled with a raw determination to help Adam prove it.

Adam turned and marched back out of Cassie's world, but she was confident now that he wouldn't stay there for long. She wouldn't allow that. She watched after her soul mate with an air of hopefulness, awareness filling her to the fingertips. Even if he couldn't access his love for her, Cassie was confident in the knowledge that he would do everything in his power to find it once more. Together, their love was too powerful to be overcome. Cassie would love for the two of them, until Adam renounced his, she vowed. Even if it consumed her.