All right. Got it all ready. Now I just need to find a way to get Justin to drink his half. Alex looked at the two halves of the love potion and smiled a little. And make sure not to drink the other half myself, because I don't need my head swelling up. Things were simpler back then, before she and Justin had fallen in love. Or before we'd realized we were in love. I think I loved him already, even then. And I know he's always taken care of me.

As Alex thought, she drank one half of the potion, then took the other and carefully poured it into a small flask. Good thing Dad had this old flask of Grandpa's. I can sneak it along, and get it into Justin's drink. And then everything'll be good again.

"Hey... watcha doin'?" She almost jumped at Max's voice. Uh-oh. Think fast.

"I'm mixing... cleaning fluid. Yeah. For when we have those hard-to-clean spills down in the sub shop."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Alex gave him her 'aren't I cute and helpful' smile. Always works on Dad. "It's for when I'm cleaning things."

"Dang. I was hoping it would be a love potion!"

"What? What? Why do you want a love potion?" Alex immediately regretted asking Max this question, but there was no taking it back now.

"Well, you see, I love cookies. If cookies loved me too, then they'd come to me, right?"

Alex shook her head, groaning inwardly at Max's logic. But he didn't seem to be suspecting anything, so that was good. Putting the flask into her purse, Alex moved over to Max and ruffled his hair with her hand. "Wow. Someday, you're going to make some lucky therapist very, very rich."

"You really think so? Thanks!" Max grinned and ran off, and Alex shook her head again. Weird. Of course, I don't know why I'd expect normal around here.

*

All right, where is Justin? Alex had knocked eight times on his door, getting progressively louder, then used the "go through mo through" spell to get in. Well, let's see what clues we can find... She walked to his desk, started to look through what was there. Introduction to Calculus, People and Society, Dungeons & Gargoyles Player's Handbook... oh my God, three days without me and he's having a geek relapse. Oh, what's this?

Freshman Mixer, 7:00 - 10:00, sixth floor lounge... tonight. Huh. Like a party, only lamer. Well, I'll bet that's where Justin is. Mixing. She patted her purse, smiled. Well, I'll just slip this into his drink, and then all the mixing he'll want to do will be with me.

Ten minutes later, Alex was threading her way through the crowded lounge. The mixer was more crowded than she'd thought it would be, but that was good -- less chance that Justin would notice her before she could get the potion into his drink. It was, however, about as lame as she'd expected -- no dancing, no DJ, just a buffet table with a punch bowl, and finger foods, and a whole lot of students standing or sitting around and talking.

Ah. There he is. Justin was talking to two other guys, both nerdy-looking. They were standing by the end of the buffet, gesturing and talking. She couldn't tell what they were saying from where she was, but the blondish one made a gesture with both hands like swinging a sword, and she instantly knew. Dungeons & Gargoyles, check. Well, at least he's not talking to any girls. And if they keep up in this vein... yes!

As she approached, going around the table to come up from behind Justin, he set his drink down on the end of the table so he could gesture as well. I am so good, I couldn't have planned this better. She was behind Justin, then, and smiling as she took out the flask and uncapped it, and then --

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She spun quickly to face them, moving her hand to hold the flask behind her back. "Uhh... yes?" Alex said, looking quickly at her interrupter. It was a guy, just barely taller than her, with reddish-brown hair that looked like his mom had cut it for him, glasses about two sizes too big for his face, and a smile that showed buck teeth. He was holding two cups of the punch.

"Hi, I'm Bernard," he said, nodding to her. "I saw you were alone over here, and I thought you might like some punch."

"Oh, gee, thank you." Alex set the flask on the table, still behind her back, and took the cup he offered her. "I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you."

"So," he asked, running his finger around the rim of his drink nervously, "how're you liking it here in the dorms?" He looked at her, blushed slightly, then looked down.

Oh, wow. He's probably never even talked to a girl before, as shy as he's acting. And now if I talk to him, he's going to crush on me instantly. Not what I need.

"Actually, I don't live here. I'm just up here looking for a friend of mine -- oh, and there she is." Alex stood up on tiptoe and waved, as if trying to get someone's attention, then turned back to Bernard quickly. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go get her -- she's not seeing me. Thanks for the drink, though!"

She moved away hurriedly, slipping past a knot of tall guys who were talking, then glancing back. They were big enough to hide her from Bernard, and she sighed in relief, then started to work her way through the crowd again, keeping an eye on the table to make sure Bernard would move away from it.

That's when she realized the flask was still on the table. Oh no. On the table and open... I have got to get back to it!

*

"Oh, hey, Roger, look -- somebody left a flask here. Wonder what's in it?" The boy picked it up and took a swig, licked his lips. "Mmm... good, whatever it is."

"God, man," Roger said, shaking his head and looking around to see if anyone had seen that, "you're going to get in trouble one of these days, drinking anything you find lying around."

"Yeah, yeah. You want some?" the boy asked, holding the flask out to Roger.

"No thanks." Roger held up a hand between himself and the flask. "I'm not drinking strange booze. Besides, the owner'll come back looking for it in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still...." the boy cocked his head to the side and eyed the punch bowl. "You think we should liven this party up?"

Roger held both hands up this time and backed away. "Uh-uh. Leave me out of this." Once he was safely a few steps away, he turned and moved off into the crowd.

The boy looked at the flask, then at the punch bowl again. He looked around, quickly tipped the flask into the bowl, then set it back down where it had been.

And that was when he saw her. She had curly black hair that shone glossily in the light, big brown eyes he felt like he could fall into, and the cutest face he thought he'd ever seen. He'd heard of love at first sight, but had never believed in it -- lust, maybe, but love? An hour ago he would have laughed at the idea, but now he swallowed with a mouth suddenly dry, watching the black-haired angel move through the crowd with a grace and poise that could not be believed.

Someone nudged him aside to get to the punch bowl, and he took a step forward, toward her, uncaring. Five minutes ago, he would've made a scene over the nudge, itching as he'd been to make some kind of disturbance, but now that no longer mattered. Nothing mattered but her.

And then she was coming his way, and he stepped aside for her, looked her up and down slowly, drinking in every inch of her. The beauty picked up the flask and her face creased in a mixture of annoyance and puzzlement. The boy ached to ease whatever might be troubling her, and he stepped forward even as she looked around. Behind him, he felt someone else brush by, going to the punch bowl, but ignored it. "Oh, hell," he heard her say, and then he cleared his throat to speak.

"Umm... is that yours?"

"Yes! Did you see who drank it?" She was looking at him, and he could feel his heart thudding like it was trying to pop out of his chest as he stared into those soft brown eyes. "Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face, and it was as perfect as the rest of her. He reached for her wrist, but she pulled it back too quickly.

"Oh no. You drank it, didn't you?" Struck dumb, he could only nod as he gazed upon her. She made a frustrated "ohhh", stamped her foot, then gestured to him. "Come on, then. Let's get where I can do this without anyone hearing." She walked away and he followed, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to catch up with her.

*

Great. So much for the love potion. And we're all out of two of the ingredients now, so I'm going to have to come up with something else, once I get this guy de-loved. At least I already know the spell for that. She stopped out in the hall, looked around to make sure no one was around, then turned back to the boy who was following her. "Okay. You just stand still a moment. Oh, and put your fingers in your ears and close your eyes. Got it?"

"Anything you wish, my love," he said, then proceeded to do as asked while Alex rolled her eyes. "You've got the hots, now you'll have the nots, you were in love, now it you'll snap out of!" The spell went right into him, and she smiled, then reached and pulled one arm down. "Okay. All done."

He opened his eyes, then, and blinked a few times, then spoke. "Uhh... not to be rude, but who the heck are you, and why did I follow you out here?"

"Well, you see... oh, heck, skip it, it'll take too long to explain. Just go back to the party. And don't go drinking out of other people's drinks. And if you do, don't drink the whole thing."

"Oh, I didn't drink it all," he said. "I poured most of it into the punch bowl."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Alex looked past him to the door of the lounge, then covered her eyes with her hand and shuddered. Oh no. How many people have gotten drinks from the punch bowl since then? How many have already drunk them? What am I going to do?