Chapter 115

Nick and Rosalee were waiting for us when we opened the spice shop door. Pinched between my two fingers was the Ziploc of Doom. I held the bag of cursed apple tarts toward Rosalee like it was a rabid animal while Monroe set the spell books down on the table.

"Here's what I think she used," I said as she took the bag from me.

"There's a few in here." Rosalee stared at the contents and then at me. "How many did you eat?"

"Two when she first made them and maybe four or five more since they've been in my freezer."

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't eat them all." Rosalee shook her head. "You two wouldn't have been able to stop yourselves if you had."

To think it could have been worse than this was unimaginable.

"So, are there enough to tell you which Zaubertrank she used?" I asked Rosalee, who was already mixing chemicals into a beaker.

"There should be." She looked up and nodded. "I ought to be able to isolate the ingredients of the different Zaubertranks to determine which ones these tarts contain. Once I know the ingredient that's different from the others, I can pin down the right love potion."

"I hope it's quick," Monroe huffed out, "'Cause with that chemically induced, highly potent, amorferous concoction pumping away at their brains, these two can't be left alone without their mouths snapping together like magnets." He shot me a sideways glance.

Oh, he must have figured out why I had Nick's blood on me. Crap. I reached for my mouth instinctively as I sat down. My eyes met Nick's, who had good enough sense to look ashamed, too.

Monroe sat down beside me as everything about him was cross. His arms, legs, and even his face held it in plain view. We'd snipped at each other on the way back from my house, and then apologized again, but it was getting worse. All the stress between both of us was coming out any way it could, and unfortunately it was with our words. I hummed as I glanced over at Monroe, who seemed transfixed on a photo on the back wall.

"In the fear of defeat
Is a chance I believe
To return to who we once were meant to be.

But I got you,
You got me.
Got a chance,
I believe,
If love will come and break the spell tonight.

I got hope,
There's a way,
We can make it one more day,
If love will come and break the spell tonight…"

Monroe tensed as I laid my hand on his back. I let go quickly. Hopefully this would end. What if our bickering was the proverbial straw and he didn't want me after this? I couldn't handle losing him. I had to be hopeful that breaking the Zaubertrank would bring him back to me.

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

Time passed slowly as Rosalee worked diligently on her idea. Fortunately, there were enough tarts for her to experiment. Finally she swirled a beaker until the liquid turned yellow.

"I have it," she proclaimed as a smile passed across her lips. "And I'm glad we tested it, because she lied, big time."

I held my breath. Dammit, I hated Adalind more than anything! Thank goodness I had enough willpower not to eat all of those damn tarts.

"The Zaubertrank she used is called, 'Toujours dans L'amour.'"

"Forever in Love?" Monroe asked. He knew more French than he let on.

Rosalee nodded. "The difference between the two was the powdered moonstone."

"Yum," I quipped. "So is there an antidote for this one?"

"Yes. Since you two haven't... Well, what Adalind and Hank did."

"No. We're fine," I nodded at her.

"Surprisingly," Monroe muttered.

"Then we can fix this." She looked at me with her big, brown eyes and this time she seemed sure of herself.

"Will this have to be administered with the nose plunger thing?" Nick asked with concern.

"No, this is something you drink."

"Okay, good." He looked relieved. Depending on the ingredients, I might have preferred the nez-soufflet instead.

We sat patiently as Rosalee worked on the antidote. I offered to help, but she assured me it wouldn't take too long and she could manage. Monroe and I remained seated together while Nick sat across the room from us. I tried hard not to look at him, chanting my 'Blue Beard' mantra while we waited. I wanted this over so Nick and Monroe would stop looking daggers at each other.

The lyrics of Everclear's 'Broken' came to me and I hummed for a bit, watching Rosalee.

"I wish I could push a button and make the pain all go away.
I wish I had the magic words, but I don't know what to say.
You are going to find a way to fix what's broken…"

Rosalee moved to the back shelves, pulling jars and bottles. Liquids were poured into the flask, as the colors changed with each addition; from orange to pink, then to green.

While we waited, I organized the dozens of books that we'd pulled searching for all these Zaubertranks. I had to keep my mind busy and stop thinking. After the books, I organized jars, and then when that was done, I finally settled back down beside Monroe, who had gone from cross back to stoic. I couldn't read him at all.

"One last ingredient to go," said Rosalee and we all turned in her direction. She pinched off a bit of white powder with her fingers and dropped it in. The color in the flask changed from green to yellow. "Okay, it's complete." She turned off her Bunsen burner. "Now it'll need to cool, and then it's important that you drink it all in one sitting. I will warn you, the taste may be strong due to the…"

"Yeah, let's not know what's in it," Nick urged.

I bobbed my head in agreement. The less we knew about the ingredients the better.

"It's going to burn," she said. "The antidote removes the schwarzherz from your tongue, which severs the bond and counteracts the attraction that goes along with it." Rosalee shook her head solemnly. "It won't be comfortable."

"Well, it has to be done." I shrugged. There was no pleasure without pain. Smokey Robinson said it best.

"Oh, 'cause love like ours is never, ever free.
You pay some agony for the ecstasy…"

I'd had my fair share of agony already due to this love potion. What was one more pang?

We waited for it to cool as Rosalee instructed, and then we both took a vial of the yellow liquid in our hands.

"Bottoms up," said Nick with that sexy, toothy grin of his.

We drank them down simultaneously. The taste was more than just strong, it was downright disgusting. I gagged and coughed while trying not to bring it right back up. Nick was doing nearly the same thing.

"Now it's going to take about ten to fifteen minutes to settle in," Rosalee noted, "but you'll start to notice the effects of your love vanish soon after the burning stops."

My stomach lurched as a wave of nausea hit me like a Mack truck. I doubled over, but managed to shuffle across the room and sit back down beside Monroe. My eyes shut tightly, trying to keep from retching. If I did that, then surely it would all come back up.

"Are ya going to be able to handle this?" Monroe asked with concern.

"I've had worse at the bar." I tried to laugh, but then coughed instead. I reached for my mouth, swallowing back the bile.

Monroe held me as he said, "Let's just hope this works."

I kept peering over at Nick, sitting all alone. He was holding his stomach and his face was a horrible shade of green. Was it a side-effect of the antidote or was he just as nauseous as I was?

My stomach twisted and turned as I leaned forward, trying to breathe slowly. Once the nausea receded I stilled, but before I could relax the burning began. I yelped out in spite of barely being able to move my tongue. It was like eating a dozen habaneros all in one bite. My face flushed with heat as I held it in my hands. Pain stabbed down into my throat, eroding my esophagus. Tears poured from my eyes as I stifled my cries. This was my punishment and I would suffer silently for the rest of it.

"How… long… does it… burn?" gasped out Nick, whose face was beet red.

"Maybe about five more minutes, give or take," said Rosalee softly.

I wanted to die. Maybe I was dying. Monroe continued to hold me as the minutes dragged on by. Eventually the pain lessened. I tried to swallow, and while it was still agonizing, it was better.

I tested to see if I loved Nick. Yeah, still felt it. Another few minutes passed as the burn diminished a bit more. I checked again. Yeah, the love was still there. After another few minutes the burn had ceased, and I stared a bit blankly at Nick. The veil was lifting as my brain cleared slightly. Nick nodded at me and I tried not to roll my eyes.

"I think it's working," I rasped out while looking back at Monroe.

"You sure?" he doubtfully asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm feeling my usual hint of disdain right now." Just the thought of kissing that jerk sent a shudder of revulsion through me. Why the hell had I done that?!

"Let me check. Hold out your tongue," she directed.

I cracked open my mouth, trying not to grimace and she nodded in approval. She checked Nick's tongue and seemed satisfied.

"I'll get you guys some ice water," offered Rosalee.

Rosalee returned with two glasses. I downed mine instantly, holding a piece of ice to my tongue as it melted almost immediately.

"The inflammation ought to be gone completely by tomorrow," she said.

I looked into my cup. I was gonna need more ice.

Nick walked over and eyed me a few times. "It seems to have worked. No offense Renée, but I've got the love of my life waiting for me at home."

"No offense, Nick, but don't talk to me right now, okay?" My anger was more than boiling over. Just looking at him added to it. "God, I'm glad this is over with."

Monroe took each of us by the shoulder. "And no offense to either of you, but you better not eat anything else made by a Hexenbiest again or I swear…"

"That, you don't have to worry about," I cut in, halting his warning. It would be a long while before I trusted apples again.

He nodded and looked at me with brown eyes that I couldn't read. "Just make sure you know what you're eating, before, you know, you actually eat it." He glanced over at Nick. "That goes for both of you, okay?"

"That'll be the last potluck I participate in," Nick replied shaking his head. "I still don't know how she snuck in that pie, though."

"Not much of a detective, are you?" I mumbled so that Nick couldn't hear.

Monroe chuckled. "The antidote definitely worked." Monroe, on other hand, had no problem hearing.

"Thank you, Rosalee," I said as I turned in her direction. She smiled warmly as she cleaned up her table. "You're a wonderful and amazing woman."

That Fuchsbau had saved lives and relationships today. She deserved a medal. I moved toward her and gave her a hug, taking her off guard again.

"I'm glad I could help," she said into my ear.

"And I'm really glad you're staying in Portland for a while," I replied as I let her go.

A/N: Whew! So the spell is broken! I might not like Monrosalee, but I *love* Rosalee. (:

Your author has eaten one whole habanero and let me tell you, it hurts... A lot... I can't even fathom a dozen in one setting. LOL!