SO SWEET AS MAGIC, PART THIRTEEN

"Donna, as soon as you could talk, you said that you didn't want to live with Marly any longer." said Vicky, "Why not?"

"I - I - "

"If you don't want to talk about it - "

"That sounds like some kind of spell to me." said Vicky, "What was the name of that BOW agent?"

****

"Where are you going?" said Matthew, seeing Lila come downstairs with Jasmine, dressed for the outdoors.

"We're goin' ovuh to Cass' house, so Jasmine kin see her new room, and get to know her new fathuh." said Lila.

"I'm her father!"

"Of coahse you are." said Lila, "But - let's be realistic, Matt; Jasmine's gonna call Cass 'Daddy'! Aftuh awl, he's the one who's gonna be raisin' her as his own chile!"

"Lila -!"

"Now, Matt! Jasmine's gonna know you, and love you, too. Ah would nevuh try to cut you off from her, Ah promise you that. Ah would nevuh deprive mah chile of the love of her fathuh - of both her fathuhs."

****

Paulina answered a knock on her door.

"I thought you were my friend!" cried the woman on the doorstep.

"I am!" said Paulina, "You're my best friend."

"Then - how could you steal my husband? How could you? I trusted you!"

"But - Jake said that you'd be willing to give him a divorce." Paulina protested.

"Willing? Willing to have Jake break up our family? What about my sons? Did either of you give one single thought to Steven or Kirkland?"

"Vicky, I - I never meant - "

"How could you be so selfish? You just - threw Jake away, and now you decide you want him back, and I'm supposed to get out of your way? Homewrecker!"

"Vicky, please! I'll - I'll tell Jake that I never want to see him again!"

"You do that!" said the other, and turned away so that Paulina would not see her grin of satisfaction.

****

"Yes, there is something." said Neil, running his wand over Donna, "It's probably just a lingering side effect of the Spell of Silence. It should be easy to dissipate. - There! How's that?"

"I - I think Marly is mentally ill!" said Donna, "When I was helpless, she treated me with such sadistic cruelty!"

"What did she do?" asked Vicky.

"She'd - taunt me - mock my helplessness." said Donna, "Whenever she knew someone was coming over to the house, she'd force drugs down my throat, so that I'd be asleep, or at least too groggy to communicate. And even that wasn't the worst of it."

"What was?" said Vicky.

"Marly would talk her reflection in the mirror, as though it was another person. She'd say the most dreadful things - about how she was going to get rid of you , so that she could have Jake."

"I had no idea." said Vicky.

"It sounds as though the situation is more serious than we thought." said Neil, "As soon as we find out who has been supplying your daughter with illegal magic, she should be taken into custody - for her own protection."

"Thank you, Agent Johanssen." said Donna.

****

"Go away, Jake! I don't want to see you!" said Paulina, trying to shut the door in his face.

"Paulina, what's going on?" Jake got his foot into the door, so that it wouldn't close.

"Go home to your wife and children!"

"I told you, Vicky's cool about giving me a divorce."

"That's not what Vicky says!" said Paulina, "She was just here! She called me a homewrecker! She doesn't want to break up your family!"

"You're wrong, and I can prove it!" said Jake, "Just let me use your phone."

"Well - okay." Paulina let him in; he immediately grabbed the telephone.

"Vicky? It's Jake. Did you just come over to Paulina's house and call her a homewrecker?"

"No, I haven't seen Paulina for a couple of days." said Vicky.

"That's what I thought." said Jake, "It must have been Marly."

"What do you mean - 'Marly'?" said Paulina.

"Here's Paulina. Explain things to her will you? I think she'll believe it, coming from you."

He handed the phone to Paulina.

"Vicky -?"

****

"Soon, Amalie, soon!" Stark gloated,looking at the portrait, "Soon the long wait will be over, and we two shall be united!"

"Uh, Jordan - " said Zack.

"Yes?" Stark regarded his flunky coldly, annoyed at the interruption.

"If Amalie's soul enters Amanda Cory's body, - what becomes of Amanda's soul?"

"What becomes of a flame, when you blow out the candle?"

"Oh."