“NO!” Jared reeled back in horror.

“Yes, Jared. You, you owe me.” Mina stomped back to the group and waited on the side patiently. She kept looking at her watch as Jared did most of the talking. Was it only a quarter to one in the morning?

Some of the Princes didn’t like the idea any more than Peter did. But, after enough convincing, Constantine leaned down and gave a very quick chaste kiss. Mina kept glancing toward Dr. Martin who was awake and having his forehead bandaged. So far, he hadn’t noticed the line of boys kissing his future stepdaughter. Naga came forward, did a slight little bow, and picked up her hand. He kissed the back of her hand first. When nothing happened, he gave her a kiss on her lips.

One after another, they kissed her and all of the kisses failed. Peter even went up and kissed her again.

“Well, that was a complete waste,” Naga grumbled.

“I feel kind of weird and think we should go now,” Constantine whined and flipped his long ponytail over his shoulder. “I caught a few of the nurses looking this way, and I can see one of them talking to a police officer.” He pointed and six heads turned to look. He was right. A police officer was pointing in their direction.

“I don’t know what else to do. I’m out of ideas. I was sure true love’s kiss would do it.” She turned her back to watch Dr. Martin come toward them. She took a step forward to explain, when Jared grabbed her elbow stopping her. He motioned with his head to look. Mina turned and felt her stomach drop.

Brody had moved close to Nan and was holding her hand. He was telling her how sorry he was, and how it was all his fault. Regret and guilt covered his face, but so did something else…determination. Before Mina could stop him, or tell him no, Brody squeezed Nan’s hand, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers.

Mina’s heart felt like it was in a vice being squeezed between hope and despair. She forgot to breathe as she counted the seconds of Brody and Nan’s kiss. It was an eternity, or at least it felt like it. One second…two seconds…three seconds…four.

“Please!” Mina whispered unsure if she was saying ‘please, no’ or ‘please, yes’. Her eyes started to water as the familiar tingling sensation appeared telling her Fae magic was getting involved. She turned away from Nan and Brody, unable to watch true love’s kiss.

Jared looked at her strangely and then looked to Brody, and he understood. He reached for Mina and held her as a light formed around Nan and grew brighter and brighter. They could hear bells chiming. Maybe it was just the Methodist church down the road, but Mina didn’t need to look to know that the kiss would work.

Nan’s eyes fluttered open as Brody’s kiss continued. At first she looked confused. Then she reached up with her hand to touch his face, and the kiss deepened. His breathing had become ragged and her cheeks flushed, but neither one immediately stopped the kiss.

Brody finally pulled away, his breath shaky. A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Nan smiled back.

Until she noticed the night sky and her audience. Nan blushed beet red and tried to sit up but was a little weak. Brody was immediately helping her sit up.

“Why are we outside? Why do I smell smoke? Mina? Did you catch the apartment on fire?” She looked around her surroundings, at the hospital and fire trucks. “Oh, my bad, you just caught the hospital on fire,” Nan joked, not knowing how close to the truth she had come.

Mina was crying. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and tried to bestow a happy smile on her face. “Hey, sleepy face. Did you have a nice nap?” Her lips quivered with hidden emotion.

Nan scrunched up her nose. “No, I had this weird dream of getting kissed by a bunch of boys.” She pointed to Naga, Constantine, and Magnus. “And you were in it, and you were in it, and you were in it.” She teased doing a replay of a popular scene from The Wizard of Oz. The smile died on her lips when she saw Peter.

Peter walked up to Nan but kept looking at his expensive black shoes. “Hey, you,” he greeted nervously.

“Hey, you back,” Nan answered softly, not being able to meet his eyes either. She tried to listen to Peter but her gaze kept drifting back to Brody. They talked quietly.

Suddenly, Mina felt extremely tired. The police officer and Dr. Martin came over and weren’t angry at the impromptu concert, which they blamed for Nan’s remarkable recovery. Dr. Martin was ecstatic and immediately called Veronica. Since they had plenty to talk about, Mina decided it was time to leave.

Her tired and sore feet had carried her across the parking lot and to the parking garage when she realized her dilemma. She had come with Brody to the hospital, but she didn’t have the strength or courage to get a ride home with him. Not after witnessing their magical and awakening kiss. Collapsing on a cement parking bumper, Mina rested her head in her hands.

She pulled out the black leather book and opened it to its newest page. It was a picture of Nan sleeping on the gurney, while Brody, the four band members, Jared, Mina, and Dr. Martin gathered around her outside of a glass hospital. Mina felt her lips pull up into a wry smile. When she counted the heads out loud, she came to seven, plus a prince. She was even more surprised when she turned the page and saw another picture of Brody and Nan kissing, proving that she had completed Sleeping Beauty’s as well.

Her skin started to tingle, and a shiver of power ran up her spine. The smell of gardenias encompassed Mina, a sure sign that a Fae was opening a gate. Mina had a feeling she knew which one was coming over. A flash of light appeared and quickly dissipated. Mina refused to look. The smell of gardenias perforated the area.

“Two birds with one story,” Mina said out loud to no one in particular. “It could have been a disaster, if it weren’t for Diedre’s sacrifice.”

“Yes, it could have been, but sometimes one must sacrifice a pawn.” A woman’s voice spoke out of the darkness.

Mina turned toward the sound, but she was too exhausted to stand or give the Queen a curtsey. Maeve came and stood before Mina and raised her eyebrow at Mina’s lack of respect. Her dress was a beautiful dark blue with gold macramé overlay.

“I see you have kept your part of the bargain and reclaimed the Grimoire once again,” Maeve’s voice had a distinct royal undertone in it.

Mina found herself snorting in disdain. “No thanks to you. In fact, I was half a mind to ignore our bargain and leave the Grimoire in the room to burn. It would have saved us all a whole lot of trouble. Your kind wouldn’t be trapped anymore; I wouldn’t have to finish the stupid quests--”

“Don’t even joke about such things. You have no idea of the power of the Grimoire.” She stepped forward, and her voice rose in pitch but her face stayed impassive.

Fed up, Mina stood to confront the Queen, her anger spilling out in waves. “Don’t play me. I’m not dumb. He’s your son,” Mina yelled.

Maeve stopped moving. Only the tremor in her voice gave her away. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Jared. He’s your son. And he is somehow bound to the Grimoire. It can’t hurt him or capture him because he is inexplicably linked to it.” Mina began pacing back and forth, her hands waving in the air, and the picture became crystal clear.

Maeve stood frozen, her chin rose high in the air, neither denying the claims nor agreeing.