Charlotte waved at Leonard, then motioned towards the waterline. “Let’s give them a moment.”

“How are you?” he asked, taking her in his arms. She relaxed against him, letting him squeeze her tight.

“Tired. Camping in the dark with a two-day-old is not for wimps,” she confessed. “And we’re going to go back to the cave for a few more days to let them all rest up a bit more. They just wanted to give Will a chance to examine her and to let her godparents meet her.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheeks. “I’m sorry again, for how I reacted to your offer. I’ve had a chance to think about it, and I want all of it. The potion. The curse taken away. A chance with you. I hope you feel the same way, otherwise, I have screwed up in a major way.”

“You’re sure?”

He nodded. “Living your life in fear is no way to live.”

She pulled a large mason jar from her shoulder bag. It was filled with silvery blue liquid, the consistency of dish soap. “Good, then I can give you this.”

All of his hopes and dreams, the hopes and dreams of every O’Donnell in the last two hundred years–swirling around in a mason jar. He nodded, taking a deep breath before unscrewing the lid. “All right then.”

“No!” she cried before he could lift the jar to his lips. “You don’t drink it!”

“Well, how does it work?” Leonard asked.

“You have to bathe in it,” she said. “And I have to be nearby.”

“Well, I do have an awfully nice shower in my trailer,” he offered, grinning at her.

“Actually, it will work better if you bathe in a natural body of water,” she replied, grimacing as she gestured toward the murky brown swamp water.

“Oh, come on, there’s nothing natural about that. I’ll get eaten by alligators! Or worse, the Beasleys will see my junk!” Leonard said.

“Curse removal is also not for wimps,” she said. “It’s part of the reason we asked you to meet us here. I’ll be here the whole time.”

“And the rest of them?” Leonard asked, nodding toward the others.

“Having well-wishers nearby will also help,” she promised.

“This isn’t revenge because I acted like a horse’s ass in Sonja’s office?” he asked, stripping down to his underwear.

“Maybe.” Charlotte made an innocent face that did not seem at all sincere.

“What is happening?” Zed asked.

Jillian and Sonja shushed him, while turning their backs to Leonard’s impending nudity.

“Why is Leonard getting naked?!” Zed demanded as Leonard stepped into the surprisingly warm Bayou waters.

“All nude, O’Donnell,” she reminded him. “I’ll turn my back, too, if you want.”

He sighed. “Nope. You’re gonna see it eventually.”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “Am I, now?”