Her screams filled my ears again as I stared at the ruins. The feeling of the flames licking my skin came back with a vengeance, the worse for remembering.


    Gritting my teeth, I forced the memories back down. A minute, ten, fifteen, hard to say how long it took, but finally all I saw was the smoldered remains of that old victorian house.


    The front had burned down to almost nothing, now long over-grown by weeds and grass. What the fire hadn''t destroyed of the other three walls, the roofs collapse had.


    I had to swallow the memories time and again as I moved around the wreckage. Unsurprisingly, after five years, there was nothing really salvageable after five years.


    The tears didn''t come until I saw the shed. Long after everything, it stood, pristine. I had to blink several times to clear my vision as I studied the Runes worked into the walls. I ran my hand over them, crying freely. They should''ve been on the house. Everything would''ve been fine if-


    Stop it.


    Easy to say, to think. Harder to do.


    I sucked in a breath and, turning away, gave the wreckage one final survey.


    Then I left.


    <hr>


    Walking La Rosa''s streets, it felt like I had never left. There were differences, of course. A new church where a bar had been, a bakery that used to be a daycare. For the most part, though, everything was the same.


    I loved it.


    I hated it.


    Even this, the bittersweet wave of nostalgia from visiting this small town, had to be denied, fought down, to keep me to my purpose.


    They say time heals all wounds, right? And I guess, for the physical, that''s pretty much true. For the emotional, though? It''s a load of bullshit.


    But that doesn''t matter. You didn''t come here to listen to me wax poetic, eh?


    So, The Rose Garden had gotten a facelift since I''d seen it last. The walls had been repainted a pale blue, and the patches of dirt in front actually had a couple of rose bushes now.


    When I walked inside, I was all but assaulted by the scent of roses. Not an improvement. If it wasn''t the only hotel in town, I''d''ve left that second, reservation be damned.Stolen story; please report.


    The counter was dominated by bouquet after bouquet of, surprise surprise, roses. And unattended. A search for the bell proved useless, So I settled for yelling.


    "Yo! Anybody here?!"


    "Yeah, in the back. Reservation or walk-in?" The voice that drifted out of the back was too distorted to identify.


    "Reservation, Rachel Blake, Three days!"


    "Blake, Blake.... Right, room 18. Key''s behind the desk, just grab it."


    Room 18 turned out to be a broom closet. Converted, but still. Then again, it was safe from that nauseating smell of roses, and it was only costing me five bucks a night. So, not complaining.


    As soon as I dropped my bag on the bed, my phone started howling.


    "Still got five days as a civvie, Viv." I dropped my phone on my bag, where it immediately started howling again. Rolling my eyes, I sighed and answered. "What?"


    "We''ve got a teeny-tiny emergency over here. And I need a re-up."


    "Bullshit, and what kind of emergency?"


    "It''s kind of..... complicated."


    I raised a brow at the hesitation in Vivians husky voice. "Kay...."


    "It''s..... not exactly official..."


    "Oh, hells no. I amNOT letting you drag me into another G?rlitz!"


    "I''m not! It''s not! I promise!"


    "Which is what you said about Bayeux, Jinhua, Visby,and Rostov."


    "You swore you''d never mention Rostov!"


    "Yeah, and you said no more unofficial missions."


    "Just listen"


    "Nope. I told you last time I''m-"


    "It''s my sister."


    I froze. "Okay. I''m listening."


    "She''s kind of missing."


    "So call Ghost."


    "I did. He tracked her down for me."


    "Then you need me because....?" I plopped down on my bed.


    "Like I said, I need a re-up. And..."


    I waited for almost a minute. "And?"


    "I... I think she might be Charmed."


    I sucked in a breath. "Charmed? As in capital C Charmed?"


    "Yeah"


    I swore. "Fine. Where?"


    "Oregon. Some nowhere little town called La Rosa."


    After a second, I started laughing hysterically. "You''ve gotta be shittin'' me."


    "Gods damnit, it''s not funny!" Viv growled.


    "Hon, it''s hilarious. Call me when you get here." I dropped the phone, made myself stop laughing, and went to hunt up a bigger room.


    <hr>


    "Okay, Blake, spill. Why were you already here?" I watched as Vivian folded her long legs under her on the bed, her green eyes never leaving mine.


    "Personal business. Your Sister, why do you think she''s Charmed?"


    "I kind of... talked to her/" Vivian shifted uncomfortably, her eyes dropping to focus on the rose-colored bed-spread.


    I sighed and sat down on the other bed. "So..." I sighed again. "Look, I know you know how serious an accusation like this is, but I still gotta ask why you''re sure."


    "She.... she smelled like Magic. And she wasn''t herself."


    I watched Vivian carefully. And... what, that''s it? No drugs, no alcohol, just Magic?" If this were a criminal investigation, they''d throw out any evidence gathered by a Thropes nose, but still, nobody could argue that nose was useful.


    "Nothing else."


    I thought about it for a minute. If Viv''s sister reallywas Charmed, that meant a serious Mage. Easy enough to whammy a Human, but a Thrope...?


    That would definitely mean another nightmare. No I.T.A. support, small town, no back-up. I can''t lie, I didn''t want anything to do with it.


    But, I should say, for the record, that while the thought of walking away and leaving Viv on her owndid occur to me, I couldn''t do it.


    I mean, put yourself in my shoes. If you had the chance to free a family member of someone you care about from magical enslavement, would you be able to leave it alone?


    Like I said, I couldn''t. And so, back in that hotel suite in La Rosa, I nodded to Viv, sealing our fates.


    The worst part? I can''t even honestly say I''m sorry.