For two hours, I had attempted enchanting rings with a couple of the new spells I knew. The very first one I attempted was Mana Restoration, since that was the most important one. I needed to see if it would work here on Earth, because if it did... well... things were definitely going to change.

I sat there for a full thirty seconds when the glow of the successful enchantment faded and I stared at the ring. Unlike my other rings that had stat boosts, I couldn't fit anything except the spell's components into it, because it was that complicated. I had suspected that the larger and more complicated spells would be cumbersome and my enchantment options would be even smaller because of it.

I equipped the new ring and took a deep breath, chose myself as the target, and cast the spell.

Nothing happened.

The ring wasn't expended, either. I checked everything over and it was all fine. I couldn't find any mistakes in either the engravings or in the application of the spell into the ring. I had to think about what was wrong for several minutes before I decided to use my identify spell on it.

____

Name: Ring of Mana Restoration
Item: Ring (straight band)
Enchantments: Mana Restoration (spell usage - once per hour). This restores the chosen target (even yourself) back to full mana when cast. Be careful to not drop below the minimum mana level or you won't be able to cast this spell.
Quality: High
Durability: 40 / 40
Enchanter: Unknown (Novice)
____

When I read the description, I cursed out loud. I had completely forgotten that requirement for the spell and had wasted all that time enchanting for nothing. I sighed and stored the useless ring, and moved on to the next most important spell, Holy Cleanse. It would remove any disease, poison, condition, or curse from the target. The problem was the limited amount of mana the ring would have when the enchantment completed.

Just like Minor Healing, it still worked, except the scale was very small. Multiple rings had to be used nearly simultaneously and in quick succession for a moderate effect to happen. I checked the time and I only had an hour and a half left before I needed to go visit Crystal. I couldn't rush, since I hadn't enchanted the spell before, so I took my time and meticulously engraved the next ring.

After nearly twenty minutes, I completed it and once again, it took up nearly all of the space. I might have been able to squeeze a +5 stat in if I wanted to; but, I wasn't going to take the chance of ruining the spell. The down side of it was that I had nothing to cast it on to test it or its potency. I wasn't going to let that stop me, however. I had access to it now, so I was going to make the most of it.

Using the completed ring as a guide, I could start enchanting faster. Repetition let me get the enchanting time down to fifteen minutes and I had four more rings done before my time ran out. I stored the rings and left my enchanting room, closed and locked the door and did the same with the concealing wall, and equipped my suit coat as I went down to Nat's apartment.

I was just in time, because Nat answered the door with her coat and my keys in her hand. “Thanks for responding to my text.” I said sarcastically.

“I was busy.” Nat said as she shut and locked her door. “I figured I'd see you right now anyways, so why get paint on my phone?”

“Greaaaat, I lost out from hearing from you because of paint. Thanks.” I chuckled and held a hand out for my keys.

“Laugh it up, you ass.” Nat said and handed them over. “I'm surprised you're not letting me drive.”

“Why? I made sure that I wouldn't be jet lagged.” I said and tapped my neck and she saw that I wasn't wearing my necklace.

“You slept for most of the time on the plane?” Nat asked and I nodded. “I don't know if I could sleep for that long while that high in the air.”

“When you're tired enough, I don't think it matters where you are.” I said as we rode the elevator down to the ground floor. “For me, anyways. If I'm using the pendant, well...”

“I wouldn't be pressing your luck with that so much.” Nat said as we left the building and went to the parking garage. “I can wait a while for the rest of my memories.”

I stopped walking and took her hand. “No, don't try to avoid it.” I said and she wouldn't look at me. “We're just starting the best loving relationship you've ever had and you need these memories of her.”

Nat's face flushed red. “Damon, I... oh, god. I lost myself to her. I just... I wasn't... I didn't even think about anything else...”

I nodded and gave her a hug. “Yeah, we can pretty much give up on everything else in our lives when we meet the one we're looking for.”

“Damon, I... Paula was...”

“A transfigured human. Her mother and father had a biological condition that changed them into looking like they did. When they had a child, she came out exactly as she was supposed to, just like you did.”

Nat blinked her eyes at me. “Are... are you saying...”

“We are all born into who we are supposed to be. Be it circumstance, fate, or just pure luck... you were kidnapped from your normal life and then met the love of your life. You can't honestly think that you don't want to remember it.”

“I... I don't want it to end.” Nat said. “I want to keep this new love in my heart, just like it is.”

I let her go and we climbed into the car. “If only things were that simple and easy to control.”

Nat sighed as I drove out of the garage and towards the school. “You and your stupid 'it's all or nothing' mentality.”

“Yes, I'm horrible for wanting you to remember everything you did with the woman you love. What an asshole I am.” I said with a laugh and Nat smiled at me. “Believe me, you're really going to want to remember what happened after we beat the bad guy.”

Nat gave me a pointed look. “You can see it, can't you?”

“Yes and no.” I said, then explained that it was kind of segregated in a section of my mind that I could look at and access; but, I wasn't remembering them because they weren't my memories. I wasn't sure why it was like that, except that it probably was because they weren't my memories.

Nat was quiet for several moments, then she spoke. “What are you going to do with them when you're done giving them to me?”

“I'm going to delete them, of course.” I said and she looked surprised. “What is it?”

“What... what if... I start to forget them?”

“Nat, there's no way you're going to forget what happened. Not just with Paula, either.” I said and parked the car. “What we went through wasn't something that can be easily forgotten and it changed us. Just like you said when I first visited you in Denver, you are not the same person that painted those old paintings, and you didn't even know why at the time.”

Nat let out a slow sigh. “I know, it's just... this new me, I...”

“Don't judge yourself until you see it all.” I said and hopped out of the car. “I know I wouldn't be too happy if all I remembered was meeting you for the first time and then missed all of our fake flirting, all of the carrying on we did, and the jokes we played on each other and Lionel.”

Nat smiled and followed me into the school.

“I was this close to making you an elbow pad...” I said and held my hand up with my fingers half an inch apart. “...because you had to elbow Lionel so many times in the gut to get him to smarten up.” We stopped walking in front of Crystal's class. “Just so you know, it didn't work.”

Nat laughed and then had to clamp her mouth shut, because class was still in session. We didn't have long to wait, though. Barely five minutes passed before the bell rang and I knelt down for what was to come.

As soon as the classroom door opened, a shrill shriek cut through the air and I suddenly had a huge bundle of emotions in my arms. She was laughing, crying, very happy I was back, very sad because she missed me, loved me whole bunches, and hated that I was gone for so long. I knew those were the emotions, because she spoke in a constant stream as she told me all about how she was feeling.

I hugged her and let her rant at me as much as she wanted, then I started to counter her and told her how much I missed her, how much fun we would have had if she had been there, and that I didn't have any more business trips for a while because I wanted to stay at home with her.

Crystal calmed down when she heard that and I gave her cheek a kiss. “I missed Teddy, too.”

“He really missed you, too.” I said and gave her a sly smile. “You are not going to believe where the little sneak got his furry butt into after he stowed away on the plane.”

Crystal's eyes lit right up. “Lemmie see! Lemmie see!”

I laughed and picked her up. “You have to wait for me to get them onto the laptop. There's just too many pictures for you to look at on my phone.”

“Awwwwww.” Crystal pouted.

“It'll only take a minute or two, just like the party video I gave you.” Nat said.

“Oh? Did you cut all that footage together?” I asked as I waved goodbye to the teacher.

“Yes, and it's phenomenal, if I do say so myself.” Nat said and looked proud. “It's not easy to cut all of it together and then cut it down to be watched in a reasonable time.”

I had to laugh, considering she had about six hours of kids playing with eight foot tall teddy bears to cut down to a reasonable time. “We'll have to watch it later.”

We left the school and I drove us back home. Before we entered the apartment, I dropped Teddy onto the couch and then I opened the door.

“TEDDY!” Crystal yelled and ran over to the couch. She performed a pretty decent football tackle and took the huge bear into as big of a hug as she gave me.

“Damon, why is he dressed like a Russian soldier?” Nat asked.

“Ah, about that.” I said and then whispered. “I've got something important to tell you.”

“They didn't draft you or something, did they?” Nat asked. “No, wait. Did the KGB or someone approach you? You're not a spy working for them now, are you?”

“Jesus.” I laughed. “Give me a second to explain before you start accusing me of treason.”

Nat nodded and I motioned to the hallway. She knew what I meant and we went down to her bedroom and went inside. I shut the door and had her sit down on the bed.

“Oh, god. It's something serious.” Nat whispered.

“It is, and I'm glad you're remembering how easily you could read my moods.” I whispered back. “I'm not going to make you promise to stay calm about what I'm going to tell you, since I know that's impossible. I am going to ask you to cover your mouth when you yell and holler, though. I don't want you to scare Crystal.”

Nat didn't say anything as she put both hands over her mouth and held it closed.

I paused for several seconds as I took a deep breath, then I told her. She let out an inarticulate and muffled scream when I described the vision I had, then she whined when I told her what I did to prevent anyone except me potentially dying under the tank.

Tears rolled down Nat's face as I told her everything. Being taken again, finding myself on a world being overrun with the undead, and being screwed over by yet another god and sucked into solving another problem that no one else had solved. I was about a third of the way through the story when her arms went around me and pulled me onto the bed.

My own tears started then as I let out my own shock and sorrow at a supposedly never ending quest that could possibly keep me on another world for years. I cuddled in close and Nat hugged me tightly as I kept talking. I was so engrossed in telling my tale that I hadn't heard the bedroom door open. I felt a small pair of hands touch my back and didn't hesitate as I turned and pulled Crystal up onto the bed and into Nat's embrace with me.