10

"You have got to be out of your damn mind," Grace shouted.

"Honey, listen…" Harold tried to calm her.

"Absolutely not. No way in hell."

"Grace Burkheart, sit down, be quiet, and listen to me, right now."

Grace was stung by Harry's tone. Nevertheless, she did as he instructed and sat down quietly. Harold continued.

"I'm sorry, Grace. This is the only way that we can think to resolve this. I do not want anything to happen to you or the baby, and if I have to do something that may be a little bit dangerous, then so be it. It is not like I've never been in danger before. Also, you need to remember that we are partners, and even though you have magic on your side, I am not frail or weak. I can help. We're in this together."

"You're right, Harry, but this is too dangerous," she said sheepishly.

"If it means ensuring the safety of our baby, nothing is too dangerous."

Grace turned to Doc and looked at him sternly.

"You'll be able to bring him back, right? Promise me."

"We will bring him back. With our combined magic, bringing his spirit back to his body should be no problem. We just need to make sure that his spirit is not gone for too long." Doc looked into her eyes and opened his mind so she could feel what he was feeling.

Grace softened when she looked in and saw that Doc was confident he could bring Harry back.

"What do we need to do?"

"You do not need to do anything. I want you far away when we do this. I can't have you exposed to this kind of magic while you are pregnant. That risk is too great," Doc replied, making sure that Grace knew he was inflexible.

"Harold, I need you to prepare. Your spirit will vacate your body during this spell. You need to fight the urge to move on with every fiber of your being. The pull will be strong and it will be difficult, but you have to stay with us. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Harold replied with obvious trepidation.

"Good. I'll leave you two alone for a minute, but we need to begin soon."

With that, Doc and the others left the room. Grace and Harold sat down in each other's arms and waited.

"You had better come back to me."

"I will, honey."

"You swear to me that when they call for you, you will fight to come back. You think of our baby and me, and no matter how hard it is, you fight to come back."

"I'll be back. I would fight through Hell itself to get back to you," he said, looking her directly in her eyes.

When the coven returned, Grace rose from her seat.

"Are you ready?" Doc asked.

"As I'll ever be," Harry said, and also stood.

"Let's begin."

Harold kissed the woman he loved and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks before Joy led her out of the room.

"Will it hurt?"

"No, Harry, it won't hurt," Joy replied with a warm smile. "Just lie down and relax."

Harold stretched out on the couch and folded his arms over his stomach. He tried his best to remain calm.

Well, as calm as I can be, knowing that my spirit is about to be removed from my body so someone else can occupy it, he thought.

Doc and the others formed a circle around the couch, holding hands. They began their chant in a whisper that gradually gained volume until they were almost shouting. Harold felt a vibration begin in the pit of his stomach and radiate through his limbs until his entire body was humming. He thought he might go crazy from the strange feelings flowing through him. He was just about to cry out, unable to stand it anymore. Then there was nothing.

Kayla opened her eyes, feeling very strange. Her body felt foreign, too large and bulky. She looked down and saw why. She raised her hands, surprised to see hairy knuckles and freckled skin.

"What the hell?"

Everything was foggy and unclear. She felt as though she had been hit by a truck.

That thought brought a flash of memory back to her.

She was driving. As she looked ahead through the glare of oncoming lights, Kayla felt a sharp tug on the steering wheel. She tried to control it, but it was no use. The wheel tugged hard to the left and Kayla's SUV swerved into the other lane. She let go of the wheel and raised her hands. A bright light emanated from her palms and the vehicle righted itself, only to tug even harder to the left. Kayla tried with all of her might to help herself, but it was no use. She raised her hands to shield her eyes from the oncoming headlights as the truck bore down on the driver's side of her vehicle.

The memory of the accident sent her body into a spin. Kayla jumped up from the couch she was lying on and tried to catch her breath. Her chest felt hot and tight as she wheezed and fought for air. She heard voices around her calling her name. Everything was foggy and sharp at the same time. The small hands that gripped hers felt foreign and hurtful. She cried out in a voice that was not her own.

"Mom?"

A familiar voice called out from behind her.

"Grace?"

The world came spinning back to her as she felt her daughter's arms encircle her.

"Mom, I've missed you so much," Grace said through a curtain of tears.

"Grace, what the hell is going on?"

"Sit down, and we'll explain it all."

Kayla sat down shakily on the sofa and looked down again at the foreign body she now inhabited. She felt big and bulky and not right.

"Who am I inside of?"

"Harry."

"Where is he? Oh God, he isn't dead is he?"

"No. Just on standby," Doc interjected.

"How long have I been gone?"

"Four months. Too long," Grace said, taking a seat beside her.

"You look so radiant, Munchkin," Kayla said as she rubbed Grace's growing belly.

"Mom, we don't have much time."

"Of course, honey," Kayla said. She shook her head, clearing the final bits of fog. "Let's get to work. You must have brought me back for a reason."

Grace and the rest of the family explained everything that had happened up to that point. They told her about what Jorek had said and about Roland Stillson. They told her what Grace had done. Finally, they told her about what had happened to David.

"Well," Kayla said calmly. "The first thing we have to do is figure out who put that box in my room. The second thing we need to do is find out who in the hell is in my old body. The final thing we need to do is kill whomever it is that is hurting my family. Right now, I would like to go see my husband. But, if it's all the same to you, I would rather not drive."