AU. Valtor offers Bloom a deal by giving her something she desires the most, but it comes with a price. All he asks of the red head is to have a one night stand with her and then he'll disappear from her life forever as a promise—leaving nothing behind but a magical rose. Bloom tries to remember the person who had given this beautiful crimson rose and something unexpectedly happens to her—it seems that there's more to the rose then what meets the eyes. (Beginning of Secret of the Lost Kingdom).
Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club or any of the characters.
A Rose of Secrets
Chapter One—"Bargain"
It is dark out—but burning brightly like an smoldering flame.
There is flames of walls that stops the red head.
She narrows her blue eyes in suspiciousness—she senses the presence of Dark Magic lingering in the cold dark night.
He stands there, as if he were waiting for her to show up—like he knew when she would be back.
The burning flames makes a way for the man—as if obeying his commands.
"Valtor? What are you doing here?" she presses her lips thinly together—her voice comes out coldly not wanting to see the wicked wizard at the moment.
"All I ask of you is one thing, Bloom," the wizard in front of her proposes, voice steady and precise. He is not playing a game of cat and mouse. Flames is all around the man, purposely blocking the young girl, burning like an endless pitch of fire. The red head fairy feels the intense heat that surrounds her but she did not break a single sweat.
Bloom being the current Guardian of the Dragon Flame does not feel the extreme temperature of the heated flames. It was like the flames were at a moderate temperature, but to any other fairy it would be like hell from the extreme intense of the burning flames.
Valtor gives the young red head woman a twisted smile.
He likes the expression on the young girl's face.
Valtor is a twisted wizard and is very clever for what he desires the most.
He wants something from the young woman who is fluttering before him. Only from her—she is the one who could give it to him—give in to his temptation, lust, desire, and love. It is dangerous of him to do this, but Bloom is a very soft girl—he can easily twists her feelings into his own desires—his own needs—sure, he is a very selfish and despicable wizard.
Bloom furrows her red brows in confusion.
She wonders what is the damned wizard up to now? Nothing is ever good with him when anyone cross paths with him.
What does he exactly want from her?
The way he is looking at her—from head to toe. His eyes glaring at her exposed skin, enjoying the glances he is stealing when she wasn't looking. It irritates her very much. She blames her Enchantix clothing at times because she does catch stealing those kind of glances at her, particular at her chest and ass.
Valtor has admitted to himself that Bloom is a very beautiful woman and that she reminds him of her mother—Marion. Bloom and Marion are so much alike with their appearances and traits even. Both powerful, strong, seductively enchanting women—very clever and would never fall into a foolish traps by him.
Bloom feels a creepy sensation, somewhere in her chest—a feeling that isn't comfortable at all. She is getting a weird vibe from the blond-red haired wizard.
"Which is?" Bloom narrows her blue eyes.
"Ah. You see my love," Valtor says softly, as he approaches to the young red head Princess who sees him as he places his hand on her delicate chubby cheeks—softly caressing her smooth cheeks.
"Don't call me, my love," the red head snaps. She hates it when he addresses her in such a way—he does with nearly every woman he takes a liking too.
He laughs at the girl. "Fine, my dear, I can give you what you desire, which is anything."
"What does that suppose to mean? It's not like you can bring back my parents or sister or the entire kingdom back—which is a hundred percent your fault! You had destroyed them all!" she accuses him harshly.
He smirks at the girl.
"Clever girl you are. I could give you just that you know. Your parents, sister, and kingdom."
She gasps; her blue eyes widens.
He lies to her as always.
So why should she trust him?
Bloom draws back from him in disbelief as her fists turns into balls. "You can't, Valtor! They're. . .They're gone—forever!" she says; her tone of voice is shattering and is filled with sadness and anger towards him. He is to blame. He has caused this mess in the first place—he took away her family!
Tears slides down her pretty face. "Y-You'd killed them. You had showen me!"
Bloom wants to fight this monster in this very spot. Nothing holds her back from rushing to him but Valtor immediately opens up a vivid image of her people and family. It was a dark world—somewhere where darkness lurks all around each corner. This place is a place of horrifying demons and monsters.
The red haired fairy stares into it.
She gasps in horror.
"You see my dear Bloom. This place is the Obsidian Realm. Very dark place indeed. Demons and Monsters lurk around every corner to those who journey there—well lets say—have weak faith and magic—they will forever be trapped there—sometimes in extreme cases they could simply perish there! So. . ." Valtor explains.
Valtor sees the way the girl reacts to this and laughs wickedly. It nearly amuses him to see her like this. He loves infuriating that girl—in which he seems to be drawing closer to her each day—in order to piss her off.
"I don't care! Why are you telling me of this?" she asks in confusion.
He points his finger to the statued stone figures. "You see this Bloom. These are your people," he says cruelly, seeing the girl turns white like a sheet of paper. Tears fills her eyes. She stutters in disbelief.
The red head lifts her head to the pale wizard who continues to speak, as he shows her mental images of her frozen parents and sister in stone. It pains her to see them frozen in time like this—for seventeen years. Her heart throbs.
She hardens her eyes at this-so-called bastard.
Bloom mutters under her breath silently, naming him a bastard and a pain in the ass.
He loves ticking her off like this—making her blood boil through her veins.
"Your an idiot," Bloom presses her lips together, as she mocks him with her soft laugh.
Valtor catches that and raises an eyebrow amusingly. "You see here my dear, if I decided to set this very image on fire then. . . " his wicked smile widens on his face as he saw all of Bloom's coloring fades from her face.
"You wouldn't dare, you bastard!"
Valtor eyes widens.
Certainly he never hears Bloom calling such a foul name from before. This is very new of her. He enjoys taunting her at every corner when he has the chance to do so.
"I. . . what is it you want from me," Bloom finally gathers her strength and looks at him in his handsome face.
"Oh," something gleams in his silver eyes. "So you want to do a bargain with me?" he questions curiously—this is certainly getting interesting; he reveals his white teeth as it sparkles in a way that Bloom feels that this request of his was something so deep that she may regret later on. But if this is the way to save her family and people, she would do anything for them.
Valtor needs to be very careful.
He finally looks at Bloom, already knowing what he wants from her.
"The bargain is my dear Bloom is, a one night stand with you and your precious family and people will be free and if you do not accept this then, I will have no choice but to destroy them permanently this time in front of your eyes. So it's up to you now, Princess, your choice so be a little careful with this," Valtor smirks as he sees her squirming like a young baby that wants to wiggle out of its mother's arm.
Bloom feels the weight of this bargain drowning her to the bottom pit of the ocean with heavy metallic chains wrapped on her two wrists and ankles—unable to escape such a fate.
She is in disgust by what that wretched wizard has ask of her to do.
Fuck. It's either a one night stand with him or I will lose everything. Everything.
Bloom glares at him.
Valtor is currently amused with this.
"Fine," she says sternly; her eyes studies him and he does not break a sweat. She might regret this later—he has been getting obnoxious lately, sometimes he irritates her on purpose, trying to get on her nerves, as he watches her squirm like an infant child.
She looks at him who hands his hand towards hers in order to shake the agreement. She sighs as if having a sense of being deflated, "I will accept the bargain, Valtor. Only. For. One. Night." She makes sure that he understands that it is only for one night otherwise Valtor is breaking the bargain with her.
He winks at her understandably and gives her a slight. "As you wish, my Princess. After that night I will leave you and get out of your life forever. You'll never hear from me ever again. It's a promise."
She catches the note in his tone. Sarcasm.
Couldn't he resist not giving her a single insult for a day?
"Say tomorrow night," he has the look of desperation in his eyes of wanting to see her again.
Bloom shakes the wizard's hand but as she did, obviously it is a magical bargain. "Believe or not Princess, you do not want to break this magical deal of ours otherwise there will be consequences," he warns as Bloom gives him a look of understanding.
Of course magical bargains always comes with a price.
Valtor vanishes leaving the young red head fairy alone.
Bloom still wonders if she should tell the Winx about Valtor's bargain she had made today or that knew the location of where her biological parents were at after all these long dark years. They were frozen in stone—stuck in time for all those years. She couldn't image how horrifying it is or how torturous it is.
Damn.
Bloom would have never made a guess to where they were.
She has an iffy feeling that he wants something from her, something she would probably give into.
Or to do something to her in general.
Either way, she has no choice.
She will do anything for them as they have done for her. No matter what.
It is a crazy idea from the wicked bastard who has ruined her life in the first place. She wonders why would he want to have a one night stand unless her eyes widen into saucers. She grits her teeth together. He. . . is a wicked wizard. That devil!
He probably wants to have. . .
"Fuck," she mutters under her breath lowly.
Once Bloom opens the door of her and the Winx's dorm—she is greeted by Stella who pulls her into her warm embrace.
"Darling, where have you been?" she yells loudly enough that catches the other Winx's attention to Bloom. Bloom smiles brightly at her blond haired best friend; although she might not bring up the Valtor issue at the moment—maybe not ever.
She swallows hardly.
"Oh. I was just with Sky, we were just talking about some things," Bloom lies, there was no reason to know about her and Valtor's bargain. Besides, she was with Sky before she runned into Valtor who decided to do a barrier of flames in front of her.
"And?" Flora chimes in, with a look of worry in her green eyes. "What happened between the two of you?"
"We've talked about our issues. Honestly, I have ended things with him. I really can't be with him anymore especially when he brings up the Diaspro issues—he's just not the right person for me.
I mean, he has tried to do things to make me comfortable, but it's like he's not sure he wants to be with me or not. Sky was a little angry with me for ending things with him that's because I can't be in a situation where he cares for the both of us. Besides, I've seen the looks of face — clearly he's still in love with her but doesn't realize it."
"Oh. I'm so sorry B!" Stella says sadly, as she wraps her arm on her best-friends' shoulder.
"Na, don't be. Our relationship wasn't going to work out anyway." Bloom says smiling as if were for the best.
"So you're basically a free from him! You know, just as a suggestion, you could date other guys who are probably better than Sky," the dark haired fairy says; something mischief like gleams in her dark blue eyes.
"Musa." Aisha nudges her on the arm.
In response to that, she gives her a grin of satisfactory. "I know I would if I had the chance to break up with Riven."
"Give her a break people. She has just come out of a relationship," the pink haired fairy adds in along with the rest of the Winx. Bloom laughs at this with a bright smile on her face. They enjoy the rest of the night expect for Bloom who keeps wondering what Valtor actually wants from her.
A one night stand with you, and I'll free your kingdom and I'll forever be out of your life it's a promise, Princess.
It didn't make the red head feel any less anxious then she actually is.
Bloom sleeps in her comfy bed that night—forgetting all about Valtor's bargain, but two pair of eyes were on her from distance of miles away from Alfea, as it watches her sleep.
Valtor smirks as he watches the girl through his magical sphere.
A woman dressed in a dark hood cape glares at the wizard before him. She looks anxious and quite board as she wants something to do. Something she wants to do for a while now. Strands of her hair had fallen from her dark hood as she side glance the man.
"So what happened Valtor? Did the girl take the bargain like you say she would?" her voice is frosty.
The woman knew Valtor from the moment she had met him, which was a year ago and when his sliver eyes had laid on a certain red head girl—he developed quite an obsession about her for sometime now. By now she knew he likes to play twisted games for his own amusement.
"When will you meet her?" she asks.
His sinister smile widens on his pale face. He croons as he tilts his heads back and takes a deep breath, sucking in the victory he's sure to win. He will make sure that everything goes accordingly to his plan.
"Tomorrow night."
The woman smiles delightfully.
"You will seduce her, am I right?"
He does not respond but chuckles as he twinkles a sharp dagger between his fingers, gazing at the woman before him. He likes Bloom—no loves her to be precise in his own ways—not being all romantic type of man, but in a way he will get the woman he desires the most as his Queen. But it needs to be done quietly and patiently.
He will wait for her—even if would mean that a year will pass by.
Bloom is his!
And she will be his Queen very soon—everything will come in time.
He has been planning this from the moment he has laid his eyes on her—she's the only woman who has manages to capture his heart. He laughs like a criminal leaving an echoing sound that bounces all across the caved room.
Bloom dreams in class as she doodles in her notebook.
Her thoughts wonders off to seeing her birth parents and sister.
Will Valtor keep the up end of his bargain?
She wonders how would her birth mother, Marion, would look like? Or her birth father, Oritel? What kinds of trait has she inherited from her biological parents?
She has heard plenty of tales from her parents' friends—how they have met each other and fallen head over heels for each other. It is a love story that she one day wishes to have for herself—one like of her parents. Her parents' love story was a firey, passion, and romantic love.
The red head smiles as she continues to dreams of her fantasy world.
If he doesn't keep his deal, then she will make sure that he receives the consequences that he truly deserves. After all, he, the wretched wizard who has caused her this much pain.
She hums silently to herself.
Bloom keeps on dreaming about him—no she stops herself.
He's the man that is responsible for tearing her and her family apart from each other.
I should not dream of him—he is a criminal bastard, Bloom.
The way he caresses her soft cheeks like that. . . makes her wonder if he is doing this out of pure kindness.
But he is. . .
No. . .
Stop. . .
All she wants is him out of her head and life.
He is messing with her.
Nothing will happen tonight. Bloom thinks positively. It is just a night—one night.
She closes her notebook that is filled with her sketches of him. Damn it! He is playing with her and knew very well. He will not manage to do anything with her tonight. She needs the bargain to be done with.
Class was over and she rushes out quickly, leaving her friends with questionable looks on their face—wondering what was wrong with their friend.
"What is up with her?" Tecna asks, a brow raise in confusion.
"No idea, but something's clearly up with her," Musa tunes in.
"She had zoned out quite a few times in class," Flora adds, noticing something unusual lingering in her friend's eyes. It is unnatural of Bloom to behave. . . so different. It is very unlike her. She never tunes out any of the professors' lectures.
"Do you think she might be seeing I . . . dunno, someone else?" the blond haired fairy questions.
"I don't think it would be that fast, Stella. I mean she just said that she had ended things with Sky last night," the Princess of Andros says, still looking a little curious about their secretive friend.
"Do you think she hiding a secret?"
Flora rolls her eyes. "If Bloom is keeping it a secret, it clearly means that she isn't ready to talk to us about it just yet."
Stella looks at Flora as if the world is about the end. "Excuse me Flora, but Bloom doesn't keep any secrets from me! I'm her best friend!" The Princess of Solaria looks slightly offended that Bloom might keep a secret and not tell her about it—they always share things together.
Bloom's small change in behavior made her friends—the Winx—to notice and they want to get to the bottom of their friend's mysterious behavior.
Valtor insists of Bloom to be dressed nicely for tonight's occasion.
Bloom wears a modest velvet plum dress. It fits nicely on her thin figure. The sleeved dress shows some of her cleavage in a way it's not overly showing. The mid-length dress shows her body figure in a graceful way.
She wears her favorite golden necklace.
It's a small and simple necklace.
She sprays some perfume on and lets her hair down in soft curls. The red head has soft make-up on and isn't done over the top. She grabs her purse and cellphone and takes a quick glance of herself in the mirror. She looks quite charming tonight.
Simple yet elegant.
Pleased with herself, she decides to leave as she sends out a text to her friends that will she be coming to the dorm a bit late claiming an excuse of studying in the library tonight, but little did she know that they were very curious about her whereabouts.
Valtor hears a knock on the door of his place (despite having an cave as a lair) he had this place all set up for her. He opens the door and sees the red head dressed elegantly but held his surprised looks within him.
He too, dressed regal tonight. Valtor wears a blouse with a crimson vest and dark regal pants that has the same kind of design of the the vest he wore. He is shaven clean. His long hair pulled up in an elegant half-bun. His watch simmers under the bright light of the room.
"Valtor," the girl says firmly looking into his handsome face. "It's only dinner and nothing else as I told you from before."
"Of course my love," he smirks at the girl, welcoming her into his apartment as he closed the door behind him. She rolls her eyes at his last comment.
The Winx's face—it looks priceless upon the scene.
They couldn't make up of anything they just had seen.
"Uh . . . did. . . I . . er. . ." the blond haired Princess has lost all words.
"Did he place her under a love potion or something?"
"I bet that arse he did! There's no way Bloom would click just like that—not all of a sudden!"
"That bastard! Why I'd. . ."
Someone is following the Winx without letting have a sense that someone is tailing after them—an unknown figure—who wears a dark cloak completely covering itself, decides to use a sleepy spell on the Winx girls as she doesn't want them to ruin their plans. Bloom belongs to him and that where she belongs as well. The cloaked figure mutters a sleepy spell and she will also obliviate their memories—as if it never had happened.
Once the figure casts the spell, she notices the effects it has on the Winx girls, as she pinches her nose purposely so she will not inhale the tainted air. It makes the Winx girls feel woozy as they felt.
She watches in amusement; a grin appears on her face as the five girls drops down to the hard floor.
The cloaked figure obliviate their memories of tonight's event and replacing it was a false memory. She has to get them back to Alfea—to their dorm in order for them not to get suspicious.
He watches her drink in utter fascination.
Bloom drinks a lot of champagne tonight. She feels her body as if an electric feeling had soared right through her inner spirit as if she is a wild bird that needs to be let out of it cage so often to release all of her joyous energy. Her smile widens matching her expressive blue eyes as they are engaging their deep conversation.
She is enjoying her night—it is more than what she expects it to be.
Her eyes is filled with bright sparks of life.
She laughs a little that causes her to have a slight pink blush across her cheeks.
Bloom watches him as he dims the light of the room in a romantic way and flickers his fingers as dazzling light of magic burst into the air causing the room to glimmer magically as the dazzling of magical light floats in the air in all sorts of color.
This intriguers her very much.
She gives him a smile.
"Do you like it?" he asks, he places his hands on the red head's shoulders as he glances down at her. He could see the warmth radiating in her ocean blue eyes, her smiles makes him feel as if he has accomplishes the most sinister of things.
Valtor feels the pulse of her heart beating rapidly; he never has invited a woman to a romantic dinner from before. This is very new to him. He hasn't felt what it was like to be with a woman for a night. He smirks. Everything is going perfectly to plan—he has to do this with full cautious and carefully.
"It's beautiful," Bloom murmurs.
She leans her head on the wizard's shoulder, she puts her hand out as she watches the bright golden light float gently to her hand.
Her eyes widens.
It is so soft yet so weightless.
"Amazing isn't it? What magic can do?" he says, noticing the look on the young girl's face.
"Hmm. . . magic is breathtaking."
He takes the opportunity to have a dance with her.
"Will you dance with me, Bloom?" he asks; his voice showing depths that entices Bloom very much. She looks at him—stares into his sliver eyes that haunts her dreams every night. He is seductively handsome tonight. He makes her heart bleed out in agony. She isn't sure at first, but decides to place her delicate hand in his. He pulls the girl towards him and she flushes brightly.
She likes the way he looks at her with full love.
They both start to dance—a slow dance—to a song that is meant for it.
Never has a girl look at him the way she does.
Bloom is different from all the other girls.
She is kind, generous, compassionate and even shows sympathy towards other's misfortunate. She hears them out. . . waits for them, and is a very patient girl who could understand them.
It's a wonder why he had developed an attraction to her in the first place.
The song ends.
They both look at each—as if studying each other silently.
Valtor leans in as the girl closes her eyes expecting what is to come. A kiss—like every romantic movie there is in the history of the universe that after having a dance there will be a kiss like always.
Valtor's lips met hers.
Her heart explodes of joyful, romantic, enticing feelings she has ever felt. It is like. . . all over the place, just waiting at a right time until her heart erupts from many of the wonderful feeling she feels from the inside.
Bloom wonders if this is what it feels like when falling in love with someone.
She is in love and knows it.
His hands were on her waist, bringing her close to him.
It is an amazing feeling.
She enjoys this passionate deep kiss.
He's so toxic, Bloom figures to herself. His toxic love fills her every desires (this is nothing to what Sky does to her). He has somehow intoxicated her mind, her soul, her everything that she isn't willing to stay far apart from him.
He presses his body against Bloom's to the wall; his fingers gliding down her messy red hair he seems to have made. They break apart from the deep passionate kiss wanting to breath oxygen into their lungs.
There is something about him that seems to be deadly dangerous about him, but she doesn't places a finger on it; instead she was met with his soft lips again—this time, he seemed to be exploring her exposed neck.
She moans in delight.
Her hand is wrapped behind the wizard's neck, as she breaths into him, smelling the strong cologne he has sprayed on. She likes the way he is giving her kisses on the neck.
He carries her to his bedroom in a bridal style.
His lips explores her neck and downwards; Bloom never allows Sky to go down her neck like this—but she craves more of it as she grasps the sheets of the bed with her fingers while he continues to work his magic on her.
They both undress each other—and stare at each other's magnificent beauty.
She wears matching sexy panties in color black.
Valtor turns bright red upon seeing her so beautiful with her bright red hair against her pale complexion—she seems to be glowing radiantly.
She walks up to him and wraps her arms around her neck and whispers in his ears. "You never seen a girl in her panties from before?" she grins naughtily; her not so innocent voice draws him closer to her.
She's a beauty no doubt about that.
He has enjoyed the lovely night with her after doing a little deep exploring—he pants out of exhaustion. That girl is a charmer. She makes everything so irresistible that it's hard to stay away from. The way she has allowed to touch her and kiss her was just breathtaking.
They were lying in bed—sheets covering their naked bodies. Valtor holds the girl in his strong warm arms, their naked bodies pressing against each other. Bloom feels safe in his strong arms as gazes at him, but he could see that she is tired.
He remembers the bargain he made with her.
It breaks him—but if he does break the bargain she will make him pay for it, dearly.
He watches her as she slips off into deep sleep.
He gets out of bed and dresses himself—turns around and looks at the red head.
Valtor shakes of the imagery he has in his head. He will deliver her that promise—but he will leave her something behind, something that if someday she will remember him by. He mutters a spell under his breath that will obliviate everything about tonight's event from Bloom's mind.
Bloom will not remember anything of tonight—as he will walk out of her life forever.
He conjures a magical red rose and leaves it on the nightstand as it is hovering along with a note.
Tomorrow will be a new day for him and Bloom—each will take their separate paths for all eternity.
He will give Bloom what she deeply desires for, which is her family and kingdom.
He closes the door after he leaves the room and turns around to see a woman sitting on the couch in the living room. She looks at him and coughs. "Did you. . ." she begins.
He looks at her solemnly. "Yes."
"You don't seem to be happy," she walks up to him.
He narrows his silver eyes at the woman. "Me. Unhappy? You're half-insane as most people say."
She ignores his insults as she rolls her eyes and flips her hair back. "You're in love with her. Do not deny it! I could see it on your face just to let you know," the woman retorts with a smirk on her face. She enjoys taunting the wizard before her.
He sighs deeply. "I don't fall for a daughter of my mortal enemies, so you would know. Never mind that, I generally don't fall in love with women."
"Right," the woman says, not believing a word he is saying. "You know, the Winx girls were snooping around here. I had to erase their memories and teleport them back to Alfea—in the library as if they were having a late-night studying," she sighs, tiredly.
She narrows her hazel eyes at him. "So now what of her?"
"I have erased all of her memories. She will not remember anything of what happened tonight. So I will be returning her the favor by upholding my end of the bargain."
"So by tomorrow?"
"She will wake up tomorrow as the Princess of Domino and she will have her parents and sister back."
The woman furrows her brows in confusion. She doesn't understand what kind of game he was playing at or is playing at the moment. He doesn't reveal all of his plans to her—most of the time he keeps it as a secret for his own pleasure. This little game of his will serve him purpose later on.
Valtor reads her mind (as usual) in order to seek out her thoughts.
A dark smile appears on his face. "We will both have what we want at the right time. For now we have to wait a little longer," he glances at the blond haired woman who seemed to have nod.
"We just have to wait patiently—everything will be ours in good timing."
She trusts him fully and smirks.
"It's time to go our separate ways," she clicks her tongue, while glaring at the man.
"Of course, Diaspro. But remember this: we will be meeting again, very soon."
Author's Note
Well . . . well . . . well looks like I'm finally back after a long semester of studying. Winter break just around the corner. I'm still writing chapter ten of The Magical Chid HP/WC crossover, believe it or not I have many ideas for that story but updating it will be kinda slow. Should've mentioned it from the beginning. Oh well. I should be updating it pretty soon.
This is a different Valtor X Bloom story, unlike the others I have written previously (which I will try to find a time to update) but this idea wouldn't leave me alone not at all. I have preparations for this one.
Don't expect the chapters to be very long roughly about 4,000 to 5,000 words for each chapter.
Bloom will not by any chance remember him at all. Like he said, he'll be walking out of her life forever only leaving a rose behind with a single note on it, which will leave Bloom to dwell upon it.
There will be romance (duh) but it will be slow and it will probably not go any deeper from what I wrote in this chapter. I can't say anymore for what I'm about to write as it will be considered as a Spoiler which I'm really bad at keeping my mouth shut!
Please leave a review down at the bottom and tell me what you think of this new story as I really appreciate reviews because they are helpful.