Author's Note: I have to say that Stella and Brandon is one of my favorite pairings, and I've wanted to write a story about them for quite a while, but until about a month ago, I couldn't come up with anything. But, one day as I thought about what it would be like if Brandon was proposing to Stella, the idea for this story happened. (I don't consider the scene in one of the Season 4 episodes when Brandon gave Stella a ring a proper proposal.)

So, this is basically a short story that'll be probably three or four parts, depending on the length. If you haven't seen Season 4 yet, you might want to as this contains some spoilers. It's set six months after Season 4 which explains why the girls on Earth, the guys weren't, and Roxy was away at Alfea.

Alright, now that's through, enjoy the story.

Summary: Spending the weekend on Earth, Brandon is planning to propose to Stella, and will too—that is, if there would quit being so many interruptions.

Disclaimer: I don't Winx Club, because if I did, this would be either a special, or take place during Season 5.

Part One:

"The First Attempt"

It was early evening at the palace of Eraklyon, and Brandon, slightly weary from all of his duties of that day let out a yawn, which turned into a soft, wistful sigh and ran a hand through his short brown hair.

Before him stood a door. Inside was one of his best friends—so why was he so worried? It was one of the questions he often asked himself. He pondered over it for a moment before he finally found the courage and pushed the door open.

There were many pieces of furniture, and sitting on a multi-patterned chair beside a glass table was the blond-haired king of Eraklyon, gazing at a picture of someone. Brandon was certain—completely, to say the least—that it simply had to have been the king's fiancée, Princess Bloom of Sparx.

He approached the young king and cleared his throat for attention. Immediately, his old friend set down the portrait, and while it was in the air, Brandon stole a quick glance—just as he had thought, it was Bloom.

King Sky smiled at the sight of him and said, "Oh, hey Brandon; good to see you. You wanted to talk to me?" The answer was obvious, but being Sky, he simply couldn't resist getting a response.

Brandon nodded, taking a seat in a chair right beside him. Normally, a person would have to ask the king if they had permission to sit by him; but as a knight of King Sky and one of his closest friends, Brandon was an exception.

"Hey Sky," he began, "since there's not anything big coming up this weekend, would you mind if I go visit Earth?"

Sky raised his eyebrows. "What for?"

Now Brandon was a bit nervous and, not wanting to tell him the true reason, quickly made something up. "Well—you know how we're technically protectors of Earth since we helped save it from the Wizards of the Black Circle, right?"

Sky nodded.

"Considering how it's been six months since we or any of the other guys have been there, and Roxy is still staying at Alfea for a couple more months till summer, I thought if might be a good idea if I go…you know—check it out."

Sky now had a grin on his face, and not only was it visible on his mouth, but in his eyes as well. "If you don't mind me asking, does your supposed mission of 'checking out' Earth have something to do with Stella."

That was exactly what Brandon was afraid he was going to ask.

He began to sweat and blushed. "No! Uh, I mean, well—" He was growing so nervous he could barely even get his response out, which just made Sky begin to laugh at him. Brandon knew he didn't mean anything by it as Brandon had teased him just the same way when he had asked for advice on Bloom back at Red Fountain.

Sky finally stopped laughing and grew serious. "Brandon, it's okay. We've known each other for years. If you just want to go to Earth to see your girlfriend, it's fine with me. You haven't seen her in a while, and I know just how you feel. It's torture being away from Bloom. I can't wait until she joins me as queen."

"Speaking of which," Brandon inquired, "when's the wedding again?"

His friend shrugged, scratching his head as he let out a sigh. "To be honest, I don't even know. When we first got engaged, we planned to marry after only a few months so that we wouldn't be separated as much as we were after my coronation and her graduation. But, then Ms. Faragonda offered her and the other girls teaching jobs, and Bloom, being the leader, just couldn't let the Winx Club do something without her, which made us see each other even less. That's one of the reasons I'm kind of glad the wizards came. If they hadn't, me and Bloom wouldn't have gotten to spend as much time together."

"And you're still together after how much you both kept making each other jealous?" Brandon couldn't believe it. Stella had forgiven him about the Mitzi situation, but that was mostly due to the fact that she knew Mitzi was the one who had started the whole thing.

"Believe it or not, man, that just made our relationship stronger since we made it through the problems and learned we could trust each other. Though I have to say I was kind of disappointed when Bloom decided to stay in Gardenia. Hopefully she comes to her senses soon, or the wedding may be a last a year or two more off."

Brandon couldn't help but envy him. At the beginning, he and Stella had been the perfect high school couple, but ever since they had met up on Earth, their relationship had never been the same. Brandon thought it might have had to do with how they had been doing some growing up over time. He hoped that it wasn't what he had been dreading the most—that they had grown apart.

"Hey Sky," he asked casually, "when you planned to propose to Bloom, how did you do it?"

Sky raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, but replied, "Well, I just decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, so, since I had the perfect opportunity, I decided to give her the ring and whisper it to her in her ear. She's told me she's happy I did because it, as she puts it, 'made the moment more special.'"

"Good to know."

But, Sky knew Brandon to not be one to ask questions out of the blue like that if he didn't have something planned, and considering the topic, he felt he knew just what his friend was doing.

"Brandon, are you going to Earth so you can propose to Stella?" It was probably not the best way to ask, but Sky felt it best to simply be blunt and get it out. Beating around the bush would do him no good.

If it could be possible, Brandon appeared more afraid than he already had. His cheeks grew even more red, and little beads of sweat appeared at the top of his forehead, completely giving him away.

"W-why do you ask?" His voice came out thin and weak, as if he were struggling to properly enunciate and speak at an audible volume.

"Well, for one thing, every time I even say the name Stella you blush, and you asked me about when I proposed to Bloom virtually out of nowhere, which is quite suspicious seeing as you were there."

Brandon frowned. "Man, you read me like a book. Guess I can't keep anything from you, can I?"

"Nope," Sky replied, smiling slightly. "But, don't worry man, you need any assistance, I'm at your service."

"Okay. Then—what do you say would be the best idea to propose? I was going for spending the day with her and proposing as the sun sets. How's that sound? I thought she may like it since her elements are the Sun and Moon."

Sky thought it and over and said, "That sounds good, but it may be useful to have a few backup plans, just in case. Just because you plan to propose doesn't mean it's going to happen. Believe me, I know. When I actually proposed to Bloom, that was my fifth idea."

Brandon scratched his head. Who knew so much thought went into asking a question as simple as, "Will you marry me?"

"Plus," the blond king added, "you may want to make it extra special since she is a princess."

"Right." Brandon hadn't considered that. There was more to this than he had thought. "Maybe I should just try something simple. How this sound: I take her to park, treat her to a romantic picnic lunch, and propose right after?"

"A little cliché," Sky admitted, "but considering how Stella is a sucker for cliché moments like that, I'm sure it'll work. But don't forget, Brandon."

"I know, backup plan."

"That's right. So, you may want to pack and make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight, man. You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Yeah, I know."

Brandon and Sky continued to converse for an hour more until Brandon suggested that he take Sky's advice and go back and get some rest, as, just as Sky had said, he had a long day ahead of him.

The next day, Brandon boarded a ship and took it to Earth. He had to admit that it felt strange that he could finally take a ship to the once-non-magical planet. Ever since the Earth fairies had returned and Nebula had taken over, according the Winx Club, magic and other planets' technically were appearing more and more in society every day.

He landed his ship and arrived in the ever-sunny city of Gardenia. He walked through the familiar streets and watched as people were walking, and he couldn't help but notice that a good percentage were followed in midair by magic pets.

The girls' business seems to be going great, he thought to himself as he sped up his pace. Let's just hope they can accomplish everything they can while they're here. They can't stay on Earth forever.

Though a bitter subject, Brandon's thinking was true. They truly could not remain on the Earth forever. Three of them were princesses and had duties to their kingdoms to one day take over as rulers, and all six were guardian fairies of their home worlds, and he knew that none of them could have the courage to abandon the duty—especially as they had had to spend their education at Alfea just to earn it.

He walked through the streets continuously, his thoughts always going to Stella no matter what he did, but who could blame him? He was planning to make her his wife, so who wouldn't feel the same way he did?

He kept going and saw that he passed Mitzi's house and couldn't help but let out a shutter. That girl had done nothing but pull him and Stella apart; if she hadn't, he would've asked her to marry him while they'd been on Earth.

Deciding to hurry along, he quickened his pace even further, and did not slow down until he saw the familiar street corner, signaling that he was almost there. He took a deep breath and continued on.

Before him stood the popular shop of the Winx Club's called Love and Pet. He wondered why there was nobody there; when he had last been on Earth, people had crowded not only the outside, but the inside to get one of the magic pets. His answer came when he approached the door and saw that the "Open" sign had been switched to "Closed."

They must've decided to take a day off from work, he realized, as it was still morning, and the pet shop was generally open until late evening. But, hey, I guess they need it. Their store is pretty popular.

He took another breath before ringing the doorbell, and waited. And waited. And waited. He checked his watch. 10:32 A.M. (He had arrived so fast as Eraklyon ships had recently grown fast enough to travel across the galaxy in the matter of only a couple of hours.) Unless the girls had decided to stay up all night from some sort of sleepover, he was pretty sure that they had to have been awake by then.

Just when he was about to ring it once more, the door opened to reveal Flora, holding her pet, Coco, a furry pink cat with wings, just as all the magic pets had. She blinked for a moment, and when she realized who stood before her, she gasped.

"Brandon," she said, "I didn't expect you to be here. Is something wrong? Did Sky send word for us to help him save Eraklyon?" She appeared to be very worried, just as she almost always was when she sensed or supposed even the tiniest hint of danger.

"Oh no," assured Brandon, "everything's fine. I was just here for a little visit to—check up on things."

"Oh." After quickly thinking his words over, Flora's face broke into a smile. "I understand."

Brandon could feel his face turning red, and tried to change the subject. "Can I speak to Stella?"

Now Flora frowned. "Stella's not here, sorry. She went over with Bloom and Musa to the Frutti Music Bar about an hour ago. She said something about wanting to 'drown her blues' with strawberry milkshakes."

Her words made Brandon feel concerned. What could she mean by, "drown her blues?" Was she sad? And if so, why? She seemed to have fulfilled her dreams—besides becoming queen of Solaria—so what in the universe could she possibly have been unhappy about?

"Oh, well, then I guess I'll go and see her then. It was nice seeing you Flora. Say hi to Layla and Tecna for me!" And before Flora could even reply, he had already run off, determined to reach his destination.

It was not long before he stepped through the doors of the Frutti Music Bar, and he found that it—exactly like everything else in town—had stayed the same. He saw the same tables he had once served drinks at and pointed each out with memories. Here was the table where both Stella and Mitzi had sung a song for him. And there was where he and his girlfriend often went—excluding the beach behind—to talk about their feelings and even share a kiss or two.

He caught sight of Bloom sitting at a table, and she looked up at him with a smile, a curious expression in her eyes. "Hey Brandon, what brings to you to Gardenia?" she asked him, a hand on her hip. She turned around and Brandon followed her eyes to see that she was looking at Stella, who was facing the opposite direction as she spoke with Musa. "Oh, I see."

"Look, it's not what you're thinking—" Brandon tried to say, but was stopped when Bloom got up and pushed him directly in Stella's direction, completely ignoring his refusing.

"Go on Brandon," she told him quietly. "She'll never say yes if you don't ask her first."

Brandon froze and looked at her, amazed. "You know?" he whispered.

She nodded. "I've known Stella for years, and I always knew that you were her perfect match. It was only a matter of time before you made it official. Besides, Sky acted that way around me right before we got engaged. Now go on; she's waiting for you Brandon, and nobody's here to stop you—just don't mess it up." She finished in a non-Bloom like tone; he knew better than to question her, especially since she was one of Stella's closest friends.

Brandon advanced toward Stella and quickly caught Musa's eye, giving a look as if to ask, "Mind I cut in?"

She understood completely and winked. "Sorry to end the conversation, Stella," Musa said, "but I think that there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

"Who?" Stella asked, looking around in every direction except for behind her.

Helping her out, Musa turned her around until she was facing her boyfriend. The princess of Solaria's face instantly lit up with happiness. "Shnookums!" she called out with delight as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, I'm so glad that you came. I missed you so much!"

She let out a sniffle and Brandon could tell that inwardly she was doing all she could to keep from crying. He understood why. As a princess, it was improper for her to do such a thing in public. Even though Stella wasn't as etiquette-driven as some princesses, it was still difficult for her to break some of her old habits, ones that she had still followed before her parents had gotten a divorce.

Getting a hold of herself, she let go and simply smiled brightly. "So Brandon, what brings you here?"

Smoothly, he replied, "Why else? To see you, of course. You're the universe to me, Stella."

She let out a squeal. "Oh, you're so romantic, Brandon. Well, since I don't have anything to do all day, and I was just drinking up my shopping money on milkshakes, why don't we do something together?"

"Great idea," he said. "I was planning that we go on a picnic at the park." He saw that her expression had changed immensely, to one of confusion, and he quickly added, "But, if you want, we can do something else. It's just a suggestion."

He didn't worry long, however. Only a few seconds after he'd finished speaking, Stella embraced him again and announced: "It's official, Shnookums: you're the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for!"

Feeling relieved, he suggested, "Well, why don't you stay here for a little while longer and I'll go get everything prepared and pick you up when I'm ready?"

"Sounds great." And it was settled.

"Wow Brandon, everything looks just perfect," she said sweetly an hour later as they arrived at the spot. He had set up a blanket on the ground as per tradition and the basket. He had considered getting an umbrella but decided it was a stupid idea. With all the trees, the umbrella would do no good, plus, as the Sun and Moon fairy, Stella wouldn't mind the bright light anyway.

"That's good. I tried everything I could to make it just the way you like it," he replied a little nervously. Several times before he went to pick up Stella he had made sure that the ring was still in his pocket. If he remembered everything but the ring, then he really didn't deserve to marry Stella. Just to be on the safe side, he snuck a quick peek when her back was turned.

Good. He sighed of relief. The ring's still there. Now all I have to remember is to take it out when the moment is right.

Leading the way, he made room for her to sit down and took a seat beside her and opened up the picnic basket. "For lunch today, I prepared a delicious meal of sand-wiches, a small cake for desert and even"—he took out a pitcher of pink liquid— "as it is your favorite, strawberry milkshakes."

"Great choices!" she told him. "You definitely know how to pick the perfect food for a romantic picnic, Shnookums."

Brandon smiled. The food was the one thing he had not been worried about. He knew that as long as it wasn't too unhealthy or anything too fancy, Stella would enjoy it, as she simply enjoyed food. The milkshake would do nothing but put her in an even better mood, he was sure.

They each took a sandwich and began to eat. Their conversation at first fell upon what they had been up to since they had seen each other last, but Brandon, knowing that to make his proposal go the best, he would have to remind Stella about why she loved him so much.

"Hey Stella," he asked before taking another bite of his sandwich, "what did you think of me when we first me?"

Stella shrugged. "Well, that doesn't nearly compare to what I think about you now. But, if you must know, I thought that you were really cute and strong. It especially attracted me to you that you were a hero."

"You weren't attracted to me because you thought I was a prince?" Though they hadn't spoken of his deception in quite a bit of time, Brandon had to say that he was still a bit surprised.

Stella shook her head. "Not exactly. Sure, I wouldn't have minded if you really were, but I wasn't looking for a guy with a title. I was looking for a guy well, like you—one who knows me, can make me laugh, and never backs down to being there for me when I need him. And even though I hadn't known you very long, when we were just getting to known each other freshman year—well, my first time in freshman year—I knew that you were just the type of guy who could do that. And since we've been together for so many years now, I know I made the right choice becoming your girlfriend."

Brandon smiled. He knew Stella loved him, but her sincerity and her passion behind her words just made him all the more sure that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and from the way she had answered such simple questions, he was certain that Stella felt the same way.

"And what about you?" Stella asked, turning the tables on him. "What did you think about me?"

"Simple. I thought you were beautiful, and an incredibly powerful fairy. I find myself lucky that I found you."

Stella blushed. "Oh Brandon, you're so sweet."

After they had eaten, the couple took a walk through the park, under the trees, holding hands. Brandon thought it unnecessary, but Stella had insisted, so he relented. The last thing that he needed was for her to get angry with him.

When Brandon felt the time was right, they stopped at a tree, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Stella, I love you."

"I know."

"No, I mean I really, really love you. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I picture before I go to sleep. Whenever someone merely mentions your name or I see you, my heart begins to race."

"Brandon, you can't really mean all that, can you?" she asked him.

"I do. You're everything to me. I know this may sound cliché, but it's true. You're the one that keeps me going Stella. You're my life. And I know that I made the best decision in the whole world when I made you my girlfriend. Which is why I want to do this."

He got down on one knee—or tried to, but ended up falling face first on the ground.

"Brandon, are you okay?" Stella inquired, concerned.

"No, I'm fine." He got back, and faced her once more. "What was I trying to say was"—he reached into his pocket— "Princess Stella of Solaria"— "Will you"—he began to get down on one knee, just about to finish his question and reveal the engagement ring, when a beeping sound went off.

Brandon froze and stood up straight again as he watched his girlfriend reach into her pocket and pull out a cell phone. She frowned. "Hate to break up the moment, Brandon, but I just got a text from Tecna. She said there's tons of people lined up outside of Love and Pet."

"But I thought you were closed today?"

"We are," she replied bitterly, "but it seems that these people aren't taking no for an answer, and Flora, Layla, and Tecna are swamped with work and need me and the other girls there. Sorry."

"It's okay. I understand. Duty calls."

"Yep." Then she looked up at him, looking a bit confused. "What were you doing before, anyway?" Though she had seen him nearly get down to the ground, it almost as if he had been asking her to watch the clouds with him, even if he had asked it a bit formerly when he'd called her "Princess Stella."

"Uh, nothing," he replied. "I was just—tying my shoe, while asking if you'd like to do something later." (It was a good thing she had not noticed he wasn't wearing shoes with laces.)

While he had answered casually, as if it were nothing, inwardly, he was burning with rage. Why had those people picked today of all days to come on the Winx Club's day off? Really, why? Just when he was about to propose, too.

Sky was right. This was going to be harder than he thought. It was time for Plan B.

Author's Note: And so ends the first part. Hope you enjoyed it. I've been working on improving my grammar recently, so I'm hopeful that this was easy to read. The next part will come out as soon as it comes to me.

Also, drop me a review if you get the chance and have the time. I always love reading your opinions.