The Smell of Shame and Vodka, a winx club fanfic

A/N: Was anyone else really frustrated with the fact that no one seemed to care about Riven after he was hit with that blast while they were fighting Darkar in the final battle? Well, I was, and this little ditty is about that. BY the way, I used Nabu, not Ofir, because I like Nabu better. Deal with it. ;)

After Baltor's defeat and subsequent party, the Winx club and friends had decided to continue their own little party. Sneaking the boys in hadn't been difficult, considering they had a balcony and magic powers. Sneaking the alcohol in had been even easier.

One game of 'I Have Never' and three bottles later, the Winx Club was thoroughly drunk. Well, most of the Winx club were drunk, while Sky had had barely anything to drink and Stella and Brandon were most definitely hammered.

"I think," Stella hiccupped from her spot in the circle, "that we need to get His Royal Soberness over here a little push

"I think," Stella hiccupped from her spot in the circle, "that we need to give His Royal Soberness over here a little push." She jerked her thumb at Sky, who shrugged sheepishly. Silence settle for a moment as the teenage struggled through their tipsy haze for statements that would cause only Sky to drink.

"I have never..." Brandon trailed off, slurring the end of the sentence, "died and been resserect… ressurect… ressuc …been brought back to life by Bloom." Everyone snickered, looking at Sky expectantly. The prince shot a glare at Brandon, than downed the shot. He shuddered and opened his mouth to speak when movement caught his eye.

Riven was tossing back a shot of his own. The group looked at him, the question in their glassy eyes.

"Dude, when have you ever died?" Brandon cried, leaning towards Riven and gripping Stella's shoulder for support as he nearly toppled over. Stella giggled loudly and vivaciously. Riven, who could hold his alcohol much better, smirked at the two.

"Back with Darkar in Relex, when he was trying to get the Ultimate Power. We were all under that spell where we couldn't move. And then Darkar shot Musa and I…" now Riven trailed off, face flushing slightly as he avoided everyone's eyes.

"I remember," Sky smirked, watching his friend, "you jumped in front, didn't you Lover boy?" Riven glowered, the flush increasing.

"But…but…you didn't die!!" Brandon said, a little louder then he should have, and Nabu gave a snort from nearby. "I mean… look at you! You're alive! ...aren't you?" Brandon proceeded to crawl forward and poke his friend repeatedly, mumbling under his breath. Riven grumble and shouted, swatting his hand away while shooting death glares at the laughing Winx Club.

"I remember." She spoke the words as they laughed, and the words hung there, encased in laughter, but somber. Laughter died as they turned to the speaker. Musa sat cross-legged on Riven's other side, her small hands curled daintily around a shot glass. Her head was bowed, navy hair sweeping into her face. Her voice was soft and her hands trembled slightly.

"He did die. He took the blast, and fell and…and it was horrible. I could feel the life leaving him." She was shaking more strongly now. Her voice grew in strength but it started to quiver. "It was horrible."

The others were looking at their hands now, or the walls. Bloom's gaze remained fixedly on Musa, her eyes wide, for she hadn't been told this part of the story.

"Do you know what it's like, to hold someone as they die, to feel them grow cold underneath your fingers? Your life stops and you can't seem to realize why everyone else's hasn't."

Now she was angry, the fury lacing her story.

"Because no one else's' did. In fact, none of you even knew he was dead. Riven was dying, and you just sat there, talking about Bloom and the witches, and he was dying!" A smash echoed her last words, causing everyone to flinch. Even Brandon had sobered up, staring grimly at the floor. Musa's shot glass laid in pieces on the carpet, glass reflecting the girl's tears as they streamed down her face. Blood ran from her fingers and she angrily picked up a napkin, mopping the blood and alcohol up with short, hurried movements. The air around her was tense, just waiting for something to give, to explode. Musa reached for another shot glass and knocked it back. When she spoke again she clutched the glass till her fingers turned white and ejected each word in a harsh burst of air.

"He was dying and all you could talk about was Bloom. How do we save Bloom? How do we get close to Bloom? How much time does Bloom have?" She was yelling now, standing and yelling and the other just hid their faces and their shame. "And then Sky gets up and does his bit and Bloom is saved. " Her face was twisted into a sneer by now, a beautiful dark sneer, brimming with rage and sorrow and pain. "And you all congratulated yourselves on how amazing Bloom is. How amazing the Winx Club is. What great friends we are. Hah!"

Musa tossed her head back and laughed, full and unforgiving.

"And what if Bloom hadn't healed him? What if he stayed dead? Would you even have noticed? Would you even have cared?"

She drooped suddenly, limp, and Riven quickly stood to steady her, carefully not making eye contact with anyone. Her face was lined with exhaustion, as though this rage she had been carrying for a year had taken everything out of her.

"I'm afraid I know the answer."

She picked herself up and walked into her bedroom, leaving a room permeating with the sick smell of shame and vodka.

Fin