A/N: Hi there, I'm so sorry it to me so long to continue this story. It just that I'm so bussy with school work, I'm going to the university know and I hardly find the time to write. I hope you'll forgive me and I hope that this chapter was wort the wait. Of course I want to thank Authoress for fixing this chapter up grammaticaly.

Memoryloss

chapter 2

by waterbendergirl

Fuzzy images were the first thing Bloom saw as she awoke from her sleep. In the background, she heard a beeping noise, but her brain couldn't register where it was coming from. She tried sitting up, but winced as her sore muscles were forced to work. But by far the most pain was coming from the back of her head. She tried touching it, but her arm was connected to some kind of wires that made most movement impossible.

She tried looking around again, her sight slowly improving – she was in a hospital room. What was she doing here, what had happened? She couldn't remember a thing.

At that moment a man walked in, wearing dark brown pants and a white shirt covered by a beige mantle that reached the upper half of his legs. He had his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing square-shaped glasses, slightly covering his golden eyes.

When he saw that she was awake, a smile spread across his face, making him even more handsome. "You're awake," he smiled, sitting down on the chair next to her bed and grabbing her hand. Bloom immediately yanked her arm away from his touch. Who was this man?

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Don't you remember me? You had an accident, and a concussion – that's probably why you don't remember me, although I didn't know you had forgotten that much." He reached for her hand again, but she kept it firmly against her body. The smile on his face turned into a look of hurt.

"I'm Jack, honey. I'm your fiancé."

--

"Welcome home," Baltor said as he guided Bloom into their so-called house. It wasn't actually his, but with the help of a little black magic, he had convinced the actual owners to move but still keep paying the rent.

Bloom entered suspiciously, not even remembering the house. But when she gave one quick glance around she was awestruck. In front of her was a long hall with an elegant mahogany table in the middle, and on top of it was a vase of perfect red roses. To her left was a staircase that presumably led to the bedrooms, and to her right there was a living room, furnished with a deep red sofa and another mahogany coffee table. A gently crackling fireplace cast an inviting glow over the room. As she walked further, she noticed another living room, this one with a television. The last stop was the dining room and behind it an enormous kitchen with a cooking island in the middle of it.

Baltor took her hand and guided her up the stairs to her room. Bloom had to force herself to not flinch, because his touch was still like a stranger's.

"Here we are." Baltor smiled as he ushered her into her room. He had tried to make a duplicate of her old room in her parents' home, in an effort to make the transition easier for her.

"Thank you Jack," she whispered as she entered the room. She felt him following behind her and turned around to stop him. "I think I need some alone time. Maybe I could remember more if I looked around here alone," she added as an afterthought, hoping he would take the hint and leave. His presence still didn't feel comforting, or even normal yet.

Baltor cursed inwardly, but knew he couldn't push her. A smile came to his face; maybe he could let a few memories slip into her head again while she was sleeping. So he decided that it was indeed a good idea to leave her some time to herself. "Fine, I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Bloom led out a sigh as the door closed. She turned around and lay on the bed, willing herself not to cry, but unable to keep the tears at bay. Everything had happened just so fast in the last couple of weeks. A tiny smile managed to cross her face as she thought of the first time she had heard that he was her fiancé.

It had taken two doctors, five nurses and an hour to make her calm down and insure her that this man was indeed her boyfriend. The doctor had explained her injuries and had ushered her into counseling with a psychiatrist. He had exclaimed it would help, and in the beginning it had. The first thing she remembered was her name – she had felt so ashamed that she couldn't even recall her own name. Bloom Rosalie Cross; she was nineteen years old, had gone to school at the local high school, Gardenia High, and was now apparently studying literature at the local community college. Her parents' names were Vanessa and Mike. Her boyfriend was Jack Baltor and three months ago he had asked her to marry her (she had said yes). During their sessions, she had recalled her memories of her childhood; the last thing she could recall was her encounter with Jack. That memory was the only thing that had made her accept his offer to come here, to their house.

Their house. It still sounded strange to her, their house. She felt like she was more a guest in some stranger's home.

Bloom turned around and kicked her shoes off her feet. She pulled the covers over her, hoping that sleep would grant her mind some rest.

--

Baltor lay across the sofa in the living room, one leg dangling lazily off the side. He brought one hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Recovering the girl's memories was starting to give him a migraine. It wasn't easy invading someone else's mind for so long.

In her current dream, he had planted the memory of their first date and, following that, their first kiss. Hopefully it would make her warm up to him. He had been charming and kind the whole time in the hospital and had supported her during her sessions, but considering that his touch made her flinch, he knew he had still a lot of work. He glanced at the clock and saw it was already seven o'clock. He quickly conjured up a dinner, then went upstairs to wake his sleeping beauty.

--

"Where are you taking me?" Bloom laughed as she ran after Jack. He had first taken her to a nice restaurant just outside of town and was now guiding her to a 'magical place,' as he had put it. "Aren't we there yet?" she giggled as they slowed their pace.

"Stop being so impatient, we'll be there soon enough." Not long after they arrived at their destination. It was a beautiful meadow illuminated by thousands of sparkling stars.

"This place is beautiful," Bloom whispered in awe.

"I discovered it when I was little, but you haven't seen the best part," he said, pulling her down onto the grass.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh, just look up." He pointed to the sky, and she followed his hand. It seemed that every star was part of a different constellation.

"This place really is magical," she whispered, moving closer to him so that their bodies were almost touching. "Thank you for bringing me here, Jack. This is proof that something magical can exist in our human world."

"Your welcome," he replied, as he pulled her closer against him. Bloom's cheeks flushed bright red as they lay close together. Her head was spinning and her heart was filled with joy; she knew this feeling all too well – she was falling in love.

The pair lay still, just staring at the stars, but unfortunately all perfect moments have to end. When the air grew cold and blew right through her thin jacket, Bloom sat up. "It's getting late, not to mention cold," she said, dusting some grass off her jacket.

"You're right," Jack smiled, "and I promised your parents that I would have you home at a decent hour." He stood up and offered her his hand, which she took eagerly.

"Thank you again – it truly was a magical night."

Jack shot her a sly smile. "I still know one thing that could make this night absolutely perfect."

"Oh and what might that be?" she asked, as she took a step closer to him. A crooked grin adorned his face as Jack gathered her in his arms, one hand at the small of her back and the other resting against her cheek. Before her brain could register it, his lips were covering hers. Her body was on fire as his lips kept caressing hers. Bloom reached her hand up to his hair and pushed herself against him. The kiss was just heavenly…

--

Bloom was pulled out of her dreams by a knock on the door. "Who's there?" she mumbled sleepily.

"It's me, sweetness – can I come in?"

Me? Right, Jack. "Sure," she called out.

"Did you sleep well?" Baltor asked as he came in. Instead of replying, Bloom just stared at him. By the look on her face, he could guess that he had implanted the right memory in her dreams.

Bloom had seen the two of them together in her dream, but she still couldn't place the emotions she had felt. Were they real, or just a figment of her imagination? She noticed that Jack still awaited her answer. "I would probably sleep better if my memories weren't haunting me."

Baltor shot her one of his dashing smiles. "Maybe you'll sleep better after we've put some food into you."

--

Baltor lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of Bloom were plaguing his mind; sleep was definitely out of the question. He had to admit that her reaction to the dream wasn't the one he was hoping for. During dinner she kept silent, though Baltor had given her many openings to talk about her memories.

If only that damn girl would open up to me.

He hadn't thought it would take this long. She should have already remembered him, or at least recognized him. Maybe he should be more gentle, less cold – even if it was against his nature.

A gentle knock on the door pulled Baltor out of his thoughts.

"Who is it?" God, how stupid was he? The only other person in the house besides himself was Bloom. "Bloom, you can come in."

He felt her hesitation vibrate through the door, but when she opened the door he was shocked by what he saw. Bloom stood there like a broken doll. Her eyes were puffy, and tears were still visible in the corners, as her body shook lightly from the sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Baltor asked as he stepped out of bed.

"I'm sorry," Bloom whispered, before she rushed into his arms. Baltor hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her shaking form. "I kept seeing faces – so many faces."

Baltor held her closely while she sobbed. He had made her this depressed… Was that guilt that he felt? No, he had to do this – he could only use her if she forgot everything of her time with the Winx Club. Gently, he unlocked his arms and ushered her to the bed.

"What happened?" he asked as they both were seated.

"I kept seeing faces, of people I knew – but I just can't remember them, and it hurts so much. I'm afraid to close my eyes, afraid of what I might see," she sobbed.

"Shh," Baltor whispered, as he gathered her again in his arms.

"Oh God." Bloom spoke softly as she moved away from him. "I'm being so unfair to you. Here I am, crying about my memories, while I'm not even considering your feelings. I couldn't bear the thought that someone I loved didn't remember me."

Baltor was shocked – she was considering his feelings. Well, that was a nice turn of events. He could use this to his advantage – use her pity for him.

"You're not being unfair," he whispered, as she scooted closer. "I believe that someday you'll remember me again, and that we will get married when that day comes. I keep holding onto that thought. I'm not going to push you into remembering. I'm going to wait patiently, because I love you and I only want what is best for you."

Bloom's eyes softened at his words, feeling warmth shoot through her body. She felt like she had finally found a light to guide her through the darkness that clouded her memories. Deep down inside, she felt that she could love this man – that she must have loved him once.

As always, your reviews are appreciated.