Ok, before anything, I just have to say you guys are amazing. Over ten reviews in the last chapter alone? That's awesome! Now, I know it's finals week and a lot of people are stressing out, so here's a nice, take ten minutes to forget about ion memorization (never take Chemistry, children!) update. So read on and have fun!

"Well it's not much, but this is all the information we have on the school attacks." Sky, now dressed in a button up shirt and black pants, took a slightly thick folder from the shelve behind him and handed it over to Bloom.

The redhead smiled politely, shifting her steaming mug of tea to one hand so she could grasp it properly. "Thanks. I'll take a closer look at it later. Is there anything on the Brotherhood?"

He shook his head. "Up until now, we didn't think they were related. I've got scouts sending the information now, and they should be here by morning."

"What of the girl in the library? What's happened to her?"

Bloom tried not to flinch at the sound of Baltor's voice. She'd tried to talk him into leaving her alone to talk to Sky, but he'd had none of it. Since that illusion spell was still working, Sky couldn't tell who he was, and he was in no danger. Bloom hated to admit it, but it was a good argument. Though she hated his cover story more; Christopher Camarena, her boyfriend she'd met on Earth when she'd first moved there. She didn't have the heart to deny the story (plus she couldn't think of a better one).

Sky glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Bloom knew that behind her ex-husband's calm demeanor, he wanted to punch Baltor in the face. "She's in one of the private hospitals here. Apparently she suffered from a punctured lung via a bullet. She's on life support, but of course she'll be taken off fairly soon."

"So she's doing better?"

He looked amused, and a little smug. "No, you're misunderstanding me, Mr. Camarena. We're taking her off to die."

Baltor immediately straightened up, and Bloom saw a deadly look come into his eyes. "You're going to kill her? That's it?"

"You don't want to see her die?" Sky raised an eyebrow, turning back to the shelf, apparently looking for more files. "After all, she tried to kill you and kidnapped my…your girlfriend."

"Have you looked at alternate possibilities? Was she under a magic influence that caused her to act this way? Did she have a motive we don't know about? Did she –"

"While I admire your equality ideas, we don't have time to do things like that. This woman is responsible for over four million dollars in damage to Magix from the schools and earthquake, and seven deaths. She's a nuisance, and this cult could dissipate without her to lead it. It's a necessary precaution."

Baltor's hands balled into fists. "Unless of course that's just want the Brotherhood of Redemption wants. They could be working for someone larger, and if that's the case you're killing an innocent girl who came into this for all the wrong reasons." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "You're the king in this situation, aren't you? Start acting like one."

"Enough!" Bloom finally snapped. They both turned to look at her in surprise. She took a deep breath. "We are all too tired to think straight right now. We need to take a break, get some sleep, and revisit all of this in the morning where it'll take more than a child's argument to start a blood bath."

"Bloom –"

"May I have a moment with her?" Sky cut off, pointedly glaring at Baltor.

Baltor raised an eyebrow. Bloom glanced between them, and placed a hand on Baltor's shoulder. "It's fine. Go check on the kids; I'll handle it."

He looked annoyed at her tone, but obliged and stood up, setting his cup of tea down on the desk. "A pleasure to meet you, your Majesty." He then turned and planted a chaste kiss on the top of Bloom's head. "I'll see you later," he whispered. With a pointed look at Sky, he left.

The moment he was gone, Sky took what sounded like a breath of relief. Bloom giggled, pulling her legs up and resting her chin on her knees. "It's not often a King is scared of a commoner."

He chuckled. "He's an…interesting fellow, I'll give him that."

"Agreed."

Sky came around the desk, taking the chair Baltor had previously been sitting in. He took her hand, running his fingers over her knuckles "An odd way to come back, huh?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah, kinda weird, actually. I never thought I'd see this place again."

"Well I'm sure you knew the risks when you took them." His voice was purposely light, and felt like a knife jabbing into Bloom's side.

The smile on her face slowly faded. She yanked her hand out of Sky's grasp. "I'm sure you've been waiting awhile to use that one."

He sighed as she stood up and walked towards the window. "Do you blame me?"

"Sky I –"

"You lied to us Bloom," he cut off, his voice suddenly hard. "We trusted you and you lied to us! Everything I ever believed about you I suddenly had to question! Do you know what that's like? And of all the people…" he muttered, obviously not wanting Bloom to hear him but she did anyway. She narrowed her eyes as he continued, "You drove us all apart. Stella got mad that I didn't go after you and won't talk to me. Timmy was going to come work here but Stella talked to Tecna and she talked him out of it. Hell, I haven't even spoken to Flora and Helia in a good year."

Bloom crossed her arms. "I made a mistake. But I left him for you. I left Baltor all those years ago because I loved you. And you had the opportunity to love me. But you didn't. As for everyone…I'm truly sorry for that. But what did you expect; we all stay glued at the hip as we go through the rest of our lives? You, Stel, Brandon, Layla, and Nabu all had kingdoms to run. Flora's on Limphea's royal council, and Tecna's working on Zeinth. But we all had to suck life up and move on. And your son is a living, breathing example that you did, just like me."

"You ran away."

"After you gave me the divorce papers. Sky what was I supposed to do? Stand tall and wait for the Magix Council to take my children and perform God only knows how many experiments on them?"

"You could've realized Baltor was using you and let go!"

I didn't want to let go! Bloom yelled in her head. But instead she bit her tongue. "What do you want me to do, Sky? It's the past; I can't fix it."

He opened his mouth, and after a second closed it again. "Is he still alive?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"Do the kids know him?"

"My children have met him once," Bloom said, making a point of saying 'my' and feeling a slight satisfaction when she saw him flinch.

"Long ago?"

"Recently."

Sky nodded. "Do they like him?"

"With all due respect, that's really none of your business."

He stepped forward, and Bloom rose out of her chair to meet him. He glared at her for a long moment until she saw something flash in the back of his eyes. "Come back to me," he finally whispered, his voice fierce. "That…Christopher guy doesn't belong in the magic dimension, and you know as well as I do he won't last. We put him back on Earth and figure this out ourselves, and when it's over you stay here. The kids and Alec seem to be getting along fine, and once I get to know them I'm sure I can –"

"Love them?" she finished knowingly. Her voice was soft, but fierce. "Fifteen years and a day too late. You had a chance to love them – to love all of us, but you didn't. You told me to leave, you went to Diaspro –"

"Who said Diaspro was Alec's mother?"

"Who else could it be?" There was a pause. "Why did you ask me to leave? If you cared this much, why did you let me go?"

Sky bit his lip; his answer was obviously something she wouldn't like. He accidently met her eyes, and seeing as he was caught, finally sighed and spoke his mind. "I was afraid they'd turn out to be like Baltor."

"…Criminals?"

"Demons."

Sky knew he deserved the slap he got a second later. When he shook the dizziness clear, Bloom's cheeks were red and her eyes wide. She turned on her heels and stalked towards the door. "Thank you for your hospitality, your Majesty. We won't trouble you after tonight."

"Bloom wait, let me explain –"

She turned her head back, and he was surprised to find tears glistening in her eyes. "Did you think I was overtaken by some kind of demon too?"

Sky's averted his eyes for a moment, which gave Bloom the answer to her question. With a sharp breath she stalked out of the library, closing the door with a slam.


Since Tori, Valen, March, and Alec were kicked out the main library while the 'adults discussed adult things', Alec suggested the four of them hang out in one of the smaller libraries in the castle, since the other three were staying for the night. Most transports between realms had been suspended since the Magix attacks, and Flora had to return to Limphea for Council and Helia was needed at Red Fountain, so March couldn't get back home. They'd put on pajamas (Valen and March borrowed some of Alec's, while Tori borrowed some for Alec's mother), and were currently sitting around a fire in the center of the room.

"How do you think its going?"

Tori glanced up from the maps of the magic dimension she was looking over. Alec was on the couch across from her, wearing black sweat pants and a dark blue T-shirt. "I don't know," she replied absently, picking lint off the satin red shorts she was wearing. Whoever Alec's mother was, she was defiantly no bigger than a twig. "How long have they been talking?"

Valen glanced at the clock. "About half an hour."

Everyone glanced at each other. "I give them ten minutes before something goes wrong." Tori said.

"Five," March shot back. He was the only boy in the group who wasn't wearing a T-shirt, settling on just a pair of black sweatpants with the Red Fountain crest monogrammed on the bottom. Tori was ready to clip her eyes shut since they were wandering to his chest every few minutes.

"I'll take that bet," he said, holding his hand out. Tori hesitated a moment before grabbing his hand.

"So," Valen said absently, watching his sister and March closely. It seemed like he was going to address it, but thought better of it. "Does your mother live here?" he asked Alec instead. "Or is she a princess ruling over another realm or something?"

He half expected Alec to get upset again, like he'd done when he made the mistake of asking about Baltor. But the blond boy shrugged. "My parents never got married. It was just a whole one-night-stand thing after Bloom left him. They've both come to look at it as a mistake with a nice outcome."

"And what was that nice outcome?" Alec threw a pillow at March, and the others cracked up. "Oh, you were? That's a…nice, outcome I suppose."

Tori laughed. "Lay off. It's not that bad."

"You should be thankful she's not here right now," Alec said to Tori, his face humorous but serious at the same time. "She'd have told the media you're here by now. And once they find you, they'll be relentless."

"Relentless for what?" Valen asked, his humor suddenly gone.

"Interviews, the scoop on who your father is; stuff like that. You are royals who grew up off-planet and didn't attend a Magix school. It's a rarity."

"Plus you'll never be able to been seen with Alec alone in public," March remarked absently.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Alec chuckled. "Come on Tori; our parents were married, divorced, and there's no blood between us. The media's going to hop on to the idea we're together faster a new hovercar. I mean; Sky's son dating Bloom's daughter? Have you heard of anything more clichéd?"

"Is that a nice way of saying you don't like her or something?"

"Valen chill," Tori cut off, nestling back against the pillows. "We all know what he means."

Her brother shrugged. "Well, if we ever want to mess with the media and you're too scared to be seen with Alec," Valen smoothed his hair back and gave Alec a wink. "I don't mind."

The four of them burst into laughter, with a lot of pillows being thrown at Valen. "If Ali and J could've seen that," Tori gasped in between fits of laughter.

"Ah, that was too good…I think I'm crying…"

Alec was the first to sit up. "You guys are alright," he finally said once his breathing returned to normal.

Valen smirked. "For a stuck up prince, you're not so bad yourself."

"That man is going to make me shoot myself!" someone snapped from outside the door. Four pairs of eyes turned in shock to look at the doors of the library, and a moment later Baltor stepped through, his disguise spell gone and an annoyed look on my face. He seemed to stop ranting when he saw Alec, but the boy merely shrugged. "I feel your pain. I take it he's making a move on Bloom as we speak?"

"More than likely." The older man muttered, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs. "What about you four? Found anything?"

March tossed him a folder resting on the coffee table. "I was snooping through the extra files stored in here and found that. It's from Light Rock; apparently Icy was moved to solitary about four years back."

With a raised eyebrow, Baltor opened the folder. "Specified reason?"

"That's the big one; it's supposed mental instability."

"So she's going nuts?" March asked. "Psh, I could've told you that."

Baltor shook his head. "It's not that simple. Light Rock Monastery is all about being around positive influences to make you a better person. If she's in solitary, it pretty much means they've given up on her and they can't release her for fear she'll try and kill everyone. Perhaps I should make arrangements to talk to her tomorrow."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "What about Lia?"

Tori saw his expression darken. "Lia is something I'll have to deal with personally. I still have a few reliable contacts in Magix; they can keep an eye on her at the hospital and make sure she recovers properly from her injuries instead of dies, which is what Sky wants."

"Bite me." Everyone turned to look at Valen, who hadn't spoken since Baltor entered the room. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were cold.

"Valen…" Tori started.

"Can you boys give us a moment?" Baltor cut off, looking at March and Alec.

They exchanged a glance and stood. "Of course," Alec said, always the polite one. "We'll see you guys in the morning." They walked out, and Tori distinctly heard them run down the hall, obviously nervous about the fight that was more than likely going to break out.

"Now Valentine," Baltor said, turning to face him. "Do you care to explain what that was about?"

"You're a hypocrite," he stated simply. "You're trying to stop the evil cult from taking over the world or something, but you were on their side until Mom beat your ass. These people try to kill us, and you want to leave their leader alive. What kind of person does that?"

Tori glanced from her brother to her father. His head was resting in his hand, and he was regarding him thoughtfully. "I understand you –"

"No, you really don't," Valen snapped, rising out of his chair and glaring down at Baltor. Tori knew he was trying to establish power in the situation; to be the mature one. For the moment, their father was letting him. "You don't understand anything about me, about my sister, or my mother. Two days ago, you didn't have the slightest clue we existed. And now you're trying to act like a positive influence for two kids you neither know nor give a damn about."

There was a moment of silence. "I've done things in my past I'm proud of. And it's true I don't know much about you, but in case you haven't noticed I am making an attempt."

"What attempt? To take us to Magix to get ambushed?"

"Valen it was March's idea –"

"To get my family killed?" he continued, ignoring Tori. "Maybe we should just face it; the only reason you took an interest in my mother all those years ago was to try and get her on your side. But you knew she wouldn't take it, and then you got the idea to use her for a different game. Because kids don't turn against their parents, and Bloom would either join your side or you could keep her a consolation prize!"

"Enough!" a sharp voice sounded as the library door slammed shut. Tori breathed a sigh of relief as her mother stalked into the room, her face set in obvious disapproval. "Valentine Holloway," she said in an icy voice, "What did you just say?"

Tori expected her brother to look a least a little nervous, but he held his ground. "C'mon Mom, everyone's thinking it; why aren't you?"

"Because unlike everyone else, I know what happened firsthand. None of this had to do with power or taking over the universe."

"Right; it was a love spell."

Baltor stood then, looking like he could backhand him into a wall. "Valentine, let me make this incredibly clear. There was no love spell, there was no master plan, there was no anything. I fell in love with your mother all those years ago because I couldn't help it, not because I was interesting in getting another game piece on the board."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe a convict who's been hiding from the law since before we were born? You can't just act like my father after you've just met us."

"Valen!" Bloom finally snapped, so loudly it seemed the whole library shook. Magic was sparking from her fingertips, and she looked ready to snap. "I am truly disappointed in your behavior right now. I expect better of you."

He didn't say anything, but had the decency to look ashamed.

"We've all had a long day," Bloom continued. "I think it's best we all get some sleep and try to work this out in the morning. As a family."

Valen huffed a little, but nevertheless stood up and walked out of the library with a cool 'good night'. And when the door to the library closed again and his footsteps retreated down the hall, it did nothing to soothe the tension still hanging in the air.


Bloom retreated to her room in the palace, grateful she didn't run into anyone as she tried unsuccessfully to navigate the hallways. Finally she got where she needed, and proceeded to take a shower that lasted so long it probably wasted half of the palace's hot water supply.

When she got out, Baltor was lounging on her bed, going through a spell book he'd snatched from Magix.

His eyes lifted to her as she entered the room, and nearly popped out of his skull when he saw she was wearing black shorts and a bra. Bloom smirked, enjoying the feeling of being able to control him for once. "It's not like you've never seen me like this before."

The shock slowly wore off from his face. "It's been a while," he finally said.

"Hmm." She sat on the edge of bed, bringing her feet up and sitting Indian style. "I know you have questions."

He chuckled. "'Questions' is putting it mildly."

Bloom nodded. "Ask me anything."

He seemed to take her offer seriously, thinking over questions in his head. He opened his mouth once, then closed it. "Why…didn't you try to find me?"

"I did as much as the situation allowed. But I couldn't just tell people I was looking for a dead man. And a convict on top of that."

"Who else knows?"

"That you're the father? Musa, obviously, and Riven. Flora and Helia, Roxy and Andy, and Sky. I've been living on Earth since he…threw me out."

Baltor seemed to ponder that sentence. "So you didn't leave voluntarily?"

"Not at first. But I never went back when he asked me. I think raising them on my own made me…stronger."

He smiled a little, and reached forward to take her hand. "You were strong to begin with."

Her lips quirked as she glanced down at their intertwined fingers. "Maybe."

He chuckled, and she tilted her head up to meet his lips in a soft kiss. Even all those years ago, him being gentle with her was a rarity. She'd always savored moments liked that; the way her skin jolted with electricity and the world around her seemed to melt. The taste of spices and magic and something that could only be described as his taste.

"There's a lot we have to work out," she said when they finally pulled their lips apart. "The Trix, Lia, the Brotherhood, the kids…"

"That last one should worry you more than Icy," Baltor chuckled.

"Tori seems to be getting along alright with it, but Valen's…well, you know."

"A bad blend of the both of us," he nodded. "My defiance and your determination."

"So what's the plan?"

He smirked and pulled her against him, giving her a long, drugging kiss. "I won't deny that we need to think of one, and that it would be wise to visit the witches tomorrow…but it's been almost sixteen years since I've had the pleasure of seeing you like this."

Her heart rate jumped a few notches as he leaned her back on the bed, his voice smooth and seductive. "Let's just have a little time to ourselves for now."

She responded by turning off the light.


Valen sighed and dug the side of his face into the pillow. He'd gotten a few solid hours of sleep, but had been tossing and turning for awhile now. Despite the sweet room he had in the palace, he missed his room at home.

His eyes fell to the clock, the numbers four, three, zero glowing brightly in the pitch black room. He sat up in bed, rubbing his temples in hope they would erase the memories of earlier that evening (or yesterday, if he wanted to be technical).

He felt terrible about making his mother upset, but he couldn't help it. The fact that Baltor was a fraud was staring him in the face like the 'Don't Do Drug' posters in the nurse's office at school. He was honestly concerned at his mother's obliviousness.

Unless of course she was right, and his father was trying to hold an olive branch.

Valen sighed, resting his chin on his knees. Life wasn't supposed to be this complicated. A few days ago he'd been studying his ass off for finals, concerned over ion memorization and the flow of blood through the body. The only major problems in his life were getting tickets for the Vans Warped Tour and asking Ali out without it seeming weird. Now a cult was trying to kill him, his father was a convict, and he was a prince!

Well, one thing was certain. He needed some time alone. Though he knew it would put him on even worse terms with his parents (not mother, but parents), he got up and threw on a grey and blue plaid shirt and jeans. His hair looked alright, he decided upon looking in the mirror. He wouldn't need to do anything to it.

Quietly, he slipped into his shoes and walked out the door, making sure to close it softly. When he didn't hear anything, he sighed in relief and turned around.

And came face to face with King Sky of Eraklyon.

He jumped nearly a mile in the air. "Your Majesty," he stuttered. "I was…I mean – I was just…"

To his surprise, the man smirked knowingly. "The walls are soundproof," he said, louder than Valen had been. "You don't have to worry about being quiet." He glanced at his clothes. "Going out?"

"I couldn't sleep. And the air's so thick around here you could cut it with a knife. I just need some time to myself."

Sky nodded. "I completely understand. I'm usually not up this early myself. I couldn't sleep."

"That makes two of us." Valen said, carefully looking Sky over. Since Alec had spoken to him, he'd been curious to look at Sky up close for any resemblance to himself. But looking now, he saw that Alec was right. Valen's face was harder with a more distinct jaw and cheek bones. Sky also seemed to have more muscle in his arms then he did.

"Magix is still recovering from damages," Sky was saying. "But I believe Limphea has some nice places to clear your head. I could give you some recommendations."

"Thanks, but…I think I'm going to go and grab some food from a place I know."

"Back on Earth? You think that's safe?"

"These guys are obviously in Magix now. Earth would be the last place they'd expect to find me."

Sky nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cell phone. He handed it to Valen. "Be careful. Call if you need something."

"I'll be –"

"Please," he insisted, smiling weakly. "Your mother would kill me if she knew I was letting you do this. At least we'll have a way to contact you in an emergency. Though I believe she's going to the Light Rock Monastery later to talk to Icy."

"Alright," he said, putting the device in his own pocket. "So, are you and mother…you know, going to try and work stuff out?"

The older man laughed. "As much as I would like to, I doubt her boyfriend would be approving of it."

"If you even want to call him her boyfriend."

Sky raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised. "Bloom made it sound like you and your sister had a good relationship with him."

"With Baltor? Please, I'd have a better relationship with starving lion then with that guy. He's trying to act like a parent after I've known him for two days. It's ridiculous. Anyone who has to use a disguise spell in public is probably not a good role model."

"Hmm…" his eyes were deep in thought, and Valen wondered what he'd said wrong. However, a moment later the look disappeared. "There's a portal installed on that phone, so you won't need the teleportation room. I have some…calls to make. Thank you Valen." Without waiting for a response, he headed off down the hall, muttering to himself.

Valen watched him go with raised eyebrows. Maybe he shouldn't have been wishing Sky was his father instead of Baltor. They both seemed equally crazy. As he punched in the coordinates for the Shore House Café on Earth, he wished he wished life could just go back to normal.

The teleportation wasn't nearly as bad as the first one he'd taken had been. He shielded his eyes from the blinding light, and a second later he could hear seagulls squawking and people yelling and skateboards as they rolled over the sidewalk.

He was sitting on a bench outside Shore House, the pier packed as it usually was on the first Sunday of summer. People were moving around him, talking about some party up in Laguna and how the waves were killer today. He saw a group of freshmen from the school head into the diner, and after a moment Valen stood up and followed them.

The inside of the diner was familiar as always. The red leather booths and bar chairs, the smell of fried breakfast food, and the waiters yelling and laughing in Spanish. One of the older waiters saw him as he came in and grinned. "Ay, Valen. Buenos días."

He smiled politely. "Buenos días, señor. Como ésta?"

"Bien, bien…pero, tú novia no es bueno."

Valen raised an eyebrow, but a moment later he felt a presence behind him. "Hey Valen."

The familiar voice made him slow a little. It's tone implied that when he turned to face her, half his face better be missing. But Valen still took the chance and turned around, coming face-to-face with a girl with caramel blond hair, denim shorts, and a blue tank top with the Shore House logo on it. Her makeup was light, and a pair of sapphire earrings winked in her ears.

He sighed. "Hey Ali."


Things are getting crazy! Lol ;-) So, I hope everyone liked the update; this week has been pretty hectic, and I for one am looking forward to a winter break full of family, friends, writing, and Jersey Boys :-) Should be fun. Anyway, be in the holiday spirit and leave a review on the chapter. I don't want to be a total nerd and say 'virtual gingerbread to all that review'...but virtual gingerbread to all that review. :-D Happy Holidays!

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