Good times, bad times.

Gardenia.

Bloom was hosting a party one month after her graduation to celebrate the day she found out she was actually a magical being. Stella still remembers that day all too well since she was the one being knocked around by Knut at the time. They all had gathered in the garden where they had put up a tent and a barbecue. Icy and Darcy were running around the garden while Stormy kept a close watch on them. Bloom and Flora were looking at the scene from a distance just to make sure everything would be all right with the children.

"You know Bloom Darcy and Icy get along very well don't you think?" Flora asked.

"As good as they always have. I hope that they will still be friends when they have grown up." Bloom answered.

"My parents just can't get enough from looking after her all the time. Sometimes I have to go out with Darcy in order to spend some quality time with her. I have told my parents to stop the constant meddling all the time and let me raise her the way I want. I am seriously considering to move out if they don't stop this." Flora told Bloom.

"My parents aren't like that. They let me handle things most of the time but offer to help when I seem to need it. This hasn't happened to often." Bloom replied.

"My parents have hired help for me." Stella started "I certainly didn't ask for it but now that they have been hired I am not going to send them away. Especially not the teachers they hired. Stormy will now be home schooled and that will she be until some people change their opinion about her."

"What do you mean Stella?" Flora asked her friend.

"When I got home from Alfea the nobles had already expressed their opinion about me raising Stormy to my father. At first they thought this was one of my many follies but as time progressed and the more time I spent taking care of her they started to realise that I was serious about raising her. They had asked for the removal of Stormy from the royal court because of who she was."

"I can understand why they would want that but there is no reason to actually go through with it. Stormy is just a kid." Bloom told her friend.

"Exactly and I told them that too. I also promised that by the first sign of real trouble I would do whatever necessary to remove her from the royal court. Dad was glad that I solved this problem diplomatically and told me afterwards that I would make a good queen some day." Stella finished her story.

"I don't have to put up with this kind of prejudice myself. In Linphea the people believe that Darcy may grow up to be different from the witch she used to be." Flora told Stella.

"I don't know how the people at Aracklion will react to the fact that their Crown prince is going to marry the girl that is raising the ice witch some day, if we get married that is." Bloom expressed her thoughts.

"Why do you think you wouldn't get married?" Stella asked.

"Well, first of all, the people of Aracklion don't like the idea of having Icy living at the royal court and second, he hasn't asked my hand in marriage yet." Bloom said making everyone laugh. The three young mothers looked at their children with a smile on their faces.

"You know guys, the three of us have changed. Whereas the others only worry about what shoes to wear to the dance or what clothes to wear on a party we worry about what we should do if our child has something done wrong or what to do when they get ill. We don't fit in with them any more." Stella said to Bloom and Flora.

"We sure have, the moment I held Icy in my arms I felt this bond between us that I never felt before. I wanted to hold her to myself from the first moment I fed her and after that day I was already considering to adopt her." Bloom said as she saw her little girl walk up to her. Once Icy was close to Bloom she held her arms in the air calling Bloom "Mummy". Bloom picked her up and held her in her arms. Darcy followed Icy's example as she went to Flora who then picked her up too. Stormy just stood next to Stella and smiled as she looked at her friends and their mothers.

"Mum, will they remember that we once were friends?" Stormy asked Stella.

"I hope so sweetie. It would help you and them a lot." Stella said as she sat down on a bench and lifted Stormy on her lap. She hugged Stormy who hugged her back with a big smile on her face. Brandon, Sky and Helia came over to them carrying a few drinks for their girlfriends. They handed them their drinks while the three girls thanked them for it.

"Well our three young mothers are looking great as ever." Sky said as he kissed Bloom who smiled at his comment.

"And we all love one of them." Brandon added as he put an arm around Stella's waist while he sat down next to her. Helia went over to Flora and sat down on one knee while he pulled out a small box.

"Flora, since I 've met you you have made my days more brightly than anyone else before. I love you with all my heart and so I want to ask the most beautiful rose of Linphea to marry me." Helia said as he opened the box to reveal the most beautiful gold ring on which a small platinum flower was placed. Flora was so surprised that she didn't know what to say for a second but when it finally got through to her what he just asked she answered him.

"There wouldn't be any other man I would marry besides you." she answered as she kissed him. Stella then looked at Brandon who already knew what was on her mind. He took her in the arms and told everyone to listen to them.

"As you all know very well Stella and have been a couple for the past four years so we have decided to get engaged a few weeks ago. Now we want to invite all of you to come to our wedding in December." Brandon said as he kissed his fiancé who brightly smiled while Stormy cheered on her lap. All the others were happy when they heard the news about the upcoming wedding.

"What about you two?" Helia asked Sky.

"Well after some heated discussions with the royal court and parliament I am allowed to ask for Bloom's hand." he said as he pulled out a ring himself. He walked over to Bloom who smiled at him.

"It took you long enough to ask for my hand." Bloom said as she accepted the ring. Everybody around them were laughing at Sky who just smiled as he kissed his fiancé.

Solaria, three years later.

Stormy was growing up quickly and she became a very loved girl by the people in the court. She had learned to be gracious, generous and well spoken. She still needed to learn to be more patient and control her fears but Stella took care of that whenever she had the time to spend with her. She was reading a book when Brandon walked in the courtyard.

"Hello dad, is everything all right?" Stormy asked him.

"Everything is fine with me." He answered while he sat down next to her.

"Mum isn't lately. I wonder what is bothering her." she said to Brandon who did know what was going on with Stella but he wasn't going to tell Stormy since he promised Stella that she would tell her what is wrong.

"Dad when is mum finally going to have a baby?" Stormy asked. Brandon just shrugged. For three years they have been married now and the one thing that Stella wanted as soon as they had settled down was to have a child of their own. For some reason she hadn't been able to get pregnant yet but that could possibly change soon. She had an appointment with her gynaecologist to find out why she couldn't get children. Brandon decided to take Stormy inside to meet with Stella since she could be home any time soon. As they both walked through the palace to their suite they didn't say a word. Once they had entered their suite they found Stella crying in the sofa.

"What's wrong, honey?" Brandon asked Stella who looked up at Stormy and Brandon. She then wiped the tears away and asked Stormy to go to her room. Stormy reluctantly left but she figured that she would find out soon enough what was bothering her mother. As soon as Stormy was in her room Stella started to talk.

"Brandon I 've been to the doctor today and he has found out why we still don't have child. During one of the many fights we had with the various foes I somehow must have injured my fallopian tubes. They have been severed from my ovaries and they can't be healed. Even the doctor was surprised since they should be well protected within my body. It seems like my father is right about one thing: Exceptions to the rule confirm the rule. I wish I knew where and when it happened. More importantly, how did it happen?" Stella finished as she started to cry again. Brandon took his wife into his arms and told her that he would always be there for her. Stella dried her tears and then she kissed him.

"We should tell Stormy too. She has been asking when we were going to have a baby for quite some time now."

"Not only that... we should finally tell her the truth about herself. God knows how much she may have figured out by herself now." Stella reminded Brandon.

"Yes she has a right to know what happened four years ago. It will be hard for her to hear she has been an adolescent before. Do you think she will get angry at us for not telling her sooner?" Brandon wondered.

"She has the right to be angry at us for not telling her sooner. I wanted to from the first day she woke up not knowing any more where she was or who she was. I decided not to at the time since it was already confusing enough for her to remember she had escaped the orphanage she actually left years ago." Stella remembered her first day together with Stormy. She looked at Brandon and stood up. Brandon followed her example and together they went to Stormy's room. When they entered they found the little witch reading a book.

"Hey Stormy, there are a few things I want to tell you. Would you please sit next to me." Stella said as she sat down on Stormy's bed. Stormy put her book away and sat next to Stella while Brandon took Stormy's chair and sat down.

"Stormy I want to talk to you about what happened to you four years ago." Stella started but got interrupted by Stormy.

"Is it about how I woke up in your room after having lost 15 years?" Stormy asked.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked.

"Well I remember going to sleep the evening we escaped the orphanage and waking up next to you... 15 years later. That is impossible unless there has been magic involved." Stormy said to Stella.

"You 're right. It is impossible, you have grown up before. You were a very powerful witch. Unfortunately you were an evil witch who has fought us together with your friends. The three of you were stopped by me and my friends on several occasions. When we had beaten you the last time Icy had brewed a very volatile potion which exploded while she wanted to deliver it to us. The three of you got hit by the potion. Icy and Darcy turned into babies whereas you became a six year old again." Stella told Stormy who couldn't believe that she had grown up to be an evil witch herself once.

"Are you telling me the truth?" she asked as Stella nodded.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" Stella asked Stormy who now knew that her mother was telling the truth.

"But if I had been that evil and done a lot of bad things then why did you want to adopt me?"

"I promised the person you used to be that I would see to it that you would be in good hands while you were growing up again. Since I didn't trust anyone else I decided to adopt you myself." Stella said as she put an arm around Stormy's shoulders. Stormy looked up at Stella and started to cry.

"Don't cry honey, it 's all right. You are now a very sweet girl and I will make sure you grow up to be a good witch this time around. What do you say?" Stella promised her.

"Yes, I will do my best not to grow up an evil witch too. How did I look when I was grown up?" she asked Stella.

"I thought you 'd ask that so I found this picture of the three of you." Stella said as she handed Stormy an old picture. Stormy took a close look at the picture.

"I could have dressed better back then, not to mention my hair. It seems like I was having a bad hair day back then." Stormy said as she let her fingers run through her own long curls.

"You actually inherited that fashion sense from me. I want to promise me one thing."

"What?" Stormy asked her mum.

"Don't tell any of this to Icy or Darcy until they are old enough to understand." Stella told her.

"I promise that I won't" Stormy firmly stated "but I want to know something else... why were you just crying?"

"Well Stormy I have found out that because off an injury I will never have children of my own. This means that you will probably grow up to an only child." Stella said as she hugged Stormy who started to feel really bad about it.

"Did I do that to you?" she asked.

"Honestly... I don't know. It could have happened at any time. Don't you worry your pretty head about it. Up till now I have been raising you as my own child and you will always be my daughter for ever." Stella said trying to push back her tears but once she saw Stormy's tears she started to cry too while Brandon comforted them both. Outside the weather changed from a sunny afternoon into a thunderstorm making all the people look at the palace wondering if something bad had happened again.