Merry Christmas everyone!

Klaus, bless the man, must have had the patience of a saint to sit through three different stories of all of the events that had happened the last few weeks. Granted, he must be used to weird things, given the fact that he had raised two fairies and was still learning about the world of magic.

"Well," Klaus said, when Nyx finished her version. "All I can say is, welcome to the family, Duman."

There was a moment of silence, where Nyx, Roxy, and Duman all looked at each other.

"Oh, please, you thought I was going to tell him to walk away? No, no, no," Klaus shook his head. "I may be a bit mean at times, kids, but I'm not heartless. I can clearly see the resemblance between Nyx and Duman, in more than just looks, it's creepy how similar your attitudes are. I'm not going to keep family away from each other. For goodness sake, if I had found both of you on the streets the night I found Nyx, I would have taken you both in!"

"Thanks for listening, dad," Roxy smiled. She stood up and leaned over the bar, hugging her father.

"Yeah..." Duman blinked, owlishly, "Thanks."

Nyx just let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you. Now, Dee, we gotta figure out where you're going to stay while you get your feet under you."

Duman stared at her.

"What?"

"You called me 'Dee'. That was your old nickname for me," Duman said. "I... guess I thought I'd never hear that again."

Nyx smiled, though it was small, "I remember you used to call me alley cat and Nyxie Sticks."

"Cause you were a little alley cat. You always managed to find the most insane hiding spots-"

"I was taught by the best-"

"Nearly put me in an early grave-"

"You can have the guest room in our house," Klaus cut in, catching the duo's attention.

"What? No, no, no, you've already done so much, I can't-" Duman tried.

"It's not a suggestion," Klaus said, firmly. He turned to Roxy and Nyx, "Why don't you girls take the night off, and go help Duman get settled in? The boys can cover your shifts."

"You sure?" Roxy asked, even as she was taking her apron off.

"I'm sure. Get some rest, kids. All three of you look dead on your feet,"

The relative peace lasted for almost two weeks. During that time, the Winx questioned Duman on the Black Circle's motives and possible next moves. The six girls also tried to get the people of Earth to believe in magic, without much success. The girls who seemed most at ease around the shapeshifter were Stella (who was all to excited to give Duman a full blown makeover, much to Duman's annoyance), Bloom (who seemed to understand about having to suddenly adjust to a new world), and Musa (who knew what it was like to lose someone).

Duman struggled to adjust to the sudden change in his life, which included being a sudden, bigger presence in Nyx's life. He barely lasted five days of being in the Hunter house with nothing to do, before Roxy brought up that on the days she and Nyx were in school, Klaus needed an extra hand at the Frutti Music Bar. Thus, Duman ended up with a job as a bartender and waiter. He was surprised when the specialists all took him in with open arms. He had half expected them to give him a cold shoulder.

Nyx went from a zero to a ten in less than twenty four hours after Duman left the Black Circle. She laughed more, talked more, and managed to stick with crowds longer than she had before. Then again, Nyx had a piece of herself recovered that she hadn't known was missing, up until a few weeks ago.

"I hope Musa's audition goes well," Stella's voice snapped Duman out of his thoughts. "She's been so excited for this!"

"If Riven can keep his pride and jealousy from being an issue," Duman commented, yelping as Nyx punched him in the arm. "Hey! I'm just saying! You and I both know that he's got an issue with his... issues."

"Eloquent," Nyx deadpanned.

"Ah, senorita, you have too much faith in me. I'm not the silver tongue around here-"

Duman was cut off, hissing and clamping his hands over his ears as the sound of sirens filled the air. Up the street, a firetruck turned, roaring by the group of eight.

"Oh!" Tecna exclaimed, as her phone began to beep, "There's a fire, not even a few blocks from here! It's an apartment building!"

There was a moment of silence, before Nyx sighed, "You girls are gonna go see if you can help, aren't you?"

"Let's go, girls! Winx, Believix!"

"What do you say, should we go too?" Nyx elbowed her brother, "I have a feeling you could use a little bit of action."

"Fine," Duman rolled his eyes. He stretched, cracking a few kinks in his neck and back, "Hey, Roxy, maybe you should go home."

"Agreed. You may have magic, but it's still not safe for a fairy that hasn't earned any transformations yet," Aisha spoke up.

"Okay. Be safe guys!" Roxy said.

Next to Duman, Nyx transformed. He did a double take, staring, "When did you upgrade? Is that your... Enchantix?"

"Warehouse, when Roxy was possessed," Nyx winked. "Saving someone from my own planet and all."

Oh. Right.

"Race ya!" Nyx suddenly took to the air, and flew away.

"Hey, no fair!" Duman shifted into the form of a bird, and took off after her.

"There's dark magic here," Nyx frowned, coming to a stop and hovering in the middle of a smoke filled hallway. She looked down at the dog under her feet, "Do you feel it?"

"Unfortunately," Duman commented. He looked up, "How much you wanna bet that the others have figured it out too?"

"Maybe. Let's get all civillians out first. Do you hear any body else?"

Duman tilted his head, perking his ears. At first, he only heard the crackle of flames, felt the heard under his paws. Then...

"Up higher, I hear a kid," Duman barked. He lunged for the staircase, "Follow me!"

Nyx's wings fluttered as she took off after her brother, weaving through the flames and briefly losing track of her brother in the dark smoke, "Slow down! I can't see as well as you can!"

Soon enough, Nyx found Duman, nosing gently at a little girl who couldn't be much older than six or seven, hiding in a corner farthest away from the flames. She was crying, clutching on to the dark fur Duman sported.

"Nyx!" The girl turned as Bloom, Flora, and Aisha flew in.

"Aisha, Bloom, fight the flames," Nyx said. "Flora, can you get the smoke out of here?"

"Of course. Winter Rose!" Flora waved a hand full of green energy, and vines sprung up from the floor, wrapping around the little girl and Duman, shielding them from the heavy air.

"Morphix Wave!" Aisha swept her hand around towards the fire, her water magic effectively combating the heat.

"Good job, Aisha!" Bloom smiled, but her good mood quickly faded as the ceiling above Nyx began to fall.

"Nyx!" Duman barked out, panic lacing his voice.

"Fire Arrow!" Bloom sent her attack towards the flaming pieces of wood, knocking them out of the air and through a nearby window. Glass shattered, and a burst of air rushed in, sending the flames in the doorway up higher.

Nyx coughed as ash rained down on her, stumbling away and rubbing her eyes, "I'm good! I'm fine, really! The girl, get the girl to the window!"

Luckily, a fireman was there, waiting on them, "Quickly, hand her to me! Come on!"

"Come on, let's go, sweetie," Flora took the girl into her arms and rushed over to the window, handing her over to the fireman. "You did so well, you were very brave."

"Thank you!" The girl cried, as the two descended down the ladder.

"Whew, anymore victims, Dee?" Nyx exhaled heavily in relief.

"Not that I hear," Duman tilted his head both ways. "But can we all agree we sense the dark magic in the flames?"

"Yes," Bloom nodded. "It feels like it's coming from the basement of the building."

"... that's not ominous at all," Nyx said, right as the building creaked. "How much you want to bet that if we go down there, the Wizards are gonna try to stall us for as long as it takes the building to collpase on us."

"We need to find Ogron, though, and see what he's doing here. Come on!" Bloom, Aisha, and Flora all flew out the door.

"Do those girls ever listen to reason?" Duman asked, shifting back up into his human form next to Nyx.

"Somehow, I doubt it," Nyx sighed. "Come on!"

.

.

.

They heard Ogron's laughter before they saw him, "You can't imagine how much I enjoyed setting this building on fire, Bloom!"

"Ese bastardo sádico," Duman growled under his breath, as he and Nyx crept along the wall.

"You mean to tell me you risked the lives of innocent people- for what?!" Bloom exclaimed.

"I'm willing to go to any lengths to get my hands on the White Circle!" Ogron shouted back, and around them, the flames crackled higher, "Now give it to us, or prepare for your fate to be sealed!"

There was distinct shift in the air, a magical one, as the air suddenly smelled more electric than smoke.

"Get down!" Duman grabbed Nyx, and took her to the floor, just as the wall beside them exploded into gravel. Smoke poured out and the flames greedily took the new air offered to them, reaching up to new heights.

Nyx wheezed, and waved her hand, clearing the air around the two of smoke and ash. She looked up, taking in the scene before her.

In the middle of the room, Bloom and Ogron stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the girl. Next to her, Nyx sensed Duman rise to his feet, seeing from the corner of her eye as he brushed his shoulders off, only succeeding in smearing ash into the cloth of his jacket.

Nyx eyed Ogron, seeing the redhead's upper lip curl back. The action caused the marks over the left side of his face to ripple, and Nyx's lips curled into an evil looking smirk, "Mm... Nice scars, red. Looks like Duman got you good."

"Not good enough if he's still alive!" Duman snapped, fangs flashing, "How about round two, Ogron?!"

"Get them!" Ogron snapped, "Duman is mine!"

Nyx took to the air, right as Duman snarled and shifted into the form a black wolf.

"Oh, Nyxie," a voice sang, and Nyx turned, yelping and barely dodging a fist aimed at her face. Once she righted herself, she found herself face to face with Anagan, "Don't you look good, even as a mess."

"The only mess here is the one you three have made," Nyx and Anagan circled each other, unintentionally mirroring Duman and Ogron below them. "Duman told me what happened... you left him conviently close to where we'd be. You could have finished him off in the state he was in, if you wanted to... why didn't you?"

"What can I say... I like your brother," Anagan glanced down, something indecipherable in his eyes. "He's got more backbone than I ever had."

"... you don't agree with Ogron," Nyx murmured. "Anagan... come on. I see it in you. Put the path of darkness behind you, like Duman did."

"Duman had a reason to," Anagan bristled. "He had you."

"And you have yourself," Nyx held her hand out. "Come on Anagan. You know what Ogron is doing is wrong. Why be a part of that when you can be a part of something bigger?"

Anagan's fingers twitched, his gaze flickering between Nyx's eyes and her outstretched hand, "Say I did join you... what's in it for me?"

"Redemption," Nyx said. "A better life than what you have now."

Anagan frowned, reaching out slowly, fingers curling in with Nyx's gloved hand. Nyx smiled, and looked up-

Only to scream in fear and pain as Anagan suddenly spun in a quick circle and threw her through the fire, slamming her into a wall.

"Nyx!" Duman yelled, distracted.

Ogron sneered, taking his chance. He drew his leg back and kicked a burning pile of wood at the shifter. Duman yelped as the embers rained down into his eyes, causing him to shake his head and shift back into his human form, rubbing at his eyes.

"Hah! Like I would abandon Ogron like Duman did!" Anagan landed on the floor in front of an unconsious Nyx, "Now why don't you just lay there while we finish your friends off for good..."

"Autumn Wind!" Flora cried, and her spell circled Anagan, only succeeding in fixing his attention on her, "Why didn't that work?"

"There's more dark magic here right now than there is positive!" Gantlos laughed, "None of you stand a chance!"