A/N: There's more of Stella and Brandon this chapter!

The story takes place around the time of season three for the person who asked only with my own twists lol. If you recognize the chapter title, then you must know the song, and just maayybeee why I chose it!

By the way, would anyone prefer a certain characters POV instead of third person? R&R

"Why can't I get it right?
Just can't let it go
I opened up, she let me down
I won't feel that no more
I got memories, this is crazy
She ain't nothing like the girl I used to know"

Chapter 11: Icebox

"Poor Musa, how could this happen?" Stella asked.

"I have my suspicions…", Tecna said dryly, looking at Riven.

"I wonder where the guys are", Flora said, still worried about Helia. The battle at Alfea had been one of the worst and she knew how much energy it took out of everyone. The specialists particularly, being that they lacked magical powers.

"I wouldn't know, Brandon still won't speak to me", Stella said sadly, glancing at Brandon who sat on the opposite side of the corridor.

She wanted nothing more than to walk over to him and simply make up. But something about his expression stopped her. He looked angry and tense. Was he really still that upset? Of course they´ve had fights before but she had never seen him like this...

"What happened?" Layla asked.

"Well, nothing really. We were on a date and I casually mentioned a conversation I had with Bishop and-"

"You told him about Bishop? As in, the same Bishop that's been hitting on you?" Tecna asked her, in disbelief.

"Of course I did! And I don't see what the problem is either! It was a completely innocent conversation. Besides, isn't honesty fundamental in any relationship?" she asked.

"Didn't you ever stop to think that it doesn't matter what you and Bishop spoke about? The only thing Brandon probably cares about is the fact you spoke to him in the first place", Flora told her.

"Well, yeah. He did mention something along those lines…" Stella vaguely replied.

"Besides, that Bishop guy really seems to like you! Timmy says he heard him talking about you to the other specialists", Tecna added.

"This can't be good…" Stella said, rubbing her forehead.

"Brandon´s just jealous, Stella. You know how guys are. Just give him some time", Layla told her.

"I sure hope your right", she answered.

"Guys, where do you think Bloom is now?" Flora asked. Musa´s accident happened at such a critical moment and it was a strain on everyone.

"Not even Ms. Faragonda knows...poor Sky..." she said, looking in his direction.

They were waiting just outside Musa´s room in the medical wing. Professor Paladium who also had medical knowledge was helping to attend her. On one end of the corridor sat Riven, completely silent and motionless as stone along with the rest of the specialist, including Sky who was just as devastated. On the other side sat Jared with the rest of the winx, excluding Bloom.

"Girls! I came as soon as I heard! How's Musa?" a woman asked breathless, nearly running into the medical wing.

"We still don't know Nyssa; the nurse hasn't said a thing!" Stella answered. Nyssa or Nyssee, as the girls often called her, was Musa´s possible manager. She had heard her singing during a show at Alfea not too far back. Apparently Nyssa was a close friend of Ms. Faragonda´s, who invited her when she found out that Musa would be singing at the show. She loved Musa´s voice and felt she had true talent. Ever since, they´d been working on songs together, developing further her musical ability first.

"I hope she's alright, Musa´s a fighter", she said, taking a seat with the winx.

Layla glanced at Riven and walked toward him.

"Hey", she said quietly, sitting next to him.

"Hey", he said, not bothering to look up.

"So, long time no see",

"Yeah…and I probably should´ve kept it that way…" he said grudgingly.

"Riven, what happened was an accident…it was no one's fault. Don't blame yourself", she said carefully. Knowing her best friend the way she did, she was sure it must have been a shock for Musa to see Riven after missing him for so long. But she didn't think for even a second that Riven was responsible, surely he didn't expect her to react that way, let alone for her to get physically hurt.

"Layla I´d appreciate it if you didn't try to cover up the sun with one finger. I came back because I thought Musa needed me. Because I wanted to show her how much I´ve changed. But she has a whole other life now, she has a new relationship…and I shouldn't have come back. All I've done is ruin things! Even when I don't want to hurt her, I still do", he said, distraught.

"Wait a minute, Riven, you really think Musa has a boyfriend?" Layla asked him in disbelief,

"Of course she does, she's with Jared isn't she?" he said, irritated.

"Riven, Jared and Musa aren't a couple. They´re just friends. Sure they´ve gone out a couple of times but that doesn't mean they´re together",

"Yeah? Well, what kind of friends kiss the way they did?" he asked defiantly.

"Come again?"

"Layla I saw them myself! When I arrived at Magix this morning I came to Alfea first to see Musa, and I found her kissing Jared. And they looked an awful lot like a couple to me!" he said. Layla was speechless for a moment. Had Musa really accepted Jared´s offer? That was strange, Musa shared everything with her, why wouldn't she say anything about this?

From his end, Jared glanced at Riven darkly. Everything was going perfectly until he showed up again. Without Riven in the picture, Musa had finally opened up to him, and they were closer than ever to being a couple. But the moment she and Riven saw each other, he saw that look in her eyes again. The same look she had when he had asked her out about a year ago. He knew for a fact that she and Riven weren´t exactly a couple, so, motivated by Riven himself, he took a shot and asked Musa on a date. The moment she rejected him he had a feeling it had to do with a heartbreak of some sort. Later on, he found out that Musa was somehow involved with Riven, so he swore to keep his distance. But now that she was single and trying to mend the wounds that Riven left her, he knew he was the perfect one to help her heal.

Riven on the other hand, was only capable of hurting her even more. Jared knew he was the right one for Musa and he would do whatever it took to show her!

While they were waiting, a messenger pixie arrived.

"Princess Layla!"

"Hey Athena!" she greeted.

"Hello Winx, princess Layla your parents, the King and Queen of Andros are here. They wish to see you urgently!" she said.

Layla turned and gave the winx a worried look. Her parents wouldn't make such a long trip without a strong reason. Heck they even announced her engagement through a letter! What now?

Bloom finished her meal and lied down on her side, looking towards the window. Ms. Faragonda was one of the closest and most influential people in her life. Ever since discovering her magical powers, the headmistress had been her guide towards learning how to understand them. She was supposed to help her discover who she really was, not hide it from her. No matter how she analyzed the situation, she couldn't find any possible reasons for Ms. Faragonda not to tell her everything she knew. Unless…

She did mention after the battle with the army of Decay that her dragon flame could be very dangerous if fallen into the wrong hands, she said it was a greatly desired power by many, especially the ancestral witches…

But that was no reason to hide her origins from her, there was just no logical explanation. She sighed, realizing she was beginning to sound a lot like Tecna. …the winx…

She wondered what they were up to. Had they realized she was missing? Had Sky? Sky, she missed him more than anything….

There was a knock on the door and Valtor walked in for the second time that day.

"It's noon, I figured you´d like to leave the room and see the rest of the place at least", he said chuckling.

"I'm fine where I am", she said stubbornly, not bothering to look at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Bloom you´re in a healing state, granted you need your rest but you must also walk. It's the only way for me to see that you're making progress", he told her sternly.

"I do feel better, don't worry about me", she said.

"You´re just as stubborn as your mother. You leave me no other choice", he said calmly. Without warning, he walked over to the bed and picked Bloom up easily, carrying her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Have you lost your mind?! Valtor, I said I´m not going anywhere!" she yelled desperately. Seeing as how the wizard had no reaction whatsoever, she was beginning to give up. Was this man cold or what…?

Calmly, he set her down in what seemed to be a small living room. It occurred to her that she still didn't know where they were. Judging by the circular form of the room, it looked like they were in a cabin. And surprisingly, it had a very welcoming decoration. There was another window in this room only it was enormous. It reminded her of the one in Ms. Faragonda´s office. And through it she could see the wizard was right. The sun was a golden-orange color over the horizon, setting slowly. Somewhere in the magical dimension, she had a feeling that her family was staring at the same sun.

"What is this place…?" she asked him, gazing at the view.

"I thought you might like it here. It's a realm not too far from Domino. Not many know about it but that what makes it so… exceptional. It's calm and quiet. Just the way I enjoy it", he said, standing by a fireplace on one end of the room. She contemplated his rigid, tall frame. He was wearing a white button down shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, making his arms and chest look all the more strong and well-built. Seeing this composed side of him made the guy seem half decent, but he was still an enemy and she couldn't allow herself to trust him entirely.

"Well if it's so close to Domino, why isn't it freezing cold?" she blurted,

"Domino wasn't always an ice cold realm, Bloom. It was much like this place, only that it was greatly inhabited. See, because the great dragon chose Domino to be its home, it was a very popular realm. When people looked for a place to settle or to establish a business, Domino was usually the first choice. Of course other realms like Eraklyon and Zenith were also among the list of prosperous kingdoms. But Domino was generally in the lead", he told her.

"How is it that you know so much about Domino? I thought Obsidian was your home?"

"All in time Bloom. I told you this once and I´ll say it again. I´m not like that headmistress of yours. I will tell you everything you need to know in time", he said.

"I think now is a good a time as any", she said obstinately. Valtor sighed.

"Your lack of patience is excruciating", he said to her, taking a seat near the fireplace.

"I´m sitting here with you, aren't I? I should be out there with my friends and with Sky! Fighting by their side! Not sitting here listening to your stories! Doesn't that count as patience on my part?" she asked. Valtor stifled his laugh.

"Very well then, have it your way. Let's just say that the ancestresses were very…fond of Domino, therefore, that gave me the opportunity to see the realm whenever I was brought out of Obsidian with them, both me and Mandragora",

"Mandragora?"

"Another creation of the three witches. She remains at the very gates of Obsidian, where she keeps guard", he said and remained silent for a moment.

"I was also an admirer of your mother´s. The Queen was remarkable", he said solemnly. Bloom sat quietly, listening to the crackling sound of the fire. She had never actually seen her mother before, not in person anyway. According to , all records of them were put away after the attack on Domino, years back. Of course, now she understood why. Obviously she wouldn't find anything on her family at Alfea´s library, Faragonda and her parents had been close friends, it was only natural for her not to want to remember the events of that misfortune.

"Valtor why am I here? And I mean, really, why do you want me with you? What good would I be?" she asked suddenly. Why was she hearing all of this now? After nearly twenty years of living a completely different life, of living completely oblivious to her reality, why now? And why him?

"Bloom, I…" he said, pausing.

"Yours is the light by which my spirit's born, you´re of more importance to me than you can imagine" he said, before standing up and leaving the room, and leaving Bloom to repeat his words over and over again in her thoughts.

The sun was nearly down, painting the sky of a reddish color now. She wondered what the horizon looked like in Domino. So far, she was beyond intrigued. Valtor spoke to her about a beautiful home realm she had never even dreamed of. She stood up and gazed through the window.

Not far from Domino, huh? Beyond those mountains was her home…

"Mom, dad!" Layla greeted as she rushed into the office where her parents waited for her.

"Sweetheart, it's good to see you. Unfortunately this isn't a courtesy visit. We came as soon as we could. There's something your father and I must tell you", her mother said.

"Well, what is it? You're scaring me. Is it about my engagement?" she asked them warily.

"Not at all, it's about your cousin, Tritannus. He´s taken over the Infinite Ocean Layla, apparently he´s working with that...that... wizard! Valtor!" her father said, angrily.

"Tritannus? And...Valtor?! Father that can't be true, it's absurd! Why would my cousin form an alliance with someone so malevolent?!" She asked, incredulous.

"That's precisely what we don't understand, my dear. We´ve always known Tritannus to have a strong temper, and to be rather ambitious. But no one knows what could have driven him to do such a thing! The mermaids and Tritons have come to Andros to inform us, even they don't understand", her mother told her.

"Valtor..." Layla murmured through gritted teeth. It was his fault, everything was! She had a feeling that he also had something to do with Bloom disappearing in mid battle. But this had gone far enough.

"The worst part is we haven't heard from Neptune or Ligea in weeks, we´ve tried contacting them but it's no use!" Queen Niobe said.

"A few of the tritons say they saw him with a woman...tall, thin, white hair and she possesses Ice-like magical powers" her father commented.

"White hair...ice powers? This doesnt make any sense! That sounds just like Icy, but how would Tritannus possibly know her? Of all people?!" Layla exclaimed.

"We feel just as perplexed as you, dear", the King told her.

"Mother, father. Please let me handle this. Trust me...! Valtor has hurt way too many of the people I care about! Even Bloom´s missing and I´m sure it's his fault!" she said to them, her mother gasped.

"The fairy of the dragon´s flame? Oh dear..." Layla nodded.

"I´ll take care of this, I promise", she said, holding each of their hands. She would save her people and her friends. One way or another.

In the medical wing, Sky was growing tired of waiting for news. He had royal guards from Eraklyon come to Magix to help search for Bloom.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. He excused himself and left the medical wing to make a phone call.

"Roland, please tell me you´ve found something?" he asked the guard who was leading the search.

"Not yet my King, we´ve searched every inch of the city and no one has seen her or the wizard, sire", he replied. Sky sighed, deeply this time.

"Please, keep searching! I know you must all be exhausted but we must find Bloom! She can't be in Valtor´s hands, her life could be in danger! Extend the search area if necessary, please do whatever it takes!" he ordered.

"Yes, my King, we´ll report to you immediately if we have any news. Good evening", the guard said, ending the call.

Where could Bloom be? It didn't surprise him that nobody in Magix had seen Bloom. Valtor was a wizard and a very powerful one at that. If it were truly him who kidnapped his girlfriend, surely he must have used some sort of spell to keep her hidden. He couldn't stand the idea of Bloom being alone with him! All he wanted was to run out of the school and go searching for her himself! But everyone, including the headmistress had convinced him that it was a crazy idea. So for Bloom´s sake he had to stay put...but not for long. This was a fight he wasn't willing to lose. He wasn't going to lose what he loved most...Bloom...

"Sky, any news on Bloom yet?" Brandon asked, walking up to him.

"Nothing yet. No one in Magix has even seen her!" he said,

"Hey how about you, did you talk to Stella?" he asked remembering Brandon´s fight with Bishop earlier.

"How can I? I can't stop thinking about what that jerk told me!" he said.

"Brandon, I think that's exactly what he wants, don't give in, come on I really don't think its Stella´s fault", Sky told him rolling his eyes.

"It's not that easy, man. I know this is a bad time for examples, but how would you feel if it were Bloom he was talking about? And what if you found out Bloom was too busy talking to him to spend time with you?" He said, frustrated. Sky knew Brandon had a point but he was easily being driven by his jealousy, poor Stella...

"Listen, I get what you're saying but give her a chance. All of the winx have been busy battling and training lately, I don't think Bishop´s the reason for her distance. Just hear her out", Sky said, trying to reason with him for Stella´s sake. He knew it was what Bloom would´ve wanted.

"I´ll think about it..." he said glancing at his blond girlfriend from the other side of the hallway. She was beautiful; gorgeous really...he knew it was only natural for her to receive so much attention. But listening to Bishop gloat about how he was in love with her, or about how he was getting her attention, it made his blood boil.

Bishop was looking and treating Stella as if she were some sort of trophy, it was as if he took pride in telling people that he was trying to get the princess of Solaria to fall for him, and that he was winning. Who wouldn't want a wealthy and famous princess to fall in love with them? Only a shallow person like Bishop would see it as just that, a competition to win the heart of a princess, a trophy for his collection and nothing more. Brandon never cared for her title, despite how much weight it laid on them both. He wanted Stella and nothing more. In fact he had always been afraid that she would reject him when she found out he wasn't really a prince, or even a noble. But seeing that Stella didn't care for titles either, he won her heart and handed his over as well.

I won't lose Stella...especially not to him...If he wants a fight, then he´s got one!

"Diaspro...is everything okay?" Daphne asked, after finding her sister sitting alone in the conference room, fuming.

"I´m fine", she answered curtly.

"Diaspro if you wish to talk you know I-"she began,

"Daphne enough! I said I don't need to talk, nor do I want to! I need to be alone", she snapped and rolled her eyes at her while trudging out of the room in her expensive high heels. Daphne stood there, staring in awe...what was wrong with Bloom...? Or Diaspro, as they now called her...

Her sister wasn't the same sweet person she was when she first arrived, not too frequently anyway. Little by little she was becoming loathsome, acting strangely, and snapping at the servants who Daphne on the other hand, treated as family. What's going on...she thought. Is this why Valtor handed her over so easily? Because he brainwashed her? Her aura...it wasn't the same aura from two years ago when she helped her sister gain back her dragon flame during the battle of Decay. Something changed, something wasn't right. Diaspro was obviously stressed and Daphne had a feeling that the woman who came to see her was behind it, she would do whatever it took to help her sister. Now that Diaspro was back with the family, Daphne would protect her at all cost!