He invites her out for drinks.

It should be normal. He and Bloom have gone out drinking before; back when that was about the only thing they could do without killing each other. She would limit herself - normally because she had to portal back to Magix directly afterwards - but somehow that didn't matter. Being in a crowded place surrounded by people who had no idea who they were was...almost a comfort. There were no strings attached to anything, like there would be in Magix.

Baltor chuckles to himself and takes a drink. As if you would be able to sit in a bar anywhere in the magical dimension anymore.

He briefly wonders how he got to this point. From plotting demises, carrying out attacks, and working undercover to undermine social hierarchy to now; sitting on a magic-less planet, watching commentary on the Olympic games, and waiting for his girlfriend to show up.

His...girlfriend.

His girlfriend that he once dedicated his life to destroying.

Baltor stares at the wall for a few moments before lifting the scotch back to his lips and downing the remainder in a single gulp.

Girlfriend isn't the right word in his mind. In a way it's too domestic; too simple for what the two of them have gone through. But at the same time there isn't a word to describe two people who once hated each other slowly growing closer out of fear of eternal isolation, then slowly becoming attracted to each other until they admitted said attraction. Friends to lovers maybe, but Bloom isn't his lover.

At least, she isn't his lover yet.

He's spared going down that line of thought, but only because he feels a warm sensation in the back of his mind. A moment later there's a hand on his shoulder, and lips press against his cheek. "Sorry I'm late."

Bloom sits down next to him, throwing her denim jacket over the back of the barstool. She looks slightly disheveled, as if she'd raced to get here on time. Baltor looks from her slightly reddened cheeks to her clothes -

And he can't help but laugh.

Bloom looks over at him, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"I just don't think I've ever seen you look so...so much like a teenage Alfea fairy."

She glances down at the hot pink shirt and skirt. "It's not that bad...is it?"

"Well I usually assume you come here right from class, but this is the first time I've ever been certain."

Bloom rolls her eyes and flags down the bartender to order a drink.

"ID please, love. And you mate; another scotch?"

Baltor forces himself to keep a straight face as Bloom reaches into her pocket with an indignant look. "Beer, actually. Something dark; whatever you recommend."

"Coming up...thank you, miss. Would've pegged you around seventeen; sorry about that."

"That's fine." Bloom gives him a very kind smile that slips off her face the minute he turns away. "Seventeen?" she mutters, sounding almost offended.

He does chuckle at that. "I told you; teenage Alfea fairy."

"You've never said I looked like one before. And neither has anyone else, for that matter."

"You normally don't dress like one."

There's a pause. "I didn't realize it was that bad."

Baltor pauses at her change in tone. "I'm not saying it's bad. It's more...ironic." Bloom raises an eyebrow and he continues. "By all accounts if Faragonda knew what you've been up to as of late, you'd be thrown out before you could throw up a defense shield.

"Maybe it's more of my own personal perception, though. You look very much like the darling of Magix." There's a pause as he takes in the look on her face. "Is everything all right?"

Bloom glances over at him; she had turned to watch the larger television above the bar, currently showing playbacks from the ice skating competition. "Huh?"

"You normally aren't so distracted. Or defensive."

There's a sigh, and she rests her head on her hand. "Sorry. It's been stressful lately."

He reaches out and runs a hand through her hair, fingering the bright red strands as he goes. It's a familiar gesture; something he'd done even before the beach. Everything else had an underlying air of new territory, and with it new complications. Even minutes ago Baltor had forced himself not to tense at Bloom's lips on his skin. Because kissing her after months of longing, with passion flaring in his chest was one thing. But when that fire lay dormant, things almost seem unnecessary, more...wrong. Like the universe is pressing in around them to judge. And it did not like where things were going.

Baltor forces the feeling of guilt down. He's never cared what the universe thinks of him: that's not about to change. "And do you just plan to sit there simmering in said stress, or are you going to enlighten me?"

That small smile comes back to her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If I told you I saw something completely impossible, and that I was the only one who did see it, and I was so sure even though there's no evidence to back me up...would you believe me?"

He blinks. This isn't where he expected the conversation to go. "I think it would depend on what you told me."

"Two weeks ago, the girls and I were in Egypt -"

"Causing a cool two million in damages to Alexandria, according to the news."

Bloom swats at his hand, still combing through her bangs. "We were looking for a diary in the old library. And when I was in there by myself I...I saw someone I knew."

"Someone you knew from Alfea?"

"No, someone from here; from Earth. I had grown up with her, and - I don't know how she could've gotten in or out of the library without detection. Not unless…"

Baltor picks up on her meaning. "Not unless she has powers." He pulls his hand back, drumming his fingers on the bartop. "No one saw her?"

"Not the Winx, not Daphne, not the students we were travelling with. It's like she was a ghost."

"Who is she, then?"

"Her name is Selina - Selina King." Bloom pulls her phone out and taps at it. A moment later Baltor feels his go off in his pocket. He reaches for it and slides his finger up the screen. A picture pops up - from a yearbook, showing a girl with layered platinum hair and dark eyes.

The look in them makes Baltor feel uneasy.

"- most recent picture I can find," Bloom is saying. "After she graduated, it's like she vanished. No friends, no social media, nothing. She told an old acquaintance of ours she was going to college overseas, but zero contact after that."

"Which would be enough time for her to find a magic tutor." He puts the phone down. "What do you think she was doing there?"

"That's what I want to ask her. We were in Egypt to find a diary that belonged to an elder Alfea fairy that resides on Earth. Someone named Eldora."

For the first time, Baltor doesn't have a clue who she's talking about. "So this fairy has been here all this time, unbeknownst to Tir Nan Og, evaded Ogron, and now shows up around the same time as this friend of yours, who has mysteriously vanished?"

Bloom sighs in relief and nods. "Please tell me you believe me."

"I do. I'm just not sure where you want me to start looking up background information."

"What? No! I-I didn't -" she stops, takes a long breath. "I don't want to guilt you into dropping everything to chase a ghost for me."

He smirks at that. "It wouldn't be the first time you asked."

"I know, but...things are supposed to be different now."

Ah. There it was.

Baltor pushes past his apprehension and puts his hand on the bartop, palm up. "Bloom," he starts, and crooks his index finger in her direction. "Are you saying I've been fired as your personal-librarian-slash-pet-project?"

She laughs, then reaches over and slips her hand into his. They fit well together. "I thought you always hated being my personal librarian-slash-pet-project."

"In some ways," he admits. "But this...shift between us does mean everything has to be different. It shouldn't all be different."

"I know that," Bloom says, and her tone makes Baltor believe she truly does. "I guess I'm just...still not sure where to draw the new lines. You said you didn't know how this would work and I laughed you off, but what if…"

The rest of the sentence hangs unspoken between them. What if we mess everything up?

He rubs small circles into the back of her hand. "If you remember laughing me off, you should also remember what I told you about going forward with this."

Bloom smiles. "Stumbling forward like we always do."

"Yes. Which does not mean place me in a box like one of your ridiculous Specialists." She laughs at that, and he can't help but smile, just a little. "If it takes time to find these new lines, then so be it. I don't exactly have other places to be."

Her face relaxes, and Baltor knows he's eased her worry, at least for a little way. It's a good thing, because in a way it makes him feel better too. "Okay, okay, you're right," Bloom says. "Less worrying, more normalcy. Though...doesn't that imply nothing's changed at all?"

"Well...not if things are added."

"Define added."

A thought comes into Baltor's head then, sudden and unusually bold for him. Normally he would push it away, writing it off as a fantasy, but instead he grasps onto it. He stands then, still holding Bloom's hand, and he fishes in his jacket pocket for a twenty. "Have you ever been to Venice?"

Bloom smirks and slowly shakes her head. "Why?"

"Sibylla is convinced there's a spellbook on oceans in an old library. It's a tourist trinket shop right now, but with a bit of persuasion and an x-ray spell, I think it could be fairly easy to track down. Maybe take in a few sights while we're there."

She stands too. "Is this a reconnaissance mission or a date?"

"I'm...not sure. I suppose we'll find out when we get there. If you'd like to come, that is."

"You know what? I'd love to."

You're damn right I'm making fun of the Season 6 outfits. Things were ugly as hell.

This chapter takes place between episodes 608 and 609.

I know, I know; it's been a long time. I've got a plan to make it up to you guys; pinkie promise.