She saw the little annoyance coming from a mile away, the papers in hand and a wicked smirk on her face. She has little patience for this kind of crap from her, her nerves were frayed by Stormy's actions and Darcy's bout of depression.

As it stands now there was no room for Lucy's sucking up right now.

"Icy." she regret standing out in the crowd like this as the Freshmen approached her with the homework in on hand and the look of "I want to hang out" on her face which disgusted the winter witch. "Finished them today like you said and with extra credit."

"Good." Icy snatched up the papers from Lucy's hand as she watched for anyone that would turn her in, "next time don't be so public."

"Maybe next time we can meet at your dorm or mine."

Not even if I had ogres ripping me apart bone by bone. Icy wanted to say but something clicked, she could play her cards right there might be a chance of getting back at Stormy. Putting on some charm Icy played out the rarely seen friendly angle, "all right. Maybe next we can meet at your room." the look Lucy had was a mixture of shock, delight and eagerness which sickened her to a degree. If it was not for the family dispute she would had used her ice coffin on the Freshmen right there and then. Walking away from the sickening scene a plan was forming in her mind for when she met up with her sister it is going to get very ugly very fast.

(-)

"I'm telling you, I do not have a surprise date with Brandon." Bloom wonder where does Stella gets these things is beyond her but the last hour the two has done nothing but trying to figure out which dress goes with the butterfly clips. Stella ignored her before pulling out a shimmery silver top.

"Musa said you had a date planned." Stella held the top up to Bloom then shook her head, "nope, goes against the hair."

"Stella." the redhead took her blonde friend by the shoulders trying to get through to her, "I do NOT have a date with anyone."

Stella looked a bit confused but now it had sunken in that Musa had lied about the whole date thing. Feeling a little hurt she slowly put the top away but then lifted out a purple blouse. "How about a night out on the town?"

"Stella." Bloom dragged out her name a bit as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, she has some homework that has to be done before the next exam. Stella held up the blouse to her, "Stella!"

"What?"

"I have a paper to finish and I just started just before you came in." Bloom waved a hand towards a few blank pieces of paper sitting on the desk. Stella took the hint and slowly lowered the blouse causing Bloom to feel bad. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to snap at you."

"No, you're right. I better go now."

"Stella wait," Bloom reach out to stop her friend from leaving her room in such a down state. "I promise if I get this finished and I pass maybe we will have a night on the town."

Stella smiled as she nodded. Feeling better she had gone to leave but stopped for a second to say one last thing. "And I'll invite the boys along too, I know how much you want to ask Brandon out."

"STELLA!"

(-)

Police work was not a specialist's job. It is more for the I.D.S. or M.P.P.D. which went to a different academy but Riven was willing to make an exception for Darcy, even if he can get back with her. A little deluded but determined he had pressured Timmy into hacking into the M.P.P.D.'s mainframe and catching the suspect's image from the archives and last known address and went off into the more "undesirable" part of Magix.

It has been sometime since he came to a place as bad as this. The buildings were old, worn and appeared abandoned from the outside with graffiti sprayed on many of the walls. There was alleyways that some guys back at Red Fountain will not go down even if one pays them, Riven scoffed a bit as he considers them pussies. He paused for a moment at an intersection to get a good deep breath of the grimy air it felt like something he had not experienced in a long time.

It felt like home.

Walking a bit he had encountered some less then savory people that gave strange looked which he would in turn gave a dirty one back. He stopped before the building where the suspect supposably lives, a small apartment above a run down bar that had seen better days. The moment he stepped in he knew from the glares of everyone around him there would be trouble but headed for the bartender, who was an old ogre wiping down some cracked glasses, and pulling out a photograph from his pocket and sliding it cross the counter.

"Seen her around?"

The ogre looked down at the photo then up at Riven. The first reaction was to laugh at the cherry haired man before taking his fist and pounding him into a fine paste. What he had done instead was eyed the guys in a corner table who got his drift and began to slowly to circle around the specialist as he was waiting for an answer. The ogre look at the photo again, "yeah. I'd seen her a few times. Used to live upstairs with my bro until something went down."

Riven nodded. The ogre had laid on a bit thick with divorce and such and such like losing his car and being forced out of the more nicer parts of the ogre realm as a few guys grasp the back of a couple of chairs while Riven was oblivious from it. He nodded half listening to the babble wondering where is he hiding her as one man snuck up behind him ready to knock twinkle toes out. Moving fast his face met the bar counter as his nose and jaws suffered from the sheer impact with such force he reeled back before fall flat on the floor unmoving.

"Anyone else want to try?" Riven taunted as he place one foot onto the man's chest. One to his right with a chair ready to be thrown picked it up and charged at him. Riven ducked underneath one swing and driven his fist into his throat as the man's buddy followed up with a switchblade which he kicked out of his hand and perform a roundhouse kick into his temple sending the goon into one table. Riven approached the ogre as the remaining men cleared a path for him. "I am going to ask again, seen her around?"

The ogre shook his head. "Not lately." Riven was peeved as he turned away from the bartender on his way out of the bar and would have left if he had not heard what the bartender muttered under his breath. "Fruit."

Riven spun on his heels and cracked his knuckles.

(-)

They were standing apart from each other not knowing what to say to each other as they just stood there. What do you say to one of your worst enemies? Hello, I love you? Light my fire? Love me two times? Touch me? Sing the Alabama song? Musa did not know what she wanted to do as she was a bit afraid to open herself only to be hurt again. Darcy did not know what to do here as she is just calking this one as a crush and nothing more. They did the only natural thing they can do.

"Hello."

"Hi."

Musa looked down at the flower bed to the left of them trying to come up with something better to say. "What have you been up to since last time?"

"Stormy's moved out. Icy's insane and I am out here being bored out of my mind." Darcy stepped towards Musa as the music fairy stepped back once which made her a bit curious. Darcy smiled which caused Musa to blush a bit and tried to hide it which in turn made her feel more better as she was on the right track. In fact she would go through with her little idea anyway. "But what about you? Something seems different about you?"

"Me?" Musa blanked out a bit trying to find anything interesting to talk about that does not start with I love you but failed badly. "I just got some advice from a friend about something personal but that is about it."

"Really? What kind of advice?" Darcy was very close and was making the music fairy nervous. She reached out to place an arm over on bare shoulder, "love advice?" Musa was now as red as a tomato as the arm wrapped around to pull her close to Darcy. They felt their hot breathes on each others lips and the heat coming off from their bodies made their hearts race which they both felt. Musa was feeling very weak and felt the magnetic pull of Darcy as the witch secretly laughed as she was leading the butterfly into the web. Lips met for the time. It was passionate but sweet. It was brief but felt like an eternity. Musa broke it off as she looked deep into the witch's eyes before pushing away.

"I got to go." Musa was a bit panicked as she was stumbling away but stopped for a minute when she snapped her fingers. In a burst of pink energy a small plastic card appeared in her hand. "Here," she toss the card towards Darcy before running off leaving Darcy alone in the Alfea garden holding her number and alone.

The witch cursed herself as the plan was now back firing.