Had to start off with my fave couple and their family of course! Warning: Cursing and teenage angst.

The Saladins- Listen

The door slammed open, startling Helia who was in the kitchen with Irene and Antonio. Footsteps could be heard storming through the house and the tension rose.

"Mireya, please," Flora could be heard pleading from the small entranceway as she took off her coat and purse, hanging them on the rack, "we need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk to you!" Mireya shouted as she made her way towards the stairs, neglecting to take off her coat and shoes as she made her way through the house.

In the kitchen, Irene picked up the book that she was reading and sighed, "Teenagers."

This had become a semi-usual occurrence in the Saladin home ever since Mireya had started school at Alfea Prep, the newer school for young fairies who sought to improve on their magic skills before entering Alfea. Mireya was currently fifteen years old and in a year's time, she would be entering Alfea. The only problem was, she didn't want to.

Mireya's insistence that she would not be attending Alfea caused tension in the Saladin household between mother and older daughter. Flora had been at the top of her class and she had saved the world too many times to count. Mireya was practically a legacy and she was sure to get into Alfea. Flora could not understand why Mireya didn't want to go.

Then again, maybe Flora did know.

Mireya began to show signs that she had magical abilities at a young age, as did Irene and Antonio. But that was to be expected with a mother like Flora and a father who came from a long line of powerful wizards. But there was something...off...about Mireya's powers.

Irene had followed after her mother and developed a magical green thumb. Irene and Flora would spend hours together in the small greenhouse in the back of their house and tend to the plants. But the same could not be said for Mireya.

Mireya had always wanted to help her mother when she was little. Before Mireya gained her magical abilities, she and Flora would spend countless hours together when Flora was not at work tending to the gardens. Then Mireya's powers came and it seemed that everything that she touched wilted in front of her. Her mother's favorite roses were shriveled in the blink of an eye. The tomato plants that Helia had been growing had rotted away with just a single poke from Mireya's finger.

Without the ability to control the destructive power, Mireya began to withdraw. She wouldn't help Flora for fear that she would mess something up like she always did. From the outside, Mireya could see how close Flora and Irene had become and with that came a lot of resentment. The gardens used to be the special place where she could bond with her mother without her siblings interfering and now that was gone. Mireya could see the pride in her mother's eyes when Irene would make a small bud blossom into a large and beautiful flower.

Mireya decided a long time ago that her mother did not need nor want her around anymore. So pounding footsteps and slamming doors had become a part of the soundtrack to the Saladin family home.

"I know what you are going to tell me!" Mireya shouted, "You tell me the same things every time! Just leave me alone!"

"Mireya June Saladin!" Flora shouted after her daughter as Mireya began to climb the stairs, most likely in an attempt to make a beeline to her room, "Come back down here!"

Mireya quickly turned around and glared at her mother, her bright green eyes beginning to glow a sickly green color. A telltale sign that Mireya was getting especially angry.

"Mireya..." Flora called after her eldest daughter again, her voice softer but still stern.

"I'm sorry I cannot be perfect like Irene and Antonio! I know I am just a huge disappointment to you! You don't need to tell me!"

"Mireya!" Flora exclaimed in shock, "I never-"

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Flora jumped back as Mireya shouted at her, never being yelled at like that ever in her entire life. Mireya would yell at her but never like this. When Mireya yelled this time, the plants closest around her wilted and the glow in her eyes became the brightest that they had ever become. The space between Mireya and Flora had become still and Flora didn't know what to say.

So Mireya, having just screamed and cursed at her mother, finished storming up the stairs and entered her room, the house shaking slightly under the sound caused by Mireya slamming the door shut.

"Well," Irene stated as she put her book down on the kitchen table and looked up at her father, "I guess she won't be joining us for dinner."


Helia had taken it upon himself to clean up after dinner and usher Irene and Antonio off to bed as Flora sat at the kitchen table, head in her hands and nursing a large glass of wine.

"I can't believe she said that to me, Helia." Flora did her best to hold back tears.

Helia, who was at the sink washing dishes from the night, turned around and faced Flora.

"She looked at me dead in my eyes and told me to shut the...I can't even say it. Where would she learn to say something like that?"

"I th-"

"She hates me, Helia," Flora interrupted, "we used to be so close and now she is yelling, cursing, acting out in school. Where is this all coming from?"

Helia sighed and reached forward to grab Flora's hand, pulling it away from her face and holding it tenderly. Helia's blue eyes were soft as he looked at Flora, hating to see his wife cry because she was so concerned for one of their children.

"Mireya stopped going to the gardens with you after the incident with the lavender."

Flora stared at Helia, not quite getting what he was talking about.

"After Mireya killed half of the lavender crop, she stopped coming out to the gardens with you. She would tell you that she didn't feel well and then you began to take Irene, never asking Mireya if she wanted to go out to the gardens."

"Mireya doesn't need an invitation to-"

"She knows that," Helia smiled, "but it's not that she needs one, it is that she wants one. Going to the gardens would be the special thing that just the two of you would do together and now she sees you do it with Irene. Mireya notices the way that you look at Irene and she wishes that you would look at her the same way."

"How do you know all of this?" Flora asked as she raised the free hand, not in Helia's, and wiped away a tear that fell from her eye.

"Because Mireya tells me," Helia chuckled.

Flora glared at Helia, hating that his and Mireya's relationship had not been tumultuous like the one that she and her daughter shared.

"She tells me because I listen." Helia stated, "And I am not expecting her to be something that she is not."

"What do you mean? I am not-"

"You are, Flora. You and I both know that Alfea is not where Mireya belongs. Mireya is not acting out at school, she is just trying to be herself and Alfea Prep is not the...right environment for her."

"Helia..."

"It is time to stop living in denial and face the fact that Mireya would be better suited for Cloud Tower and not Alfea."

Flora sighed. She had just hoped that Mireya's penchant for killing plants had just been a phase or something that could be "fixed" during her time at Alfea Prep. Flora hoped that Mireya's outspoken and slightly abrasive attitude could be blamed on puberty and being a teenager. But Helia was right. Flora had to come to terms that her daughter was a witch.

Not that Flora had any problems with witches. She had been the one to befriend Mirta her first year at Alfea when the Trix had turned Mirta into a pumpkin. Lucy, also a witch, was a good friend of hers and also the new Headmistress of Cloud Tower. Flora was never one to discriminate against anyone, but knowing that her own daughter was a witch was something that she had never expected.

Mireya had been a miracle baby and from the moment Flora held her in her arms, all she could picture was Mireya with a beautiful set of wings.

"I never thought that we would have a child who was a witch." Flora softly remarked as she looked down at her lap.

Helia placed a hand under Flora's chin and raised up Flora's head so that her green eyes met his blue, "And she is going to be the best witch that Cloud Tower has ever seen. Mireya needs to be in a place that accepts her for who she is and does not try to change her. At Cloud Tower, Mireya will learn how to control her magic and...gosh, Flora...Mireya is just going to be magnificent. We just have to give her the opportunity."

Flora smiled at Helia. He was not a man of very many words but he always knew what to say. She leaned forward and gave Helia's lips a tender kiss. They had been married for seventeen years and there was not a day that went by where she didn't love Helia.

"I will contact Lucy tomorrow about a spot for Mireya," Helia said as he and Flora both ended the kiss, "but I think that you need to talk to Mireya."

"She won't want to talk to me." Flora groaned, "She hates me."

"Mireya does not hate you and she has been dying to talk to you, Flora. You just need to show her that you are ready to listen."

Flora nodded and drank the rest of her glass of wine, Placing her hands on the edge of the table, Flora pushed back her chair and stood up. Flora smoothed out the dress she had worn to work-that was when she wasn't wearing scrubs-and made her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Mireya's room.

Raising a fist, Flora took a deep breath before knocking softly on Mireya's door.

There was no answer so Flora knocked again, this time a little harder.

"Who is it?" Mireya called from the other end of the door. Flora was equal parts glad and nervous that Mireya had still been awake.

"It's me, sweetie," Flora responded.

"Oh God..." Flora heard Mireya loudly groan, "just go away!"

Flora inhaled in through her nose and did her best to remember the calming breaths exercise that Helia had taught her when she was at her wits end when taking care of Mireya as a baby.

"Mireya, sweetie, I just want to make sure that you are okay. May I come in?"

There was no answer.

Flora placed a shaky hand on the door knobs and gave it a light twist. Noticing that the door hadn't been locked, Flora turned the knob all the way and slowly began to open the door.

"Mireya, I am coming in."

Opening the door, the light from the hallway streamed into Mireya's room and the first thing that caught Flora's eye was the copious amounts of soil-filled pots that had been placed around the room. However, there were no plants to be seen. Flora took account of the clothes that were piled on Mireya's floor, the artwork and posters on her wall, and finally, Flora's heart sank when she saw Mireya sitting at the head of her bed, a pillow in her arms and her cheeks stained with the salt left behind by tears.

"I told you that I don't want to talk."

Flora walked into Mireya's room and shut the door, plunging the room into darkness except for the light that shone through Mireya's bedroom that came from the streetlamps outside.

"Then we don't have to talk." Flora replied, "But I am here to listen when you do want to talk. May I sit?"

Mireya turned her head from Flora, "Whatever, you and dad bought the bed so I guess you can do whatever you want with it."

Flora slowly sat down at the foot of the bed, giving her and Mireya plenty of space between one another.

The two sat in silence and all that could be heard was the noise from Magix City and the sink running downstairs as Helia resumed doing the dishes.

"Why do you have all these pots?" Flora asked, trying to start some form of conversation with her daughter.

But there was no response from Mireya.

"I think that some succulents or maybe a few-"

"I thought you said that we didn't have to talk?" Mireya interrupted Flora, her head still turned away from her.

Flora closed her mouth and stared out in front of her.

Listen.

Flora could hear Helia's voice in her head now. Mireya had to come to her. But while Flora was known as the most patient and understanding of her friends growing up, it was different with her own child. Flora just wanted to fix things and make sure that everything was okay. But Mireya was not meant to be "fixed" and Flora could not mend the relationship that she has with Mireya all by herself.

But Flora's ears perked up when she heard a small voice, muffled from the pillow in her lap and against her face, speak.

"I can't keep them alive."

Flora turned and faced Mireya.

"What?" Flora asked.

"You asked me why I had the pots," Mireya said, "I tried to grow so many things and they all just end up dying."

"I see..."

"I know, I know," Mireya sighed, "I shouldn't even try at this point."

"What makes you say that?"

Mireya's head snapped up and she turned to finally face Flora.

"Like you don't know!" Mireya exclaimed, "We all know that I am just going to mess it up! I can't do anything right."

Flora's voice remained calm, "Mireya, you have never messed anything up."

"What do you mean?" Mireya scoffed, "The roses, the daisies, the grapevine, the lavender...all I do is just mess everything up! No wonder you don't want me in the garden anymore. And why would I be wanted when you have perfect Irene with you to help? I feel that you don't even want me as a daughter at times."

Flora's heart dropped to her stomach as she watched tears begin to fall down her oldest daughter's face.

"Mireya June Saladin," Flora stood up and walked around the bed to the head and sat down next to Mireya. Flora pulled her oldest daughter into her arms and surprisingly, Mireya did not push her away, "You could destroy the entire greenhouse and kill every plant in this house and I wiill still always want you as a daughter. Never think that for a moment that I have ever stopped wanting or loving you. I am your mother and whether you like it or not, we are stuck together for the rest of our lives and I could not be any happier about that. I am sorry that I have made you feel that I didn't want you."

Mireya cried into Flora's shoulder as she wrapped her slender arms around Flora's waist. Flora's hand began to smooth over Mireya's dark, curly hair and her other arm decided that it never wanted to let go of Mireya.

"I just want you to be happy, Mireya," Flora continued, "and I see that if any of the two of us is a disappointment, it is me. I shouldn't have let my hopes eclipse reality because reality is so much better. Your father is going to have a talk with Head Mistress Lucy at Cloud Tower to get you transferred to their prep program."

Mireya raised her head, "Cloud Tower?"

"Sweetie, you are a witch." Flora looked down at Mireya and smiled, "I had been in denial, but my denial was only hurting you and not allowing you to blossom into the woman-the witch-that you are meant to be."

"I'm a witch?" Mireya's voice was soft as she spoke in disbelief.

Flora nodded her head, "And I could not be any happier. You are going to get control of your powers and learn to use them for the benefit of both yourself and for others. But first, you can use your powers to the benefit of the gardens."

"What? How?"

"You and I are going to spend the next two months tending to the weeds together and I would be so grateful and proud if your powers could take care of the weeds."

"Weeding?" Mireya raised an eyebrow, "I hate weeding."

"Well," Flora smiled, "I hope that you remember that the next time you want to curse at your mother. Two months, you and me, weeds."

Mireya groaned and rolled her eyes.

"But I would love to have you out with me in the garden more often. How about every Wednesday after school? We can call it Witch Wednesday or something."

"Wow, mom," Mireya scoffed, "that was lame."

Flora laughed and shrugged, "It was the best I could think of on the spot."

There was a moment of peaceful silence before Mireya spoke.

"And it would be just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us."

"And if I kill something?"

Flora smiled, "Then that plant was not meant to be in our garden."

Mireya exhaled before nodding her head.

"Witch Wednesday. I like the sound of that."

"Me too."

Flora placed a kiss on the top of Mireya's head, "But now it is time for you to go to sleep. You still have school in the morning."

"At Alfea?"

Flora stood up from the bed and looked down at Mireya and nodded.

"Just hold on for a little longer, sweetie. But don't be afraid to show those fairies some witchy spirit."

Mireya laughed before she pulled the blankets up to her chin and smiled at Flora for the first time in a very long time. Flora would never tire of seeing Mireya's warm smile.

"Good night, Mireya," Flora said as she placed her hand on the doorknob, "sweet dreams."

Flora turned the knob and opened the door. With one foot out of the door, Flora was stopped when she heard a soft voice call out to her.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for listening."

"Anytime."

There is the first installment of Moments of Us (MOU). Let me know what you think! I will see you all in the next chapter!