"...It's not my fault the lab blew up because of two potions! How was I supposed to know they kept explosive materials in a college?!"

Helia forced out a chuckle while the Winx and Specialists roared with laughter as Stella recounted how she accidentally blew up the potion lab. Somehow, Roxy never heard of that story, and Stella was more than happy to once again embarrass herself to lift the spirits of her friends.

Helia knew it was for his benefit, he was clearly depressed. Since the start of the pandemic, he hasn't left his studio apartment in Magix, unable to participate in his interests, such as art or going to the gym, and was isolated from his friends and family for 18 months. Flora stayed with him for a whopping three weeks, before she was deployed to Lynphea to assist with the search for a vaccine, leaving him without any support as his mental heath deteriorated. His grandmother died only one month into the pandemic, which tore apart Helia's heart. Slyvia Saladin was the most important person in the world to him, and the fact that she died with no one by her side made Helia feel incredibly guilty. And no one was by his side to help him through that.

He'd never blame Flora though. She called whenever the Lynphean authorities allowed her to, about once a month. And she was doing important work, in fact, it was her discovery that created the vaccine. Helia couldn't have been more proud of Flora when he heard, even telling the nurse who vaccinated him the inventor of the vaccine was his girlfriend, he just wished that they were together during that time. But it was too dangerous, especially with the disease spreading at rate no one has even seen before.

Not to mention the Winx and the Specialists tried their best to keep in contact as they were separated, with Magi-Messages and video calls once a week, but everyone at least had their partner, whereas Helia had no one. The calls were nice, but there was nothing like holding your love in your arms.

So after this gods-forsaken year-and-a-half, Helia had a set routine. Wake up, make breakfast, draw and watch Magiflix all day, eat dinner, go to sleep, with a workout inserted in there somewhere. And today, despite it being his birthday, Helia fully intended on doing the same. Quarantine ended in late August, but Helia could not find the motivation to leave his apartment even if it hit him in the head, especially without his Flora, who was still trapped in Lynphea, whom he hasn't spoken to since the middle of last month. On top of that, how could he possibly celebrate anything? Over two billion people have died, including his own grandmother, the Magical Dimension would never be the same, how could he celebrate his life so freshly after such a tragedy? So Helia fully intended to stay home today, before the guys and their girlfriends surprised him and basically knocked his door down, demanding that he come out for the day.

Begrudgingly, Helia caved into their demands, and they took him to the Magix Museum of Art, Alfea's Natural Park, and they attended a dragon taming show, all of which would have interested him before, but he was just attending to keep his friends happy and off his back. He was just too miserable to enjoy anything, even the dinner they were currently having at Harmonia's, the best Melodian restaurant in Magix, and usually his favorite.

A headache began to form at the base of his skull as he finished his meal. He simply sat and waited as the couples chatted amongst themselves, clearly excited at meeting for the first time for what seemed like a decade.

Timmy eventually noticed Helia's silence and nudged him, trying to bring him into the conversation. "So you're coming with us, right?"

"Wait, what? To where?"

Stella sighed dramatically as she pointed her fork at Helia. "To the club! You have to come out and dance, birthday boy!"

Helia tried to not look too repulsed at the idea as he said, "Actually no, I'm really tired and I have a headache so..."

"Oh cmon!" someone complained, but Helia was too tired to consider any different.

"Yeah...I really don't feel well, but thank you for—"

"Helia cut the shit!" The table suddenly went silent at Riven's—who was just as, if not more silent than Helia throughout the entire meal—outburst. Helia head snapped towards his left, where Riven was sitting next to him. "You can't stop enjoying life just because Flora isn't here."

"Riven!" Several members of the group exclaimed, particularly Musa, who looked like she could murder her ex.

"It's true!" Riven defended, "Why can't Helia have a bit of fun—ow, ow hey!" He bemoaned as Brandon dug an elbow deep into his side. But determined to get his point across, he continued, "Look, I love Flora, but the man has been depressed for forever and I'm over it. He hasn't enjoyed anything we've done today! He can't let his life stop just because of—OW!" Riven finally stopped his rant as Bloom shot a small flame from across the table, burning his arm.

An extremely awkward silence descended the group, as everyone waited for Helia's response. Normally, he would brush off Riven's comments, even throwing back a sarcastic one of his own, but the pandemic clearly affected Helia more than the rest of them, and on top of that Riven has insulted their relationship, which was clearly strained after being separated for so long. There was no telling how Helia would react.

Helia remained in his chair, staring into his glass of champagne. Riven's words were offensive and cut deep, but he had absolutely no energy to even stay any longer at the dinner, much argue with the merciless specialist. He loved Riven like a brother, but he really could be an ass. "I'm actually going to go now…" he stated as he got up from the table.

Everyone verbally protested the move, but all silenced as Helia waved his hand. "I'm really not feeling well guys, but go, enjoy yourselves." Helia threw out a fake half-smile to encourage his friends to drop the argument, but it did little to reassure them.

"Dude…" Riven sighed, looking genuinely upset by Helia's leaving, "I—I didn't mean—"

"I know. It's fine," Helia lied, but he still had no energy to confront his anger, "Go have fun! We'll hang out later."

"Hold on!" Sky demanded, still trying to save the night, whatever lasted of it. "At least stay for dessert!"

Helia shook his head as he pulled on his jacket, reaching for his wallet to pay for his meal. Just as he placed the money on the table, the waiter arrived with a large birthday cake. It was frosted in white buttercream, with blue lettering on top that read, 'Happy Birthday Helena!' With a heavy sigh, Helia couldn't help the disappointment from showing on his face.

Helia looked down at his friends, his best friends who have tried so hard to make his birthday special. To the average person it would have been the best birthday ever, but to Helia it was probably one of the worst, for one Flora wasn't there, and for two he had the distinct feeling even though the group claimed they were together for his birthday, he couldn't help but feel everyone just decided to band together because it was the first social event post-pandemic. He knew he was probably wrong, but couldn't help feeling that way, especially with Stella's knack of finding any excuse to throw a party. But then again, they were here, and Flora wasn't. He had to be appreciative.

"Thanks for everything guys. I'll see you later." With that, Helia blew out his candles and walked out of the restaurant, feeling the eyes of his concerned friends burn holes into his back.

"Um, was that Helena?" The waiter couldn't help but ask, but instantly regretted it as Musa reached across the table to slap Riven across the face.

"How could you fuck up Helia?!"(1)


The air was cool and crisp as Helia walked back towards his apartment, forcing him to wrap his jacket closer to his body. Fall was usually his favorite season, as he enjoyed the chilly air and atmosphere, but today the air simply felt cold, the atmosphere felt lonely, even though the streets were filled. But he was empty without Flora.

Flora. His heart ached as he thought about her. He hadn't so much as seen a new picture of her since April of last year, and he missed her so much. He missed her scent, her body, her soul, her joy, her spirit, literally everything about her. He missed her so much it left a Flora-shaped hole in his heart. Helia felt like he was being stabbed repeatedly throughout the day at every reminder of Flora, and everything reminded him of Flora. The clothes she left in the apartment, the plants in the rooftop greenhouse, the coffee cups she bought for him, the little notes she left for him, there was nothing in his home that she didn't somehow touch. Flora breathed life into the apartment, into him, and since she's been gone, so was his will to enjoy life, there was nothing to enjoy without her.

The only thing that brought Helia joy over their last few months were the monthly phone calls they had when Flora was allowed to call him. They were an hour long, but still much too short for Helia's liking. During those phone calls, they reaffirmed their love for each other, their faithfulness, and Flora's promise to eventually return, which Helia excitedly awaited once the pandemic was declared over in August. But it was now September, and Flora had not yet returned, nor had she called, especially today. They weren't due for a call yet, but somehow it still stung for Helia. Every year, Flora had always gone above and beyond for his birthday, but for the last one, now two, she had been absent. It wasn't her fault, but Helia couldn't help and feel depressed at the state of his relationship...if he could even call it that.

Most couples had trouble dating long distance, even with the use of Magi-Messages and video calls, so how did Helia and Flora expect to stay together? Would they pick up right from where they left off, or would they be strangers? Helia didn't know and the uncertainty made him shake with fear. If they broke up due to the pandemic, Helia would have no idea what he would do, how he could possibly walk around with that Flora-shaped hole. He had no idea if he'd even survive.

Helia finally came upon his apartment building, the walk doing nothing to improve his mood the way they usually did. He just wanted to go home, draw a bath, and escape from the world again. Entering the building, Helia made a bee-line for the elevators, hoping that he would avoid any other disasters in the last few hours of his birthday, but all hopes were dashed as he realized the apartment receptionist, Fabio, was waving him down.

Fabio's smile was bright, as usual, as Helia approached the desk. "Mr. Saladin! Here is a package for you left at the desk." As Helia signed for his package, Fabio bent down to retrieve the object and put it on the counter.

Helia's smile faltered as he inspected the package. It was a box wrapped in a blue metallic paper, with a white silk ribbon tied into a bow on top. A small card stuck out the top that simply said 'Helia' in cursive.

"Who is this from Fabio, do you know?" The box was clearly a gift, but he had no idea who would send one to his apartment. The Specialists and Winx already gave him their gifts this morning, and he had plans to spend time with his parents and grandfather later in the week, where he would receive those gifts then, and Flora couldn't send gifts from her lab in Lynphea, so where did this come from?

Fabio smiled slyly as he leaned in closer to Helia. "It's from Ms. Ramirez, Mr. Saladin."

"What? It's not from Flora, she can't send packages out from where she is."

"Where she is, is here… She was sitting here in the lobby all day waiting for you, she just left around 10:30."

Helia glanced at the clock as he attempted to gather his thoughts. 10:45, he just missed her. "Flora was here? Are you sure?"

"There is no doubt in my mind"

"Why didn't she call—" Helia's question was caught in his throat as he remembered Flora was forced to leave her phone in Magix. "Why didn't she go up into the apartment? Couldn't you have let her in?"

"No. She was removed at the start of the year as a guest when you did not renew your guest list." Helia cursed his laziness when the guest-list renewal came around, but he had forgotten Flora needed the access as they weren't married, and the apartment was in his name. "So Ms. Ramirez decided to leave the gift here for you to receive and she stated that she'll be back tomorrow.

Helia's previous sorrow instantly escaped his body as he pondered what he just learned. Flora was in Magix. Flora was in Magix to visit him. His love was in Magix and he was pretty sure she still loved him, she wouldn't have wasted her day otherwise. There was hope, he realized. There was hope that they would find each other and they would still be in love, and everything would go back to normal. There was hope, and it was so close Helia could almost taste it, and he could not wait until tomorrow to see her.

"Fabio, did she say where she's staying at?"

Fabio stared at the young man in front of him. In a matter of seconds, his mood had shifted dramatically. When he entered—the first time he'd seen Helia in a year— he looked like a ghost, with pale skin, eyes sunken and empty. But now he stood before him, standing proud and tall, with the color returning to his skin and a fire to his eyes that Fabio had not seen in a longtime. Fabio chuckled. Ah, the effects of young love. Fabio had not felt that in a long time, but he was glad that it was still around, messing with the minds of young men and women alike.

"I believe I saw a coffee cup with The Charirott emblem on it."

Helia immediately turned on his heels as he sped out of the lobby. "Thanks Fabio!" he called out behind him.

Fabio held out a wave goodbye to Helia's back. Once the man disappeared, Fabio set his eyes to Helia's forgotten gift on the counter. Chuckling once again as he placed it behind the counter, he wished the young couple the best of luck in finding each other. It was going to be a long night.


Helia jogged as he headed to The Charriott Hotel. It was at the center of downtown Magix, about a half-hour walk away from his apartment, a fact Helia sorely forgot about in the heat of the moment, but now desperately wished for his wind rider so he could get there faster. He was there soon enough however, making it in a record fifteen minutes.

Helia entered through the front doors and walked right up to the receptionist desk, which fortunately had no line this late at night.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" The receptionist, Charlotte, asked.

"Hello, my girlfriend, Florance Ramirez is staying here, and I would like to go up and visit her but I don't know her room number."

Helia felt his heart instantly drop as the smile on Charlottes' face became a frown. "I am sorry sir, I cannot divulge any information on whether or not your girlfriend is here with us or what room she may or may not have."

"Could you call up into her room then? And tell her that I'm here?"

Charlotte shook her head again. "I am afraid that I cannot do that. If you would like to see your girlfriend she has to come down and bring you up."

Helia felt his heart race as he flailed for a solution, for something to say to the receptionist to let him up and find his dear Flora. "Please," he begged, "It's a really long story but I haven't seen her since April of last year. She wanted to see me today to surprise me, but I missed her. Someone else told me she'd be here and I just want to go up and see her, I can't wait until tomorrow, please." Helia knew he sounded pathetic, but he didn't care, he just needed to see her.

...But that would have to wait until tomorrow. "I'm sorry…" Charlotte said, with a sympathetic smile.

Helia stood at the desk for a moment, fully intending to continue to argue with the receptionist, but decided against it as he realized she wouldn't budge. With a heavy sigh, he thanked Charlotte and shuffled off to the side of the receptionist desk, where the hotel bar was. Luckily it was open to anyone, guest or not, and he really needed a drink.

"I'll take a shot of vodka...actually make that two." he indicated to the bartender, the young woman looked at him with amused eyes as she brought him his shots. Downing them quickly, he felt the alcohol burn down his throat, simultaneously enhancing yet numbing his misery.

Flora was here, and he had just missed her, all by a few minutes. Now he had to wait until the morning to see her again, and somehow that felt like another 18 months away, even though it was a few hours. He had half a mind to stay here, waiting for Flora and catching her before she left in the morning, but he knew that he'd look like some sort of drunk idiot if he was at a bar that early in the morning, and he also knew that Flora could easily choose to fly out of her window instead of walking, meaning he would miss her again. But he didn't want to leave...

"Penny for your thoughts?" Helia stared up from the glasses to meet the bartender, her face uncomfortably close to his.

Helia politely coughed as he shifted away from her, "I've had a shitty day. I missed an important meeting."

"Funny," the bartender mused as she picked up Helias' glasses to wash, "Someone was just here saying the same thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah," the bartender smiled, pleased that she piqued Helia's interest, " She said that she was supposed to see her boyfriend after being away for a while, but she had missed him."

Helia felt his heart race as he took in the bartender's information. He wanted to know more, if this woman and Flora were the same person, but he didn't want to scare the bartender into clamming up. Unfortunately, the alcohol was beginning to get to his mind, so he was unsure of what to say. "Oh…"

Luckily the bartender knew a lost couple when she saw one, so she decided to throw Helia a bone. "Uh huh… pretty girl too. Such a shame they couldn't meet...but if I remember correctly she said she was going to The White Horse, I guess the food is better there or something." (2)

Helia couldn't help the stupid grin that spread across his face as the bartender finished, much to her delight. Getting up and tossing money to pay for the shots, he thanked the bartender as he rushed out to catch the next bus.


The bus ride to The White Horse took about 30 minutes but felt like a day. It was now nearly midnight, and Helia was exhausted, but the mere possibility of Flora being at The White Horse gave him enough energy to track down the lead.

Finally, when the bus stopped in front of The White Horse, Helia leaped off of it, his nervous energy boiling in his stomach and shooting out through his legs. Walking through the entrance of the restaurant, he saw a few scattered couples eating at the tables, but no one else. His eyes scanned the room once again in search for Flora, but again she was nowhere to be found.

Helia heavily sat down at one of the booths, burying his face into his hands, ready to have a mental breakdown. Why did the universe insist on keeping he and Flora apart? He needed to be with Flora just like one would need air, food, and water. Why couldn't the universe understand that? Or was this a sign that he didn't deserve to be with her, that he was unworthy? Maybe he should just give up...leave Flora and let her find a man worthy of her skills.

"Dear, can I help you?"

Helia looked up to find Greta, the owner of The White Horse peering curiously down at him (3). Usually, he loved Greta, but today was not a good day. "No thanks Greta, I was just looking for someone. I'll be going," he grumbled, standing up to leave the booth.

"For Flora? Why she was just here!"

"Wait, what?" Helia couldn't help but ask. He knew there was a possibility Flora would be here, but when he didn't find her he just assumed that he was mistaken. But now he knew she was here, and that reignited a small flame of hope in his heart.

"Why yes! She ordered some food and we spoke for a while, she just left about 15 minutes ago."

"Did she say where she's going to?"

"I'm afraid not deary."

Helia sighed frustratedly as he ran a hand through his hair. Taking a moment to collect himself, he then asked, "What did you guys talk about?" hoping for a clue as to Flora's whereabouts.

"Well I am ashamed to say that I did most of the talking, but we spoke about the pandemic, business, my kids, all things of that sort. Though she did seem a little crestfallen about something, I'm not sure of what."

Helia knew that crestfallen feeling all too well. Unsure of what to say, he looked down at his hands, internally debating whether or not he should try to find her. She could very well be asleep, but for some reason Helia felt that wasn't the case. He knew that she was awake, somewhere, and he yearned to be with her, but did he deserve her? Did he deserve her after he spent the entire pandemic doing nothing productive? Did he deserve her after she clearly moved mountains to visit him on his birthday, when he now considered giving up and waiting until morning to see her? He always thought that Flora was a goddess in fairy form, and he's spent years trying to match up to her greatness, so that she wouldn't be dragged down by his incompetence, but now after seeing her succeed while alone, Helia knew that he was dragging her down. Since Flora could accomplish so much without him, why would she want to stay with him anyway?

But why was she so disappointed that they didn't meet today? Why did she try so hard to see him in the first place? She could have remained on Lynphea, soaking up the glory from single-handedly saving the entire Magical Dimension. What was so special about him that she returned?

Helia shut his eyes as his headache was beginning to return in his confusion. All he wanted was his Flora. No pandemic, no creeping feelings of self-doubt, no villains appearing from out of nowhere, just Flora.

"Dear," Greta started again, "Were you supposed to meet Flora here? Did you arrive late?"

Helia couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "No, we weren't supposed to meet."


The walk back to downtown Magix was long and tiring, but Helia felt as if he needed it. His mind was finally clear after racing all day long (all year long, really), and he felt that for the first time in a while, in control.

He would see Flora in the morning. They would reunite for a brief moment before one of two possibilities would happen: one, Flora would break up with him, realizing that she was too good for him and his nonsense, or two, Helia would break up with her, because the last thing they both needed was for Flora's potential to be dimmed by him. Either way, it would hurt like a bitch, his reason for living would leave him, but Helia was ready. As long as his Flora was happy, healthy, and successful, then he could see her go. He only wanted to best for her and would die to make that happen.

It's such a shame that there's no way he'd get over her. Everything reminded him of Flora, from the ice cream shop where they had their first date, to the lake where they spent countless hours skipping rocks, to the animals Flora was always ready to adopt if their apartment let them, to the various plants that surrounded Magix that Flora would appreciate, especially those in Bell Park, where they spent a lot of their time together.

Just as Helia thought about the park, he came across it. The tress and flowers were grey and wilted, dying from the lack of care throughout the pandemic. Magix officials were working on renewing the city as more people re-entered, but clearly, they have not reached the park yet. The park, once beautiful and vibrant, now looked more like a cemetery, to which few people even visited anymore. If Helia had to guess, Magix would probably abandon the park and tear it down to make a new building. What a shame.

Though walking through the park would have lengthened Helia's commute home, he decided to go through anyway. He figured that since the park, and his relationship were dying, torn down to be rebuilt anew, he might as well take a stroll down memory lane, to contemplate what once was before it became lost.

Helia entered the park, and his heart ached at the pitiful scene. The pond where Helia and Flora held their first picnic was dry and barren to the bone. The swings where Helia would push Flora after playground hours were rusty and cracked. The community garden where Flora and Helia would occasionally pick fresh fruit from appeared disgusting, with rotting fruit littering the area. The rows of flowers Flora used to skip through and pick from were totally dead.

As Helia continued walking through the park, he felt like crying. His memories of the park juxtaposed what he saw now, to a disturbing degree. Why did this tragedy have to befall the park, what did it do to deserve this?

What did he do to deserve this?

Helia paused and collapsed on a park bench. He was tired, not just physically, but emotionally. He didn't want to walk anymore, he didn't want to think anymore, he didn't want to even breathe anymore, he only wanted one thing, one person, and he shouldn't have her, for her own good.

Wallowing in despair, Helia closed his eyes, praying that he could remain frozen in this moment. Just hours ago he was demanding that the morning came sooner, but now he was trying to delay the inevitable fate of death that befell his relationship, just as it did this park.


A small sparkle of gold light fluttered throughout the Bell Park, searching for its destination. It fluttered through miles and valleys of death, disease, and destruction, in search for the one source of life remaining. After a long search, the light finally reached its destination, a young man sleeping on a park bench. He looked quite disheveled, and obviously heartbroken, but what can't a little light fix? Fluttering down to his nose, the light rested on it momentarily, as if giving him a kiss, then burst into a small firework.

"Huh?" Helia sighed as he woke up. Stretching the aches out of his muscles, Helia took a moment to rest as his eyes adjusted to the dark and to remember the events of the past few hours. He wasn't sure how long he was asleep, but it was still night. It took him a few moments but eventually he was re-oriented to the situation. Although the artist had to pause for a moment not only his memories returned, but his feelings of depression and despair as well. But for some reason, they didn't feel...real? They felt like past feelings, like a nostalgic memory. Now, what encompassed him was... tranquility? Which he hasn't felt in a very long time.

As Helia tried to resolve his disorientation, he removed his jacket. The whole night he had been cold, but now he felt warm and comforted, like he was wrapped up in a hug. But before he could make sense of it all, there was a sight that took his breath away.

Approaching from the distance, a couple of ribbons of gold magic sparkles made their way towards him. The scene was stunning, every few feet, a couple of the sparkles burst into tiny fireworks, the magic raining down on the landscape below. Once the magic reached the flowers below, the flowers burst back into life. The park was slowly returning to its former glory, with luscious green fields, tall and commanding tress with autumn leaves, and the flowers of every color of the rainbow once again rising. Helia could only watch in awe as the magic passed him, and continued down the park, reviving the pond, the garden, where his precious memories with Flora were alive once more, preserved forever.

Helia wanted to stay there forever, watching the magic glow in the dark as it revived the park, as it made him feel a warmth he had not felt in what seemed like years, but his legs were itching to go the other way, to find whatever— or whoever— was responsible for the magic. For bringing back his precious park, for making him feel...joy, which was so rudely snatched from him 18 months ago. Helia jogged quickly as he followed the magical trail, and eventually, he realized that he was headed to the center of the park, where the bell tower resided.

The bell tower used to work, but no one kept it up over the years, so now it rang at various times throughout the day, annoying anyone who lived near the park, but Flora found it hilarious and loved going there on dates, making the tower their number one date spot. One year, Helia even convinced Flora to sneak into the tower with him. They sat there contently, directly under the bell, enjoying the view, observing the couples and children who played down below. Surprisingly that evening, the bell hadn't tolled once, a fact Helia secretly thanked the gods for. Nevertheless, it was an incredible date, one of Helia's favorites, in fact.

Helia reached the center of the park, where he could see the stream of magic he followed was not the only one, there were several, reaching all corners of the park, emerging from one spot above the bell tower. The beauty of the magic was almost overwhelming. It looked as if there was a galaxy of stars right above him, twinkling like he's never imagined could be possible.

But he couldn't stop moving. Helia couldn't control his legs as they marched towards the bell tower. Every step closer he got, he felt increasingly warmer and safer, even though logically he knew that shouldn't be the case. He was approaching, what he sensed, a powerful magical being, and although it felt familiar, he still didn't recognize it, it easily could be an enemy. He should be on edge, but he wasn't.

Again, Helia's body had a mind of its own as it reached the back of the bell tower and crawled through the crawlspace, just as he had done years ago. Once the crawlspace opened up to the hallway with stairs leading up the tower, Helia stood up and began climbing the steps. There were additional gold sparks of magic, but they remained stationary, as if they were lighting his way.

Reaching the top of the tower, Helia paused at the door, separating the staircase from the belfry. A huge ball of anxiety built up in his abdomen, but he tried to ease his breathing as he forced it back down. He must see what's behind the door. His hands shook as he reached for the doorknob and turned it. Taking a final deep breath, Helia completely pushed his way into the room.

"Flora…"

Helia could only stand dumbly slack-jawed as he stared at his love. The light from the magic illuminated her face beautifully. She looked...taller somehow, more confident and commanding. Her hair was cut short, falling just above her shoulders, and it was curlier, now left in its natural state. She wore an above-knee emerald green wrap dress, which was modest, but somehow clung and accentuated her curves perfectly. Her eyes, though still a beautiful shade of forest green, held a maturity and sadness that were not there before. Her plump lips were pulled into a thin line.

She looked different. She looked beautiful, as she always would, but she seemed different. And Helia was the same. He wasn't sure how to react to her lack of a response, so he said the only thing he could. "Uh...hi?"Immediately cursing himself at how insincere that must have sounded.

"Hi…" Flora whispered.

Time stopped as Helia once again waited for Flora's reaction. She seemed in shock, but was that a good thing or bad? Why didn't she come running over? Did she already break up with him? What the hell was she thinking? Just as Helia opened his mouth to say something, anything to fill the silence, Flora's lips stretched into a wide smile, the brightest he's ever seen it. Her eyes, dull just a moment before, shone with a quality that rivaled the magic twinkling above them.

"Helia!" she shrieked, as she ran towards him.

Preparing for her famous tackle-hugs felt natural to him as he widened his stance so he didn't topple down the stairs (4). The moment she flew into his arms he wrapped them around her, holding her so tightly he almost feared she might break, but didn't let up as he heard laugher, and no complaints, escape from her mouth. As she wrapped her legs against his torso, Helia kept his tight hold on her, for fear that this was a dream, that he would wake up in his bed, empty and cold. He could hold on to her forever like this, never letting her go, forgetting everyone and everything, just leaving the two of them, together as one, for all eternity.

Roses filled his nose as he breathed her scent in, the familiarity bringing him to tears. Never he did believe that something so simple as the smell of flowers would be his undoing, but love never made much sense. He loved every part of Flora and he wanted to be by her side forever, never forgetting her smell, her face, the sound of her laughter, the feel of her body held against his…

...the taste of her lips. Helia leaned back from the hug to kiss Flora passionately as she eagerly kissed back, and it was just like everything else. New, but familiar and comforting. He loved it. He loved it, he loved her so much it just might drive him insane.

The couple remained embraced as they reacquainted themselves with the other, but neither minded. Particularly for Helia, it was his last chance at true uninhibited joy before the morning, before they were forced to break up due to his mediocrity. But there was no need to think of such things now. For now, he had Flora, and the morning was far off. He could only enjoy what he had now, and leave the future for those who inhabited it.


Helia woke up in the belfry of the tower, his jacket folded as a pillow underneath him, and a gold blanket draped over him. Though it was thin, it was so warm that he thought he could sleep there forever.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Helia pushedhimself upwards to find Flora, standing at the window, staring out at the scenery before her. The sunrise peeked through the window, again coloring her face beautifully, as the gold magic had done hours ago. "How'd you sleep?" She asked, while still staring out the window.

Fully standing up, Helia walked over to the window, where he hugged Flora from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist, and placing his head on top of hers. "Good" he yawned. Helia fully intended to ask her the same question, but as his eyes gazed upwards, the full view from the bell tower struck him speechless. "Wow…"

Helia saw firsthand how Flora's magic returned the park to its former glory, but in the daytime, he could see how she did that and then some. The fields of flowers were now more lush, with a greater diversity of flora. The colors seemed almost too vibrant to be real, as if all of the flowers were hand-painted. The small pond was now several times larger, with various lilypads and aquatic plants now within it. The garden was also several times larger, with additional species of fruit and vegetables, some Helia had never seen before. The entire park was the same, but rejuvenated, built brand new from what once existed.

"Happy Birthday, Helia. What do you think?" Helia could almost feel Flora's smug smile through her body, which surprised him. He never knew her to be smug, but he supposed it was a better quality than constantly down-playing her own accomplishments. He knew she knew he loved it anyway.

"I love it, you did such an amazing job Flora," Helia paused to rotate Flora around and stare into her eyes, her familiar but different eyes, "I love you Flora. You've done so much for the Magical Dimension, and I am so, so proud of you, words don't even explain how. You're so incredible. Much too incredible for me." he sighed. He didn't want to do this now...he didn't want to do this ever, but Helia had to face reality, and the reality was that Flora was better off without him.

"Ah ah ah," Flora raised a finger to shush him, her eyes shining, "I think that we're both incredible in our own ways, and I think that we're just right for each other, right here. Why else would I come running back as soon as I could?"

"But Flora...how could you come back to me? You've done much better for yourself when I'm not—"

" In your opinion. I know that creating a vaccine is amazing and a huge accomplishment and I'm really proud of myself for it...but it's not what I want to do. I don't...I don't want to see people dying before I can help them, I want to create life. I want to be creative and I want to do it with you. Look at this," she gestured to the view of the park, " I couldn't have done this without you Helia. Our love is what made it so beautiful. There's nothing else I want in life…"

Helia was struck silent as he took in her words. This was everything that he wanted to hear, but he still wasn't sure if he could believe it. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Helia, do you realize that after I made the vaccine I could have had anything and anyone I wanted?"

"Well, yes…"

"So how could I have come back here if I didn't want you. You're the only one that I want, the only person I can even imagine being with! I want to get married and have children with you. No amount of glory or money or whatever guys think is important will change that. Fuck!" surprising the hell out of Helia, since when did Flora curse?! Although he would be lying if he didn't admit it turned him on at least a little bit, "I love you, and you love me I'm sure, or else you would have said something before...so stop this, please my love...let's enjoy the time we have together. I missed you and I don't want us to any more time."

Helia's face broke into a huge smile as Flora finished her rant. Just like that, all of his fears and anxieties disappeared into thin air. She wanted him. Potential cures or successes be damned, she wanted to be with him, as much as he wanted to be with her. Nothing else mattered. The world could fall apart but as long as they were together, they were golden.

"I've missed you so much, darling. I love you more than you could ever imagine."

Flora's face radiated so much joy, much to Helia's delight, as they embraced once again. After a year and a half, and an entire night, Helia found his love, and filled the hole in his heart. The pain, the heartbreak was worth it, and he'd go through it a million times again even if it just meant holding her hand. But there's no way that would ever happen again because he'd never let her go, even if it meant saving the world.

So there, in the belfry where they once enjoyed a date, Flora and Helia were reunited, a relationship simultaneously the same yet also born anew, in the park that enjoyed the same miracle of life and death.

That's all they could have ever wanted.


(1) Musa's asking two questions here. (1) How could you fuck up and make Helia leave? (2) How could you fuck up Helia's name on the cake? I wrote a scene where Riven was in charge of baking the cake but this piece was too long and it really didn't fit in.

(2) This is a canon location in the comics. The Winx and Specialists frequently visit the White Horse.

(3) This is also canon in the comics. Greta is the owner of the White Horse.

(4) If you watch the show you must have noticed that Flora's like a linebacker when she hugs Helia. Like I really think her goal is to tackle the poor man.

Anyway, what did you think? Let me know! And let me know if y'all are interested in another chapter of Flora meeting up with the Winx. I considered it for a bit but I'm not sure if I should...

Also, if you'd happen to like to message me I'm on tumblr as alwayswriting101! Or as well.
Thanks!