Two months. I haven't updated this in two months. I am so so so sorry it took this long. Updates won't be this bad again since this is now the only long running story I'm doing. So, I'm sure you're all dying to know what's happening, so I'll let you read.

"Is this the key Daddy?"

Andy glanced up from trying to pick the drawer's lock with a paper clip and a very small paintbrush. He grinned at his son, holding an old, rusty-looking key. "Let's check it out."

He took the key and slipped it into the lock. A second later there was a loud click, and it sprung open. "You are a genius," he said, ruffling Christian's hair.

Chris looked pleased at the comment, but after a minute his face grew serious. "Daddy? Why are we here?"

Andy was digging through the drawer, grabbing the diplomas and the divorce record, along with some of Bloom's old photos. He only took what seemed necessary; he wanted the place to look undisturbed. "I told you Chris; Bloom, Tori, and Valen are going away for a while. And Bloom wanted us to get some things for her."

"Why can't she?"

She was possibly kidnapped. "She's…busy right now, man." After looking through the pages under his arm again, he shoved them into the old backpack he was carrying. "Did you get some stuff for Valen?"

Chris nodded. "His guitar, pictures, and some clothes. I put them into the suitcase you told me."

"Good boy," Andy said as he mentally went through the checklist in his head. Roxy was on her way to get the kids, Tori and Valen had been removed from the school system, and once they got the magical dimension they could take Bloom's kidnapping up with the Council. So right now all they needed to do was throw things in the kids' suitcases and get rid of any magical evidence.

…At least it sounded easy.

"Can you put some stuff away for Tori?"

Chris nodded, and then turned and headed off down the stairs. As soon as he was gone, Andy's phone went off. He answered quickly.

"How's it going?" his wife's voice spoke at the other end of the line.

Andy sighed. "It's alright. I got into that drawer, finally. Bloom's good at hiding things. How are you guys?"

There was a pause. "We're certain she was taken. This…Brotherhood of Redemption is bad news."

He sighed, moving into Bloom's bedroom. He opened the closet door, and saw a safe nestled between two racks of clothes. He kneeled down and started to work on the combination. "You sound like there's something else."

Roxy sighed. "Guess who showed up after I got the kids?"

"…Chuck Norris?"

"Andy!"

"All right, sorry! Who?"

"Baltor."

The man's hand stilled. "Oh no."

"Oh yes. And Musa not long after that."

It was his turn to sigh as he heard the safe door click and slide open. "She told them?"

"Yep."

"How'd they take it?"

"…Valen hurt Baltor."

Andy couldn't help but crack up. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"No, he really hurt him. He punched him in the face and pushed him back against a wall with a magic blast. I'm pretty sure he messed up his ankle."

Andy paused, grabbing five plastic cards and a few wads of hundred dollar bills out of the safe. He let out a low whistle. He knew Bloom had had enough money in case of an emergency, but nothing like this. "That's Valen for you."

"Shouldn't we be concerned? The first time he shows any of his powers, and he tries to kill his own father."

"Kill is a strong word."

"You weren't there."

He stuffed the cash and credit cards in the front pocket of the backpack. "Well what if you were fifteen and your mother suddenly showed up after Klaus disappeared? Would you be happy?"

"I wouldn't attack her."

Andy sighed. "Well what's going on now?"

"Musa took a look at the art gallery. No one's there, so they've taken Bloom somewhere. I was here playing guard, but Musa took Valen across the street to get him some food a few minutes ago."

"And Victoria?"

"She's with me. She's been…quiet."

"So she's shaken up too."

"Very. How about your end?"

"We should be gone in about fifteen minutes. What time is it?"

"Ten 'til eleven."

"That early? Feels more like two in the morning."

Roxy chuckled slightly, something that made his heart feel a little better. "Then Chris would be out cold." The light in her voice died off. "We're going to need a plan for Tori and Valen." Her voice was soft, as though she didn't want to be overheard.

Her husband sighed. "I know. If these guys are Earth-based…"

"The dimension would be the best place for them."

"And us. We don't know any more then they do. I think it'll be best if we all leave for a while."

"And Chris?"

"…Try to explain things to him, I guess. Maybe take him to a realm with not as much of a magical influence. The Resort Realm, maybe. But as for Tori and Valen…"

Andy knew what she was thinking. "Roxy…I know we're their legal guardians, but we won't be much use to them right now, and we have our own son to think about. Maybe in the circumstances we should –"

Andy cut off as a loud crash sounded from outside Bloom's bedroom window, accompanied by an alarm. He quickly and quietly stood and walked to the window, peering outside. "Shit."

"Andy?" Roxy asked urgently. "What's wrong?"

"Some idiot rear-ended my car. Damn."

The line started crackling. Andy froze. "Rox? Can you hear me?"

"How bad is the car?" he barely heard her.

He glanced back out of the blinds. "The entire back is crushed. I can't drive it."

"It's them." Roxy said in between static crunches. "Bloom has shields up on the house; they must be trying to break them. Get out of there Andy."

He took a deep breath, already moving through the house. He saw Chris standing at the front door downstairs, looking outside in interest. He snapped his fingers, getting his attention as he moved down the stairs. Andy motioned for him to head for the back door. "I'm leaving now. I'll head down the boardwalk and –"

"Don't tell me." She said. "Just get Chris and get out."

He bit his lip. He hated the tone in Roxy's voice. "I'm buying a new phone. Look out for my call; send it to voicemail, I'll text you and tell you its me. Then I'll call exactly three minutes later."

"Got it. Be safe; both of you."

"Yeah." There was another bang outside. "I love you Roxy."

"I love you." She replied.

They hung up.

Baltor watched as Roxy stood at the other end of the lot, talking into her phone in hushed whispers. He wanted to throw up a long-range hearing spell (from Vallisto; those were the best), but considering their proximity to the gallery, and the way the left side of his face was throbbing, it seemed like a bad idea.

"Are you alright?"

He glanced to his right, slightly surprised. Victoria hadn't spoken two words since Musa told her and her brother that he was their father (which he was still trying to comprehend). She was sitting near him – close enough to engage in conversation but far enough away to be in her own thoughts. Her hair was frizzing with the humid air, and her eyes were luminous in the dark.

She really did look like him.

"Fine, Victoria. Just a little bruised."

She nodded, still staring intently at him. "…You can call me Tori if you want. Everyone else does."

"Do you prefer it?"

"I don't really have a preference. Tori just sounds…modern, you know?"

He nodded, a small smile on his face. "I suppose I'm just an old-fashioned person then."

"Hmm." She smiled a little too; the first positive reaction he'd gotten from her all night.

Baltor chuckled a little when he saw she wasn't turning away. "Do I have a decent scratch or something?"

She blushed. "I'm sorry. It's just…I've never seen someone who looks like me before."

Something in his chest twisted. It was a foreign feeling. "I can understand that. However, your brother seems a bit more…uninviting of the situation."

Tori chuckled. "He does that. Sorry about him."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything."

She nodded, lowering her head to look at the street. Her eyes were dancing, deep in thought. Do I do that? Baltor wondered. Closing his own eyes, he reached out to her Dragon Fire connection. It was heavily confused. "You want to ask me something." He said aloud. Tori jerked her head up. "Go ahead."

She bit her lip, obviously surprised. "It's…nothing." He gave her a look. "Really."

"Victoria."

"It's just…Roxy said you didn't know about us." She look up at him through her hair, which was hanging down in front of her face. "Is that true?"

Baltor was taken back by the look in her eyes. It was so…hopeful. Wanting, almost begging for a connection of some kind. He hadn't seen anything like that – at least, not directed at him. He almost had trouble speaking; "I…I didn't. No."

The look vanished. "Oh."

"Not the answer you were looking for, huh?" When she didn't reply, he sighed. "What happened between Bloom and I was very…spontaneous. I guess you could say we weren't on the same side of the playing field. Our relationship shouldn't have happened."

"So we shouldn't have?"

Great move Baltor. Tell your daughter who you've known for twenty minutes she's a mistake. "No no, I didn't…" he trailed off, running a hand through his hair. "You need to understand; I'm as new to this as you are."

"Hmm," she nodded. "I can tell."

He leaned back on the curb. "I'm that obvious, huh?"

"In the sense of communicating," a small smile crossed her face; "Valen and I kind of are, too."

Baltor chuckled a little. "I'll make a deal with you; I'll try if you will. And once we get your mother back, we'll all discuss this. Because trust me, I have quite a few questions for her too."

"Another person to gang up on her with…this could be the start of something very memorable."

He laughed. "Yes. Quite possibly."

She nodded. "So…do you know anything about these Brotherhood of Redemption guys?"

He shook his head. "Never heard of them before in my life. Don't even know what they want."

Tori paused, her face set in concentration. "She said…the Darkened Flame."

Baltor quirked an eyebrow at her. "Who said?"

"This…woman. We had a recorded phone conversation of it, but Roxy made us ditch the phone we recorded it with. But the other woman we could hear wanted something called the Darkened Flame. She thought Mom would either have it, or tell them where to find you because you apparently have it."

He rested his head on his hand. "Hmm…it's been a long time since I've met anyone who wanted that. Years – no, decades. A good friend of mine from one of the smaller planets around Zeinth."

"Why did he want it?"

"He was convinced that he'd found a way to change history as we knew it. Wouldn't tell me how, exactly, only that it was going to be incredible, a change for the better."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Using dark magic to make the world a better place?"

Baltor chuckled. "My thoughts exactly. I kept trying to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen to me. 'I've cracked it,' he kept saying. He was talking about genetic alga-rhythms, quantum teleportation…he said he was about to change everything; science, medicine, religion." He drummed his fingers on the cracked sidewalk, falling into silence.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his daughter's eyes widen slightly. "…Did you help him?"

"No. I told him he'd lost it and I left. Found out his wife filed for divorce a few days later, taking their daughter. I heard he wasn't the same after that. He went on an expedition into ShadowHaunt not long after…I never saw him again."

"Not a bad ghost story."

Baltor glanced back at Roxy, who had apparently ended her phone conversation and had been listening in on them. "A ghost story would imply it being a legend. What I'm telling you are facts."

"How's Andy?" Tori asked.

"All right, I hope. But anyway…Tori, we were talking a for a little bit, and...I guess you could say we've come to a bit of a conclusion."

It was mind control. It had to be. Or post-hypnotic suggestion. Or something. Bloom was sure of it as she sat on the floor of the room, her back against the wall and her head in her hands.

The moment Lia had disappeared, an air of fatigue had washed over her. At first it had seemed barely noticeable, but as the hours wore on it had become worse. She'd tried to use a spell to keep herself awake, but she'd found out there was an anti-magic shield on the place.

Bloom shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. Her bangs felt like icicles, single stands sticking to her cheeks. Her breath came out in a thick fog.

It defiantly hadn't been this cold before.

"You won't actually sleep."

The male voice surprised Bloom so much she actually screamed. The feeling of fatigue shot out of her system like lightning. Her eyes darted around, resting on a black outline of a figure floating above a block of ice.

…Floating?

It took her a minute to realize what she was seeing – it'd been so long. It was an inner spirit; those ghost-like reflections of people's true emotions. She hadn't seen very many since that whole fiasco with the two Mr. Boners and her mother's flower shop. And this was the first time one of them had actually talked to her. "Wh…what do you mean?" she finally asked.

"If Lia and the Brotherhood really need you for something, they'll keep you awake. This will more than likely just be a way to break you down so you'll give them what they want."

Bloom huffed in annoyance. "I wish her the best of luck. When she looked me up, she didn't seem to find I'm stubborn as hell. And the same goes for my kids."

"Ah, the strength of a young mother. Lia is in for a wild ride."

Despite the odds, a small smile appeared on her face. "I'm Bloom. What's your name?"

The man sighed. "Doesn't really matter anymore. Half the days I don't even remember, it's been so long."

"How long have you been here?"

"The better part of ten years."

Bloom's jaw dropped. "Why?"

His head swerved around – three hundred and sixty degrees, actually, as though making sure no one else was around to hear them. "Well…ever hear of Lord Darkar?"

The redhead huffed. "Unfortunately. I never really got off on the right foot with the guy…or whatever the heck that metal hunk was where his foot should've been."

"Hmph," he chuckled. "I'd be a little more careful. Miss Lia is the man's daughter."

There was a small shock that jolted through her. "Darkar had a daughter?"

"Yes. And she was none to happy to hear of her father's death. It's not clear what happened after that, but as the people of Earth say; 'it all went downhill from there.' I was the attorney for his wife when she filed for divorce. Lia was not happy with me for aiding to the end of her parent's relationship."

Bloom banged her head against the wall. "That explains why she hates me. But it still doesn't explain what she wants Baltor's dark Dragon Fire for. You need dark and light to open Relix, and she already has the dark down…"

"Baltor? You mean to tell me that man's still involved in this?"

That comment caused another bit of surprise to shoot through Bloom. "Baltor knew Lord Darkar?"

"Before he was Lord Darkar. Apparently when he showed an interest in the dark arts, Baltor backed out. At least, that was the story."

Bloom sighed. "That still doesn't help me. Was Lia involved in anything else? Has she ever been arrested, are there files on her…"

The figure again looked around the room. "The rumor says she had a brief encounter with three witches. But they were sent to Omega, last I heard."

There was a dull pounding starting up in the back of Bloom's head. She wished she had some aspirin with her. "The Trix. I knew they had to be involved in this. What with the attack of the schools, and Darkar's connection…" she trailed off, looking around the freezer again. "I need to get out of here."

The man gave a small, nervous chuckle, and Bloom's head swerved to him. "You said you'd been here ten years. You must know a way out of here."

His look became uncertain. "Please," Bloom begged. "If I can find what I need, I can help fix this. I can set you free."

The man stared at her for a long time. Bloom thought he'd started to fade away, but a moment later he spoke. "There's no surveillance in here. It's all automated. And with the shield, they can't keep track of you with a magic signal. Those ventilation shafts lead you outside the building if you keep going straight."

Bloom let out a deep breath. It was still foggy. "Thank you."

He chuckled. "Thank me when you're free."

With that, he truly faded away, until Bloom was alone again.

"I've never seen anyone throw a punch like that."

Valen shrugged, swirling the straw in his frozen strawberry-lemonade. "I was on the boxing team this year."

He and Musa were sitting in McDonalds, facing each other in a small booth with a window that allowed them to see across the street. Tori, Roxy and his father were just shadowy figures standing near a streetlight.

His father.

Valen sighed, leaning his head back on the booth. "I shouldn't have hit him."

Musa glanced up at him. She had a phone out in her hand, though it was more modern than anything he'd ever seen. She appeared to be texting. "If you want my opinion, the guy deserved it."

There was a pause. "Is he really that bad?"

"I…suppose it depends on who you ask. Me; I could spend three or four hours telling you all the crap he's done. But ask someone else, they might be a little more…forgiving."

"You mean my mother." Valen said, his tone flat. "You think she's crazy."

Musa chuckled. "Kid, I've thought Bloom was crazy for a long time. But," she continued when she saw his unconvinced look; "Yeah, I'm a little skeptical of this whole situation."

The boy took another sip of his drink. "Skeptical as in this is all a big plot on Baltor's part, or skeptical as in my sister and I are his children?"

"No, you're his children. No doubt. But your first suggestion…can't help but say I'm curious."

A chime sounded, and Musa sighed in annoyance, reaching into a pocket of her dress. Valen was fairly surprised when she pulled out his mother's cell phone. "For the love of Magix, I will throw this thing in the engine of a hovercraft if it'll just shut off."

Valen chuckled, holding out his hand. "Mom never upgraded her phone. Here, I can turn it off."

"My hero," Musa replied lightly, handing the device over.

Valen glanced down at the screen of the old first generation iPhone. There were 5 texts waiting in Bloom's inbox, from a number he recognized.

Hi Bloom, it's Ali. Tori and V's phone's aren't wrking, and we go back on in 10. Could you ring them? Thanks!

Miss H? Did they pick up? The guy running the show is getting impatient.

Hello? Are you guys ok? Still nthing. 2nd set was cancelled.

Someone please call me or Jason. We're really worried.

Just got done talking w/ a rep from here. T & V were swarmed when they left the area; T broke her ankle, didn't say what happened w/ Valen. Need you down here to sing release papers. Thanks, Miss Holloway.

Valen stared at the last message for a few seconds. "What?"

"What?" Musa asked.

"Ali…apparently someone told her we were injured and they needed Mom's consent to release us from Disney."

"It was probably another ploy from the guys who took her."

"But that's Ali's number." He chewed his lip before clicking on the dial button next to the number. "Maybe I should see…"

The phone suddenly felt red hot, and Valen dropped it from his hands. It fizzed and sparked before lifting up and clunking into his drink with a high-pitched whine. He looked at it for a moment, and then glared at Musa. "What the hell?"

"Are you nuts? You can't call her; what if she's a part of this?"

Valen stared at her. "Ali? You're joking, right? She's from Earth; no magic whatsoever. And plus she doesn't fit the 'evil lady who'll kill you in your sleep' motif. Unless she really doesn't suck at baking and was just trying to poison us after all these years."

Musa shrugged, clearly annoyed. "I'm just looking at all the possibilities. And there are some very strong poisons in the world." She added, almost as an afterthought.

Thinking of his band mate and crush of two years with devil horns, a tail, black eyes, and holding a sheet of steaming cookies, Valen shuddered. "And I'm sure she's a ninja, too."

The older woman huffed, and Valen was barely aware that he was pushing her buttons. "Look, I'm sorry I insulted you're girlfriend."

"Good." He said without thinking – it wasn't like she was there to slap him for it anyway (Alison was not afraid of fights). "So just forget it."

"I will."

"Fine."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Who's Sky of Eraklyon?"

Musa nearly spat out her drink. Valen couldn't help but smirk. Jackpot.

"How," she managed to ask between coughing fits, "do you know about Sky?"

"Baltor mentioned him. Though he didn't mention much. So I was kind of hoping you could fill in the details for me."

He watched as Musa finally swallowed her drink, a few fingers messing with her hair. "Well –"

"There you guys are," a voice interrupted. "Geez, way to pick a secluded spot."

Valen rolled his eyes, but still moved over to let his sister into the booth next to him. "Baltor and Roxy are outside," Tori added, reaching over and grabbing his lemonade. She took a sip of it, made a face, and pushed it away. "That's crap."

"It's sugar," he shot back. "And I need it right now."

"I hear you," Musa added, apparently grateful for the distraction. "Did Roxy work out a place for everybody to crash tonight?"

Slowly, Tori nodded. "A woman called Flora. She knew Mom?"

Valen watched an almost sorrowful smile spread across her face. "Flo…gosh, I haven't talked to her face to face in years."

Tori and Valen exchanged a glance. "Well," Tori hesitantly continued, "apparently she and her husband have this estate that they inherited from a relative, and once she heard about everything…"

"That's Flora." The woman stopped for a second, then raised a critical eye. "Wait…what about Baltor?"

Valen saw a sheepish look spread across his sister's face. "He's…coming with us. Roxy talked to Andy, and they think it might be a good idea for us to bond a little. Plus they're planning to take Chris to some other place so they can explain things to him too."

Musa rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"It's not like it'll be forever," Tori continued, watching Musa's face change. "But until we get some answers, wouldn't it be logical to have a biological parent with us?"

"Not if you already have your legal guardian with you," Valen heard Musa mutter. She cleared her throat and spoke louder; "Will Roxy and Andy be with you guys at least for tonight?"

Tori nodded, a look of hope flickering across her face.

The older woman sighed. "Then I suppose it'll be ok. But I want one of you to call me in the morning to tell me you're alright."

Valen gave her a toothy smile. "Afraid Daddy dearest is going to take over the free world?"

Musa huffed, but her eyes showed uncertainty. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Hmm, a bit suspicious, isn't it? Like I said, the next chapter will be out much faster than this one. I hope you'll take some time and tell me what you think. Thanks guys!