101. 101. I have no words, really. You guys are beyond awesome with your support for this story, and the only way I can show it besides gushing thanks (which you probably don't want to read) is to give you this update; the last full chapter of High Hopes In Velvet Ropes. There will be an epilogue too, which will be posted on Tuesday. But until then, I hope you enjoy this last, action-packed chapter!

"Ah, welcome, welcome. I was wondering when you'd get here."

The voice coming from the speakers in the main lobby was cold and unlike anything Tori had ever heard of. It sounded…almost inhuman. And it definitely wasn't inviting.

On her left, Baltor straightened up, sparks of magic coming off his fingertips as though he was ready for a fight. "Icy," he called into the empty air.

"So nice to see you made it out of Omega without my help. You know, you really should have thanked me for that."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to make amends for events that happened sixteen years ago. I'm here to stop you."

There was a cold laugh. "Ha! Look who thinks they can wear a cape and save the day. In case you haven't noticed, darling, you're on your own here. It's one on one, and somebody told me you're a bit rusty."

Valen raised an eyebrow. "How –"

Bloom shushed him. "With the mark, Icy can't tell we're here. She can only see Baltor's magic."

Tori involuntarily glanced at the inside of her wrist, where the odd looking symbol, almost like a tattoo, was glowing faintly. She could feel a small amount of dark energy pulsing from it, but it was fairly easy to block out. Apparently being marked on the wrist gave a lower dose of the spell, though Tori and Valen thought the idea was ridiculous, they weren't about to question their father. Especially now, when he looked ready to turn Icy into a pile of ash.

"Maybe I'm pulling some tricks from the old days," Baltor was saying, a smirk on his face. "I have a few old friends you and your sisters didn't know about."

"Oh please. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're alone in this battle. Bloom's under my control somewhere in the city, and your children are still on Eraklyon. There are only two people who can help you, and one of them is already dead."

"Lia?"

"Precisely. As for the other one…well, we're cutting back on employees."

Baltor's eyes narrowed. "You're not taking anyone else's life tonight, Icy."

"You seem to forget I have very little regard for human life."

"You're forgetting one thing, Icy. I may have been away from the magic dimension for a while, but I can still take you with one hand tied behind my back."

"You talk like a hero," Icy said, her voice deadly. "But you've got something to learn about heroes, Baltor. Heroes die."

Ali's face went a few shades paler.

"But we know you aren't a hero, are you? Like everything else, you'll run from this and hide in God-knows-where. Because in the end, all you are is a coward."

Tori watched her father's eyes narrow. "It'll be an infinite pleasure to push you off the roof."

"Find me first."

The static of the speakers died down, until it was obvious Icy had cut the connection. But there was still a faint sound in the air. It was a kind of clacking…

"The Shadow Monsters," Ali said, turning towards the source of the noise.

"No problem," Bloom said, producing a fireball in her hand. "I've dealt with them before."

"Did you deal with them when they could wipe your mind and convert you into a Shadow Monster like them?"

Tori saw her mother stop. "…That's a new feature."

"We can handle the Shadow Monsters," Valen said. "You two go ahead and find Icy. Besides, we don't want her knowing we're all here, and your kids no less. We don't need hostages."

Bloom nodded. There was a distinct look of pride in her eyes. "Where did you get so smart?"

"I got it from you. Now go."

She kissed each of their foreheads, and gave Alison a hug. "Watch each others backs."

"You guys, too."

Baltor raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised. No death threat?"

Valen stared at him for a moment. "No death threat," he finally said. "It might be nice to have company when Mom and Tori drag me on shopping trips."

A small smile spread across his face. "Somehow that idea doesn't motivate me."

"Yeah well, it sounds better than dying here."

The world seems much slower when receiving bad news. Roxy hated that feeling. It was the feeling she had when she thought about Christopher inheriting her magic. It was the feeling she had when the hospital called to tell her Klaus had a heart attack. It was a feeling she'd had long ago when she, Bloom, Mark, and Ryo had found out about the death of Andy's mother, whom they'd all loved dearly.

Now, she sank onto the couch in the hotel room, that feeling overtook her again, despite the seemingly flawless view of the Resort Realm in the window to her left.

"They what?"

"Went to face Icy at Magix Tower," Tecna's voice came over the phone, sounding much more calm than Roxy would've liked. Granted, the stories Bloom told about her old pink-haired roommate did make her seem a bit more of a logical thinker, but she didn't expect her to sound so shut off. Especially when telling her news like this.

"How long ago did they leave?"

"Maybe ten minutes."

"Mommy? Are you ok?"

She gave Christopher a kiss on the forehead as she stood, and motioned for him to go into the other room, which he (thankfully) did without question. "I'm on my way. Where's the nearest portal in the Resort Realm?"

The other woman laughed. "Are you crazy? Magix has been quarantined ever since the Shadow Monsters showed up. Planets are shutting down their transportation to power up shield to try and keep Icy's magic from harming them – even though it won't do much good. There's no way you'll be able to get there."

"Then you obviously don't know me very well," Roxy snapped.

"You'll be more of a liability than anything." Tecna continued, sounding so perfectly reasonable Roxy wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her. "You have very little training for your powers, never mind the fact the rest of your family has no training, you don't know what the Trix are like, and you've never fought Shadow Monsters. Honestly, you should just –"

"I'm well aware of what I should do, but what I won't do is leave my best friend and my god-children to fight God-only-knows-what, especially after everything they've done to help me."

Tecna sighed irritably. "I've already talked to Stella and Layla. They're sending troops out there, and they've gone with them to find her."

"And how long will that take?"

"I don't know; an hour, maybe?"

Roxy glanced at Andy, who'd been sitting silently on the couch next to her, listening to the conversation. She was surprised that he hadn't weighed his two cents in yet, or said any slightly sarcastic remarked. It only helped proved the point that this was a big deal and, furthermore, he was terrified. Roxy stared at him until he finally looked back at her, and she saw a deep love for not just her, but Bloom and the kids. "They don't have an hour," he finally whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

And that was all the support she needed.

"Well while you and your little Winx Club hide like cowards, I'm going to fight."

"But –"

Roxy snapped the phone shut. "I'm not letting anything happen to her." She said to Andy.

"I know."

"You should stay here with Chris."

"I know."

She glanced at him. "Are you alright?"

He smiled sadly, letting his head fall into his hands. "I can't help but blame myself."

Roxy raised an eyebrow and sat down next to him. "For the Shadow Monsters?"

"For everything," he said, taking her hand in his. "All those years ago, if I hadn't let my anger get the best of me at that party, I wouldn't have gotten Bloom mad at me. She wouldn't have gotten mad at me, she wouldn't have gone off on her own the next day instead of hanging out with us…"

Slowly, she understood what he was saying. "You think Bloom wouldn't have found Stella that day."

"And none of this would have happened."

Roxy sighed. "Andy –"

"Think about it. The Trix wouldn't have found the Dragon Fire, and they would have given up their quest for it. They wouldn't have helped that Darkar guy almost take over the world, and Lia probably would've grown up as a normal kid."

"And Baltor would still be frozen in the Omega Dimension, and we wouldn't have Tori and Valen. And you and Bloom wouldn't have broken up, so we couldn't have gotten together."

A smirk spread across his face, and he kissed her hand. "I never said it was all bad."

"And what if the Trix had tracked Bloom down anyway, when she didn't have prior fairy training? You may have unintentionally helped her win that battle

"Hmm," he said, "But thinking about the past won't fix things."

"You're right. That's why I'm going. What?" she asked when she saw the look on his face.

"Just…" he kissed her before she could say anything else, succeeding in making her knees weak while sitting down. "Come back."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You heard those stories about the Shadow Monsters. What if they…"

"Let me make this clear. I'm not going to leave you, or Chris, or Tori and Valen. I'm going to get them, and I'm coming back. I don't plan to recreate what happened with my mother."

"But Morgana came back."

She smiled and kissed him again. "And so will I."

"If we trap them in the conservatory, they shouldn't be able to get out for a while. The glass is made with an anti-magic barrier. Not even Shadow Monsters can get under it."

Tori fired a beam towards a particularly large monster that looked like a centipede that was hit with a growth ray. However, the monster only broke up into smaller versions of itself. She let out a few words that her mother would have likely grounded her for, and glanced at Ali. "Which way to we need to drive them?"

The other blonde was trying her best to stay active in the battle, Tori could tell, but without her fairy form the spells she was using were practically worthless. But at least she knew the layout of the tower, apparently learned while working for Lia and the Brotherhood. "The glass door at the end of this hallway leads to the conservatory. If we get them down there, we can lock them in."

Valen sent up a shield as a few of them boldly starting firing acid at them. The floor in front started melting, and Valen cringed, wondering how much longer the shield could hold. "Well, how can we drive them down there?"

"We have to make them think they've got us trapped. They can sense accelerated heartbeats, and when they do they'll track us like a GPS. We move into the conservatory, lock them in, and we can go help your parents."

"So they need to think we're scared?" Tori smirked. "I know I won't be pretending."

"If we go full sprint down the hallways, our heart rate should jump enough for them to follow us."

"Then can I suggest we do it now?" Valen asked, sounding strained. "This acid's about to eat through the shield!"

"Go!"

Nobody had to tell Valen twice. He let the shield drop and turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The monsters seemed surprised, but after a moment started following at a surprisingly fast pace.

The doors to the conservatory opened automatically, leading into a circular room with glass on all sides. Dim light shined down from the skylights above, making the plants an unnaturally dark green color.

When they were inside, Valen conjured up an energy form in the shape of a person, and pushed it to the other side of the room. Without any obvious barriers, the Shadow Monsters would flock to it before going after the rest of them. And sure enough, most of the Shadow Monsters did flock to the energy ball, with a few trying to figure their way out of the enclosed area.

Tori, Valen, and Alison went back through the doors, with Ali using a spell to temporarily secure the doors. Valen started searching the nearby control panel. "Where's the security lock?"

"It should be a green button!" Ali said. She was focusing on keeping the spell active, since her magic was slowly dying out.

His eyes scanned the panel, seeing knobs and keyholes and switches, but no green button to speak of. "It isn't here!"

"What do you mean it isn't there? It has to be!"

Tori's eyes, which were keeping a close eye on the Shadow Monsters to see how they'd react to being trapped, suddenly widened with fear. "Guys," she said, pointing a gloved finger at the conservatory.

Valen looked, following his sisters train of sight until it came upon a control panel in the conservatory, with a keyhole and a single, bright green button. "It locks from the inside."

Alison froze. "That's impossible."

"It's not impossible! Just look, for Christ's sake! It's in there, with the monsters."

Tori shook her head. "If we keep them in there without securing the doors, they'll eventually break out. And having a bunch of angry Shadow Monsters after us will only be helping to dig our graves."

"Can we get Alec or March to fly a boomerang through there? Or maybe use one of those personal hero assistant things?"

"No good. It'll compromise the shield. They'll just escape again."

"It's all my fault."

With all the yelling and fast-paced action, Ali's soft words caught Valen off guard. He turned to her, seeing her face set in an odd mixture of shock and agony. The look she was wearing was worrying; it was the look that people had when they realized some grave, unforeseeable event was solely their fault, its weight on their shoulders. "Don't talk like that Alison." Valen said carefully, wondering how much he could say.

"That button was the only possible compromise in the whole tower – like the main vault in the Magix Museum. It can keep people safe, but it can also trap people. If you put a lock inside something, at least one person is in there with whatever you trap. That means whatever's in there is pretty damn dangerous."

Tori also saw where her train of thought was going. "It's not worth it. We can trap them some other way."

"I pointed that out. I told Lia that that button would be the only way the Shadow Monsters could be neutralized. And anyone trapped in there is as good as dead. Or worse – converted to a creature like them."

"Alison," Valen warned. He tried to loosen his legs in case he needed to make a quick jump at her.

"And not just that – I told Lia everything. About Bloom, about you two, about how I always wanted in some way to see you both suffer. And I don't even know why I did want to see it; you two are my best friends. But you always seemed so…superior. Like you owned everything. I just wanted to feel like that. I said I'd help Lia. I used Jason to get Valen jealous, even when I didn't care about either of them. I caused this entire mess and it's all my fault…"

The only sound in the room were from the Shadow Monsters scratching at the glass doors, trying to break free and make their captors pay for caging them. "Though I suppose," Ali continued, her voice still calm, "this is a way to prove how sorry I am. And to show you that I feel guilty for what I did."

"Ali –"

"The shortest recorded time in which a human was transformed into a Shadow Monster was twenty minutes and sixteen seconds. I looked it up while I was mixing the potion for Bloom. You can find the power supply for Icy's spell before then, and hopefully shut it down. Once it goes, Icy goes, and when Icy goes, the monsters go. Funny," her gaze shifted from her friends to the dark creatures starting to swarm in the conservatory, "this seems like a noble thing to do after everything."

Alison is French; its definition is a noble kind…

We're cutting back on employees…

The noble will die for what is right…

…Alison's still alive?

"Don't!" Valen screamed.

Alison dropped the spell and raced through the conservatory doors. Tori made a dash for the control panel to keep the doors open. Both girls had run the forty-meter dash in PE together, and despite her best efforts Ali was always two seconds faster. And here, two seconds was the difference between life and death.

The moment Tori's fingers brushed the control panel, an alarm sounded, and the sound of securing deadbolts became prominent. And automated voiced informed them that the conservatory doors had been secured. Valen tried to spot her through the glass of the doors, but most of the monsters were already crowded around her.

Valen pounded at the glass, never feeling so helpless in his entire life. "No! No, no no!"

"Valen –"

"We've got to get her out of there!"

"There isn't a way. The doors can only be unlocked in there."

He felt like crying. This wasn't happening – this couldn't be happening. A week ago none of this was happening; he'd had a loving mother and great friends, and now one of them had practically committed suicide after telling him she'd never liked him as more than a friend. A dark voice in the back of his head told him Alison deserved the pain she was likely to endure, but he pushed it back, disgusted with himself.

Tori had been silent, watching her brother as he threw ideas around in his head. When she was sure he was paying attention again (or as much attention as he could in the situation) she spoke; "Alison was right; if we shut down the power supply for this spell, those monsters will die."

"Is right," he said quietly. "She's not dead." Yet.

"So let's make sure it stays that way."

Slowly, Valen nodded. Without thinking, he pulled Tori close and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too. You ready?"

He cast a weary look to the conservatory. He couldn't see Alison with all the monsters crowding around her, except for a streak of her blond hair that would flash between two of them sometimes. Though she was indeed strong, she was already weak from the earlier battles. And she had less than twenty minutes.

"I'm ready."

Seeing Magix in distress was really a beautiful sight. All those years ago when the Shadow Monsters first attacked, there had been so much fear and panic; the streets were merely deserted, and all the monsters were attacking the schools. Now, they roamed the streets freely, destroying anything in their path. There were fires in some of the buildings, smoke billowing up and making the sky darker. Alarms were sounding and people were screaming. It was utter chaos.

"Admiring your work?"

Icy smirked, but didn't turn around. "I'm surprised you aren't. Once upon a time, this was the kind of world you craved."

Baltor kept a close eye on her. The roof of Magix Tower was small already; so much so he kept thinking he saw flashes of red out of the corner of his eye because Bloom wasn't covered enough behind the large antenna on the roof. But he knew well enough with the cloaking spells and the sheer size of the antenna, his lover was safe from Icy. "I never wanted to let the darkness of Shadowhaunt loose in the streets of Magix."

"Right; you didn't want any more pain and suffering than what was needed." She turned to face him, looking bored. "I suppose you've come here to stop me?"

"I was hoping to."

She smiled faintly, proving that even though she was in control of so much power, something in her head wasn't quite right. "Nice to see that your sarcasm is still intact. If only it could do you some good."

"I try my best. Answer me this, my dear." Baltor started to pace the roof, careful to keep his eyes away from where Bloom was hiding. "What happens after this? You can't take the entire magical dimension in one spell; it's physically impossible. And you'll more than likely leave Zenith, which has the most modern military weapons in the whole dimension. And if it gets critical the protocols on Earth are initiated – a planet that craves war. They'll launch nuclear missiles at you. You'll tear the universe apart before you can rule it."

"You would think that, wouldn't you. You used to get it. It's not about the fighting, or the destruction; it's about the power. Being able to rule everything that ever existed, not having to answer to anyone. That's what everybody in the universe wants, Baltor. And they all think the only way to get it is by working through the ranks; political parties, financial investment, but those things take generations. The only way to get what you want is by force, and that's exactly what I intend to do."

Baltor shook his head. "You didn't fake your way into solitary at Light Rock; you really have gone crazy."

"Maybe. But at least I'll be crazy with a whole universe to rule."

She took a step towards him, and Baltor produced a fireball in his hand. "Not if I knock you off this roof."

Icy just laughed. "Oh Baltor…what happened to that smart man I freed from Omega all those years ago; you cant kill me. I'm not the source of the spell. My power is being duplicated downstairs as we speak, making the spell strong enough to go across the dimension. And as long as my magic is that strong, its impossible for me to be dead."

"Spells like that obviously have a way to cut themselves off."

She smirked. "Yes, they do. But you're all alone, and the shutoff requires two equally balanced parts as a single power source – that means light and dark."

"I'm full of surprises, Icy."

"Oh I know you are. But the funny thing is, you seem to have a case of memory loss. Because one of the first things you ever taught me to do was see past the illusion spells you use."

Baltor's eyes widened, as well as the smirk on Icy's face. "I'm not stupid Baltor. You obviously wouldn't come to face me without the only person whose ever defeated me."

Baltor made a grab for Icy – he didn't know what he intended to do but knew he wanted to leave scars. But she gracefully evaded him and shot a beam towards the antenna. The intensity of it blinded Baltor momentarily, and when his vision cleared he saw Bloom dangling over the side of the building, caught in Icy's magic grip.

"March? March can you hear me?"

The shock of a voice suddenly coming over the earpiece startled March so much he almost fell off his bike. The Shadow Monsters had been keeping their distance from Magix Tower, and he and Alec intended to keep it that way. But after having dead air for the last fifteen minutes, he'd almost forgotten the earpiece was there. "Tori? Is that you?"

"Yeah. How's it looking out there?"

He glanced around. "Pretty good. I think Icy's the one who gives the monsters orders, and she thinks all the monsters in there are doing their job."

"Good."

"Hey…are you crying? You sound funny."

There was a pause, and Valen's voice came over the line. "If its not too much trouble, we need you guys to head into the tower."

"Why?" March asked. "Did something happen?"

"Where's Alison?" Alec asked, finally jumping into the conversation.

The line was silent.

"Guys," Alec said. March could hear the nervousness in his voice. "Where is she?"

"That's what we need your help with. We want you and March to try and break through the conservatory doors."

"Why?"

"…They only lock from the inside. And Alison locked herself in there with the Shadow Monsters."

March hit the breaks on his bike. "Is she dead?"

Tori took a shaky breath. "We don't know. We had to leave her behind."

"How could you just leave her?" Alec asked. His tone was vicious. "After all she did –"

"We don't have a choice!" Valen snapped. "If we can stop Icy's spell, then the Shadow Monsters will disappear."

Alec's bike came around the bend and stopped next to March. Through the visor on the helmet, March could see Alec wanted to tear something to pieces. "Ok, Tori – you said you found the source for the spell; what does it look like?"

She took a deep breath, getting control of her emotions. "It's like a huge ball of bluish energy, but there's some orange glowing in the center. There are cords attached to it, and it keeps flickering like its powering up."

March thought for a moment. "I think I know the spell works. It's a combination of ice and dark Dragon Fire."

"The thing Lia wanted in the first place! We're smart not to have figured that out earlier." Valen said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"But is there a way to stop it?"

"The only way I know of is to use two parts of an equal power source; light to cancel out the spell, and darkness to keep the Dragon Fire from, you know, killing you."

"They can figure it out," Alec said, sounding annoyed. "We've got to get through the doors."

"But –"

"He's right March," Valen said. "You guys go and try to break through it."

He sighed irritably. Is everyone but me in love with that girl? "Alright. You be careful."

"You too." Once the line dropped off, March turned to Alec. "We need a plan."

Alec revved his engine. "I have a bike. Bike through a glass wall equals giant hole. That's my plan."

He sped off before March could say anything else.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Tori asked as Valen took his earpiece out and set it on the ground.

"Because I have a plan."

"You? What do you know about magic? You're just upset about Alec."

Valen circled the orb of energy, focusing far too much on it for it to be natural. "It doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't make sense you're in love with her when she doesn't love you back! And don't give me the magic excuse – this was an issue long before Dad came back."

"Then why is Alec in love with her when he'd known her for two days?"

"How the hell should I know? But if we just stand around and point fingers at every guy Alison's ever dated, she'll be dead before we're halfway through. What we need to focus on," she gestured to the globe. "Is that. And why you disconnected the call when March could've walked us through on taking it down!"

"He did tell us," Valen said. "We need one dark and one light part of a single power source."

Tori thought for a second. "Mom and Dad."

"Equal parts of the Dragon Fire; light and dark."

She yanked his arm. "Come on," she insisted, her voice urgent. "We have to get to the roof. If we can distract Icy long enough for them to get down here –"

Valen stubbornly stayed put. "That's not necessary."

"The hell it isn't! We need Mom and Dad!"

"We are Mom and Dad!"

The tug on his hand abruptly stopped. Valen was silent, watching the idea slowly process in his sister's head. Often she seemed to be the more optimistic and creative of the two, so it surprised him she hadn't gotten it at first.

Looking back on it now, Valen wasn't exactly sure who reached out towards the energy source first. All he knew was that the fireball he produced in his hand was blazing red, while the one Tori had was a shocking blue color. He glanced at her, and she just shrugged. "I suppose I'm a bit more connected to my dark side than I thought I was."

He avoided making a smart remark. "On, three, ok? One…two…"

They both let the balls of energy go, sending them straight into Icy's power source.

At the exact moment the Dragon Fire energy connected with Icy's spell, Tecna was sitting in front of a computer in the ODHA, typing furiously while trying to keep track of the maps on the screen, depicting the dark energy levels in downtown Magix. The usually blank map was now swimming red, tracking the Shadow Monsters as they moved through the city.

"Breaking two hundred words a minute won't solve this," Timmy spoke up from behind her.

If the room wasn't crawling with additional security, also trying to track the situation in Magix, Tecna would've likely throw a keyboard. Instead, she took a deep breath. "I know. I'm just worried."

"Bloom knows what she's doing - this isn't her first time facing Icy head on."

"It's not her I'm worried about."

Timmy chuckled. He'd grown more relaxed as the years went on, and sometimes Tecna wondered if the reason he'd been so uptigtheir his teenage years was because of all the insanity she'd dragged him into while they were in school. She'd asked about it once, a few years after Bloom had left, but he'd laughed her off. "Ah, so it's not Bloom you're worried about. It's him and Bloom. Together."

Saying Baltor's name with so many guards around would be a death warrant. "It's just...he worked with Icy before. He knew her. He cares about Bloom; that much was obvious when I saw him, but..."

"You think he cares about Icy more?"

"Not at all. I just think she learned manipulation from the best. And that if she gets him to agree with her on one thing -"

"Ma'am? I think you should take a look at this."

Tecna turned to look at the map the guard was gesturing to - the one monitoring the dark energy levels in Magix, terrified of what she might see.

The map was clear.

"The Shadow Monsters are gone!"

"Icy must be out of power!"

"She's gone!"

A round of cheers went through the room. Tecna sat back in the chair, relaxing for the first time in days. She felt Timmy reach over and squeeze her hand, and she smiled faintly.

"Well what do you know..."

At the exact moment the Dragon Fire energy connected with Icy's spell, Ali was slipping in and out of consiousness. With no magic, and who knew how many Shadow Monsters attacking her, the pain was almost unbearable. Fighting them off had become an impossible task. Her thoughts were becoming hazy. She just wanted to sleep. To sleep and forget all of this. To wake up in her own bed, with Melissa yelling that shed come home for the weekend and wanted to go to the local cafe for lunch, with her brothr jumping up and down on the bed and laughing to get her to wake up, with no big rsponsibility...

She was slipping ou of consiousness again, but something in the back of her head seemed to be warning her that if she passed out now, she wouldn't wake up - or at least, no as herself. But with all the pain, the feeling of little needles sinking into her skin (were those teeth?), she couldnt help but want that kind of sanctuary; no more pain, no more guilty consience, no more stringing Valen and Jason along...

And then, abrubtly, the pressure on her body stopped. There was a chorus of wails and undfinable noises, and then...silence.

Carefully, she opened her right eye, blinking away the fluid that was caught in her eyelashes (she didn't know what it was, exactly, but it was dark and smelled like metal). She could see all the way to the other side of the conservatory. In her view, Alison appeared to be the only person in the room.

Relief flooded through her, and she slumped down on the grass, her vision already darkening again. And just before her eyes shut, she heard an engine revving, and a window near her exploded.

At the exact moment the Dragon Fire energy connected with Icy's spell, Icy herself was holding Bloom over the edge of Magix Tower, watching in great delight as the color drained from Baltor's face. "Come on now," she called to him, feeling more power than she ever thought possible. "Where's that fight you kept telling me about?"

Baltor clenched his jaw, no doubt rattling off a number of colorful swear words in his head. Bloom's eyes were wide, but she remained silent. "Let her go, Icy."

"Why? After all she's done to you - to us? You should be begging me to throw her off this building. To let her die; slowly and painfully."

"Icy -"

"If it weren't for her, you would be ruling the magic dimension!"

"No," he said, and Icy raised an eyebrow. "If it weren't for Bloom, you would be ruling the magic dimension. I would still be in a frozen block of ice on a barren planet. It's because of Bloom I'm here, and with so much more than I could have possibly imagined. And I will not let it go for your sake, Icy."

She looked a bit uneasy, like she had been expected an immediate surrender. She recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to be unnoticed. "Think of what you could have," she finally said. "The entire dimension - under your control. Everything you've ever wanted. And all you have to do is let me end what you asked me to start."

"But it would still be you. I admit that a part of me still wants that kind of control over so many people. I do want revenge, I want to make them reget what they've done," his gaze fell to Bloom. "But not like this."

Slowly, Icy's gaze narrowed, and Baltor knew he'd lost his chance at reasoning with her, even if those chances had been slim. "Well, I'm afraid to inform you that this was the only way your revenge would've been possible. And that door just shut. However," a cold smirk spread across her face. "I'm not a heartless woman. I'll at least let you die with the whore."

Baltor clenched his fists as Icy raised her other hand, no doubt ready to deliver a blow that would knock him right off the roof. He did a mental calculation in his head; if he dodged to the left, the intensity of the attack would provide a few seconds of cover...

But as soon as sparks of blue magic started glowing in her hand, it dissapated into nothing.

Baltor cautiously glanced at Icy, wondering what kind of trick she was pulling. But the witch looked equally shocked, even angry. "That's not possible. You couldn't have undone my power supply; your the only one here. Unless..." She didn't finish, but Baltor already knew what all three of them were thinking.

Valentine and Victoria.

Icy inhaled sharply. In her eyes, Baltor could see she wanted nothing more than to strangle her. "Like father like son, I suppose."

"I suppose." Two fireballs appeared in his hands. "Ready to give up Icy?"

To his horror, a sickly sweet smile crossed her face. "On the contrary. If my power is gone, that means all my spells are currently failing. Though of course, if I stop them myself, I could managae to save a little strenght."

She put her other hand down, and the ice that kept Bloom floating in the air melted away.

This time Baltor did swear as he dove forward, just grasping her hand before it was out of reach. As he slid across the stucco, he could feel it ripping through his shirt and scratching his skin. He reached his other hand out to take Bloom's, but a blue stiletto heel came down on his wrist, pinning it to the ground. Baltor literally growled as he lifted his gaze to meet Icy's. That smile was still on her face. "I have a proposition."

"He's not interested!" Bloom snapped. Considering she was dangling from a roof with no Enchantix, she looked surprisingly pissed off.

Baltor bit his tongue. "What kind of proposition?"

"It's simple really; let my sisters and I go, and Bloom doesn't fall to her death."

"I don't know where your sisters are."

Icy stomped his heel further into the ground, causing him to hiss out in pain. "I don't have a lot of patience right now, Baltor. And a broken wrist will do you no good."

He kept his facial composure, but the strain on his arm was already starting. "If I do -"

"Baltor no!"

"If I do," he ignored Bloom, "You leave us in peace?"

"You have my word."

From behind them, a voice chuckled. "How nice - now what can I rely on?"

A blast of green energy came from what seemed like nowhere, and knocked Icy off her feet. She teetered on the edge of the rooftop, and if Baltor wanted he could use his now free hand to grab her ankle and push her back on the roof.

But he reached down and grabbed Bloom's other hand as Icy toppled over the edge. She tried to grab a hold of Bloom, but she was a hair out of reach. She was screaming, but as it became obvious there wasn't a way out, she shut her mouth. Baltor watched her until she was a few stories above the ground, then turned away. Besides pulling Bloom back onto the roof, he couldn't bear to see her end. The sickening thud was enough to confirm what he knew; Icy was dead.

"Roxy; what are you doing here?" Bloom asked, her gaze falling to her pink-haired friend. She tapped her fingers against the roof, grateful to be on solid ground again. Baltor wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his chest.

The other woman leaned over the rooftop, her eyebrows scrunching when she saw whatever was left of Icy. "Hey, I got bored; couldn't let you and the kids have all the fun. Speaking of which...did they stop Icy?"

"Partially. I think that's somewhat owed to them, and somewhat owed to you."

A faint smile crossed her face. "Probably the only thing I've done with my powers."

"Hey, no matter what you've done, I'd count that pretty high up there." Bloom reached out and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Roxy."

She shook her head. "If I should be thanking anyone, it's you and your family. I heard what Icy said." Her gaze turned to Baltor. "Offering you power. She had such a strong hold on the city...I mean, not to sound out of the loop or anything, but isn't that what you always wanted?"

"It was." he glanced up as the clouds started clearing, showing the night sky lit with starts of faraway planets and places he didn't even know. "I'm going to regret that."

Bloom laughed and hit his shoulder. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"No more kids, please," Roxy smirked, turning and heading towards the stairs that would lead to the bottom of the tower. "Tori and Valen are obviously powerful enough. Knowing you two, you might create a child capable of controlling both light and dark energy."

They both laughed as she disappeared through the door. "We should follow her." Baltor said

Bloom nodded. "We should."

Before she moved to get up, Baltor leaned over and lightly kissed the corner of her mouth. "I love you."

She smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too."

Alright folks, a few little updates to go through.

First off: like I said above, High Hopes will have an epilogue. That's got a release date set for Tuesday, which isn't too long of a wait, and should make the story completion a little over a year since I started this.

I could spend paragraphs telling everyone how greatful I am that they've stuck with me through this story - whether you started reading in chapter 1 or just started reading this morning. Either way, thank you. With over 7.000 hits, High Hopes is definitely one of my most popular stories.

('Like, omg ember! Don't you know that today is supposed to be a fan fiction block day? HOW could you update?'. ...Um, because like most other people here, I went through and fixed the problems with my stories, so the block isn't really necessary. If we need to blame someone, blame E.L. James for drawing these issues to the moderators attention.)

Lastly, I have some exciting news; Leap of Faith, the story I co-wrote with Authoress-In-Training, is being translated into Russian by Nafochka on his blog. We're really excited that people who don't have English as a first language will be able to enjoy the story in their own language. If your interested, please PM either me or Authoress, and we'll be happy to give you the link!

There will probably be another note on Tuesday (probably more gushing - aren't you excited?), so I'll leave you until then. Remember that button below loves to hear what you think! We're at 101; can we see 110? (another challenge, I know - aren't I terrible?)

Happy summer everyone!

ember