"Hey kid, you sure you don't want a TV to watch the wedding?"

I glanced at the guard out of the corner of my eye, but didn't speak. Though they had done a good job of bandaging my leg, the rest of the night had been nothing but mocking me. My only chance at escape had been a sound barrier spell, but it had done very little, considering my magic was at a low point. I felt like I'd been trapped for eternity, even though it hadn't even been twelve hours.

Thankfully, though, I was working on a way to fix that.

"Come on, little girl," he continued to taunt from the other side of the other side of the iron bars. "Where's that impressive and maddening power Baltor must've passed down to you?"

"It was never maddening," I stated calmly, pulling my legs to me and resting Indian-style on the floor. "My father stumbled upon a book full of dark magic in a library one day. It contained a powerful demon that took over his soul."

I shut my eyes tightly as I heard him bark a sharp laugh. "And where's your daddy now, kid?"

Hopefully coming to kick your ass to Hell and back. However, I didn't respond, shutting my eyes and forcing myself into a calm state, trying to find the weakness in the barrier spell around me. I was sick of being in here, and I was not abandoning the closest thing I had to a sibling.

"Lay off the kid." The voice of another guard reached my ears. "Haven't you tormented her enough?" I recognized him as one of the men who'd helped with my leg last night. I almost opened my eyes to check, but decided against it.

The first man laughed; I had the slightest suspicion he'd had alcohol at some point during the night, which made his comments to me more slurred and offensive. I forced my ears to stop hearing their voices and focused on the energy around me, the power of the spell and the aura in the air. Suddenly, I felt it – a weak point to the left of me, almost brushing my knee. Slowly, I reached my hand out to the area and let loose a few sparks of magic, too dull to be noticed by the guards.

The oddest feeling radiated from the pit of my stomach. I usually ignored such things when I was in a meditative state like this, but it nagged me. It was an aura – faint and far away, but still there. Familiar, almost coaxing me to reach out and touch it, to try to make contact, but I couldn't.

I could feel the spell around me crumbling without a skilled wizard to recharge it. It tried to hold itself for a few moments, and then gave up and crumbled away.

"Lay off, Aaron," I suddenly heard the first guard say. I was still partially in a meditative state, so I could hear the slur in his voice and feel the drunken aura around him. A smirk spread across my lips as he continued. "She's a child, for Arcadia's sake. What trouble could she cause?"

Calmly, I stood up and brushed the stray rubble from my jeans. The drunken guard turned and gave me a look of cold amusement. "And just where do you think your going, sweetheart?"

The second guard gave me an odd look. I flashed him a grin and shot my hand out, feeling the power of my internal flame leap from my fingertips, splitting the iron bars of the cell in half. There was a loud crash as they fell in shambles in front of me, both men watching, slack jawed. "Now then," I said, straightening the glove on my left hand, "who wants to try and take me on?"

Unsurprisingly, the drunk one came at me first. I shot a barrage of fire arrows at him, but he deflected him with his spear gun. Just when he was within a few feet of me, I launched myself backwards, doing a perfect back flip and landing on the suspended makeshift bed. The man sneered and whipped something out from behind him, quickly tossing it at me.

I realized a beat too late it was a magic restraint cuff. It clipped perfectly around my left hand, draining me almost immediately. He smirked and yanked at the chain, watching as I tumbled off the bed and landed face down on the stone floor. I felt the fabric of my shirt tear, leaving the bottom of my black lace bra and part of my stomach exposed. "Now," he growled, yanking the chain to slowly pull me closer, my skin burning from the friction. "If that mouth of yours is really so big, why don't we see what else it can do?"

A low, inhuman growl sounded in my throat. He momentarily stopped pulling me forward, and I used the opportunity to spring to my feet, yanking on the chain myself, causing him to stumble towards me. Using a trick I'd seen in a movie once, I spun him around and pushed the chain to his neck, partially cutting off his oxygen supply. He went eerily still, the spear dropping from his hand.

"Now, what was it you said earlier?" I whispered, taking pride in the shivers that wracked him. He didn't answer, and I tightened the chain. "See what my mouth can do?"

"…P-p-please," he rasped out.

I gave a disgusted sigh, my hand reaching the end of the other cuff. Clamping it to a piece of brick, I felt the cuffs rattle with uncertainty at the two different surfaces it was attached to. I took the opportunity to remove the cuff on my arm and pinned it to the wall, keeping him trapped. "You know," I said, my voice containing a cold sarcasm, "I'd stick to the blow-up dolls. But be careful how you struggle in that chain, or your experiences could be far less entertaining."

From behind me, I heard a slight chuckle. Whirling around at lightning speed, I saw the other guard – Aaron – in the doorway, smiling at me. He was, in fact, the man from last night, his dark skin making him fade into the shadows a bit. "Impressive," he said, nodding in obvious approval. "If you are not Baltor's daughter, at the very least one of your parents must have great skill with the Dragon Fire."

"…My mother was from Delora – big on protection and whatnot. She could do a decent back flip." I looked him over. "You planning on turning me in?"

"No," he said, the smile fading from his face. "You seem to be an intelligent young woman, and you would not be doing this without a much larger drive."

I had expected something along the lines of that, but hearing it out loud rocked me a bit. I quickly recovered my composure. "I appreciate it. Just please… try to keep his Highness busy."

"Of course, miss."

"Actually, my name's–"

"No," he quickly cut off, looking stern. "No names. Names make it harder to say goodbye."

My eyebrows rose. "What–"

"Go! Quickly, before this is discovered."

Something in the back of my head told me to argue, but I was in too much of a rush to say no. I glanced at the clock of the wall – nine thirty. The wedding started in half an hour, and I still had to get to the other side of the palace. There wasn't even time to thank Aaron as I darted out of the dungeons and up the stairs. "Find some clothes!" I heard him call to me.

I managed to glance down. My shirt was badly torn, my left glove bloody from the cuff, and my jeans looked more worn that ever. "Crap," I muttered, turning left at the top of the stairs. I didn't know where I was going, just so long as it was away from the dungeons. "Now what the hell am I–"

Before I could finish, a door in front of me burst open and a blonde girl stalked out, looking as steamed as a bag of potatoes. I couldn't stop in time, crashing into her from the side.

"Ugh!" she squeaked in a voice that made me cringe. "Watch where you're going! Isn't it bad enough I'm forced to attend my ex-fiancé's wedding?"

I glanced at the girl as she fixed the crown on her head and continued to lecture me. The jewels alone looked like they could easily feed a family for two years. I also noticed her dress – a long black and white number with a large red beaded flower on the bodice. It was elegant, and looked like it would easily blend in with the crowd.

"I mean, really," she continued, turning to face me head-on. "What is your…"

She trailed off, and with good reason; I'd produced a massive fireball in one hand, and a fire whip in the other.

I gave her a deathly sweet smirk. "Hello, your Highness!" I chirped in an overly pleasant voice. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to take off that dress."

"This," I struggled to get out, inching the tight dress up my legs, "is a terrible idea. Goddamn it, how did Stella ever manage to fit into clothing this tight?"

From the other side of the thick curtain, I heard Baltor chuckle. "Solaria, precious, has something of a problem with crash weight-loss diets."

"And apparently bad circulation," I muttered, sliding the garment the rest of the way up my body. "My wedding dress wasn't this tight; how could a bridesmaid dress be worse?"

"You could have taken Flora's or Layla's."

"But Stella will be the least likely to go around asking where it is – she'll just order another one."

"Deep breath, Bloom. Literally."

I gave something between a huff of annoyance and a laugh. "Nice pun."

"I try."

I hadn't gotten much sleep last night – in fact, I was fairly certain Baltor used a spell to knock me out around two in the morning. Hale had taken one of the couches, and Baltor the other. We'd had a small fight on who should've taken the bed, but Hale had firmly denied it because of the whole 'you're a woman' thing, and Baltor for the fear that too much would've happened.

Needless to say, it was hard enough running on four hours of sleep and an s***-load of caffeine. I didn't need the reminder I was no longer as young as I used to be.

From the other side of the curtain, I heard Baltor bite back another laugh. "You want some help?"

I sighed, holding the dress up as I stepped around the hanging velvet. "The zipper, if you don't mind."

There wasn't a response, but I felt Baltor take my shoulders and gently turn me towards the mirror. Despite the time it had taken getting the stupid thing on, it actually looked pretty decent on me. I hadn't gotten a say in my bridesmaid dresses thanks to the stupid Eraklyon laws; they had been black and cream on the bodice, with a cream-colored bubble skirt. It made my hair stand out and brought out my eyes.

Baltor slid up the zipper, one of his fingers trailing across my skin just before the zipper covered it. I fought back a shiver and stared straight on at the mirror. "You look beautiful," he whispered, placing a chaste kiss on the side of my neck.

"You clean up pretty well too." I smirked a little. Baltor had (with great reluctance) parted with his burgundy jacket, settling for a black suit and a burgundy tie.

He glared at me, though it was more friendly than upset. "Did Hale get off okay?"

"As far as I know." Hale had snatched a suit from one of the shops at the hotel and taken off the minute we'd gotten past the security on the palace, desperate to find Adision. That had led to us splitting up, while I tracked down a bridesmaid's dress for my own disguise (because it's not like I could walk around in a grass skirt).

I gave myself another glance in the mirror, taking a deep breath and sucking in my stomach. "Not going to get any better, is it?"

"Stop saying that. Now come on, we have a party to crash."

"Ha. Next time, I'll bring a formal party-crashing dress."

Baltor smirked at me. "A wise idea." He held out his arm. "Shall we go and get a better look at your wedding?"

I smiled and slipped my arm though his. "Let's."

As it turns out, everyone was having a great time at my wedding except for, well, me. Every person I passed had a champagne flute filled with mimosa (or the daring few who had gone to straight alcohol), laughing and chatting happily. I momentarily caught sight of Hale, darting between a couple I didn't recognize; my eyes were following him when a familiar laugh caught my ears from across the room, and I turned to see Sky with Brandon, Riven, and Musa. I gripped Baltor's arm tightly, a strange mix of feelings coursing through me.

He followed my gaze, and I felt his own grip tighten. "Still as ugly."

I tried to smile, but I couldn't force my lips up. "He looks happy."

"Were you?" he asked, seeing through me like he always did.

"Of course not. But that's not the point." I turned to see a door at the side of the large room. "Through there."

Weaving though the crowds was much more difficult than I thought, especially since I didn't have enough energy to cast any kind of appearance spell on myself. People kept looking, which meant I kept bumping into people. Baltor somehow managed to get ahead of me, and I struggled to catch up, hitting more people.

At that moment, I hit a young blonde girl. For a minute I panicked, because I recognized the dress as Diaspro's; she'd bragged that it was the latest designer. With a little bit of fear I looked up to her face.

It wasn't Diaspro. This girl had reddish-blonde hair, green eyes, and looked closer to her mid-teens. She stared at me head on, and her breath caught. "Oh…"

I froze a little. "…Diaspro?"

To my surprise, she huffed with laughter. "No. Diaspro's… a bit tied up at the moment. Literally. I'm Isabel."

The name tickled something in the back of my head, but I couldn't remember what. "I'm…"

"Don't bother. I've got a pretty good idea."

I almost asked her what the idea was, but at the last moment decided against it. "Look… Isabel, this is going to sound crazy, but… I kind of need a bit of a distraction."

A grin illuminated her face. She was pretty when she smiled. "Oh, I like you. Thirty seconds. Be ready." With that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I watched as she wove her way though the mass of people, with about twice as much grace as I possessed. It took me a minute to realize she was heading towards Hale, who was near Sky, looking ready to rip his head off (not that I'd object to it). I saw her take a few deep breaths, and watched as her face set into what looked like fury. "I can't believe you!" she screeched at the top of her lungs.

A good amount of people turned to look at her. I saw Sky's eyes land on her and watched his jaw drop. And when Hale turned to look at her, she surprised me again by slapping him right across the face. "You think you can just double cross me like that?" she yelled, just a little too loudly. Boldly, she caught my eye in the crowd and dropped a quick wink.

A grin spread across my face, and I mouthed 'thank you' back to her. With that, I turned and ran through the crowds, who were now paying little to no attention to me, their gazes focused on Isabel cussing up a storm.

Baltor was waiting by the door, trying to look through the crowd. "What the hell is going on over there?"

"Long story," I insisted, turning to face the door. It was locked, so I shocked it with a fire bolt that immediately melted the tumbler inside. Now when I turned the knob, it swung open easily.

I bolted down the hall, my daughter the only thing on my mind. In the back of my head, I heard Baltor yell something at me, but I didn't pay attention.

I found the way to the room I wanted automatically. The door was closed, and thankfully unguarded. Standing in front of it, I felt myself freeze a little bit. What was I going to say? How was I supposed to react? There wasn't anything about this in Parenting 101.

"You alright?" Baltor asked from behind me. I had no idea how he'd managed to catch up.

I forced myself to nod. "Scared. But," I added, feeling a small sense of bravery take hold of me, "I've been scared long enough." With that, I reached out and threw open the doors.

The girl in my wedding dress looked up in surprise, tears on her face. I felt my heart constrict like never before as I recognized the young woman under the layers of makeup that were meant to make her look old. There was a thin line of mascara running down her cheek, a result of the tears. Some of it had dripped onto the perfect white skirt, but that was the least of my worries.

Adision looked at me in shock. "M… Mom?"

The feeling on my heart tightened, so much I almost expected it to burst. Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I stepped forward and dropped onto the couch beside her. Carefully, I reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You, young lady," I said, my voice shaking, "are grounded until you're sixty."

She gave something between a laugh and a sob, and threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her tightly, feeling a few tears leak out of my eyes. I could hear Adision sobbing softly, something she never did. "Why?" I asked, for lack of anything better to say.

"…I… I thought it was right. I just… wanted you to be h-happy…"

"Oh honey," I whispered, running my fingers through her curled hair. "You shouldn't have to worry about making me happy. I'm the parent – it's supposed to be the other way around."

"She's right," Baltor added, deciding to make his presence known. "Especially if you're risking your life for someone like me."

Adision's head snapped back to look at him, and I saw her eyes shining with a fresh batch of tears. "I…" she stuttered. "I mean, I just… and with…" Adision bit her lip, her eyes going down to the floor. "I'm so sorry."

Baltor gave a long sigh and shook his head. "Adision…" After a moment, he reached out and pulled her to her feet, enfolding her in his arms a second later, looking close to tears himself. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this. I'm practically a stranger to you–"

"No," my daughter said fiercely, leaning back to look him in the eyes. "Do you remember what I said to you, the night Mom first saw you? That you were there for me more, and I wanted you there more? You're my father." A warm feeling entered my chest, something I hadn't felt since my daughter was young. And just like that, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. After a moment, Baltor wrapped his arms around her again, a small smile on his face.

"I love you, Dad," she said, lifting her head to look at the doorway. I watched as a cross between a smirk and a smile illuminated her face. "And I think," she added, stepping back and turning him around, "there's another person here who really loves you too."

Raising an eyebrow, I turned to look for myself. Hale stood there, a red mark still visible on his cheek, but grinning like a 400-watt bulb at Adision. Next to him was the girl I'd spoken with earlier. She was staring at Baltor in absolute shock, looking close to tears herself.

"Mom," Adision said, a small smile on her face, "you remember Baltor's daughter Isabel, don't you?"

"Adision, it is so good to see you!"

I watched Hale pick Adision up in his arms and spin her around – despite the enormous white skirt, which was a truly enormous feat. He seemed to be the only person not crying; I could tell Adision was by the way she buried her face in Hale's shoulder, and there were remnants of tears on Bloom's face.

My father was staring at me with his jaw hanging open a little. It had been a long time, and suddenly nervousness overtook me, drowning out my plan to give a kind of sarcastic but loveable remark, like he always did. I rubbed my shoulder, determined to keep my composure. "Um… hi."

That snapped him out of his daze a little bit. He stepped forward – cautiously – until he was within arm's length of me. "No," he whispered. "You couldn't be…"

"I could be," I said, feeling some of my strength come back to me. "Been a long time, I guess."

He shook his head, a small smirk crossing his face. "You have no idea."

With that, he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly against his chest. He hadn't gripped me so hard since the time I had the nightmare about the ocean waves drowning me. Almost like an automatic response, I rubbed my cheek against his coat, faintly surprised when it felt like cotton instead of worn leather. He still smelled the same. "Hi, Dad," I managed to choke out. There was a sob at the back of my throat.

His grip on me tightened. "I remember you being a little younger, honey."

I laughed. "Yeah…"

"I knew I recognized your name." Bloom's words brought me out of my happy place, and I expected her to be upset with me – you know, the whole resent-your-stepchildren thing. But she was smiling at me, the look comforting. With a small laugh, I went over and gave her a hug. Much like Dad, she embraced me tightly, as though she'd known me my whole life. "It's very nice to finally meet you."

"Same here, miss…"

"Just Bloom," she admonished, pushing my shoulders back so she could get a good look at me.

I nodded. "Bloom it is, then."

Church bells rang in the distance. I mentally counted off ten loud clangs. Remembering what it meant, I felt my hands clam up. "The wedding. How much longer before it starts?"

Bloom seemed to recognize it too. Her eyes widened. "Twenty minutes. We have twenty minutes." She walked over to the large dresser in the room and threw it open, producing a pair of jeans and a purple hoodie, which she tossed to Adision. "Get out of that dress. No bride, no wedding."

Adision and I exchanged a look. "We can't," my sister said sheepishly. Everyone turned to look at us. "Sky knows who we are; we told him last night, hoping he would help us out. But he didn't. And he… he expects me to walk down that aisle."

"He beefed up security, too," I added, feeling my stomach tighten. "After the little show I just put on, I had to launch three invisibility spells to give those guys the slip. If there isn't a bride, there's no way we can get out."

Bloom sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Do you have any idea where I am? In the past, I mean."

"I'm you," Adision said. "I took the place of your physical body, but Isabel mixed me this potion, your living mind was inside me. For lack of a better term, the you of the past is dead."

Hale crossed his arms. "Well, we need someone to go down that aisle."

"But that's more than likely a death trap," Bloom replied.

"Yeah, but I–"

"I'll do it."

Dad turned to look at me in shock. "What?"

All eyes in the room were on me, and for a moment, I'd forgotten I'd spoken. I stood straighter, shaking the thought from my head. "I said, I'll do it. I'll marry Sky. A spell on my hair, and no one will notice. He thinks Bloom's gone, and–"

"No," Dad cut me off. His look had settled to what looked like anger. "I refuse to let you anywhere near that man."

"He shot your leg," Adision pointed out, gesturing to the bandages on my leg.

"He shot you?" Bloom and Dad said at the same time.

"That… that's not important! He's just looking for a bit of revenge. He can take it out on me, I can handle it."

"You will do nothing of the sort," Dad snapped. His eyes were cold, but also pained.

"Look, Bloom can't do it, if Adision does it there are some serious things to worry about, and I don't think he looks too good in a dress." Hale scowled at me, but I didn't pause. "You guys… you're a family. And the nerd's too desperately in love. I'm the only option."

"Isabel Noelle, you are not pushing this any further."

"I'll push it as far as I like!" I snapped.

A silence filled the room, in which Adision, Hale, and Bloom exchanged weary looks and Dad just stared at me. "Look," I said slowly, "I know what you're thinking, and you're right. This is a stupid idea, and I am being irrational. But God forbid Sky gets his own daughter pregnant; who knows what could happen to that child? At least with me it wouldn't be as bad. And I'm smart – I can find a way out of the palace. And then I'll be back. To find you again."

Adision finally broke the silence. "Iz, we can take him on together."

"Can we?"

My sister didn't say anything.

"I couldn't allow you to take that risk for me, Isabel," Bloom insisted, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were carefully guarded, as though I were about to go over the edge of a cliff.

"You don't get it," I said, pushing her hands away. "None of you get it. You're the reason I'm alive again; the reason he's alive again." I pointed to my father, who was standing there like a statue. "You don't know what it was like… and I… I have to do this. I'll be okay, I swear." I looked around, hoping I was getting though to them (although I didn't think I was making much sense myself).

Finally, Dad let out a long sigh. "Give her the dress."

Bloom looked between Dad and I. "Baltor, are you sure–"

"No," he cut her off. "I'm not. But right now, it's all we've got."

Grinning, I rushed over and threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you. You won't be disappointed, I swear."

He sighed again, wrapping his arms around me. "I've never been disappointed in you, sweetheart. Granted, some of your decisions weren't the best. But you were seven, what did you expect?"

"I… I just wanted you to think I was better than Mom."

His grip tightened. "Isabel, I always thought that. It wasn't very hard, either." I laughed, feeling tears well up in my eyes. He pushed me back to look me in the eyes. I was surprised to find he was crying, too. "Danielle would have been proud of you."

"I know."

Bloom looked a bit nervous at the mention of my mother, but she didn't say anything. She did, however, give me a tight hug. "We'll be back for you."

I nodded, fighting back the tears. "Maybe then we could… go to lunch or something? Get to know each other."

She made a sound between a laugh and a sigh. "I'll hold you to that."

I broke away and turned to Hale and Adision. "You guys…."

"No way," Hale cut off. "I have too much dignity to cry."

I raised an eyebrow. "You have dignity?"

He huffed, but still hugged me. "I'd tell you to hit him in the balls, but he doesn't have any."

"Charming mental image," I giggled, pulling back from the hug.

Adision had her arms crossed over her chest, looking ready to cry… God, there was so much crying. Somewhere in my goodbyes she'd switched the dress with the clothes Bloom had given her. We didn't even talk, just threw our arms around each other. "Thanks," I finally whispered. "This was… kind of a cool ride."

"I sound like a stripper," she replied, some light in her voice.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry."

We broke the hug, both of us wiping tears from our eyes. "Hey," Adision said, trying to wipe off the mascara tear tracks. "If you need anything…"

"Actually," I said, looking around at the other people in the room, "there are two things. First and foremost…" I reached out and grabbed Hale by the wrist, shoving him in front of Adision. "Will you just kiss already? Because this is getting quite annoying."

Bloom laughed, and Adision blushed. Dad rolled his eyes, but he looked amused nonetheless.

Hale glared at me, but after a moment shrugged. "What the hell?" With that, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips firmly against hers. I saw her eyes widen, and then slowly slide closed as her arms went around his neck.

With a grin, I let out a wolf whistle, which immediately broke the two up. Surprisingly enough, it was Adision who glared at me instead of Hale. "Subtle, Iz."

"I know."

"And I'm almost afraid to ask," Hale said, a smirk on his face. "But what's the other thing?"

I felt a smirk cross my face. "Right… hey Adision, do you still have Dad's ring?"

With a puzzled look she nodded, slipping it off her finger and handing it to me. "What do you need it for?"

"You could say I learned a few tricks in my years of wandering the realms. I'm pretty sure I can turn this into a twenty four hour jump between dimensions."

"A ticket home?" Hale asked. "What about you?"

"Oh no, the choice of which dimension you want to settle in is entirely up to you. But I would like you to… settle a debt of revenge in my honor."

I saw Dad's lips curve into a venomous smirk. "Sky?"

I nodded, matching the evil look. "Sky."

"Oh, I like this," Adision grinned. "What's the plan?"

"You'll hear the plan," I insisted, looking at the ring with a smile. "But first… Dad? Bloom? I want you to do something for me."

"Of course," Bloom said, looking at me curiously. "What it is?"

"I need you to be a part of a… double wedding."

I hadn't been to Red Fountain in over ten years, so it was nice to see that the overall décor of the place hadn't changed. It still smelled like Axe, the halls were still dim at night, and everything seemed mostly in order and peaceful.

"Bloom!"

A smirk crossed my lips. Mostly peaceful.

I turned around, watching with barely controlled amusement as Sky stalked toward me. His face was much easier to read, and registered in fury. I merely crossed my arms, letting the show begin.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sky demanded. "I heard Jonathan say he saw you earlier."

"Well, Jonathan was right. Stella invited me."

Sky was within arm's length of me. He crossed his arms and peered at me curiously. "How did you get here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I left. Can't your brain get that far?"

He looked at me for a moment more, and then let out a long, low chuckle. "Oh Bloom… Bloom, Bloom, Bloom. Didn't we talk about this?"

A sly smile was on my face. "Yeah… and I came to a conclusion. Fuck you and your rules. Well, more like the second part, because I refuse to do the first anymore. I'm sick of it, and I wanted to come here and tell you in person." I paused, taking pride in the way his face fell. "I'm leaving. With Adision. And I'm not coming back."

He glared at me, and in a split second, reached for his sheath and pressed a button on it. The sword popped out, resting in the hollow of my collarbone. I froze for a second, but I forced myself to relax. "That," Sky said coolly, "would be a bad idea."

"Would it?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Sky, in case you haven't noticed, my daughter is almost sixteen years old; she can take care of herself. And she hates you. What will you gain by killing me? You can't launch into insanity like you did all those years ago. It's not in your heart."

"You think?" he asked, pushing the blade forward a little more. I felt a small sting, and immediately put a shield around my neck to prevent it from going deeper. "I can be a villain, Bloom."

"Oh you can, can you? Just like that?" I snapped my fingers, partially to prove my point and partially to send a signal. "I think someone has you beat in that category."

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I believe," a voice spoke from the shadows, "my wife was referring to me."

Sky's eyes widened, and he withdrew the sword from my neck, spinning around. "Baltor?"

I didn't waste time, creating a fire whip in my hand and slamming it against Sky's wrist. He gasped in pain and dropped the sword. I spun him around to face me, and without a second thought jammed my knee into his groin, slapping his face at the same time. With a power I didn't know I possessed, I pushed him into a nearby wall, securing him with fire chains, much like I'd done with Bridgette.

Baltor stepped out of the shadows, looking a lot like the dark presence I remembered from my days at Alfea. His look was anything but friendly as he stepped towards Sky. "Well, well. Long time no see. How've you been, Sky?"

His face was set in pure shock (and a little pain). "That… it's impossible."

A deadly smirk washed over his face. "Is it now? You know the old saying – third time's the charm. Breaking out of Omega, you driving me away… looks like I'm here to stay this time."

Sky was about to say something, but at that moment Adision skidded around the corner, looking a little nervous. "Hey Hale said that–"

"Adision!" Sky yelled. "Quick! Attack him!"

My daughter's lips quirked as she arched an eyebrow. "You know I'm not stupid, right? Despite your DNA. I told you to watch your back, Your Highness."

His jaw dropped. "You double-crossing little bitch."

Baltor looked ready to tear him into little pieces, but to my surprise it was Adision who stepped forward, setting her hand on one of the fire chains and releasing a powerful jolt of electricity. Sky yelled, and Baltor threw up a shield to prevent anyone from hearing us. The overall shock lasted for maybe four seconds, but it looked physically draining. When it was over, Sky's head slumped forward, his breathing deep. With a surprisingly calm face, my daughter stepped forward and pushed his head back. His eyes were open and surprisingly furious.

Adision leaned in close to him. "Does this feel familiar?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "Do you want to know I've done since you left this morning? I went to a sorceress and got a potion that brought Baltor back to life and sent me back in time. I almost took Mom's place at your wedding, which you knew about, and the only way I got out of it was Baltor's other daughter taking my place."

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Easy, sweetie."

"What do you care?" Sky growled.

My eyes narrowed. "I care because – despite everything you've done – I have something to thank you for." I held up my right hand, where the silver and emerald ring winked on my finger. It was a different version of the one Adision had – there was only one stone on it.

"What the hell are you…" He trailed off, noticing the matching plain silver ring on Baltor's gloveless hand. "You said wife."

I nodded. "Isabel – Baltor's daughter, in case you care – had a last request before she went down the aisle. You of all people should know that right above the altar was another level, usually used as storage."

Sky's eyes went from furious to shocked. "That would mean…"

"We were married," Baltor filled in, a triumphant look on his face. "And I know what you're thinking – she'd need a divorce first. Well it turns out I'm good at faking your signature. Good news; you can keep your son. I'm afraid, however, Adision stays with us."

If looks could kill, we would all be six feet under. "You think you can get away with this?" Sky asked, his voice soft and murderous. "I'll get you back. I'll take Bloom, and my daughter."

"I'm not your daughter," Adision said, still at my side.

"And more importantly," Baltor added, "you'll never see us again."

Sky laughed bitterly. "I have more resources than you can possibly imagine. I'll track you to the ends of this world."

Baltor and Adision exchanged a glance. "If you make it out," my daughter said nonchalantly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, and Sky's face paled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

In response, Baltor raised his arms, a huge bolt of power growing between his hands. With a small gasp. I grabbed Adision's shoulders and pulled her back a few steps. As the bolt got bigger, the light became more intense, until I finally had to look away as it reached full power and Baltor finally released it, the lights around us fading to a dull glow before finally sparking out.

When I opened my eyes again, the hallway looked the same, and Sky was free of the fire chains I'd used. He was looking around wildly before his eyes finally set on Baltor, who was leaning against a wall near the door, looking completely calm. "What the hell was that, Baltor?" Sky questioned.

"Oh nothing really." My husband waved it off. "Just a test, really."

"Define a test."

Baltor shrugged, giving him a toothy grin. "I've taken over a school once; I decided to see if I could do it again."

Sky's face paled as Baltor straightened from the wall, walking towards him slowly. "Right now, every single person here is under direct orders to find and subdue. They are all headed towards this very hallway right now. You have precisely seven minutes to find your son and escape before I give them orders to tear you apart piece by piece." He stopped a few feet from him. Sky was backed up against a wall. "Run."

Sky needed no further encouragement. With a speed I hadn't seen in years, he raced down the hall and out of sight.

Adision watched him go with mild amusement. "Shouldn't you tell him that you just knocked everyone out instead of taking them over?"

I burst out laughing. "We probably should."

"Probably being the key word," Baltor chuckled.

Adision leaned back against a wall, her body shaking with laughter. "If only Isabel could've seen that."

Baltor grinned, pulling her into a hug. "I think she would've been impressed. But we'll just have to wait to tell her."

I smiled, looking up at the camera stationed in the hall. "We should probably go and see if Hale's done editing the tapes in the control room."

"Poor Sky," Adision shook her head. "Everyone's going to think he's crazy."

"You sound heartbroken."

My daughter grinned. "I'm more heartbroken that we can't keep those tapes."

"I'm sure you'll live," Baltor responded, starting down the hall. "And on the subject of Hale…"

"Dad!" Adision groaned.

Baltor glanced at me, and the two of us burst out laughing. "Calm down, darling. Actually, I wanted to run by a proposition with you before we give it to Hale."