Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club. I do own the ideas.

A.N. It's my ten year anniversary on the site today. Happy Birthday to me. So in honour of that I've posted this! I'm also looking through SLTS to finish it for those who are concerned. Ten is a big number, so I'm hoping for some reviews please.

Chapter Eight

'I cannot believe that Riven left you,' Flora muttered, as she focused plant energy into Musa's solar plexus. They sat in a small sheltered area of worn, burned grass with gangly-limbed shrubs stretching around the perimeter, except for the gap that served as an opening. It was the safest haven that Flora could create in the swamp.

Since Musa didn't want to talk about the sullen Specialist, she concentrated on the clothes she was wearing. She'd only lost consciousness for a moment or two but in that small time frame, Stella had managed to clad her in one of her creations. No longer in her Enchantix, Musa had woken to find herself in a hot pink one-piece that was cut high on the thigh with holes for her shoulders to peek out – and to provide a nibbling ground for bugs. Her sleeves ended at her elbows and the waist was cinched with a gold belt. It was a very pretty outfit, simple and feminine; it just wasn't something Musa would have picked out for herself. There was no denim, no dark blues or deep reds. Thankfully, she couldn't see her reflection.

At least her boots were nice, she mused, tugging at the laces tied under her knee. They were comfortable, provided great support and the flat soles were perfectly sturdy with good grip. Luckily Stella hadn't felt the need to inflict heels on her; she could already feel her feet swelling because she had walked so much in her Enchantix.

She lifted a hand and scowled at the gold bangles that clinked delicately. 'I cannot believe you let Stella dress me in this,' she complained to Flora.

'You look beautiful.' When Musa's eyes narrowed, the Nature Fairy shrugged. 'She was upset, it gave her something to do and you know Stella, she's never happier than when she's designing costumes. It's her comfort blanket, or a tub of ice-cream on a horrid day, or you,' she pointed at Musa, 'listening to music to block out the world.'

Oh! Her earphones! Where were they? Musa felt her neck, then patted down the pockets sewn into her loose shorts and frowned, stumped. Where were they? She'd been wearing them around her neck when she and Riven had… talked. Had they fallen out when the spider had attacked?

Flora sighed. 'I have them. Don't worry.'

Slumping in relief, Musa blew out a breath and rolled her neck. She was going to be in such pain when she finally got to Alfea. Her body was already punishing her for how the day turned out and once the adrenaline stopped flowing, she knew she would crash. Her ears were hyper alert, her skin felt over sensitized to the extent that her clothes were uncomfortable. She felt the urge to shed them and had to sit on her hands.

Flora's gaze was assessing for a long moment but she returned her attention to her hand. While Musa knew what Flora was doing, she couldn't feel it. She couldn't sense the plant energy seeping into the Well that held her magic; if asked, she would have no way to locate Stella. She felt naked and vulnerable.

'Musa, stop squirming.'

'I'm sorry. Flora, I'm going to be okay, aren't I?'

Blinking, Flora stared at her for a long moment – so long that Musa began to feel ice cubes sliding down her spine – then she smiled with reassurance. 'Yes, sweetie, you'll be fine.' She winced, and gave her shoulders a Gallic roll.' You will hurt, I won't lie about that. Your body is so exhausted that you might sleep for a day or two, but we'll get you to Ofelia and you'll be fine.'

What Flora didn't say – and what Musa guessed – was that she'd been close to death. It had shown itself in the white brackets around Flora's mouth, the strain in her eyes and in the agitated manner that Stella had paced their little glade before stalking off with tightly bunched shoulders. It was probably for the best that Musa couldn't remember anything after she'd shot her magic at the spider. She didn't remember fainting or her body hitting the ground – her elbow and knees remembered it though from the growing blotches that were staining her skin and the scraped skin – and she couldn't recall hearing Flora calling to her. Apparently Flora had arrived on the scene just as the spider had reared up to attack Musa's prone form. She had woken to Flora and Stella arguing because Flora had shooed the spider away instead of killing it.

Musa wasn't sure how she felt about Flora's actions. They were typical of Flora but she couldn't equate the creature that attacked her with a 'poor little thing that was just hungry'. It had seemed pretty savage with its clicking mandibles and gleaming eyes. She shivered and hunched her shoulders against the chill that was settling inside her.

'You're getting colder?'

Tugging at the hole at her left shoulder, she raised a brow. 'I'm not exactly dressed for warmth.'

Flora shook her head. 'Musa, the temperature here isn't cold. It's room temperature at the very mildest, like standing in the kitchens in Alfea when the furnace is closed off.'

'I just feel cold inside.'

Lips pinched, Flora pressed a hand to her forehead. 'You're burning up.'

Oh, well, that was reassuring. Musa bit her tongue and averted her gaze, needing a distraction. Where were the others? Were they okay? Was Riven with them or had he run into Darcy?

She closed her eyes against that thought and grasped at the nearest question that floated in her mind. 'Hardly the way you wanted to spend your weekend, huh?'

Flora let her switch the subject and chuckled wanly. 'No, but you know, being a member of the Winx Club calls on a level of flexibility.' Her green eyes travelled along the worn path of yellowed moss framed by an avenue of hybrid thorn bushes. 'I wonder where Stella is? She went to check the portal but she should be back by now.'

'She'll be fine, she soaked up some moonlight, right?'

'Yes, I created a little window for her earlier so she 'moon-bathed.'

Musa chuckled at the idea but the sound of her weak, breathless chuckle disturbed her. She was physically fine and yet, she felt as if she were trapped in her body, her limbs heavy and her mind sluggish. Did this happen to everyone who depleted their magic? She'd overused her magic before in training simulations; Palladium encouraged it – like stretching muscles – but she'd never felt like this after.

'Do you think Bloom and the others are okay?'

'Sure they are,' Musa spoke around a yawn. 'She has the Specialists and Aisha and Tecna with her. That's like twice the needed brawn and brains.'

Grinning lightly, Flora closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. While she knew that Flora was concentrating, the eerie silence of the swamp was like fabric rubbing against a healing wound, catching on the flaking scabs and inflaming it.

'Why plant energy?' She asked, breaking the silence.

'Because plant energy is neutral, like healing energy. My magic is nature magic and while it can heal on a surface level, in a case such as this, I could cause more harm than good. Your magic is all but gone, if I were to use my magic I wouldn't be replenishing it, I would be replacing it. You'd become a nature fairy… don't look like that please,' Flora said with a faint laugh, 'Nature fairies are very powerful.'

Musa balked, shrinking back into the tree. 'I know, but I'm not a nature lover. I like nature,' she quickly amended, 'but not to the extent you do. I love my music and I know how to gain energy from it, to twist it into a defensive or offensive power.'

Something buzzed outside their little haven and Flora froze before answering softly. 'I understand. What I'm saying is that because your magic is so depleted, using my magic right now could cause the core of it, the root,' she emphasised, her voice soothing as she continued to soak up plant energy to transfer to Musa, 'to change – or your magic, what was left of it, could have attacked mine as an invader.

'It probably wouldn't, that's why we've been practicing convergence spells and why convergence needs such great trust between the users. If your magic attacked mine, you'd weaken yourself further. It's why our bodies react so badly to dark magic invading, it's an internal protection. That's why it's quite hard for dark magic users to possess Fairies, why it's an unethical practice that Fairies rarely use, and why Specialists are so prone to being possessed. They don't have that internal magic core that will fight back.'

Musa nodded, absorbing the information. On some level she knew she had probably heard this before but it was different hearing the theory and actually experiencing it. 'That's why Darcy was able to control Riven, nothing fought it off, and that's why when she tries it on us, we shake it so quickly.'

'Also if she were to possess a fairy, say Mirta, who was a witch – who made an active decision to change the root of her power – or a fairy with darker based powers, they wouldn't be able to shake it off. However, their bodies would fight it so hard that it would show itself physically. They'd get sick, weaken, become comatose.'

Musa considered that. 'Faragonda did that too, right? Not just Mirta.'

Flora nodded, holding up a hand that was now shimmering with a darker green light than she usually used. It wavered as Musa blinked and tried to focus on it. Maybe her magic senses were coming back. 'Change her root? That's the rumour, but she made a conscious choice to change. If I were to have changed you, it would have been a violation.'

Musa shook her head, then flinched as her vision greyed and one throbbing pound smacked her between the eyes.

'Sweetie, you need to rest. Just switch off that brain of yours and you'll be back at Alfea in no time.'

Musa closed her eyes settling back. 'I don't want to go back to Alfea,' she murmured as colours exploded behind her eyelids like mini explosions in time to the ache, 'I need to make sure Riven's okay.'

'Riven will be fine, he's tough and self-reliant. Worry about yourself.'

'Flora –'

There was a sound of footsteps and Flora released a relieved breath. 'Stella, Sirusa.'

Prying her eyes open until they were slits, Musa made out the blurred figures of Stella and the white clad figure of senior student Sirusa, a Healix Fairy. The cold lump of fear that she'd been ignoring in her chest began to thaw. If she couldn't get to Alfea, Sirusa was the next best thing.

'Sirusa.'

'Good grief Musa, you are so lucky I was free this afternoon.'

Musa tried to smile but it wobbled and collapsed pitifully. A sigh escaped her lips as she let her mind be lulled by her friends' conversation.

It didn't take Riven long to find his way back to where he'd left the girls and Stormy. Now that he knew where the Trix were, his feet were nimble as they trampled over dried leaves and brittle stems, bark cracked and clung to his palms as he leapt over fallen logs. He strode into the clearing, dusting off his cloak.

'Stella, Brandon needs you to help –' he broke off.

The clearing was empty.

Where was Stormy? Had she escaped? Was she battling… no, he couldn't hear anything like lightning and a flicker to his left had him spinning. Alfea could be seen wavering through a faint breach in the fabric of the swamp. The portal.

'Where are they?' he muttered, clenching a fist as he paced a tight circle in front of the portal. Had they gone through? It made sense. Musa needed the infirmary and Stormy needed to be incarcerated*. Perhaps they believed the others were more than capable of taking in the Trix, but it infuriated him that he hadn't been notified of their plans. Typical girls.

He expected better from Musa. Scowling angrily, he considered heading back to his squad but if they really needed the other fairies he couldn't do that. He could check the path though, make sure that they were gone out of the vicinity and weren't lingering where he'd left Musa. He jerked a shoulder and frowned as footsteps sounded in front of him.

Whoever it was, they were moving quickly. He stepped back into the shadows, pressing back into the rough bark of a dark tree trunk and released a sigh as Stella and Flora raced around the corner.

'Hey!' he called out.

Flora sucked in a sharp breath while Stella flushed at the squeak that escaped her lips. Her eyes narrowed as she registered his appearance. Great, he'd managed to piss them off again. It was becoming a habit, or maybe him existing annoyed the Blonde one. He could only see it as fair, since her breathing bugged him. Still in a situation as tense as this, he could put aside his ire.

'Where have you been?'

A muscle in his cheek twitched at the sharp question. 'Off checking with the others; they've captured the Trix.'

'Yes, Brandon told us.'

Brandon phoned them? Why hadn't he done that instead of sending Riven to get them? Riven cursed under his breath, ignoring Stella's rapidly rising ire. 'Where's Stormy?'

Propping her hand on her hip, Stella tilted her head, eyes drilling holes in him. 'Ralan and Kiloru took her back to Alfea.'

Who the heck were Ralan and Kiloru? He'd hazard a guess that they were fairies but that meant that the Templars hadn't arrived or weren't coming. Did Faragonda believe they – Alfea and Red Fountain students - could capture the Trix? That was underestimating the witches and Riven hated underestimating people; too many did the same to him: the little street rat, the gypsy boy, and the orphan who would never amount to much. He shook off the thoughts.

'We should go help Brandon, he sounded urgent,' Flora broke into his dark thoughts as she nudged Stella along but the look she sent him was cool, assessing.

He ignored it, his mind caught on another issue. 'What about Musa –'

'Stay away from her,' Stella snapped, her wings spreading out behind her. 'You've caused her enough grief.'

Grief? Had Musa told them about what had happened? Did… no, Musa couldn't think that he meant to hurt her. He was just trying to explain what other boys would think when they saw her in that costume. He would never hurt her, same as he'd never hurt any of the Jinx Club or any females. He might not trust women, considered them to be fickle beings, but he had his own honour. And Musa was…

'You should probably come with us,' Flora suggested softly, but her words lacked warmth. That was an obvious indicator that she didn't want him with them. Had his actions not proven anything? He'd kept Musa safe in the swamp, protected her from the bats, fought beside her, and treated her with respect.

They hadn't seen that, he reminded himself.

Then he realised that, by the tension in Stella's shoulders, Musa was still in the swamp. He could talk to her and maybe explain things. 'You two go ahead, talk to Brandon, I need to do something.'

'Stay away from Musa,' Stella called out to him even as Flora shepherded her away. 'You're good at that, so at least keep in character.'

'Stella, let's go help Brandon. He needs you.'

'Don't you want to see Darcy again? Or maybe you want to make sure Musa's there so you can rub her mmph!'

His blood chilled as he slowly turned to look at the Sun fairy. What was wrong with her? The poison escaping her lips was completely out of character. He bit his tongue against the bitter home truths ready to spill and ignoring her, he strode out of the clearing intent on finding out what was wrong with Musa.

'I hope they're okay,' Musa said, as she scratched her shoulder. Something was definitely using her as a snack.

Sirusa bobbed her head but didn't look away from the healing energy she was feeding into Musa's body, her brows knit in concentration. 'They'll be fine. They're just going to round up the rest of the Trix. Really, senior Witches aren't that much stronger than senior fairies, and you guys have already surpassed most of us. There's a rumour that you'll be graduating soon because you have your Enchantix – that's the first time in a long time that students graduated before their five years were up.'

Musa chuffed out a soft laugh. Sirusa was a good healer, not just in terms of physically healing someone but in making them feel better about themselves. She was bright and chipper with friendly hazel eyes, tousled waves of chestnut hair that rolled itself into a neat bun in her Healix form, and an affection for cute boys. 'That's all because of Bloom. I wouldn't have become what I am if not for her.'

'Perhaps, perhaps not. You're strong though, you survived the Succubae bats.' The awe in Sirusa's tone made Musa feel squeamish. She didn't want to think back to that moment when the bats had attacked, skimming her magic from her, so instead she focused her mind on a better moment.

'I survived them with help,' Musa murmured, tilting her head back to look up at the scattering of silver stars on the inky skyscape.

Sirusa hummed under her breath. 'Well, we should have you stabilised soon.'

'Yeah, where I get to go to the infirmary for the foreseeable future.'

'Don't be so glum. Better to be resting in the infirmary than dead, right? Anyway, you'll be unconscious. You'll not notice the days passing,' the Healix offered brightly, before resuming her humming as she healed.

Well that made Musa feel so much better. She shifted and a rock pierced the flesh of her thigh. Flinching, her teeth caught her top lip as a sharp pain rocked through her. She eased back into her previous position but her body protested the movement. Her backside was numb from sitting on the hard ground, and there was a dull ache in her lower back, just to the right of her spine. A frown pursed her lips. When was the last time she'd had a toilet break? Her gaze flickered to Sirusa, wondering if the Healix fairy could maybe check on her kidney, or at least ease the pain in her back.

A movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her. Instinctively, the remnants of her magic began to flow to her hands in preparation of a shield.

Sirusa pinched her leg.

Hissing, Musa released the magic as she glowered in Riven's direction. The Specialist jogged down the path towards them, feet pounding out hollow thuds, his sword hilt held in his hand. She opened her mouth to make a snide comment but then she saw his expression: the flash of fear, the tension in his jaw and the clench of his shoulders. The caustic words rolled up, withered, and died on her tongue.

'What are you doing to her?' he directed at Sirusa. His words were clipped, but his eyes frantically scanned Musa as if he could see what was wrong. Musa felt like a voyeur seeing this much emotion from the stoic boy. He always claimed he didn't care but he did, he cared about her.

To her credit, Sirusa didn't jump, instead a green light exploded from her. Riven leapt back, sword flaring. Musa blinked. There was a solid yet translucent forest green, tent-shaped shield surrounding them.

'Friend of yours?' Sirusa asked softly, her eyes large and stunned.

'That's Riven.'

Nodding, Sirusa glanced at Riven through the shield. He stood with his sword tip pointed at the shield, eyes sharp. 'Oh, the Specialist. He's cute,' she murmured. 'Maybe you could tell him to back down.'

'Yeah, because he really listens to me,' Musa whispered but she turned her attention to Riven. 'I'm fine,' she told him, oozing reassurance she didn't really feel. 'Sirusa's just healing me and then we'll go to Alfea. The other girls got a call from Brandon –'

'Yeah I was with him and he told me to fetch them.' He jerked a shoulder, looking uncomfortable. 'I don't know why he phoned them. Can you take down the shield? I'm not a threat.'

Catching her breath, Sirusa nodded and the shield flared back into her body, illuminating her in a green aura before it disappeared. 'Sorry about that. It's instinctive. I'm a combat medic, in a battle situation my reflex has to form that shield to protect my patients.'

Riven jerked his head in curt acknowledgement, but the way his eyes darted around the swamp told Musa he was feeling awkward. She supposed that was an issue for someone who was such a loner. It was a miracle he ever talked to anyone. Suddenly he blew out a breath and swiped his sword through the air.

'You should go help them capture the Trix,' Musa offered. After all, he needed his closure with Darcy. Maybe if he got it, he would move on and his demons would be put to rest, because in all honesty, something had to give inside that boy. If it didn't, he would end up hurting himself. Guilt was a nasty thing that could eat someone alive.

'Yeah, well they can probably handle it,' he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. And now he was trying to be the decent guy, the hero trying to protect her? Why did he have to make things so hard? Every time she felt that she understood him a little, had him pegged in her head, he shifted and developed a new facet that she couldn't help but find attractive. She was not going to get over him, not unless she stopped seeing him.

'Hey, boy genius,' Sirusa called out, 'Don't be going too far. I'm going to need help getting this one back to Alfea. I'm not a Guardian Fairy, you know.'

'Then what are you?' Riven asked, interest piqued, as he stepped closer to see what she was doing.

'A Healix Fairy.'

Musa shook her head, feeling faintly amused with his interest in fairies. She wondered if he'd questioned Darcy so much on Witches, then she shook that thought away. 'I'm a Guardian Fairy, Sirusa.' Well she hadn't graduated yet, but she was close enough. 'We'll be fine.' Riven needed to go and she wasn't going to be a bother to him anymore. It was bad enough that she'd fainted when the bats attacked and that she'd emotionally vomited over him earlier. She was not a damsel in distress and she didn't want Riven to think that way about her. She could get herself back to Alfea.

Sirusa snorted, a harsh sound from such a delicate looking fairy. 'You were knocking at Death's door and all but barging in when I found you. You were using the word fine then too. I don't believe it means what you think it means.'

Riven loomed over her and Musa felt her face heat at his inscrutable stare. 'What is she talking about?'

'She has a name. It's Sirusa and I'm talking about your girlfriend almost dying.'

'Dying?' His head snapped between them. 'You were dying? When? Why didn't you tell me it was that bad?'

'I'm not his girlfriend,' Musa was quick to clarify.

'Oh? Seresa will be upset,' Sirusa murmured as she leaned closer, expression focused on her task. 'She was betting on you two getting together this year.'

Musa's face grew hotter. Oh, Riven did not need to hear this. Heck, she didn't need to hear what her peers were saying behind her back but Seresa had better watch herself.

Riven dropped to a crouch beside her, violet eyes furiously studying her as he caught her chin and forced her to look at him. His fingers burnt a hot, rough imprint into her skin. 'You were that badly injured and you didn't tell me. Damnit Muse, how am I supposed to protect you when you won't tell me anything?'

Pot, meet Kettle. She wanted to speak the words but they were like dust on her tongue. She tried to swallow and nearly choked herself, her mind flashing back to less than an hour ago when Riven had invaded her space.

Sirusa had no such issues with talking. 'Magic deficiency and almost poisoned by a spider. Luckily Flora arrived just before that happened, because there's no way she would have held on until I came with that venom in her system.'

'I'm right here,' Musa muttered, hoping to alleviate the situation but Sirusa was in no mood to back off. She was like a Cloud Tower Minotaur when it came to defending her patients.

'And where were you, lover boy?'

'I… left her.' Riven's words were blunt and filled with self-recrimination as he dropped his hand and stood up. Musa sighed softly and tried to catch his eyes but they didn't lift from the ground. 'I went to check on my team – my friends.' Brandon would be cartwheeling for joy hearing that term falling from Riven's lips, but it was a testament to how much Sirusa's question had rocked him. Musa lifted her hand to offer him some semblance of comfort; her heart ached for him.

'Aw, that's so sweet, Wiven's got fwiends.'

TBC

* When rereading this and editing, I came across this line but instead of Stormy it said Stella. I was very tempted to keep it. It shows the state of mind Riven was in while I was writing haha.

Sirusa, Kiloru, Ralan, Seresa are girls from the Winx Playstation/PC game - I don't own them.

Well I hope everyone is enjoying their day. All reviews are appreciated - I do post my fanfiction to share them with others, it's nice to know others enjoy them too.