Author's Note:

I couldn't have written this chapter without the help of inurinsama15. Thanks a lot : inurinsama!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those readers, who have stuck by this story all this time. I welcome any suggestions, criticism, and comments from you all, that will make this story better, and also shape the story the way you want. After all, I am not writing only for myself, but for you guys, and also I think this small blob in virtual space helps promote The Winx Club just that tiny bit.

By the way, please tell me (comments or otherwise) whether you see that long black line underneath this?

Layla was rudely woken from her light slumber by a sound. It sounded like it was coming from outside. Her eyes widened, and she froze, listening intently. Nothing. She looked over at Musa, as her friend tossed and turned in her sleep. "riven…" she moaned, sleepily.

Poor thing, she thought. She's really messed up about this Riven thing. She felt guilty for flirting with him. Musa groaned again, and mumbled, "Riven, I'm not Rubella…"

Layla stiffened. Rubella?

She heard a sound again, from outside. Her mind still in a whirl, she dumbly moved towards the door, her body numb with shock. Rubella…

Riven heard the door of the room opening, and took a hopeful step towards it.

If she approached him first, maybe it would be easier to ask her. Plus,he could avoid the whole awkwardness of facing her roommate, who was probably getting her beauty sleep, and would be very angry at being woken up.

His body went ort when he realized it wasn't Musa, but the very person That he was trying to avoid, walking purposely towards him, her face very white. She seemed to be trembling.

"Um, Layla , is Musa awake?," he asked, trying to keep his voice casual. But honestly, he was finding this 'cool guy' act a little hard to keep up. "It's Riven…" he added, seeing the dazed look on her face. Her eyes looked blank and distant. Was she sleep-walking? he wondered. But then, her eyes fixed on him, a fire burning inside them.

"How do you know R-Rubella?" Her question threw him off his guard completely.

He just stared stupidly at her, his breadth caught in his throat.

"Riven," Layla said, her voice trembling. As if she was fighting to keep her tears under control. "Who is Rub—"

"I will kill her!," roared Riven, suddenly jumping out of his transfixed state. He began to stride briskly to the entrance of the girls' rooms, but Layla stopped him. "Riven, stop, she didn't tell me, I heard her mumbling in her sleep, addressing you, and saying she was not Rubella…"

Riven relaxed, his brown eyes softening a little. He swallowed slowly, taking a shaky breadth, and forced a callous grin. "Oh, she's one of my many ex-girlfriends." He hoped his voice wasn't as shaky as it seemed to be in his ears.

Layla studied him incredulously, "With a…" she did a little counting on her fingers, " fourty-something, fifty-something woman?"

Riven gaped at her. How did she know his mother's age? "Er…i…" What could he say?

The two stared at each other, very unsure of what to say. "How do you know about," he lowered his voice, "Rubella?," he asked. Now, it was Layla's turn to stutter. She wasn't sure she wanted to trust Riven with such sensitive information.

Layla looked at her feet, and moved one foot from left to right. "I can't tell you until you tell me," she said. Riven scoffed.

"Yeah, that's gonna happen…" His eyes were now hard, his jaw set in a firm line.

The sarcasm was evident from his voice, and Layla cringed. What was she to do now? She thought for a while. Apparently, Riven wasn't too keen to disclose his secret, and neither was she. So she and him could walk away right now, she could ask Musa, or they could exchange secrets, and agree to keep them quiet. If she asked Musa, and she told her, she knew that if Riven ever found out, they were finished, and however much she didn't like Riven, she knew that Musa missed him like crazy, and the fact that he was standing outside her room at midnight, waiting for her, showed that he cared about her, too.

Okay, Riven, let's make a deal," Layla said, "You will tell me your secret if I tell you mine, and I won't tell anyone, and you have to promise, that you won't, either."

He scoffed again. "Who told you I have a secret?," asked Riven. "No deal!"

Layla's eyes flashed. Seriously, how did her friend stand this idiot, this stupid, proud, arrogant…

"You know I can always ask Musa, don't you?," she retorted, "But, I haven't told anyone this, not even her."

She knew she saw a flash of interest in Riven's eyes. "Go on," he said, after a very long pause.

"You agree, then?," she asked. He nodded.

She took a deep breath and told him about her father, about his love affair with another woman, and then the arranged marriage that finally took place. She left out the part about the curse. She trusted him with the Rubella story, but she wasn't stupid. Riven stood sulkily, and nodded periodically, looking bored.

"That's an interesting story, Layla, but I must say there's nothing about a Rubella…"

She blushed, then, and burst in,"Oh sorry, the woman…she was Rubella."

Riven went white. He had heard wrong, he told himself. There was no way…she was lying… As if in a trance, he stared at her, dumbly, as Layla spoke, but he could not make out what she was saying. His head.

"layla, how old are you?," he burst out.

"I was asking you about your secret," she huffed, but consented, "I just turned eighteen."

"and I'm almost nineteen…" he mumbled.

Layla was angry now. "Are you finally going to stop mumbling and spit it out?" she yelled.

Riven tried to keep the quiver out of his voice, but he was trembling violently. This was too much. He let his feet buckle, and fell to the ground.

"Riven!," yelled Layla. "Stop messing around!," Layla screetched, but hecould hear the anxiety in her voice. He was jumping to conclusions, wasn't he? He had always thought Driver was…

"Did your dad…have any..um, other girlfriends?," Riven asked, nervously. The seriousness in his voice caught Layla off-guard, and she simply shook her head. "No, after he left Rubella, he told me he never wanted to choose another woman again, and let his parents arrange his …hey! What is this all about?," she asked," Who is Rubella?"

"She is…was, my mother," he said, bitterly, standing up again.

Layla gasped. "Was?," she asked, tentatively. "She abandoned me when I was young," he said, curtly.

He looked so sad, that Layla rushed over to him, and surprised him with a hug. He was so shaken up, that he didn't even push her away. Layla suddenly realized the implications of what he was saying mid-hug. Her body stiffened against his and she pulled away, and began to shake violently, too. .

"Does that mean…you…and I…" she trailed off, not believing it. "Maybe, there was another Rubella…" she ventured. Riven scoffed. "Did your dad describe her?," he asked, gently.

"He said she was very beautiful, long red hair, bright green eyes, came from Rumkell…"

"that's her, then, Rumkell was where I grew up, it's the smallest village you'll ever find," he said softly. The reality was now sinking in. he actually had a sister, well—half-sister. Unless, his mother had other boyfriends. But he thought of Rumkell, and knew this would not be possible. People took being faithful and subservient to a man as the first rule of any relationship. I probably got most of his chauvinistic ideas from there., he realized, as he thought the thing through. She could, possibly have cheated on her lover, Layla's father, but he was certain that she would never dare. She always listened to her man. Like that time she had agreed to leave me behind, he thought, bitterly. Didn't put up much of a fight there

"how..how.." Layla was freaking out. The fact that she might have a brother was scary, to say the least. But Riven was no longer shaking. He had a dad, and a sister. As he let the thought swim around his mind, he scrutinized Layla's appearance. It was true, they looked nothing alike. nobody who saw the two of them could ever say that they were brother and sister. Nobody who didn't know them.

Riven felt a peculiar warm sensation flow through his veins. Musa's words came back to him. "You guys are so alike, so stubborn—always fighting," she giggled, after a particularly intense argument between the two siblings. "You guys are like Alpha and the Omega," Techna had added. They certainly were the strongest-minded people in the group, he agreed, and laughed.

He began to count off everything they had In common. .He often got into fights with his group members, so did Layla. They were both independent, and Musa had said that Layla had practically raised herself, so had he. This is why they were a little aloof at times, withdrawing themselves from the group and preferring to be alone.

Many people he knew had called him head-strong, rebellious, proud, egotistic and jealous. He knew Layla was definitely all those things. Their personalities seemed to match quite a bit. Riven thought of Layla's father—his father, he corrected himself.

He hadn't really observed the man on their very short and only meeting. All he remembered was a very tall, dark man with small, brown eyes. Actually, were they brown? He hadn't observed him closely. But, they were both tall. He would have to get to know him better, he decided. He wondered what the man would say when he found out…

Riven was shocked from his meandering thoughts by a jolt of reality. No, he wouldn't say anything. He wasn't going to tell him. Layla had stopped shaking, and was now staring at him, her blue eyes wide.

"Um, layla?," he asked tentatively.

"Yeah.." she seemed dazed.

"We are not telling anyone about this, ok? For now, at least."

He saw her protest coming a mile away, and held up his hand. "Please," he begged. "I won't be able to handle the attention." He smirked at how self-centred that sounded, and Layla burst out laughing.

An owl hooted in the distance, and they both jumped, as if realizing for the first time that it was the middle of the night.

"Layla?," he whispered, "I think you better go back, it's late, and…" he smiled, "You are getting married tomorrow." She was getting married to his best friend, how clichéd was that?

"I won't sleep…" she mumbled, still appearing dazed. "and Nabu…"

"he can't know, not him, or Musa, or your dad, or anyone…" he said in a rush. "Promise."

She reluctantly nodded her head in agreement, as Riven, looking embarrassed, gave her a quick hug, and ran off in the opposite direction. Layla watched him leave, and stood there for a long time, before, she too turned back and went back to her room.

The two did not hear the small boy drop silently from the branches, as he, too, sprinted away into the night, a camera tucked securely in his hand, a malevolent grin plastered on his face.

A/N: Was that too melodramatic? What do you think about Layla and Riven being related? Does it work?