Chapter Six: The Enemy of My Enemy

The sound of rain woke Darcy up from her sleep. Her husband was passed out next to her. She woke him with a small shake under the guise of giving him a head-start with his work. Then she got herself ready. Darcy pinned her chignon with a "D" clip and put on her glasses. She had an uneasy feeling. She noticed the air around her get chilly. She stopped for a moment and shook her head. She went to her son's room and woke him up. Xavier groaned and opened his eyes.

"Mom, it's six in the morning."

"I'm taking you to school today, but I need you up." Darcy explained. "And I'm picking you up."

Xavier sat up. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Xavier got up and ready for school. He stayed in shadows even when he took his shower. He wasn't too worried. There wasn't a threat that his mother couldn't handle. He scanned the house just in case though. It was just him and his parents, for now. After he got out, he shivered from the cold. He hoped the rain would stop. When the danger passed he wanted to play aerial baseball; he might not be able to thanks to the freezing rain. Lately, it'd been his favorite thing to do. He scanned their vehicle before they got inside. Darcy said nothing on the way to his school; but once they arrived, she turned to him.

"I'm coming to get you early. If my body temperature is too cold or my electrons are off, attack. Don't ask questions."

Xavier frowned at the seriousness in her voice. "Okay, I promise."

Darcy watched him go inside; she didn't leave until the bell rang and a shield covered her son's school. She looked towards the sky and flipped it off. "I know you witches are there. Rain? Cold? Typical..."

Lightening flashed only to be followed by thunder. Before she could blink, her old coven appeared. Icy's hair was still long and stuck to her in the rain. She was much thinner and her face held deep frown lines. Stormy's hair was in a frizzled beehive, covered with streaks of white and grey. She had dark marks and bags under her eyes; despite this, she'd aged well. "You always were the smart one." Icy said full of venom.

"What do you two want?"

Stormy shook her fists. "She's trying to get rid of us already!"

"Cool it, Stormy. I guess we should expect some resentment after the whole Tritannus thing. Honestly, Darcy, let's put it behind us. You should know that we can't help who we love." Icy reasoned.

"I've put it behind me. It's old history. Speaking of which, I have I have a class to teach."

"You? A teacher? Cloud Tower's really lowered their standards." Icy teased.

Darcy snorted. "Maybe, but it's much harder to sneak into it now. Which is probably why you two are following me."

"No, we're following you to let you back in. Just think of all the mischief we could create together. We've already gotten this sweet deal from this wizard. He's powerful, handsome, rich and oh so evil. You'd love him. This guy has a vision and genius plan to inflict pain into the Winx." Icy gushed

"I don't care."

Icy folded her arms. "I see how it is. You run off, get famous, married and leave your sisters behind."

"Sisters? I remember you saying that you could do without me and Stormy. Remember Empress?" Darcy replied coolly.

"Well you certainly left me behind!" Stormy accused.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "You wanted to do the same old things. Run around men advancing their goals instead of getting some of your own. I was better than that and sick of it! That wizard's just going to throw you away once he's done. If he's the guy I think he is, there's no way he'll let you touch the Winx."

"Well we aren't. We're getting their offspring." Icy said with a sick grin. "Seek and destroy the second generation of the Winx and their boyfriend's children..."

Darcy glared at them both. "I don't know why you thought I'd be on board with this plan. Was I really this pathetic in my past?"

"Pathetic?!"

"Fuck you!"

"No, fuck you!" Darcy said, her eyes turning black. Icy and Stormy became silent. "I don't give a shit what you do to the Winx, but if you touch my son or my husband, I will kill you. There no place you can hide from me. Then once there's nothing left, I'll bring you back and sell you off to the next wizard in need of recyclables."

"Remember, we gave you a chance." Icy said menacingly.

Darcy allowed her power radiate off of her as a warning. "No, I'm giving you a chance. I meant what I said. I'm going to work. Stay away from my family, or else..."

Cloud Tower...

The students in Darcy's class were buzzing with her extreme lateness. She was usually tardy, but not to the extent that she was that day. Nobody would leave until class was over. It was a known fact that their professor could find anyone no matter where they were. Even Regina and Ismene stayed put! Darcy wasn't anyone to cross. She arrived and threw her things at her desk in anger. She turned around to her startled class and scanned the crowd. "I don't feel like teaching today. Everyone minus Regina of Andros and Ismene of Eraklyon get out... Now!"

It didn't take long for her students to exit the classroom. Most students were too excited about the early release to care about the two witches left behind. They assumed it was for the feud the two were having. Once the last student left, Darcy turned to her two students. Ismene folded her arms. "What's this about, professor?"

Darcy thought about Icy and Stormy once more and tried to keep her anger under control. Nobody threatened her family and lived; unfortunately, Darcy realized this rule would have no exceptions. "If there was someone after you, a threat you couldn't beat, would you go home or stay to fight."

"Depends." Ismene answered honestly.

Regina rolled her garnet eyes. "Coward... I would stay and fight."

Darcy sat on her desk. "I'm not going to play around with you girls. I think a bounty has been placed on your heads. I'm going to take care of one of the threats tonight, but from there you're on your own."

"Why would a hit be placed on me?" Ismene thought out loud.

Regina nodded. "Yeah, there's nothing special about her."

"Both of you shut up! It has nothing to do with you two being fairy-born witches, royalty or your shitty personalities. It's because of your parents. Both of your fathers were Specialists who dated the Winx."

Ismene nodded. "My dad didn't marry Stella, though. He married, my mother, Mirta."

"Doesn't matter, Brandon and Stella dated. This wizard wants you two gone. I just want to know, are you two going home or staying to fight."

"Nabu..." Regina realized. She couldn't believe he wanted to go so far. He'd soon learn what a mistake he made. Full of determination, she agreed. "I'm staying."

"...I don't know." Ismene replied.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Good enough for me, I guess. Hold out your arms."

Darcy dug her fingernails into their skin. Regina and Ismene hissed at sharp pain. It felt like their veins were on fire, but the more it burned, the more power they felt. Suddenly they began to glow in purple light. The power forced them to transform into their witch attire. Regina was dressed in a black leather pants suit without sleeves. Fastened around her waist was a belt with an Aries symbol buckle. Her curly red hair straightened, but flipped at the ends. Black war paint streaked diagonally across her face. Ismene wore a ripped, long-sleeved, grey suit. Her usually black lipstick became blue and she had no belt. A darkness wrapped around their arms and turned a white light. A crystal appeared on each of their hands. Ismene's crystal was grey; Regina's crystal was red. The two novice witches made a fist. They'd never felt more powerful.

Ismene stared at her Gloomix. "Whoa..."

"This is awesome!" Regina felt like she could take on an army.

Darcy sat in her chair feeling drained. It was the first time she'd bestowed Gloomix to any one. "I'm sending you two to Alfea to train. Their Magical Reality is more advanced than ours. I'm trusting you two to use the Gloomix wisely. No campus wide night terrors, no campus wide anemia."

"What about after this is over?" Ismene said glaring at Regina.

Darcy shrugged her shoulders. "Knock yourselves out."

Ismene and Regina left to go to their dormitories. Regina transformed back into her civilian outfit; she missed the powered already. "I hope you know this changes nothing between us."

Ismene rolled her eyes and changed back. "Are you trying to say the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"You will never be my friend. I don't even see you as an ally."

"Doesn't matter, I'd watch my back if I were you. No one else is."


When Darcy arrived at Xavier's school, he did what she told him to do and found everything normal. She smiled at him and rubbed his hair. Her eyes softened. "I know I don't say it much, but you do know I love you right?"

"You're acting weird." Xavier said, a warning glow came from his eyes. He didn't know if he made a mistake; he was ready to blast the impostor out of the vehicle when he noticed his mother's famous scoff.

"And to think I thought it'd be hard for my son to attack his mother's image."

"Sorry, mom. It's just-"

Darcy cut him off. "No need to apologize. It's good. It means nobody will be able to take advantage of you. Your father would fall apart if he had to make a decision like that. You're definitely my son." 'I don't sense Icy or Darcy. I know they couldn't have given up so soon.' Once they got home, Xavier opened the door. Two older witches were sitting in his living room. Darcy held Xavier and glared at them. "No more warnings."

"We thought you'd say that." Icy snapped her fingers. Stormy had Timmy gagged and held him by his lab coat. "We'll trade the boy for the brain."

Before Darcy could say anything, Xavier's eyes glowed red. A ray of concentrated heat hit Stormy's hand. She screamed and let the inventor go. Darcy caught his shadow and brought him to her. Xavier tried to take the gag off Timmy, but it zapped his hand. Darcy gasped and growled at her former friends. The light in the room seemed to be swallowed by shadows. Timmy took his son's hand and rushed him to the anti-magic lab. Stormy sent lightening bolts at the two. Timmy's Specialist's training kicked in and he was able to dodge them. She didn't notice her shadow wrap around her leg until it tightened around her chest.

Icy dropped the temperature in the room and made a blizzard around Darcy. The brunette witch was blinded temporarily; she slung Stormy around by the shadow crushing her, until she heard the two witches collide. Once the snow stopped, copies of Darcy's shadows caught Stormy and Icy from their fall. "You call that a blinding spell?" Icy broke from the shadow's grip from brute strength. Stormy struggled, but it didn't stop the shadow from absorbing into her skin and blinding her.

Stormy screamed, panicking from the darkness around her. She shot lightning and bursts of wind at random hoping that she'd see any type of light. Icy and Darcy dodged her while attacking each other. Icy shot several icicles at Darcy. Darcy broke them with her purple rays. Icy growled and created a giant ball of ice. She tossed it at Darcy. It ran into Stormy and held a current. It smacked Darcy, gave her a shock, and crushed her against the wall. Stormy was knocked out between them. Darcy's hair unraveled and splashed down her face. The chunk of ice rearranged itself to shackle her to the wall. Icy chuckled and walked to her former sister. She could hear from her breathing that Darcy was tired and hurt. "All this time, you boasted and threatened like you'd gotten so much more power." Darcy kept her head down and muttered. "I hope you're ready to lose everything." Icy held her chin and forced Darcy to look at her. Icy's hand glowed for the finishing blow. "Now who's the pathetic one."

"You tell me." Darcy's eyes turned black, purple spirals emanated from the darkness and into Icy. "Erase." Icy's formerly cold and cruel gaze became large and confused. The energy in her hand evaporated and she looked around Darcy's home, horrified. Icy had no idea who she was or how she got there. Her instincts were telling her that danger was present so she ran. Darcy pulled herself free from the ice and fell on the ground.

Meanwhile...

Xavier sat in the dark while his father held his hand. His eyes were made of advance technological magic; so in the anti-magic lab, he was blind again. Timmy watched everything on surveillance. As much as he wanted to help his wife, he knew that he had to stay with their son. Timmy had a couple of non magic weapons strapped to him and in his other hand. The Trix caught him off guard once, but it wouldn't happen again. When Icy left the house in hysteria, he cheered; but, once she fell to the ground he stopped. Stormy was still unconscious, so he didn't think twice going out their with Xavier. He scooped his wife in his arms. "Darcy, please open your eyes." Darcy's breathing was extremely shallow. He could tell by her face that he was causing her pain. "Xavier hit the emergency button. We have to get your mother to a hospital." He listened to his father's instruction and was the one to drive while Timmy tended to her in the backseat.

Stormy groaned and rubbed her aching back. "Ugh, what happened?"

"Voice pattern unrecognized. State identity." The monotone voice commanded

Stormy looked around confused. "What the heck?!"

"Unknown. Authorities have been alerted."

A camera appeared and took Stormy's picture. She tied to destroy it; but, her magic wasn't working. "WHAT THE HECK?!" Stormy looked around and found that she was alone. "DITCHED AGAIN!" Stormy could hear sirens in the background with the door locking her in, Darcy had no choice, but to jump out of the window. Ignoring the massive cuts on her arms, torso, and back, she flew back to her new master to report the mission a failure.

(A/N) The war has begun. Yes, Ismene is Brandon's daughter. He's the reason she doesn't want to be number two to anyone. Time to blame Sky, Ismene has watched her kind and awesome father serve a philandering failure (even gave his eye for his country), but the only thing he got for it was a divorce and unrequited love. Since then she's only wanted to be number one, but Regina's standing in her way. Her hair is green like Brandon's blade. Personality-wise she inherited nothing from her parents.

Next Chapter: Witches in Alfea?