The next morning, Roxy awoke with her cheeks stained by the makeup that had run down her face from the tears. She went to the bathroom and cleaned it all off, pushing those memories out of her head. She tried to think about her short time with Duman. Even though she hated horror movies, she did like just being with him. He was very good at comforting her, he made her feel whole. However, she could sense that he could never be whole without Ogron, Gantlos and Anagan. They provided him with something that she knew she could never give him. They were his brothers, his family. They had been with him through everything. Roxy stopped and looked in the mirror to think. Now that she thought about it, she had no clue how they had met each other, or if they were actually blood brothers. She really didn't know much about him or his past. She didn't know who his real parents were, where he grew up, any old friends he had. Instead of being sad, she made it a point to ask him. She put on her clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast. At the base of the stairway, her Father was waiting for her, and he seemed concerned. She slowed her pace and started to tip toe down, her face awash with suspicion.
"What's up, Dad?" She asked slowly.
"Hey, Roxy, can you come sit with me?" He asked slowly, he had the air of someone who was going to break the news of a deceased family member. He led her into the kitchen and sat her down at the table. He walked over to the counter and picked up a plate of hot pancakes already dressed with butter and syrup and brought it over to her. "I made you chocolate chip pancakes, you favorite," he said as he set it down in front of her. She still looked suspicious.
"What is this all about, Dad?" she wanted to get right to the point so she could go see Duman.
"The Winx told me that you were mad about not being able to stay with your friend," he said. They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, he rested his head on his folded hands, she was playing with her food and took the occasional bite. The tension in the room was almost tangible. "Why did you never tell me about her?" Roxy looked up at the ceiling, trying to think up a good lie. She had been doing that a lot lately. But hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
"Because, I didn't know if you approve of me being friends with her, she is a bit… rude? I don't know the right word. Anyways, you just wouldn't like her."
"Well, I still would have let you see her," he said, wishing she trusted him more. "You can see her all you want, just promise me that you'll tell me about stuff, ok?"
"Ok, Dad, I will," she said. She sort of meant it, but she just wanted to still have a good relationship with him. She got up and went to hug him, and he was happy that he had his daughter back. "Can I go see her now?" Her dad went over to the window, where it was still raining, but not nearly as hard.
"Alright, but take a jacket." Her face lit up as she hugged him again.
"You're the best! See you later," she ran to the door and picked up an athletic sweatshirt.
"Be back before 9:00!" She stuck a thumb up to him and ran out the door. As she walked down the street, his voice popped into her head.
"How's my princess this morning?" A smile began to spread across her face.
"I'm good, mind if I come over?"
"Of course, anytime you want."
"Ok, I'm heading over now."
"Alright, I'll be waiting."
"See you then," She was walking down the street where Love and Pet stood, it was kind of hard to avoid. As she was walking up to it she could see in the window, the girls saw her walking towards the place and were watching her with hopeful expressions. When she walked past, they all looked sad. She would have stopped, but she had places to be. She wound the corners that led to his street, walked up the steps and disappeared inside.
This cycle continued for weeks, her dad made her breakfast, she left, walked past the shop and went to Duman's house where they talked and talked as long as they could, and to save time Duman teleported her to an alley near her house. One day, however, this changed. One day, Roxy decided to mend the bond she had severed with the Winx Club. She stopped in front of the shop, the eyes of her friends watching her intently. She turned and opened the door, not bothering to stop and ask permission for entry.
"Hey, girls," she smiled at them, causing their faces to brighten.
"Roxy!" They all squealed. They ran up and pulled her into a big group hug. They hadn't talked to her since they met Marissa.
"We missed you so much!" Flora said.
"I missed you guys too. I'm so sorry I got so mad," she was sincere. They all pulled away and stood in a circle.
"Friends again?" Bloom asked. Roxy smiled at them.
"Friends." They all cheered, they group was back together. Roxy stayed and talked with them for a few minutes before she decided to leave. At first they objected, but she was a girl on a mission. "I'll see you guys soon, don't worry." She walked over to the door and waved at them, then sprinted out into the rain. It hadn't stopped even once. The Winx were a bit upset that she didn't stay longer, but they were happy that she at least talked to them. This day was different for more than one reason. Roxy still hadn't asked Duman about his past. She still knew nothing about him. She walked in on him reading on the couch, Gantlos had gotten him interested in reading; he hated it before he met him. "Hey." He looked up with a start, and seemed pleased that it was her. He was wearing the same sweatpants, but he had a t-shirt on this time.
"Hey, I was wondering when you would get here," he floated the book over to the shelf that was full of them.
"I got side tracked," she said as she sat down next to him.
"Went to see the Winx?" he knew her so well.
"Yeah…" she said, looking at the ground. For some reason she felt ashamed.
"Good," he said. She looked at him, quite obviously confused. "It's good to have friends who care about you." This got Roxy thinking, and it gave her the perfect chance to start the conversation she was thinking about.
"Speaking of friends," she said, causing him to become suspicious. "How did you meet the other wizards? Like, you act like brothers, but are you?" He laughed slightly as he ran his hand through his Mohawk.
"That's quite the story, what made you think about that?"
"I just wanted to know," she said. "Will you tell me?" He looked at the ceiling as though he was deciding whether or not he should.
"Alright, I will," he said as though he was tired. Roxy turned to face him, her big purple eyes boring into his, as though trying to see how it all happened. He began to tell her the tale of how they met. The picture he painted with his words was so vivid that Roxy was almost drawn into the flashback with him.
Hey guys! Hope you like the story so far! This is a response to Artica. She wants me to not make the Winx as mean. Don't worry, they won't be like that anymore, it just seems more realistic and human that they aren't perfect 100% of the time. The next chapter is a lot longer. just so you know.