A/N: Thank you for supporting my ideas! I already have the first chapter of the new story written but I don't know just how soon I´ll be able to update, and that's why I haven't posted it yet. Don't want to keep you all waiting too long!

And as for this story, a new phase of the story begins in this chapter. All characters included…R&R!

Chapter 19: Home

"Daphne….sweetheart you´ve been awfully quiet all evening long. Is everything alright?" Marion asked as they sat at the dinner table.

"I´m fine" she said with a smile. Her encounter with the girl at the store replayed in her mind, particularly as she gazed at the queens red locks. And she couldn't seem to figure out why.

"So little sister, how´s your training coming along?" she asked Diaspro. Oritel placed his arm around his younger daughter´s shoulder.

"So far she´s doing great. It seems that her dragon flame has weakened. But it's probably because it hasn't been put to use in a while", he said chuckling, and continued,

"But with practice, she´ll get there". Diaspro only smiled and continued eating her meal.

"What about you, Daph? Have you found the dress for your coronation ceremony?" her father asked.

"Oh, not yet. I had to buy a few other things, I didn't have much time to look for one or to speak with the royal designer. But I´ll separate an appointment tomorrow. Want to help me, Diaspro?"

"I have great taste! Of course I will" she said. Daphne smiled. There was that word again…taste…

Flashback

"Oh, I´m sorry!" Daphne apologized quickly. The girl looked up and laughed, looking surprised.

"It's okay, I guess we have the same taste", she said smiling.

End of Flashback

"I´m sure you do little sister", she said simply.

I'm sure you do…

After what felt like a long time, the girls finally exited the portal.

"Winx! Welcome back", Brandon greeted, pulling Stella in for a hug. Riven stepped up to Musa taking her hand.

"I´m glad you´re back, we were starting to think something happened to you guys", Musa gave him a small smile.

"It certainly was difficult", Flora added, rubbing her forehead while Helia rubbed her shoulders gently.

"Arcadia gave us the water stars but it wasn't easy! We each had to pass a test first," Tecna told them.

"Talk about a pop quiz", Stella muttered.

"Well guys, I guess it's time to find Valtor", Timmy said, "We should get back to the ship before-"

"Before what? Before I show up?"

"Valtor!"

"Where´s Bloom?! What have you done to her!?" Sky demanded, angrily.

"Bloom´s doing just fine. I promise to give her your regards when I get back" he said smiling cynically, with the trix by his side.

"Let her go, Valtor! Your battle is with Andros, it's me you should fight!" Layla yelled.

"You have a point there Princess Layla, except I´ve already defeated you! Magic meltdown!"

"Mirror force!" Ophir casted as he jumped in front of Layla, reflecting Valtor´s attack. Layla looked at him, wholeheartedly.

"…Thank you", she whispered.

"Let's see how well you handle this! Ice attack!" Icy called furiously, striking Ophir from behind. Layla whirled around, startled.

"Icy!"

"Miss me, dear?"

"Of course I did! Morphix tidal wave!"

"Hand over the water stars, pixies, they belong with us!" Darcy yelled.

"Not a chance!" Musa said, angrily. Deep down she still hadn't forgotten how Darcy and Riven went out for some time during freshman year.

Without warning Valtor took advantage of the ongoing fight and began flying away from them as fast as he could. The trix had to retrieve the water stars before they were used on him.

"Winx, let's go!" Musa called as they flew after him, along with Ophir. Suddenly, he turned around and shot a fire bolt, hitting Stella full-force.

"Stella!" Flora shrieked as she watched her friend falling freely through the air. Brandon ascended as fast as he possibly could on his hover bike, it was a good thing they brought a couple of them in the ship´s compartment.

"Got you!" Brandon said, catching her in his arms. Riven and Timmy caught up with him on their bikes,

"Brandon, the girls need our help. Valtor must know they have the water stars!" Riven told him.

"You guys go ahead, I´ll give my bike to Sky. Stella needs me", he said. Riven nodded and they took off in Valtor´s direction.

"You´ll pay for that!" Tecna growled.

"The princess wouldn't have gotten hurt if only you winx hadn't been so stubborn", he taunted.

"Enchantix power!" Layla, Musa and Flora said in unison. But it had no effect on the wizard.

"Flora, now!" Layla called. Flora had used magic to store the miniaturized box within her belt, and now took them out, returning them to their original size.

"Thunder strike!" Stormy called, striking Flora, sending the water stars flying out of her hands.

"And as for you, did you really think that an amateur wizard like yourself could surpass me?" Valtor asked Ophir.

"Ignis impetum!" he chanted, pushing Ophir back roughly through the air.

"The water stars!" Tecna yelled creating a net to catch them, but Valtor easily broke through it and caught the golden box in his hand.

"Now winx…" he began, as they watched him horrified.

"It seems that now I have the stars… and Bloom. Wouldn't it be unfortunate if I used them on her?" he mocked. Musa scoffed,

"You wouldn't!"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Sky roared, arriving on his hover bike.

"Well…Sky…the decision is in your hands. Either you leave Bloom alone, or she pays the price for your foolishness",

"You won't get away with this, Valtor!" Musa yelled.

"Oh? And who´s going to stop me? You?" He laughed, enthusiastically along with the trix.

"I´d say that was a magnificent joke, if I´ve ever heard one", Darcy added.

"telekineza" he chanted, and he and the trix disappeared instantly.

"That's it…there goes our only hope to saving Bloom…" Musa muttered dejectedly.

"Wait girls, you said you knew where Valtor took Bloom, didn't you?" Helia asked.

"We do, Timmy and I were able to track down her exact coordinates thanks to the estimated location Sky and his cousin gave us", Tecna explained.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Brandon asked.

"We´ll bring Bloom back, with or without the water stars. We can still reach her before Valtor does, can't we Timmy?" Sky asked, hurriedly. Timmy instantly began making calculations,

"Well, it is possible…"

"Not if we keep standing around, we´re not", Layla said. Ophir nodded,

"Layla´s right. We must leave now if we want to have a chance at saving your friend",

Bloom flew high above the ground, still completely unsure of what distance there was between Domino and Magix.

"I'm so tired..." she thought. Without a bite to eat, and no place to rest, getting back to Magix would be awfully hard…

Slowly she began recognizing the place she was in, she was heading back to the realm where Valtor had taken her. Of course, Magix was in that direction so she´d have to fly over that realm, whether she wanted to or not. She could only hope that Valtor hadn't notice her absence yet, and if he had, hopefully he would accept her deal. She flew over the well-known cabin.

As soon as she was far enough from the cabin, she began descending. She needed to rest if she intended to make it all the way back to Alfea. She landed and quickly leaned against a large rock. Suddenly she heard someone…or something flying high above her.

Specialists…? The ship was flying in the opposite direction. Apparently whoever was in it was headed towards….

"Sky!" she yelled frantically. It had to be him, why would Red Fountain send any of their students toward Domino? Surely they had managed to figure out where Valtor had taken her. There just wasn't any other explanation!

"Sky!" she yelled again.

"I can't believe we lost the water stars…it's all my fault", Flora muttered. Musa put an arm around her shoulder, comfortingly.

"Flo, it's not your fault. Valtor´s more powerful than we thought, it could´ve happened to any of us"

"Hey guys, something appeared on the radar", Timmy said, quickly sitting by the screen.

"Not again...must be one of the trix", Stella said. Brandon continued pressing a cold compress against the wound on her forehead.

"No…actually, it's not. Guys, I know this is going to sound crazy but it looks like Bloom",

"What!?" several of them exclaimed. Sky rushed over to take a close look at the image on the screen, it was a bit blurry bit it looked like Bloom alright. And she was waving.

"Brandon, we have to make an emergency landing, fast!"

"I´m on it, Sky",

"Oh it really is Bloom! Wonderful!" Flora squealed. The ship landed and the steps unfolded.

"Bloom!" Stella yelled, running out of the ship first to give her friend a crushing hug.

"Winx!" she nearly cried as her friends embraced her. She dried her tears with the back of her hand.

"We thought we´d never see you again!" Stella told her.

"It definitely wasn't the same without you", Layla said smiling.

"Bloom", Sky exclaimed pulling her in for a hug. Bloom smiled.

"Did you miss me…?" she whispered in his ear,

"You have no idea" he answered breathless. Bloom laughed, tightening her hold on him. As she held onto her boyfriend, the words she left in a letter for Valtor played over in her mind.

I hope he accepts…

Flashback

Valtor, please know that I will keep my end deal no matter where I reside. I´ll stand by you, as long as you keep my parents unharmed, and I am not forced to battle against my friends, as you promised. But I can't stay here and I think you know why. I can't live secluded forever. I feel myself weakening with each passing day in spite of all the training. I need to see my adoptive parents again, I must see my friends. They need to know I´m doing fine. I trust you'll understand my situation. If you need me you know where to find me. If you keep your word, I´ll keep mine.

I know we´ll see each other again, soon.

Bloom

End of flashback

A week later…

Stella was walking down the hallway, cell phone in hand. Her father was relieved to know that Bloom was finally back at Alfea, as they all were. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm firmly, causing her to turn around immediately.

"Bishop?!"

"Stella, hey! I needed to see for myself that you're okay. You haven't been answering my calls", he said out of breathe.

"…Bishop, I´m sorry I was on a mission. I couldn't" she said, realizing that his hold was still firm on her arm. He looked to the sides, as if checking to make sure there was no one around. Suddenly he started pulling her by the arm into the nearest empty classroom and shut the door.

"Bishop, what are you doing?!" she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp. He pushed her back against the wall, placing both hands on her shoulders.

"Stella listen to me…I´m sorry about what happened with Brandon the other day but you have to understand…I´m crazy about you" he whispered, moving his face closer to hers.

"Bishop, I´m with Brandon…" she whispered, turning her face slightly to the side. Bishop brushed his lips gently on her cheek.

"Bishop, stop", she pleaded. He continued pressing her firmly against the cold wall.

"Stella please. You´re more important to me than you think. Do you really think Brandon will remain faithful to you? He could never treat you the way I do. He´ll never understand you like I do", he continued. Stella grabbed each of his wrists and fought to push him away.

"I love him…" she said,

"Your mind if playing tricks on you Stella, that's not love"

"Bishop, cut it out!" she said, finally pushing him away. It took her a few seconds to catch her breathe. She stared at him, startled.

"Stay away from me…"she whispered.

"I´m in love with you Stel…someday you´ll return my affection", he said, also clearly out of breathe. She felt empathetic. But she couldn't stay. She put her hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.

"I'm sorry Bishop… I can't see you anymore", she said, and opened the door, running out and through the corridor until she reach the dorm. She all but threw the door open and shut it behind her, loudly.

"Stella?" Layla asked, confused.

"Layla! I…hey, don't you look charming, where are you going?" she asked, before Layla could ask any questions.

"Ophir invited me to lunch", she said with a small smile.

"You go girl! I always knew he liked you"

"Thanks Stel, I´ll see you later",

"Layla wait, where are the other girls?"

"Flora and Bloom are in their rooms, Tecna and Musa left this morning to buy something they needed for the upcoming project",

"Right, thanks Layla", Layla nodded, waving as she left the dorm. Stella entered Bloom´s room quietly as she heard her talking to Flora.

"How do you feel sweetie? You seem a little out of it today", Flora was saying.

"I´m fine, thanks Flora, I think I´ll visit my adoptive parents, I guess they must be worried too. I´ll go call her now" Bloom said enthusiastically, leaving the room. Flora sighed.

"Stella, can I talk to you?" she asked, shyly. Stella raised her eyebrows.

"Umm...sure Flora, of course. What's up?"

I don't know where to start so I´ll just get to the point. It's a bit embarrassing…" she began. Stella rolled her eyes.

"Flora! We´re friends remember? You can trust me, I won't say a peep!" Flora smiled.

"Okay well, here goes. Theres a girl…whose been calling Helia. I guess, what I wanted to ask was…do I need to worry about this?" she asked. Stella sat on the corner of the bed surprised.

"A girl…? Wait, how do you know that? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Riven told Musa and Musa told me", she said. Stella thought about it for a minute.

"Did Musa give you a name?"

"Krystal" she responded quickly. Stella nodded.

"Let me investigate her. I´ll let you know whether you need to worry or not Flora, count on me"

"Please Stella, Helia can't find out", she pleaded.

"Not a peep!" Stella repeated.

"Griselda, I´m worried about Hagen. Since the day he came to Alfea I haven't seen him again, he promised to return", the headmistress said as she paced around in her office.

"Perhaps he´s been busy, after all he´s also a blacksmith. He must have work to do", she said.

"Yes…perhaps you´re right. Still I have a strange feeling, I can't help but worry",

"And how is Bloom doing, ma'am?" Griselda asked.

"She´s doing quite better, Avalon and I spoke to her and Nurse Ofelia examined her and she seems to be fine. A little weakened, but it's nothing that can't be taken care of with rest. Still, she hasn't said a word as to why Valtor took her in the first place…"

"Perhaps she needs time, ma´am. It mustn't have been an easy experience", Griselda said empathetically. The winx girls had always given her trouble, since their admittance at Alfea. But they were decent, respectable girls nonetheless. She felt sorry for the fairy´s encounter with Valtor.

"Yes, but we mustn't forget that Valtor is still on the loose. We must know what his plans are. We can only hope that Bloom discovered something while Valtor took her in",

Griselda sighed. Would this battle end any time soon? It seemed not.

"Demetri!" Diaspro called.

"Yes, your highness" he said bowing before her.

"As you know my sister´s coronation ceremony is merely two weeks away, as well as my presentation. I need everything to be ready", she said handing him a thick scroll.

"Give this guest list to my personal assistant. Tell her to announce our ceremony on the day we´ve established. The entire magical dimension is to know about this".

"But your majesty, the King ordered for the ceremony to remain solely amongst the citizens of Domino",

"Don't contradict me. I´ll speak to my father of this later, I´m sure he´ll accept. After all, it's a special occasion. And send the royal couturier, I need to plan the palace decorations for the event",

"Princess, your father, the King, also wishes to train with you this afternoon",

"Tell him I had something urgent to do. I promise to train the double tomorrow", she said.

"Yes your majesty", he said bowing, and leaving the room.

I need to know where Valtor took Bloom. I need a bit of the dragon flame for the ceremony. And I will take it!