Hello everyone! I just want to tell you al thank you. My story has reached just over 60 pages printed! And with this chapter, we have hit 21 chapters, prologue included! This is a big moment for me as a writer, and just want to say thank you for being here with me. I love reading your reviews and love seeing that you have favorited my story or me as an author. And because of you all and this story, I will be able to go back and finish writing the book I have been writing since 11th grade, for the last four years! It's your belief in me and this story and passion for reading that has let me come to this. THANK YOU!

I hope that you have the best week ever, and thank you for reading! ENJOY ~

Chapter 20: Can't be Last

Three months have passed since the wedding of Layla and Nabu, Crown Prince and Princess of Andros. They had settled well into royal life, like their royal friends on Eraklyon, Solaria and Sparx. The daily motions of meeting courtiers, visiting Nereus and Tressa in the underworld kingdom, and simply following the rules of maintaining the kingdom had become monotonous, yet they each do it with a smile on their faces.

An early spring wedding, it is now summer, the sun(s) shining throughout the universe. And true to their love for each other and need to see everyone, the Winx have planned a "Royal Getaway to the Isle of Dragons." Really though, this is just a huge vacation. Timmy and Helia both have vacation time from their work as teachers. Musa can work from anywhere, being a songwriter, but its not like a small vacation is going to throw things off anyway. Stella and Brandon, wanting this vacation just as much, have planned to hand the reigns of Solaria back to her parents while they are away, as usual, and Sky and Bloom are doing the same with Sky's parents. For Daphne and Thoren, they simply had to make sure that her parents know that they will not be on the planet.

All in all, the Winx had handed their reigns, whatever they control, to someone they can trust so that all seven families could finally have a proper vacation. The last time a true vacation for them all, where no events were planned, was when Meadow and Aaron were two years old. This vacation has been a long time coming.

"Meadow, honey, it's time to go!" Bloom calls down the hallway to her daughter's room. She shifts her young son on her hip and grabs her hat from the table top by her bedroom door. "Sky?"

"Mommy! Mommy! I'm so excited! Let's go. Let's go. Let's go!"

"I hear you baby girl, but we have to wait for daddy, okay?" Bloom says, waving her daughter rover as she comes bouncing out of her room, jumping from one foot to the other, holding her stuffed Kiko doll.

"Bloom, I'm coming. You've got the kids?" Sky's voice comes from deep inside their bedroom.

"Yes, I've got the kids. Do you need any help?"

"No, I've got it." He says as he finally come from the back, suitcases in hand. "You packed everything you need right? Mason's clothes? Meadow's clothes? The swimsuits?"

She smiles and him and nods, saying, "Yes, love. I packed everything. I even made sure to pack extra sunscreen and shoes, since you lost your sandals last time we went to the island."

"I told you, I left them on the sand and a dragon got them. Anyway, I think we are all ready to go." He says, smiling at his small family.

"Oh no!" Meadow shrieks and races off toward her room again.

"Meadow!" calls her parents in unison. Bloom grabs her bag from the floor and races after her daughter.

Finally getting to her room, Bloom stops at the door and takes in the scene. Her daughter's room is a mess, and not the normal 5 year old mess. It's as if a tornado has blown through here followed by a lightning storm and topped off with a snow storm. "Meadow?" She calls out tentatively.

"Mommy, I almost forgot Morfo! We were playing hide and seek, but then you told me to get ready to leave. I have to find him. Morfo! Morfo!" Meadows calls out from somewhere past the snowman in her room.

"Bloom, is she okay?" Sky asks as he comes up behind her. "What's wrong with Morfo?" He asks, hearing his daughter yell the pixie's name.

"Uh," Bloom stutters as his head comes around the door.

"Oh boy," Sky says, finally seeing his daughter's room. "What happened in here? Did a every weather storm possible hit? And is that a snowman?" Confusion is clear on his face.

Bloom looks at him and begins to giggle. He looks at her, confused still. She finally stops laughing and reaches up on her toes to plant a solid kiss on his pouting lips. "I love you," she whispers to him. As she goes back to her normal height, she says, "Ad I think that our daughter has been practicing her magic in her room. We'll need to tell the maids, I think."

This time he laughs and plants a kiss on her cheek. "I love you too, Bloom. I will make sure to tell them on our way out, but we do need to get going, or else we are going to be the last ones there. You know what they means."

A very un-queen-like sounds comes from her in the form of a groan before she says, "Babysitting all the kids. Meadow! Honey, we need to go." She calls, exasperation in her voice.

Sky leaves the suitcases by the door and enters Meadow's room. "Baby girl, where are you?"

"In her daddy! Morfo is in the closet, but he's really good at the game. Morfo!" She calls out again her pixie's name and throws a few of her dresses from the closet in the hurried search.

"Alright honey. Hey Morfo? It's time to go. Come out now." Sky says as he approaches the closet, careful to try to not walk on her dresses.

"Yes sir!" comes a small voice clearly not in the closet. Next, the pixie of _ appears from under the bed and floats toward Mason, who is playing with his mother's hair with a binky in his mouth.

"Morfo!" calls Meadow, turning into her father's arms. Sky picks her up and carries her out of the closet toward her pixie, mother, brother, and the door. "Let's go. Let's go! Dragon beach!"

As the small family finally leaves their portion of the palace housing, Sky stops a maid and tell her of Meadow's mess, apologizing. Bloom rocks her son and plays peek-a-boo with him with her hat. Meadow and Morfo jump and bounce (or float) as Meadow keeps telling Morfo about their house on Dragon Beach.

They are on their way to the Isla of Dragons, finally.

"Flora, are you ready? Juniper and I are waiting. If we don't leave soon, we'll miss the bus to Magix." Helia calls out from the front of their home in the forests near Red Fountain.

"I'm coming! I just need to finish watering the plants in the kitchen and then we can go. Juniper, can you get me the green tea bottle? The one with the green leaves on it."

Helia shakes his head at his wife but watches as his son lights up and runs to get the green tea bottle. He can hear him moving into the kitchen. "Mama." He calls out to Flora.

"Thank you so much, my darling boy. Alright, just ne spritz. There. We can go. Come here, big boy." Finally, she appears in the doorway from the kitchen, a young Juniper in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder, a big smile on his face.

"Ready?" asks helia one last time, full well knowing the answer.

"Yes," she says, a large smile on her face. "The nymphs said they would water the plants for me while we are away. Do you get to pack everything?"

"Everything is packed. I made sure to bring your Dragon Island bottles this time, so you can take care of the plants at the house on the island."

She walks up to her husband, son in her arms, and says, "Have I told you lately that I am so very lucky to have you? And that you spoil me?" She gets so close (not that it's hard) that she has to look up at him.

He looks back down at her and says, "You said 'I love you,' and I think that counts." Then, he leans in and kisses his wife, pulling her and his son into his arms, one hand on his son's head, the other on his wife's hip.

"Mm, nice to know." Flora purrs somewhat before taking his hand and saying, "Let's go, or we'll be last."

"Alright," Helia says, grabbing their case with his free hand and using his foot to close the door behind him as his family leaves for their relaxing summer vacation.

"Brandon, Aaron, are you guys ready yet? Honestly, how is it that I'm ready to leave first? Brandon, do you want to get babysitting duty first?" Stella calls out from the hallway, waiting for her boys to show up.

"Mama! Dad and me are here. Come and find us!" Aaron yells to his mother from somewhere down the hall.

"Really now, you two." Stella says even as she makes her way down the hall. "If you two want to get stuck watching all of the other kids, that your choice, but if I can't find you in." she rounds the corner to Aaron's room. "One minute, then I'm leaving without you and you two can take the transport to Dragon Beach." She coos the words 'Dragon Beach' in an attempt to hear Aaron's excitedness about going on vacation.

"Oh, come on Stella," Brandon says, walking up behind her from behind the bedroom door. "You can't leave us here. What's a vacation without your husband and son?"

Stella laughs and turns in his arms, placing her own around his neck. She places a soft peck of a kiss on his lips and says, "That, my dear husband, is a vacation."

"Mama, that's not nice! I wanna go to Dragon Beach too. 'Sides, I hafta see Meadow." Aaron comes out from under the bed and pouts at his parents.

"Well, look at that? I found you in under a minute. Now, let's go" Stella says, letting go of her husband and walking through the door.

"Dad? Mam's not gonna leave us, right?"

"I don't think so son, but we should go. Fast." Brandon answers his son, pointing at his wife walking away. "Stella, wait up!" he calls out.

"Queens don't wait Brandon. 5 . . 4 . .3" Stella began to count down and her family ran to her side just in time to be swept up in the power of the Solarian ring and transported to their final destination.

"Thoren, Arkin, boys?" Daphne called out as she moved from the bed, where she had been laying down. "It's time to go isn't it? Boys?"

"Daphne, you should be resting." Thoren says as he enters their room. "I told you I would come and get you when it's time to leave."

"I know you said that, but I feel so useless just lying here. Honestly, I may be pregnant, but I am not useless." She pouts at her husband who has been treating her like a terminally ill patient since he found out she was pregnant again.

"No, Daphne, that's not it, I just wa-"

"Mom, Dad, the transport is here. The guards and I put the suitcases on it too." Arkin walks in, arms folded, looking very happy with himself.

"Thank you Arkin." Daphne says, turning and grabbing her purse from the table next to her bed. "I told you, Thoren, it's time to go."

Defeated and unwilling to argue with his wife who had not only given him his son, but was going to give him a second child. Happy wife, happy life. He repeats the mantra Bloom had taught him after Daphne and him had returned from their honeymoon. "Yes dear." He says.

She takes her son and says, "Good job Arkin. Let's get going. I can't wait to see you aunt."

And they leave the palace of Domino for the sandy shores of the Isle of Dragons.

"Layla, the boat is here. Are you ready?"

"Coming Nabu! Yes, Margery, please send my cousins the baskets, and make sure that my parents remember that Nereus' daughter's birthday is in three days. Send her a bouquet of her favorite flowers and her favorite chocolate for Nabu and I, would you? Yes, thank you." Layla says in her phone, finishing her duties on Andros for the day.

"Everything okay?" Nabu asks.

"Yeah, it's just that Serena's birthday is coming up and we won't be on the planet, so I wanted to make sure that we sent her her favorite flowers and chocolates. Ready, husband?" Layla asks him, a huge smile appearing on her face.

Nabu takes her into his arms and looks down at her. "I am. And I will never get over hearing you call me you husband, wife." Both smiling, they enjoy a passionate kiss.

"Your majesties," interrupts the captain of the ship. "Are we ready to take off for Melody?"

"Yes, captain." Calls Layla as she and Nabu break their kiss and finally head aboard.

"Musa, you okay? Need any help? Fase, help your mother." Riven calls out. Ever since he found out that Musa is carrying another child, he's been very concerned with her health and how much stress she is putting on herself.

"Riven, I'm fine. Fase, go get your sister and tell her to come to the door. We're leaving. Layla should be here any moment."

"Musa, don't move around too much. Take it easy. Why don't you sit?" Riven asks, walking over to her after putting the suitcases by the front door.

"Really, why are you like this? It's just a baby. It's not like I'm having twins again. I can walk this time, Riven. Please stop worrying so much." Musa says to her husband, exasperated.

"Come on Musa. You can't really be mad at me for wanting to take care of you and our child. Besides, you are5 and a half months along. I would carry you everywhere if I thought I could get away with it without you coming to hate me. I just want to take care of you. I had to work so much when you were pregnant with the twins. I just want-"

"I know what you want." Musa interrupts. "And I understand why, but please just stop. I can take care of this. I thought husbands are supposed to be more relaxed with the second child?" She laughs at her own joke, seeing as they already have two kids.

"That's not funny, Musa." Riven scolds his wife.

"I know, I'm sorry. But honestly? We're not at Alfea and I'm not in harm's way anymore, Riven. You can calm down. You protect and provide for us all the time, and I'm not leaving."

Riven remembers the day they broke up at the gate Alfea after he couldn't protect Musa's voice from being stolen by Rumpelstiltskin. It was one of the worst days in his life. "Musa." He goes and kneels next to her as she sits down on the couch. "I was wrong that day, and we both know it. I have never regretted something so much, but leaving made me realize how much you mean to me. I love you. You know that, don't you? You know that I love you, and our children," he places his hand on her stomach and smiles a weak smile at her. "More than my own life, I love you all."

"Riven," Musa says, tears forming her in her eyes. "I love you too. And I forgave you for that day a long, long time ago." In one of the sweetest, and most honest moments, they have had in years, Riven and Musa hold onto each other and place on their love in their kiss. If passion could burn, their spark would burn forever.

The doorbell rings and the twins call out, "Aunt Layla is here!" and come running down the stairs and stop when they see their parents holding each other and their mother with tears down her face.

"Mama?" River asks.

"I'm okay baby girl. Mama and daddy are just talking. Can you guys get the door?" She wipes her face with a free hand and the other still clutches tight to Riven's hand. "It's time to go," she says quietly.

"Ok," Riven says, standing and helping her off the couch.

"River! Fase!" come the calls of Layla and Nabu from the front door. "Where are your parents?" Layla asks. (Fase points inside.) Layla walks in to find Riven and Musa walking over, Musa with a very rounded stomach. "Ready to go?" she asks the couple.

"Yes." Musa says, ready to leave the hard past behind and embark on a relaxing vacation where she can spend time with her husband, children, and family.

"Timmy? Are you ready?" Tecna says as she peeks her head into his office.

f"Daddy go?" Zoe asks as she peers from behind her mother's legs.

"Yes honey, daddy is almost ready." Timmy replies, turning and smiling at Tecna and then his daughter. "I just need another moment to finish grading this project."

"Alright," Tecna says, turning and picking up her daughter. "Come on Zoe, let's give your father some time to finish his work. Did you finish packing, my little circuit?"

As Zoe rocks her head up and down signifying that she has, her mother smiles and her father frowns because ehe has to finish his work before his vacation. Grades are due tomorrow, but since he is leaving today for the Isle of Dragons, he needs to finish this now.

Moments pass and his mind drifts back to his daughter and wife, waiting for his attention. Finally though, he finishes it and types in the student's grades. "Done!" he calls out, finally smiling for the first time in twenty minutes.

Almost as soon as he has spoken, his daughter races into the office and says, "Yay!" running straight for his legs and grabbing tight as he stood up.

"Zoe, my dear, what are you doing? If you sit there, we are going to be late." Timmy said, tugging at his daughter to lift her to his arms. When she finally stopped struggling and giggling to stay on his foot. As Tecna comes in, she sees the two loves on her life, holding onto each other and laughing and smiling. "Tecna."Timmy says, all his love in that one word, all his need.

Naturally, she walks right over to him and put her arms around him. He holds her too, and when she finally looks up, he leans down and kisses her, filling them both with the love that has been with them all this time.

"Let's get going." Tecna says, taking her husband's hand and pulling him along to get them to the relaxing isle all that faster.

Finally, all of our lot are on their way to the Isle of Dragons, each in their own ways. The vacation of the royals is about to start.