We Are The Winx

[Bloom]

Slipping inside the little common room, Bloom was too distracted to worry about closing the door quietly. Without removing her coat, she plunked down on the sofa, grabbed one of the soft cushions from the corner and hugged it tightly to her chest. When did her life get so complicated? Oh yeah, it was the day she discovered a fairy fighting an ogre in the park. That’s right. The day she discovered that she was a fairy as well.

That kind of revelation is definitely of the life complicating kind. Not that she’d take it back if she could. Despite the danger and the heartbreak, and how much she missed her parents, she loved being a fairy. She loved her friends and she loved it here at Alfea. She wouldn’t give all that up for the simple life.

Speaking of her friends, soon enough they’d all be getting up, unless they already were. Not only did Bloom have no idea what time it was, but she had less than no idea what day it was. Was it even a school day?

Hugging the pillow tighter she kicked off her sneakers and fell over on the couch, curling up on her side.

(Tags: The Winx Club!)

[Stella]

Lifting a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned, Stella felt her lids grow heavy as she slowly trudged in the direction of her room. After practically a whole night of being cooped up in the library pouring over books that she was convinced would help her crack the code to freeing Brandon from his canine state, Stella was in desperate need of sleep. She had tried to fight it off, had tried to keep herself going for just an hour or so more - for Brandon's sake, of course - but she just couldn't do it. All the words in the books had long ago begun to blur together and so finally, she had convinced herself that she was doing more harm than good by trying to stay awake. After all, the sooner she got rejuvenated, the sooner she could go back to hitting the books. Something, Stella thought wryly, she never thought she would ever hear herself utter.

Until then, though, Stella thought with a slight grimace, all she wanted to do was to curl up and get some much needed sleep. And she could just forget about class because there was no way that she would be able to manage staying awake through one of Palladium's boring lectures, so what was the point in even trying? If Faragonda tried to give her a hard time, she'd just say . . . she'd just . . . oh who cared?

Another yawn overtaking her as she opened the door to the common room she shared with the rest of the gang, Stella's eyes closed momentarily as she leaned heavily against the door. So tired. So, so, tir-

"Bloom?!"

Her eyes snapping open wider than she thought possible at the unexpected sight of her friend, Stella rushed forward, almost instantly forgetting the exhaustion that had only moments ago threatened to send her into a deep slumber. "Bloom, oh my . . . are you okay? What are you doing here?! Hey! Are you awake?" Giving her friend's shoulder a rough shake, Stella could barely keep words from spilling forth from her lips nor could she suppress her expression of absolute glee from crossing her face. "Bloom, answer me, already!" Stella exclaimed before bouncing up and down on the couch, creating a wave of movement that she was certain would wake her friend.

[Bloom]

Whether it was from physical or mental exhaustion, or possibly some unhealthy combination of both, Bloom had fallen into a surprisingly deep sleep on the sofa. More dreams of memories flooded her head, but this time they were warped by nightmares. Some faceless witch would appear at all the happiest moments and steal them away, leaving Bloom with nothing but darkness and despair. One by one her friends turned from her, forgetting who she was, to align with this witch in fairy’s clothing. When they were all gone, it was time to finish her off. The witch closed in, grabbing Bloom’s shoulders and shaking her roughly. And then the whole world began to... bounce?

“Wha...?”

Completely disoriented, Bloom rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to wake herself up. She felt awake, but the bouncing continued. Was this what Kiko felt like when he ran? Way too weird.

Shaking away the fog in her head, she finally got her eyes open enough to see a head of familiar hair, golden like the sun, and a smile that was even brighter.

“When did you start doing wake-up calls?”

[Stella]

Giving her head a regal toss, Stella dramatically held a hand to her chest as she drawled, "Why, dahling, who says this is a wake-up call? Because that implies that I'm an early bird, which couldn't be further from the truth!" Stretching her arms high over her head before flopping against the back of the couch, Stella laughed as she chattered, "Nope, sweetie, I've never been an early bird and I never will be - I'm surprised that you've forgotten that. Anyway, you see this," Stella continued, words spilling forth from my mouth in a continuous stream, as she gestured at her body, "is me just about to go to bed."

Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, Stella then said with another laugh, "Well, that was me until I found you. Now sleep is the last thing on my mind because we've got lots of catching up to do, Bloom. For starters, how did you even get back here? Last everyone heard, you were still floundering around in the lake - wait! I've got it!" A grin spreading from ear to ear, Stella leaned forward as she said, "Let me guess, Faragonda finally found a way to turn you back into a fairy, right? Why that sneaky little headmistress - I bet she was trying to keep it a secret from us girls so that when we ran into you it would be a fantastic surprise, right?" Clasping her hands together, Stella's eyes danced happily as she exclaimed, lost in her thoughts, "Oh, Ms. F. you never fail us! I ought to run to your office right now and give you a big hug!"

[Bloom]

Now this was more like Bloom had expected. Finally shaking the remnants of sleep from her head, she could have sighed in relief when Stella immediately fell back into pattern, acting just as if no time had passed. Exactly how Bloom felt. And she actually laughed. An honest to goodness laugh as she watched Stella fall back on the sofa and chatter animatedly.

But like all good things lately, it had to come to an end as the topic quickly shifted to the time she didn’t remember missing.

“Floundering? Lake?” Bloom questioned, completely lost, but then again so was her question as Stella continued to talk... and talk.

And talk.

Had Sky mentioned her being in the lake? And if they knew where she was, why had they all just left her there? What was going on?

Blinking confusedly, she could only stare as Stella came up with her own theory, asked for confirmation, then didn’t wait for it. Twice. When she finally appeared to be finished, Bloom waited an extra beat. Then another. Yup, she seemed done.

“I, uh, well, that’s not exactly how it went. At least I don’t think so,” Bloom answered, pushing herself up to sit. For all she knew, it could have been right, though it left the question of why Faragonda would leave her to wake up in the forest all disoriented and... indisposed. Not a good thought. “I’m not sure she’d appreciate the gesture, so how about you just give me a big hug instead?”

[Stella]

Not waiting for another invitation, Stella threw her arms around Bloom and pulled her into a warm hug, still absolutely stunned that her best friend was back where she belonged. As she continued to squeeze Bloom even tighter than one would think possible, Stella bit her lip as a broad smile continued to light up her face. Somehow with Bloom back, everything would be okay. It had been a long road to this moment but now slowly but surely, the universe was putting everything back to normal and before she knew it, Brandon would have to be back too and then her world would be complete again. It was all she could ever want.

Tears of happiness beginning to glisten in her eyes, Stella finally pulled back slightly as she exclaimed, "Oh, I've missed you so much, Bloom! You couldn't even imagine how much!"

[Bloom]

Laughing loudly when Stella suddenly threw her arms around her, Bloom immediately returned the embrace. Even when it became so tight that she could barely breathe, she still couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Can’t... breathe...” she joked, or at least half joked. After everything they’d been through, she couldn’t imagine what she’d do without Stella now. She was close with all the Winx girls, but Stella and her seemed to share a special bond. The same as with Sky, even though she didn’t remember having missed any time, Bloom found that she had definitely missed her best friend, however that was possible.

“I missed you too, Stella, but if my screaming lungs are any indication, I think I might be able to imagine it.”

[Stella]

Playfully sticking her tongue out at Bloom, Stella's face then grew serious as she said softly, "You know, I don't care how you got back here or how it was someone else who managed to find a way to return you to normal and not me; all that matters is that you're where you belong again." Tilting her head slightly, a sad look crossed Stella's face as she finished, "For a while there, I really thought that you were never coming back - even if we could find a way to set things right. You seemed like you were enjoying being a mermaid way too much to want to go back to being just a fairy." Realizing that she was beginning to sound bitter, Stella quickly amended as she flashed Bloom a lopsided smile, "It wasn't that I wanted to ruin your happiness or anything . . . I guess it was just really selfish of me, but I wanted so much to have my best friend by my side and not swimming around in the lake. That isn't such a terrible thing to say, right?"

[Bloom]

For a moment, Bloom was speechless. She had been turned into a mermaid? Considering that required her to live underwater, it was a very clever way to get her out of the picture. The more she discovered, the more she realized that this foe was not someone to take lightly. She would have to be extra careful.

At least this explained why nobody had been looking for her. They had all thought she was happy. If only she could remember that; she could use a little extra happiness right about now.

“It’s not terrible at all, Stella,” Bloom replied with a soft smile. “It means a lot that you would even consider leaving me that way if you thought it made me happy, but I can guarantee that I’d never be happier anywhere else but here.”

She didn’t want Stella to get upset and feel she had been wrong and that she should have fought harder to fix things, so she knew it was explanation time. She really hoped she wasn’t going to have to go through this with each reunion.

“To tell the truth, I don’t remember ever being a mermaid. Or who gave me back my legs. Or anything that has happened the past few... months,” she said, hesitating on the time period. Sky had said months, but it sure didn’t feel that long. “Flora found me in the forest late last night, but I don’t know how I got there.”

[Stella]

Beginning to reply, Stella then paused in confusion, her mouth parted into an 'o' shape. After a moment, she then shook her head as she asked, her brows drawing together slightly as she tried to piece together what she was being told, "Wait, Flora found you last night? How strange! I just saw her a few hours ago and she didn't say anything about you at all . . . strange." Her eyes taking on a distant look as she began to speak more to herself than to Bloom, Stella continued, "Of course, I was preoccupied with trying to find a way to help Brandon, but I would think Flora wouldn't be so stupid as to think that I wouldn't want to be told something as wonderful as you returning!"

Unable to come to a conclusion as to what to make of Flora's concealment of Bloom's return, Stella shook her head again before sighing quietly. That was so un-Flora-like, but then again, things had been so weird lately for everyone that it was no wonder that people were bound to change as a result. Still, Stella couldn't help but be a bit miffed that she hadn't been the first person to learn of Bloom's return and to welcome her back. She was, after all, Bloom's best friend and something as momentous as a first welcome back ought to be reserved for best friends . . .

But perhaps now wasn't the best time to think about that, Stella thought, quickly reminding herself that Bloom had dropped quite a bombshell with her last bit of news. Leaning forward, her curiosity getting the best of her, Stella tipped her head to the side as she asked, "So you mean to tell me that you reeeally don't have any memories of the last few months?" Sitting back against the couch as what she had just said began to fully register in her mind, Stella couldn't help but wince, Bloom's apparent memory loss reminding her a little too much of Brandon's current predicament.

[Bloom]

Huh, that was very odd. A look of pensive confusion settled on Bloom’s features as she thought about this. She had even specifically asked Flora to speak to the other Winx girls to prepare them before they saw Bloom again, and yet she had refrained from telling Stella when she had the chance? It wasn’t the sort of thing to slip someone’s mind, so she must have chosen not to tell, but why? Like Stella said, she was obviously worried about and distracted by Brandon, but wouldn’t that be all the more reason to tell her?

“I wonder why she didn’t tell you,” Bloom said quietly, thoughtfully; more to herself than to Stella. Mimicking her friend’s movements, she shook it off with a shake of her head. Ah, here came the questions. This is what she had originally wanted to avoid by getting Flora to talk to them first, but now, after everything with Sky, and with Stella sitting right here, it didn’t seem so bad. It was Stella after all, and the day that she felt she couldn’t talk to her best friend would be a sad day indeed.

“Yeah, really. I don’t remember how long ago I forgot, but ‘months’ does seem fairly accurate,” she said. A look of sadness falling over her, she cast her eyes down to pick at a loose thread on the cushion she held. “I guess I’ve missed a lot. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you, Stella.”

[Stella]

Seeing the look of sadness sweep over Bloom's features, Stella reached forward and gave her friend's hand a warm squeeze. "Oh, sweetie, you have nothing to apologize for! And even if you don't remember what's happened in the past few months, what matters most is that you're back and you're surrounded by the people who love you. Don't you worry for a minute, you hear? Even if you're missing some memories, you haven't lost everything. You still remember me and Flora and all of other friends, right? So you see, somehow we'll be able to get through this. Together. That's what friends are for and if I say so myself," at this Stella smiled brightly, "we're about as best of friends that there ever was."

[Bloom]

Grateful for the warm gesture, Bloom closed her eyes, feeling the tears welling up in them. No, she hadn’t lost everything, but she’d lost months of her life, and worse than that, she’d lost Sky. He wasn’t everything, but he was a huge part of her life.

I’ll get him back. I have to.

But Stella was right, she hadn’t lost everything. She still had her parents home on Earth who loved her very much and who she really had to call because if Flora hadn’t told Stella, then she for sure hadn’t called Bloom’s parents. She still had goals, like becoming a full fledged fairy and finding more about her birth parents and planet. And most of all, as Stella also pointed out, she still had her friends.

“Oh Stella, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Bloom cried suddenly, throwing her arms around her best friend, a few tears slipping past her lashes. Unlike all her previous tears, though, these ones weren't completely of sadness.

[Stella]

"And what would I do without you?" Stella returned as she wrapped her arms around Bloom once again. "Who would I drag around Magix to go shopping with?" Stella continued, injecting her voice with a dose of humor. "Or who else would I ditch class with to go on an impromptu visit to Earth? Without you, I wouldn't have a reason to even go there and of course that would be awful because you guys totally have the best clothes!"

Breaking out into a fit of giggles, Stella shook her head before giving Bloom another warm squeeze. "Oh, I am soooo glad to have you back, Bloom. I don't think I even knew just how much I missed just hanging out with you until now; goodness, I love the other girls but sometimes they just don't get me." Waving her hand flippantly in the air, Stella finished breezily, "Something about me never being serious enough, but whatever. I like who I am just fine."

[Bloom]

Her laugh sounding odd due to her tears, Bloom finally leaned back from her embrace, a smile on her face. Always the fashionista. Stella would travel to the ends of the Earth, as well as any other planet, to find the perfect outfit. It never really mattered what she wore, though, as she looked awesome in everything.

“I like who you are just fine too,” Bloom replied with a giggle. Stella’s laugh was infectious. Her laughter waning, she paused for a moment as she though again about what Stella said about Earth. She really should go back and see her parents. They were probably worried sick about her! But she couldn’t leave now. Not with everything else going on, and not so soon after just getting back.

“Hey, what do you say we take another trip to Earth soon? Not, like, soon soon, but soon,” Bloom suggested. Maybe if they could reverse the spells on Brandon and Sky, they could all go together for a weekend.