A GREAT EVIL | Fate: The Winx Saga ~ Alternate Season 2

Bonus 3 - Never Without My Daughters

POV Jade:

I walked towards my mom's place with a sigh. It was the middle of July and Kat had gone back to visit her family in Eraklyon. I was supposed to join her in August so that she could introduce me to her family, but in the meantime, her absence was felt and had put a big blow to morale. I used to spend most of my days either in the library or outside, but almost always alone, even though Bloom had chosen to stay in Alfea for half of the holidays. Today we had been visited by Stella, Terra and Sam, as Professor Harvey had come to the greenhouse to look after his plants, accompanied by his wife.

Despite their attempts to cheer me up, I was still glum.

My mom had just sent me a message asking me to join her in her flat, and I didn't know why.

Once inside, I saw that she was waiting for me with Bloom.

"What's going on?" I questioned, worried. "Where are Saul and Sky?"

"They're having a guys' night," she answered, walking towards me with a smile. "Bloom and I have a girls' night planned to cheer you up. Since Kat left, you seem a little off."

I hugged her, touched by the attention, but also touched that she had mentioned my girlfriend's name.

"That's nice, but you shouldn't have felt obliged..."

"Jade, you're my twin sister, it's only been a few months since we met up with Mom, so it's only natural that we spend time together," Bloom replied gently.

"So, what have you planned for this evening?"

"We've ordered Japanese food, which has just been delivered, and then we're having a movie night," my mom informed me.

Yum, I loved sushi, maki, miso soup and many other specialties, sometimes sweet, like mochi.

"If I were you, I'd go put on my pyjamas," Bloom advised me before leaving the appartment.

I followed her to our suite and changed into my nightwear before returning to the flat.

We sat on the sofa watching comedy with our food, and my mom brought out a bottle of rosé wine, to my great surprise.

"You want us to drink?" I teased her, laughing.

"A little drink won't hurt anyone, but be careful not to overdo it," she warned us before serving us.

"I don't much like alcohol, but I'll take a little," my sister agreed.

My mom sat down between us to enjoy her meal.

"Were you happy to see Sam and the girls today?" she inquired.

"Yes, it's been a long time, it's a shame Musa, Aisha and Beatrix weren't here," Bloom admitted, both pleased and frustrated.

"And Kat," I added before turning to my mom. "Did you get to see Luna and Ben?"

"Yes, they stayed in the greenhouse for quite a while together before they came to see us, and we had a lot of chats. They are both glowing, they are really happy together, and I have to say I have never seen Ben so bright."

"Luna's a light fairy, she probably dazzled him," Bloom joked.

"Probably, and I'm glad for them, they deserve it, after all the trouble they've been through," she nodded.

I swallowed my bite of sashimi before asking the question that had been nagging at me for some time.

"So, when is it due?"

My mom stared at me with round eyes, seeming not to understand what I was getting at.

"What?"

"Well, that you're getting married to Saul, of course," I retorted, smiling.

"He'd have to propose first, and he doesn't seem to be in any hurry," she scoffed.

"If he's as quick to propose as he is to declare his love, you'll be married at seventy," laughed my sister.

"You don't have to be married to be happy, I feel very comfortable with Saul, even though we're not married," my mom explained, taking a drink. "Luna is Queen of Solaria, and tradition dictates that marriage should continue from generation to generation. And then, when you're between life and death, sometimes you realise what you would have wanted to do next, you're afraid to leave your loved ones, and you know that if you get through this you'll make this or that life choice, which seems obvious at the time."

"Life is hard," I sighed as I finished my meal. "Even if sometimes it's beautiful. I was lucky that Grandma enrolled me at Alfea, without her I would never have known the truth and I would never have found you."

"It's a small world," my sister smiled.

My mom placed both her arms around our shoulders, holding us tenderly. I could feel all the love she had for us just by this gesture. I remembered our very first meeting: me kneeling beside her lifeless body, soiled by the dirt in which she had been lying for days; my friends examining her, before carrying her to Michael and Vanessa's house in an effort to save her life. From that moment on, I had felt the powerful bond between us. I admired her more than anyone else in the world. She had fought to survive Rosalind's attack, she had fought for us, and here she was, on this couch, holding us close. This was her reward, and ours.

"My darling daughters..." she whispered, placing a kiss on our temples.

I gave her and Bloom a loving gaze before snuggling up to her. I was feeling quite serene now, and more alive than I had been in the morning, although I could still feel Kat's absence. Perhaps the rosé wine had something to do with it...

We focused on the movie: a pleasant evening was in prospect.