Author’s note: Once again, thank you Inu-midoriko for all your help with this chapter. I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed until now. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. If you would like to read up on which works are in progress and on future updates, please check out my website’s blog. I will reply to all comments you post.

About two days later, Rose shifted the stack of very heavy books in her lap as she rolled down the hallway back to her room, gently nudging the door with her footplate. It was around midnight, but she still had a lot of work to do. "Darcy? Are you asleep?" She called softly, seeing that the light was still off and not being able to see the dark witch on her bed. To keep up with appearances, they were not officially sharing a room yet, but Darcy had made a habit of waiting for Rose before retiring for the night.

"Yeah I'm awake." Darcy said. She was sitting on the bed, her knees backed up to her chest. "Took you long enough." she commented but you could hear the smile in her lips.

Satisfied that she wouldn't be waking her lover up, Rose flipped on the light switch as she entered the room. "My research and mother's class ran overtime." With a grunt, the twilight witch gratefully dumped the heavy books in her lap onto the table. "If you think your normal classes are hard, try one of mother's private lessons." Rubbing the back of her aching neck with her right hand, she admired the ring shining on her left. "Mother is pushing me to my limits, Bavalon and her crew seemed to have gone underground, and I can't say I like that very much Darcy."

This caught Darcy's attention. "What do you mean they've gone underground?"

"I haven't seen or heard from any of them, not a single peep. No fights, no protests, nothing." Rose looked at Darcy with her solemn silver eyes. "It feels like the calm just before the storm hits."

"Are you certain there's something going on? Maybe they've given up. Perhaps they see that they can never be as good as you."

Rose laughed. "Darcy, put yourself in their shoes. What would you do in their places?"

“It's not too late to have a change of heart." Darcy said, crossing her arms with a slight pout to her features.

"True, but in order to have a change of heart, you have to have a reason to change." She blew Darcy a kiss. "Nothing worth having is ever easy beloved."

Darcy sighed. "I guess. I'll talk to Bavalon alright? I'll see what she's up to."

The twilight witch nodded. "Just be careful, she knows you are on my side, you might need your cold mask back." As she spoke, she changed into her pajamas. "If you need to put on an act, just let me know."

"I'll need to for sure. I'm letting you know now that anything I say to you in front of them I don't mean."

She smiled, flashing the ring on her hand. "I know that honey. Should I hold onto your ring for you?"

For an answer, Darcy took off her ring and handed it over to Rose. She took her hand in hers and kissed her knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart." She placed Darcy's ring on the table on top of her books. "I'll put the spells on it while I have it." Rose smiled. "The Cirven will back you up if need be love. You won't be outcasted like last time."

"Thank you hon," Darcy stood, preparing to leave now that she knew Rose was safe in her room. "I better go." he bent down and gave her lover a kiss on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

Rose returned the kiss tenderly, wrapping her arms tightly around her lover. "If they question why you keep seeing me at night, just be nasty and say that that is how you keep me wrapped around your finger." She advised.

"Will do." she grinned at her girlfriend's conniving solution.

She grinned back. "Sweet dreams sweetheart, don't plot all night okay?"

Darcy grinned mischievously. "Who me? I wouldn't do such a thing. Anyway darling I best be off. I'll see you tomorrow." with that walked over to the door. "Sweet dreams." she closed the door behind her and headed off to her room where Icy and Stormy were either waiting for her or off with their girl friends.

The next morning it felt as thought Rose had never existed in Darcy's heart as she prowled the school looking for Bavalon and her supposed Coven. She had worked her way into a serious dark rage that was only honed by the missing engagement ring on her left hand. Darcy felt naked without it, which only made her want to get this over with even quicker so that she could retrieve her ring.

Bavalon had been strolling down the hall, lost in her thoughts about the newest member to her small group of witches who thought Rose was inferior. She didn't see Darcy or the cold looks she was giving everyone. She also didn't see the old rage behind her eyes that indicated she was back to her old ways. Or appeared to be anyhow.

Her dirty amber eyes glinting darkly, Darcy thrust out a hand to halt Bavalon. "We need to talk. Now." She snarled quietly, tightening her grasp on the other girl's shoulder as she spoke.

The blonde frowned darkly at Rose's lover. "Oh? What do we have to talk about?" Bavalon snarled back.

"Not here. In private." The other answered.

Bavalon nodded but kept her guard up as she was led to a more private location for them to talk.

Once they were in private, Darcy shut the door behind them. "I want you to stop playing your little games with your so-called coven Bavalon. It was amusing at first, even helpful, but now it's getting in my way."

In confusion, Bavalon frowned and took a step back. "What are you saying? Why would I listen to you of all people?"

Darcy took a malevolent step towards the other witch. "I mean that your little games are making it very difficult for me to control my little Rose witch. My sisters have all gone soft, but I have not. Cloud Tower will be mine Bavalon."

Bavalon's eyes hardened. "You lying sneaky bitch. You honestly think this school will bow down to you?" she did smirk however. "So everything you've said to Rose was a lie? You're getting close to her to ruin her? I must say, that's low, even for you."

"I'm not going to ruin her; I'm going to use her." Darcy answered coldly. "She is my key to having Cloud Tower. Whoever has her heart- or her bed for that matter- will have the school as well." She leaned against one of the tables. "Rose believes I love her because that isn't a lie, but she won't pry into my mind to go deeper than that. The key to a good lie is that there has to be a grain of truth in it that you can focus on, the actions have to match the thoughts."

Not believing her, Bavalon raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well while you're having your fun, I have better things to do that don't involve you. So if you'd be so kind as to move out of the way, I'd be grateful," she replied with a dull dry voice.

Darcy glared at Bavalon. "Just stop your little games. You don't have enough grit to take my place. She's mine and it's going to stay that way."

"I don't want her. You can have all of her and continue your stupid mind game but it won’t change the fact I’m going to be head of this school." she glared back. "Whether I have enough grit or not to take on the challenge isn't up to you."

"No you aren't, not with her mother's backing and mine behind her, not that she really needs my help." Darcy smirked and walked to the door, radiating satisfation that she wouldn't have to deal with a witch that was so far beneath her. She looked over her shoulder. "I would kill you now... but it wouldn't make my future mother-in-law very happy." With that, she walked out of the room, seeming to completely dismiss the weaker witch from her mind.

Bavalon gritted her teeth in sheer anger. If Darcy thought she was going to get away with that she had another thing coming. She wanted to play rough? Fine, Bavalon would play rough too. The blonde witch took her leave with a determined look on her face. 'Soon Darcy, soon you will get what's coming to you."

Not far down the hallway, Rose had parked against a wall writing something down on a clipboard. The silver bracelet flashed on her wrist as it moved, and her silver eyes looked thoughtful. "Not good... not good at all... She murmured to herself.

Adria, Bavalon's new interest, spotted the red haired girl and raised an eyebrow. At first, she thought of ignoring the girl but she wanted to see how she faired when the pressure was on.

The dark haired witch walked up to her and leaned her arm on the wall above her head. She leaned into her arm as she spoke. "Hello Rose. Where's that lover of yours?" she asked, looking around for Darcy. Her blue eyes sparked with amusement.

"She's around. Although she might have gone shopping by now." Rose answered back, frowning at the clipboard again. Using magic, she floated the clipboard and pen on the air beside her as she turned her wheelchair slightly to test the lock of the door again, jiggling the handle. "Hm... the lock seems to be broke."

Adria rolled her eyes. "What hell are you doing?" she asked, taking the clipboard from the air.

"I was looking for something earlier but we were out, it seems that someone has been taking potion ingredients from the storage room." She turned the handle and frowned at it when it turned easily under her hand. "Now I know why. Looks like I'll be taking a side trip today. What a bother." Rose sighed. Shaking her head, Rose pushed open the door and rolled into the storeroom, cocking her finger in the 'follow me' gesture. The clipboard jerked out of Adria's hands and followed the redhead, the pen following. Snapping her fingers, a light flipped on, allowing Rose to look around. "Not good, not good at all." She muttered.

Adria sighed. "It's a wonder Darcy can put up with you. You don't pay attention to anyone but yourself."

"What? You thought I kept Darcy tied to my apron strings?" Rose asked as she began taking an inventory, the pen taking notes for her.

"You seem like the type, yes." replied Adria. "Why is it that she loves you so much?" she asked and took Rose's chin in her hand and made her look her in the eyes. "What's so special about you?"

Rose looked straight back at Adria with a clear gaze. "Because I let her do what she wants to do without a leash. I trust her. I'm not her nursemaid anymore than she is mine."

Adria stared long and hard. "No leashes hm?" she let go of Rose's chin and sighed. "Why are you so different than the rest of us? You know Bavalon hates you because of the way you are."

The other girl looked away. "Why am I different? I only wish I knew Adria." She watched the pen busily writing on the clipboard. "Still, I am what I am and I can't help that. If people hate me because of that, then there is nothing I can do about it."

"You don't understand. She wants to ruin you and she'll do anything in her power to ensure you're done for. Question is, should I help her, or should I help you?"

Rose frowned. "Darcy can try to ruin me, but if I get so much as a hint of that, there will be trouble." Suddenly Rose's silver eyes sharpened, for one moment, the mask falling away to show Adria what truly lay beneath her mask. "I can use people too, but that isn't very helpful to me."

"Perhaps. but Darcy isn't the only one to want you gone. Bavalon's got sort of a secret organization completely dedicated to your destruction. I could tell you details, or I could let you fend for yourself." Adria crossed her arms and grinned. "Which would you prefer? To know exactly what's going on with no 'guessing' or to be left in the dark to look over your shoulder every corner, every dark hall you come across?"

Her silver eyes darkened, and she looked away at something only she could see. "I knew something was going on, she's been a bit too quiet lately." Rose answered then looked at Adria. "And you? Which side are you on? If I let you help me, what will you name as your price?

The dark haired witch smiled. "I don't want anything in return. All I want is an interesting last year here. Either way I'm given that opportinuty. It's just, now that I know what she's up to, you're at quite the disadvantage. All I ask in return for my help is that when Bavalon is caught, she's handed over to me."

"Done. I don't want her, she makes my skin crawl." She frowned at the bracelet on her wrist. "Your request was simple. I must ask you one thing though; would you care if she was stripped of her powers?"

Adria gave her a wicked grin. "I was counting on it." she opened the door and prepared to leave Rose to her thoughts. "There's going to be a meeting tonight in Bavalon's room. Tomorrow, I'll meet you at the jewelry shop you got Darcy's ring at."

"Adria? If I offered you a Cirven bracelet, would you take it?" Rose asked quietly. It was not an offer; it was merely a question, wanting to see where Adria's loyalty truly lay.

"If Bavalon were to see it, my cover would be ruined, unless of course you designed it in such a way that it didn't look like everyone else's."

Surprise flicked across Rose's face, unseen by Adria. "I meant after this."

This caught Adria's attention. She turned back around and went back inside and silently shut the door. "What does this Cirven of yours do?"

The clipboard and pen landed gently on the floor, a sign that Rose was being completely serious now. "You could call the Cirven my honor guard and what will be happening at Cloud Tower the beginning of a new era. In the end, I hope to be able to combine the powers of the witch and fairy lines together. There has been a battle between darkness and line for a long time but..."

Adria nodded in understanding, all humor now gone. She had no plans for after she was done with Cloud Tower; except conquering Bavalon maybe, but in terms of having something to do afterwards, she was at a loss. This could turn out to be fun so she took a serious few moments of consideration before putting a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I would like to join, yes, if you are willing to have me, that is."

"The Cirven is a lifelong commitment Adria. You will be under my protection for as long as you live and be held answerable only to me. There will never be any secrets among the Cirven. It's not exactly a group mind but very close to it."

"Yes that's fine. Very much like a Coven only slightly different."

She smiled. "Do you think so?" Rose asked, but her lips never moved. She was speaking directly to Adria's mind.

"Yes, I do." she said it aloud and gave Rose a rare smile. "I have to go. Bavalon's expecting me to be there earlier than the others."

She nodded. "I'll tell the others what you told me and join you at the meeting place after I finish the inventory."

"Alright." Adria turned and left, closing the door behind her as she went. She hummed a soft tune as she made her way to Bavalon's room with a mental smirk of victory falling into place in her mind.

Rose finished up the inventory as she spoke to the members of her Cirven, She left nothing out, knowing that Bloom and Flora would tell Icy and Stormy, which would insure that Darcy would know about this new turn of events. After dropping the list in Griffen's office, she went back to her room to get ready to go out shopping for replacements as well as a few other things she needed.

The next day, after Bavalon's meeting Adria slipped out of the Tower to the jewelry shop she told Rose to meet her at. It was still early so she took her time to examine every piece of jewelry, including the ones she couldn't afford.

Rose came in a few minutes after, greeting the shopkeeper by name and smiling as she listened to him. Nodding at whatever he said, Rose let him unzip her bag and remove a familiar looking case before she too pretended to look around, humming softly under her breath as she roamed around the shop. Looking completely natural, she rolled up next to Adria. "Hi. See anything you like?"

Adria grinned as she eyed a ring made of white gold with crystal blue entwined with it. "I like that one. But not for me."

"Victor makes the best jewelry I've seen in town. I come here often myself." She replied, smiling at the ring that Adria was eying, making a mental note to tell Bloom about it later.

Suddenly Adria's amusement shone eyes darkened. "Bavalon hates this store. If she knew I was in here, with you, she'd surely try to have my head on a platter."

"She hates me because I refuse to hide what I am Adria." Rose said sadly.

"You'd think she wasn't one to talk but one thing you two have in common is you don't hide from the truth of what you are," she grinned. "No matter how bitchy you are." she said thinking of Bavalon.

"Can there be any greater hell then waking up everyday hating who you are Adria?" She asked, also thinking of Bavalon.

"That is a choice you yourself make. You can be born a certain way," she said indicating to Rose. "You can choose to make the best of it, to rise up and shine above everyone else. You can also be born like everyone else and choose to make everyone's life miserable because of the jealousy and rage that courses through you. Everyone has a back-story. There's a reason why you are the way you are and there's a reason the way Bavalon is the way she is. You both shine opposite colors, white and red but you aren't afraid to shine. That's what makes you two similar, not the same, but similar."

Rose smiled. "Thank you. I guess I accepted it easily because I was already different to start with, so what was one more difference? At the time, it was either that or die of stupidity, I chose to live. Bavalon and I are like two sides of the same coin, that's why I'm not afraid of her; sad yes, but not afraid."

Adria nodded. "Exactly. Each of us has at least one thing in common that binds us together and makes us similar whether we like it or not. I'm glad you willingly see it, as I do. There are some people, like Bavalon, that won't look past the obvious to accept it. That's what will eat her up inside. She needs to learn to back down when things are out of her hands and accept it. That's why I want her to get caught so her powers will be stripped away. At least then I could try to teach something positive about herself."

"I won't strip them unless I absolutely have to Adria. If I can, I'll dump her on a deserted island somewhere." She shuddered as she spoke.

"If you don't do it, my mother will." she smiled and led them out of the shop. "Do you think it's wrong to fall for someone truly and utterly wrong for you?"

"The only time love is wrong is when it drags you down into a negative spiral too." Rose replied, nodding to Victor as she left. "It all depends on how you allow it to affect you."

Adria smiled her thanks. "Let's say we get down to business hm? I found out some interesting things last night."

"Oh?" Rose asked, opening the channels wide so that the whole Cirven was listening in. "How bad?"

"Not too bad, if you're prepared." she said and continued. "The night of your wedding ceremony they plan to poison Darcy with enough potion to have her out cold for weeks. Once you're in a more vulnerable state, Bavalon said she'd come up to you with a friendly smile and offer you her 'comfort' and slip you a drink that would have you suspended in bed, locked in your room for a really long time. It's basically a potion to make you really want sex. From anyone, anywhere, any time. So, you could see how that would raise a problem for you. No student wants a headmistress that has sex any where she wants with whom ever she wants and not with her intended."

Rose ground her teeth as a red haze filled her vision. "The wedding isn't until next year... as for the second part Bavalon must not have a good memory. I've already visited that part of hell once, and I'm not going back there again."

"That's only idea number one."

"There's another one? How many did they dream up?"

"Only three so far. The third one really isn't as creative as the other two." she said and sighed, rubbing a tired hand over her face. "Idea number two is where they get me to get close you, like I am now, until you trust me enough to call me a friend. Then I take you out for shopping but really I'd knock you out and take you to a forest and hide you there for about five months. Within those month those months, Bavalon would convince Darcy we fell in love and ran away to be together. All my idea, but you were a willing participant. Darcy would be too distraught to think logically about the fact you would never willingly do that. Thoughts of everything about you would consume her to the point she wouldn't care anymore about anything and the Tower would be hers for the taking. Idea number three is where she kills you. With a rock."

Rose was fairly certain that her teeth would shatter in rage. "And it never occured to that nest of slime that none of those ideas would work?" She asked too calmly.

Adria shrugged. "She's desperate."

"Do you know which potion they were going to give me for the first idea?"

"Quite literally it's called 'The Pleasures of Sex'. She has it already. It's blackmarketed stuff. I wouldn't even call it a real potion. Just hormone enhancing fluid."

"Can you get more? Can you get enough for every member of that coven, plus maybe a few extra?" The icy smile on Rose's face said that Bavalon and her so-called allies had finally pushed Rose too far.

Adria grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Get some? Honey I can make it. Give me two weeks and I'll have enough for half the school."

"Do it. I intend to take them to hell." She said coldly.

"I'll have a special one made for Bavalon." she grinned, her eyes sparking with predatory amusement.

"What do you mean by 'special'?" The redhead asked sharply.

"Don't be so suspicious. I may like Bavalon in a strange way but that won't deter my feelings on the fact she needs punishment. Once she's caught and her powers are stripped away, I'll slip her the potion but the attraction will be towards me since I already know she's attracted to me but won't submit to it. Then I chain her to my bedroom wall and only come in to feed her, change and sleep. It would be torture."

Rose chewed on her lip for a moment. "You can save that for her desert." She said finally, her silver eyes glazed over slightly. "Are you willing to work with a fairy?" The redhead asked.

"If I must."

Her lips curved into a deadly smile. "Flora says that she knows of some things that might be of interest to you."

Adria's grinned was wicked. "Where can I find her?"

"I'll take you to them, they are in the forest on the edge of the park."

"Good. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun."

Rose didn't answer, a sign that she was in a really, really bad mood. Judging from the lack of color on her face, so was the rest of the Cirven.

As Rose led her away from Clowd Tower to wherever Flora was, Adria couldn't help but wonder if Bavalon was going a bit extreme. After all, it was just a school. However Bavalon's dreams were her own and who was she to judge? Adria didn't have dreams. She did things she was best at and excelled in it's future outcome. She also couldn't help but think that maybe Bavalon was taking things a little too far. When you've lost, you've lost. One should know this but it was clear Bavalon needed to be taught a lesson on when to submit and she was just the girl to do that. She also knew that Rose was angry, really angry, and that whatever Adria had in store, it was going to feel like heaven compared to what Rose surely had in store for her. The dark haired witch smiled slightly to herself and glanced over at the red haired witch. She liked Rose a lot. She knew she would be a good friend and one day soon, an even better leader.