(no subject)

[soulfulsin]

Fandom: Fairly Oddparents
Canon or AU: AU
Fic: Dark Ocean

A/N: Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I’m not the sole reader of this fanfic. lol

The quote in one of the last scenes is from The Sun Also Rises by Earnest Hemingway. It’s funny because I hated the book in my college lit class, but that is one of my favorite literary quotes. I love the yearning and hopelessness it evokes.

Oh! One last, important note. The three godkids named in the last scene are actually the characters from my novel. Leon is 12/13 in the novel, whereas Matilda and Dexter have aged down. I need to retool my novel, so I'm playing around with my characters in the meanwhile.

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A folded note arrived during lunchtime. It had a faint tracing of military green fairy dust, and Hazel unfolded it while casting a surreptitious look around. Cosmo and Wanda were disguised as her lunch tray and a milk carton, which was problematic since neither she nor Cosmo had told Wanda about the wish behind Wanda’s back. Hazel knew a lecture, at best, was forthcoming.

Hazel perused the note.

“Mrs. Diana Ryan has been detained pending an investigation into her relationship with Adolphus. She will be released when and if the Fairy World Council has determined she has not been placed under dark magic compulsions. Moreover, the Council will determine whether she has betrayed Fairy World.”

There was nothing else, and the note vanished into thin air after Hazel finished reading it.

“You wished for it anyway!” Wanda snapped, keeping her voice low. “You two conspired against me!”

“We had to know!” Hazel protested. They were seated in the far corner of the cafeteria to avoid people eavesdropping. Unlike Timmy, Hazel had no one to sit with, and she was already heading toward social pariah status. However, she couldn’t talk to her godparents and sit with normal kids.

“No, you didn’t,” Wanda said. “I told you that I wanted nothing to do with Adolphus, and you know why.”

“No, I don’t,” Hazel said. “I wish you’d tell me!”

Wanda growled. She’d trapped herself; she’d managed to escape the direct wish or redirect Hazel’s attention before it came out. Now, she had no choice. As a lunch tray, she trembled and worked on controlling her breathing.

“Ten years ago,” Wanda said, “Timmy, Cosmo, and I encountered the Unseelie Court. Anti-fairies are our magical counterparts, but the Unseelie Court used to be fairies with us before their evil grew too powerful to ignore. The two Courts split--Fairy World consists of the Seelie Court. The Unseelie Court usually keeps to itself, but it didn’t this time.

“Jorgen instructed us to check in on them, and…”

Wanda faltered. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Hazel paused, wondering if perhaps she’d pushed her too far. Cosmo frowned and looked anxious.

“I was attacked,” Wanda said quietly, almost inaudible. Her voice shook as she said, “That wasn’t bad enough. The…the Unseelie fairy placed a curse on me that forced me to return to the Unseelie Court for more abuse.”

She drew in what sounded like a painful breath.

“Before that happened, I was kidnapped and held captive by the Unseelie Court king--Asmodeus.”

Saying his name seemed to drain her. She closed her eyes, and tears slipped down the tray.

“Asmodeus and his cronies marked me. Every time they…used…me, they added another tally mark to my left arm,” she said. “Timmy, Tootie, and Cosmo rescued me after what felt like two weeks of torture but had actually only been one day.

“They didn’t realize that the curse had a time limit until it reactivated and forced me to stay with the Court. I tried to warn Cosmo and Timmy, but they ignored me.”

A bitter smile crossed her lips. “As they usually did.”

“I’m sorry--” Cosmo said.

“I know you are, hon,” she said softly. “Let me get this out, okay? If you interrupt, I’ll never finish.

“I was trapped in the Unseelie Court’s hotel for six months. Fairy World had erected a barrier around itself to prevent the Unseelie Court from marching on them. The Council effectively told me that I was on my own.

“They abandoned me,” she said in a shaky voice. "I thought Cosmo and Timmy had, too. I had no news from Fairy World. All I knew was that I was cut off from everyone, and Asmodeus and his cronies ensured that I felt like I was worthless-that my only worth was whatever they could get out of me.”

Hazel saw the pain in Wanda’s eyes.

“You don’t have to continue. I understand,” she said, trying to spare Wanda the misery of reciting everything.

“I have to finish,” Wanda said. “Asmodeus did terrible things to me and encouraged others to do the same. Your teacher, Mr. Ryan, looks exactly like him. He even sounds like him. Asmodeus…Asmodeus made me feel like I might be better off…”

She faltered and glanced at Cosmo.

“Like I’d be better off dead.”

Cosmo whimpered. Since they were disguised as inanimate objects, he couldn’t comfort her physically. The fairies’ eyes, however, expressed what they couldn’t show. Hazel knew Cosmo was feeling Wanda’s pain as if it was his own. It’d been ten years, and Wanda still didn’t trust Cosmo with all the details. Hazel’s stomach twisted.

“The only reason Timmy knew anything was because he was in the thick of it,” Wanda said. “If he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have told him.”

“What happened to Timmy?” Hazel said.

Wanda’s smile was tight. “In another timeline, he lost us at eighteen, and his memories of Fairy World and magic were erased.

“In this one, however, after much deliberation, the Council realized how badly they’d mismanaged the situation. Timmy lost us at eighteen because it’s part of Da Rules, but he never lost his memories. He’s still in Dimmadelphia; he’s working on the new Crimson Chin movie.”

Hazel smiled. “So he remembers you guys?”

Wanda’s smile turned soft and fond. “He does. He’s forbidden to tell anyone about us, naturally, but after having kept the secret for so long, no one believes he’d reveal our existence. We see him occasionally.”

Hazel fidgeted. “I’m sorry about Asmodeus. I’m sorry I went behind your back with Cosmo, too.”

Wanda sighed. “I may have been too harsh. After enduring the trauma that I did, it’s almost impossible to give someone who looks and speaks exactly like  my tormentor the benefit of the doubt. I’m still terrified of reprisals.”

She gasped back a sob, and Hazel’s heart wrenched. She was sorry she’d asked and caused Wanda so much anguish.

“I know it’s not fair to your math teacher, sweetie. For all we know, he may be the complete opposite of his twin. I’m just terrified that he isn’t and that I’ll get hurt again.”

“You won’t,” Hazel said firmly. “I won’t let it.”

Wanda’s smile turned bittersweet. “Timmy said the same thing.”

“I won’t let it!” Cosmo said fiercely. "We’re never going to be separated again-not for six months, not for six hours, not for six minutes!”

“I love you,” she murmured to Cosmo.

“I love you too,” he said and grinned.

“Should I tell him about the note?” Hazel said, swallowing past a lump in her throat. Wanda hadn’t detailed her abuse, probably because Hazel was only ten, but Hazel understood enough. Her godmother didn’t need to tell her anything else, especially since recalling it was reopening old wounds.

“Yes,” Wanda said. “Don’t let my past stop you. As I said, I may have overreacted. When it comes to my trauma, it’s hard to be rational.”

“I’m never rational!” Cosmo commented.

Hazel rose and made a beeline for Mr. Ryan. She found him sitting alone at the teachers’ table with a distant look in his eyes. When she stopped in front of him, he was startled.

“Fairy World sent me news,” Hazel said in an undertone. “They’re detaining your wife because of her relationship with you.”

She winced, realizing how bluntly she’d delivered the message.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Mr. Ryan held up a hand. “No need.”

His expression darkened. “I should have expected something like this. My brother has made himself a nuisance.”

“What will you do?” she said.

“What I originally intended to do,” he said resolutely. “I’m going to Fairy World to rescue her.”

“You can’t do that!” Wanda objected as a pin on Hazel’s backpack. “They’ll detain you too!”

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take,” he said. "I can’t let her suffer alone. They want me, not her. They’re using her as bait to get to me, and it worked.”

“Wait,” Wanda pleaded. "We’ve been in contact with our younger selves. They’re looking for you from ten years ago. Right after Asmodeus…”

She gulped. “Right after I was rescued. They want to challenge him, but they need your help to do it.”

“Mine?” Adolphus said, surprised. “They know that I was poisoned, don’t they? I’m still suffering the aftereffects.”

Wanda frowned. “I doubt that it matters. They might be able to heal you. If you go to them, then Diana might never be detained by the Council. You might be able to stop things before they happen.”

Adolphus nodded. His fists clenched. “You’re right. That’s what I’ll do, then. What changed your mind about talking to me?”

“Hazel,” Wanda said quietly. “She and Cosmo reminded me that I may be too quick to judge.”

“Thank you, Hazel,” Adolphus said. “I know what I have to do now. Hopefully, the next time we see each other again, we’ll be better off.”

“Good luck,” Hazel said, and her fairies echoed it. Adolphus nodded, gathered his uneaten lunch, and left the cafeteria.

“He’ll be okay,” she said.

“I certainly hope so, hon,” Wanda said. “I also hope that I’m wrong about him being like Asmodeus.”

She smiled bitterly. “I’ve never wanted to be wrong before.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Hazel said urgently.

“I’m not sure,” Wanda said. “Cosmo and I will be back later, okay, hon?”

“We will?” Cosmo said.

Wanda snorted. “Yes, hon. We will.”

Hazel glanced at her backpack strap to discover Cosmo and Wanda had vanished. She toyed with the loose material at the end of her strap. While she knew Wanda’s trauma probably couldn’t be erased that easily, or Timmy would’ve done it, Hazel hoped that Wanda would find a way to heal from it.

And maybe a small part of Hazel hoped that whatever had befallen Asmodeus as a result, it’d been terrible. He deserved to suffer worse than Wanda. She was such a sweet fairy; thinking about someone seriously hurting her made Hazel sick and angry.

Hazel frowned as she walked back to her seat. Maybe she should contact Timmy Turner. He might know what to do. If not, at least he’d listen and not think she was insane.

That already put him a step above most people around here.

---------------------------

Adolphus expected to be detained as soon as he reached Fairy World. He’d never visited Fairy World, either alone or accompanied, and he infrequently used a Seelie wand. While his results were more consistent than a human’s, it wasn’t exactly confidence inspiring. Plus, he had two different targets to hit. Not only did he have to locate Fairy World, he had to reach it ten years in the past.

Standing alone in the men’s bathroom, he focused harder than he had ever before. The stakes were higher than any other time he’d borrowed Diana’s wand. It wasn’t like he had one shot to get this right, but if he hit the present Fairy World instead of the past, they weren’t liable to let him correct his mistake. They were liable to lock him up and ask questions later.

Steadying his breathing, he told himself that he could do this. He could hit the target in the first shot. Sure, he had no experience, and he knew he was heading into a trap. He couldn’t let that stop him. As much as Diana disliked Fairy World, Adolphus knew they weren’t cruel and malicious like the Unseelie Court. They might have imprisoned her unjustly, but they would never abuse her. If she were in the Unseelie Court’s possession, he’d have cause for concern.

Clearing his mind, he settled into the trance he used to use for meditation and scrying either into the future or projecting his astral form in the present. Once he was centered, he squeezed the wand and propelled himself ten years into Fairy World’s past.

He bounced back against an invisible barrier and remained within the men’s bathroom. Diana had been able to enter Fairy World in the present. He needed more information; there was something blocking him from entering Fairy World’s past. He couldn’t ask Diana what had happened. Even if she’d been with him, she knew about as much as he did.

Adolphus ran his fingers through his hair and cursed under his breath. He’d have to visit Fairy World in the present and jump from there. The other option was to quiz Cosmo and Wanda about why he couldn’t access Fairy World ten years ago. While Wanda had been cordial earlier, he didn’t want to push her too far. Knowing his twin and seeing how she’d reacted to Adolphus, he knew pressing his luck might send her into a tailspin.

He could take his chances in the present and see whether someone from the past could retrieve him. Either way, he was sure to be apprehended. If he couldn’t gain entry at the point he needed, he saw no alternative that didn’t distress someone who had endured enough trauma.

It was going to be a shit show, no matter what he did.

He’d rather spare Wanda additional anguish.

Squeezing the wand again, he arrived in Fairy World. The relief that it’d worked was short-lived. Jorgen von Strangle, a fairy he knew by Diana’s descriptions, loomed over him. That was disturbing enough. The entire Fairy World Council flanking him, on the other hand, sent chills through Adolphus. Instinctively, he dropped the wand and held out his hands to show he was unarmed.

The Council and Jorgen held their wands pointed at his chest. His heart pounded so hard that he could hear it, and his mouth dried out.

“You are under arrest,” Jorgen snapped. He paused. “You must be Adolphus.”

Adolphus wanted to offer a glib response, such as, “Glad we cleared that up.” But his throat constricted, and his mouth dried out. Fighting Asmodeus as a teenager was one thing. Facing eight powerful fairies who all wanted him dead was something else. Unable to speak, he nodded.

“We have received word from the past that the Council from ten years ago wishes to speak with you,” Jorgen said. He scowled. “I know you must be Adolphus because Asmodeus has gone into hiding. He knows we intend to invoke the death penalty for his crimes against Fairy World, specifically Wanda Cosma.”

“What…” Adolphus choked, cleared his throat, and restarted. “What exactly did he do to her?”

Jorgen’s scowl lessened. “You truly do not know?”

Adolphus shook his head.

“He’s telling the truth,” one of the Council members stated. “Diana said that when she rescued him from the Unseelie Court, she jumped into the future to avoid Asmodeus. Adolphus started at Dimmadelphia Elementary School three years ago. Before you ask, we administered a truth serum. She cannot lie under oath.”

“Is she okay?” Adolphus burst out. He flushed, not intending to speak out of turn.

“She’s fine,” the Council member said. He tossed back his hood and scrutinized Adolphus. Receding red hair lined his scalp, and his green eyes were somber. He looked like a fairy pressed beyond his years, and Adolphus pitied him. Asmodeus would have seen the man’s weariness as a weakness. Adolphus saw it as someone pressed too hard for too long.

“She said you were nothing like your twin,” the Councilor said. “Let’s find out, shall we? Will you accompany us willingly, or will we have to subdue you?”

“I’ll go willingly,” he said. The Councilor nodded and squeezed his wand. In midair, an image of Diana reading old newspapers appeared. Despite being confined in a small cell, she was unharmed. Adolphus sighed in relief.

“She’s been reading about what Asmodeus did to Wanda,” Jorgen said quietly. Adolphus nodded, his stomach clenched. Asmodeus could only have grown more depraved with power and time. He yearned to ask Wanda what his twin had done, but he was better off finding out from an impartial source. Or, as impartial as Fairy World could get, considering it was their fairy who had been wronged.

The Council raised their wands in unison and brought Adolphus to a conference room. He supposed they had brought him there instead of an interrogation room since he'd dropped his weapon and cooperated. The chairs were comfortable and plush. Refreshments lined a table to the wall. Large windows above the table showed Fairy World in all of its grandeur. Looking at it tightened his stomach.

The Seelie Court was so light and good. Asmodeus had seen that potential in Wanda and destroyed it. Even without the details, Adolphus knew the gist of what he’d done. Asmodeus loved breaking people, especially his toys. Wanda must’ve been a pet of his. His stomach cramped harder.

Adolphus felt like he owed Wanda an apology on behalf of his twin as if an apology could ever be enough to compensate for everything she’d endured.

Adolphus sat on one side of the conference table while the Council and Jorgen sat facing him. Behind Adolphus were old paintings depicting Fairy World in the past. A few of them depicted Oberon and Titania, which surprised him. If those two were still around, they had to be ancient.

There were no doors, only paintings on the wall. Adolphus had heard that Fairy World sometimes used painted-on doors, which was bizarre. Then again, they could poof wherever they wanted to. Doors were only necessary without a wand.

On the other side of the room was a large projection screen.

The room was longer than it was wide. Aside from the windows, which might not open or be illusions, there was no exit without a wand. A cage was still a cage, regardless of how plush it looked. The Council had detained him, the same as Diana. They just feigned politeness.

A Councilor conjured a small glass for him with a strange dark green liquid in it. Adolphus sniffed it; it looked like swamp water with the same viscosity. The Councilor gave him a pointed look. Shrugging and bracing himself, Adolphus gulped it down. It burned his throat, and he fought his gag reflex, which tempted him to vomit it back up. Eyes watering, he waited for the sensation to pass. Once it had, he was grateful for the water they provided in a different glass to rinse the taste.

“We’ll start with the obvious questions to establish that the serum is working,” the head Councilor said. “What is your name, Court affiliation, and your age?”

“Adolphus…” he faltered. “The surname was created as part of a human fabrication. Do you want my true surname?”

The cold look he received in response made Adolphus wince.

“Right. I should have guessed,” he said sheepishly. “Adolphus Konig.”

Color suffused his cheeks. “I know. My ancestor had a complex.”

Since Konig meant “king” in English, his distant ancestor had selected it after assassinating the past regime. Since everyone was too terrified to object, he’d retained the name. It was a little on the nose, which was part of why Adolphus hadn’t used it. Another part was that he didn’t want Asmodeus tracking him down, and it’d be harder if he switched names. Granted, Adolphus wasn’t a terribly common first name, either, but he’d been seventeen and addled from an assassination attempt.

“Oh, I’m formerly of the Unseelie Court,” he added.

“Formerly?”

“My brother tried to murder me,” Adolphus said quietly. “I can hardly waltz back in there and claim my title.”

Dread silence filled the room, and Adolphus felt trepidation. “That’s what you want me to do, isn’t it? You want me to return to the Unseelie Court and reclaim my birthright. Wanda said as much.”

“I am surprised Wanda allowed you to speak with her,” Jorgen snapped. “Given the six months of hell your brother put her through.”

His stomach churned, and he worried he might vomit the truth serum. It sat uneasily in his stomach.

“Hazel and Cosmo spoke with her,” Adolphus said, smiling weakly. “They think she might’ve been too quick to judge.”

Jorgen glowered. “Wanda is too forgiving.”

“I appreciate that you want me to help, but…” Adolphus spread his hands helplessly. “It’s an impossible task. My brother tried to murder me six centuries ago. He has a Court following that I lack. Moreover, it’d take a long time to accrue the followers I’d need to take him on.”

He cast a quick glance at the faux wood table. “There’s also the small matter of needing antidotes daily to stay the poison.”

The Council exchanged glances, and Adolphus smiled bitterly.

“Did you believe I came out unscathed?”

“Our physicians shall inspect you prior to propelling you into the past,” the head Councilor said. “We shall ameliorate your situation and cure you if possible.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I haven’t said yes,” Adolphus protested.

Jorgen smiled nastily. “That is not an issue. We are not giving you a choice.”

“What? But…” Adolphus faltered.

“Your cooperation is unnecessary,” Jorgen continued in a cold tone. “A condition with which Wanda would be familiar.”

“What the hell did my brother do that you’re this determined to take him down, no matter the cost?” Adolphus said, springing to his feet. The head Councilor waved his wand, and Adolphus slammed back into his seat. The atmosphere had gone from ominous to overtly hostile. Not only had he walked into a trap, but the Seelie Court seemed liable to kill him if he didn’t perform as they demanded.

However Asmodeus had treated Wanda, he had riled up the Seelie Court in a way Adolphus had only heard of, never encountered personally. Cold sweat trickled down his neck. His muscles locked, and he wasn’t sure whether it was terror or if the Council had paralyzed him.

“We have recordings,” Jorgen spat. The projection screen turned on to Adolphus’s right, and he swiveled to face it. He had the oddest sense his body was no longer his.

Adolphus watched a young child resembling Asmodeus struggle against his father’s guards. One of them shot Wanda down, and another ripped out her wings and then pinned her to the bed. Adolphus felt chilled on the inside as he watched Asmodeus compel Wanda to give him fellatio. He shuddered uncontrollably, comparing her futile attempts to fend off the geas to her reaction to Adolphus in school. His stomach churned, and only a Councilor’s intercession prevented him from vomiting the truth serum.

Adolphus knew it wasn’t out of kindness. The Seelie Court was out for blood.

Affixed to his seat, he watched as Wanda was raped and then beset by Asmodeus’s highest generals, who carved tally marks onto her left arm with an iron dagger. Closing his eyes wasn’t an option. Even if he could, he felt like the scene was burned onto his retinas.

Perhaps the Council thought he hadn’t seen enough yet because they continued.

The next was Asmodeus recapturing Wanda because the geas had taken effect. The camera juxtaposed Asmodeus with Wanda and Cosmo and Timmy, who had arrived to rescue her to no avail. A hard lump formed in Adolphus’s throat as he watched Cosmo’s impotent rage. Only the spell the Councilor had cast prevented Adolphus from retching.

Tears burned Adolphus’s eyes. The video clips continued; except for the lead Councilor and Jorgen, no one’s faces were exposed. Jorgen exited with a vague excuse about work piling up. This left the lead Councilor, whose stoic expression gave away nothing.

Another clip revealed Wanda servicing a group of men. The look in her eyes told the real story--the deep self-loathing and misery she couldn’t express. She’d endured six months of this. Six months of torture brought on by his dear brother Asmodeus, who was laughing uproariously at Wanda as she struggled to walk to the bathroom and left behind a trail of blood. Asmodeus wouldn’t let her heal herself after he’d attacked her.

Spell or no spell, his gorge rose, and the Councilor allowed him to vomit. He provided a bucket.

“I’ve seen enough,” Adolphus gasped, wiping his mouth once he’d finished. “For the love of the gods, stop.”

The Council ignored him. Next, he saw as Wanda gave birth to Adolphus’s nieces; a subordinate ripped them away before she had a chance to see them. Adolphus shuddered uncontrollably as he listened to the twins and Wanda scream as they were separated.

“No more…” Adolphus pleaded. His stomach clenched, and he retched again. Wanda’s tortured screams would haunt his dreams.

“He has nothing to do with his brother’s activities!” Jorgen snapped, prompting Adolphus to lift his weary head. On-screen, Adolphus watched as what must’ve been lower-caste Unseelie fairies beat the shit out of her. His teeth chattered. Again, she was forbidden to heal herself.

“You have shown him enough!” Jorgen bellowed, slamming his wand down for effect. “This is cruel and unusual punishment.”

“He has to know what he’s up against,” the Councilor said unremorsefully.

“He knows,” Jorgen growled. “I, for one, do not wish to hear Wanda being brutalized when I consider she and Cosmo my friends!”

Adolphus stared at Jorgen out of the corner of his eye. The projector screen had become a trainwreck he couldn’t look away from. No wonder Jorgen had looked apoplectic with rage when Adolphus appeared.

Wanda was alone in her room and sobbing hysterically. The bed was soaked with sparkling blood, presumably hers, and she was crying so hard she was having difficulty breathing. Adolphus thought he could make out Cosmo’s name or an attempt at it.

“Enough!” Jorgen snapped and blasted through the screen and onto the wall. There was a scorch mark but nothing else.

“Thank you…” Adolphus whimpered. His stomach clenched, and he dry-heaved.

“Do you understand why we can’t trust you to cooperate?” the Councilor snapped. “We can’t take the risk that you’re anything like him. It’s a miracle she didn’t go insane afterward.”

“It is a miracle considering that I warned you for six months that she was enduring this,” Jorgen retorted.

The Councilor ignored him.

“I will send you and Diana back ten years,” the Councilor said. “Back to the Council chambers in Fairy World. You will overthrow Asmodeus and bring him to us for trial, or you will face the consequences.”

Adolphus was afraid to ask what those were, but he could guess. When he closed his eyes, he saw his brother tormenting Wanda. Adolphus had nothing left to vomit and produced spittle when he tried.

The Councilor zapped Adolphus without further ado. It might’ve been Adolphus’s imagination, but he thought the Councilor had added to the spell to ensure that he felt like he’d combusted in the process. They were using him as a scapegoat for their delay.

That did not bode well.

-------------------------

It was their anniversary, and Cosmo had promised her that he’d pull out all the stops. She hoped he was speaking metaphorically, not like the time he tried to pull the stops out of everything, including a grenade. The memory still made her groan.

She wasn’t sure whether it was the nightmares they’d shared or general melancholy, but she wasn’t particularly jazzed today. Cosmo had prepared breakfast; her stomach revolted about eating it. She didn’t want him to fuss over her; she wanted to be left alone. Actually alone, not the false solitude she’d endured only to discover Asmodeus was recording her misery to broadcast to the hotel.

Tears filled her eyes, and she pushed away the plate.

“I’m sorry, hon,” she said, avoiding Cosmo’s crestfallen expression. “Don’t take it personally.”

“But I spent all of that time cooking it!” Cosmo protested.

“You literally poofed it up five seconds ago,” Timmy huffed.

“So? Five seconds counts as cooking,” Cosmo said defensively.

Sighing, she sent the food away and debated what to do. If she rejected Cosmo today, he’d be inconsolable. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure she could feign interest or enthusiasm. It felt too much like what she’d done in the hotel to encourage her attackers to finish quickly so she could get it over with.

She pressed her fist into her mouth to conceal a sob. This wasn’t a flashback, at least, but it didn’t matter. Wordlessly, she poofed to a remote corner of the house. Cosmo never went to the study; he didn’t know why they had one. Honestly, she didn’t either.

She’d told Cosmo and Timmy she’d forgiven them, and she had. That didn’t mean she was okay. It didn’t instantly remove the trauma she’d endured because they hadn’t listened to her the one time she’d begged for their help. She loved them, she forgave them, and she still fucking hurt from their betrayal. A brief memory played in her mind. Asmodeus’s fingernails trailed along her left arm, and they paid close attention to the tally marks.

She saw him lick his lips at the newest ones, still bleeding and dripping down her arm. They’d bypassed the wrist ages ago.

Oddly, she felt almost like Timmy did about his parents’ anniversary. She saw nothing to celebrate.

Did their anniversary even count if they’d spent half the year apart? She didn’t know, and a do-over was impossible.

Cosmo had repeatedly tried to send her messages and himself over that period. None of them had reached her. That ought to have comforted her, but it didn’t alleviate her prior feeling of abandonment. Fairy World had left her to sink or swim, and she’d sunk to the briny depths.

“Don’t you wanna celebrate our anniversary?” Cosmo said, poofing into the study. She hadn’t turned the lights on, and she sat on a cushy swivel chair in darkness, facing the wall. She vaguely made out a desk before her.

“No,” she said honestly and spun around to face him. “I don’t.”

Cosmo’s eyes filled with tears. “Why?”

Her shoulders sank. “There’s nothing to celebrate. We were separated for six months, and it could have been longer, as that nightmare showed. It also showed that you could have broken through the barrier if you’d really tried.

“So, no, I’m not feeling particularly merry today.”

“I did try!” he protested. “You know I did!”

“What nightmare?” Timmy said.

Wanda shook her head. She didn’t feel like getting into it.

“For six months, hon, I thought you two had abandoned me,” she said. “I know you didn’t, but I’m still hurt. Those feelings don’t go away so quickly.”

She balled her fists. “For six months, I was a glorified sex toy. I was used for their amusement; anything they wanted from me, they could compel me to do.”

She looked into Cosmo’s streaming eyes.

“I wanted you so badly. I would have done anything to hear your voice,” she said. “Yes, I’m glad we’re reunited, and yes, I’m glad to be safe in Fairy World.

“But…” she swallowed hard. “If Jorgen hadn’t been so persistent and determined to extract me and the twins…that nightmare would’ve come true. I would have at least tried to commit suicide.”

Cosmo bawled. Before he had a chance to throw himself at her, she conjured a barrier around herself.

Timmy looked simultaneously worried and uncomfortable. “There has to be a way to fix this.”

Wanda smiled bitterly. “When you come up with one, sport, let me know.”

“You would’ve left me…” Cosmo whimpered. His lower lip quivered, and she swiveled away to avoid the guilt his tears incited. This wasn’t her fault, damn it. Her chest tightened, and tears slipped down her cheeks. It was easier to speak when she wasn’t facing them.

“You left me first,” she said. Unable to suppress her sobs, she willed herself to be silent, at least. Only her ragged breathing revealed her true state. Her body shook as she worked on calming herself down. Six months in the Unseelie Court had taught her that vulnerability, especially showing weak emotions, made her an easy target. It was hard to unlearn that coping mechanism.

“I’m sorry!” Cosmo wailed. “You said you weren’t angry with me anymore!”

“I’m not,” she said as she worked on calming down enough to answer. “I meant what I said. I’m just disappointed it came to that.”

Silence consumed the study. She knew Cosmo wanted to embrace her, and she wavered on releasing the barrier to let him. Unfortunately, thinking about it prompted another sob, one she didn’t quite manage to conceal. Her wand arm fell limp at her side as she let the wall fall.

“Six months of torture,” she gasped. She raised her head defiantly. “You have no idea what I went through. You and Timmy had nothing to worry about--you were perfectly safe here. I thought…I thought maybe that was the price for your safety. Me.”

Cosmo and Timmy gawked. Cosmo looked confused; Timmy was appalled.

“Tell me how I can fix this,” Timmy begged.

She sighed. “I don’t see the point in celebrating another year together when we weren’t together for half of it.”

“I know, but…” Cosmo faltered. He had nothing to follow up with. Cautiously, he drifted closer and took her hand. Their eyes met, and he stroked her cheek.

“I’m gonna spend the rest of my life making it up to you, aren’t I?” he said miserably.

“How can you ‘make it up’ to me?” she said. “You can’t undo the trauma. You can’t restore what I lost.”

Cosmo hugged her impulsively. She didn’t hug him back; instead, she gasped back another sob. She ran her fingers through his hair with a shaking hand.

“This isn’t our fault,” Timmy said. “Fairy World could’ve acted sooner. They should have acted sooner.”

“So could you,” she whispered. "You could have listened for once in your lives instead of blowing me off like you usually do.”

“Magdalene was right,” Timmy said weakly. “We really hurt you. It was already too late when we went after you in the hotel.”

“Yes,” she said, clenching her jaw. “Do you have any idea, hon, what it feels like to be treated like an object? To have everything that makes you you stripped away to become…”

She paused and shook her head. “I hope you never do.”

“Become what?” Cosmo said quietly.

The words came out unbidden. “A fairy fleshlight.”

Timmy didn’t understand, which was fine. She hadn’t meant for him to. Cosmo went still against her and pressed her against him.

“You have to let me in,” Cosmo pleaded. “You’re keeping so much to yourself.”

She smiled humorlessly. “You’re not exactly the most stable fairy I know, hon.”

She shook her head. “That nightmare could have come true. It felt so real like it could’ve happened before our anniversary... I just needed the right motivation.”

Cosmo’s fingers swept through her curls frantically. She was scaring him again.

“The right motivation to commit suicide?” Timmy said, incredulous. After a moment, he said in a subdued voice, “I get it. I think. You didn’t think we were coming back for you; you thought no one cared about you anymore, and you were facing a future of that. You needed a way out.”

“Yes,” she said.

“We came for you in that nightmare,” Cosmo protested. “I broke through the Council’s barrier and forced them to take action. They wouldn’t let me even see them in the six months you were trapped. They cast a repelling spell anywhere near their location.”

He pressed a kiss into the crown of her head.

“I wish I could go back in time and make things better,” Cosmo whimpered. “The best I can do is be there for you.”

He smiled weakly. “If you’ll let me.”

“The same goes for me,” Timmy said and hugged his godparents. “You guys are my parents. I love you.”

“We love you too, sweetie,” Wanda said.

“What triggered this?” Timmy said. “The nightmares you two had?”

“It reminded me of how desperate I was,” she admitted.

“But you’re not that way anymore!” Cosmo protested. He pulled back to examine her and then brushed his lips against hers. She trembled, breaking the kiss. While she wanted reassurance, she didn’t want to exclude Timmy. She needed to feel wanted more than just physically. She needed to feel loved.

“Would chocolate help?” Timmy said with a tiny smile.

“Maybe…” she said, frowning. "Maybe I should try to explain better, but not here.”

She waved her wand and brought them to the living room, which was more comfortable and allowed the trio to sit instead of only her. The infants were watching a banal kids’ show and were utterly absorbed by it.

“I don’t know where to start, though,” she admitted.

“The beginning?” Timmy prompted, and she shook her head.

“My thoughts are all tangled,” she said. “Give me a minute.”

“My thoughts are always tangled,” Cosmo offered, and she shook her head again.

“We should see if Crocker’s still alive,” Timmy said after she shut her eyes to regain her composure. "I wish we could find out.”

She frowned. “That we might be able to do.”

Opening her eyes, she and Cosmo granted the wish. The TV changed, which prompted the twins to whine, and Leander huffed. It was the Lotus Hotel; Wanda’s jaw clenched. The location was the library, and she and Cosmo whimpered. The nightmare was still prevalent in their thoughts.

“You’re lucky I can heal you,” Bitterroot snapped. Crocker, looking wan and weary, stepped out from behind a bookcase. Wanda sobbed, relieved. She hadn’t condemned him to death. Someone must have intervened in the nick of time.

“What about Wanda?” Crocker said. “Who’s going to help her?”

“They don’t know what happened?” Timmy said.

“Asmodeus must be playing it close to the vest,” she said. “He wouldn’t want to admit publicly that I blinded him permanently. It’d weaken his image and seed doubt throughout the Court.”

“I don’t know,” Bitterroot said, scowling. "It’s too dangerous for you to start questioning people. I warned you-the Unseelie Court has no tolerance for non-magical people.”

She and Cosmo relaxed. Hearing that Crocker was without magic was also a relief. It meant that when and if they ever returned to Dimmsdale, he had no supernatural advantage. She leaned her head against Cosmo’s shoulder.

“I have to know if she’s okay!” Crocker protested.

“Can we send him a sign?” Timmy said.

She smiled weakly, but it was genuine this time, not bitter. “I think so, sport. If you can talk to your friends on Earth, I can send Crocker a message.”

“I can’t believe we’re helping him,” Timmy grumbled. He stared at her, and his eyes shone. “He showed you kindness when we couldn’t. He was there for you like we should’ve been.”

She nodded, mentally drafting a letter. When she’d said what she needed to say, she sent it to the library. Pink fairy dust accompanied the note, gliding smoothly into Crocker’s hands.

“She’s safe in Fairy World!” Crocker announced happily, and Bitterroot shushed him.

“The walls have ears,” he reminded him in an undertone.

Crocker nodded, lowering his voice, but he hugged the letter.

“I wish I remembered him,” Wanda said sadly. “I’m glad he remembered me enough to heal me, even if he suffered for it.”

She whisked the image away before her melancholy overwhelmed her again.

“What would you guys have done for your anniversary, anyway?” Timmy said. The two males had sandwiched her between them.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t have plans.”

She flushed. “Until yesterday, I’d forgotten that it was coming up.”

Cosmo whined. “I told you I’d pull out all the stops, and I meant it.”

“Just not another grenade, okay, sweetie? Jorgen did not appreciate that when you went to the armory.”

Timmy groaned, facepalming.

“Why am I not surprised…” he grumbled.

“C’mon, let me make you feel better,” Cosmo pleaded. She turned to face him, and he brushed his lips against hers. Her heart skipped a beat. To her faint surprise, she leaned forward and kissed him back, along with nipping his bottom lip.

“Okay,” she said with a small smile. “Go for it, hon.”

“Yay!” he said, springing into the air. “It’ll be the best anniversary ever!”

“I don’t know about that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But it’ll be something.”

Cosmo swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately. She smiled against his lips.

“I love you,” he said. “I’m gonna make you forget all about Asmodeus today. I promise.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to retort, “Good luck with that.” She suppressed it. Instead, trying to be more optimistic, she said, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched, hon. I look forward to seeing you try.”

“Try what? Hatching chickens?” Cosmo said. Timmy groaned.

“Don’t confuse him,” Timmy said.

Cosmo wrapped his arm around her waist. His searching gaze said he was more concerned than he was saying. ((Let me in.))

((I’m not blocking you out,)) she said.

((But you’re not sharing everything, either,)) he pointed out. ((Let me in. I have to see all of it, no matter how nasty.))

((You don’t know what you’re asking for,)) she protested.

((I want to make you happy again,)) he said insistently. ((I’ll do whatever it takes for that to happen.))

“Are you guys talking to each other again and ignoring me?” Timmy huffed.

“Sorry, hon,” she said with an apologetic smile. “We’ll stop.”

“Good,” he said. “I wish we were wherever the first place Cosmo intended to go was!”

They vanished, reappearing at what, for all intents and purposes, looked exactly like Niagra Falls. She blinked, taken aback.

“I remembered what you said about Niagra Falls being a romantic place,” Cosmo said. “I couldn’t bring you to it on Earth, so…I made another one.”

“Uh, what used to be here?” Timmy said.

“Oh, just some random warehouse,” Cosmo scoffed. She was afraid to ask. Somehow, she doubted Cosmo was telling the truth, but it might be safer to let it slide.

Instead, she floated and watched the falls with Cosmo on one side of her and Timmy on the other. It was romantic if she were in that sort of mood. Cosmo was pushing his love toward her through their link. He’d said before that he intended to tell her every day that he loved her to compensate for their six-month estrangement. It might’ve been effusive, but…she appreciated it nonetheless.

Hopefully, nothing would come alone to ruin this day.

Unfortunately, her hopes weren’t particularly high. Something always came along. She would try to enjoy the moment before Jorgen or someone else dropped in on them to shatter the peace.

“Oh, Jake,” Brett said, “we could have had such a damned good time together.”

“Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

----------------------------

Although Fairy World was on lockdown, there were a lot of human children taking shelter within its confines. Timmy grew excited at the sight of all of them at what looked like the world’s largest amusement park. He bounced on his heels and then glanced back, guilt written all over his face. Wanda waved him forward, and he bolted into the park.

“I don’t remember this being here,” she said. “Didn’t this used to be a nature preserve?”

Cosmo shrugged. “What else are you going to do with a ton of bored kids?”

“Touche,” she said. Cosmo rubbed her back. She still felt off to him, but not as much as before. He disliked it when she retreated within herself. In the past, she’d done it seldomly, and she usually came clean after a while. They’d been together for almost their entire lives. He understood that she’d needed to conceal things in the hotel, but they weren’t there now. Wanda loved and trusted him. Why was she trying so hard to protect him?

He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn’t a child. He’d seen some of what she’d endured. Holding the rest of herself was poisoning her as surely as the water hemlock had in that nightmare. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

“You said you were gonna explain better,” Cosmo said. They could speak safely aloud since the children’s laughter and screams covered their conversation. They floated after Timmy and kept an eye on him; they only paid half attention to his excitement over the rides, but they wouldn’t let him out of their sight. Timmy’s parents wouldn’t have done that much.

“I said I’d try,” she replied. She frowned. “I get bouts of melancholy. It’s like I’ve forgotten that I’m here and I’m safe. I feel like I’m back in the hotel, and I never know when the next blow is going to fall.”

She leaned against him. “They whipped me one day for their own amusement. I don’t know how I didn’t bleed out. Asmodeus only let me heal myself when he realized I was bleeding too much or that he couldn’t have his fun with me unless I was fit again.”

She shuddered, and tears choked her. Her gaze sought his. “I had nightmares constantly. They were the only time I could see you or Timmy. Or anyone else I loved.”

Cosmo hugged her tightly. Tears choked him, too. He hated seeing her so miserable; through their Bond, he knew how deep her sorrow ran.

“I know you don’t have nightmares,” she said when she could speak again. Cosmo shook his head, and she frowned.

“Which part of that are you refuting? That you didn’t have nightmares or that you did?”

“I had nightmares,” he admitted. “I was worried about you, okay? I don’t know if what I saw was real or not, but I knew you were suffering.”

His lower lip quivered. “I didn’t mean to put you through that.”

“I know, sweetie,” she soothed. “I’ve told you before that I don’t blame you or Timmy.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. Despite her reassurances, he believed he should be blamed. He’d taken the matter more seriously than Timmy, yet he’d allowed Timmy to dictate what happened. That she’d forgiven them was nothing short of a miracle.

Wanda kissed him back and draped her arms over his shoulders. They pulled back, and she caressed his cheek.

“We can’t go back in time and fix what happened, not if it interferes with the Unseelie Court,” he said. “But maybe…”

“Maybe what, sugar?” she said. Faint hope stirred in her eyes, and his throat tightened. He loved her, and he’d royally fucked up.

“Maybe I can send you a sign the way you sent Crocker,” he said. “It’d have to be when you were alone, and it’d have to self-destruct before Asmodeus saw it.”

“I’m not sure that’ll work,” she said, frowning thoughtfully. “I appreciate the gesture, but that would still involve interfering with the Unseelie Court.”

She pecked him on the cheek.

“I hate that you were like that, and nothing I did helped,” he protested.

“I know,” she said.

“Cosmo! Wanda!” Timmy huffed. “What the heck are you two doing over there?”

He was standing a good hundred feet away near a park map.

“Not paying attention to him, clearly,” Wanda said in a wry undertone. She and Cosmo rejoined their godson.

“You’ll never guess who’s here!” Timmy exclaimed.

“Should we guess?” Wanda said and exchanged glances with Cosmo.

Timmy rolled his eyes. He gestured toward a small group of children that they recognized. Among them were Molly, Dwight, Sophie, and a handful of others. Remy Buxaplenty was there, too, oddly, with Juandissimo nearby. Wanda stiffened against Cosmo, and Cosmo growled at Juandissimo.

“What are you doing here?” Cosmo snapped.

“It was an emergency reassignment,” Juandissimo said. He glowered at Cosmo. “I would not expect you to understand.

“I was doing double duty for a day, checking on Asmodeus and then returning to my godson.”

Remy gave Timmy a cool, disdainful look and snapped, “Turner.”

“Buxaplenty,” Timmy said in the same cold tone. He smiled. “Molly, Dwight, Sophie, and, uh…”

He faltered. “Who are the rest of you guys?”

“Matilda,” said a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl with a scowl. She wore a black dress and looked a little like Molly, if only in the dirty looks department. Her black dress shoes were scuffed, and she had a backpack slung over one shoulder. Her brown hair hung a few inches off her shoulders, and she was a little older than Timmy.

“Leon,” another godchild answered. He was playing with a fidget spinner as he spoke and hadn’t looked up at him. His brown hair was cropped close to his head, and he also had a backpack, which was open. A Switch hung out; Wanda zipped up the bag before the Switch fell out.

Leon’s outfit looked like his parents had picked it out for him. He wore a plaid dress shirt and tan slacks, neither of which looked comfortable. Judging by the way Leon kept moving around, Cosmo was pretty sure he had ADHD, too. He certainly fit the hyperactivity part.

The third godchild introduced himself as Dexter. He had bright red hair and light green eyes. Like Leon, he was bouncing with impatience. Unlike Leon, he wore a nerdy T-shirt with a math joke on it. His blue jeans hung loose on his thin frame, and his glasses kept slipping off his nose.

Their godparents were a motley assortment of fairies Cosmo and Wanda knew they’d never seen before.

Cosmo’s gaze drifted back to Remy. He looked oddly sympathetic toward Wanda, which made Cosmo wonder what Juandissimo had told him about the situation with Asmodeus. As far as Cosmo knew, Remy hadn’t had any opinion of himself or Wanda until recently.

“Let’s go!” Timmy announced and raced toward the park entrance.

“Yes,” Wanda said sarcastically. “We’re in a giant amusement park filled with kids and an almost unlimited amount of magic. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Isn’t that Timmy’s line?” Cosmo joked.

She rolled her eyes. Her smile was bright when she looked at Cosmo. He grinned back.

“I give it a good hour or two before things go from bad to worse,” she said.

“Pfft, it’ll be totally fine,” Cosmo said. “Like you said, what could possibly go wrong?”

She facepalmed. “Never mind. Just…never mind.”