(no subject)
Fandom: Fairly Oddparents
Canon or AU: AU
Fic: Speak No Evil
A/N: I haven’t finished the new Blank Space chapter yet. XD
So…I love A New Wish (so far--still haven’t watched anymore, lol), and I rewatched a season five FOP ep from the OG run.
OMG, did it piss me off. I hate that season, to begin with--marriage jokes and Cosmo and Wanda hitting on random humans/aliens.
I wanted to write a little C/W angst for that. It’s funny because A New Wish doesn’t make me want that. Someone said that ANW might actually redeem the last few shitty FOP seasons. I think they’re right.
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Wanda’s heart clenched as they reappeared to utter chaos on Fairy World’s streets. It wasn’t only Asmodeus and Ozymandias who had breached Fairy World’s security--it looked like every Unseelie fairy and anti-fairy in the universe were chasing down fairies. She dug her fingernails into Cosmo’s arm, and her heart pounded double time.
None of the Unseelie fairies were giving the Seelie fairies a chance to escape or defend themselves. Houses burst into flame, and all the streetlights and posts were wrecked. That wasn’t what disconcerted her. She knew how appealing Seelie fairies, especially fairy godmothers, were to the Unseelie Court. The screams sent chills down her spine. She knew that if they fought back, if they could, it’d be worse.
Timmy’s voice reached her as if from across a football field.
“Wanda? Are you okay?”
Cosmo grabbed her arm to ground her. She had broken out into a cold sweat, and she thought of herself and Blonda. The worst part was that she could tell, by the screams, what was happening, especially if she could hear the words accompanying them. She felt sick to her stomach.
The twins didn’t know what to make of it. Leander was confused; the twins were following Wanda’s lead. Between the rape she couldn’t see and recollecting the hospital on fire, she crashed to the cobblestones. She was doing her utmost to remain fixed in the present and not succumb to her memories.
Cosmo lifted her up and held her aloft. He looked highly concerned, and she shook her head. The screams sent chills down her spine. Before she’d been rendered mute, that’d been her. It’d been Blonda earlier…
Wanda spat bile; there was nothing in her stomach to vomit. Breakfast might never happen again at this rate.
“We need to see Jorgen,” she said through clenched teeth. She couldn’t stop shaking, and Cosmo’s grip on her was punishing. She didn’t say anything, mostly because she’d stopped being able to feel her arm.
Cosmo and Wanda raised their wands.
“Stop! Please! I’ll do whatever you want; just don’t hurt me!” a woman begged.
“Get on your knees,” a deep male voice intoned.
As soon as they appeared in Jorgen’s office, Wanda conjured a bag and vomited bile. Cosmo rubbed her back.
Unexpectedly, she burst into sobs and threw herself at Cosmo. Cosmo held her around the waist as she bawled into his neck. She couldn’t stop crying; she’d gone into hysterics. Timmy, from what she could see of him through her blurry vision, looked like he was at a complete loss.
It wasn’t until she calmed down that she realized they weren’t alone. A legion of fairies floated nearby, and she and Cosmo shrank into each other. Their expressions ranged from sympathetic to hostile, with Timmy glaring at anyone who dared to comment about his godmother. Wanda’s stomach heaved; thankfully, there was nothing left.
“What do you want?” Timmy snapped. “Don’t you dare blame Wanda.”
“If something bad happens in Fairy World, it’s usually those two idiots behind it,” a gruff voice snapped. Wanda gritted her teeth. She wouldn’t deny that she and Cosmo caused their fair share of problems, but this wasn’t her fault. She appreciated Timmy sticking up for her.
The twins blew everyone raspberries and shook their rattles. A coconut landed on the guy’s head and knocked him out. Wanda glanced at the floor, where the guy had thudded. She knew she ought to reprimand the twins, but she didn’t have it in her. It was taking most of her concentration to avoid falling into her past.
“It’s not her fault this time,” Timmy said. His voice faded in and out like bad reception. Cosmo shifted his grip to press his chest against hers. His arms wound around her waist, and she felt his heart racing. She couldn’t tell if he was too close or if she was panicking. Either of those two seemed likely.
“We’ll be the judge of that,” another voice said. Cold sweat trickled down Wanda’s face. Unthinkingly, she erected a mental barrier against Cosmo. Shadows swam in her memories and superimposed themselves over the tableau. She was petrified, so scared she could barely breathe. All they needed was for Asmodeus to appear and reclaim her.
She couldn’t claw her arm because Cosmo held her too tightly. He must’ve done it on purpose to prevent her self-harming. While she appreciated it, she also felt powerless to fight the overwhelming terror without ripping her skin to shreds.
“No, you won’t,” one of the Council members snapped. Wanda sagged in relief when she saw Bridget accompanied by Marinos and three others. Unfortunately, Vesta was part of the group. Wanda felt like her fear was on display, especially to the unforgiving mob.
“I wish you’d calm down,” Timmy whispered.
“I’m not sure that works on me anymore, sport,” Wanda said weakly. “The last time you tried, the wish unraveled not too long afterward.”
“I know, but…I can’t watch you suffer,” he protested. “You’re my mom. Well, god-mom. God-fairy. I’m gonna stop now.”
She snorted, faintly amused. “I love you, too, hon.”
At least within Jorgen’s office, she couldn’t hear the Unseelie Court attacking innocent fairies. It was peculiar that Jorgen was absent, but he could be squashing an uprising.
Or getting creamed by overwhelming force. Wanda shuddered.
“Pointing fingers isn’t going to solve anything,” Bridget snapped. Thankfully, no one dared to contradict her. Wanda waited with bated breath. It didn’t take much for an unruly mob to turn vicious. Moreover, she could feel the curtain billowing over her memories, and the mental gust was almost strong enough to wipe her protections away.
Maybe she ought to rethink blocking Cosmo out. He would've noticed if he hadn’t been so caught up in the scene.
“There are fairies getting attacked in the streets,” Mama Cosma snapped, and Wanda bristled. Mama Cosma then appealed to the Council.
“What do you intend to do about it? They would stop if you gave them what they wanted,” Mama Cosma said smugly.
Wanda’s blood ran cold, especially when Mama Cosma smirked.
“That’s not an option,” Bridget snapped, shutting down Mama Cosma and anyone thinking of emulating her. “The captive fairies have been through enough without throwing them to the wolves.”
Besides, Wanda thought. You first, Mama Cosma.
She shuddered, teeth chattering, and Cosmo sought her gaze. She turned her head away to avoid looking at him; it was possible he could tell what she was trying to conceal.
“Oh, there are others?” Mama Cosma said coolly. “I thought she was their leader.”
Wanda’s stomach churned, and she pushed aside her unease in favor of fury. Without thinking, she’d lifted her right arm and pointed her wand in Mama Cosma’s direction. She hated her under the best of times, and these were far from it.
“Enough!” Bridget snapped and brandished her wand. Mama Cosma fell silent, probably not of her own accord. Wanda smirked, trying to forget how she’d been silenced, too. Cosmo, meanwhile, kept trying to meet her gaze. When he tilted her head toward him, she shut her eyes.
“Stop avoiding me!” Cosmo snapped.
“We have an army,” Bridget said. “We didn’t have time earlier to mobilize it, but it’s been sent out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Our orders are to offer no quarter and take no prisoners.”
Wanda’s stomach lurched. Confused and troubled murmurs started. She met Cosmo’s gaze this time, and he looked confused. She sighed, patting his cheek. Cosmo held her hand against his cheek and then pecked her on the lips. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and then, abruptly, remembered that they weren’t alone. Bright red, she pulled back despite his whine.
“Anyone seen molesting or torturing our citizens will be killed on sight,” Bridget said. A sharp indrawn breath followed that statement. Cosmo froze, and she knew he was thinking about how he’d killed her attackers. He pressed her tighter against him.
She wanted to reassure him, but her mind had blanked.
“Isn’t that a bit extreme?” a voice ventured from the crowd.
Bridget’s expression shuttered. “No. Not after what they’ve done to us.”
Wanda shivered and lowered the barrier between herself and Cosmo. If she was terrified, then he had to be, too. Somehow, the panic, knowing that it was shared, comforted her. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I would advise those of you who are most vulnerable to remain in your homes until further notice,” Marinos said, grimacing. “As for those who are their targets…”
He sighed. “You’re going to have to remain in the fortress Timmy Turner wished for. It’s too dangerous for you to venture outside.”
Wanda shivered again, and Timmy hugged his godparents. She smiled weakly.
“We love you, too, sweetie,” she reassured him. Cosmo kissed her cheek.
“We’re going to be okay,” Timmy said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than that he actually believed it.
“We will,” she replied, likewise with a conviction that she didn’t feel. Her voice was harsh as she added, “Because I’m not going through that again.”
“No, you’re not,” Timmy agreed. Cosmo shifted to look into her eyes, and she read the worry in his gaze beyond their shared emotions.
“I won’t let it happen again,” Cosmo vowed. Unlike herself and Timmy, Cosmo was confident. He wouldn’t fail her again. Wanda melted against him. She hesitated to believe him for a split second, but that faded.
She would believe in him because she needed him. She needed him, Timmy, and the children to weather this storm. She intertwined her fingers with Cosmo’s and squeezed his hand.
“No, you won’t,” she agreed quietly beneath the hubbub. “I believe you, sweetie.”
“I believe me, too,” Cosmo said. He stroked her hair. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be okay.”
For once, she meant it.
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Asmodeus snorted, shaking his head. Tisk, tisk. Fairy World was getting sloppy. They’d been in such a rush to prevent Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda from perishing that they’d let him and Ozymandias off the hook. They hadn’t drained Asmodeus’s leeched dark magic, and it’d been child’s play to contact someone on the outside. Now that his underlings knew where he was, they ought to be able to devise a plan to break them out.
Without much to entertain him, Asmodeus redirected his attention toward Wanda. He searched her recent memories to catch up on Fairy World’s activities. Until someone rooted him out of the link between Cosmo and Wanda, he’d be able to break into her mind whenever he liked.
She felt shaky but more confident than earlier. He needed to change that.
A wicked grin spread across his face. Wanda had overheard his minions assaulting and molesting fairies, which had been triggering. Moreover, one of his underlings had found his newest heir in Fairy World’s hospital. Unfortunately, the child was female but she’d make good bait. Wanda wouldn’t be able to resist saving a child in peril.
He slid his magical fingers along her memories until he found Ozymandias dominating her. Ozy had torn the living crap out of her, and Asmodeus thought she needed a reminder of who had the power in this relationship. Better yet, Cosmo had arrived too late to rescue her.
((If he really loved you, he wouldn’t have let you out of his sight, would he?)) Asmodeus taunted. ((Maybe he wants a more obedient wife; he’s waiting for us to beat you down enough so you return to your proper place.))
He felt her breath hitch in her chest, and he decided to twist the knife further.
((You know Blonda wouldn’t have been hurt if you’d left well enough alone,)) he continued. ((You had no business leaving the hotel.
((It’s your fault,)) he said. ((Timmy almost dying was your fault, too. You can’t keep your loved ones safe. What good are you?
((Useless Seelie whore.))
He wondered if she’d tell Cosmo what was happening. Asmodeus would bet not. She was probably trying to protect Cosmo from the brunt of it, which meant more ammunition for him. He felt a lock turning in his mind, and the magical wards barricading him and Ozy inside their cell shattered.
((I’m coming for you, bitch. You can’t stop me. Just wait until we meet again. I’ll make what Ozy did look like lovemaking.))
Wanda shuddered, and Asmodeus snickered. He shut their link momentarily; he’d return later to see how badly his words had affected her. Just in case she doubted his intentions, he opened the link to slam her with the feeling of him ripping through her and blood spurting everywhere.
((I’ll see you soon,)) he promised.
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Cosmo didn’t know what happened. Wanda was doing better one minute, and she’d shut down the next. She’d blocked him off mentally, and he felt her slip into another flashback. They had returned to their house until the Council could figure out where it might be safest for them to stay.
Cosmo thought Earth might be better with the Unseelie fairies in Fairy World. The Council had wanted to talk it over; they’d better not be stalling again.
Timmy had received more texts and missed calls from his friends, so he’d rushed into the guest bedroom to talk to them. The twins and Leander floated morosely near Cosmo’s shoulders. They knew something was wrong, but not what it was.
The twins’ lower lips quivered. They shook their rattles, but nothing happened. Perhaps they had no control over her flashbacks, unlike her dreams.
Cosmo wanted to cradle Wanda in his arms, but she had poofed to the other side of the living room and thrown an invisible magical shield up. He tried not to take it personally--she’d reacted instinctively, from what he could tell. Asmodeus and Ozymandias had harmed her so badly that her first impulse was to hide from everyone, including him.
With his heart in his throat, Cosmo drifted closer to her but didn’t try to initiate physical or mental contact. Her breathing was shallow, and she was cold and clammy. Sweat trickled down her forehead, mingling with the tears sliding down her cheeks. Cosmo’s heart lurched when he realized what she was mouthing.
“Stop…stop…please…stop…”
Before she’d blocked him off, he’d sensed an alien presence in their link. Cosmo suspected that was what had triggered her before she’d shut down. However, trying to get any answers out of her was fruitless. He’d be better off talking to a wall.
He wished Timmy hadn’t disappeared on him. It was hard to feel supported when Cosmo’s only companions were infants. They meant well, and Cosmo knew the twins, in particular, wanted to help Wanda. However, it wasn’t like he could talk to them about Wanda. They wouldn’t understand.
The mental barrier between him and Wanda flickered. Cosmo took advantage of the momentary lapse to glimpse her flashback.
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They’d forced her to perform fellatio in front of half of the Court. Wanda didn’t remember the act, only how tawdry she’d felt afterward. Asmodeus had whipped her bloody, and Wanda couldn’t get comfortable on the bed. If she lay on her back, it felt like someone ripped it open with daggers. If she lay on her stomach, she felt pressure below her waist, and she couldn’t erase the sensation of being violated.
Laying on her side was the only way to avoid that, and it was an unhappy compromise.
Tears slid down her cheeks, and she sobbed quietly. She would’ve conjured the iron dagger and ended it if she had had her wand. It’d been three months since she’d seen Cosmo and Timmy. They weren’t coming for her. No one was.
“That’s not what happened! We tried to get to you! We didn’t abandon you!”
Wanda jumped and gazed around. There was no one else here, yet she had distinctly heard Cosmo. She reached for her wand and encountered nothing but the comforter. Sighing, she shut her eyes and prepared to sleep to pass the time.
A warm wave swept over her, and her aches and pains vanished. Her eyes flew open, and Cosmo sat on the bed beside her. Confused because she would’ve remembered if Cosmo had been here, she gawked. Cosmo tucked her hair behind her ear, and, her hand trembling, she touched his cheek. He was real.
Cosmo grinned; she continued to stare. She didn’t understand what was so great about this. She’d just been humiliated before the Unseelie Court, and every day was worse than the one before. Maybe this was another one of Asmodeus’s tricks to lure her into a false sense of security.
“I didn’t think I could do it!” Cosmo said.
“Do what, hon?” she said and then jumped again. She could speak; she knew that’d been impossible at this point. Cosmo leaned forward and kissed her. She pulled him closer and kissed him back. Her heart hammered between her ribs.
“Break into your flashbacks and fix them,” Cosmo said, pulling away reluctantly to reply.
“What are you talking about?”
His smile faded. “I felt Asmodeus shoving you into another horrible flashback, so I pushed back.”
“You…pushed back…” she said faintly. For once, she was the baffled one. None of this had happened; Cosmo nudged her mentally with a surge of affection, and she relaxed. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until it’d flowed out of her. When Cosmo pushed her onto the pillows, she let him.
“That’s what I said. I’m tired of him hurting you, especially when he’s not here.”
She straightened up and gawked at him. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
Cosmo shrugged. “I didn’t, either.”
Wanda’s relaxation didn’t last long. “Asmodeus triggered the flashback.”
“And I broke it,” Cosmo said. “So, now you can wake up.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she said and shivered. Someone had stripped the bed; aside from a bottom sheet, the bed was bare. Cosmo had healed and clothed her in her normal attire, yet she felt as if a freezing wind had started. She pounded a fist on her thigh when the words wouldn’t come and prayed this wasn’t a presage to going mute again.
“What did you mean, then?” Cosmo said.
“You said Asmodeus pushed me into the flashback,” she said slowly.
“Right…and?”
“He’s going to know you’re here,” she said, her heart in her throat. “You might’ve stopped the flashback, but you’ve drawn his attention. He’s bound to punish you for it.”
Cosmo stared at her blankly.
Her voice shook. “He won’t…he won’t injure you like he does to me, but…I don’t know what would happen if you got hurt in this weird pseudo-world.”
“Nothing?” Cosmo suggested, and she shook her head. Tears pricked her eyes, and her throat constricted.
“Cosmo, he’s in our Bond,” she said, her whole body trembling now. “He can do whatever he wants to us while we’re in a state he induced.”
“Not if you wake up,” Cosmo said brightly.
“I can’t,” she protested. She grabbed his arm and dug her fingernails in, heedless of the pain she might cause. “He’s locked us in.”
Cosmo scoffed. “Yeah, right. Are you telling me that we’re trapped?”
“That’s exactly what I’m…”
She trailed off when the elevator door outside pinged. The color drained from her face, and her teeth chattered. Utter terror consumed her, and her throat closed, barring speech. Instead, she whimpered, torn between demanding that Cosmo flee and wanting to cling to him for dear life.
Cosmo followed her gaze to the door, which opened slowly. Asmodeus was taking his time and relishing her fear. The door opened enough for them to see each other, and she withdrew as Cosmo wrapped his arms around her. She made an abortive effort to speak, even just to say his name, but no sound came out. Her next whimper was silent, too. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
She was trapped in the hotel again, in a world Asmodeus had constructed, and behind Asmodeus lurked Ozy with a spiked vibrator that buzzed ominously in his hand. She grabbed Cosmo’s wand and held it up, pointing at Asmodeus’s chest. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had.
“Oh, put that down,” Asmodeus scoffed. Her arm fell of his accord, not hers. “Give that to me, you stupid slut.”
“No!” Cosmo snapped. “It’s not yours. It’s mine, and she’s mine. You’re not getting your hands on her ever again.”
Asmodeus raised his eyebrows as if Cosmo were a small child performing a mildly amusing antic. He snapped his fingers, and Wanda’s free will drained. Asmodeus advanced on them, and, her fingers numb, she offered the wand to her captor. Cosmo gawked.
“What are you doing?” Cosmo said.
“She can’t help herself,” Asmodeus said. He stroked her curls and then yanked her hair to force her neck back and expose her throat. Wanda’s heart pounded so hard that Asmodeus traced the vein. He grabbed her neck and squeezed like Ozy had when he’d been on top of her.
Her stomach heaved. Asmodeus plucked Cosmo’s wand from her nerveless fingers and shifted it into the iron dagger she knew so well. Cosmo lunged for the transformed wand; Asmodeus chuckled. In the few seconds before disaster struck, she thought she might vomit. It was the fear right before the pain sets in, the knowledge that something is horribly wrong but not what it might be.
Asmodeus frowned contemplatively and stabbed Cosmo in the stomach; he impaled him against the bed by elongating the dagger into a sword.
Cosmo and Wanda were, at first, too stunned to move. Sparkling blood covered the blade, and if Wanda could have vomited, she would have. Asmodeus produced another wand to conjure restraints for Cosmo and then rounded on her. Her lips quivered, and she wanted to run to another universe. Her heart pounded so hard that she could barely hear anything outside of it.
Ozy sneered; another borrowed wand stripped her and restored the injuries she’d had before Cosmo’s arrival. Eyes wide, she stared at the two Unseelie men as her dread increased by leaps and bounds. She wanted to reach for Cosmo’s hand, to reassure him, but his wrists were bound. Moreover, when Asmodeus snapped his fingers, she was powerless to fight him.
The geas commanded her onto the floor on her knees, and so she went. Cosmo yelped, his voice muffled by the gag. He struggled against the sword, and she winced. From experience, she knew struggling only worsened things. Either someone would find it arousing, or she’d cut herself to ribbons. Or both.
She tried desperately to say his name. Her lips wouldn’t move.
“Do you want to die that much faster?” Asmodeus sneered at Cosmo. “The only reason you’re still alive is because killing you would kill her, too. Once I figure out a way around that, however…”
“Oh, but now he can’t see the spectacle,” Ozy said, mock pouting. He squeezed the pilfered wand and elevated Cosmo above the bed. Wanda would have hyperventilated if she could have.
“Better,” Asmodeus said. He stripped and then stopped, standing in front of Cosmo while stroking himself. Wanda’s fear was metallic in her mouth and the back of her throat. She couldn’t catch Cosmo’s gaze because Asmodeus wouldn’t let her move her head.
Asmodeus had denied her any chance to derive comfort from Cosmo’s presence. She wasn’t surprised. Out of her mind with fear, yes, but surprised, no. Asmodeus loved performing before an audience, and knowing that he was violating her while torturing both of them was a trick he couldn’t resist.
Cosmo would have continued squirming and trying to reach her if Asmodeus hadn’t frozen him in place. Cosmo snarled, spitting out the gag. Wanda’s eyebrows raised; she couldn’t believe they hadn’t bound the gag around his head.
“Wanda!” Cosmo yelped. “The twins!”
At first, she had no idea what he was talking about. What twins? She and Blonda had been at Ozy’s “mercy” a few days ago, but she knew that wasn’t it. He was referring to a different set of twins, but she drew a blank. It was almost impossible to think with this much fear flooding her system.
“Lily and--” Cosmo added when he saw her bewildered expression. Ozy cuffed him and then frowned, studying him. Wanda’s stomach twisted; Asmodeus had allowed her to look, which meant Ozy had something nefarious in mind for Cosmo, too, besides forcing him to watch.
Lily and Matilda--that was who Cosmo meant.
If they could sense her distress, maybe they could break this fugue and rescue her and Cosmo.
“You know, Asmodeus,” Ozy said in a would-be casual voice. Asmodeus snapped his fingers, and Wanda crawled on her knees toward the Unseelie King. She opened her mouth and screamed in her head. Cosmo’s eyes were pinned to her; she couldn’t see it since Asmodeus had forced her attention elsewhere, but she felt his gaze.
“I bet this twink knows a few tricks, too,” Ozy said. Wanda’s heart thundered in her ears.
“Hey!” Cosmo snapped. “Who are you calling a ‘twink?’”
Asmodeus grinned. “What are you thinking?”
“For one thing,” Ozy said, “she can’t possibly be his first.”
“My first what?” Cosmo repeated. Wanda groaned inwardly; she knew exactly what Ozy was implying. Her sweet Cosmo had never been with anyone else, and she resented the implication that someone had had their way with him before she’d met him. Or that he’d managed to lie to her for almost ten thousand years about it.
Asmodeus laughed cruelly. “You think someone else had a crack at him earlier? Be my guest, but I don’t think he’ll be too skilled.”
“At what?” Cosmo said. Wanda’s mind flew into a dark place, and she prayed she was wrong. Neither of them had shown an interest in Cosmo beforehand, but there was a first time for everything. Ozy’s tastes ran more toward men than women, even if he loved torturing her. He preferred taking Asmodeus and possibly other males, but she wasn’t certain about the latter. It wasn’t like she had much experience outside of this room.
“What do you think?” Ozy said. He stripped, too, and Wanda was disturbed to see he was at full mast. Before Asmodeus forced himself onto her, he frowned at his companion.
“I might have a better idea,” Asmodeus said.
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“For one thing…” Asmodeus snorted derisively. “The chances that he can suck you off seem remote. For another…I much prefer the idea of her begging us to spare him.
“Not that we’d necessarily oblige, but watching her plead would be hilarious. Right, whore?”
He shoved himself into her mouth; the geas could control many things, but it couldn’t stop her from trembling. She was so frightened that she’d gone weak with it. Asmodeus grabbed her chin to force her to remain upright.
Judging by his frustrated cries, Cosmo had resumed struggling, though she wasn’t sure if he was trying to avoid his fate or to help her. Both seemed fruitless.
Asmodeus let her sit back on her heels; the disgusting taste of pre-cum was in her mouth. She wished she could wash it out, but that never worked. Instead, her eyes wide, she watched Asmodeus as he approached Cosmo. The geas had partially lifted, but only because Asmodeus had allowed it.
“Stop!” she cried, hating herself for playing along, however unwillingly. “It’s not his fault he’s here. He was trying to…”
Her voice faded as Asmodeus laughed cruelly.
“Trying to save you?”
Wanda nodded weakly.
“Wanda…” Cosmo cried. “Wake the twins!”
“I don’t know how!” she said. Asmodeus slapped her across the face.
“Either you fulfill your role, or I go back to using you as a fleshlight. Got it, slut?” Asmodeus said. Only the geas prevented her from collapsing onto the carpet. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she nodded.
“Leave her alone--” Cosmo started and then gasped. Whatever else he’d intended to say was muffled; Wanda could imagine what had happened. She lowered her head in submission; she would play along if it meant Cosmo being spared similar treatment.
Then she heard a loud yelp, followed by someone getting slapped.
“Fucker bit me!” Ozy cried, outraged.
“What the hell makes you think I’d want that in my mouth?” Cosmo snapped. He spat frantically to clear the taste. She wished she could do likewise.
Wanda smiled humorlessly. “You tell ‘em, hon.”
A whip slammed down upon her back and sent her facefirst into the carpet. Snarling, Ozy proceeded to whip her bloody until she knew her back was just raw flesh and possibly pulp. He ripped her wings out and then stomped on her wounds. Wanda screamed in agony, only for Asmodeus to shove himself back onto her lips and tongue.
“Unless you slam a compulsion on him, we can’t control him,” Ozy snapped. “But we can hurt her. Badly. Show him there are consequences for his actions.”
“Right,” Asmodeus said. He pushed her head further down his length and forced her to massage his balls. Wanda wanted to be sick; she could feel Cosmo staring.
Wake the twins…wake the twins…but how?
Cosmo snarled, and she heard rope scraping against metal. He was trying to free himself using their weapon. Something prodded her in the backside, and she screamed as a sharp object penetrated her.
“Keep doing that,” Ozy snarled. “I’ll make her bleed so badly, you think she’ll bleed out. Get it?”
“Wanda…” Cosmo whimpered. She wished she could respond and reassure him. Or, at least, not have her mouth full of something foul and have no control over her body.
Wake the twins…
Wanda didn’t have access to a wand. She had no control over her body, and she and Cosmo were powerless to stop their assailants.
Except…there was something she had control over. Her mind.
She wasn’t certain this would work. The odds seemed long at best, but she was desperate. It felt like Ozy was sodomizing her with a giant, serrated nail. She could barely breathe for the sobs that erupted. Between her concern for Cosmo and herself, she clung to the slim hope she could alert her daughters in time.
Something had to be done. The emotional and physical pain was unbearable.
((Lily! Matilda!)) she cried. She’d never tried using telepathy with anyone but Blonda and Cosmo before. Abraxas had warned Wanda that the twins were inappropriately attached; they knew her feelings deeply, almost like emotional incest. She would worry about that later (but she would worry about it.)
((Mama?)) the twins chorused. She sagged, relieved.
((We need help!)) Cosmo cried, jumping onto the link. Until now, she hadn’t known that was possible. Then again, it made sense since she and Cosmo were joined.
Except…
Asmodeus was also linked to her and Cosmo. Fuck. She didn’t know if he could hear the twins.
A giant purple cloud filled the room and obliterated everything within it.
“Bad man! Bad, bad man! You hurt Mama!” the twins cried.
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Timmy left his bedroom to find his godparents gasping for breath on the couch like fish out of water. His jaw dropped, and he stared. Wanda crawled into a ball in the corner of the couch and rocked with her arms around her legs. She had that thousand-yard stare that had freaked him out earlier.
Cosmo looked haunted but physically and mentally present (as far as Cosmo ever was.) He looked up at Timmy’s entrance and flung himself at his godson.
Cosmo tried to fill Timmy in on what had happened in what was more babble than coherent speech. When Cosmo finally finished a good five minutes later, Timmy realized Wanda’s gaze had sharpened. She shivered and rejoined Cosmo’s side of the couch to hold him tightly enough to cut off blood circulation. Cosmo didn’t complain; he wrapped his arm around her waist to cradle her.
“Let me get this straight,” Timmy said, collapsing into a nearby chair. “Asmodeus can reach into your mind at will and torture you?”
Wanda nodded, blanching. “That’s about the size of it, sport. Cosmo trying to stop him made things worse.”
“Wow, Cosmo making things worse,” Timmy said sarcastically. “There’s a shocker.”
“Don’t you dare,” Wanda snapped, prompting Timmy to jump. Her heated tone had caught him off-guard. “If they could have shoved a geas on him, too, they would have.”
The twins appeared and flew to Wanda. She nodded, but she didn’t seem to want to (or couldn’t) release Cosmo to embrace them. Whimpering, Wanda pressed her face into Cosmo’s neck. His godparents trembled; Timmy had gotten the gist of what had happened, but the details eluded him. Cosmo had become nearly incomprehensible when describing how Ozy and Asmodeus had harmed Wanda.
“I thought Abraxas removed him,” Timmy said.
Wanda winced. “I thought so, too, hon, but he’s enmeshed in our Bond. I don’t know how. It shouldn’t have been possible to force himself into our magical mental link. And yet…”
“Maybe when he attacked you, he pushed his dark magic into you, too,” Cosmo said quietly, subdued. “The more he attacked you…”
Wanda flinched. “The more entrenched he became.”
“Okay…” Timmy said, not liking where this topic was heading. “But there has to be a way to remove him, right? I know I can’t wish him out, but…”
“Is Mama okay?” one of the twins, Timmy thought it might’ve been Matilda, asked Wanda. Wanda didn’t respond beyond a low moan as she and Cosmo clung to each other like flotsam from a sinking ship, and if they released each other, they’d disappear into the ocean’s depths. It was almost more terrifying than seeing Wanda’s empty gaze.
“This has never happened before?” Timmy asked, wishing his godparents would calm down. Their fear amplified his.
“Not that I know of, no,” Wanda said. She straightened slightly to look at Timmy. “Sweetie, all of this is new territory in Fairy World. Remember, the Courts have been separated for thousands of years.”
“They should’ve been separated a lot longer. Then this wouldn’t have happened,” Timmy grumbled. Wanda smiled humorlessly.
“I agree, but that’s not the point,” she said. “There’s no precedent.”
“Okay, then…” Timmy wracked his mind for a wish that might work without invoking the Unseelie Court. “I wish there were hypothetical laws made for this without anyone getting hurt.”
“That might work…” Wanda said, stunned, as she and Cosmo granted the wish. “I certainly hope so.”
She rested her forehead against Cosmo’s. He gave her Eskimo kisses, and her smile broadened, becoming genuine.
“Cosmo and I are not suffering through that again. Once was too much.”
“Once was more than enough,” Cosmo agreed and kissed her neck. Shifting around, her lips met his. His godparents looked like they’d been in a war zone; they were shaking and pale.
“Hello! I’m still here!” Timmy snapped, stomping his foot. “Get a room, you two.”
“Sorry,” Wanda said, smiling sheepishly and blushing. Her smile faded. “The flashbacks are getting worse, and I suspect Asmodeus’s hand in that as well. If he can insert himself whenever he wants to into our affairs, he can do the same with my memories.”
She shuddered uncontrollably.
“I wish things would stop getting worse,” Timmy complained. He wasn’t wishing consciously; he was just sick and tired of seeing his godparents being miserable. Plus, with the flashbacks increasing in length and frequency, he was losing Wanda faster while she dragged Cosmo down with her.
“You aren’t the only one, sport,” Wanda said. She nearly sprang off the couch when Cosmo announced, “Done!”
“Done with what?” she said.
“I guess we’ll find out!” Cosmo said brightly, and she groaned, burying her face in her hands.
“What did you do, Cosmo?” she said.
“Like I said, I guess we’ll find out!”
“I’m almost afraid to,” Wanda muttered. “It can’t be good.”
Timmy agreed. Whatever Cosmo had done, if he couldn’t describe it, had to be horrifying. Or, at the very least, unpredictable and possibly rabid. He didn’t know what they were in for, but “good news” didn’t seem likely.
----------------------------
Cosmo, mentally unstable, had accidentally shown the Council, Jorgen, Big Daddy, and Juandissimo what Asmodeus could do. The latter two were an accident; they’d gotten caught up in the wave when Cosmo was desperate for someone else to understand what Wanda was going through. He’d known Big Daddy could help, though he wasn’t thinking it consciously, which was why the spell had reached him. Juandissimo, on the other hand, was because Cosmo’s thoughts had briefly diverted to Tootie and her concern about Wanda, which reminded Cosmo that Juandissimo was Tootie’s father.
Cosmo shouldn’t have been surprised when Juandissimo poofed into their living room, but he very much was. Wanda stared.
“Cosmo, why is Juandissimo here?” Wanda said in a would-be casual tone.
“Uh, because I might’ve accidentally snagged him, too?” Cosmo said, and Wanda groaned, facepalming.
“Because this day just can’t get any worse…” she muttered.
“Sure it can!”
“That was not an invitation!” Juandissimo snarled. He glared at Cosmo and then poofed closer to Wanda, who held her wand out and pointed at his chest. Cosmo could tell the flashback/memory looped in her mind. He wished he could comfort her better and that Juandissimo would leave and mind his own business.
“Wandita, are you all right?” Juandisimo said gently and growled at Cosmo. “Did this estupido hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” Wanda snarled. She squeezed her wand and banished Juandissimo. Someone cleared their throat behind them, and Cosmo and Wanda spun around. Big Daddy was eying Cosmo darkly, and Cosmo brushed it off. Big Daddy couldn’t possibly be upset with him. After all, Cosmo was the only thing keeping Wanda from completely going off the deep end.
He whimpered at the thought and wrapped his arms around her stomach.
“Did you mean to show me that?” Big Daddy snapped, rounding on Cosmo. “Because I gotta tell you, I don’t appreciate seeing my little girl brutalized.”
Wanda’s breathing became shallow, and she was about to panic. Cosmo kissed her cheek; he doubted a flashback was imminent, but just in case, he didn’t want to lose her anyway. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he tried unsuccessfully to rid himself of her nightmare.
“I didn’t think!” Cosmo protested.
“That much is apparent,” Big Daddy snarled. Wanda’s grip tightened on Cosmo, and her wings fluttered against his chest. He remembered Ozy ripping her wings out and whipping her bloody, and Cosmo whimpered. Wanda moved to cup his cheek.
“I know, hon, I know,” she murmured.
“I don’t wanna lose you again,” he whined. “I never wanted to lose you in the first place!”
Big Daddy glowered. “I already knew what Asmodeus did to her because he showed me the aftermath.”
Wanda froze; she grew colder in Cosmo’s embrace, and her breathing was labored. They’d been avoiding using Asmodeus’s name whenever possible to prevent her from spiraling. Sometimes, hearing his name triggered her. Hearing that Asmodeus had shown Big Daddy what he’d done to her was threatening to sweep her away.
“You’re okay, kiddo,” Big Daddy said gently, caressing her cheek. He glared at Cosmo. “You, on the other hand, are on incredibly thin, rotten ice. You’re lucky you’re holding her together, or I’d let you drown.”
Wanda shivered.
“There’s no water here,” Cosmo protested.
“Not literally, hon,” Wanda murmured, gasping for breath. “He means figuratively. As in, he’d kill you…”
Her throat closed, and she whimpered. She was shaking so badly that her teeth were chattering. Tears slid down her cheeks, too, and she terrified him. He couldn’t lose her when she was here and hanging onto him (and vice versa.) He wouldn’t let her drift away.
“Nah, he wouldn’t kill me,” Cosmo said. “He loves me.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” Big Daddy snarled. “Your days are numbered, idiot.”
“Are they high numbers?” Cosmo asked. Big Daddy’s glare was murderous as he kissed Cosmo on the cheek. Wanda moaned; Cosmo didn’t know why she was so upset. Big Daddy was being perfectly friendly.
Big Daddy inclined his head toward Timmy and then vanished.
“See? What’s the big deal?” Cosmo said. “I told you that he loves me.”
“That was the kiss of death, wasn’t it?” Timmy said faintly, and Wanda nodded.
Bewildered, Cosmo glanced from Timmy to Wanda. “What kiss of death?”
“In the mafia, when the don thinks someone has betrayed his family, he kisses them,” Wanda said. She was so quiet that Cosmo had to strain to hear her, despite her being right up against him.
“And…?” Cosmo pressed.
“And, you idiot,” Timmy snapped, “that means he intends to kill you.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Cosmo scoffed.
Wanda sighed. “Looks like Asmodeus isn’t the only one who wants us separated, hon. Your death would make at least two people incredibly happy.”
Timmy grabbed Wanda’s hand to squeeze. Wanda squeezed back, but her gaze was distant.
“We need to talk to the Council,” Wanda said quietly after a long pregnant pause. “Again.”
Cosmo didn’t understand why Wanda looked so grave. Then again, he refused to believe that Big Daddy would kill him. For one thing, Big Daddy cared about him because he’d married Wanda. For another, killing him would make Wanda more miserable than she already was. Cosmo brushed a curl back behind her ear.
“I love you,” he murmured. Her lips twitched toward a weak smile.
“I love you, too, sweetie,” she said. She drew a deep, shaky breath. “I just hope we make it out of this in one piece.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” Cosmo said, and she sighed, pinching her nose bridge.
“I wish I could sleep,” she muttered. “I’m exhausted.”
“But not, like, the big sleep, right?” Cosmo pressed. She didn’t respond, and his heart thundered in his ears.
“Wanda…” he whined.
“No,” Wanda said finally after what Cosmo felt was far too long an interval. “Not the big sleep. Maybe just a nap for a while.”
“I can do that!” Cosmo said, and she blinked, taken aback.
“Do what?” she said.
“Sleep with you!” Cosmo said. Timmy groaned, facepalming.
“Not like that,” Wanda said and then paused for a beat. “I don’t think that’s what he meant, anyway. I think he meant it literally, Timmy.”
“Oh,” Timmy said. “Still. Ew.”
Wanda snorted and caressed Cosmo’s cheek. “I’d like that.”
Timmy’s stomach grumbled, prompting Cosmo to remember they hadn’t had breakfast. Or lunch since it was nearing noon. While he didn’t mind her holding him this tightly, he didn’t like how loose her grip seemed on reality.
Wanda raised her wand and produced a buffet. Excited when he saw there were churros, Cosmo poofed to the giant table that had materialized in their living room. Timmy and Cosmo proceeded to gorge themselves. Sighing, Wanda poofed elsewhere; she hadn’t gone far, only to their bedroom.
Once Cosmo was stuffed, he’d join her.
It didn’t occur to him that maybe he should be worried that Wanda wasn’t eating. It also didn’t occur to him that she might’ve been lying to spare his feelings.
------------------------------
Wanda sighed, conjuring and then banishing an iron dagger. She’d already done it six times, and whenever she sent it away, she brought it back a few seconds later.
The twins poofed into the room and startled her.
“Mama…” Lily whined. “We’re sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Wanda said, not looking up. She ran her index finger and thumb along the dagger’s wicked edge.
She was surprised Cosmo knew what the “big sleep” was when he hadn’t realized Big Daddy had delivered the kiss of death. Then again, Cosmo’s knowledge could be quite eclectic.
“You’re not happy,” Matilda protested.
Wanda forced a smile. “I’ll be okay. Why don’t you go hang out with Timmy and Cosmo?”
“We don’t wanna lose you!” Lily blurted, and Wanda’s eyes widened. They had sensed it, too, then. That was highly disconcerting.
Wanda conjured and then banished the iron dagger, but this time, it was a few seconds too late. Cosmo and Timmy had poofed in, and they eyed her with trepidation.
“Wanda…” Cosmo started anxiously. “Why do you have that?”
“Why would you want something around that reminds you of being tortured?” Timmy said. The twins whimpered; even without looking, she felt their gaze upon her.
Worse, Wanda had no response for Timmy or Cosmo. She hung her head and balled her fists. With a flick of her wrist, she restored the dagger.
“I thought you said you didn’t want the big sleep!” Cosmo cried. He threw himself on top of her. “Don’t go! You can’t go! I love you! We love you!”
She hadn’t done anything. Yet. Cosmo’s horror was overwhelming, especially when the twins and Leander burst into loud sobs. Tears slid down her cheeks.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“But?” Timmy snapped.
She shook her head. She didn’t have a response for that, either. Instead, she sagged against Cosmo. She had no wise words or reassurances for them. Instead, she crossed her fingers and prayed for a dreamless sleep when she shut her eyes.