(no subject)
Fandom: Fairly Oddparents
Canon or AU: AU
Fic: ???
A/N: So, Back in Black universe(s). The more stressed I am, the darker my fics get. This might’ve been the worst abuse Wanda has suffered in this particular variation.
My house is closing on Halloween (or should be.) I don’t know if I’ll have another place to go to after that; my friend offered to put me up, but I’d have to board the cats for an unknown amount of time.
I just want this stuff over with. Not to mention the financial advisor, Best Buy screwing me around…
*falls over*
----------------------
Another day, another molestation. Wanda sighed; Asmodeus had needed to change her quarters temporarily while he had the suite fumigated for the cockroaches. Of course, it wouldn’t need to be fumigated if she hadn’t used her wand when he wasn’t looking and conjured them. It gave her a slight change of scenery, and this suite had a tub she could sink into. Right now, she was probably the most relaxed she’d been in the hotel. It wouldn’t last; she wasn’t stupid.
Asmodeus, Ozymandias, or one of their cronies would take advantage of her vulnerable state. Locked doors didn’t mean much to the Unseelie Court. They only offered her the illusion of privacy and security.
She wished she had her wand. She’d feel much more secure with it, but Asmodeus seldomly let her have it out of his sight. The asshole was paranoid that she’d fight the geas long enough to summon help and possibly escape. Wanda’s mood was so low these days that her form of “escape” would’ve been much more permanent.
Her limbs stiffened in the bath, and she had difficulty standing after she drained the tub. Then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten or been healed completely. When she attempted to climb out, she faceplanted onto the towel she’d put on the floor. Groaning, she rolled over, which was a mistake. The hot water had caused her to forget her back lacerations. Wanda screamed, rolling onto her stomach.
She felt like a turtle on its back, powerless to rise and right itself. Sighing, she let herself go limp. Whenever a sprite or her next assailant found her, they’d pick her up and throw her onto the bed. This was only temporary, and the little good cheer she’d acquired by infesting the other suite and relaxing in the bath had vanished. The slight belly bump had brought reality screaming back.
Someone knocked at the door, and she growled. For one thing, she was helpless to answer. For another, no one knocked. No one attempted the barest of manners, which was less and less surprising the longer she languished here. Curiosity piqued, she tried again to push herself up. Her arms were too weak.
“Wanda?” a voice called through the door, and a shock went through her. No one had spoken her true name in months. Moreover, she knew that voice. Its owner had no business being present, though she also wasn’t in a position to lecture.
“Wanda, are you okay?”
Since she couldn’t stand, she inched toward the bathroom door and unlocked it. Answering the suite door was beyond her, but it wasn’t locked, only barred by dark magic. Those with the magical “key” could enter. Or those with light magic and/or wands.
“What do I do? She isn’t answering!”
“She may not be able to,” said another familiar voice, someone else who shouldn’t be here. The woman sighed, pushing the door open. Perhaps she’d assumed that two knocks were warning enough. Or maybe she’d lost patience.
A fey woman disguised as an adult human female stood with a young girl at her side. The girl didn’t stay longer, however. She darted to Wanda and used her wand to elevate her. When she saw all the bruises, gashes, and wounds, she dropped Wanda in shock. Sighing, the adult healed Wanda, clothed and placed her on the bed, and then shut and barred the door with magic. For a few seconds, the trio looked at each other.
“It’s worse than we thought,” Magdalene said in an undertone. She pounded a fist against her outer thigh in frustration. “Cosmo was right. Damn the Council for moving so slowly.”
Magdalene wore skin-tight black leather pants and a ripped leather shirt revealing her cleavage, presumably to blend in. She’d altered her facial features, giving herself pointed ears and elongating her bones to conceal her identity. Revealing who she was in this Court would probably get her killed, so Wanda didn’t blame her.
Tootie, conversely, was wearing her usual attire, but a half-crown glowed over her head, and her wings fluttered. She was floating above the floor, but she threw herself at her once Wanda was situated. Wanda stared, stunned, and didn’t move to catch her.
Tootie’s eyes welled with tears, and she sobbed against Wanda’s chest. Wanda stroked Tootie’s hair mechanically. While Wanda knew she was supposed to feel something, her heart was leaden. None of Asmodeus’s torture fantasies had ever involved Magdalene or Tootie. Wanda thought perhaps there was a chance this was real and not an elaborate prank or cruel joke.
Magdalene sat beside Wanda on the bed. When their eyes met, Wanda looked away first. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Magdalene scowl.
“Cosmo wanted to come,” Magdalene explained as if that was the reason Wanda had averted eye contact. “The Council wanted to send ‘an exploratory group first.’ That’s us. They seemed to think Cosmo might blow up the hotel or do something stupid.”
Tootie curled into a tight ball against Wanda. Wanda wondered vaguely how many times Tootie had done that to avert Vicky’s anger.
That was beside the point. Wanda sighed. She’d resigned herself to never seeing Cosmo or Timmy again. Tootie and Magdalene’s presence was welcome but, at the same time, extremely unsettling.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Wanda said quietly. “Tootie, especially, has no business here. You need to leave. Now. Before Asmodeus finds out who you are and why you came.”
“Oh, we blacked out the security cameras and bewitched the sprites when we entered the hotel,” Magdalene reassured her.
“That’s not what I meant,” Wanda snapped. “There are no children in the Unseelie Court, barring the ones I birthed. The others are kept elsewhere, far from this Court’s depravities. The fairies here have strange and unsavory predilections. They wouldn’t hesitate to attack Tootie if their appetites ran that way.
“And you! You’re in the running--”
Magdalene held a finger over Wanda’s lips.
“I know who I am, thank you,” Magdalene murmured. Her skin was soft against Wanda’s, and it was such a drastic contrast from the rough, callused hands that manhandled her. Tears pricked Wanda’s eyes, and she swallowed a lump in her throat.
Kindness and consideration didn’t exist here. Any delusions otherwise died fast.
“Then you know why you shouldn’t have come,” Wanda snapped. She tried to push Magdalene and Tootie away, but her arms were too weak. Magdalene scowled, scrutinizing her left arm, the tally marks, and then Wanda’s overall mien.
“When was the last time you ate?” Magdalene asked sharply. Wanda shrugged.
“I’m not hungry most of the time,” Wanda said, then amended her statement. “I’m never hungry anymore. Plus, Asmodeus doesn’t always remember that I need to eat, too, so…”
She shrugged again. “I might’ve eaten yesterday’s dinner. I don’t know. Time is nebulous. Every day blends into the next in a never-ending cascade of horror.”
Wanda glanced at the stained bedspread; it’d been white before her assailants had gotten to it. It was also gunky, thankfully not on the side Magdalene and Tootie sat on.
“I’m serious,” Wanda said. “You need to go, hon. Before it’s too late.”
“We’re on a fact-finding mission for Jorgen,” Tootie said quietly. “Jorgen needs to present the case for rapid action to the Council because they’re dithering. So they sent us.”
Wanda’s eyes widened--the Council might finally start moving. Then her eyes narrowed. They’d probably only care if someone else vanished or if the Unseelie Court’s attacks in Fairy World became more well-known. Asmodeus was silently taking out bigger and bigger targets; the next one was probably Jorgen. Wanda shuddered, chilled from within.
It took major cahones to think you could best Jorgen magically or physically, but sadly, Asmodeus had never lacked audacity.
Magdalene’s wand shook, and she pressed her fingers to it. Cosmo appeared on the star’s screen, and Wanda’s breath caught. Seeing him was acutely painful, like being stabbed in the heart. Tears blurred her vision, and she turned away.
“Wanda!” Cosmo cried, and her heart was in her throat. “Wanda, look at me!”
“She’s so pale…” Timmy said beside him. “She looks like she came out of a black-and-white movie.”
“She’s so thin…” Cosmo whimpered. Wanda smiled bitterly.
“I thought you preferred me skinny, hon,” Wanda whispered. “You always said I was too fat. Remember?”
“I stopped saying that after we had counseling!” Cosmo protested. “You look like a stick figure.”
Glancing down, she shrugged. When she bothered to dress, her clothes hung on her emaciated frame. Only her chest and stomach had escaped the malnutrition, and the former due to asshole Unseelie fairies, whereas the latter…
“Have they been starving you?” Timmy demanded.
“‘Starving’ would imply forethought. They’ve been neglecting my needs more often than not,” Wanda said, shrugging a shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, sport.”
A bitter smile crossed her lips. “I know you, Cosmo, and everyone else in Fairy World has moved on. You must’ve--it’s been four months. You’ve survived this long without me.”
Her throat constricted, and she glanced back. Timmy was thinner than he’d been, with black bags under his eyes. Cosmo’s hair looked dry and matted, which was unlike him. They both looked like they hadn’t slept in a long time, and she wanted to believe it was due to stress over her, but she didn’t kid herself.
No one was that worried. Certainly not Fairy World’s Council, who hadn’t lifted a finger to help.
“There’s a difference between surviving and being happy about it!” Timmy snapped. His voice softened. “Please, look at us. Cosmo’s been dying to talk to you, and we’ve been worried sick.
“If I could’ve talked Magdalene, Nathaniel, and Jorgen into letting us go, Cosmo and I would already be there.”
Her throat was so tight that speech was unlikely, if not impossible. Her heart ached for them, and she longed to be home in Fairy World or the castle in Timmy’s fish bowl. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she whimpered, hugging herself. Tootie rolled over and hugged her tightly as if she could put all of Wanda’s broken pieces together if she held her long enough.
Wanda wanted to admonish them until they got the hint and departed. Words failed her. Besides, words hadn’t done her much good in the hotel. No one cared what she had to say. They only cared about what she did for them and what they could do to her.
Hanging her head, she wept quietly. Her shoulders shook with sobs.
“We have to get her back to Fairy World,” Tootie said urgently. “Nathaniel and Chloe are handling any potential problems.”
Wanda shook her head. They’d forgotten the geas would compel her return. It was a never-ending nightmare of abuse, neglect, and torture.
Cosmo held up his wand, perhaps to propel himself toward her, but nothing happened. Magdalene smiled humorlessly.
”I’m not surprised,” she said. “The Council would’ve blocked your magic specifically.”
Cosmo growled, shaking his rattling wand. Thunder boomed, but she wasn’t sure if it was only in her mind. Wanda shook her head; it’d never be that easy. Timmy was crying, and she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see their despair, even if it wasn’t feigned. Time in the hotel, along with Asmodeus’s brainwashing, had her doubting anyone’s affection for her.
(Though Tootie might’ve needed the Jaws of Life to extract.)
”They know I’m alive,” Wanda choked out. “That’s enough.”
Magdalene lowered her wand, and Cosmo and Timmy disappeared. Wanda hated the profound relief she felt not to face them again. If only Tootie and Magdalene would vanish so swiftly.
“We have to get you out of here,” Tootie repeated. “Fairy World needs-“
”Fairy World needs me to disappear,” Wanda corrected, her voice hoarse. “So far, they’ve done well in that.”
The elevator dinged, and what blood remained in Wanda’s face drained.
“Go! Go now! That’s Asmodeus, Ozymandias, or one of their cronies! You can’t be seen here!”
Magdalene and Tootie exchanged terror-stricken looks. Reluctantly, like she was leaving Wanda to a death sentence, Tootie released her and stepped back. They knew they were no match for Asmodeus. Magdalene might not have regained all her magic from the centuries she’d spent with it ebbing away. Tootie wasn’t as powerful as a full-blooded fairy. In either case, Asmodeus would dispose of them with ease.
If Asmodeus realized Magdalene’s true identity, there’d be hell to pay.
“We’ll be back,” Magdalene promised. Tootie kissed Wanda on the cheek, and Wanda startled herself by hugging Tootie tightly.
”Don’t,” Wanda said, shaking her head with a sad smile. “It’s too dangerous.”
The elevator doors closed, and time had run out. Magdalene and Tootie disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust that Wanda hoped Asmodeus would overlook. Her heart hammered between her ribs, and tears filled her eyes. It was a spot of normalcy in an otherwise insane period.
Before she could stop herself, her tears were hysterical sobs. She curled into a ball on the bed and wept uncontrollably. She’d seen her family and the people who cared about her for a few minutes. She knew it would never last, but seeing them reawakened the ache losing them had caused. She couldn’t breathe for sobs.
The door slammed open, and she felt someone’s gaze boring into her.
“What do we have here? Interesting…” Asmodeus said. “Someone was kind enough to heal and clothe you.”
Since she refused to look at him, he sat beside her and yanked her head up by her curls. Wanda squeezed her eyes shut, and he slapped her. Gasping, she forced herself to gaze back. Her lower lip quivered, and she bit it hard enough to draw blood. Asmodeus slapped her again, so hard that her head snapped back.
She’d been terrified when Magdalene and Tootie arrived. That was nothing compared to now. Asmodeus detested people undermining his authority or sneaking in to see her. There’d been one woman, Irina, who had come onto her. Wanda wished she’d accepted her proposal now. Any affection was better than none, no matter the source.
She choked back sobs. Cosmo. For a brief moment, she’d seen him and Timmy. It was good that she’d forced Magdalene to end the connection before Asmodeus arrived. Knowing that she was the reason she’d lost them again was too much to bear.
”I came because there was an odd video blackout in the hotel,” Asmodeus said. He shook her hard enough for her jaw to clack. “A rather suspicious one, I might add. I feared someone might be here to rescue you.”
He chuckled darkly. “I see now that my fears were unfounded. Whoever was here didn’t care enough about you to bring you back with them.”
He shoved her onto her back and straddled her. Her throat tightened painfully; his erection poked her stomach. She glanced away, not wanting to look at him, and he slapped her hard enough to leave a red handprint on her face. She bit her tongue, and blood filled her mouth.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch,” he snapped. “You fucking whore.”
”I’m not,” she said and then did a double-take. She’d thought those words before, but she’d never uttered them. She couldn’t believe she was the one speaking.
”I’m not a whore,” she said weakly.
Asmodeus snickered. “Of course you are, sweetie. Now, open up wide.”
”No,” she said. The curse wasn’t compelling her, and she didn’t want that disgusting thing anywhere near her. Her chest ached. “I’m a fairy godmother, and-“
”You’re nothing,” Asmodeus spat. “You belong to me. You might’ve pretended to be a godmother before, but this is where you belong. Underneath me.”
He kissed her harshly on the lips and then bit and tore her lip. Gasping, Wanda’s hand flew to it, and he punched her in the face. Lights flashed in her eyes, and she trembled. Asmodeus was in a bad mood. She wasn’t sure what had prompted it-whether the business had gone poorly in Fairy World or the intrusion had done it. She’d find out soon enough whether she wanted to or not.
“You’ve got a little fight in you today,” Asmodeus said, smirking. He ground his erection against her stomach, and she wanted to vomit. She started to turn her head and thought better of it. She didn’t want to be hit again.
“I’ll fuck it out of you. Don’t worry.”
She gasped, grasping at straws to distract him.
”How did…how did Fairy World take your arrival?”
Asmodeus snickered, stroking her hair and then yanking a large chunk of it. She yelped, and he raised her stolen wand. Her heart pounded as their clothes vanished, and he grabbed her right hand to stroke him. The compulsion clamped on her, forcing her to caress and pump him.
Bile burned the back of her throat. She tried to push away Cosmo and Timmy’s concern before it haunted her.
“You’re down a Council member,” Asmodeus responded. He moved back and flipped her onto her stomach, using her wand again. He spread her legs and contemplated her with a nasty smirk.
“Don’t…” she choked. She felt weak without food, and she knew she couldn’t fight him off, even if he let her. Hell, he’d probably find it arousing.
He shoved his fingers inside of her, rethought it, and then fingered her anus. Wanda shuddered harder; he always tore her open when he took her that way. The last time, she’d bled profusely and passed out. Passing out was a mercy he didn’t usually allow her.
Spitting on his hand, he used it to lube himself up. Wanda’s heart pounded so hard that her head throbbed. Sometimes, he used barely enough lube because he considered hurting and punishing her more important than his satisfaction. Or because he had something else in mind.
”What’s that?” Asmodeus said. “You want me to stop?”
She turned her head to glare weakly. In an undertone, barely audible, she whispered, “You know I don’t want this.”
He laughed mockingly. “Since when do I care about what you want? Seelie whore.”
He whistled, and the door opened again. Ozymandias appeared, and her blood turned to ice in her veins. She wriggled underneath Asmodeus, and he punched her in the head again. The world tilted, and she felt woozy.
“She’s trying to fight back today?” Ozy said, sounding amused. “I wonder what happened.”
”Someone has been in this hotel, someone on her side,” Asmodeus snapped. What little good cheer he’d evinced disappeared. His moods could change on a dime. “They healed her and gave her back her clothes. However, they didn’t care enough for her to save her. Or maybe they realized they were no match for me.”
He waved the wand, and her wedding ring appeared on her finger. Before she had a chance to admire it or consider what life had been like before her abduction, Asmodeus seized her hand. Wanda screamed as he proceeded to snap her wrist and each of her fingers, bending them backward until the bones broke. Cold sweat dripped down her face; her father had done this once as an “interrogation” technique, but she’d never thought she’d be on the receiving end.
“Please…” she begged in a hoarse whisper. “Haven’t you taken enough?”
Asmodeus laughed cruelly. Ozy approached the bed and stripped. Like Asmodeus, he was fully erect. The two exchanged evil grins, and Ozy straddled her face. Her lips quivered, and she had no time to object before the compulsions struck her. She opened her mouth as he shoved himself inside, and against her will, she found herself pleasuring him.
Before she had a chance to recover from that, Asmodeus penetrated her from behind. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her hand throbbed agonizingly. She tried to focus on anything but what was happening. Asmodeus left her, though she didn’t delude herself. He was prepping for something.
A cat o’nine tails cracked across her back, and she howled. It felt like claws raking her flesh, and her skin burst open. Asmodeus wrenched her arm back and dislocated her shoulder before thrusting into her again. Wanda felt weak and prayed she’d faint.
Ozy slapped her on the face and forced her to continue giving him oral. She was shaking with sobs as he thrust into her mouth, and Asmodeus used the stolen wand to create barbs that ripped her open. Wanda could barely breathe as he pounded her and worked on deepening the wounds. Ozy, meanwhile, forced her to suck on his balls (she wanted to bite down so badly) and then deepthroat him.
It felt like those moments with Magdalene, Tootie, Cosmo, and Timmy had been from another lifetime. Asmodeus wouldn’t let her pass out today, and then, to her shock and dismay, searing hot pain raked the back of her thighs. It was more than his violation; he’d stabbed her with something that burned when it hit her bloodstream. He groaned loudly, dragging the knife down her leg, and then twisted her legs back so he could get as deeply as possible inside of her.
Ozy, meanwhile, had her neck at an excruciating angle while she serviced him.
It must’ve been her imagination to hear thunder booming again. Or maybe it was an after-effect of the abuse she was suffering.
”…stop…” she begged when she could breathe.
”Oh, fuck no, little whore,” Asmodeus said. She felt liquid spurt inside of her, and then he pressed her harder into the mattress as he rode her. He threw his weight on top of her and stabbed her in the stomach.
Wanda screamed, knowing there was no escape, knowing that he’d only heal her and attack again. She wanted to die so badly, and he wouldn’t grant her that release.
She wanted to tell him that she was probably pregnant, but she couldn’t speak. Any breath she had left, she had to save for brief breaks before Ozy shoved his dick down her throat. She tasted her tears on him.
Asmodeus thrust in and out, dragging the barbs along her insides and shredding them. She knew only magic kept her conscious and possibly still alive. This much blood loss was life-threatening.
Ozy let her head flop back onto the mattress and shoved her face into the pillows after he hopped off her. She could feel hot semen dripping onto her back and mixing with the blood gushing.
“What did you have in mind?” Asmodeus said. She could barely hear him over the thundering in her head. Or…was it outside? She cocked her head curiously.
“It’s not raining outside…” Ozy said quizzically. “Why the fuck am I hearing thunder?”
”Don’t know, don’t care,” Asmodeus scoffed. Wanda trembled; they could hear it, too. Then, it wasn’t in her mind. Cosmo?
No, she couldn’t afford to hope. No one was coming for her.
“Oh…I see…” Asmodeus said and stepped back. She panted, knowing the torture was only paused, not finished. Shutting her eyes, she tried to ignore the sounds of Ozy lubing Asmodeus up. Then, to her horror, both men pressed her into the mattress. Ozy was riding Asmodeus, who was back to penetrating deeply inside of her. Wanda tried to scream, and Asmodeus suffocated her.
Panic hit her, along with whatever had coated the knife. Mind-numbing fear eradicated all logic and common sense. Images danced in her mind of Cosmo laughing at her pain and inviting others to watch. The images escalated, altering from him being an observer to joining in. She couldn’t tell which was real anymore.
Hot liquid burst inside of her, and Asmodeus moaned when he finished. To add insult to injury, he shoved her wand into her wounds and then tore what had already been swollen and bleeding further. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, and she was only alive by her own wretched magic.
”Let me die…” she whispered.
Death had to be preferable to this hell on earth. Death couldn’t possibly be this agonizing. Maybe when she died, she’d finally have peace.
The thunder crackled so loudly that it sounded like it was right on top of her. More hot liquid spurted, this time on her back, and then someone flipped her over. She heard a whistle, too, but she was lost. Phantoms danced before her eyes, and they were all erect and about to pounce. Someone grabbed her throat and squeezed until what little breath she could gather was gone.
Then, they released her, so she gulped down air greedily. She wanted to double over and curl into a tight ball. Laughter followed her efforts, and then the whip fell again across her breasts and belly. Her head lolled to the side, and she prayed for death harder than she had ever prayed for anything in her life.
The sweet release from this miserable existence…
Thunder boomed so loudly that she went deaf. If only she could go numb, too. Maybe someone would screw up and paralyze her temporarily. Then, she’d know she was being violated, but she wouldn’t be able to feel it.
”Cosmo, no!”
The name took a minute to push through her mental fog. Once it had settled, it didn’t clarify anything. Cosmo wasn’t here. He’d probably never be here.
“You are going to do more harm than good! Do I have to restrain you?”
Jorgen’s voice. At least, she thought it was. Maybe she was hallucinating. That’d be a welcome change of pace, to imagine help where none existed.
“Wanda!”
Cosmo’s voice was so desperate and anguished that it stole her breath away. She sobbed again, flitting in and out of consciousness because she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs. Just when she thought she might pass out, Asmodeus resuscitated her.
More hot liquid streamed onto her, and she couldn’t tell what it was. It might be semen; it might be blood. Hell, it might be urine, too. She wouldn’t put it past them. Her hair was now sodden, and someone ripping out more curls was lost in her agony. She couldn’t even narrow down what hurt when her body was being destroyed.
“You can’t! You know you can’t take him on!”
Timmy. He sounded hysterical. Wanda went limp on the bed; yes, she was definitely hallucinating. That was oddly reassuring. It drove away the pain briefly and left her in a pleasant haze.
”Oh, if he wants to come, let him in,” Asmodeus scoffed. “He can break what’s left.”
Wanda’s breath hitched with sobs. She felt disconnected from her body, as if the defiling was happening to someone somewhere else. It was safer that way.
“Wanda, listen to me!”
Was that her name? It sounded right. She drifted, unable to fall unconscious. It was too much to handle, even with magic sustaining her. What a cruel fate this was, to leave her on the brink of death but deny her release.
”Stop it, you idiot! She’s pregnant!”
Wanda’s lips twitched. Someone had finally noticed. The child was more important than her, anyway. They’d have to stop carving her up like a Thanksgiving turkey. At least, her stomach. Everything else was probably fair game.
”You are hereby ordered to cease and desist now, Cosmo Cosma! You cannot return to Earth-“
”I can’t let them-“ Cosmo’s voice was choked with sobs. “They’re going to kill her!”
“We won’t let her die,” a voice she didn’t recognize promised. Maybe she was imagining it, too. “But we’re not in a position to take them on yet.”
”If you wait any longer, she’ll bleed out,” Timmy snarled.
“No, she won’t,” Asmodeus said, yanking on her curls. “We’ll keep her around. Don’t worry, disgusting human. We wouldn’t want to lose our toy so soon.”
The thunder faded into nothingness, and what little faith she had likewise faded. Asmodeus finally let her pass out, and she descended gratefully into the abyss. Maybe she wouldn’t wake up again.
-------
She passed the next interminable period in a fog. When she regained consciousness, it was to the knowledge someone else was defiling her. Life was a never-ending onslaught of pain and suffering. She was covered in blood, semen, and other bodily fluids. Her head spun, and she doubted there was a part of her body that remained intact.
When the curse compelled her, she sucked or shifted accordingly. She had no idea how many people had attacked her. The best thing was to lie down and take it now. She couldn’t fight back; the geas wouldn’t allow it.
She knew she was only being kept alive as a fleshlight. She had no other worth.
Her past belonged to another fairy. This was her life. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve it, but she must’ve done something.
She let herself drift away again.
---------
Timmy was trembling so badly that he’d accidentally bitten his lips and tongue. The Council had sedated and subdued Cosmo; they’d sent him to the psych ward. Chloe rocked Timmy back and forth; he was vaguely aware of her. He hadn’t seen into the window Cosmo had created, trying to rupture the barrier between worlds, but he’d heard her screaming and the bones breaking.
After he’d vomited, he’d been dazed. His godparents were either insane or nearly dead. As for his biological parents, he had no idea. Now wasn’t the time to ask.
Magdalene and Tootie hadn’t stopped Wanda’s assailants. His heart shattered. It felt like Fairy World would never step in and help. They were doomed to this cycle of violence.
Then something within him sharpened, determined. He stopped crying and looked Chloe in the eyes.
”We need to find the magic muffin,” he said. She stared blankly.
”Um, what? What magic muffin, Timmy?”
Timmy straightened up and gently pushed her away. “When I celebrated my first fairy-versary of having Cosmo and Wanda-“
Saying their names brought a hard lump to his throat, and he forced himself to continue.
”Fairy World gave me a rule-free magic muffin. If the Council won’t save Wanda, then I will,” he said. He gritted his teeth. “It has to be more powerful than the Unseelie Court and Asmodeus. I can’t let this go on. Cosmo’s insane…and Wanda…”
He shook his head. Wanda was in agony.
”The magic muffin is one of the most powerful objects in this universe, if not the most. I’m going to track down the ingredients and bake it,” he promised. “Asmodeus and the Unseelie Court are toying with us now. They’ve turned Wanda into their plaything. And I-“
He gulped. “I’m not letting this go on. Not if I can stop it.”
Chloe stared. They were in Cosmo and Wanda’s house, in a replica of his bedroom at home. He jumped up from the bed.
”Are you with me?”
”Yes, of course,” she said. “But how do we find the ingredients? Or the recipe?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m going to find out.”
-----------
Wanda returned to herself to find her injuries healed, her clothes restored, and her head in someone’s lap. For a second, she froze, fearing the worst. Then she realized that someone was stroking her hair soothingly. Wanda opened her eyes and looked up. Tootie was crying quietly.
“You’re awake,” Magdalene said. She was wearing a different outfit than the last time Wanda had seen her, and Wanda wondered if time had passed since she’d fainted.
“What’s going on?” Wanda said and then sighed. “I’m still alive.”
Words couldn’t express the disappointment. Tootie grabbed her and stroked her hair rather aggressively.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” she whispered, squeezing her.
“I’m not,” Wanda muttered, wincing when Tootie flinched. It was the truth.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get in here earlier,” Magdalene said, scowling. “Asmodeus barricaded the door for a day while he got a healer in there to ensure he hadn’t accidentally given you a miscarriage.”
Tootie looked away, pale. “You almost bled out. You were dancing on a knife’s edge for a while.”
When she fell silent, Magdalene took up the conversation. “Fairy World is rioting. Cosmo lost his mind…and told everyone what he’d seen in that small window he’d created. Big Daddy had to be imprisoned before he killed someone.”
“Oh,” Wanda said softly, looking away, too. She didn’t believe it. “That’s nice, hon.”
“The Council is down a member,” Magdalene continued, and Wanda snorted. Asmodeus had told the truth--he’d killed someone, then. She wished she could care. Though her body had healed, her spirit remained broken. She was too numb to cry.
Tootie resumed stroking Wanda’s hair. Wanda found it oddly calming. It’d been so long since anyone had touched her with genuine affection and not because they’d intended to harm her.
“How long was I unconscious for?” Wanda said though she wasn’t sure she cared or that it mattered.
“Three days,” Magdalene said quietly. “We also, uh, have another problem.”
Wanda snorted. “Join the club, hon. This place is nothing but problems.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I meant…” Magdalene said, wincing. “Timmy stole Cosmo’s wand, found Poof, and…well…they’re here. In the hotel.”
“What?!” Wanda yelped. Deep within her numbness, something cracked the frozen lake of her emotions. Panic swept in. “They shouldn’t be here! Asmodeus will kill them! He’ll throw Timmy to Lorenzo and Poof…Poof…”
She couldn’t choke it out. Instead, she shook her head as tears flew off her cheeks.
“The Council repaired the damage after they left Fairy World,” Magdalene said gently. “They can’t return until the Council removes the barrier entirely. We’ve been able to keep them out of trouble, but…”
“But?” Wanda said urgently. “Where are they now?”
“That’s the thing,” Tootie said, grimacing. She raised her wand, and the suite door opened. Timmy and Poof were on the other side. Wanda’s stomach somersaulted.
“Wanda!” Timmy cried as Poof cried, “Mama!”
“Oh, no, no,” Wanda said, horrified. “None of you should be here. You need to figure out how to leave. Now.”
“Did you know there are ingredients on Earth for a magic muffin? That it’s actually easier to find on Earth than in Fairy World? They’ve been playing keep away because the Council discovered that Chloe and I were trying to prepare one.”
The non-sequitur blindsided her. Her jaw dropped.
“I’m sorry, what?” she managed weakly. Please don’t tell me Chloe is here, too. How many children are in danger?
Timmy flung himself onto the bed and pushed Tootie away so he could cradle Wanda. Tootie huffed, though she resumed caressing Wanda’s curls a little further away. Poof landed in Wanda’s lap. Wanda’s mind blanked out. She couldn’t process any of this.
The last thing she remembered was being whipped, raped, and poisoned as someone stabbed her. Cosmo had screamed for her.
“I’m sorry…” Timmy whispered. “I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry we didn’t bring you to Fairy World when you needed us to. I’m so, so sorry.”
Wanda didn’t have enough emotional capacity to mollify him. She was utterly spent; while she knew the right thing to do would be to reassure him, she couldn’t. Instead, she shook her head.
Timmy squeezed her. She felt like her body belonged to someone else; reality was hazy.
“I love you,” Timmy whispered. “I love you so much, Wanda.”
“I love you, too, sport,” she said, but it was by rote. She didn’t feel anything.
Timmy and Tootie exchanged a look that Wanda couldn’t interpret. Wanda was unaware they’d started working together. It ought to surprise her, but nothing did now.
“You need to get going,” Tootie said. “If Asmodeus finds us here, we’ll probably survive relatively intact. You know what Lorenzo wants to do to you, Timmy. And Poof…”
“I can handle him!” Poof said.
“No, you can’t,” Magdalene, Timmy, Tootie, and Wanda said simultaneously.
“Fine,” Poof huffed. He kissed Wanda on the cheek. “I love you, Mama. We’ll be back, I promise.”
Wanda nodded. “I love you, too.”
Poof’s jaw dropped, and she was confused. Hurt flashed in his eyes, and she wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong.
“She said it the same way she did with me,” Timmy said, stunned. “Like she doesn’t mean it.”
“You love us, right, Mom?” Poof pressed.
“I love you,” she repeated in a monotone. Tears welled in Poof’s eyes, and he stubbornly wiped them away.
“We’re going to fix this,” Timmy said fiercely. “Just you wait and see.”
He and Poof vanished in a purple fairy dust cloud, and she sighed. It was hard to have faith in anyone. They didn’t belong here. Wherever they were holing up, she hoped it was far from Asmodeus and the Unseelie Court.
Magdalene forced Wanda to make eye contact. Whatever she saw made her hiss.
“I don’t think we have time to wait for them to make the muffin,” Magdalene said, shaking her head. “The emptiness in her eyes scares me. It feels all too familiar.”
“Maybe one of us should stay with her?” Tootie suggested. “So she’s not alone.”
Wanda smiled humorlessly. “I’m always alone, hon. It’s too dangerous for you to linger.”
Magdalene frowned. “Normally, I’d agree that the peril is too great. But Tootie’s right. It’s not safe for you to be alone with your thoughts. Or weapons.”
Wanda snorted. “If I had any weapons, don’t you think I’d have used them by now?”
Tootie’s lower lip quivered, and she flung her arms around Wanda. Tootie rocked the fairy back and forth, and Wanda sighed. She ought to be comforting the child, not the other way around.
“I love you,” Tootie whispered. “Don’t forget that there are people who love and care about you. Cosmo went insane because he can’t reach you.”
At his name, Wanda recalled the thunder she’d heard. She held her hand out for Tootie’s wand, which the young girl handed over without question. Tootie glanced at her quizzically.
Squeezing it, Wanda tried to break through the Fairy World/Earth barrier. She wasn’t trying to leave the hotel, so it might work. Her heart pounded between her ribs. Cosmo had done it once. Perhaps it could be replicated.
She saw a padded room in Fairy World, and Cosmo was wrapped in a straitjacket. He glanced up when the window materialized.
“Wanda!” he cried. The exuberance brought tears to her eyes. “Wanda, you’re okay!”
“I’m as far from okay as physically possible, sugar,” she whispered. She wanted to fling herself at him, and the yearning was so powerful that it stole her breath away. Tears welled in her eyes, though she still couldn’t feel her depression in its entirety. Her lower lip trembled.
“I’m glad you’re all right,” she said.
Cosmo glowed green, and Magdalene’s jaw dropped.
“What’s he doing?” Tootie said.
“Cosmo can do magic without his wand,” Magdalene said quietly. “He’s one of the few fairies who can. Please don’t tell me you’re doing what I think you are, Cosmo.”
The green glow blinded them, and thunder accompanied it. Cosmo pressed against the magical window and strained toward Wanda. Wanda reached back instinctively, brushing her fingers against his cheek. She rose, squeezing the wand, and their lips touched. A little more…just a little more magic…
She could almost feel his arms around her.
“I love you!” Cosmo cried, and a spell blew them apart. Wanda landed backward on the bed, and Cosmo vanished. The window closed, and Wanda’s breath caught painfully. She’d been so close.
“I love you, too, sugar,” she whispered despondently. Her breath hitched with sobs. Tootie wrapped her arms around Wanda, and Wanda clenched her eyes shut. Shaking with suppressed sobs, Wanda gritted her teeth.
“Cosmo…” Wanda whimpered. She would’ve felt more alone if it weren’t for Magdalene and Tootie. She wasn’t strong enough to push them away again. Magdalene was right--it wasn’t safe for Wanda to be alone.
Wanda hugged Tootie back.
The Council needed to get its shit together. Rioting would hopefully work out in her favor, but Wanda wasn’t holding her breath.
---------------------
Cosmo collapsed against the padded wall. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Wanda looked worse than she had three days ago; he hadn’t thought that was possible. He’d been gutted when she broke the connection before, and her appearance only compounded it. She looked deathly pale, and except for her stomach and chest, she was wraithlike. She was going to die if the Council didn’t do something.
Cosmo banged his head in frustration. Didn’t anyone understand how urgent this was? He was almost glad to be in a straitjacket because he could hug himself. Once they rescued Wanda (if they did, which they would because he couldn’t bear to think of the alternative), he’d never release her again. His heart thudded.
He extended his mental senses with their link. As before, he couldn’t feel anything from Earth. He couldn’t forget how heartbroken she’d sounded and looked. She hadn’t told him she loved him back before the Council destroyed the window onto Earth.
Focusing his magic on their link more intently than before, he strained toward Wanda. It was useless. Nothing was getting in or out of Fairy World.
He dissolved into hysterical sobs, and though he wouldn’t admit it, even to himself, he feared that might be the last time he saw her alive.
--------------------
Ultimately, Magdalene was the only one who could stay without risking herself. Tootie was untrained and unable to shapeshift yet. Moreover, Magdalene had much more experience remaining undercover--centuries’ worth. Perhaps Asmodeus had thought he’d damaged his “consort” enough because he left Wanda alone the whole day.
To Magdalene’s horror, prying anything out of Wanda was like trying to draw blood from a stone. She barely spoke. Magdalene knew Wanda had complex PTSD; it must’ve been the first time in months that anyone sympathetic was willing to listen to her. Unfortunately, Wanda didn’t trust anyone anymore.
After Tootie left, Wanda flopped onto her back and stared listlessly at the ceiling. Magdalene wasn’t sure if Wanda would be amenable to physical contact, so she shapeshifted into a pillow if Wanda wanted to hold her. After a moment, Wanda rolled onto her side, grabbed Magdalene, and clutched her tightly.
“I wish I were dead,” Wanda whispered. She didn’t cry. Instead, she lapsed into silence again. Magdalene was simultaneously horrified and sympathetic. She knew how Wanda felt, to a degree. Magdalene had never endured anything quite like this. All she could do was be there for her, and she hoped Wanda might eventually open up.
Wanda curled into a ball around Magdalene the pillow. Time lapsed, and Wanda remained silent. Magdalene didn’t know how to reach her. Any attempt to connect their situations felt pithy and insufficient. Nothing could eclipse the sheer magnitude of Wanda’s trauma.
After what felt like an eternity, Wanda murmured, “Asmodeus turns off the mic when he’s not in the room. We can talk; he won’t notice.”
Magdalene sagged with relief. She’d been afraid Wanda was staying mum for fear of being caught, among other reasons.
“I know you’re not okay,” Magdalene said. “But do you want to talk?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Wanda said listlessly. Magdalene glanced around and noticed the camera shot didn’t include the TV. She squeezed her wand, and the TV turned on. If she did this right, and the Council was too busy suppressing the riots to notice any further breaks in the ward…
A reporter appeared on screen with Fairy World in the background. Wanda sat up; Magdalene suppressed a smile. Good; she’d gotten her attention.
“I’m here in front of Fairy World City Hall while the Council tries its best to put down the riots they helped to start,” the reporter said. She was a petite blonde woman with orange eyes and a pink suit. Her hair fell in waves around her cherubic face. Behind her were angry fairies screaming at the Council and Jorgen. The latter was trying to help keep the peace to no avail. The fairies were too enraged to listen.
“When can we see any action?” the reporter said, shoving her microphone underneath Jorgen’s large nose. Magdalene grimaced; she wouldn’t want to be that close to Jorgen von Strangle under any circumstances.
“Tomorrow,” Jorgen said. His face was haggard, and he looked exhausted. “We shall start the initiative tomorrow. Any more questions?”
His expression was forbidding, and he groaned when the reporter proceeded to pepper him with more questions than he could reasonably answer. Wanda’s gaze sharpened, and a liveliness materialized that Magdalene hadn’t seen since before the Unseelie Court ruined her life.
“Is he serious?” Wanda breathed.
“I doubt Jorgen would lie about something like that,” Magdalene chided gently.
As quickly as it had appeared, the excitement vanished. Wanda flopped back onto the bed.
“I’ll believe it when I see it, hon,” she muttered, burying her face in the pillow. “And no sooner.”
Magdalene sighed. Wanda was entitled to her pessimism; it wasn’t like Fairy World had done her any favors for the last four months.
The room lapsed into silence again.
“You can go, you know,” Wanda said quietly.
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Magdalene objected. “I thought we already established that.”
Wanda snorted. “It doesn’t matter either way. I’m trapped in this nightmare.”
“Maybe not for much longer,” Magdalene said hopefully.
“Maybe,” Wanda said doubtfully. “Or maybe I’ll die tomorrow.”
In an undertone, she added, “Wouldn’t that be wonderful.”
Magdalene’s stomach lurched. She was glad the children had left and tried not to cry. She wished she could do more for her; she felt useless. Inching along the bed, she rested beside Wanda in case the older fairy wanted to hold her.
She didn’t. Instead, Wanda resumed staring blankly at the ceiling. No matter what Magdalene tried, Wanda had stopped responding.