(no subject)

[soulfulsin]

Fandom: Fairly Oddparents
Canon or AU: AU of an AU
A/N: This needs a title. This is the third chapter now. I’ll come up with one later. XD

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Wanda had no idea how the Council expected her to explain anything when she couldn’t speak. Charades was the closest she could get, and pantomiming the past was unappealing. Moreover, it meant she’d have to detail her coping mechanisms and how Asmodeus had run roughshod over them. Being so open with fairies who had known her predicament and chose to ignore it for almost seven months repulsed her. She almost would have rather been stuck in the suite waiting for the inevitable. Almost.

Cosmo intertwined their fingers and brushed his lips against her cheek. She turned her head so their lips met, and he cradled the back of her head in his palms. Wanda sighed, hugging and then releasing him to face the Council. They sat around a large, rectangular table with a flatscreen TV on the wall behind them. There were more empty chairs than usual at the table, which either meant there were Council members absent or that they wanted Cosmo, Wanda, and Timmy to join them. Wanda’s eyes narrowed; after everything she’d endured, it was hard not to suspect foul play.

When Jorgen materialized, she relaxed slightly. Cosmo and Wanda floated above the chairs while Timmy sat directly beneath his godparents. Wanda trembled, thinking of how badly Asmodeus had wanted Timmy for Lorenzo. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed hard. She was beyond grateful that Timmy had been in Fairy World and safe from the anti-fairy’s depredations, but that didn’t mean she appreciated the Council hanging her out to dry.

“I must say, we’ve never had this type of situation before,” the head Councilor said. He rose and flung back his hood. His aquamarine eyes matched his thinning hair, and he looked like he’d seen too many terrible things to name. His face was lined, and the shadows beneath his eyes looked permanent. There was gray stubble on his chin.

The robe completed his coloration; he drooped when he floated, and she might’ve been more sympathetic if she didn’t blame him and his cronies for abandoning her. She reached out with her mental connection toward Cosmo, but it was as dead as it’d been when she’d been trapped in the hotel. Cosmo could transmit, but she could only receive. She tried not to let it bother her how isolated she was, even when she was supposedly “safe.”

The Councilor drifted closer, and she flinched, raising her wand unthinkingly.

“On a hair trigger, too, I see.”

Wanda scowled, folding her arms across her chest. Cosmo’s body language mirrored hers, which was comforting. When she glanced down, Timmy was mirroring her, too. Her scowl faded. Her boys were sticking up for her. Perhaps more so Timmy than Cosmo, but still.

Thankfully, Poof had returned to Spellementary, and Magdalene and Nathaniel were watching the twins. She wasn’t sure how well the twins could’ve conveyed her thoughts, and she didn’t want to endanger them by bringing them out in public if she could avoid it. If the Unseelie Court had mixed feelings about them due to her influence, Fairy World probably felt the same about Asmodeus’s potential influence on them.

Wanda shuddered. It was hard to stay still and let the counselor examine her without lashing out. She didn’t want to be caught off-guard again. Last night’s events flashed into her mind, and it took real effort to keep from attacking him. Beyond being caught unaware, she was terrified of being isolated and then left prey to her own dark thoughts.

“We’re not your enemies, Wanda Cosma, unless you’re ours,” the Councilor said, resuming his seat at the head of the table.

“She’s not,” Timmy snapped. He reached up and held her hand and Cosmo’s. Wanda smiled affectionately at him and then at Cosmo, who reciprocated. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. It was a struggle to remain fixed in the present.

“That’s for us to determine, not you,” the Councilor rejoined. Timmy glowered.

“I know Wanda,” he said. “Way better than you do, especially since you left her to rot for almost seven months.”

Wanda opened her mouth to chastise him and then remembered, as usual, that she couldn’t speak. She sighed, shaking her head. What was the point of being here to defend herself if she couldn’t even do that? She thought, too, of the rainbow bridge and the Lotus Hotel. Magdalene had been correct, even if Wanda hadn’t wanted to admit it. Wanda felt like her only purpose was what the hotel had made of her.

Cosmo was watching her closely; she turned her head. Sometimes, without their link, he had an uncanny ability to read her. Maybe it was because they’d been together for so long. She didn’t want him probing into her recent past.

“You also broke through the Fairy World barrier against explicit orders and dragged what could possibly be a spy into our midst,” the Councilor countered. Wanda gritted her teeth. Without the geas, she couldn’t be compelled to tell Asmodeus or the Council anything. However, that didn’t preclude passive spying, which might be possible if Asmodeus could still reach her mind. She wouldn’t put it past him.

“You were going to let her stay there and be tortured on a daily basis!” Timmy snapped. “She still can’t talk, and she was bleeding so badly when we found her that she could’ve bled out.”

Wanda grimaced, staring at the TV at eye level to avoid looking at the other fairies. Considering how many times she’d hoped and prayed to bleed out, it wasn’t like Timmy had stumbled upon a rarity. Her throat tightened, and she swiped at her cheeks. The Council were like the Unseelie Court--they were looking for an excuse to attack. The slightest hint that she might waver would be seized upon like a dog shaking a rat’s neck to break it. She shuddered, feeling cold on the inside.

“We had the situation well in hand,” another Councilmember snapped. “Sit down, Timmy Turner.”

“You treated my godmother like shit--” he started and found himself gagged. While Wanda would’ve reprimanded him for cursing, she agreed with the sentiment. She knew what he’d intended to say before being cut off. Timmy thought that Wanda owed them nothing. It sounded like Magdalene, Nathaniel, and Tootie had had to go behind the Council’s back to rescue her. She wasn’t ungrateful toward them. No, she reserved her enmity for the Council.

“Jorgen von Strangle has reminded us, yet again, that we cannot simply pull the information from your mind,” the second Councilor said. She was the same blonde-haired bitch Wanda had met earlier, and Wanda clenched her jaw tightly. That woman would’ve taken any excuse to fling her back into confinement. Guilty until proven innocent.

“After all that she has undergone, it is exceedingly inadvisable,” Jorgen snapped. “Especially if Asmodeus can do the same.”

“All the more reason to find out definitively instead of waiting on charades,” the woman scoffed. “She could’ve been brainwashed easily into joining her attacker. You don’t know what trauma bonds look like.”

Wanda was incensed. She had too many things she wanted to say--she would’ve rather died than willingly stay at the hotel. If the Council had wanted to prevent Wanda from “joining Asmodeus,” perhaps they should’ve taken steps to rescue her sooner. Or perhaps they should stop blaming the victim for the Council’s malfeasance.

“She has the right to give her consent,” Jorgen said, glowering.

“For once,” Cosmo said, startling Wanda. She raised her eyebrows.

“Just saying,” he said, shrugging. She wanted to smile, but her lips wouldn’t budge. Instead, she caressed his cheek.

I love you, too, hon.

“If she refuses, and she’s hiding something?” the Councilor retorted.

“We do not preemptively condemn our fairies as terrorists,” Jorgen snapped.

“We do if they’ve spent almost seven months with the enemy,” she countered.

Timmy growled, muffled behind the gag. Wanda’s fists balled. Her chest burned with fury; she was almost sick with it, and she tried to situate herself in the present. Her emotions were triggering a flashback, and the last thing she wanted was to suffer a flashback surrounded by fairies who couldn't be bothered to lift a wand to help.

Timmy slammed his fists on the table. He looked so frustrated on her behalf. She was touched; unfortunately, the past was reeling her in rapidly.

“We should celebrate your one-year anniversary of being here,” Asmodeus said. He was lying on his side beside her in bed with Ozymandias on her other side. The Unseelie king’s index finger circled her nipples, and Asmodeus laughed when Ozymandias bit her breast. She gasped and then squirmed when his fingers slid between her legs. Her heart hammered between her ribs. The sixth month had started, and unfortunately, she saw no sign of her captivity ending. Unless someone granted her a merciful death, she’d be trapped for another six months.

“I’m serious, Ozy,” Asmodeus said, though his fingers joined him in probing her. She gritted her teeth; she knew they wanted a rise out of her, and she was determined not to give in. Not while she could help it.

“How the fuck can you look at her without wanting to crush her into the mattress?” Ozy sneered. He laughed. “Look how far she’s fallen from the light. What’s the matter, little fairy? Did we break you?”

Wanda clenched her eyes shut. The taunts were worse than when they attacked her. At least then, there would be a clear beginning, middle, and end. It felt like she was in limbo, waiting for the next assault.

Asmodeus laughed. “We should send Fairy World those videos. You know the ones I mean.”

Wanda squirmed as Ozymandias continued fingering her. Ozy slapped her upside the head, and she stopped, but loathing burned within her. He spread her legs further and contemplated Asmodeus and then her with a lecherous look that sent chills down her spine. Begging was out of the question, but so was fighting back.

Death was too good for these two.

“She used to radiate light and goodness,” Asmodeus said. “She can't light up a bathroom stall now.”

They laughed maliciously. Wanda throttled her growing rage since there was nothing she could do.

“She hates us so much,” Asmodeus said. “Look at her glaring. But you love it. Don’t lie, you little slut. You love it when we dominate you. That’s all you’re good for, after all.”

Wanda wanted to snap at him. She wanted to say that she was a fairy godmother, not someone’s sexual conquest and that she used to be a damned good godmother, too, before they’d gotten their hands on her. Yet, even if she could’ve spoken, she wouldn’t have said any of it. She no longer believed in herself enough to assert her value. That was how they’d destroyed her, by tearing her apart piece by piece.

“I was watching her memories before,” Asmodeus said casually. He raised her wand, and her stomach flip-flopped. She had a sick feeling she knew what was coming, and she strained toward the wand to stop him. Asmodeus shuffled off the bed, and Ozymandias rolled onto her. She whimpered, but her gaze was hooked to the TV before her.

The blood drained from her face. This was her memory of when she and Cosmo had joined Timmy during summer vacation. The trio were laughing and talking; there was nothing special about the moment other than that it had made her feel loved today when nothing else had. Watching Asmodeus and Ozy sneer and mock it turned her stomach into knots, and tears slid unbidden down her cheeks when they criticized Cosmo and Timmy’s behavior. The Unseelie males thought Cosmo and Timmy should have “put her in her place.”

Her mind was supposed to be sacred, a place where she could take refuge from the monsters surrounding her. Now, it wasn’t even that.

“Ah, wait, I have a better one,” Asmodeus said, waving the wand. The bottom dropped out of her stomach--it was after they were making up from an argument. Wanda screamed in her mind to shut the TV off and then screamed aloud when Ozy thrust into her.

“Much better,” Asmodeus said. “Oh, look how tender they are with each other. Doesn’t it make you sick?”

Wanda clenched her jaw so tightly that she felt her teeth grind. Ozy dragged her up so that her legs dangled over his shoulders while he raped her. Wanda could barely breathe; she was trying to cry silently, especially since the geas compelled her to watch herself and Cosmo together.

She wanted to plead for Asmodeus and Ozy to stop, especially when they suggested ways Cosmo could’ve “used her properly.” Asmodeus waved the wand again, altering the memory to match Ozy’s critiques, and Wanda detached from reality. Cosmo would never hurt her like that, but seeing it and then feeling Ozy and Asmodeus work on her was destroying what little grip she had on her sanity.

Ozy hilted himself in her; to her horror, Asmodeus was prepping to take him from behind. She didn’t know which was worse--the present or the altered past. Whenever they made her part of their threesome, she invariably wound up crushed and with broken bones.

“Cosmo…” she gasped. “Please…someone, anyone…help…”

But she was only mouthing the words. She had no power, and they knew it. She braced herself for more pain.

Her assailants laughed at her futile efforts to protect herself.

“Stop!” she screamed, and the flashback shattered.

Gasping, drenched in cold sweat, she curled into herself in midair and shuddered uncontrollably. Her hair was limp and wet against the nape of her neck. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she squeezed her wand to verify it was real. She wasn't trapped in the hotel.

“She broke herself out of the flashback,” the Councilor said, sounding impressed. “And spoke.”

Wanda had no recollection of that. She gulped down air, and Cosmo tackled and hugged her. He smoothed her hair back, and their eyes met. Tears trickled down his cheeks. Confused, she cocked her head at him.

“You said my name,” Cosmo breathed. He winced. “You were begging for help.”

She nodded, clinging to him, and then brushed her lips against his. The flashback had rattled her, and it reminded her that if Asmodeus could read her thoughts, nowhere was safe. She choked on sobs, and Cosmo squeezed the breath out of her. She didn’t care. He was solid and real, and he wanted her for her. Not for what she could do for him.

“Interesting,” the Councilor said again. “It looks like, without the geas, shock might be able to restore her. I wonder how much of that block is mental and how much is magical.”

Wanda raised her wand and removed Timmy’s gag. She didn’t know if the Council had witnessed her flashback, too, but she wouldn’t put it past them. She was offended by what the Councilwoman had said, and if Wanda could subvert her will, she would.

“Maybe that’s why we can’t remove it with a wish,” Timmy said, scowling. “Some of it is dark magic.”

“The rest may be interwoven with her emotional trauma,” the Councilor mused. Wanda growled; she felt like a lab rat and didn’t appreciate it. She’d been experimented on enough, thanks.

“Whose fault is that?” Timmy countered. He glanced at Wanda. “What happened?”

“It was a flashback,” Cosmo answered. “A bad one.”

She smiled weakly. Quietly, almost inaudible, Wanda added, “They’re all bad, hon. Pick your poison.”

“I love you,” he murmured, and she thumbed his cheek. Their lips brushed; she feared her voice was failing again, so she whispered in his mind, ((I love you, too, hon. Thanks for sticking by me.))

“Why would I leave?” Cosmo said, sounding quizzical. “I love you, and I would never hurt you.”

Her stomach clenched; she saw, briefly, the TV version of Cosmo blasting her with his wand into submission. Shuddering, she impressed the real one into her mind.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she nodded. Cosmo stroked her hair and twirled her curls around his finger. Love for him overwhelmed her, and she pushed it toward him in their link. She didn’t know whether it worked or not, but she hoped it had.

“Unfortunately,” the blonde Councilor said. “We still don’t have an answer.”

“You’re kidding me,” Timmy growled. “After everything she went through, why the fu--why would she join the enemy?”

Wanda smiled and mouthed “thank you” at Timmy for catching himself in time. He smiled back and mouthed, “You’re welcome.” She pulled him into a hug, too.

“She wouldn’t,” Jorgen said flatly.

“What videos?” Cosmo said, startling Timmy and the others, but she knew what Cosmo was talking about. It didn’t surprise her that he’d gotten hung up on it. The videos featured prominently in the hotel.

Sighing, she raised her wand and pointed it at the TV. What looked like a DVD home screen menu appeared featuring clips of her worst moments. “The Lotus Hotel” was stamped at the bottom of the menu, along with “An Asmo and Ozy production.” She clamped her jaw shut on a whimper.

“They filmed you?!” Jorgen snapped, and she nodded. She felt weary beyond all measure; for once, she felt her age.

Jorgen glowered at the Council. “That may be the best place to start. The ‘highlight reel.’”

He winced when he repeated it, and she smiled bitterly. She knew the feeling. Watching it couldn’t be as bad as living it, but it might be the next closest thing.

“We shall reconvene this afternoon,” the first Councilor said, regaining the floor. He squeezed his wand and returned them to their house.

Once there, Wanda considered poofing somewhere to be alone. However, she was reluctant to release Cosmo or Timmy.

“You’re okay,” Cosmo breathed into her hair. “You’re okay.”

Wanda snorted softly. She wasn’t, but she appreciated the sentiment. For now, it looked like that was all she had.

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Asmodeus had briefly lost track of Wanda when she’d returned to Fairy World, but with the barrier down, he could sense her, albeit weakly. He thought it was hilarious that he could sense her at all because it meant Fairy World hadn’t been able to remove the curse, either. The geas was almost certainly gone, but the curse over her speech remained intact.

Even if she and Cosmo had reunited, she was trapped within her mind. Asmodeus had a spare Fairy World wand and could jump to Fairy World with a fairy glamor. He wasn’t stupid enough to appear in his normal visage. The Council would swoop down on him in an instant.

Once he’d created a suitable disguise, he used the glamor to obscure his dark magic. The Council would have gone on high alert if they caught wind of anything amiss.

It helped that he’d prodded the captive godparents into joining him in Fairy World as camouflage. Once he’d left them, their curses intact to prevent them from blabbing, Asmodeus sought out Wanda. It was easier to find her once the distance was reduced.

He shrank himself to normal Seelie fairy height and floated, which felt odd. He wasn’t used to his feet not touching the ground or to being so much shorter. The cloak concealed his lack of wings, and the glamor fabricated a crown.

He wasn’t surprised Cosmo hadn’t rescued Wanda; in his position, Asmodeus would have left her. She was damaged goods. No one wanted sloppy seconds.

What irritated him was that Timmy had rescued her, along with two fairies he didn’t recognize; a halfling and a changeling. The children would be easily disposed of-the halfling, in particular, would break Wanda further. Asmodeus recognized Tootie from Wanda’s memories; the two had a kinship of sorts.

Between his link to Wanda and the nearby houses’ designs, ascertaining Wanda's location wasn’t too difficult. He marked it for later. While he yearned to reclaim her and undo whatever healing might have been done in the past day and a half, he needed more intel. Wanda wouldn’t know anything useful if it’d happened during her captivity.

He could also sense Cosmo because Asmodeus had hijacked her link to him to break into Wanda’s mind. He’d been corrupting her Bond slowly, enough to deteriorate her half to Cosmo.

Ducking behind a shed, he frowned. Wanda knew that Asmodeus could scan her mind and pluck her memories out easily, not to mention detecting his presence. Cosmo might be able to, too. He doubted Cosmo knew what was happening, but he might become suspicious.

Unfortunately, unless Asmodeus undid the spell, Cosmo would remain that way. There was nothing Asmodeus could do-glamor couldn’t conceal material things like it did superficial appearances. Glamor was nothing more than throwing on a facade.

Cosmo and Wanda’s house in Fairy World was painted pink and green, which prompted Asmodeus to roll his eyes. It seemed most fairies in Fairy World painted their houses with their associated colors. Asmodeus couldn’t wait to torch the Seelie Court and enslave the women. He’d also have to locate Ansel and Amalia and torture them for betraying him. Disinheriting them wasn’t enough. They would be publicly executed as befitted traitors.

As badly as he wanted to break into Wanda’s house and reclaim her, he knew it would jeopardize his whole plan. Instead, he sent her a memory of their time together as a reminder that escape was only temporary.

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It’d been nothing short of a miracle that Cosmo hadn’t lost his mind while Wanda was trapped on Earth. If Timmy hadn’t wished for Cosmo to remain stable, then it would’ve been disastrous. Cosmo told Wanda about this, as well as what she’d missed in Fairy World. It took him five minutes to realize that Wanda wasn’t paying attention.

Timmy was playing a video game on the couch with the twins cheering him on; Cosmo and Wanda were cuddling on a loveseat when Wanda flinched and poofed away. There was a haunted look in her eyes, and she produced those black-sleeve gloves Cosmo hated. Without warning, she vanished into thin air.

That alone would’ve been enough to send him into a panic. When he felt someone else in his mind, an alien presence that felt malicious and cruel, he froze. Cosmo and Wanda shared thoughts and feelings. Blonda and Wanda did, too, due to twin telepathy, but not to the same extent. However, to Cosmo’s limited knowledge, there was no such thing as a threesome Bonded link. Moreover, Wanda would never have attempted to Bond with anyone else, especially someone like that.

Confused and frightened, Cosmo was torn between pursuing Wanda and figuring out how someone had injected themselves into their Bond. He didn’t know what to do. It felt like the first few hours after they’d lost Wanda when he thought he’d go insane without her. He’d begged and pleaded with the Council to rescind the barrier. When that failed, he tried to demolish it.

Only Timmy’s wish had saved him then.

Timmy wasn’t paying attention to him now, and Cosmo was frantic with worry. He pursued Wanda; the strangeness could wait.

To his surprise, he found her at the diner where they’d met. It had closed a few years ago, and nothing had opened in its stead. Wanda sat on the top step by the diner’s entrance and sobbed, rocking back and forth in a ball. Cosmo settled beside her; she was unaware of him.

He drew her into his arms, and she pushed against his chest. His heart pounded, and he kissed her cheek. The tension drained from her, and she slumped against him. Unfortunately, she was still sobbing hysterically. Her tears induced his, and soon, they were both basket cases.

After giving himself a headache and dripping snot everywhere, he finally calmed down. He cleaned himself and Wanda up. Wanda glanced into his eyes, and she cupped his cheek in her palm.

“Did you have another flashback?” Cosmo asked. She nodded and hugged him back. It was odd, but he thought he could hear her thoughts, albeit faintly.

((...I love you…)) she whispered.

“I was so worried when you poofed off,” he said. “Especially because you had that vacant look in your eyes.

“And then, it was really weird, but it kinda felt like someone else was in our link. They’d shoved their way in, but that’s impossible.”

Wanda froze and shook her head. She was trembling and blanched. This time, her mental whisper was so quiet that he thought he’d imagined it.

((Asmodeus…))

“What?” he said. “What’s Asmodeus got to do with anything?”

She blinked. ((You can hear me?))

“I could be imagining your voice,” Cosmo said, and she jabbed him in the ribs. Though he could feel her anxiety, she was smiling. She stroked Cosmo’s cheek and then kissed him on the lips. He reciprocated, pouring all of his affection and concern into it. She shifted to straddle him in response, and they made out, chest to chest.

When they broke apart for air, she whispered, ((Yes. Asmodeus. The Council was right, unfortunately.))

“About what?” he said.

((He has a mental link to me, and, it appears, to you as well.))

Cosmo cringed. “I don’t want him in my head!”

((Me neither, sugar,)) she said. It was difficult to hear her over the blood pounding in his head. Blood was also rushing elsewhere, which he was trying to ignore. He was terrified of scaring her off; if anything, however, she pressed against him tighter.

“You’re mine, not his,” Cosmo snapped. He shifted to bite her neck. When he’d broken the skin, he sucked on it, and she moaned. He traced along the outline of her wing, and both wings fluttered as the color rose to her face. They kissed again, and she deepened the kiss. He hoped he was reading her right.

There was the equivalent of a mental thunderclap in his mind, and they jerked apart. Wanda gasped, her eyes darting every which way.

((It’s Asmodeus,)) she said, and her voice was weakening again. ((He’s here. In Fairy World.))

“That’s impossible, right?” he said, and she shook her head. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

((He’s here,)) she repeated, barely audible. ((And he’s trying to destroy us.))

“We’re not going to let that happen, right?”

Her sad smile stabbed him like a dagger to the heart. She buried her hands in his hair.

((Oh, sweetie,)) she said. ((We may not have a choice.))

“Can’t we go back to making out? And forget all about him?” Cosmo protested.

She shook her head. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she burst into silent sobs. Pressing her face into his neck, she wept uncontrollably.

“I love you,” he said, feeling utterly useless. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.”

She looked up at him, and their eyes met. He swiped his tongue at her lips, and she opened them for him.

((I sure hope so,)) she whispered. Or maybe he’d only pictured her saying it.

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“Where did you guys go?” Timmy asked. He’d contorted himself on the couch so that he was half-on, half-off, and his legs dangled. He was slightly embarrassed that the only reason he’d noticed their absence was because he was stuck in an unskippable cutscene.

“To the diner where we met,” Cosmo said, and Timmy frowned, tearing his gaze away from the TV.

“Okay…why?”

“Because Wanda had a flashback, and she thinks Asmodeus is here. In Fairy World.”

Timmy fell off the couch. The twins shook their rattles and brought him back to a sitting position. He smiled weakly at them. “Thanks, guys.”

He stared at his godparents. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way Asmodeus could be here.”

”That’s what I said,” Cosmo said. Wanda frowned, rubbing her arms. She looked uneasy, and he was waiting for an explanation until he remembered that she couldn’t speak. Still, she must’ve said something to Cosmo or he wouldn’t have known what she was thinking about.

“Are you sure?” Timmy said. Wanda glared and nodded, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.

“How do you know?” he pressed, and her glare intensified. He winced, feeling sheepish. Trying to cover up, he added, “How did you tell Cosmo?”

”Telepathy,” Cosmo said. “It was working until it wasn’t.”

Timmy groaned, facepalming. “Convenient.”

Wanda glared at Timy. Uncomfortable with her sharp look, he looked at Cosmo. He could still feel Wanda’s ire prodding him, even when he wasn’t making eye contact.

“I mean, it’s only been a day,” Timmy said, appealing to Cosmo. “Maybe it’s a residual effect. Like, she’s freaking out over nothing.”

Wanda bared her teeth and grabbed Timmy by the collar. Not being able to communicate must’ve been tremendously frustrating. He was glad he couldn’t hear her in his mind the way Cosmo could. She was beyond pissed. Maybe he shouldn’t discount her response, but it had only been a short while. Maybe she was…

Timmy trailed off, afraid to think about it. It felt like Wanda could read his thoughts, and he shuddered, hoping that wasn’t the case.

Cosmo shook his head. “I dunno. I can feel something wrong in our link, which shouldn’t be there.”

Wanda released Timmy and raised her eyebrows.

“I was too distracted to notice before,” Cosmo admitted, embarrassed.

Timmy didn’t want to know what was going on. After last night’s discussion of “the wands and the wings,” he never wanted to think about that with his godparents or parents again. Besides, Wanda was normally the stable, clear-headed one. If she said something was wrong, and Cosmo corroborated it, then she must be right.

“What do we do? Tell the Council?” Timmy said and then scowled. It wasn’t like the Council had been any help in the past year.

Wanda shook her head, and Cosmo interpreted her gaze. Not that there was much to interpret--she was livid.

“I don’t think so,” Cosmo said, wincing. “They don’t trust us. And by ‘us,’ I mean Wanda.”

“You were the one who kept trying to poof to Earth,” Timmy reminded him. “Especially when you could feel what was happening with her.”

Wanda paled, shaking her head. Cosmo wrapped an arm around her waist, and she pushed him away. Her gaze was downcast; perhaps she hadn’t wanted Cosmo to know anything. She might’ve been trying to protect him.

“We could tell Jorgen?” Timmy suggested. “He might actually listen.”

Wanda shook her head again and hugged herself. She looked in danger of slipping away, which made Timmy’s throat tighten. Worried, Timmy glanced at the twins, who were floating around their mother’s head.

“Don’t be sad, Mama,” they chorused. “We help!”

“Huh?” Timmy said. “What are they talking about?”

He stared at the babies; like Leander, they had a hint of green in their eyes and hair-the same shade as Cosmo’s hair and eyes. Timmy didn’t know what it meant, and he wasn’t about to ask. Wanda might know, but judging by her pained expression, she wouldn’t tell even if she could.

Timmy hated this. Wanda was supposed to be kind, compassionate, and loving. She wasn’t supposed to be this tortured shell of a fairy. Try as he might, he couldn’t wish everything back to normal. He couldn’t wish her trauma away or undo the last almost seven months. He glowered at the twins; they made a convenient target for his resentment and frustration.

“If you’re going to help, then help!” he snapped.

The twins’ lower lips quivered, and Timmy groaned. He’d forgotten how sensitive Poof had been to anger. The twins were four months old, as far as he knew. (Leander was less than a month.) They’d probably been exposed to enough hostility in their young lives, assuming they hadn’t internalized Wanda’s trauma, too.

“Don’t yell at them,” Cosmo scolded.

“I know, I know; they didn’t do anything,” Timmy said, grimacing. “Sorry. It’s just frustrating.”

Wanda raised her eyebrows as if to say, “How do you think I feel?” The counselor had suggested that Wanda’s mutism might be partially psychosomatic. Given her current mood, Timmy doubted it was safe to broach that subject. Or any subject she disliked. She seemed a lot moodier since she’d returned from Earth.

Trauma would do that to a person, he supposed.

That reminded him. He glanced at his cell phone and grimaced. Depending on when the Council reconvened, they might end up returning to the chambers soon. There was no guarantee that they’d take Cosmo seriously. It wasn’t like Cosmo was the most competent fairy. Plus, Wanda was, well…he grimaced. He wasn’t over the idea that she might be able to read his mind.

The twins frowned, shaking their rattles. The rattles were ridiculously oversized in their tiny hands.

An image materialized in thin air--Asmodeus and then not him, like a holographic image flickering between the two. The second image showed him wearing a disguise; Wanda flinched when she saw Asmodeus. Her anger had faded, but somehow, the terror in her eyes was worse. Asmodeus wasn’t physically present, and he could still petrify her. Timmy’s stomach somersaulted.

“Will the Council believe that?” Timmy said, frowning.

Cosmo shrugged, and Wanda shook her head. Timmy detested Asmodeus for the hold he had over Wanda, even now.

“What if we knocked him out and brought him to the Council? They’d have to believe us then,” Timmy suggested. Wanda shook her head so hard that it must’ve given her a headache.

“Wanda told me he’s as strong as a Council member,” Cosmo said.

Not to mention, Timmy couldn’t see Wanda as being of much use against Asmodeus, especially if she had to protect the twins and Timmy on top of that.

“We’ll have to hope the Council believes us,” Cosmo said.

Wanda huffed, folding her arms across her chest. Her expression said: “Don’t count on it, hon.”

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

Juandissimo explained to Tootie what had happened in Fairy World before the barrier arose. Tootie knew that Cosmo and Timmy had had forewarning about Wanda’s predicament and hadn’t acted upon it. Juandissimo held them responsible for Wanda’s situation, and, as little as she wanted to agree with her estranged father, she thought he was right.

They sat in the library; Magdalene was nearby but not physically present. She’d opted to give her goddaughter privacy, though she warned Juandissimo that she wouldn’t wander too far. Tootie was impressed that Juandissimo had taken Magdalene’s ultimatum seriously.

“So…” Tootie said, her stomach twisting into knots thinking about Wanda and needing a subject change, “what attracted you to my mom?”

Juandissimo smiled. “Originally, it was because I had heard a fortune teller say that my fate was to share my next godchild in the same town as Wanda’s.”

He snorted and shook his head. “But that was not it.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Your mother has always been captivated by fairies, much like you,” he said, smiling gently. “This may be difficult to believe, but your mother was also an easy-going spirit before Vicky…became who she is.”

“Wait, Vicky wasn’t always a total pain in the ass?” Tootie said. That was news to her. Then again, getting her parents to tell her anything about their past was like pulling teeth.

“She was not,” Juandissimo said, and his expression darkened. “I do not know what caused her to change, but it was not long after your birth.

“Your parents did not have a happy marriage. They probably still do not, but it is hard to tell. Your father was…unpleasant to be around. Your mother was also besotted with fairy tales, and I was taken in by her charm.”

“You were in love with my mom?” Tootie said. She’d think it was cute if she wasn’t convinced Juandisimo was head over heels for Wanda. Or, at least, for the idea of Wanda.

“Not quite,” he said, wincing. “It was more of an infatuation. Also, though fairies have taken human lovers for millennia, it is heavily frowned upon in Fairy World. Half-fairies can be magically and mentally unstable, to say nothing of the age difference between a fairy and an adult human.”

Tootie nodded. That was why Magdalene and Nathaniel had been such a scandalous couple.

“I tried to linger when I learned she was embarazada, but it was difficult, between the Council coming down on me and Magdalene.”

“What does Magdalene have to do with anything?” Tootie said.

“She has been watching over you since before your birth, Tootie. You may not have noticed, but she is very protective over you.”

“I’ve noticed,” Tootie said, smiling ruefully.

“It has not been until recently that I have been able to convince both the Council and Magdalene that I have only good intentions toward you,” he said. Then, scowling, he added, “They believed that I wanted to get close to you as a ploy to hook Wanda.”

Tootie grimaced. “I can understand that.”

Juandissimo’s smile returned, and he nudged Tootie affectionately. “But I have not been able to be a true father, and I am sorry for that.”

“So far, you’re doing better than the guy I thought was my father,” Tootie muttered. “Though that isn’t saying very much.”

“Si, it is not,” Juandissimo said, shaking his head. “While we are trapped in Fairy World and battling the Unseelie Court, I thought this would be a good time to approach you.”

Tootie nodded. Juandissimo flexed several times, tearing and then reassembling his shirt. She rolled her eyes.

“Why did you and Wanda break up?”

“Cosmo,” Juandissimo said, sounding disgusted. “He does not deserve her, especially now.”

“But isn’t it her choice?” Tootie pointed out.

“She may need some convincing, si,” he replied, scowling. “But I do not give up easily.”

Tootie thought of how long Cosmo and Wanda had been married and snorted. “You can say that again.”

“She will see sense eventually,” Juandissimo said. “I am sure of it.”

“At least one of us is,” Tootie muttered.

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

To Wanda’s severe irritation, the Council had taken the same tack with her that Timmy had earlier. It was worse because they believed Cosmo wasn’t credible, and Wanda couldn’t explain the situation better. Infuriated, Wanda tried to storm off, but the Council prohibited it. Fuming, she concentrated on holding her temper before she exploded.

Or until she exploded, the latter of which was becoming more and more likely.

“We will act accordingly once we perceive a threat has arrived,” the head Councilman announced before dismissing them.

Maybe it was good that Wanda couldn’t speak. She wanted to curse them out a blue streak. When they returned to the house, Wanda paced in midair and tried to calm down. The Council had blown her off for nearly seven months during her captivity, and now they were doing it again when Asmodeus was in Fairy World. They kept throwing her under the bus, and despite promising to demolish the barrier between Earth and Fairy World, they hadn’t taken any further steps toward attacking the Unseelie Court. One step forward, two steps back.

Timmy and Cosmo had opted to leave the house to avoid her fury. The twins, meanwhile, had never seen their mother so worked up before. They wanted to pacify her, and she feared she might snap at them. They were only babies; they were trying to help. It stung that they could speak, and she couldn’t. Frustrated tears streaked her cheeks.

It was the first time she’d been alone without adult companionship since before her abduction. Gasping silent sobs, she flung herself into the stuffed pink easy chair and changed it to black. It was hard to tell which emotion was winning out--fury or despair.

She told herself that she was perfectly safe, but she didn’t believe it. The geas was absent, she had her wand, and she wasn’t defenseless. None of that made any difference. She was still close to panicking.

It was also difficult to swallow back the tidal wave of memories that threatened to drown her. Ghost fingers trailing along her body and violating her made her shudder, though she was fully clothed and behind locked doors with a magical ward protecting the house. Asmodeus and Ozymandias couldn’t enter without her permission. Only those she knew and trusted could enter.

Unfortunately, logic and fear do not work well together. She couldn’t out-logic her terror, and she didn’t think it was wise to try.

Someone knocked at the door, and she used her wand to check who it was. Tootie rocked back and forth on her heels; she had transported herself, which Wanda found impressive. Wanda opened the door, and Tootie bounded in, tackling Wanda in her chair. Despite the dread hanging over her like a dark cloud, Wanda smiled at Tootie’s enthusiasm and hugged her.

“How did it go with the Council?” Tootie asked, shifting to sit on Wanda’s lap. Wanda’s smile dropped, and she shook her head. Her left hand balled into a fist.

“That good, huh?”

Wanda scowled and nodded.

“Is there anything I can do?” Tootie said, and Wanda shook her head again. If Cosmo had no clout and he was a full-blooded adult fairy, Tootie had no hope whatsoever. Wanda appreciated the thought.

“Juandissimo came to talk to me!” Tootie blurted, and Wanda raised her eyebrows.

“He wants to be more active in my life! He said he was trying before, but that Magdalene was interfering. Can you believe that?”

Wanda snorted derisively. Magdalene had only been trying to protect Tootie from the inevitable heartache. He’d left a trail of broken hearts behind in the past. Wanda felt as Magdalene did--she didn’t want Tootie to grow too attached only to end up devastated.

“He…he doesn’t think Cosmo deserves you,” Tootie said when Wanda didn’t reciprocate her enthusiasm. “He blames Timmy and Cosmo for what happened. And the Council, too, but he thinks Cosmo could’ve prevented the whole thing if he’d listened to you and taken you seriously for once.”

Wanda’s throat tightened, and she nodded.

“You agree?” Tootie said, surprised.

Wanda shrugged. It was all water over the bridge now. There wasn’t anything they could do.

“Maybe you should give Juandissimo another try,” Tootie said shyly.

Wanda jerked her head sharply; she hoped Tootie understood the emphatic “no.” While she understood why Tootie wanted this, it wasn’t happening. Sometimes, Wanda wasn’t certain whether Tootie saw her as a mother-type figure or as something else. She’d probably want her “parents” together if it was the former.

Thinking about that reminded her of the twins, who were frowning and floating nearby. Tears burned Wanda’s eyes; gods, she hoped her children didn’t want that, too. Despite knowing she had no choice, she wanted nothing more to do with Asmodeus. If the Council wouldn’t listen to Cosmo, and they didn’t take her seriously, she’d have to handle it herself.

And face the consequences when she failed miserably.

“It must suck not being able to talk,” Tootie said after a brief silence. Wanda nodded, her lips twisting.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Wanda shrugged. She wasn’t sure there was anything anyone could do beyond forcing Asmodeus into removing the curse. The likelihood of that seemed slim and none.

“Where are Timmy and Cosmo?”

Wanda shrugged again. She didn’t know why people insisted on asking her open-ended questions.

That pervasive feeling of “wrongness” crept on her, and she gritted her teeth. Asmodeus was nearby, even if she couldn’t prove it. He was nearby, and he was thinking terrible things. Wanda gulped, hugging herself.

She hated this powerlessness. She felt like a coward, though she had a good reason to be fearful.

“If you want, I can stay a while,” Tootie said. “I’m not doing anything anyway.”

Wanda nodded. No one in Fairy World was doing anything except waiting for the inevitable, which was moving slower than molasses. She rested her head against the back of her chair and sighed.

“Mama?” Lily said. At least, Wanda thought it was Lily--she had pink and black hair. Matilda had purple and black hair.

Wanda nodded.

“We can help!” Lily said brightly and then pointed her rattle at Wanda’s throat. Matilda mirrored her, and they shook their rattles so hard that Wanda thought for a second that their rattles would break. Warmth blossomed in Wanda’s throat and then faded. It was like having a lozenge after a sore throat. The relief was immense but probably short-lived.

“What did they do?” Tootie asked.

“I don’t…” Wanda choked and cleared her throat. “I don’t know, hon, but it seems to be working.”

“They fixed you!” Tootie said, clapping her hands together.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” she warned. “It’s probably temporary.”

“But you can talk! That means you can plead your case to the Fairy World Council! They’ll have to listen now--they won’t be able to tell you that you’re wrong or mistaken because you were using Cosmo as a mouthpiece!”

A thin, cruel smile crossed Wanda’s lips.

“You’re right,” she said. Though her voice was quieter than normal, it was still audible. “They won’t. And I intend to give them a piece of my mind. Want to come?”

“Of course!” Tootie said, and Wanda beamed. The affectionate look vanished as cold, hard determination replaced it.

“They’ll be sorry they didn’t listen to me,” Wanda snapped. “I guarantee it.”

“Yay, Mama!” the twins chorused.

“Why are they cheering?” Tootie said, her brow wrinkling.

“I have no idea. But they said they’d help--and they did.”

The twins grinned toothlessly at her, and she smiled back.

They were like Poof in a way. They wanted to protect their mother; Wanda was touched. Also, with their support, maybe the Council would get off their damn high horse and listen for once.