Author's Note: Welcome back, my friends, for the final installment of TOS. If you thought this would be a cakewalk for our friends, you have no idea.

Disclaimer: Lorenzo belongs to me. As does this plot idea, including everything up to and surpassing this point. If you steal any of this, I will hunt you down and make your life very miserable indeed.

In other news, I don't own the FOP cast.

Chapter One: Unwell

Since the fated duel and Wanda's return, months passed. The school year had ended, with a tragic funeral to the missing Lorenzo. Pauline nearly threw herself on the coffin (filled, ironically, with nothing at all) and had to be forcibly removed.

It would have been amusing, were it not for the fact attendance was mandatory and Timmy's face turned unpleasantly sallow seeing her. To him, he was a bastard, but other people didn't see him like that. In fact, if he'd uttered any reason for Lorenzo's disappearance as having to do with him, he entertained no doubt that they'd turn on him in an instant. As it was, however, they turned to him, believing him to be the closest to him.

In effect, this was true, although he disliked the idea immensely. This wasn't the idea that robbed him of his sleep; it just peeved him. Fortunately, since the school year ended, he didn't see his classmates again.

No, the thing robbing him of his sleep was the act itself. Many a night he'd stare up at the ceiling and pray for sleep, only to see images of Lorenzo's murder in his head. Yes, he knew Lorenzo was to blame for his parents' death, Miss Waxelplax, Tootie and Vicky's parents (sometimes, it was hard to imagine those two coming from the same genes…as far as he knew, they were as different as day and night), Cal's and probably a multitude of other murders he had yet to discover. Nevertheless, it'd been almost easier to take because it'd been The Other committing those acts and not him.

He'd taken a life, albeit not a human one, but a life just the same. Like Cosmo, it'd been justified only…there was a marked difference. Juandissimo definitely hadn't loved Cosmo, whereas Lorenzo had loved him.

In fact, it was this sentiment that died on his lips, those three words that haunted him in his half sleep. He'd killed him begging for another way, but silently accepting that which he could not change. Somehow, he'd received information ahead of time regarding his demise, yet that hadn't seemed to impact his final actions.

Although he'd known it was a duel, he'd never fought back. He'd never put a defense, either. Every attack Timmy made, it was as though he were fighting one of those dummies oh so long ago.

However, unlike them, Timmy believed he was fighting to right a real wrong, not one forced upon him. Lorenzo was the real deal, the one he'd been against all along, and therefore, it was just to murder him and end his miserable existence. He'd suffered no pangs of guilt during the duel, so why now?

He knew why. Almost as if enacting a biblical scene, Lorenzo had begged for his forgiveness. He knew he was beyond it, yet he tried anyway.

He'd begged, pleaded, everything that Cosmo and Wanda had done in the What-If spell. Oddly enough, Lorenzo had acted pretty damn near human, instead of the monster Timmy knew him to be. It hadn't given him pause then, but it did now.

And what was it about his final moments that made him so accepting of him? When he'd cast the final magical spell, thanks to Wanda's outfitting, Lorenzo hadn't screamed, hadn't whined, hadn't done anything. Instead, he sat there; his arms folded across his bleeding chest, and gazed up at him.

"Do you really think you're making everything right again?" He'd asked, his eyes shimmering with love and compassion.

"Do you think by changing the future, you can change the past?"

"Are you happy, Timmy Turner?"

But, in the duel, his words had fallen on deaf ears. Like a bull, he'd charged, cast the spell, and, the instant before it killed him, he'd seen him die with his name on his lips. He'd felt the wrench in his mind as the telepathy blew away and all the magic vanished.

"I love you, Timmy…" Those were the last words he'd said…

He'd known he was bound to die and that he was the only one to do it, so why did it weigh on his conscience so heavily? What was it about it that drove him insane? And why didn't the thought of Lorenzo going to hell make him happy?

It was these thoughts and more that kept him up at night, kept him reliving the duel, and, most of all, made him wonder if he were no better than Lorenzo, taking advantage of someone offering no resistance.

-

Sophie too suffered, but from a different ailment. Juandissimo's death had set off a chain reaction, his magic sweeping every place he'd touched. One set of memories had been returned, however, another had been permanently erased.

The day Sophie returned home, still shaken from what Wanda had told her, her parents stared blankly at her. They asked her, quite simply, what was she doing there? This wasn't her house, how on earth did she get in?

Startled, she'd tried to tell them many times over that she was their daughter, but no avail. No matter how hard she labored, she couldn't enable their memory for longer than a half hour. In the end, they'd thrown her out of the house and threatened to call the cops.

Desperate, with no place to go, she'd called upon her former fairy godmother, serving until a new one was assigned. Wanda, sympathetic but trembling violently whenever Juandissimo's name was mentioned, agreed to let her stay at Timmy's house. By now, she and Cosmo pretty much ran the house and, even though it was technically his, they were his legal guardians.

Since Tootie technically lived in the guest room (whenever she came home, that was), she'd had to conjure up a new room, invisible to the outside, for her. It'd been everything she'd ever wanted at home, in an effort to appease her. Although her parents were still alive, she was an orphan thanks indirectly to her, and Wanda had to make amends.

Sophie had utterly no idea what was going on, as no one would speak to her, and unhappily began her new life, completely out of the loop. No one ever saw fit to clue her in.

-

Matters were also greatly complicated by the fact that, despite Vicky and Mark being married, they still resided under the same roof. Timmy desperately wanted them out, not because they should become independent, but so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

In many respects, Vicky was much worse now than she'd ever been. Her mood swings were horrible, ranging (very rarely) from pleasant to downright cruel (most of the time). She'd taken pot shots at everyone, excluding Wanda, who had the common sense to avoid her.

Timmy, who had the weight of what he'd done burdening him, had enough to deal with without Vicky screeching at him about how he'd ruined her sister. He'd had the audacity (and, in hindsight, the stupidity), to snap back at her that if she wanted to talk about ruining people, she ought to take a look at what she'd done to her. He'd been on the brink of saying something even worse, but Vicky, being out of sight of Mark, slammed him into a wall and knocked him out.

It was no small wonder then, that Mark almost always (after that incident) trailed after her, making sure that (a), she didn't have a miscarriage and (b), she didn't turn homicidal around anyone but him. Apparently, he had the mojo that could handle her, something no one possessed. Whatever it was, nothing of that magnitude happened again, much to Timmy's relief.

Unfortunately, there were other problems, besides Sophie's new location, Wanda's obsession with helping him, Tootie's absence, and Vicky's pregnancy. (As if that lot weren't bad enough!)

Gary, constantly scrutinizing the scene for any signs Tootie might (a), return or (b), leave Timmy, remained underfoot. Every once in a while, one could spot him skulking about Timmy's house, his eyes peeled for any sign of his creator's 'soul mate'. (He looked upon the title with scorn, as he refused to believe anyone in the presence of their 'fated one' would treat them so disdainfully. He didn't deserve her anyway, so why permit him the opportunity to speak with him?)

Unfortunately, the horizon was disappointingly bleak as the past few months, culminating in Timmy's uncelebrated birthday, were Tootie free. In fact, she'd yet to be seen in about five months (it currently being early July). No one understood why her absences were so long and her returns so short, not even her sister, Vicky. (Who, quite frankly, would have killed someone, preferably Timmy, to find out).

Lorenzo DeMedici…was no more. The specter haunting Timmy lived only in his dreams, or did he? Sometimes, when he walked downstairs and glanced in the mirror, he had the odd, prickling feeling in the back of his neck, as though someone were watching him. Whenever he darted back, the mirror was empty, not even reflecting him.

And what of our fairy friends, Cosmo and Wanda? Well, let's just say there's no such thing as a fairy tale ending…

-

Wanda awoke in a cold sweat, shuddering deeply. Beside her, Cosmo slept untroubled, no dreams of violation or cruelty keeping him awake at night. She envied him…except for the stupidity factor, but that was something else entirely.

Sighing heavily, she weighed the idea of staying here and waking Cosmo to perhaps get some comfort, or visiting Timmy and comforting him, who was taking the murder of Lorenzo quite hard. Although both Timmy and Cosmo had killed someone recently, it was only Timmy, oddly enough, who lost sleep over it. The fact remained that Cosmo had been in a do or die situation anyway, and if he hadn't pulled out all the stops when he had, she wouldn't be lying next to him right now. Timmy, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

She knew when she looked at him how troubled he was. She really ought to make up the lost time with him, just be there with him. He didn't need to know her inner demons, nor would it benefit him. She had to deal with this on her own, just as she had in the past. The only thing that had changed was Juandissimo wasn't coming after her…physically. Emotionally was a different story.

Sighing heavily, she kissed Cosmo on his forehead and departed, off to godmother her godson. Her body still trembled, but she'd be all right, so long as Timmy didn't inquire as to her dreams- Juandissimo raping her as he slit Cosmo's throat…God…

The bile rose in her throat and she nearly choked. Every night, it was the same struggle against her body and its reactions to her nightmares. Most of the time, she won, but when she didn't, tremors shook her body so badly, she couldn't sleep.

Poofing silently into his room, she surveyed it, noting with a smirk that the Crimson Chin poster was still up, as well as, hidden in the back, a picture of Tootie. They might be on the outs, but he still loved her. Unfortunately, since he was a teenage boy, he had a difficult time expressing it.

"Timmy?" Wanda whispered, descending onto his bed. He moaned, tossing and turning. Instantly, her heart went out to him, sobbing his sleep. It took her an instant to realize, by pressing her palm against her cheek, she too had been crying in her sleep.

"Stop…Lorenzo…I want him dead…but no…I'm not a murderer!" Timmy screamed, bolting upright. Wanda, resting comfortably on his lap, gazed up at him and brushed an errant tear away. Calm down, Timmy…the ghosts of the past can only harm you if you let them…

And she'd been letting them harm her for far too long. She'd tried to shunt them out of her mind but it appeared the more she rejected them, the more they forced their way into her dreams. Her subconscious told her the past was important…no matter how much she fought against it.

"Wanda?" He whispered, feeling the almost airy weight of her body on his. Fairies did actually weigh something, for the magic within dispelled a little gravity upon the earth, but what they weighed was often negligible, unless they had dark magic still resident. Wanda did, she might never be able to remove it, and so Timmy felt her in his lap.

"What's the matter, sport? You were crying in your sleep." Stretching her wings (she was getting used to them again, after being without them for so long), she floated up and hugged him tightly. He, tears trailing down his face, clung to her. She said nothing at all.

His tears reminded her entirely too much of her own. However, unlike him, she could ill afford the luxury of sobbing in someone's arms. She was the strong one, she had to be. Timmy had suffered enough and Cosmo as well…she had no right to ruin that relationship again. She was the rock and the rock never cried.

"I…Cosmo told me you cry in your sleep too. That, sometimes, you wake up screaming. He says it really scares him," Timmy said, leaning his head against her chest. She stiffened immediately, cursing Cosmo for pretending to be a heavier sleeper than he was. So he was just letting her scream her head off and not do anything about it? Hmph.

Or maybe it was just that every time he heard her scream, he panicked and didn't know what to do. That was more likely, knowing Cosmo. He probably hadn't the foggiest notion what she was screaming about, and that suited her just fine.

He didn't need to know that whenever she closed her eyes, she relived the past. He didn't need to know that when he touched her, she saw Juandissimo in her head. Moreover, he really didn't need to know that when she was alone, she started crying. No one needed to know that, least of all her husband.

"You haven't said a word to us about what Juandissimo did to you, and every time you look at Sophie, you start to tremble. What on earth did he do to you that was so bad, it turned you completely black, made you threaten Cosmo, and-"

"The moon is awfully high tonight," Wanda interjected, sensing where this conversation was headed, in the direction she'd sooner flee than remark on. Maybe if she distracted him, he'd forget the fact that, in all likelihood, her stability and her happiness were at an all time low, perhaps even more so than his. She was just going through the motions, knowing he needed her and helping him, just so she didn't have to feel him inside her.

He gave her a queer look. "What does the moon have to do with anything?" Unless you're a werewolf and you haven't told us. That could explain the screaming…

"And the stars are all out," Wanda continued, ignoring him. Grimacing, she fought the rise of bile in her throat, recalling Marseilles and 'you are mine! You have no right to seek out Cosmo'…

"Wanda…you haven't been the same since you came back. You almost never speak any more, you're very withdrawn and moody, and, when no one's around, I think I've heard you crying…" Timmy murmured and Wanda pulled away completely. No, this was not a conversation she wanted to have, no way in hell. And she'd been hoping no one noticed her personality change…

"Suddenly, I think I'm very tired," Wanda lied, folding her arms across her chest. "I'll stay until you fall asleep again and then I'll go to bed myself-"

"What are you hiding from me, no, not just me, us? You aren't even letting Cosmo in and he was the one you were fighting Juandissimo for-" Timmy started, but, a migraine arising, Wanda interrupted.

"Don't say that name!" She hissed, holding her head. Memories of his actions sped through her mind and she nearly plummeted out of midair. He saw her shudder and involuntarily hug herself.

"What did he do to you?" Timmy mused aloud, extending his arms out to her. She understood he wanted to comfort her, but she was the strong one here. If she had something to deal with, she'd do it on her own, without her godson's help. He had precious little left of his childhood as it was, she didn't need to add to his burden.

"Good night, Timmy."

"Wanda, wait. You can't keep your emotions and your memories bottled up like this, it isn't healthy. You're going to make yourself sick…and those nightmares won't go away by themselves. Even if you don't let me in, you have to let Cosmo in, he's your soul mate. Please, open up to one of us…" Timmy pleaded, eyes shining with tears. Her heart wrenched, but she ignored it. Whatever he wanted her to say to get him off her back, she'd say it. She had no intention of burdening anyone else, of course, but if he was that worried, she might as well say something.

"I…I will…" She lied, knowing by the look on his face her tale had fallen through. Wanda was too strong for her own good, she'd hurt herself and possibly others by doing this.

"No, you won't. Damn it, Wanda, why the hell can't you talk to one of us? We care about you!" Timmy snapped, biting his lip so hard, it drew blood. Buckteeth are rather sharp.

"That's exactly why I'm not saying anything!" Wanda blurted, heat rising in her face. "You two may care about me, but you have your own problems. I have no business adding to them- I didn't murder anyone and that's what you two are dealing with right now. Whatever happened to me is trivial-"

"Do you really believe that?" Timmy whispered, trying to force her to make eye contact. She was lying too much, and she was not an adept. Therefore, he could read her face and know she spoke no truth.

No, of course I don't. I know what Juandissimo did to me is far from trivial…but I can't say that to him. It'll remind him of Lorenzo and that's all he needs right now, another reminder. I'll deal with this on my own, with no help from either of them. I've done it in the past and I'll do it again, it just takes extraordinary will power.

Waving her wand, she swiftly returned him to the realm of dreams, this time pleasant ones so he wouldn't wake up and ask obnoxious questions. These were the things that kept her up at night…These were the demons of her recent past; her cross to bear.

Biting her lip, she returned to the tree house, only to discover Cosmo was awake and tapping his foot angrily. She tensed, sensing another argument…only this one she might have difficulty worming her way out of. It was impossible to lie in telepathy, no matter how hard you tried. And God, did she want to try…

"Where were you? There was a ten minute period where I had no idea where you were!" Cosmo cried, wrapping his arms around her. Okay, so he wasn't angry, just worried. Good, that was easier to deal with and would ensure far less lies.

"I was with Timmy," She stated simply, taking pride in the fact that this was the truth, for once. Maybe he'd start inquiring as to his godson's health instead of hers.

Spinning her around, he kissed her swiftly, but she pulled out his embrace. Both were aware of what they wanted, but Wanda was hesitant to place herself in that situation again. She had this irrational fear of Cosmo being murdered atop her and then Juandissimo coming in to rape her…

((Wanda, what's the matter? We never talk any more, you're always off somewhere in the house, never speaking to me, and you act so cold…you're scaring me. You wake up screaming, but you won't tell me why, and every time I make a move on you, you start shaking- like you are now!)) Cosmo said, and he was right- she was trembling violently. Everything he spoke was true and, in telepathy, impossible to refute. Damn him…once in a while, he hit the jackpot.

"Cosmo, please, I don't need this right now…" She whispered, laying down but snatching the blanket in a futile attempt to veil her uncontrollable shudders. It did little, however, but communicate them greater. So much for that…

((But I wanna know why you're acting like this!)) Cosmo whined, taking his place beside her. Again, he wrapped his arms around her, and again, she stiffened. This time she didn't pull back, she just became a statue in his arms.

Sighing heavily, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent. She shivered, warming slightly to his touch. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different.

"You are mine, mi amor…" Juandissimo…no…go away…why is it every time Cosmo holds me and tries to make love to me, you show up in my head? Why must you torment me?

"Cosmo, please…let sleeping dogs lie…I'm really too tired to start anything like this…" Wanda pleaded, pushing away from him. As soon as she did, a cold anger seized him, communicated directly through the telepathy. Every night, she always had an excuse and he was getting pretty damn sick of them.

((Don't you find me attractive anymore? Apparently not, because you won't let me touch you. Am I that hideous, that you won't let me do anything? I know I'm not exactly a muscle bound, long hair blowing in the wind-))

"Shut up!" She screamed, tears burning the corners of her eyes. "Just leave me alone, Cosmo!"

Drawing her knees to her chest, she rolled away from him on the bed. Once again, her shoulders shook, this time with suppressed sobs. He probably hadn't referenced Juandissimo intentionally, but he had, nonetheless. And she couldn't stay here…

On the nightstand sat her wand and she snatched it off, knowing innately that, due to the high concentration of dark magic in her body, she truly didn't need it. Any time she wanted to, she could poof off, sans a wand, although it might mean a return to her old self. At this point, if it blocked Juandissimo from her mind, she was willing to try it.

"And now, look, you're going to run away again!" Cosmo snapped, pointing his finger at her as though she were damned. And, in her mind, she was. Damned to an eternity of Juandissimo infiltrating her dreams and her psyche, damned to never sleep again.

A surge of anger passed through her. Who was he to judge her? She was the mistress of her own domain, he didn't tell her what to do! And if she wanted to leave, well, she would!

It took her a minute to recognize those thoughts for what they were. The residues of dark magic hadn't died, as much as she'd hoped they would. Instead, they lingered, causing her to be spiteful and malevolent, if only to Timmy and Cosmo when they started those damn questions.

Didn't they understand she didn't want to talk about it? She wanted to pretend it'd never happened, that she was the same fairy she'd been months ago. All right, so she shook violently whenever someone said Juandissimo's name; seeing muscle bound males also caused her to shudder, as well as Spanish, and making love was now impossible. But she was basically the same…excluding the crying and the lack of sleep.

Glowering at her husband, she poofed off, not to the forest surrounding Dimmsdale Junior High like she'd planned, but in front of Timmy's bedroom. An ill formed idea in her mind to make sure he'd gone to sleep presented itself and any excuse she could get, she'd use. After all, if it was halfway legitimate, Cosmo and Timmy couldn't grill her on it.

By the time she'd arrived, she'd forgotten why she was there and began, practicing her human walking, to descend the steps. There was nothing downstairs, nothing but that mirror, the secret of which only she knew. Timmy would surely explode if he discovered who hid inside and she had no intention of telling him. Let him discover on his own.

"It's two in the morning, Wanda," the voice intoned, causing her head to turn. She waved her wand, presenting light, but the being inside remained hidden. Well, if it wanted to remain in hiding, she couldn't help.

Personally, she believed if it remained in hiding, she wouldn't have to deal with it. Let it live in the hell it'd created, the hell it'd chosen. It was of no consequence to her, either way.

Besides, if it left her alone, she wouldn't be subjected to the twenty questions. The creature was extremely shrewd, even after everything, and, after its closeness to her, it detected her lying and scorned it. Loath though she might be to admit it, the creature might care about her.

"You're not sleeping and now you're hiding from Cosmo. You suppose everyone in the house completely believes you and your lies and you're one hundred percent incorrect. No one's buying your act, not even your buffoon of a husband, and it's wearing thin. Sooner or later, you're going to have to deal."

Wanda scoffed, beginning to walk downstairs. Perhaps there was some chocolate in the refrigerator she could much on. Anything to take her mind off the truth.

And what was with everyone grilling her today? She'd think they wanted her to return to normal, not argue the pointless past. What was done was done, no matter how painful it was for her. (They didn't need to know that).

"You still have the dark magic inside you, I can see it. Take it from someone who's well acquainted with darkness….Hell, I'm standing in it right now." Here, the voice chuckled humorlessly, its shadow shifting.

Were she in a better mood, she'd smirk. For him, darkness was all too familiar an arena. She'd pity him, but, given the current state of affairs, anything regarding him was double edged.

And as far as the dark magic went, so what? What did he care? This was how he'd been born, not her! He didn't realize how much she detested what he'd turned her into…

"So what if I do? It's certainly no business of yours!" Wanda shot back, not even knowing why she was arguing with, in all technicalities, a mirror.

At least no one was up to notice this. Vicky and Mark were asleep in the basement, as usual; Timmy upstairs in the spell induced slumber, and Cosmo, hopefully, back asleep in the treehouse. This covered everyone in this universe, at any rate. She could hardly speak for Tootie.

"It is, simply because I'm the only one here that doesn't belong. I won't speak a word of it to anyone else because you're the only creature here aware of my existence, or, should I say, continued existence."

A gift, in all matters. In the past, her true form had taken pity on him, realizing he was genuinely attempting to reform. It hadn't been clogged by Juandissimo's actions, nor polluted by the past she couldn't fend off. Oh, what she'd give to return to it.

The creature within tapped a foot impatiently. However, it still did not approach the surface, where she could see it. Instead, it remained in the shadows, its expression indistinguishable.

"Wanda, I'm not asking for you to give me every sordid detail of your time with Juandissimo. I already knew three quarters of it, more than anyone else does. It might help to talk to someone, even if he's not really a person anymore."

Nor was he ever, in actuality. Although he'd been the first in a long time to attain a human form, which did not fully indicate his humanity. (Then again, there were others who were human and showed less humanity).

She turned in his direction, her wand held out. Anything she could think of would silence him, hopefully long enough so she didn't have to think about how correct the words were. What on earth did this creature think it knew?

The figure sniggered, but didn't move. In fact, were she able to shine a light inside the mirror, she would have seen it give her a rude gesture. However, she was glad to say she'd never been that curious.

"You're going to attack me? Amusing. I'm part of someone you love very dearly, you never could hurt me. No matter how much you're pushing everyone else away, I don't think you're going to harm a mirror," it snorted derisively and stepped up to the light shed by the mirror.

"After all, it's seven years bad luck." Lorenzo smirked. "And, given your recent bout of luck, I wouldn't risk it if I were you."

"What would you know about bad luck? You're dead!" Wanda snapped, tempted to smash her wand against the mirror. She, in fact, held it pressed against the glass. Lorenzo, pressing his hand against the other side, slid it away.

If he tried, he could just barely touch it. A surge of hope ran through him- perhaps, in due time, he could reach the outside world. Timmy was in the outside world. Timmy…

Being trapped in here was akin to dying, yes, but it was not the same thing. To be dead would mean he no longer functioned and he did, only within the confines of the mirror.

"I'm not dead," He replied quietly. "I'm just waiting for you to give me the opportunity to leave my prison."

"You don't deserve it," She retorted, aiming her wand at his forehead. He frowned, but remained stationary. Truthfully, her threats failed to upset him as she'd probably hoped.

What harm could she do to him while he was within the mirror? As trapped as he felt, it served as a barrier between them. Inside it, neither party could reach beyond their side.

"That wasn't what you'd said months ago. My dear fairy godmother, you've changed more than you think in the past few months. You're frightening everyone, especially the one you fought so hard to keep."

And we both know damn well who I'm talking about.

"I'm not your fairy godmother!" She hissed, sliding her wand along the front. His eyes narrowed.

So she seriously believed she was going to hurt him? If only he could show her a thing or two…but that was what the mirror was for, wasn't it? To prevent the inevitable.

"That's besides the point. Why are you getting so worked up about something like this when you know the real issue? I'm through playing games with you, just talk about it," Lorenzo hissed, shoving at the wand. Surprisingly, it bounced back. So he could impact this world…

"Or what? You'll stop speaking to me?" Wanda snapped back, growing angrier by the second. Her defenses flared up and, whether in her mind or in actuality, she sensed her body turn black again. Fortunately, this proved to be only in her mind.

"Scoff all you want, you know I'm the only person you can actually talk to. You're too deeply attached to Cosmo and Timmy to open up to them. Around them, you have roles, duties you consider them, and if you pretend you're only concerned with that, you can steal away.

"With me, you have no established role, so the burden has been removed, somewhat. Feel free to speak your mind…" Lorenzo began, realizing immediately how like a monk he sounded. Dear Lord, a few months locked in a mirror was killing him.

"Fine, I will. Sod off, anti fairy! Stop butting into my personal affairs and thinking you can influence me!" Wanda snapped, pointing her wand at him again.

Instead of wincing, he smirked. Good…at least she was releasing some pent up frustration. A few more prods and then maybe he could force her into revealing something.

Of course, this theory had yet to work in practice. For all he knew, Wanda could blow the mirror into smithereens, walk away coolly, and pretend this night had never happened. Nothing was out of the realm of possibility right now, considering how high strung she'd become lately.

Coolly, he replied, "Is that so? That isn't what the old Wanda Juandissimo made would say, is it? C'mon, you can't tell me you've forgotten what he did to you so soon."

Anyone would rise to that bait, but someone under a great deal of stress would be a sight to see. It was a shame he didn't have a camcorder, but he was trapped in a bloody mirror! Gah…whose idea was this? He'd maim them.

Silence reigned and, for a split second, Lorenzo thought his plan had failed. Wanda had outsmarted him, despite the fact he had almost always remained ahead of the game, and now she was simply showing him up by not responding. Damn…she was the only game he had right now.

But no, he was wrong. Her face contorted and the fist clenching her wand snapped it in half. There was more fury burning in her than he'd even imagined.

"It's so easy for you to forget about what you did to Timmy because you were in love. You weren't him, you didn't feel what it was like to be torn apart from the inside, feel like someone's plaything, and generally being treated like garbage! You don't know what it's like to feel like you have no self worth!" Wanda snapped, trembling in anger. Her eyes narrowed to slits and if he looked hard enough, he could swear there throbbed a vein.

"And this is all about Timmy, right?" Lorenzo quipped, smirking. He folded his arms across his chest.

She glowered at him and raised her fist, sorely tempted to smash the mirror right that second. In fact, she smashed it against the glass and waited for the reflection to vanish. No more annoying Lorenzo DeMedici…

But nothing happened. A crack appeared in the mirror reflection and Lorenzo backed up, startled. However, other than a defect in the way he saw the world, he himself escaped unscathed. The mirror was merely a looking glass, nothing more.

He heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for the fact that, despite all his goading, she could not harm him from her side. It rendered his job much more efficient. After all, what good was it going to do her to smash his mirror other than cut up her own hand?

"Unless you've been speaking to Timmy a little too much and you've been inside his mind, I think you have your own issues. Even if you'd rather smash my mirror or me than confront them, it still shows you have more emotions instead of unconditional love and concern. You're angry, let it out," Lorenzo continued, watching her wary face. As he'd thought, she'd hurt herself punching the mirror and cracking her wand. Her right hand bled, but she sought to hide it.

"I don't have time for this!" Wanda retorted, biting back a painful cry. Intense anguish crossed her face and the thought occurred to him the shards may have imbedded themselves within her palm.

Closing her eyes, she attempted to poof off to the treehouse without her wand. Lorenzo watched, slightly amused, as her first few attempts caused her to plummet from midair. He hadn't thought she could still do that.

Finally, exhausted, she collapsed at the bottom of the mirror and he knelt down, sliding his fingers along where her hair touched his mirror. If he strained, he could almost feel her soft, scented pink hair. It gave him a giddy thrill, as though he could impact the outside world.

"Do you need a little help there?" He remarked dryly and she pushed against the floor and rose, leaning against the mirror. Yes, he could certainly smell her apple shampoo from here.

"What are you going to do, annoy me into poofing away?" She shot back, biting her lip hard. The pain was almost unbearable.

Very gently, he pushed against her left palm and she jumped, startled. Instead of the glass, she could swear she felt his hand. A nasty shiver shook her frame and she began to wonder if the mirror was in fact real at all.

She gasped, slowly backing away. Perhaps she'd spend the night in Timmy's room…or walk out of the house, climb up the staircase to the treehouse, and steal one of Cosmo's wands. That idea sounded much better to her, provided she didn't pass out from blood loss. She already felt woozy.

His eyes scanned her, scrutinizing the hand wound. If only he had his powers back, then he might be able to help her. The sparks in the wand had to help…or hurt, he had no idea.

For the first time, he saw the weakness in her eyes before she darted, unsteadily, out the door. Apparently, she overestimated her capacity because, when Cosmo and Timmy found her the next morning, it was certainly not in the treehouse.

-

Her hand was on fire…how on earth could she have fallen asleep with that pain? No one in their right minds could ignore that…

Then she remembered- she hadn't fallen asleep, she'd passed out at the base of the treehouse. Driven mad by the pain, she'd let out one desperate howl of agony before succumbing to the darkness.

Now, she could swear two beings hovered over her. If only the sun weren't in her eyes…and she could concentrate beyond her horrible, swollen, throbbing hand. God, how could she have been so stupid and risen to his bait? Grr.

"Wanda!" Cosmo cried, feeling her hand for lumps. She bit back another scream, tears springing to her eyes. Damn- if he just gave her his wand, she could heal herself. She wouldn't have to lie here in anguish.

"What happened to you?" Timmy asked, kneeling down her and feeling her forehead. Another useless measure; why couldn't either of them see she was capable of healing herself and give her the wand?

"Just give me your wand, Cosmo!" She snapped, reaching for it with her good hand. She wished immediately she hadn't moved at all. Any type of movement caused queasiness.

"No way! We're going to take care of you," Cosmo said, but Timmy, irritated, snatched his wand out of his hand. Thank the Lord someone in this family had sense. Although, she had to wonder why Cosmo would want to take care of her. She was the nurturer around here…

Timmy handed the wand to her and she quickly healed herself and poofed towards the kitchen, preparing breakfast the human way. Not a word was spoken between the three regarding her well being for the rest of the day.

-