WOOT! Chapter two! This one's gonna be loooooong, if only because this is THE chap I've had plotted out for some time, so I'm gonna milk the sucker for all it's worth. LOL! And as a C&W basketcase, expect some fluff! YAY FLUFF!

Also, I apologize for the corny chapter title. Just finished watching some nameless drama with my family, and I gotta get it outta my system somehow... X3 Now enough of me! Onward!

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CHAPTER TWO: The Diner of Destiny!
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Wanda only poofed outside of the mall – as long as she couldn't see Blonda, she was fine with that. She blinked back her tears, a rush of emotion threatening to overwhelm her again, and slowly got her bearings. A massive crowd of fairies milled around the mall, chatting with friends and blowing their paychecks, and all of them were happy. She didn't know any of them.. she was surrounded by nameless strangers.. no one was here to comfort her or tell her it would be all right.. an unreasonable surge of anger welled up inside, directed at these strangers for daring to be happy while she was so miserable...

The pink-haired girl had to physically shake her head. "Get a grip," she told herself. It felt like too much was happening at once, too much angst and drama... she had to sort herself out before she was lost to her emotions. She needed to think clearly. She needed to get moving.

Her body moved as though on auto-pilot, directing itself through the traffic of fairies without a clear destination in mind. Wanda kept half an eye on where she was going. The rest of her attention shifted to her abundance of problems, and to the task of sorting it all out. Once her logical side began to take control, her emotions willingly calmed down to manageable levels, allowing her to pick them apart and make sense of what had happened.

It had started, of course, with Wandissimo. She smiled idly, remembering his warm smile and sultry voice. She remembered how he literally swept her off her wings the very day he'd transferred to CPPH. Talk about surprise! Wanda could picture the unbelieving look on her twin sister's face as the most gorgeous hunk in history asked the dowdiest fairy in history on a date. Honestly, how could she refuse? She was as smitten as the other girls, and the chance to show up the popular kids was too good to resist!

He wasn't cruel or unkind or abusive, not by any extreme means. He treated Wanda like a fairy princess, and she adored him for it. It was one of those times when she thought she was the luckiest girl alive, and how in Fairy World did she deserve someone like him? She was so lovestruck, she could see no flaws in Wandissimo at all…

That is, until a few months later. She couldn't recall the exact moment when she began to notice the little things.. he would wink at the other girls, or strike a pose to adoring fans, or spend their carnival dates in the Hall of Mirrors, admiring himself from every angle possible. Little by little, Wanda started to feel less special in Wandissimo's eyes.

When he held her hand, he would sling his arm around another girl for a photograph. When he would give her a massage after a stressful day, he would do the same for other girls (for a small fee, of course). When he told her how much he loved her, Wanda could easily picture him paying his biceps the very same compliments. Besides, he would only point out how beautiful she was on the outside, failing to mention anything of her personality.

Wanda turned a corner that lead out of the downtown area. She frowned slightly as she pondered that last point. She didn't place a lot of value on her own looks – admittedly, she had always considered a person's heart, what's inside of them, to be more important. So she had tried to be kind and friendly to everyone, offer a helping hand, and never judge by appearances... wasn't Wandissimo like that?

Her brow furrowed in concentration. There must have been something.. she wouldn't just date someone for their looks! She wasn't that shallow! No, Wandissimo was nice.. most of the time. Come to think of it, he had made fun of her equally unpopular friends. That was only once, and she'd been so upset, he hadn't done it again. So that meant he considered her feelings.. except when he was flirting with crowds of fangirls.. or gave his impressive muscles more attention whenever they came to a reflective surface...

She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. Yes, he was a nice fairy, and definitely good-looking, but... she wanted so much more than that. Wanda finally understood why she'd broken up with him. A tight pang struck her chest, recalling how shocked and crushed Wandissimo had been earlier. She never wanted to hurt someone, and today she did.

Despite all of her reasoning, however, a small voice inside kept telling her she'd made a mistake. Her resolve slowly started to crumble.. then, as the voice grew louder, Wanda recognized it as Blonda's voice. You could be popular... I'm doing you a favor... burn that dress... frumpy, naggy know-it-all... clean up your act! What the heck is your deal?

Her deal? What was Blonda's deal? She was her sister! Sure, Wanda reasoned, social status was higher on the blonde's list of priorities, but to what extent? When it got down to the wire, sisters are supposed to be there for each other, no matter what! And as twins, they should be closer than most! They had been, long before peer pressure entered their lives.. was that enough to sever the family bond they shared?

That thought alone was enough to spark another good, long cry. Wanda had hoped that Blonda would give her sisterly support and comfort. Sadly, it became apparent what the popular twin valued more... even if she did genuinely care, she would never sacrifice her reputation to show it. What made things worse, it would be "party time with the Pixies" before the sisters would understand each other again. The truth hurt, more so than her time with Wandissimo...

Why couldn't Blonda see what Wanda meant? A fairy shouldn't be with someone who makes them feel.. incomplete? Unimportant? Whatever the adjective, they should find someone they can be with, and stay with, for the rest of their lives. It wasn't the option most fairies her age took at this point, but she saw things differently. She wanted to save her love and devotion for her special someone, just that special someone.. someone who would do the same for her.

Her floating drifted to a halt. Wanda was hugging herself again, and by now she had reached the outskirts of downtown. Small businesses were spaced farther apart and drew less of a crowd. Things were much quieter here; the gentle silence pressed in around her. A new worry had crept into her heart, one born of her sister's final statement.

What if she waited.. and she never found him? What if there was no one out there who would love her the way she dreamed of? What if she did become old and lonesome until the end of magic itself? What if she really was... unwanted? And then, not just by other fairies, but by her family too?

Depression was seeping into Wanda's bones.. she shivered violently. She didn't want to think about the possibility, because the more she dwelled on it, the more she would sink into it. She'd lose touch with reality and become a hopeless wreck!

What was she going to do? She didn't have a boyfriend anymore, Blonda probably wouldn't talk to her anymore, and in the whole mess, she'd forgotten her assignment at school! Ironically, all this self analysis made her feel...

"Lost," she murmured. "I'm lost.."

Saying it out loud didn't help. Desperately she looked around, half-hoping for some kind of sign to lead her out of her misery. And, in a way, she found one.

Wanda's gaze fell onto a gigantic floating sign for a diner. Flashing lights bordered the entire sign, including an arrow hanging off one corner and pointing down to the establishment itself. Through one window in particular, Wanda could make out her two best friends having milkshakes in a booth. A broad smile crossed her face, and she actually felt hopeful for the first time that day. "What could be better than sugar and friends?" she mused aloud. "Maybe things'll start looking up!"

Little did she know...

OoOoO

Classic diner music and the warm smell of grilled burgers greeted Wanda when she pushed open the glass door. The place wasn't especially busy, although she could see the cooks and waiters bustling about to get their jobs done. The counter was gleaming before her, and if it weren't for her friends, she would've taken a seat next to the tempting platter of cookies on display. Instead, she floated to their booth and called to them. "Mystic! Jen!"

The girls looked up and smiled. "Heya Wanda!" the blue-haired girl waved. "We saw you coming. Have a seat!" She gestured to the empty space beside her. Wanda obliged as the other girl, Jen, spoke up.

"Hey girl, you look sorta under the weather," she noted, worry rising in her features. "Is everything okay?"

Wanda sighed, partly in relief. It was good to have friends who cared, at least. "Actually, no, but I'm doing better now."

"Aw, no worries Wanda – your shake's on me today!" Mystic announced and patted her friend on the shoulder.

The orange-haired girl huffed, "Oh, so that means you'll cover my bill too?"

"My offer is reserved only for those who make the right decision, even though the 'hoity-toity social butterflies' are too blind to see it. Don't worry, your chance is bound to come along!"

"Wait a second," Wanda broke in, "what are you talking about exactly?"

Her friends giggled a bit in embarrassment. "News like that tends to spread like fairy dust," explained Mystic. "Word on the wing says you and Wandissimo are finally done, kaput, old news, finito. And I'm praying it's true!"

"Give us the good news!" Jen urged. "Please tell us it's over!"

Once more, Wanda's heart grew lighter at their encouragement. And to think she'd been agonizing about it not even half an hour ago! "Okay, okay!" she laughed. "It's over, it really is."

An overexcited cheer of "HUZZAH!" rang out from her friends – and Wanda thought she heard someone else join them. She didn't think much of it, as Mystic bunched her fists excitedly and clapped her on the shoulder again.

"This is the greatest! You're finally free from that egotistical muscleman! Dude, this calls for the Super Bowl-of-Sundae deluxe!"

"Not for me," Wanda said. "I'll just have a regular strawberry swirl."

"Okay, your loss. WOOHOO!" And she was off like a shot to the counter behind them. Her friends watched her, laughing as she rang the service bell continuously.

"I might not be as.. enthusiastic as Mystic," Jen said, "but I'm definitely pleased. Wandissimo really wasn't the guy for you. You did the right thing!"

"I hope so," Wanda sighed, feeling free to express her worries. "I did have a breakdown after I dumped him; I cried and had a fight with my sister and everything! I feel kind of.. empty now. Something's missing, y'know?"

Jen smiled warmly. "Hey, they call those breakdowns 'typical' for a reason! It's no big deal. Sisters fight all the time, you'll patch things up eventually. And it's natural to feel 'empty' after a breakup. Someone will come along to fill the void. You gotta stay positive!"

Wanda offered a slight smile and rested her chin in her hand. "Thanks Jen. I didn't really care about boys and romance before. Now all this happens, and it's all I can think about! All of a sudden, I want to find the perfect fairy for me.."

As the rose-hued fairy trailed off, Jen's attention was suddenly diverted to the counter. Behind Wanda, she could see Mystic dealing with the pimply-faced waiter, who was actually a very good friend of theirs. They were carrying a conversation of their own while Wanda proceeded with her train of thought.

"Obviously, he would love me for who I am, not just for my looks. I wouldn't mind if he thought I was pretty though.. and I hope he only has eyes for me."

Jen watched as Mystic gestured to their booth and told the waiter something. Suddenly, a wild grin spread across his face; Jen could practically see his lime-green eyes become hearts when they fell on Wanda.

She went on, "He would be kind and generous. He'd.. have a good heart, you know?"

Mystic had to nudge the waiter out of his daydream. He jumped, smiled apologetically, and wrote down her order. To her surprise, he tore off the bill and stuffed it in his own shirt pocket, clearly intending to cover it for them! Mystic tried to protest, but he ignored her, whistling while he worked.

Wanda giggled, "Know what else would be good? If he could make me laugh! I've been so stressed out these days, it would be perfect if he did that!"

The waiter started with Wanda's order. He had served up the milk and ice cream easily enough, but when he started on the whipped cream, things went slightly awry. The cream wasn't coming out of the can's nozzle, so he shook it up even more. Then he made the error of looking right down the nozzle as he pressed it. Gobs of whipped cream sprayed into his eye, causing him to stagger back in agony, flailing his arms in a panic. Jen could hear him screaming as he flew about, knocking over the cookie platter, the condiment basket, the coffee maker, a passing waitress, the pop dispenser, the "Take a Penny, Leave a Penny" cup, the till and the unsuspecting cashier. Mystic simply covered her eyes as the chaos unfolded.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" continued Wanda, oblivious to the mess behind her. "He would be one of those modest guys, really down-to-the-clouds."

The waiter stumbled back to the unfinished shake. And somehow, he managed to slip and fall on his face. Jen barely heard him call out, "I'm okay!"

"And even though I don't make decisions based on looks, it wouldn't hurt if he was cute too."

The waiter popped up from behind the counter. He was covered head-to-toe in whipped cream. Through the layer of white, he chuckled nervously and pulled out his wand. He poofed up a tray with two deluxe sundaes, and magically topped off Wanda's shake with whipped cream and a cherry. Mystic couldn't help laughing; as thanks, she pulled out her own wand and cleaned him up. When she turned away from him, he resumed staring at Wanda like a lovesick puppy.

"Yeah.. those would be the basics," Wanda sighed, an odd smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "But what're the odds of me meeting someone like that?"

Jen could only blink. "Odds.. yeah..."

Mystic was still chuckling to herself when she arrived at their booth. "Man, that was pretty troublesome," she remarked.

"And strangely coincidental," Jen commented.

Both girls looked at Jen oddly. "Er.. care to elaborate?" Wanda asked, reaching for her dessert.

Jen blinked again, this time with a dangerous twinkle in her eye. "Maybe," she answered. A mysterious smile spread across her face. "Uh, I actually wanted to ask you something! You still tutor Cosmo, right?"

The pink fairy sipped her shake with a straw. "Sure, every so often. In fact, he's been doing loads better since I started helping him! I think he'll graduate with us this year!"

"About time," Mystic grinned. "I remember someone telling me he'd been at Poofy-Pants for six years before you came along! Gotta be a record.."

"Wouldn't his mom have clued in by then?" Jen wondered. "Put him in a special class or something?"

"Nope," Wanda sighed irritably. "When I offered to tutor him, she said he didn't need it. Apparently he's one of those gifted fairies who 'learns at his own pace'. And she's right!" The girls laughed good-naturedly; regardless of Cosmo's limited brain-power, they still liked him.

Jen was enjoying her first spoonful of ice cream when she spotted Cosmo coming their way. The distant shouting of upper management drove him onward, bucket and mop in tow. The grimace showing off his braces vanished, however, upon sighting his close friends, and his beloved Wanda. "Hi girls!" he greeted cheerily.

"Hey guy!" said Jen and Mystic. Wanda turned to him in surprise.

"Cosmo!" she gaped. "Wow, I didn't know you had a job!"

He took the opportunity to puff out his uniformed chest. "You betcha! And all I did was walk in with Mama last week! I was halfway done my burger when they hired me. And look!" He whipped out a large keychain, which bore only one key, and held it up with pride. "I have my own bathroom key! Isn't that cool?"

Aside, Jen muttered to Mystic, "You don't suppose a sack of cash was involved, do you?"

"Of course not," she replied. "I know a sack of cash was involved."

Wanda paid them no mind. She kept beaming at Cosmo. "That's fantastic! I'm really proud of you."

"I should mention who made that milkshake for you, girl," Jen cut in. She winked encouragingly at Cosmo. "Watched him do it myself!"

"Really?" She took another sip and closed her eyes, letting the creamy dessert linger in her mouth for a bit. Cosmo suddenly became nervous. The mop and bucket clattered to the floor, and he chewed his nails, watching, waiting for her reaction.

To his delight, Wanda was soon grinning again. "This is one of the best shakes I've ever had," she praised, and by the light in her eyes, he knew she meant it. "I love it! Thanks Cosmo!"

"YES!" he cried, breaking into a victory dance. It resembled a crazy mix of the twist, the Macarena, and the moonwalk. "Go Cosmo! Go Cosmo! Who da fairy? Ah'm da fairy! Oh yeah, oh y- er..."

He froze. Everyone in the diner was staring at him, including Wanda. Nervously, he picked up the mop and bucket. "Um, I mean, you're welcome! I put my heart and soul- I MEAN, ah, lots and lots of whipped cream into it! Yeah! Eh heh.."

Wanda couldn't help giggling.

"COSMO!" bellowed a deep voice from the back. The fairy in question winced. "Hurry up with that cleaning! I'm not gettin' paid by the hour y'know!"

"Y-yessir Mr. Boss-Man sir!" Cosmo hollered. He offered a quick wave to his friends, met Wanda's eyes for a moment, then floated off in a blissful daze.

The girls were all smiles afterwards. "He's a moron, but he's got a good heart," Jen observed through a mouthful of whipped cream.

"He does, doesn't he?" agreed Wanda.

Mystic's eyes danced with mischief. "Ha! Betcha didn't think so when you first met him!" She and Jen suddenly burst into laughter at the memory, much to Wanda's bashful dismay.

"Aw c'mon, girls, you promised not to bring it up again," she pleaded.

Mystic was nearly choking on her food by then. "Sorry.. but the look on your face.. priceless!" she gasped. "In the middle of orientation too!"

"You gotta admit, you have.." Jen had to smother more laughter before finishing. "You have one heckuvva scream!"

They howled even more, grabbing their sides and thumping the table with their fists. They were drawing the attention of fellow diners and not caring in the least! Wanda gave an indignant huff. "You'd be screaming too if a dart that size landed where it did! I'm scarred for life thanks to him!"

It took her friends a few minutes to finally calm down. Wanda remained annoyed at them, quietly sipping her shake, until the funny glint returned to Jen's eyes. "Say Wanda.. if that whole dart thing was so bad, why didn't you kill Cosmo then and there and be done with it?" Mystic, whose mouth was completely full, nodded her agreement.

Wanda's annoyance became innocent confusion. "Sheesh, Jen, you know me, I'm better than that! I waited until the principal finished his speech, then let Cosmo have it."

"No no no," Jen shook her head, "I'm talking about after all that. You made friends with him anyway! You were the one who introduced us, offered to sit with him at lunch, and you're always helping him in class. Why?"

"Oh. Well I... um.." Wanda put a finger to her chin and thought hard. Truth be told, she had never held the dart incident against Cosmo. Maybe it was out of pity at first – he'd only used the dart to find a friend in the first place. After delivering her "retribution", she soon learned that he suffered daily beatings at the hands of Luther Lex, and was generally picked on besides. When she finally caved and agreed to be his very first friend, good night! She'd never seen anyone get so excited!

But thinking back on their friendship, whenever they hung out together, she couldn't recall feeling sorry for him. He was always an idiot, sure, but he was funny, and a good friend, and.. well, he seemed to do plenty of nice things for her especially... he didn't care what the popular crowd thought, except when they thought about beating him up... he chose to be himself, no matter what... and the more she thought about him, the less she minded his acne and braces... yeah, he could be really cute sometimes...

Wanda gave an audible squeak. What the heck was she thinking? There was no way..! Not Cosmo! He's an idiot! An unpopular idiot who was always nice to her and there for her and brightening her day and... oh gosh, it was true.. not five minutes ago, he made her laugh, and she had this warm feeling in her chest the whole time... he'd made her milkshake, and he was so pleased she liked it.. she felt special and important then.. no way...

"Oh Wanda?"

"AAH!" Wanda jumped out of her daydreaming. Her friends were watching her, and the wide grins on their faces caused her nervous stomach to drop. "Wh-what? What're you looking at? Is there whipped cream on my nose or something?"

The girls' eyes narrowed with glee. "Heavens, no! It's better than that!" Jen gushed, the grin never disappearing.

Mystic drawled, "You're bluuuuushing.."

"I am not!" cried Wanda, covering her cheeks. Doggone it, they were warm! "I-it's just.. the light in here! It makes my face look red! And anyway, this is a restaurant, i-it gets really hot in here! Don't you think?"

They kept grinning.

Now Wanda really was beginning to sweat. She tugged at her collar and carefully edged out of the booth. "Uhh, I think I'll just step outside and, uh.. cool down a bit.. I'll be back... next week-"

"No need," Mystic said, and she grabbed Wanda by her wings, forcing her to sit. "You have a perfectly nice milkshake to chill you out! Unless there's something about it that, I dunno.." And she got right in Wanda's face. ".. warms you up a bit? Hmmmm?"

"Cut it out!" Wanda growled, feeling the blood rush to her face again.

"I second that, Mystic," Jen said suddenly. "He's on waiter duty now! He's coming this way!"

"Eep!" Wanda squeaked and peered around her seat. Sure enough, there was Cosmo, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of food and.. heading towards them? "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?" she begged her friends. Their maddening grins only widened.

"Just act casual," Jen encouraged. "Be yourself!"

"And cool down with some ice cream," Mystic suggested with a wink.

She quickly did as she was told. The chilly shake seemed to break the warmth in her cheeks. Wanda took this as a good sign. She was able to settle down considerably, get herself together.. she smiled at her friends, silently thanking them. Then, she turned around.

Cosmo must have been looking at her, because their gaze locked instantly. Wanda could feel her heart racing as he smiled her way. She had trouble telling whether she returned the smile or not; for that matter, she had trouble acknowledging the world around her, because she was deeply interested in his eyes at the moment.

There was something about them, something that held Wanda's attention fast. It wasn't just how green they were, or how they lit up whenever he was happy. Something stirred within them, and Wanda got the sense that whatever it was, it was meant just for her. Did that mean.. well, it was kind of obvious that he liked her.. but now! What a feeling! She had no idea if Cosmo was the fairy of her dreams.. but if the warm tingling that was spreading from her chest to her head was any indication, somehow, she'd found a likely candidate among her closest circle of friends. Really, what could be better?

SPLORTCH!

Cosmo and Wanda had been so preoccupied with each other, they hadn't noticed his tray tilt! The burger and milkshake toppled over in unison, and thanks to a certain spin of the glass, the food sprayed all over the two fairies. Both were well covered in milkshake and burger fixings; Cosmo wound up with the tomatoes to himself, and Wanda wore the pickles.

Years from now, their friends would say they made a picture perfect couple right there. Mystic and Jen were laughing themselves sick at the time, of course. Thus, they didn't catch a certain moment, one that Cosmo and Wanda consider the start of their relationship.

The tomatoes dropped from Cosmo's eyes, followed soon after by the pickles from Wanda. They were drenched head to toe with sticky ice cream, and above their friend's laughter, Cosmo's boss was ranting and raving, ready to give the clumsy waiter the boot. But they were still beaming, lost in their own little world, away from the noise and the mess.

"Eh heh.. hi again, Wanda," said Cosmo.

Wanda laughed softly. "Hi Cosmo.."

OoOoO

Too long? Too talky? Too mushy? Not enough? Please lemme know anything I could fix up! I really hope to become a professional writer sometime, so any and all constructive criticism is welcome! Many thanks in advance!

And I should be honest.. the plot's kinda fuzzy from here on out. So it may be a while until I update again! Or perhaps not. Gotta wait and see. X3 If you're still interested, keep an eye out right here! I'll post a wee preview of the next chapter once I get an epiphany!

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you like!

Next up: Since neither Cosmo or Wanda want to go home yet, they decide to hang out.. er, as friends, really! What could be so bad about visiting the amusement park anyhow? Well, with Cosmo around, you never know! No matter what, they're gonna learn a few things about each other...