Author's Note: I'm glad you guys like this idea so much. :D I hope you continue to read and review.

Chapter Three: Family Ties

They found themselves in an underground lair, deep beneath the school. From the golden spheres, Crocker had transplanted them into large, glowing orbs with transparent sides. Cosmo laid, apparently stunned, in a ball on the other side of the room. Wanda heard his labored breathing and winced, unable to verify what had happened but fearing the worst. She sent a tentative mental probe, uncertain whether these creations repelled magick like the others did.

((Cosmo? Are you okay?))

((My head feels all fuzzy,)) he replied. He forced himself to his feet and Wanda did the same. The orbs were aquamarine and with Cosmo's color coordination, it obfuscated much about his personage. She discerned his tousled hair, his striking eyes, and his body, but nothing terribly distinct. The ball also clouded their surroundings, making it hard for Wanda to judge distances and exact locations. To the touch, the ball was downright frigid, prompting her to yank back her hand for fear of frostbite. The ground beneath her feet felt solid, though it was such a strange sensation to be standing in her faerie form she reeled. They didn't speak for a moment, merely stared at each other, and Wanda's heart pounded. She sensed Cosmo's heart doing the same. The connection to him was real and solid, reassuring after what had happened so far.

Barring the strange events before Poof's birth with Cosmo's derisive remarks (Mama Cosma's fault, but a long and complicated story she didn't feel like going into), Wanda had always felt whole with Cosmo. Cosmo was her second half, the other aspect of her soul, and she knew she could face anything as long as he stood with her. They could feel each other's emotions through their link, and hear each other's thoughts. Of course, they couldn't lie to each other mind to mind, but they could have awkward pauses. Those pauses didn't happen very often. Right now, Cosmo was too petrified to send anything but fear.

((Do you think Poof and Timmy are okay?))

Cosmo didn't reply. He jerked his head and Wanda saw Crocker's outline. The ball rendered everything else indistinct, and her throat clenched. Having Cosmo in close physical proximity would have done a great deal to soothe her rattled nerves.

"You said female faeries can't have children," Crocker said, suddenly right in front of her. Her heart lurched. She hadn't heard him approach. Then again, from her vantage point, she couldn't see a door, either. She swallowed back blind panic- there was enough in her through Cosmo.

"It's not any of your business," Wanda said.

"If I'm going to raise my evil empire of half humans, half faeries, it is," he informed her. He tapped his foot. "I want to know the real reason you can't have children."

"You can't have children if they can't be born," Wanda said. It made sense, but she was dodging the question and she sensed Crocker knew it.

"Every time you lie, little faerie, the ball siphons off magic," he said. "Then it feeds it back to you in the form of a mild electrocution." She couldn't see it, but she sensed his eyes glittering with malice. "I'd recommend you told the truth."

"You're an evil man," she said. "And I won't tell you anything."

This wasn't a lie and, as such, nothing happened. A few minutes passed and Crocker paused, realizing the design flaw. Wanda could insult him or maintain silence all she wanted, and as long as she kept silent, nothing would happen. He huffed and stomped off, leaving Cosmo and Wanda alone again. Wanda's heart was in her throat.

((Doesn't seem he's planned this out very well, has he?))

((I just hope he doesn't ask me...))

((I do too...you'd tell him everything.))

((You know I'm not the real reason Fairy World can't have babies.))

((I know that, and let's keep him from knowing it.))

Crocker reappeared, cutting their conversation short, and Wanda distinguished a long metal rod in his hands. Again, there was a gap between seeing him and him suddenly before her, and the rod shot out into the ball, piercing its sides and latching onto her arm. A steel needle buried itself in her arm and she gritted her teeth, trying not to scream. The rod's underbelly gripped the rest of her arm and held it in traction. Alien probes pried into her mind and she shuddered, flinching away from them.

((Wanda!)) Cosmo called and she heard it echoed aloud. She yelped and Cosmo said, "What? What's going on?"

"Interesting...very interesting... I think we'll try this again. What's the real reason female faeries can't carry babies, despite looking and acting like female humans?"

"It's none of your concern," Wanda said haughtily. She trembled and the rod sent corresponding shock waves throughout her body. Red lights flashed before her eyes and she buckled, toppling to her knees.

"Did I say a mild electrocution? I meant mild like a tazer is mild," he said and laughed hysterically. A tear slipped down her cheek and Cosmo groped for her again.

((Wanda! Wanda, what's going on? I can't see anything!))

"So you two can talk mind to mind," Crocker said. Cosmo and Wanda froze. "And it hurts him to see you in pain. Maybe if you don't talk, he will."

"Cosmo won't tell you anything more than I will," she lied and another shock coursed through her body. Her head hit the ball's sides and she fell backward, landing and curling into a ball. Her vision hadn't returned and she felt incredibly weak and powerless. She panted, arms wrapped around her knees. Cosmo might have screamed; she couldn't hear him. Her ears rang and her mind felt scraped raw, too raw to receive his telepathy.

Minutes passed. Wanda lost track of time. It took a while for the shocks to wear off, and she kept shaking, tasting blood in the back of her mouth. The metal rod yanked her out of the ball and she landed on the floor in front of Crocker. The world had grey and black, but no colors yet, and she weakly lifted her head. The rod swung her up to Crocker's level and he leered at her. Her vision blurred and she tried to see Cosmo, but moving dizzied her.

"Let's see," Crocker said. "Why don't we start from 'I wish you were my faerie consort', and go from there?"

((Cosmo, what did you tell him?))

"Oh, that won't work anymore," Crocker said. "Now that you're outside the ball, it'll reject your messages. And since you're going to be my faerie consort, you should only answer to me. I'm sure there must be a way to break the bond between you. That'll be my next order of business, after taking over the world."

He cackled and Wanda choked. Losing her bond to Cosmo? Even with all the verbal and physical abuse Cosmo had subjected her to, there was the consolation of being connected to him. Faeries who lost their bonds with their true loves either by death or insanity went insane themselves and tended to die soon after. She thought she might be making a mistake speaking out, but she had to believe in fundamental decency.

"I know you're insane and demented," Wanda began. It shocked her to hear how breathy and pained she sounded. Distantly, like Cosmo was in another state, she felt him flinch.

"Your point being?"

"You can't break the bond between me and Cosmo," she said. "It wouldn't...we won't be sane without it."

"Hmm..." Crocker stroked his chin. "Unlimited power with two magical slaves at my disposal, neither of them competent enough to stop me. Nope, can't say I care."

"Insane faeries can be pretty unpredictable," she said. The last time she'd heard of a bond breaking, it'd been her father. Fairy World hadn't fared well after that. Thankfully, he'd found a stable power supply restoring his mental health...somewhat. He'd never be completely sane.

"I'll take my chances," he said. He grinned at her. "Broken spirited faeries unable to plot against me in their minds appeals to me. And since you are Turner's faeries, hurting you is like hurting him too."

He cackled and Wanda hung her head.

((I'm sorry, sweetie. It was worth a shot.)) She grimaced, realizing the message hadn't gone through. Crocker laughed and she desperately hoped Poof and Timmy were all right and mounting a rescue.
...

It soon dawned on Timmy, after about ten minutes, that the dragon was toying with them. With one long stride, it reached them easily and sniffed, opening its mouth to eat them. Timmy screamed, diving on top of Poof to protect him. The dragon snorted, using its giant snout to push Timmy over. Poof stared up at the dragon and Timmy thrust his arms out in front of him. Sweat trickled down his back.

((You're a long way from home, kid.)) the dragon sent. Timmy and Poof jumped.

"You can talk?" Timmy said.

((Only mind to mind,)) the dragon said. He had a distinctly male voice and looked amused at Timmy's shock. ((Don't worry. I don't hurt children.))

Timmy had gone from thinking they were about to be eaten to, well, this. He glanced at Poof, who had started rambling in his own unique combination of baby talk and actual words. The dragon didn't seem to be following him, which wasn't surprising. Only Cosmo and Wanda seemed to know exactly what Poof was talking about.

((All right, young one, since you seem slightly older than this faerie infant, would you mind informing me why you have dropped into my lair out of nowhere and woke me up?))

"We didn't mean to!" Timmy said. "It was an accident."

Mental voice heavy with sarcasm, the dragon replied, ((I gathered that.))

Timmy proceeded, without taking a breath, to explain Crocker capturing Cosmo and Wanda, and then Poof transporting them here. The dragon inclined its head.

((Unfortunately for you, this doesn't concern me. Dragons and faeries do not get along. You are lucky to have met the one dragon that doesn't believe in eating faeries and adding a human as a side dish.))

Timmy shuddered. "Can't you send us home? Or do something?"

Poof whimpered and Timmy hugged him.

((I cannot. I cannot cross dimensions. You shall have to find someone who can. I can, however, set you on the right track.))

"You gotta be kidding me," Timmy groaned. "We don't have time for an epic quest! Cosmo and Wanda are in danger right now, and so's everything in Fairy World and on Earth!"

The dragon chuckled. ((The young ones are always so impatient. Did I mention there's a short cut?))

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Timmy scoffed.

((It loops through past, present, and future. It is not advised unless you are in a hurry-))

"I am! I am!" Timmy said, jumping up and down. "In case you haven't noticed, Poof has so little magic he can't even float anymore!"

((Be careful, young one. Act in haste, repent in leisure.))

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get on with it!" Timmy said. The dragon sighed and prodded one of the stalactites. It moved aside, revealing a swirling vortex. Poof looked uncertainly at Timmy and Timmy smiled at him. The vortex flashed all colors of the rainbow and the rest of the cave fell away, hidden before it.

"It's okay, Poof," Timmy reassured him. "We'll be fine. We'll get there before Crocker even took Cosmo and Wanda, and stop everything. You'll see."

Timmy grimaced and walked toward the vortex. Rippling winds started up and his heart rattled in his chest. I hope I get there before Crocker does...