Also note, Cupid is not a fairy; he is a love god, and gods have blood like the humans do. Just to clarify. :)
:::
"What a day," Remy sighed, sitting down in midair and curling up into a fetal position. (It was, however, around two days, he realized as he recounted the events.) "I have witnessed an attempted rape, made a truce with my enemy, been murdered, eaten, and now I am stuck inside the head of an Anti-Fairy."
"You certainly would have a story to tell your friends if you were still alive," Clarice chuckled.
Remy managed a small smile, but it soon fell as he realized how tired he was. "Is there somewhere I can sleep?"
"Yes," Clarice nodded, forcing Remy to stand up by grabbing his hair.
"Ow!"
"Sorry." Clarice let go of his blond mop and pointed to his left. "Your room is the one with the large bit of cash under the mattress, correct?"
"...Yes!" exclaimed Remy, quite surprised. "How did you know?"
"When the Father consumed your soul," Clarice explained, "he also consumed your memories. The image of your room is in his mind, along with any other memory you have."
"So I have a duplicate room?"
"Right."
Clarice led him to the room. Remy was astounded at the detail his room was portrayed in. It was even complete with the view he had of Dimmsdale and Juandissimo's ferret form in the cage beside his bed. (He felt that detail could have been left out; he didn't much care for Juandissimo now.) "Wow," he murmured, crawling into his bed.
"Goodnight, Remy Buxaplenty," Clarice said, switching off the light.
The teen only nodded, pulling the covers up to his chin.
Ten at night.
Eleven at night.
Midnight.
Remy Buxaplenty could not sleep.
:::
The night came and went quickly, with Wanda having to stay overnight for her little fainting spell. Studwell checked her and she appeared to be fine, so he "released" her, but she didn't really go anywhere seeing as she stayed with Cosmo most of the time now. Timmy was now also with Jorgen; she would have left him with Mama Cosma, but Timmy, like Poof, had fiercely made it clear how little they cared for her.
Cupid was lingering in the doorway, told by Studwell to keep a close eye on Cosmo so he wouldn't do anything stupid. He sighed happily. Cosmo and Wanda weren't saying a word to each other; they didn't need to. They were looking in each others eyes, totally lost, and Cupid loved it. He himself could feel the love!
Now if only he could do that with Juandissimo...
He frowned and leaned against the wall, twirling his swirly hair absentmindedly. Where was Juandissimo, anyway? He hadn't been to the hospital in days! Maybe something happened to him...
"Hola."
Wanda turned around, holding in a scream, while Cupid emitted a high, fangirlish squee. "Juandissimo! Juandissimo! Come here!" Before the Hispanic fairy could protest, Cupid dragged him into an unoccupied room and poofed up an arrow. "I've been watching youuu!" he giggled, putting his hands on Juandissimo's chest. It felt so toned, and Cupid wanted to just melt.
Juandissimo, however, was a bit disturbed by the love god's affection. "...Watching me?"
"You know, from a distance!" Cupid batted his eyelashes (which seemed too long; maybe he was wearing mascara?) flirtatiously. "Not like a stalker way, though. Who would do that? Pleaaase!" He crossed his arms. "Stalkers are such losers! Good thing Wanda's a little liar!"
Juandissimo narrowed his eyes until they were gleaming violet slits. "Ah, but Wanda was not lying."
Cupid backed away, looking confused and even a little hurt. "Wh- what?"
"Wanda was not lying about my stalking her," Juandissimo stated darkly. "Nor about anything else."
Cupid opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat. He slowly turned away and he whispered in a dark, broken voice, "It's true. What they were saying all along. It's true. You..." he looked away and his breathing increased as he fought back waves of tears. "You're a murderer."
"Si." Juandissimo did nothing except stare at Cupid, Another admirer? He did not doubt it.
"B- but you're so perfect..." Cupid sobbed. "So kind. So helpful. So sexy." He turned and faced Juandissimo again. "No wonder you were so good with death..." Cupid took out an arrow. "B- but if I st- stab you with th- this arrow, y- you'll l- love me and st- stop hurting Wanda. A- and we c- can be t- together." He gulped. "R- right?"
"Wrong." Juandissimo grabbed the arrow and wrenched it from the love god's grip. "You fairies are so weak-willed and simple-minded. You think that all of your problems can be solved with a little arrow with a heart on the end of it. Well, you are all completely wrong! No problem can be solved simply by loving someone. You must take action for the things you want!"
Cupid was shaking now, not bothering to hold back his tears any longer. His most cherished beliefs were being crushed by the man that he, as much as he now hated to admit it, still loved. "But lo-"
"Do not say a word!" Juandissimo ordered, snapping the arrow in his hand. He took the sharp end and held it like a knife to Cupid's neck. "I know all too well that love is nothing but a lie. All of it! Maternal love, romantic love, brotherly love. Everything I ever loved either never loved me, or loved me and left me. And they are going to pay!"
"I would never leave you," Cupid promised.
"Silence!"
Cupid shrunk back and made a little mewling sound in response.
"You do not fix the world's problems," Juandissimo continued, grabbing on to one of Cupid's feathered wings. They were soft, like a cloud. "You only cause more of them. Love is not our savior. Love is our enemy."
"But you love Wanda..." Cupid squeaked, not daring to move.
"Si, I love Wanda, and it has caused me nothing but pain!" On "pain", he withdrew Cupid's broken arrow from the Valentine General's neck. "And now... I will have my revenge. He stabbed Cupid deeply in the chest and threw his victim to the ground.
Cupid did not feel a thing. The shock of having someone he had respected, loved and admired had frozen him with a numbness that buried the pain in ice. Juandissimo dug the arrow deeper, twisting it, until Cupid whimpered and gave Juandissimo a pleading look. He felt a tear roll down his cheek.
"Your tears do not soften me!" Juandissimo spat, twisting the arrow even more. "Nor does your pathetic attempt at looking adorable!" He leaned in close, using the arrow for support, and whispered, "Cupid Amoros, you die tonight."
A few seconds of silent pain passed before Cupid grabbed on to Juandissimo's weapon, trying to pull it out. He opened his mouth once again to cry out, but he made no such sound; he emitted a sound somewhere between a gurgle and a choke as blood spewed from his paled lips. His bright pink hair was stained now, looking almost like he were a hate god rather than one of love.
Cupid poofed up another arrow, trying to stab Juandissimo with it, but his assaulter was too quick. He writhed a little more, then was still.
Juandissimo stood up, admiring his handiwork. Another job done, muy bueno.
The door burst open just as Juandissimo took the other arrow from Cupid's cold hand. It was the receptionist that had brought Wanda in. "My goodness! C- Cupid!"
"He loved me," Juandissimo told her. "But I did not return, so he tried to stab me with an arrow. But you see, I was not willing and he..." he looked down, as if sad, "...he stabbed himself with it. I tried to stop him, Karranda. I tried..."
Karranda bit her lip. "I'll call Studwell."
Juandissimo nodded. "You do that." When she flew off, he took his wand and wrote upon the wall: "Love is a feeling of light; hate, a feeling of darkness. Darkness and light travel at the same speed. Darkness has overcome its counterpart with not speed, but ability.
Finished, he walked out with Cupid's arrow in his hand and advanced to Cosmo's room, knowing that he could still find Wanda there.
:::
"Are you serious?"
AJ nodded. "His parents were totally wrong. Timmy is thirteen, not ten. I don't get how is parents could be so wrong." He laughed and shrugged. "Then again, they are idiots."
Truden whacked her head on the table and let out a long sigh of frustration. "This is getting so... so..." She couldn't find a word for it.
"Aggravating?" AJ offered.
"More than that!" Truden growled. "Listen, you're a smart kid. Do you know who might have done this?"
"Scorch marks?" AJ exclaimed, studying the picture intently. "'Honesty is swallowed by the shadows. Darkness reigns.' Ominous."
"No shit." Truden covered her mouth after realizing what she said. "Sorry, kid. I'm just shaken about this whole thing."
"I am too," AJ admitted. "I'm worried something happened to Timmy now. Maybe he didn't kill Remy after all." Glancing at the pictures again, he stated, "Well, whoever did this took their sweet time. It's really tidy. Were there any matches left behind?"
"Nope, no match traces and there was no trace of gasoline or excess carbon dioxide in the room. You know that gas turns into carbon dioxide when it burns right?" When AJ nodded, she continued, "So that rules out both lighters and matches! All the forensics are stumped. They have no idea what happened."
"Sooo... why did you ask me?"
"Well," Truden explained, "You are, according to your father and around five other fathers around here, a prodigy. And as a police officer, I have to find things out any way I can."
"So you asked me."
"Yeah. You did a good job, too," Truden praised him. "You might just have a future in crime investigation."
:::
He was right; Wanda was still there beside Cosmo like she had been when he first arrived. Cosmo was sleeping soundly while Wanda was kneeling beside him (the stools had been removed from the room), holding his hand. The sight of Wanda in love with another man still sickened Juandissimo after all these years. If that wasn't love, than what was it that Juandissimo was feeling?
Wanda called it obsession. Obsession? Obsession and love shared the same boat. How many times had someone confessed their love for someone without saying "I can't stop thinking about you" or "I want to be beside you always"? That's how he felt about Wanda.
And that, Juandissimo concluded, was love.
Wanda was not aware he was there until he spoke. "Hola," he greeted her quietly after creeping up only a few inches behind her.
Wanda let go of Cosmo's hand and jumped up, her breath catching in her throat. "Jua- Juandissimo!" she hissed, trying to suppress her fear.
"Do not try to act like you are not afraid," Juandissimo ordered. "You know that I can smell your fear."