A/N: Little more changing of canon here. Well, Blue's canon. Heh.
Tootie knew Vicky had plans laid out years in advance. She also knew Vicky hated Timmy and would take any available excuse to torture him. What she hadn't known, what she'd had no way of knowing, was the extent to which Vicky would harm Timmy. Had Tootie known that, she wouldn't have bothered crashing Trixie's party. She would have gone pell-mell toward Timmy's house and tried to stop Vicky.
Then again, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
She and Chloe arrived at Timmy's house and, surprise surprise, his parents still weren't home. Timmy's bedroom window was open, which Tootie thought strange considering how cold it was. Perhaps Timmy was doing something generating heat and he'd needed to cool off. Hmm…she'd stashed a ladder around here somewhere. Tootie debated whether she ought to try to enter Timmy's room through the window or ring the doorbell.
Chloe made up her mind for her. The blonde girl rang the doorbell and Tootie sighed. Chloe's eyes were still red-rimmed and Tootie wondered whether Chloe had gotten a contact high. Her coughs had mostly abated on the walk over; they came intermittently now. Tootie had a headache, which might've been her reaction to the chemicals flying around Trixie's house.
She wished she could say she was surprised Trixie was a typical party girl. She wasn't. Tootie had never had high expectations for Trixie and Trixie had failed to meet even one of them. She didn't know what Timmy saw in her. Then again, she'd never known what Timmy saw in any of his crushes.
Wanda answered the doorbell in her human form and she did a double take at the two girls standing in front of the door. Chloe froze, staring at Wanda with her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed. Wanda's eyes had bags beneath them and she looked like she wanted to crash into the fishbowl and sleep. There was a faint smell of alcohol clinging to the faerie.
"Do I know you?" Chloe said softly. "I feel like I should."
"We wanted to see Timmy," Tootie said, standing in front of Chloe and hoping Fairy World's mind-wipe held. They'd be in for it if it didn't. Tootie wanted to avoid that blow-back tonight, if at all possible. Then again, the only reason Tootie thought Chloe hadn't regained her memories was because she never hung out with Timmy anymore. If she had, she would've noticed Cosmo and Wanda that much sooner.
"I'm afraid he's gone to bed," Wanda said in a clipped tone. Tootie frowned. Wanda had never been short with her before.
"Is something wrong?" Tootie asked.
Wanda faltered, looking like she wanted to say something, but then she shook her head. Her expression became shuttered and whatever she'd been on the brink of saying was gone behind the mask she wore. Tootie had never seen her like this either. True, she didn't spend as much time around Wanda as Timmy did, but in their limited interactions, Wanda had never shut her out.
"You know I can keep a secret," Tootie said and then paused. "I've gotten better at that."
"Do you two know each other?" Chloe asked, poking out from behind Tootie and breaking the moment. Wanda frowned at her former goddaughter and then looked at Tootie intently.
"No," Wanda said shortly. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't call here again after midnight."
"What about tomorrow?" Tootie said. "During the day?"
"Timmy will be very busy tomorrow," Wanda said and then, looking apologetic, she closed the door in their faces. Disturbed and confused, Tootie looked at Chloe, who was staring at the door as if trying her hardest to recollect something. Chloe balled her fists.
"I should know her," Chloe said.
"No, you shouldn't," Tootie said. She was always game to help keep Timmy's secret and enable Cosmo and Wanda to stay with him. Plus, she hadn't appreciated when Chloe had the faeries. Tootie still didn't think Chloe had deserved them and evidently, Fairy World had eventually agreed with her, because Chloe had lost them not long after getting them.
"I thought Vicky was babysitting him tonight," Chloe said. "Although isn't he a little old for a babysitter? My parents let me stay alone in the house when I was ten."
"Timmy's parents are enamored with Vicky," Tootie scoffed. "They never listen to what he tells them about her. But that doesn't explain why Wan- that woman was at the door instead of Timmy or Vicky. Vicky's car is in the driveway; shouldn't she have answered?"
Unless Vicky had passed out somewhere, this was strange. Tootie wasn't about to give up without further investigation and she knew Chloe wouldn't either. Therefore, Tootie gestured for Chloe to accompany her toward the back of the house. That ladder ought to be hidden around here somewhere…
Tootie set the ladder against the house and winced when it clanged. She started up it with Chloe behind her, but they hadn't gotten far when they began going backwards instead of forwards. Whatever had happened, Wanda was serious about Tootie not seeing Timmy. Tootie's frown deepened. She couldn't risk using magic in front of Timmy, because that put her own identity on the line. Plus, there was Chloe to think about.
She didn't want to wait until tomorrow, though. Whatever was happening had to be addressed now.
"You create a diversion," Tootie said to Chloe. "Do your one woman musical or something at the front door. I'm going to get in there, one way or another."
"What if no one answers the door?" Chloe said and Tootie grimaced. Like it or not, Chloe had a point. Wanda could choose to ignore the doorbell because she could see through her wand who was at the door. She'd looked exhausted the minute Tootie had seen her and maybe slightly drunk. If anything, being drunk should've lowered her inhibitions, not raised them. What the hell was going on here?
"We have no choice," Tootie said. "One of us has to get to Timmy."
"I should've known you wouldn't take 'no' for an answer," Wanda said. She descended the ladder and landed awkwardly on her feet. Timmy's faeries were seldom in human form and Wanda wasn't used to her legs being that long, clearly. Tootie was sympathetic, although she remained puzzled about why Wanda was so determined to keep them away from Timmy.
"Don't make me send you two away," Wanda warned. "Timmy is fast asleep."
Movement out of the corner of Tootie's eye startled her and Wanda hissed, glancing back up at the window. Timmy was standing there, very much not asleep, and not wearing an undershirt despite the weather. His bare chest had scratch marks on it and…were those hickeys on his neck?
"I don't want to see you ever again, you or anyone in your family," Timmy snapped at Tootie. His gaze flitted to Chloe. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Maybe."
"Did Vicky do something?" Tootie asked. Vicky had been the only one at home, hadn't she? Tootie's heart pounded. Vicky was still there. Wanda must've put her down for the count, but what had Vicky done?
"I wish Tootie and Chloe were back at home and didn't remember any of this!" Timmy said. Tootie opened her mouth to object, but it was too late. She found herself back in her house. Chloe was presumably back in her own house. However, Timmy's wish hadn't entirely worked. Cosmo and Wanda's magic sometimes didn't affect Tootie the way it affected other mortals, probably because of the wild magic in Tootie's blood.
Tootie gritted her teeth. She had questions, so many of them, and none of them were liable to be answered any time soon.
It also looked like her evening with Chloe was over. Chloe wouldn't remember spending time with her, which might have been a blessing, considering she wouldn't remember Trixie's party. Tootie grimaced. She wished she didn't remember Trixie's party. She could've done without seeing Trixie topless.
What was Wanda hiding? Timmy had been awfully defensive, too. Tootie frowned. She didn't understand the puzzle pieces as she saw them. Timmy couldn't seriously think that Tootie would behave like Vicky. She was nothing like her sister. Surely he knew that by now.
What the evidence suggested was that Vicky had put her hands on Timmy. But Tootie knew Vicky would never do anything like that. Right? For one thing, Vicky and Timmy were six years apart in age and that would make Vicky a pedophile. For another, Vicky wasn't interested in Timmy that way. She enjoyed taunting and torturing him, but it was platonic, not romantic. Not even hate romance.
Right?
Tootie didn't want to question her view of reality. It was far too disturbing to consider any alternatives, like Vicky suppressing her feelings for Timmy for six years and it manifesting like this. Also, it would mean Tootie might have to murder her sister. She couldn't believe Wanda wouldn't have already done it, if what she suspected was true.
No, it couldn't be. Tootie refused to accept Vicky would've done anything like that. Yes, Vicky was evil, but there were lines you didn't cross. Tootie shuddered. Evil had to have its limits. Otherwise, everything was madness.
Tootie had enough bullshit in her life that she didn't need more. She'd interrogate Vicky when she got home and see if she could get a straight answer out of her. Tootie doubted Vicky would give her the right time of day, much less respond, but it was worth a shot. She clearly wasn't going to get an answer out of Timmy, assuming Wanda even let near him. Hell, the way Wanda had been acting, she'd be surprised if Wanda let Chloe near Timmy. She'd gone straight into protective mama bear mode.
All of this led to an inescapable conclusion and Tootie wished, not for the first time, that what she wished for would come true. All signs pointed to "no", as usual. She didn't know why she got her hopes up.
Wanda sighed, turning back to Timmy. She hadn't even noticed the hickeys and scratches until just now. It didn't matter. Tootie had seen too much already. She didn't know whether Timmy's mind wipe wish had worked, either. If it hadn't, Wanda would have to intervene.
She was torn. On the one hand, she didn't want to take the chance that any part of Vicky might've rubbed off on Tootie. On the other hand, she knew Tootie wasn't like that. Tootie would never have taken advantage of Timmy, much less put him in a situation where she could do so. Wanda had gotten the whole story out of Timmy, more or less, and it only increased her loathing for Vicky.
She couldn't believe Timmy's parents weren't home yet. Maybe they'd gotten drunk and would return in the morning once they had sobered up and could drive. Timmy's parents would expect Vicky to be there whenever they returned, which meant if Wanda whisked Vicky away, she'd have to bring her back. Plus, since she didn't know when they'd return, Wanda would have to be on guard the whole night.
"You didn't want to talk to Chloe, sport?" Wanda asked. Timmy was sitting in bed now with his arms folded across his chest. She healed his injuries and the hickeys; just looking at the hickeys raised her blood pressure.
"No," Timmy said. "I wish I could go to sleep and never wake up."
Wanda and Cosmo exchanged alarmed looks. Wanda cleared her throat.
"We can't do anything like that, sport," Wanda said quietly. "That's too close to self-harm."
"Then I wish I could sleep until my parents get home," Timmy said. "Maybe I'll be lucky and they'll never come home, so I never have to wake up."
"Oh, hon…" Wanda said and hugged him. After a moment, he hugged her back and she felt him shaking, suppressing more sobs. She stroked his hair and Cosmo hugged them both. She was almost glad Poof hadn't been here, even if he could've helped Timmy. Poof would've been so far out of his depth, it wasn't funny.
"Don't leave me," Timmy said softly. "Promise you won't leave."
"We promise," they chorused.
"I love you," he said.
"We love you too," they said, again in unison.
Wanda knew Timmy would have nightmares, assuming he slept at all. Therefore, though it wasn't strictly allowed, she cast a spell to put him into a dreamless sleep. After everything he'd endured, it was the least she could do. Once she had, she glanced at Cosmo, whose lower lip was quivering.
"I know, sweetie, I know," she said and hugged him tighter. "We'll get through this."
"His parents aren't going to believe him," Cosmo said and she sighed, reluctantly releasing Timmy. Cosmo followed her in midair.
"I know," she said. "But let's not borrow trouble."
"Why not?" Cosmo said. "Is trouble already checked out?"
Wanda rolled her eyes. "It's an expression. Not literally borrowing trouble."
"Oh," he said. "I don't get it."
She rolled her eyes again and poofed into the fish bowl. It was a good thing Timmy didn't have real goldfish or they would've perished long ago, between his neglect and the fish bowl's size. Real goldfish needed much more room and more maintenance, but Timmy wasn't the type to keep a real, non magical pet alive.
If only that was Timmy's worst problem.
She sighed. Cosmo had fallen asleep as soon as he poofed beside her, but she knew it'd be a sleepless night for her. Vicky ought to be down for the count, but that didn't mean Wanda would be able to sleep. After what had happened, she could've used that spell on herself. Maybe she ought to. There was no sense in keeping guard when Vicky was supernaturally asleep. She'd only wake when someone else stirred her and not before.
Wanda hated the idea of leaving Vicky in the house at all, but she didn't see any alternative. She'd just have to grit her teeth and bear it.
They'd never had a godchild abused while in their care. Wanda should've known somehow that Vicky was up to this. She should have suspected something and never left their godson alone. Though Wanda hadn't known Vicky felt that particular way about Timmy, Vicky had always hurt Timmy whenever she babysat him. Wanda should've done something or put some safeguards in place.
Jorgen had said Vicky had only been waiting for an opportunity. Perhaps he was right. That didn't make it any easier to bear.
Wanda sighed, feeling herself beginning to brood. Normally, Cosmo would shake her out of it, but he was fast asleep now and she didn't want to wake him. No, she'd deal with this by herself.
It was going to be a long night.
Vicky felt unusually well-rested, although she didn't remember falling asleep. She couldn't suppress her grin. After so long, she'd finally gotten what she wanted. The twerp wasn't anywhere downstairs, but she ought to make him breakfast. He might be reluctant to eat or drink anything she offered, especially after last night, but oh well.
Now she'd marked Timmy as her own, it ought to prevent stupid people like Tootie from coming after him. Timmy was Vicky's and she wasn't interested in sharing. Besides, you snooze, you lose. If Tootie had really wanted Timmy, she should've done something much earlier. She obviously hadn't been serious about him.
Tootie had claimed repeatedly that she was in love with Timmy. Vicky's feelings for Timmy ran darker than simple affection. Timmy had tried to destroy her life on multiple occasions, so she wanted to destroy his. Turnabout was fair play. Moreover, now that he was damaged goods, no one would interfere when she claimed him again. And again.
Perhaps her feelings toward him were confused, but she'd have plenty of time to sort them out.
Vicky walked upstairs and knocked on Timmy's door. She grinned. "Oh, Timmy? It's time for breakfast!"
The front door opened downstairs and Vicky cursed under her breath. She rushed back downstairs to greet the Turners and assure them that their precious son had definitely enjoyed last night. After all, she had. Then again, she didn't particularly care whether he had. She'd stuffed that gag in his mouth because he'd been begging for "Cosmo and Wanda", whoever they were.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Turner!" Vicky said brightly. "Timmy's sleeping in-we stayed up late last night celebrating!"
She grinned wickedly. Yes, "celebrating" was one way to put it.
"We're glad you two had a good time," Mrs. Turner said. "We'll try to be quiet so we don't wake Timmy up."
"Of course," Vicky said sweetly. "Now, there's the little matter of my payment. Of course, babysitting Timmy was almost payment enough. He's such an angel."
She was laying it on a little thick, but she didn't know how Timmy's parents would react once Timmy told them the truth. She doubted they'd believe him. After all, Vicky had babysat Timmy for years and they never believed him about her abuse, but there was a first time for everything. Vicky needed to be prepared.
"Let's see…your usual pay rate for a holiday…" Mr. Turner said. The math looked difficult for him and Vicky withheld a rude snort. Timmy's parents were such simpletons. It was easy to pull the wool over their eyes.
"Three hundred dollars," Vicky said sweetly. It was more than her usual holiday rate and she was gouging them, but she didn't expect them to notice.
"Of course," Timmy's father said, pulled out his wallet, and gave her the money without question. Vicky refrained from cackling, but it was close. She couldn't believe what suckers his parents were. They wouldn't stand in her way the next time she wanted Timmy like that, either. Timmy had no one to protect him.
Who the hell were Cosmo and Wanda, anyway? Whoever they were, they couldn't help him either. Vicky, with effort, suppressed her evil grin. She was giddy with her success.
Dancing out the door, she stopped to blow Timmy's window a kiss before getting in her car and driving off. There was no way this day could get any better.
"She's gone," Wanda said, peeking out through the curtains to watch Vicky's car vanish around the bend. Timmy sat in bed with his arms around his legs. He had asked his faeries to keep an eye out for her, although they had to be careful not to be seen. He knew he needed to tell his parents what had happened, but he wasn't anticipating a good outcome. They never believed him. Why start now? His spirits were possibly lower than they'd been last night. Cosmo and Wanda had believed him; Jorgen had intervened. That didn't mean his parents would see things the way his godparents and Fairy World did.
"You guys won't leave me when I turn eighteen, will you?" Timmy asked, feeling lost. If his godparents left him in two years, he didn't know how he'd cope.
"I don't think so, sport," Wanda said and hugged him. "Jorgen did say this was an extenuating circumstance."
"Whatever that means," Cosmo said. He offered Timmy a weak smile that the teenager didn't reciprocate. "We'll be downstairs with you when you talk to your parents."
Timmy's throat was tight, but he nodded. "I wish I had the courage to speak to them."
Cosmo and Wanda raised their wands, though he knew it'd probably been a waste of a wish. It wasn't the stupidest wish he'd made but that wasn't saying much. He'd once wished himself into his bedroom because he'd been too lazy to walk out of his bathtub. Wanda hadn't found that particular wish amusing.
Timmy dressed, descended the stairs with Cosmo and Wanda appearing as portraits on the staircase and then turning into a throw and a pillow on the couch. Timmy's parents were downstairs in the kitchen and Timmy's mother beamed at her son when he entered.
"Good morning! I heard you had a good evening with Vicky," his mother said and Timmy's stomach turned. Cosmo and Wanda turned into oven mitts hanging over the stove.
They'd promised they would keep an eye on him and they seldom broke their promises. He felt a rush of gratitude for them.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said and fidgeted. His faeries might've imbued him with courage, but this remained an awkward topic. Plus, what little he remembered haunted him. He feared the rest would return in a wave and he'd be dragged under. He told himself that his parents weren't always idiots and they cared about him. About something so essential, they had to believe him.
"I know you haven't always believed me about Vicky in the past," he started and Cosmo and Wanda gave him encouraging nods.
"Vicky's a kind, considerate girl," his mother said and then amended her statement. "She's a woman now, but I'm still right."'
"Mom-" his throat seized and he didn't know how he'd choke out the story. Another wand wave and his throat opened again. "Last night, Vicky…she gave me a mickey."
"The cartoon mouse?" his father said and Timmy wanted to bang his head against the wall. He wasn't sure whether his father was pretending to be stupid or he really was. It was always a thin line with his parents.
"She drugged me," Timmy said. "She drugged me and then she…she…took advantage of me."
Timmy's mother, who had been in the middle of cooking pancakes, turned off the flames and turned to her son. "That's a very serious accusation, Timmy."
"It's not an accusation," Timmy snapped. "It's what happened."
"Vicky's such a sweet girl," his mother argued. "She's been babysitting you for years. If she was like that, there would've been signs."
"There were signs," he said, growing frustrated. "You ignored them. I've told you for years that Vicky's been torturing me and you thought I was either exaggerating or lying. I'm not lying. She…she raped me."
Saying the words made them concrete and he shuddered. Cosmo and Wanda shifted into wristbands so they could squeeze his wrists to give him their support. Why were Cosmo and Wanda so much more supportive than his biological parents? Sometimes, Timmy wished Cosmo and Wanda were his real parents.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" Timmy's father said. "I know sometimes teens do things they regret and-"
"She. Raped. Me." Timmy said, balling his fists and feeling tears prick his eyes. "I'll swear on whatever you want. I know you've believed her over me for years, but, just this once, please. Please listen to me. She raped me."
His parents were silent for a minute, mulling this over. Timmy dared to hope. His knees buckled and he collapsed into a chair. He could feel his faeries' eyes upon him and their smiles were sympathetic. Sometimes, he wondered whether he loved them more than his real parents.
"We should call Vicky back here and get her side of the story," Timmy's father said and Timmy screamed.
"Why can't you take my word for it? She's going to lie! She'll make something up and you'll believe it because you always believe her over me! I'm asking, just this once, for you to believe me. Your son. Your flesh and blood. Your precious gift from above. Please."
His parents faltered and exchanged looks.
"I still would like to hear Vicky's side of this," his mother said. "It's not that we don't believe you, but there are always two sides to every story."
"There are two sides-mine and the wrong one! What will it take for you to believe me?" he pleaded.
"Vicky would never do anything like that," his father said. "Are you sure you didn't drink too much last night and imagine it?"
Timmy was disgusted and outraged. Though he hadn't expected this to go well, it hadn't met his low expectations. His mind flashed back to last night with the girls attempting to ascend the ladder beneath his room. He might've been better off with Tootie and Chloe; they were more likely to believe him than his parents. Chloe definitely would've believed him. He suddenly missed his former god-sister enough to bring the tears to the surface.
"I swear I didn't!" Timmy said. "What more do I have to say to get you to believe me?"
"We're going to need some time to think this over," his mother said. "Why don't you go upstairs and we'll call you when we're ready to talk?"
"What is there to talk about?" he said, aghast. "You're going to call Vicky and talk to her and then you'll completely discount my story!"
"Don't jump to conclusions," his mother scolded.
"I wish Cosmo and Wanda were my parents, not you two!" Timmy cried. His parents exchanged baffled looks, but it was too late. Cosmo and Wanda held up their wands and Timmy was transported to an unfamiliar house that looked like it was a few doors down from Chloe's new house. It was colored in pink and green with a few purple splashes that he supposed represented Poof.
"They didn't believe me," he said and tears streaked his cheeks. "I told them the truth and they didn't believe me."
"I know, sport," Wanda said and hugged him tightly. Cosmo joined in on the hug and Timmy wept bitterly. He'd told them the truth and they, without even talking to Vicky, believed the liar. At least he had Cosmo and Wanda. They were all he had.
