The day Wanda returned, the universe collapsed. Strange things had occurred prior to this: Timmy had stopped failing so many tests and had actually buckled down and studied once in a while. Wanda's absence had made everything strange and unsettling. Timmy had thrown himself in schoolwork for once because his parents had started fighting and he'd beaten all of his video games. Moreover, he had the oddest feeling time was passing him by the wrong way. He couldn't explain it.
Cosmo had grown subdued in his wife's absence. He stopped encouraging Timmy to make increasingly dangerous wishes. It was like without Wanda, Cosmo was only half of himself. Speaking to him was usually an exercise in futility. When Cosmo spoke, he gave monosyllabic answers at best. At worst, he stared right through Timmy. Timmy didn't know what he was looking for, but he didn't find it.
Wishing Wanda back didn't work. Moreover, with Cosmo and Wanda out of sync, it was impossible to search for her. Transporting back to Fairy World was out of the question. Cosmo might've been a von Strangle, but he couldn't access most of his power without Wanda. Either that or he didn't want to. Timmy didn't know which it was and Cosmo, if he knew, which was doubtful, wasn't talking. The stories Timmy had heard of his godfather destroying Atlantis and laying waste to countless other places didn't mesh with Cosmo now, who kept his head down and muttered occasionally to himself.
It scared Timmy almost more than Wanda's absence did. Wanda's note had said she wouldn't be gone for very long, but it'd been two months. Two months. How could she be gone for so long? She'd promised and broken her word, which wasn't like her.
Jorgen von Strangle officially had her on the missing faeries report, which was considerably shorter than Timmy might have expected. It was hard to lose a faerie. Even the faeries that went "missing" thanks to Big Daddy were eventually found, albeit in various stages of decomposition. The only faeries Timmy knew who had gone missing were Wanda and another faerie named Magdalene who had been gone for nearly five hundred years. Jorgen was far more concerned with Wanda's disappearance, because Wanda was a high profile faerie, she usually kept Cosmo in line, and Jorgen knew her personally. From what little Timmy had gleaned, Magdalene was just a random exiled faerie by comparison.
The day Wanda returned, Timmy had begun to lose hope she was ever returning. It wasn't just that she hadn't materialized. It was that things that should have happened, didn't. Instead of the school year ending, it restarted in June. It was suddenly September again and instead of gaining a grade, Timmy remained stuck in fifth grade, though he'd squeaked by in his classes.
There were other things that should have happened that didn't, like the Fairy Olympics, which Timmy only knew about because Jorgen had also let that slip. In addition, there should have been a faerie baby. Timmy didn't know about that, but he did know the sky was gray, overcast, and it had been drizzling for days.
There were traffic jams every day. No accidents, just gridlock every single day. His father came home late, hours after his work ended, and Timmy wasn't sure whether it was because of traffic or because of other things his mother wouldn't let him hear about.
No one was aging. He didn't turn eleven. Instead, he turned ten again. It was like he was stuck in a cartoon with no continuity, where every day was the same. The monotony threatened to drive him mad.
Timmy had no reason to expect this day would be any different. He arrived home after a dreary school day, where it should've been August 2nd and he should've been free. Dumping his bag on the table across from his TV, he didn't notice the figure sitting prone on his desk until it made a faint noise.
Cosmo was absent, probably lurking in the castle. He'd done that more and more often of late. Timmy didn't know what was so fascinating in there, but as Cosmo had become prone to staring at the walls, it probably was boring. Whenever Cosmo stared at something with his blank green eyes, it creeped Timmy the hell out. He wished his godfather would say something rather than sit there for hours, not speaking, just gazing steadfast at nothing. It was almost like a cat, except cats would occasionally blink. Cosmo wouldn't even do that.
"Timmy."
Timmy froze, startled. The voice had come from beneath his textbooks. He pushed them aside and discovered a familiar faerie, bleached of color. Her normally yellow and black ensemble was chalk white, as were her skin and hair. The only color on her came from her pupils, which were unfocused. Timmy's jaw dropped.
"Wanda?" he said, incredulous. "What the heck happened to you?"
Green faerie dust rained down upon him and he looked up to discover Cosmo floating above his head.
"Wanda!" Cosmo exclaimed. "You're okay!"
He hugged her to his chest, but Wanda didn't react. She might've been carved from stone for all the reaction she gave. Cosmo held her out at arm's length and stared at her. Her eyes didn't track and her gaze remained unfocused.
"Wanda?" Cosmo said.
"She doesn't look okay," Timmy argued. He waved his hand in front of her face and she didn't react. Like Cosmo had done earlier, she gave him a thousand yard stare. He leaned forward, his face inches away from hers.
"Hello? Wanda? Earth to Wanda!" Timmy said. The longer this went on, the lower his heart sank. Something was seriously wrong. His hands shook and he heard rattling. The house beneath him rocked as if they were on a fault line, but as far as he knew, they were dozens of miles away from San Francisco. That was where the earthquakes were, right? He was pretty sure he was right. San Francisco had earthquakes, not here in Dimmsdale. Especially not without a wish fueling it.
Wanda reached out and grabbed Timmy's hands. Her fingers were like ice on his and he hissed, trying to draw back, but she had a death grip on him.
"You need to fix this," she said and the words felt like they were spoken by rote. There was no inflection or life behind her speech and, honestly, it freaked him out. He pulled back, but couldn't escape her hold.
"Okay, but you gotta let go of me first," he protested and her grip tightened until Timmy couldn't feel his fingers.
"Cosmo, help!" he said, turning toward his godfather. "Do something!"
Wanda released Timmy, much to his relief, but pointed toward her chest and then Cosmo's. A faint pink glow emanated from his godfather's heart. It matched Wanda's normal hair color and whatever she shifted into. Baffled, Timmy looked at Cosmo to see whether he knew what was going on. Recognition flashed in Cosmo's eyes now.
"Wanda?" Cosmo said again. "What happened to you?"
A massive cloud materialized, portending Jorgen's arrival. Fairy World's enforcer must've come as soon as Wanda's location was determined, which made Timmy wonder for a second how he still hadn't found Magdalene. Unless he wasn't really looking. He was too young to understand how bureaucracy worked.
"She has been located," Jorgen said, surprised. Wanda turned to face him and her expression was blank. Timmy wished she'd smile, scowl, or do something. He had the chills.
"Well, duh, she just showed up here out of nowhere," Timmy said. His next sentence was heavily laden with sarcasm, "Good job finding her."
Jorgen frowned, ignoring Timmy's jab. Instead, he separated Cosmo and Wanda and scrutinized Timmy's faerie godmother. Wanda's expression remained vacant despite Jorgen staring. It was like she barely responded to anything, no matter how invasive it was. And Jorgen's gawking must've felt like being x-rayed, the way he was studying her.
Jorgen slammed his wand down and Doctor Ripped Studwell appeared out of nowhere. The doctor was in the middle of a phone call, all the while stroking the chin of a rather busty faerie wearing something that left little to the imagination. Even to someone like Timmy, whose imagination had withered and died a while back. His jaw dropped.
"Excuse me," Jorgen growled.
"You're excused," Studwell said without looking away from the woman. Her red dress, what little there was of it, clung to her curves. Timmy was having trouble remembering what the problem was.
Jorgen slammed his wand down and the beautiful faerie vanished in a cloud of faerie dust. Cosmo jerked, evidently having been under the same spell as his godson. Wanda's lips moved slightly and, though it might've been Timmy's imagination, she appeared to be scowling ever so faintly at Cosmo. However, it was a blink and you miss it gesture.
"This faerie appears to be missing her soul," Jorgen growled. Cosmo and Timmy startled again.
"What?" Timmy said, incredulous. "That's not possible."
"It is," Jorgen said. "If she ran afoul of a demon."
"Well, sounds like you don't need me," Studwell said and Jorgen squeezed his wand, as well as latching his fingers onto Studwell's puny throat. The doctor turned a delicate shade of blue.
"You will tell us where her soul is," Jorgen snapped and released Studwell's throat enough for the faerie doctor to take several, harsh, rasping breaths. His eyes darted around the room for sympathy, but no one moved to his defense. Cosmo cradled Wanda, whose chest barely rose and fell.
"Not here, I'm afraid," Studwell said once he was able to speak again. "In other dimensions."
"Then you will take us to them," Jorgen growled.
"I can't take you there-" Studwell said and then hastily added at Jorgen's glower, "I'd love to, but it'd be too time consuming tracking down the people who stole and then split Wanda's soul. But I can give you directions to each universe and you can find them yourself."
He smiled in what he'd probably thought was a winsome matter but was, instead, rather feeble.
"You heard him, tiny Timmy Turner," Jorgen growled. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Timmy rolled back his curtains and the world outside of his room was in sepia tones. The color was leaching out of his room too, turning everything black and white.
"You will find and reunite the parts of Wanda's soul that are missing," Jorgen growled. "And you will do it before this universe collapses."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Timmy snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, it's not like you gave me an instruction book. Or a scanner to look it up, like Neutron's DNA tracker."
Jorgen grimaced and glanced outside too. It was now hailing brimstone.
"No time," Jorgen said and squeezed his wand. "I will send you the closest I can. You will find help in the next universe."
The last image Timmy had of his room was of Jorgen throttling Studwell for not being of more assistance. For once, Timmy was on Jorgen's side. Other than telling them that Wanda was missing her soul, which wasn't a thing Timmy knew could happen until about five minutes ago, Doctor Ripped Studwell had been singularly useless.
Timmy had no idea what he was getting into. He walked up to a house identical to his and rang the doorbell. Floating beside him was Cosmo, holding Wanda. Timmy swallowed hard, not having the slightest clue what to expect.
Sitting upstairs with the music blaring, Timmy didn't hear the doorbell ring. If he had, he wouldn't have answered it. He was brooding, having locked his bedroom door, though he knew it was a futile gesture. His godparents could enter whenever they chose. It only kept Tootie out and that was until she tried to break the door down.
Timmy's head throbbed with the music, at least until it suddenly stopped. In the silence, Timmy glanced over at the now open door. A younger version of himself, accompanied by Cosmo and a rather strange looking Wanda, stood in the doorway. Meanwhile, his version of Wanda was floating in midair with her arms folded across her chest.
"They need our help," Wanda said softly.
"And this is my problem, why?" Timmy said acidly.
"Because, sport," Wanda said tersely, "you owe Jorgen for unleashing Lorenzo upon us all."
"If he'd been doing his job in the first place—" Timmy began hotly.
"If you have a problem with it, take it up with Jorgen, not me," Wanda said. Timmy opened his mouth to argue again and then remembered the unpleasantness of the immediate aftermath of Lorenzo's attacks. He didn't want to get into a pissing match with his godparents again. For one thing, they were all he had now. For another, he loved them so much it physically hurt sometimes. So, with great reluctance, he stowed his arguments for now.
"And don't take it out on this version of yourself," Wanda added. "Heaven knows he's had it bad enough."
"Why?" Timmy asked, curious despite himself. "What happened to him?"
Before Timmy had a chance to add something uncomplimentary about this alternate version of himself, Wanda added, "This isn't a measuring contest, either, to determine who had it worse. Try to be compassionate, for once."
"I'm compassionate," he grumped. "I'm plenty compassionate."
Wanda raised her eyebrows, skeptical. "I'll believe it when I see it, hon."
Timmy bristled, glaring at her. "Just bring him in already."
Wanda gestured toward the almost forgotten alternate version of himself, herself, and Cosmo. The older Timmy's Cosmo poofed in and looked oddly somber. Timmy remembered the last time he'd looked like that and it turned his stomach.
Before he could stop himself, Timmy blurted out, "Wait—is she—?"
"She's lost her soul," the younger Timmy said and his blue eyes shone with desperation and misery. "Jorgen said you can help. So help. You have to. You must remember this happening; this is the future, right?"
"This is an alternate universe," Timmy said and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't remember Wanda losing her soul."
Timmy couldn't take his eyes off the alternate Wanda. His stomach churned harder, making him wonder whether he'd vomit. He hoped not. That wouldn't exactly be the best first impression to give his younger self. But seeing Wanda like that reminded him of Cosmo without his soul and how desperate Wanda had become…
With an effort, he tore his gaze away from the alternate Wanda and toward his own Wanda. She looked faintly smug, as if she knew he'd reach this conclusion given enough time. He ought to be pissed off at her, especially because she had a tendency to rub it in when she was right, but he couldn't muster up the outrage.
"Okay, okay, fine, I'll help you," he said and then added without thinking, "Just get her out of here."
"I'm not letting Wanda out of my sight," the younger Timmy growled. "I haven't seen her for two months."
"Two months?!" he exclaimed. "How the hell did you let that happen? Were you even looking for her? Or did you just up and abandon her?"
"I didn't abandon her—Cosmo and I tried looking. We couldn't find her. She didn't want us to find her—"
Faintly, scarcely audible, the colorless Wanda said, "No."
Her voice was a ghost of itself and it halted the argument in its tracks.
"Wanda?" the younger Timmy said, shivering and rubbing his arms. "Did you say something?"
"I'm afraid she won't be able to tell you very much," the other Wanda said. "Most of her personality and memories have been lost with her soul's split, though what your Jorgen expects me to do about it…"
"How come my Wanda's still alive, if she's lost her soul?" the younger Timmy asked.
"She hasn't lost all of it," the other Wanda corrected. "She's lost almost all of it, but Cosmo still has part of it. As long as that's true, she's still clinging to life. Just barely."
"We have to find the other parts!" the younger Timmy burst out.
"But what the hell does that have to do with me?" the older Timmy demanded, folding his arms across his chest. He felt bad for his younger self, he did, but he still didn't know why this had landed in his lap. Tootie had helped Jorgen with the damage Lorenzo and the other versions of himself had done. Why was Jorgen making them do this too? Hadn't they done enough penance?
He still wanted to be angry, but he was too sick.
"I'm not sure, sport," Wanda said. Beyond what she'd mentioned about Jorgen, Timmy still didn't see why this involved him in the first place. It felt like every time the multiverse had a problem, he was the one who got shafted. Literally, in some cases.
The thought made him squirm. He did not want to think about that, especially in relation to Lorenzo. He started clawing at himself, especially where he'd cut himself, and saw Wanda's gaze flit to his arms. Hurriedly, he covered them, but it was too late. She had seen he'd broken his promise.
"Timmy Tiberius Turner," she snapped. Timmy froze, guilty. The last time he'd heard his full name, it'd been his mother snapping it. If anything, Wanda doing it made him feel worse.
"We'll be right back," his Wanda assured the other, alternate forms of them and without a word, she whisked Timmy away to the treehouse. They'd done it up further than the last time he'd been here, though he didn't have time to scrutinize it further. Wanda flew up into his face.
"You lied to me," she said flatly.
"I couldn't help it," he said, feeling defensive. "I had to. It's not my fault!"
"Really?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "It's not your fault? Am I supposed to believe that?"
"It'd be nice if you did," he muttered and her eyes narrowed.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, hon?" she said and even though Timmy wasn't terribly bright, he knew that was a trick question. There were no right answers.
"Uh, no?" he said when she was clearly expecting a response.
Wanda just glowered at him for a minute and Timmy shrank down within himself. He hated when Wanda was pissed off at him, especially when she had just cause to be.
"You need to tell me when you feel like that," Wanda said sternly. "You can't keep it to yourself."
"Why not?" he burst out. "I caused enough trouble with you and Cosmo the first time I started letting. You freaked out on me, just like now. Why do you think I've been keeping it to myself? It's better this way."
The instant he said that, he knew it was a mistake. Wanda's eyes narrowed, but her mien changed. Her shoulders sank and she ceased glaring at him.
"Sport…" she said and shook her head. "This isn't the way to express those feelings."
Timmy's shoulders sank too. "I know. I know. But you see why I didn't tell you, right?"
Wanda sighed. "You haven't done it in such a long time."
"I know. I just…it's the anniversary," he said. "Coming up. The four year anniversary of my parents' death."
It might've slipped his godparents' mind, but it hadn't slipped his. Idly, Timmy wondered what the other Cosmo and Timmy were discussing in his bedroom. It was just a passing thought, though, not worth the back of his mind.
"Oh, hon…" she said and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and felt tears prick his eyes. He did not need whatever the hell this was on top of mourning his parents.
She used her wand to roll up his sleeve to investigate the damage.
"You've started using a straight-line razor," she said. Her eyes narrowed again. "You bought new razors?"
Timmy didn't know how to get out of this without pissing her off further. Moreover, he'd thought he was in the clear until just now. He cringed and she sighed, her anger passing again, and he recognized what replaced it. Despair. It stung him like an arrow to the chest.
"You have to tell me, Cosmo, or Tootie when this happens," she said and then paused. "Maybe not Cosmo."
Timmy nodded. "I promise."
She healed his scars, though he wasn't sure whether she'd done it because it'd bothered her or because he wanted them gone. He latched onto her tightly; she and Cosmo were all he had left. Yes, he had Tootie and he was grateful for her, but it wasn't the same. Cosmo and Wanda weren't the same either, but he took care not to let them know it. He didn't want them to feel inferior, especially when it wasn't their fault.
Okay, technically, it was indirectly their fault because of that wish he'd made, but, uh, what was he saying again?
"You scare me sometimes," she said. "You're the only godchild we've ever had this long and sometimes, you do things like this…"
He nodded, not certain what to say. He was still clutching her tightly and tears slipped down his cheeks.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she said and stroked his hair. A hoarse sob escaped him and he realized, with sudden dread, how little he wanted to return to his room and the predicament Jorgen had thrust him into. It felt like the last thing he wanted to do.
"Are you ready to go back?" she asked and he meant to nod, but he caught himself shaking his head instead.
"Maybe just a little while longer, then," she relented and held onto him tightly. Thoughts swirled around in his mind-Vicky cackling "Timmy Turner lets!" and then Lorenzo, just Lorenzo in general, and then his parents…not to mention Tootie's faerie Calente…
The guilt threatened to carry him away.
"Do you want to stay here while I talk to them?" she asked, though he didn't know whether he could release her just yet. Seeing that alternate Wanda had scared the living shit out of him.
After a moment, Timmy realized he could release Wanda and did so, nodding. If he never saw that alternate Wanda again, it'd be too soon.
Wanda pitied her other self, though she wondered what had caused such a dire situation in the first place. She glanced at the alternate Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda.
((Is Timmy okay?)) her Cosmo sent and moved closer to her.
((We need to have a good, long talk with him,)) she said, shaking her head. ((He still thinks it's okay to keep things from us. He was cutting himself again, Cosmo. He knows how much that scares me.))
She couldn't help but remember the time he'd cut himself almost to the bone and his godparents had stared, wide-eyed in shock and dismay, from the mirror. That had been the worst moment she'd ever experienced with Timmy and she'd feared he'd commit suicide in front of them. Even thinking about it now turned her stomach and blanched her face.
((I know…I remember it too…)) Cosmo said, having glimpsed into her thoughts. He latched onto her, much as Timmy had done, and she held him tightly. Her throat constricted.
"What's going on?" the younger Timmy asked, startling her. Right. She was supposed to be paying attention to him right now, not worrying about her godson. (Then again, who said the two were mutually exclusive?)
"Nothing that you need to worry about, hon," Wanda said with a smile that felt plastered on. "Why don't we work on what brought you here?"
"Okay…" Timmy said, clearly not buying it, but not about to ask, either, for which she was grateful. Maybe his troubles were sufficient to distract him from the need to ask about anyone else's. Or maybe, like her own Timmy, he was too selfish to focus on anyone else's problems. She suppressed a sigh. Two Timmys was a headache she didn't need.
"Can you fix her?" Timmy asked and Wanda shook her head.
"I'm afraid not," she said. "Did Jorgen say where the pieces of her soul went?"
"Into different universes," he said and she groaned. Great. That was just what she wanted to hear, another wild goose chase. Why did everything with him involve chasing people around the multiverse? (And what on earth had made Jorgen think that they, of all people, could help?)
She thought about it for a second, however. They did have a multiverse traveler-Tootie. She didn't know why she hadn't considered her earlier, although she knew that the younger version of Timmy might be loath to take advice from her. After all, the only girl for him was Trixie Tang. Wanda refrained from pulling a face and revealing her thoughts, though only just barely.
((Why? What's wrong with Trixie Tang?)) Cosmo asked.
((She's all flash and no substance,)) she said.
She turned back to Timmy. "You know, I know who you should talk to. There's a version of Tootie here-"
"Tootie? What the heck does Tootie have to do with anything?" he groused.
"If you'd listen, I'd tell you," she scolded.
"How could she have anything to do with my faerie godmother?" he protested. "She doesn't even know about faeries! And she's just a girl. It's not like she's important."
"Gee, thanks, Timmy," Tootie said flatly, standing behind him in the doorway. "I love you too."
Timmy whirled, not expecting the sarcasm, nor the fourteen year old girl's approach. His counterpart's house was probably the last place he expected Tootie, especially a Tootie in her stocking feet without her braces.
"What the heck are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I live here," she said. "What are you doing here? You clearly don't."
"I, uh…" Timmy faltered. He was holding the alternate Wanda in his arms and looked at a loss for words. Wanda took no satisfaction in his bewilderment. Looking at the limp figure in his arms, Tootie hesitated too. It was hard to be upset with Timmy given the circumstances. Well, with this Timmy. Wanda still had a bone to pick with her godson.
"I live here," Tootie repeated. "Who are you? I mean, I know you're Timmy, but why are you here?"
"I'm from another universe and-how do you know about Cosmo and Wanda? Why didn't they poof away when you showed up? Why are you living here?"
"Which of those would you like me to address first?" Tootie asked and then looked down again. "What happened to Wanda?"
"She lost her soul," Timmy said sadly, sounding like he was close to tears. "It's been split into pieces. This Wanda said that you could help. Can you?"
"How do you think I can help?" Tootie asked, flashing this universe's Wanda a desperate glance.
"You've traveled the multiverse," Wanda said. "You must have some advice."
"Sure," Tootie said flatly. "Stay away from The Other."
"Who's The Other?" Timmy said.
"I wish I didn't know," Tootie muttered.
"That isn't helpful," Wanda warned. "Tootie…"
"What do you expect?" Tootie huffed. "I can't hold his hand and lead him to the parts of his Wanda's soul. I don't even know where they are."
"Maybe you could give us some way to jump to another universe?" Timmy asked, terror making his voice crack. "And a way to locate the pieces once we're in those universes?"
"There is the transistor…" Tootie mused. "Be right back."
She vanished into her room and Timmy looked after her with ambivalence. He still cradled his faerie godmother and stroked her hair, as if by touching her, he could bring the color back to her cheeks and hair. She caught his wrist and tried to catch his gaze as well.
"Don't," she said.
"Don't what? Don't talk? Don't worry? Don't look for your soul?" Timmy demanded, hysterical. "Don't what?"
"Don't…" she released his wrist and brushed her fingers against his cheeks, which were wet with tears. Cosmo burst into tears too and the soulless Wanda sighed. It might've been Wanda's imagination, but she detected the slightest hint of exasperation in the alternate Wanda's sigh.
"Don't cry," Wanda said quietly. It might've had more of an effect if her affect hadn't been completely flat.
Instead of helping, it had the reverse effect. Timmy and Cosmo cried harder, Cosmo latching onto her and pressing his face into her curls.
((I don't know what I'd do if that happened to you,)) Cosmo confided in her.
((It happened to you,)) she pointed out.
((Yeah, but I wasn't there for it,)) he said and she facepalmed. No, she supposed he had a point.
She'd been silent for too long. While she didn't know whether that particular Cosmo and Wanda had telepathy, they probably didn't know. After all, Bonding required souls, as it was the combination of those souls that led to telepathy and other benefits (like feeling what the other person was feeling and being able to act upon it). Without her soul, the other Wanda was just a shell. No wonder the alternate Cosmo and Timmy were so upset. Especially Cosmo, though she had her suspicions about him. Now wasn't the time to air them, however. For the time being, she'd have to let her suspicions fall by the wayside.
"She still cares about you, sport," Wanda ventured and Timmy just shook his head. She could tell by looking that his throat was tight.
Tootie hadn't reappeared, which made Wanda frown. She had hoped Tootie might rescue them from an increasingly awkward conversation. Or lack thereof.
"But how much of her is left?" Timmy said and Wanda's throat tightened this time.
"I don't know," she admitted. "At least a fourth of her soul remains within Cosmo, which is the part that's speaking to you two right now."
"But she can't live on just a fourth of her soul?"
"No," Wanda said. "She can't. She'll wither away unless you find the other three parts of her soul."
"The paper said five parts," the alternate Cosmo said and Wanda frowned. "Why did it say five parts when it was only four?"
"Do you have the sheet with you?" Wanda asked and received a headshake in response. "No, of course not."
Tootie reappeared, finally, sparing them the need to respond. Then again, Wanda knew what the response would be. After all, Cosmo was nothing if not consistently inconsistent. He hadn't taken the paper because he hadn't thought it'd been useful. Chances were, he'd seen it for a few minutes and then thought nothing of it until just now. Maybe she ought to be surprised he'd thought of it at all.
"What sheet?" Tootie asked, looking from her Wanda to the alternate Cosmo and back and forth.
"Never mind that, hon," Wanda said. "Do you have the transistor?"
Tootie produced a thin brown rod, which immediately transformed into a magic wand, albeit one with a star eclipsed by a circle.
"This should help," Tootie said. "I hope. I really have no idea. But I wish you luck."
Timmy took the rod and Tootie surprised them by hugging him.
"I know you'll take good care of her," she said, releasing him. "For all the crap you put her through, you still love her. And she still loves you"
"Yeah," Timmy said, looking somber. "I do love her."
"Good luck," Tootie said and Timmy waved the wand. Wanda watched the alternate versions of herself, Cosmo, and Timmy recede into the distance.
"It's not going to be easy for him," Tootie said and Wanda nodded.
"He'll be okay," Wanda said.
"We don't know that," Cosmo protested.
Wanda smiled, but there was little humor in it. "I don't think he has a choice in the matter."
Timmy set foot into another alternate universe, but he had barely gone more than five paces before two pixies apprehended him, Cosmo, and Wanda.
"Stop," the pixies said in that strange, unsettling monotone. "You are trespassing on the Mafia Dona's territory."
"And who's the Mafia Dona?" Timmy scoffed, trying to sound brave despite the fact he'd been crying less than a minute ago.
A figure appeared in a puff of black smoke, outlined in pink. Wearing a black suit, likewise outlined in pink, and her crown a tarnished gold, an alternate Wanda floated before them.
"Mafia Dona Wanda," Wanda snapped. "You will show me the respect I deserve."