(AN: Last Saturday the band got another one. We also had a home football game and did pretty good. And I think our football team actually won, too. That's a miracle! We have another competition tomorrow. We don't have school today, which is why I'm able to write. And hey! If you look at my profile I actually have a website now… well, sorta. It's got my art on it. Not only does it showcase come pics of Castle, but it's got a picture of what I, or Commander, or whoever, I don't know weather to talk about the commander in first or third person…anyway, I have a picture of that weird commander that talks in every chapter. And also, if you want mood music while you read this, the music I listened to over and over again was "Annie's Song", by John Denver. Here we go!)
"Commander, did you just call yourself weird?" asked Timmy.
"That wasn't me!" cried Commander. "Well, it sorta was. But it was more Katie, who likes to think SHE is the author of this story. But I'm the one with the ideas," she added with a haughty laugh.
"Well, you ARE weird, nonetheless," said Wanda.
"Yeah, this is making no sense," said Timmy. "ANYWAY, on with the story. So you finally figured it out, huh, Wanda?"
"Yeah," said Wanda with a smile. "I was pretty dense, though. Once August came around, I was feeling tense… and happy too."
"That must've been weird," said Timmy.
"Yeah," said Wanda. "Sarah and Davy certainly noticed something…"
***
"Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!" said Sarah, Wanda, and Davy happily, poofing up a large cake. Paula and Todd gasped at the beautiful cake their children had created.
"It looks delicious! Thank you!" said Paula, poofing up a plate and fork and digging in right away.
"I'll have some too," said Todd, cutting a very large piece for himself.
Sarah, Wanda, Davy, and Tony, who was also there, got pieces for themselves too. Davy looked at Sarah and Wanda curiously. Both had huge, yet somewhat secretive smiles on their faces, and obviously had no clue that they were even smiling. Finally, he said, "Okay, you two, what are you so happy about?"
Sarah and Wanda looked at each other. Obviously, they weren't happy for the same reasons, so they each gave each other puzzled looks. Sarah turned to her brother and parents and smiled even wider, if that was even possible.
"I don't know about Wanda, but I've got great news. Tony and I are going to have a baby!"
"That's wonderful!" said Paula and Todd.
Davy grinned. Wanda's little brother had grown up rather tall and lanky, his purple hair usually messy, and his blue eyes covered by large glasses. "Tony and you? Well, I hope that you're the only one who's pregnant." Everyone laughed heartily.
"That's great, Sarah!" said Wanda, hugging her sister happily.
Sarah gave Wanda an inquisitive look. "So, what are you so happy about?"
Wanda gazed up at the ceiling. "Oh, nothing," she said lightly, that same far-off smile still plastered on her face.
Sarah poofed her empty plate away. "Well, I'm done," she said. "Come on, Wanda, let's go upstairs and talk."
"Okay," said Wanda. She followed Sarah up to the guest bedroom. Davy followed them.
Sarah closed the door and she and Davy sat down next to Wanda on the bed. "Okay, now why are you so happy?" asked Sarah. "I'm sure you have a reason."
Wanda smiled at her siblings. "I finally got over Cougar," she said.
"That's great!" said Sarah, giving Wanda a hug. "You finally learned how to let go and hold on!"
"There's something else, isn't there?" asked Davy. "I don't think you'd be so happy for just that." He suddenly lit up in realization. "You're in love again, aren't you?"
Wanda laughed in resignation. "Jeez, Davy, how'd you get so smart?"
"You're in love again? With who?" asked Sarah. She grinned slyly. "It's not Randy, is it?"
"No!" cried Wanda. "For the last time, I don't love him! And he doesn't like me, either! He had a crush on Leslie!" Wanda bit her lip. "And Leslie had a crush on Cosmo…"
Sarah gasped. "Oh my gosh! You're in love with Cosmo, aren't you?"
Wanda nodded. "Yeah, but I just realized that Leslie was the one who loved him!"
"Well, the thing is… Leslie's dead," said Davy. Sarah glared at him, obviously for his lack of tact, but he went on. "And they were never exactly boyfriend and girlfriend anyway. Besides, can't two people love the same person anyway?"
"You're right, he is smart," said Sarah. "But oh my gosh! You and Cosmo? You'll make such a cute couple!"
"And I want to go tell him right now!" said Wanda, standing up. She smiled at her siblings again. "See you later!"
"See you!" said Sarah and Davy as Wanda poofed off.
***
Wanda bit her lip in nervousness. It wasn't just that she nervous about telling Cosmo how she felt. It was more the fact that to see Cosmo, she would have to go through Mama Cosma. And that wouldn't be pretty, as you can imagine. Gathering up all her courage, she knocked on the door, hoping that it would be Cosmo who opened it.
But, of course, it wasn't. Mama Cosma opened the door, saw Wanda, and sniffed at her haughtily. "What are YOU doing here?" she snapped. "You're not allowed here!"
"I can go wherever I want, and that includes my best friend's house," said Wanda coldly. She stopped herself from losing her temper and went on. "May I see Cosmo?"
"No, you may not!" cried Cosma. "I've got to protect my little Cosmo-lolo from terrible people like you!"
"Look, he's my best friend and I have a right to see him!" cried Wanda. Cosmo suddenly poked his head up from behind his mother.
"Hi Wanda!" he said happily.
"Cosmo! Can I talk to you?" cried Wanda.
"Oh no you don't!" cried Mama Cosma. With a wave of her wand, she poofed Wanda in the Fairy World park.
Wanda shook with hardly contained rage. "Dammit, that little…" Wanda mouthed a few words which I don't think I'll write here. She then leaned up against a tree, contemplating her next action.
"Hey, Wanda?"
Wanda looked up in shock. "Oh, it's you, Stellar," said Wanda with a sigh.
"Yeah," said Stellar. "Look, I need to talk to you--"
"Hey Stellar!" cried some other fairy flying by. "I've got those plans for your new house you wanted me to give you! But there's some adjustments I need to talk to you about."
Stellar sighed. "Can't it wait?"
"Not really."
Stellar turned to Wanda. "There's something I need to tell you. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes or so, kay?"
"Okay," said Wanda. She watched the two fairies fly off, a feeling of dread mounting in her stomach. Stellar was, of course, still technically her boyfriend. They hadn't seen each other for awhile, but they hadn't broken up, either. What if he wanted to start seeing her again?
"Crap," muttered Wanda, staring at the ground. Her previously happy mood had entirely vanished. She again mentally pondered what she should do, when…
"Hi Wanda!" cried a very familiar voice. Wanda gasped in surprise and looked up, then very quickly looked back down.
"Cosmo!" she cried. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, not looking straight at him, because she knew what would happen if she gazed straight into his eyes.
"I told Mama she shouldn't have made you go away, and she started yelling at me, so I just poofed myself out of there so I could come find you." He suddenly looked very serious. "You said you wanted to tell me something…?"
Wanda tried to talk, but her voice got caught in her throat. She quickly regained it, however. "Yes, but something just came up… can you wait about fifteen minutes?" Inside, she was crying, ~I love you, Cosmo! That's what I wanted to tell you! I'm happy when I'm with you and I don't want to be away from you!~ but she knew that, until she told Stellar that she couldn't date him anymore, she'd have to wait. She didn't want to be going with two guys at once, even for fifteen minutes.
"Why can't you tell me now?" asked Cosmo. "Does it take more than fifteen minutes to say?… How much is fifteen minutes, anyway?"
"Look, Cosmo, this isn't a good time. I'll tell you when I can talk to you, okay?"
"Okay," said Cosmo quietly, sitting down against the same tree Wanda was. Neither of them said anything to each other for awhile
Wanda pretended to be occupied in something by poofing up a book and reading it, but she was really feeling as though she were about to explode. She was finally with Cosmo… alone, in the park… it was evening… the gentle breeze was playing with her hair…
"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" cried Cosmo suddenly. Wanda dropped her book in surprise at Cosmo's sudden outburst. But if that surprised her, she was even more surprised when Cosmo grabbed her shoulders and kept such a direct eye contact with her that he hardly even blinked.
"Wanda, I've been in love with you since we were six but I've been too afraid to tell you till now!" he said hurriedly.
Wanda looked in his eyes in surprise, then closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Oh my God…" she whispered.
Cosmo let go of Wanda's shoulders, his outburst mood suddenly gone. "I'm sorry, Wanda! Did I hurt your shoulders?"
Wanda shook her head and slowly opened her eyes, looking straight into his again. She took in deep, slow breaths, as Cosmo was too. Cosmo managed to talk again, however. "That's good… because I don't want to hurt you, lambchop…"
Wanda managed to say something, too. "…six?" she asked.
Cosmo smiled, somehow understanding what Wanda was asking. "Yeah! Remember that time that Randy was picking on me and Xavier and you told him to quit and he did?" His voice grew softer as he slid his arms around Wanda's waist. "I… you were so brave! And once we became friends, I realized all the good things about you… you're brave, and nice, and beautiful, and…" Cosmo's lip trembled. "I wish I knew more words so I could tell you how much I love you."
Wanda's eyes filled with tears as she realized that all that time, Cosmo had loved her. She tried to speak again, tried to tell him that she loved him too, but nothing would come out. Cosmo's arms left her waist, and he stroked her hair back gently.
"Please don't cry…" he said, tears spilling out of his own eyes. His hands now stroked her tear-stained cheeks. Wanda managed to lift up her arm and stroke Cosmo's cheek, too. Cosmo held Wanda's face gently and slowly pulled her closer. Their lips were almost touching…
"Cosmo, wait!" cried Wanda suddenly, pulling away. Cosmo looked at her quizzically.
"Wait for what?" he asked. His face brightened up. "For cheese?"
"Stellar wanted to tell me something!" she said breathlessly.
"Who's Stellar?" asked Cosmo.
"My boyfriend! He wanted to talk to me--"
"Wait!" cried Cosmo. "You're still with your boyfriend?" His lip trembled. "I can't believe that we're here together, and you tell me that you love me, and you're seeing your boyfriend behind my back!"
"Did I ever say that I love you?" snapped Wanda.
She regretted it the instant she said it, of course. Cosmo gasped, then glared at Wanda. "You… meanie! I hate you and never want to see you again!" He poofed off before Wanda could get another word in.
"Cosmo, wait!" she cried again. "I might not have said that I love you, but I do!" She fought back tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes again. As she wiped them away, realizing that she still had to talk to Stellar, he appeared.
"Sorry about that," he said. He looked at Wanda's red eyes. "Are you okay?"
"No, but there's nothing you can do about it," she said, sniffing a bit. "What did you want to tell me?"
Stellar sighed. "Well, since we haven't really been seeing each other, I thought that we might as well make it official. Ah, what am I doing? We're already broken up. I don't need to say anything. Just thought I'd make it official, though. I felt a little bad dating someone when you were still technically my girlfriend."
Wanda looked at him in surprise. "You're dating someone else?"
"Yeah," said Stellar, shrugging. "I mean, we obviously weren't interested in each other. See you," he said, flying off.
Wanda watched him flying off, not knowing what to think. Cosmo had gotten mad at her because she was worried about Stellar, who was dating someone anyway…
Wanda finally broke down and cried uncontrollably, like a three-year-old. And as she cried, she came to a sad conclusion. She hated to think it, but what else could she do?
Sarah happened to be flying by at that moment. She gasped at the sad sight of Wanda, crying like a small child. "Wanda! What happened?"
Wanda, who was now positively bawling, cried out between huge gasps, "Sarah! I'm… such… an… IDIOT!"
Sarah sat down next to Wanda and put her arm around her shoulder. "Tell me everything."
Between her huge, gasping sobs, Wanda managed to tell Sarah all that had happened since she had left her parents' house. Sarah listened sympathetically. When Wanda finished, Sarah bit her lip in thoughtful perception.
"Wanda," she finally said, "you know how when you overreact, you sometimes say things that you don't mean?"
Wanda nodded.
"Well… you think that's what Cosmo did, too?"
"What do you mean?" asked Wanda, confused.
Sarah shrugged. "If he really loves you as much as you say he told you, then I don't think he'd suddenly hate you when you say that you're going to talk to your boyfriend."
Wanda stood up and looked off into the distance. "Maybe you're right, Sarah," she said, still sniffing from her sobbing. "But it doesn't matter. All five of my boyfriends have ended with disaster, and then I go and break Cosmo's heart. I really don't want to put myself, or anyone else, through that again. Especially not Cosmo. He deserves better than me."
Sarah shrugged. "Well, alright," she said. "But I think you should apologize to Cosmo anyway." She stood up. "I'm going back to Mom and Dad's. Do you want me to stay with you for awhile?"
Wanda shook her head. "No thanks. But thanks for being here for me."
"No problem. What are sisters for?" asked Sarah with a smile. Wanda returned a small smile. Sarah poofed off and was gone.
Wanda stood up, wondering where to look for Cosmo. She had to at least apologize to him and explain her actions. She then saw him about ten yards away or so.
"Cosmo!" she cried out, in almost a gasp.
Cosmo spun around. "Wanda!" he cried. He zoomed towards her, and before Wanda could even open her mouth to speak, Cosmo had flung himself in her arms and started babbling like an idiot.
"Wanda, I didn't mean what I said! I mean, I meant what I said when I said that I love you, but I didn't mean what I said when I said that I hated you! Because I still love you and I'll always love you, and you didn't do anything wrong, and I'm such an idiot for yelling at you!" He suddenly stopped talking and hugged her tightly. "I love you and I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said, a little more slowly this time.
"I love you too," said Wanda.
Cosmo looked at her in surprise. "…what did you say?" he whispered.
Wanda suddenly started to cry. "I love you, but I can't be with you! Every time I've dated someone it's ended in disaster! And I don't want that to happen again. Cosmo, if we were together, my temper would keep flaring up and I'd keep yelling at you, and I don't want that. I… I love you too much to put you through that. Besides," she said quietly, "you deserve better than me."
"But there is no one better than you!" cried Cosmo.
"Cosmo!" cried Wanda. "Please don't do that! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you, but this is making this harder than it already is--"
Cosmo suddenly pulled away from Wanda. "Wanda, I just want for you to be happy. But… you told me that when you're with me, you're happy. Besides," he added hastily, "if you don't want to hurt me, then you won't leave me! Because that would hurt me way more than anything you'd ever do to me when we're together!"
Wanda blinked the tears out of her eyes and gazed at Cosmo. She could feel all his love for her touching her in a way she never thought was possible. And she could feel her love for him almost flowing out of her body, like a stream. "I guess I can't argue with that logic," she said quietly. She slowly pulled Cosmo's face to hers and kissed his lips gently.
When they pulled away, Cosmo looked a little taken back. "Wow…" he said quietly. "That was my first kiss."
"And I have a feeling it won't be your last," said Wanda with a loving smile.
Cosmo smiled at Wanda, too, in a way that made Wanda's knees buckle. "Did you mean it when you said that you love me?" he asked, almost disbelieving.
"Of course I did," said Wanda. Her smile faded away as she gazed into his eyes seriously. "I wanted to tell you before, but when my boyfriend wanted to talk with me--and we broke up, too, so…"
Cosmo suddenly hugged Wanda so hard that both fairies fell on the ground with a thump. Wanda's crown bounced off a little ways. "Oops!" cried Cosmo. "Your crown!"
"Who cares," said Wanda. "I love you, Cosmo. I was too stupid to realize how sweet and caring and funny you are before, and when I said that I never told you that I loved you--well, I didn't, but that didn't mean that I didn't love you." She could feel tears coming back into her eyes and tried blinking them away. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
"It's okay," whispered Cosmo. "And please don't cry! Whenever you cry, I cry too. I…" Tears sprung up in Cosmo's eyes. "I love you sooo much," he finally said.
He leaned in towards her, held her face tenderly in his hands, and kissed her. Wanda's arms slid around Cosmo's shoulders and she kissed him back, crying tears of love and feeling as if she had entered some sort of bliss.
They pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes, almost blinded by their tears. "Wow, Wanda," said Cosmo finally. "You're better than cheese!"
He moved in to kiss her again, but Wanda zipped up out of his reach. "You'll have to catch me!" she said teasingly. She grabbed her crown and started to flow away.
"Easy!" said Cosmo happily. He waved his wand and pulled Wanda back towards him with magic.
"Oh, right," said Wanda, blushing a little. "I forgot that this game is easier to play if you're a fairy."
She attempted to struggle out of his arms playfully, but Cosmo held her close to him and kissed her hair gently. "Oooh, Wanda, I love your hair!" said Cosmo happily. "Then again, I love everything about you!"
Wanda sighed happily and snuggled deeper into Cosmo's arms.
"Hey! I've got an idea!" said Cosmo, zipping away from Wanda and hiding behind a tree. Wanda giggled.
"Now, I wonder where he could be?" she asked in a sing-song tone.
Cosmo suddenly zoomed out from behind the tree. "Ha!" he cried. And then, quite suddenly, he waved his wand, poofed up a small ring case, and got down on one knee in front of Wanda. He hastily opened the case and revealed a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. "Wanda, will you marry me?" he asked, somewhat quickly. He cleared his throat, pushed his hair back self-consciously, and said again, this time slower, "Will you marry me?"
Wanda gasped. Of all the things she had expected, this was the… well, not last, but still… She looked into Cosmo's eyes, knowing that he had asked her in all seriousness, and realized that getting married was a big decision, one that you don't make in half a second. But she really didn't have to think much to know what her answer would be.
She took the ring out of the case and put it on her finger. "Yes, I will," she said quietly.
Cosmo looked surprised. "You… you will?" he asked.
Wanda smiled at him. "Yes," she said. "I want you to be my husband." She hugged him and kissed him on the lips again.
After the kiss, Cosmo looked at Wanda with the happiest grin on his face that she had ever seen on him. "This is the happiest day of my life!" he yelled in ecstasy. His wand trembled violently in his hand, and suddenly…
WHOOSH! A bright light shot out of Cosmo's wand and hit the sky, shattering into hundreds of pieces. The mostly starless night was dotted with hundreds of new stars. Another light shot out of the wand again, creating even more stars.
"Whoa!" cried Wanda.
"Cool!" said Cosmo. "I didn't even know I could do that!"
The secretary of Fairy World suddenly appeared. "Alright, who's doing that?" she asked.
Wanda hesitated. Would Cosmo get in trouble for doing that?
"I did it!" said Cosmo happily.
The secretary looked surprised. "Cosmo? I must say, I am surprised." She looked up at the bright night sky. "Cosmo, you have created beauty in the sky that I don't think other fairies are capable of creating. I never thought I'd say this, but… I think you've earned your crown."
"Really?" gasped Cosmo. "This is even more the happiest day of my life!"
"Why is that?" asked the secretary.
"Well, you might as well know…" said Wanda, holding out her ringed hand.
"Are you two engaged?" cried the secretary. "Congratulations! I always knew you two would end up together."
Cosmo and Wanda stared at each other, then at the secretary. "Huh?" the asked.
"I've seen little fairy play. They're all like children to me. And when you little ones played together, I always thought… well, congratulations anyway!"
"Thank you!" said Wanda.
"We can fit Cosmo for his crown… next Tuesday, I think. At 9:00 A.M. sharp. See you then!"
"Bye!" said Cosmo as the secretary poofed off. "Well, that was weird," he said to Wanda.
"Yes… but let's go announce our engagement to my parents," said Wanda.
"We can't tell my mama, you know," said Cosmo sadly. "She wouldn't like it."
"Yeah, she'd probably ruin our wedding," said Wanda. "But anyway, let's go to my parents' house!"
She noticed that Cosmo was just gazing at her. "What?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, you're just really beautiful, that's all," said Cosmo with a small sigh.
Wanda beamed. "Come on, sugar, let's go," she said, as both of them poofed off.
(AN: Okay, want to know something weird? This chapter choked me up as I was writing it! And that's never happened to me before. I also listened to the theme from "Somewhere in Time" (awesome movie) as I wrote this. Great movie, great song. In answer to a question, this will probably have two more chapters. I think. Anyway, see you next week, maybe! And sorry this chapter's longer than usual.)
"Commander, did you just call yourself weird?" asked Timmy.
"That wasn't me!" cried Commander. "Well, it sorta was. But it was more Katie, who likes to think SHE is the author of this story. But I'm the one with the ideas," she added with a haughty laugh.
"Well, you ARE weird, nonetheless," said Wanda.
"Yeah, this is making no sense," said Timmy. "ANYWAY, on with the story. So you finally figured it out, huh, Wanda?"
"Yeah," said Wanda with a smile. "I was pretty dense, though. Once August came around, I was feeling tense… and happy too."
"That must've been weird," said Timmy.
"Yeah," said Wanda. "Sarah and Davy certainly noticed something…"
***
"Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!" said Sarah, Wanda, and Davy happily, poofing up a large cake. Paula and Todd gasped at the beautiful cake their children had created.
"It looks delicious! Thank you!" said Paula, poofing up a plate and fork and digging in right away.
"I'll have some too," said Todd, cutting a very large piece for himself.
Sarah, Wanda, Davy, and Tony, who was also there, got pieces for themselves too. Davy looked at Sarah and Wanda curiously. Both had huge, yet somewhat secretive smiles on their faces, and obviously had no clue that they were even smiling. Finally, he said, "Okay, you two, what are you so happy about?"
Sarah and Wanda looked at each other. Obviously, they weren't happy for the same reasons, so they each gave each other puzzled looks. Sarah turned to her brother and parents and smiled even wider, if that was even possible.
"I don't know about Wanda, but I've got great news. Tony and I are going to have a baby!"
"That's wonderful!" said Paula and Todd.
Davy grinned. Wanda's little brother had grown up rather tall and lanky, his purple hair usually messy, and his blue eyes covered by large glasses. "Tony and you? Well, I hope that you're the only one who's pregnant." Everyone laughed heartily.
"That's great, Sarah!" said Wanda, hugging her sister happily.
Sarah gave Wanda an inquisitive look. "So, what are you so happy about?"
Wanda gazed up at the ceiling. "Oh, nothing," she said lightly, that same far-off smile still plastered on her face.
Sarah poofed her empty plate away. "Well, I'm done," she said. "Come on, Wanda, let's go upstairs and talk."
"Okay," said Wanda. She followed Sarah up to the guest bedroom. Davy followed them.
Sarah closed the door and she and Davy sat down next to Wanda on the bed. "Okay, now why are you so happy?" asked Sarah. "I'm sure you have a reason."
Wanda smiled at her siblings. "I finally got over Cougar," she said.
"That's great!" said Sarah, giving Wanda a hug. "You finally learned how to let go and hold on!"
"There's something else, isn't there?" asked Davy. "I don't think you'd be so happy for just that." He suddenly lit up in realization. "You're in love again, aren't you?"
Wanda laughed in resignation. "Jeez, Davy, how'd you get so smart?"
"You're in love again? With who?" asked Sarah. She grinned slyly. "It's not Randy, is it?"
"No!" cried Wanda. "For the last time, I don't love him! And he doesn't like me, either! He had a crush on Leslie!" Wanda bit her lip. "And Leslie had a crush on Cosmo…"
Sarah gasped. "Oh my gosh! You're in love with Cosmo, aren't you?"
Wanda nodded. "Yeah, but I just realized that Leslie was the one who loved him!"
"Well, the thing is… Leslie's dead," said Davy. Sarah glared at him, obviously for his lack of tact, but he went on. "And they were never exactly boyfriend and girlfriend anyway. Besides, can't two people love the same person anyway?"
"You're right, he is smart," said Sarah. "But oh my gosh! You and Cosmo? You'll make such a cute couple!"
"And I want to go tell him right now!" said Wanda, standing up. She smiled at her siblings again. "See you later!"
"See you!" said Sarah and Davy as Wanda poofed off.
***
Wanda bit her lip in nervousness. It wasn't just that she nervous about telling Cosmo how she felt. It was more the fact that to see Cosmo, she would have to go through Mama Cosma. And that wouldn't be pretty, as you can imagine. Gathering up all her courage, she knocked on the door, hoping that it would be Cosmo who opened it.
But, of course, it wasn't. Mama Cosma opened the door, saw Wanda, and sniffed at her haughtily. "What are YOU doing here?" she snapped. "You're not allowed here!"
"I can go wherever I want, and that includes my best friend's house," said Wanda coldly. She stopped herself from losing her temper and went on. "May I see Cosmo?"
"No, you may not!" cried Cosma. "I've got to protect my little Cosmo-lolo from terrible people like you!"
"Look, he's my best friend and I have a right to see him!" cried Wanda. Cosmo suddenly poked his head up from behind his mother.
"Hi Wanda!" he said happily.
"Cosmo! Can I talk to you?" cried Wanda.
"Oh no you don't!" cried Mama Cosma. With a wave of her wand, she poofed Wanda in the Fairy World park.
Wanda shook with hardly contained rage. "Dammit, that little…" Wanda mouthed a few words which I don't think I'll write here. She then leaned up against a tree, contemplating her next action.
"Hey, Wanda?"
Wanda looked up in shock. "Oh, it's you, Stellar," said Wanda with a sigh.
"Yeah," said Stellar. "Look, I need to talk to you--"
"Hey Stellar!" cried some other fairy flying by. "I've got those plans for your new house you wanted me to give you! But there's some adjustments I need to talk to you about."
Stellar sighed. "Can't it wait?"
"Not really."
Stellar turned to Wanda. "There's something I need to tell you. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes or so, kay?"
"Okay," said Wanda. She watched the two fairies fly off, a feeling of dread mounting in her stomach. Stellar was, of course, still technically her boyfriend. They hadn't seen each other for awhile, but they hadn't broken up, either. What if he wanted to start seeing her again?
"Crap," muttered Wanda, staring at the ground. Her previously happy mood had entirely vanished. She again mentally pondered what she should do, when…
"Hi Wanda!" cried a very familiar voice. Wanda gasped in surprise and looked up, then very quickly looked back down.
"Cosmo!" she cried. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, not looking straight at him, because she knew what would happen if she gazed straight into his eyes.
"I told Mama she shouldn't have made you go away, and she started yelling at me, so I just poofed myself out of there so I could come find you." He suddenly looked very serious. "You said you wanted to tell me something…?"
Wanda tried to talk, but her voice got caught in her throat. She quickly regained it, however. "Yes, but something just came up… can you wait about fifteen minutes?" Inside, she was crying, ~I love you, Cosmo! That's what I wanted to tell you! I'm happy when I'm with you and I don't want to be away from you!~ but she knew that, until she told Stellar that she couldn't date him anymore, she'd have to wait. She didn't want to be going with two guys at once, even for fifteen minutes.
"Why can't you tell me now?" asked Cosmo. "Does it take more than fifteen minutes to say?… How much is fifteen minutes, anyway?"
"Look, Cosmo, this isn't a good time. I'll tell you when I can talk to you, okay?"
"Okay," said Cosmo quietly, sitting down against the same tree Wanda was. Neither of them said anything to each other for awhile
Wanda pretended to be occupied in something by poofing up a book and reading it, but she was really feeling as though she were about to explode. She was finally with Cosmo… alone, in the park… it was evening… the gentle breeze was playing with her hair…
"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" cried Cosmo suddenly. Wanda dropped her book in surprise at Cosmo's sudden outburst. But if that surprised her, she was even more surprised when Cosmo grabbed her shoulders and kept such a direct eye contact with her that he hardly even blinked.
"Wanda, I've been in love with you since we were six but I've been too afraid to tell you till now!" he said hurriedly.
Wanda looked in his eyes in surprise, then closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Oh my God…" she whispered.
Cosmo let go of Wanda's shoulders, his outburst mood suddenly gone. "I'm sorry, Wanda! Did I hurt your shoulders?"
Wanda shook her head and slowly opened her eyes, looking straight into his again. She took in deep, slow breaths, as Cosmo was too. Cosmo managed to talk again, however. "That's good… because I don't want to hurt you, lambchop…"
Wanda managed to say something, too. "…six?" she asked.
Cosmo smiled, somehow understanding what Wanda was asking. "Yeah! Remember that time that Randy was picking on me and Xavier and you told him to quit and he did?" His voice grew softer as he slid his arms around Wanda's waist. "I… you were so brave! And once we became friends, I realized all the good things about you… you're brave, and nice, and beautiful, and…" Cosmo's lip trembled. "I wish I knew more words so I could tell you how much I love you."
Wanda's eyes filled with tears as she realized that all that time, Cosmo had loved her. She tried to speak again, tried to tell him that she loved him too, but nothing would come out. Cosmo's arms left her waist, and he stroked her hair back gently.
"Please don't cry…" he said, tears spilling out of his own eyes. His hands now stroked her tear-stained cheeks. Wanda managed to lift up her arm and stroke Cosmo's cheek, too. Cosmo held Wanda's face gently and slowly pulled her closer. Their lips were almost touching…
"Cosmo, wait!" cried Wanda suddenly, pulling away. Cosmo looked at her quizzically.
"Wait for what?" he asked. His face brightened up. "For cheese?"
"Stellar wanted to tell me something!" she said breathlessly.
"Who's Stellar?" asked Cosmo.
"My boyfriend! He wanted to talk to me--"
"Wait!" cried Cosmo. "You're still with your boyfriend?" His lip trembled. "I can't believe that we're here together, and you tell me that you love me, and you're seeing your boyfriend behind my back!"
"Did I ever say that I love you?" snapped Wanda.
She regretted it the instant she said it, of course. Cosmo gasped, then glared at Wanda. "You… meanie! I hate you and never want to see you again!" He poofed off before Wanda could get another word in.
"Cosmo, wait!" she cried again. "I might not have said that I love you, but I do!" She fought back tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes again. As she wiped them away, realizing that she still had to talk to Stellar, he appeared.
"Sorry about that," he said. He looked at Wanda's red eyes. "Are you okay?"
"No, but there's nothing you can do about it," she said, sniffing a bit. "What did you want to tell me?"
Stellar sighed. "Well, since we haven't really been seeing each other, I thought that we might as well make it official. Ah, what am I doing? We're already broken up. I don't need to say anything. Just thought I'd make it official, though. I felt a little bad dating someone when you were still technically my girlfriend."
Wanda looked at him in surprise. "You're dating someone else?"
"Yeah," said Stellar, shrugging. "I mean, we obviously weren't interested in each other. See you," he said, flying off.
Wanda watched him flying off, not knowing what to think. Cosmo had gotten mad at her because she was worried about Stellar, who was dating someone anyway…
Wanda finally broke down and cried uncontrollably, like a three-year-old. And as she cried, she came to a sad conclusion. She hated to think it, but what else could she do?
Sarah happened to be flying by at that moment. She gasped at the sad sight of Wanda, crying like a small child. "Wanda! What happened?"
Wanda, who was now positively bawling, cried out between huge gasps, "Sarah! I'm… such… an… IDIOT!"
Sarah sat down next to Wanda and put her arm around her shoulder. "Tell me everything."
Between her huge, gasping sobs, Wanda managed to tell Sarah all that had happened since she had left her parents' house. Sarah listened sympathetically. When Wanda finished, Sarah bit her lip in thoughtful perception.
"Wanda," she finally said, "you know how when you overreact, you sometimes say things that you don't mean?"
Wanda nodded.
"Well… you think that's what Cosmo did, too?"
"What do you mean?" asked Wanda, confused.
Sarah shrugged. "If he really loves you as much as you say he told you, then I don't think he'd suddenly hate you when you say that you're going to talk to your boyfriend."
Wanda stood up and looked off into the distance. "Maybe you're right, Sarah," she said, still sniffing from her sobbing. "But it doesn't matter. All five of my boyfriends have ended with disaster, and then I go and break Cosmo's heart. I really don't want to put myself, or anyone else, through that again. Especially not Cosmo. He deserves better than me."
Sarah shrugged. "Well, alright," she said. "But I think you should apologize to Cosmo anyway." She stood up. "I'm going back to Mom and Dad's. Do you want me to stay with you for awhile?"
Wanda shook her head. "No thanks. But thanks for being here for me."
"No problem. What are sisters for?" asked Sarah with a smile. Wanda returned a small smile. Sarah poofed off and was gone.
Wanda stood up, wondering where to look for Cosmo. She had to at least apologize to him and explain her actions. She then saw him about ten yards away or so.
"Cosmo!" she cried out, in almost a gasp.
Cosmo spun around. "Wanda!" he cried. He zoomed towards her, and before Wanda could even open her mouth to speak, Cosmo had flung himself in her arms and started babbling like an idiot.
"Wanda, I didn't mean what I said! I mean, I meant what I said when I said that I love you, but I didn't mean what I said when I said that I hated you! Because I still love you and I'll always love you, and you didn't do anything wrong, and I'm such an idiot for yelling at you!" He suddenly stopped talking and hugged her tightly. "I love you and I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said, a little more slowly this time.
"I love you too," said Wanda.
Cosmo looked at her in surprise. "…what did you say?" he whispered.
Wanda suddenly started to cry. "I love you, but I can't be with you! Every time I've dated someone it's ended in disaster! And I don't want that to happen again. Cosmo, if we were together, my temper would keep flaring up and I'd keep yelling at you, and I don't want that. I… I love you too much to put you through that. Besides," she said quietly, "you deserve better than me."
"But there is no one better than you!" cried Cosmo.
"Cosmo!" cried Wanda. "Please don't do that! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you, but this is making this harder than it already is--"
Cosmo suddenly pulled away from Wanda. "Wanda, I just want for you to be happy. But… you told me that when you're with me, you're happy. Besides," he added hastily, "if you don't want to hurt me, then you won't leave me! Because that would hurt me way more than anything you'd ever do to me when we're together!"
Wanda blinked the tears out of her eyes and gazed at Cosmo. She could feel all his love for her touching her in a way she never thought was possible. And she could feel her love for him almost flowing out of her body, like a stream. "I guess I can't argue with that logic," she said quietly. She slowly pulled Cosmo's face to hers and kissed his lips gently.
When they pulled away, Cosmo looked a little taken back. "Wow…" he said quietly. "That was my first kiss."
"And I have a feeling it won't be your last," said Wanda with a loving smile.
Cosmo smiled at Wanda, too, in a way that made Wanda's knees buckle. "Did you mean it when you said that you love me?" he asked, almost disbelieving.
"Of course I did," said Wanda. Her smile faded away as she gazed into his eyes seriously. "I wanted to tell you before, but when my boyfriend wanted to talk with me--and we broke up, too, so…"
Cosmo suddenly hugged Wanda so hard that both fairies fell on the ground with a thump. Wanda's crown bounced off a little ways. "Oops!" cried Cosmo. "Your crown!"
"Who cares," said Wanda. "I love you, Cosmo. I was too stupid to realize how sweet and caring and funny you are before, and when I said that I never told you that I loved you--well, I didn't, but that didn't mean that I didn't love you." She could feel tears coming back into her eyes and tried blinking them away. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
"It's okay," whispered Cosmo. "And please don't cry! Whenever you cry, I cry too. I…" Tears sprung up in Cosmo's eyes. "I love you sooo much," he finally said.
He leaned in towards her, held her face tenderly in his hands, and kissed her. Wanda's arms slid around Cosmo's shoulders and she kissed him back, crying tears of love and feeling as if she had entered some sort of bliss.
They pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes, almost blinded by their tears. "Wow, Wanda," said Cosmo finally. "You're better than cheese!"
He moved in to kiss her again, but Wanda zipped up out of his reach. "You'll have to catch me!" she said teasingly. She grabbed her crown and started to flow away.
"Easy!" said Cosmo happily. He waved his wand and pulled Wanda back towards him with magic.
"Oh, right," said Wanda, blushing a little. "I forgot that this game is easier to play if you're a fairy."
She attempted to struggle out of his arms playfully, but Cosmo held her close to him and kissed her hair gently. "Oooh, Wanda, I love your hair!" said Cosmo happily. "Then again, I love everything about you!"
Wanda sighed happily and snuggled deeper into Cosmo's arms.
"Hey! I've got an idea!" said Cosmo, zipping away from Wanda and hiding behind a tree. Wanda giggled.
"Now, I wonder where he could be?" she asked in a sing-song tone.
Cosmo suddenly zoomed out from behind the tree. "Ha!" he cried. And then, quite suddenly, he waved his wand, poofed up a small ring case, and got down on one knee in front of Wanda. He hastily opened the case and revealed a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. "Wanda, will you marry me?" he asked, somewhat quickly. He cleared his throat, pushed his hair back self-consciously, and said again, this time slower, "Will you marry me?"
Wanda gasped. Of all the things she had expected, this was the… well, not last, but still… She looked into Cosmo's eyes, knowing that he had asked her in all seriousness, and realized that getting married was a big decision, one that you don't make in half a second. But she really didn't have to think much to know what her answer would be.
She took the ring out of the case and put it on her finger. "Yes, I will," she said quietly.
Cosmo looked surprised. "You… you will?" he asked.
Wanda smiled at him. "Yes," she said. "I want you to be my husband." She hugged him and kissed him on the lips again.
After the kiss, Cosmo looked at Wanda with the happiest grin on his face that she had ever seen on him. "This is the happiest day of my life!" he yelled in ecstasy. His wand trembled violently in his hand, and suddenly…
WHOOSH! A bright light shot out of Cosmo's wand and hit the sky, shattering into hundreds of pieces. The mostly starless night was dotted with hundreds of new stars. Another light shot out of the wand again, creating even more stars.
"Whoa!" cried Wanda.
"Cool!" said Cosmo. "I didn't even know I could do that!"
The secretary of Fairy World suddenly appeared. "Alright, who's doing that?" she asked.
Wanda hesitated. Would Cosmo get in trouble for doing that?
"I did it!" said Cosmo happily.
The secretary looked surprised. "Cosmo? I must say, I am surprised." She looked up at the bright night sky. "Cosmo, you have created beauty in the sky that I don't think other fairies are capable of creating. I never thought I'd say this, but… I think you've earned your crown."
"Really?" gasped Cosmo. "This is even more the happiest day of my life!"
"Why is that?" asked the secretary.
"Well, you might as well know…" said Wanda, holding out her ringed hand.
"Are you two engaged?" cried the secretary. "Congratulations! I always knew you two would end up together."
Cosmo and Wanda stared at each other, then at the secretary. "Huh?" the asked.
"I've seen little fairy play. They're all like children to me. And when you little ones played together, I always thought… well, congratulations anyway!"
"Thank you!" said Wanda.
"We can fit Cosmo for his crown… next Tuesday, I think. At 9:00 A.M. sharp. See you then!"
"Bye!" said Cosmo as the secretary poofed off. "Well, that was weird," he said to Wanda.
"Yes… but let's go announce our engagement to my parents," said Wanda.
"We can't tell my mama, you know," said Cosmo sadly. "She wouldn't like it."
"Yeah, she'd probably ruin our wedding," said Wanda. "But anyway, let's go to my parents' house!"
She noticed that Cosmo was just gazing at her. "What?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, you're just really beautiful, that's all," said Cosmo with a small sigh.
Wanda beamed. "Come on, sugar, let's go," she said, as both of them poofed off.
(AN: Okay, want to know something weird? This chapter choked me up as I was writing it! And that's never happened to me before. I also listened to the theme from "Somewhere in Time" (awesome movie) as I wrote this. Great movie, great song. In answer to a question, this will probably have two more chapters. I think. Anyway, see you next week, maybe! And sorry this chapter's longer than usual.)