Disclaimer: At the risk of being sued, I'd like to say I don't own FOP before the Feds come knocking.

Chapter Three: Watching You While You Sleep

From the tingling in his hands, Timmy sensed The Other's malevolence; never before, except perhaps the night before his birthday, had it been so overwhelming. Red hot anger surged through his body and rendered coherent thought impossible. His teeth gritted and his fists balled. Every cell in his body screamed for vengeance and vicious images raced through his consciousness. Tearing Cosmo and Wanda apart with his bare hands commenced the sequence, followed by ripping Wanda's throat out, stabbing his faeries with their wands, and cruelly stabbing them within every inch of their bodies. His limbs moved like molten lava, and the room blurred before him.

He experienced a reality disconnect and the mind linked to his kept running him roughshod over every violent image it possessed. Nothing would stand in its way, no matter how powerful they seemed to be. He'd slice Wanda's throat and mount her head on his door. He'd...

Timmy awoke on his bedroom door with his girlfriend overhanging him. Tootie's brow was furrowed and her lips pursed. In her hands was a pail and he felt cool water drip down his forehead, then along his neck and into his shirt. Water droplets clung to his eyelashes .

She knelt at his side and gently wiped his forehead, slick with sweat. After what he'd endured, this didn't feel real. Tootie's loving administration couldn't possibly be legitimate. It had to be fabricated- he groaned, cramp seizing his stomach. She cradled him in her arms.

"You blacked out. Cosmo and Wanda said there was a break in at the Fairy World armory and Jorgen recalled all the faeries to Fairy World. She sent me in the meanwhile."

Timmy gazed past her. Racing through his veins was a magical surge, this sense of connection with every type of supernatural being. On Yugopotamia, Mark Chang ate toxic waste; on Earth, some child's fairies granted him a doozy, Cosmo and Wanda were returning, preparing to enact a spell, and The Other was about to break a long respected practice. He was about to raise the dead.

((Little slow on the uptake, aren't you? Already have.)) He chortled into Timmy's mind. ((Really, Timmy, how many chapters ago did that happen?))

((What?)) Timmy choked and Tootie jumped, the moist towel flying out of her hands and landing on the carpet. Recalling The Other's vicious onslaught, he trembled again. How many of those images had corresponded with actual murders he had committed?

"What is it?" ((What's going on?))

((I'll thank that bitch to start in whenever the hell she feels like it,)) The Other sneered.

((The Other!)) The two responded in unison, Tootie's arm wrapped securely about Timmy's shoulders. Timmy's teeth chattered.

((Please. 'The Other' sounds so archaic, not to mention pedantic. I have studied human history and decided to assume the name "Lorenzo DeMedici", since he was a great benefactor in Italian society. I consider myself an equally great benefactor...once my plans are in motion.))

Tootie squeezed Timmy tighter, in an effort to stave off The Other's telepathy, but nothing happened. They could feel him, just as powerful, waiting wherever he was. It seemed like it might be close, but not too close. Perhaps on the other side of town.

((That technique won't work anymore, obscuring my senses, but good try. I commend you on your stupidity. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, I've expanded the network. If I talk to Timmy, the little slut can just speak whenever the hell she feels like it. It doesn't work vice versa, so don't try it.)0

((I'm not a-))

((I don't give a shit who you think you are. I was having nice conversation until you interrupted. Begone!))

Tootie screamed as violent tremors of pain rocked her body. Over and over, like a harpoon. It was so intense, she collapsed. Timmy sensed its echoes running through him and it drained the color from his face. He could feel everything that happened to her along his body as well. Prolonged torture would be enough to drive him mad.

((Now that she's out of the way…))

((What did you do to her?)) Timmy glanced, disconcerted. His stomach churned and he tasted bile.

((That's not important. Come now, let's chat.))

((Get out of my head!))

((Don't be so rash!))

Timmy gasped; it was as if The Other was strangling him slowly, relishing his pain. Spots materialized before his eyes and hands flew up to his throat. But there was nothing there.

Abruptly, it let up and Timmy sputtered. How did he do that? Had he gained control over his respiratory system? What was going on?

((Never you mind. It's none of your damn business.))

Timmy stood and scooped Tootie up. Situating them on the bed, he observed Tootie's irregular breathing (far too labored for his liking). Blood on her scalp; he wondered how it could have been there if The Other hadn't physically laid a hand on her. Then again, how had he strangled him without touching him?

((I hope you've missed me as much I've missed you. I'm sorry I failed to call or write, but it was a bit hard when I had AMNESIA! I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED. ANY IDEAS?))

Cringing, Timmy now empathized with Wanda. Lord, he felt like he'd been clubbed over the head one too many times. Make it stop...It was worse than Tootie shrieking in his head this morning. It felt like someone had taken a loudspeaker and dropped it right next to his ear.

((HAVE FUN WHILE I WAS AWAY? LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE?))

Eyes tearing, Timmy bent over double, hands clutching his temples. Already in agony over the shouting, every fresh word sent hot, fresh spasms through his mind.

Through the bond, he felt The Other form a sinister smile. Of course he enjoyed this havoc. From simple possession to mental anguish, he savored it.

((So…)) The Other mocked.

Swimming with tears, Timmy could see perhaps the blurry outline of his hand. He had a bizarre feelings this was how The Other desired things.

((You'll be visited by two ghosts tonight. I'm afraid the ghost of yet to come is far too busy planning his schedule to attend to your foolish little whims, but I'm certain the remaining two will be sufficient. In fact, you might even recognize them, assuming you have such capacity.))

((Who? What did you do?)) Timmy cried in distress.

((Timmy, Timmy. All good answers come in time. Just be patient. I'll see you in a few weeks.)) His mind became his own again and he could breathe easier. It felt much roomier in there, too, though it stung from The Other's yelling. Weakness overtook him- the mental attacks and stress had its toll.

Slumping against Tootie, Timmy's eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep, his head on her shoulders. Before he completely succumbed, he could have sworn there were pink and green splashes around his room. Cosmo and Wanda. He smiled.

Wanda wiped her brow with her right hand tightly clenched about her wand and surveyed the house. A light, shimmery green foil encompassed it, unseen by the naked eye but clearly visible to a magical being. Extending from the front door up, it enclosed nearly the entire house. The basement, as Wanda had warned Vicky, was excluded. On short notice, however, she thought it would do nicely. It ought to repel any unfamiliar magical traces and alert them to their presence on the grounds.

"We did it," Wanda sighed and drifted onto a nearby tree branch. This late at night, no one would see faeries sitting on a tree. There wasn't a street lamp nearby, anyway, and she felt free to slump over.

"Did what?" Cosmo landed beside her and looked perplexed. She stroked his hair and he leaned against her. This entreated her to wrap her arms around him and peck him on the cheeks, then the lips. Cosmo nuzzled her and she nuzzled him back. He might be an idiot, but he was her idiot and she adored him. One of his hands snaked around and stroked her wing. Pleasurable shudders wracked her body.

"At least The Other won't be able to get in normally."

"Huh?" Cosmo observed a nearby bee. "Cindy?"

She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Cosmo to space out- the faerie had a serious case of ADD. Sometimes she marveled at how he actually graduated the fairy academy; it must have had something to do with that three headed dragon and the property damage it caused. The fairy academy heads had probably been too scared not to pass him, and be stuck with him for however long it took for something to stick.

"Cindy died, sweetie."

"Oh, yeah. I never got my records back!"

Smirking, she massaged his left wing and he trailed kisses down her neck. She turned her head, lifted his, and met him for another kiss on the lips. He returned it eagerly and opened his mouth for her. Nothing unusual today excluding the note in Vicky's cupboard- what a relief. Maybe The Other was losing his touch.

Suddenly a cold, putrid wind kicked up and both shivered. Whatever its source, it was powerful enough to cause several trash cans to dance and force them into heavier forms as not to be blown away. Peculiar for a gust to start up when there had been none, particularly one carrying a magical residue. Previously content in Cosmo's arms, she shivered.

((Cosmo?))

"Feels like the dead are being raised, huh?" Cosmo said. Wanda looked at him strangely.

((What do you mean?))

"Let's go play the 'not-study game', summer edition!" Cosmo declared.

Wanda remained while he popped into Timmy's room to wake him. Her gaze traveled along the street and she stared at the errant trash cans. She shivered again.

Buoyed by the wind, Mr. and Mrs. Turner had a difficult time maneuvering their way home; they constantly passed through cars, trees, and the occasional (albeit spooked) family. Their memories were also a bit foggy and they became lost easily. Between these and other impediments, it was eleven o'clock before they arrived, having gone the long way around, quite literally. The wind liked to toss them around.

"Hey, look, it's another wind gust! Let's chase it!" Mr. Turner said.

"You remember what happened the last time we did that," Mrs. Turner chastised. "We'll never get to Timmy at this rate."

"Aw, but honey, think of how much it was!"

Mrs. Turner glared at him, giving him a look that said 'not really'.

The Other strode towards her, radiating evil. His arm shot out and trapped her where she stood. Not again. No. Tremors wracked her body.

"Shall we take it where we left it?" he whispered scornfully.

Get away from me. Vicky tried to find her voice, but her throat had swollen shut. Leave me alone!

"Miss me, sweetie?" He stroked her cheek and Vicky trembled. "'Cuz I'm back again."

"And it's time to play."

Suddenly, he recoiled from her. Stunned, she gaped at him. "You stink of fairies!"

Finally, her voice returned, albeit in squeaking form. She hadn't ceased trembling. "No, it's-"

"You reek of them! What did Cosmo and Wanda promise you? Did they promise to protect you?" he smirked. "Offer you the stars if you'd do everything they asked?"

"No!"

"Liar. I can smell them on you."

He pinned her against the wall. "How can I tell you speak the truth?"

"I do!"

"Is there any way to prove that?" He'd won.

No.

"Just as I thought, you're a fucking liar. And you know what happens to liars?"

Vicky shook with fear and slowly nodded. Anything to make him stop. If she could shut him up for just one minute, maybe the dream would stop and she'd be fine.

"You know what I hate? Pieces of shit who agree with everything I say!"

She awoke with a start. There was a pair of blue eyes peering down, the coldest blue eyes, glittering so maliciously. Her breath caught in her chest and she swallowed back a scream.

"Good night, Vicky, or should I say, good morning. Your clock says three a.m., I should know, I kept my eye on it while I paid you a nice little visit. Didn't you miss me?" He hung over her bed like a scene out of a horror movie and her heart beat a tattoo in her chest. Her dream viciously returned to her and, for a second, she wondered how you could smell of faeries.

"The Other!" she spat.

"Please, please. 'The Other is name given by fairies who should be dead but aren't. I wonder how that happened?"

Vicky opened her mouth to scream, but, The Other placed a knife to her throat. "Tisk, tisk. Haven't we learned anything?"

"It's Lorenzo DeMidici, or just Lorenzo, my love." Pressing the hilt a little deeper, he grinned at her. Blood pooled on the knife. Vicky tried to control her breathing, but this was difficult given the circumstances. Lights spun in her eyes and shut them desperately; he remained.

"No matter where you go, I'll be one step ahead of you. No matter what, I'll always carry part of you with me."

"But Timmy-"

"I'm not here to see the twerp. I seem to remember you hating him. What happened? Did they change your mind?" he spat. Vicky whimpered and Lorenzo stroked her hair. She whimpered louder.

"I'll see him later. Cosmo and Wanda are wrong. They can't stop me. I could kill them in their sleep if they weren't useful."

This was disturbing. Cosmo and Wanda were the bulk of their defense and they were useless? But...how? Weren't they supposed to wield an unthinkable amount of power? How much did The Other have? Another whimper caught in her throat.

"I must visit Miss Waxelplax and ensure my employment. Last time I heard, she had a thing for Crocker. I'll take it from there."

Removing his knife from her throat, he smirked at her and kissed her roughly where the knife had left its imprint. "I thank you again for your company and I wish you sweet dreams. I know I'll have them."

Vanishing with a crack, the slight weight disappeared. Clutching her pillow to her chest, she sobbed.

Lorenzo crept along the hedges and occasionally pricked his hands and legs on the thorns. Since he'd overlooked the importance of a flashlight and his mind was otherwise occupied recalling blueprints and layouts, he stumbled into every obstacle preceding the back door (key placed under the mat). He'd get his revenge, rest assured. As soon as he could feel his legs.

Retrieving her key at long last, he slipped it into the lock and slid inside the darkened kitchen. Pitch black and not a sound was heard. This he would work well with. Unfortunately, he had to be in the immediate vicinity to work on people's dreams.

Within a few minutes, he swiftly paced to the bedroom where she was absent. Still, all he had to do was follow the blinking lights on the walls to the living room where an old spinster lay asleep, drooling slightly, Nick at Night on. The moment was precious. Better take advantage of it as soon as possible...

For a principal, Waxelplax certainly had bizarre dreams. A gigantic, five layered sandwich adorned with all sorts of cheese and meat: Swiss, cheddar, muenster, American, those balls, ham, bacon, steak, bologna, salami, and, to top it off, an olive. Drums beat in the background as red, filtered light fluttered down. He wanted this to be over before he gagged.

All right. Let's see what I can do with this…

Gorgeous, long brown hair dangling over one creamy brown eye, tumbling onto a body to rival Zeus, the sexiest in the universe (and a package to match), this was the man who approached her dream self. Hey, if he were to throw himself in, he might as well be aesthetically pleasing.

"You know who makes great sandwiches?" His voice was a rich, thick baritone, low and sent shivers down her spine. I'm going to throw up when I get home.

"Who?" Great, now she worshiped him. As soon as his point was made, he was out of here. He wasn't certain, but he thought he preferred Vicky.

"Me. You know who else I can please?" Myself, I'm getting the hell out of here.

"No." Her voice was tiny and awe filled.

"The school. If you hire me, I promise delicious eating every day for the poor, starving kids in the cafeteria. I'll even work below minimum wage."

Dream Miss Waxelplax was perplexed. "Wait, who are you?"

"Just sign something right now, when you wake, stating you agree to hire Lorenzo DeMedici. Go ahead."

"Okay…

As soon as she did, The Other teleported with a snap (forgetting he would have done so in the first place) and promptly returned to Timmy's house. He needed to torture someone before the saccharine overwhelmed him (he was exceedingly grateful he didn't require food as a source of energy).

He discovered the shimmering magical shield and flicked his fingers. In an instant, it went down. He thought he felt Cosmo and Wanda jerk in their sleep and sneered. The shield couldn't repel him once he was inside the house and didn't use the door like a normal person. Leave it to Cosmo and Wanda to forget that. They truly were two halves of a whole idiot.

Bypassing the basement, he mounted the stairs onto the first floor, and, from there, ascended to the second. It was just as he suspected- Tootie was absent and Timmy untroubled. Cosmo and Wanda were not within earshot, which was good since he lacked the power to take them on. Their shield was nothing. It had been hastily constructed. In terms of true power, Lorenzo had much to learn before he could easily bat Cosmo and Wanda aside, despite what he said to the contrary.

He settled down on the bed and ruffled Timmy's hair. Yes, he could certainly kill him in a second but where was the fun in that? Besides, he lacked sufficient reserves to do so without getting captured by Timmy's fairies. It certainly wouldn't do if he were murdered before his plan was complete.

Drawing out a blade, Lorenzo followed the bone structure of Timmy's face, making shallow indents, nothing too deep lest he wake him. All he required was a small imprint, one small mark on their precious one's face, and then they'd realize the futility of their stand. When he was stronger, he would leave a more lasting impression.

Watching the blood trickle down, The Other kissed his cheek and licked it off. Timmy whimpered in his sleep and Lorenzo kissed him on the lips. Energy escaped Timmy and entered Lorenzo. He smiled.

"Hello, my favorite. We're going to have some fun this school year. Yes, we are."

Unseen, Mr. and Mrs. Turner glared from behind the empty fishbowl.