Author's Note: Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Oh, loyal readers, please review. By the way, in case you were wondering about the wait, I took a little break from writing. (I'm back, though!) Enjoy!
Oh, and one last thing. I read "Hello", a Danny Phantom fanfic (but the author's name escapes me, it might be Danni) and I probably took the playground scene, well, the idea of what Timmy tried to do there, from her. Sorry! It was originally supposed to be in his house but I felt the playground scene fit it better. So, uh, go read her fanfic when you're done with mine, okay? It's really good.
Disclaimer: According to my sources, I don't own Fairly Oddparents. Who are my sources? Why, my cat Ariel and my computer, of course! Silly people, er, animal and machine…
Chapter Seven: The Darkest Hour
Three months passed since Tootie disappeared and perhaps more since Wanda had. Cosmo didn't know; he no longer kept track of time. In fact, he was scarcely aware of the time of day, much less notice his godson was falling apart.
Most of the time, he was lost in the past, calling Timmy by former godchildren's names or referring to events only he remembered. Whenever Timmy endeavored to broach the topic of his misery or attempt to locate Wanda, Cosmo would brush him off and try to dispose of the book. Therefore, for three months, the only thing accomplished was Timmy falling deeper and deeper into an endless depression and Cosmo losing his sanity.
Well, perhaps not the only thing. Vicky grew impatient and longed to further her relationship with Mark. She yearned to make a move on him (or he on her, but she doubted the latter) and told herself she would, but no progress as of yet. What she was waiting for was beyond anyone, but Mark suspected, from the way she talked, that she was waiting for Tootie. Although, if she was seriously waiting for Tootie, she would have a hell of a long wait.
Fairy World was no closer to catching Lorenzo than they had been before but now there was widespread panic. No new fairies were permitted to leave Fairy World and no old ones to return. Fairy World was closed for business, except for, some odd reason, the one request for a godchild by Juandissimo and (rather shady) Wanda. This one was put off for a few days but it would be processed for a bizarre reason, perhaps for an attempt on normalcy.
Nothing bad could come of it, they were certain. Without Cosmo, perhaps Wanda would function better and, besides, they had to make do with the fairies on Earth. They could just throw any complaints in the circular bin in the meanwhile.
In school, winter break was over and Timmy discovered just what it was to have the entire male population of a junior high despise you. No help from his friends, either, because A.J., on the Scholastic team, was not only in all the smart classes, but he rarely ate lunch in the cafeteria due to meetings of his team. Chester's trailer was being fumigated and he was staying with his relatives out of state. Sanjay's family in Mexico was having a grand ole time, so grand they forgot school started more than a month ago. Last but not least, Elmer was in the hospital, having his psychotic boil removed. Timmy was friendless and defenseless. Okay, not utterly so, but the principal having your back gets rather creepy after a while.
Between his home life and his school life, sharp edges suddenly became more appealing. Even the slightest pressure of one across his palm sent surges through his body. Pain was something he could control, something he could gauge. Pain was power and the only thing he felt he understood.
Lorenzo DeMedici was in a rut as well. Remy offered no sustenance and he suspected him to be plotting against him. This didn't bother him as much as the idea of being beaten by alien scum. Where was he going wrong? Why was he becoming so weak? Why were injuries he hadn't inflicted appearing on his arms? Something was greatly amiss.
Gary too felt this way. Unfortunately, his thoughts were more to the effect of: "You murdered Tootie, you selfish bastard." Moreover, as an added bonus, Timmy got to hear these musings every day, every gym period, right before Gifoalski tried to murder him with exercise.
Gifoalski's new, unofficial motto was: "pick on the orphan" and, as Timmy was the only orphan around, this meant he was entitled to: (a), daily beatings (guess what? Francis is out of juvy!) out of gym as well as tramplings, and, (b), other assorted activities in gym. Although, between Gifoalski, Wanda's kidnapping, Tootie's disappearance, Cosmo, Gary, and the male class turning on him, Timmy's spirits were at an all time low but this was unsatisfying to the malevolent gym teacher. He had to find a new, innovative way to humiliate him, including taking a camcorder into the locker room and using the tape as blackmail to force Timmy into doing his dirty work.
Far, far away in Marseilles, Wanda continued to practice dark magic habitually and her counterpart grew lighter and lighter to the point where she could pass for her and Wanda…couldn't. For she had a different transformation all together, one which would enable her to employ a great deal of stealth. With one more strong spell, she would be entirely black, including her skin.
Juandissimo was beside himself with worry. When he was home and not campaigning for a godchild in Fairy World (this had to be the source of her apathy), her condition worried him greatly. Even the spell book he had acquired her potion from lent no answers, only more questions. It too had turned on him, transcribing its words into French (Wanda's doing). Loath though he might be to admit it, the formerly gorgeous fairy he had forced into marrying him was now becoming nothing short of a freak. Once again, he prayed the godchild would reverse this horrid condition and return to him the woman he loved. However, like everything he prayed for concerning Wanda, the gods were deaf to his cries. Perhaps if he had not stolen her from her beloved so selfishly, the gods might have been inclined to help. As it was, they merely watched his undoing, one-step at a time.
This was the current state of affairs in and around Dimmsdale. However, one should be careful what one wishes for because, inevitably, things are bound to get worse.
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(Monday, 8:30 a.m. PST, February 14th, a.k.a. Valentine's Day, Dimmsdale Junior High Auditorium)
He wanted a gun. Correction, he really wanted a gun. To the left of him was the entire student body and there he was, sitting alone in the far corner of the room. Once a minute, a spitball, paper airplane, or textbook would come soaring his way and he would have to either duck for cover or use his hat as a deflector.
Were the teachers doing anything about this? No, of course not. It would take so much effort to track down every single child involved because, unfortunately, every single child was involved. Besides, they had not had their coffee yet and things, especially harmful objects never to be launched against another human being, looked a lot clearer after a few dozen shots.
The Other was due to come up and make a speech about Valentine's Day (the girls in the front row center had homemade banners and rumor had it Pauline was going to propose to The Other on stage). Nevertheless, in the meantime, a tired looking Crocker tried to calm down the masses and he appeared to have a new fairy detection machine on him. It wasn't beeping wildly in Timmy's direction, probably because Cosmo wasn't with him.
He and Cosmo, when Cosmo was in near full possession of his faculties, were on the outs again and Timmy sincerely doubted Cosmo cared whether he lived or died. In fact, Timmy barely cared if he lived or died. As far as he was concerned, he was the root of all evil in Dimmsdale, and, if he were to drop off the face of the earth, no one would give a shit. It was a very painful thought to process but it was the truth. He was better off dead.
"Good morning," The Other greeted them cheerfully. The onslaught ceased because, as most knew, Timmy was very important to their principal (although none knew why). They pretended to be on their best behavior while most gave Timmy looks of utter revulsion. Gay boy, they warned, get out of here. (They wouldn't listen to him when he proclaimed the truth, that he wasn't, and he stopped trying to fight them all together. He could care less what they thought).
"Good morning," they all chorused back, except Timmy. Narrowing his eyes, he folded his long sleeve t-shirt across his chest. Since practically none, not even in winter, wore long sleeves, this immediately caught Lorenzo's eye.
"Today is Valentine's Day and…" Lorenzo continued, but Timmy soon lost interest, up until he felt Lorenzo pushing at the block. Timmy let him in- he didn't have to protect himself anymore, no one cared if he lived or died.
Are you all right? Lorenzo murmured and he could feel the concern ripple through the mind link. My word, you look as your parents did not a few months ago.
Whatever, Timmy replied nonchalantly, bored already. Why don't you go back to your fans?
Because my fans aren't you. Sure they fawn, but do they-
They love you, they adore you. Pauline wants to marry you. Go off with them. Leave me alone.
I won't and I can't. What is Cosmo doing to you?
There was a humorless laugh, both aloud and in his mind. None noticed in the auditorium, but Lorenzo scowled and Pauline confessed her love to him again. Hmm, this seemed too vast to be solved while he gave his crummy speech about the events of the day. He'd hand this off to Crocker and deal with Timmy on a more personal level.
So, with a wave, he completed his oration and departed backstage, indicating Timmy follow. This he did reluctantly. He had to remind himself that, no matter what Lorenzo might do to him, he no longer cared. Let him be the sex slave to the evil anti-fairy he helped create, at least then he would be of use.
Sit down, sit down, Lorenzo commanded and he did as he was bidden. Now why did you laugh when I mentioned Cosmo?
Instead of meeting his eyes, he searched for, against all hope, a pink item with a smiling face on it. For over three months, he had quested in vain. Even with the gaping hole Tootie had left in his heart, if he could just for five minutes speak to her, perhaps things would get better. Conversely, perhaps he was being foolhardy and, supposing he could converse with her, she would not be as he remembered.
Collecting his thoughts, Timmy replied dejectedly, Because he's not there anymore. Well, he is, but physically. He's pretty much insane.
Lorenzo savored this idea for a few seconds before responding. Are you saying you're completely unguarded? No one is watching you? Without the frach, you're defenseless? Ding, dong, the frach is dead! Which old frach? The Wicked Wanda! Ding, dong, the wicked frach is dead!
I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like to come over and rethink your living arrangements? Your old room is still unoccupied.
I don't think I'll need a room anymore, Timmy sent cryptically and closed the link. He then departed from the auditorium via the outside entrance. If this was going to be his last day, he'd rather not spend it with Gifoalski.
"Wait!" The Other called and darted out to meet him. The boy's head didn't even rise in acknowledgement and he faltered. Perhaps he was going to pack his stuff and join him again, but, no, that didn't add up. Especially because a furtive glance at his own wrists showed deep incisions…
"Dammit!" Using Crocker's van as a springboard (it was surprisingly bouncy), he launched himself off the roof and landed atop him. As expected, Timmy didn't resist.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to yourself (and, by proxy, me?)" He sat up and turned Timmy over so he could look at him with little discomfort. It was chilling, however, as his eyes were devoid of life, resembling the waking dead. Whereas before, as his protégé, they were cold and unfeeling, now they were unanimated.
"It's none of your damn business!" Timmy snapped defensively and pulled himself out of from under him. "Why don't you just go run your damn school-"
Frustrated beyond words, The Other slammed Timmy's head into the concrete. Unfortunately, this had the unpleasant bonus of making him feel as though his head had been subjected to the same. Weren't bonds a pain in the ass?
"You know, at this rate, I won't have to kill myself because you're doing a good job of it for me," Timmy said coldly.
Shuddering, the words sent a shiver down his spine and chilled his heart. First and foremost, a world without Timmy, even if he was alive, was a world without hope. He could not imagine living without him, even the world he was currently in had no possibility of his affections being returned. Second, a world without Timmy, in reality, also meant a world without him and he enjoyed living for the most part.
What has Cosmo done to you? Lorenzo cried yet again (obstinately sticking to the idea Cosmo was responsible) and healed his sire's injuries. Timmy whimpered slightly (Lorenzo took this to mean Cosmo was responsible and stored this for later use) but he quieted. Apparently he'd learned from the best how to be unresponsive.
He didn't do anything that I didn't do myself. Me and my stupid wishes fucked up this world, now I'm going to fix things. If I can't change the past, I'll change the future and eliminate me from it.
Using the only bit of magic he'd picked up, Timmy vanished with a crack, leaving Lorenzo there on the concrete. A few spare tears wet the asphalt but it was impossible to tell whose they were.
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(9:45 a.m. PST, the treehouse)
Cosmo awoke with a bang. A black fairy shot back and forth in the room, frantically searching through chests and dressers. She looked oddly familiar and he frowned, trying to place her. The hair was different, the clothes were too, the eyes were jet black, but the voice was the same.
"Wanda!" Cosmo cried in sheer delight and poofed over to her, enveloping her in the tightest hug of her life.
She blushed crimson and, for a few moments, basked in the notion of his skin touching hers. Pure exhilaration rushed through her and she'd never felt this happy in her life, not even with Juandissimo, according to her past. If he never let go of her, she'd thought she'd die happy.
How on earth Cosmo could recognize her was unknown to her but he, of course, felt her approach. Mind links were strongest when the pair was in the immediate vicinity and she didn't even realize she was transmitting. Ignoring the fact she was now black from head to toe and her wings had all but fallen off, he still knew her. The thought overjoyed her and she forgot everything, even that she could barely remember him for more than a few seconds.
"I missed you so much!" He gushed. His fingers swept through her straight hair and he kissed her passionately on the lips.
Why was she so attracted to this fairy? She had Juandissimo and he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, but the green haired fairy filled her with such exuberance….No. He couldn't touch her, he wasn't allowed to, no one should be. She had to assert herself.
"Get the hell off of me," Wanda growled and, through a great deal of straining, disentangled herself and glared at him.
"Wanda?" Cosmo said in confusion. "What are you doing? It's me, Cosmo!"
She cocked her head, trying her hardest to recall him, but nothing came save for phantom images but they were too ambiguous. "Doesn't ring a bell."
He fought tears. "But Wanda," he whined, "I'm your husband!"
"Juandissimo," (she struggled against her gag reflex), "is my husband. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but no one touches me like that. No one."
Especially not when I feel like that when you do. I'm heartless, I'm not supposed to care about anyone. I'm not supposed to be this attracted to someone who's not my husband, either.
Cosmo completely lost it. Howling in misery (and forgetting the object of his misery was his estranged wife), he flung his arms about her and through sobs, whined and moaned. How could Wanda do this to him?
Maybe she's playing a joke on me! That's it. Wanda would never be this mean to me! It must be the false anger anniversary again.
"First, get the fuck off of me," she said icily. "Second, quit bitching, you whiny twit."
Oh, he looks crushed. No, dammit, I don't care. I came here for one thing and one thing only. I don't care if he drops off the edge of the earth. Why do I want to comfort him? I'm heartless! I want…Cosmo…
Scared at her sudden mood shift, he released her and stared, eyes large and watery. "Why are you acting like this?" This isn't an act, is it?
"I have always acted like this, haven't I?" Momentarily confused, she ceased her fury. She couldn't have always behaved like this, not if he was so startled. But all her memories had said she had- who was right? Damn, her head was killing her. Cosmo…
Slowly, he shook his head, afraid of suffering her wrath again. Trying the mind link (Wanda didn't know she possessed it, Juandissimo had neglected to mention it), he showed her his memories. Perhaps now she'd act normal.
However the memories served to overwhelm her and she plummeted, her wings falling off entirely. Pain, such pain she never knew existed, threatened to split her open. This was worse than practicing black magic, worse than anything she'd ever experienced. Between Juandissimo's tampering and the black magic, the fairy magic he'd introduced along with the true past wreaked havoc in her mind. She almost passed out and Cosmo hovered worriedly over her.
"Wanda? Are you okay?" He swept her up into his arms and this time she didn't protest. Of course, now she was scarcely conscious and unable to distinguish him from the wall.
Flying down to the bed, he watched her wrestle the demons of her fake past versus her very real one. He clutched her tightly and she whimpered in response. The only odd thing was, when he held her, he could swear she didn't have a heartbeat.
"Cosmo…" She gained strength (he didn't realize he was losing it as she gained it, she was stealing his), and pressed her lips to his.
Unfortunately, the memories he introduced were attacked by Juandissimo's memories and she shoved him off of her. She didn't understand what was going on, but she needed that wand. Screw everything else, particuarly the memories of her and Cosmo, she had to get what she needed and then get out. If she ever saw Cosmo again, well, it would be too dangerous for her to touch him, that was certain.
Cosmo, caught off guard, released her. Glaring at him, she blinked furiously, trying to rid herself of the tears that kept coming and cursing her weakness, making her tremor so.
"Give me the wand or I'll kill you. I told you before no one touches me like that, especially someone who hurts me afterwards. Give it to me and get the hell out of my sight, you pathetic excuse for a fairy," Wanda snapped, but her voice quivered. Damn, why was she so weak? How could she not have it in her to be cruel to this effeminate fairy?
"If you don't have a wand, how did you get here?" Cosmo pointed out, terrified of her again but noticing the conflict in her eyes.
"The hard way," she smirked and leapt on him, trying to pry his hand open and retrieve it. "I used dark magic. Don't you just love it when magic puns and then takes itself seriously?"
It soon became apparent the last thing Cosmo wanted to do was allow her to take the wand. With the death threat (he believed her capable of it, considering the apathy on her voice and discounting the fight brewing in her emotions), losing the wand would mean her gaining the weapon which might very well end him. Juandissimo had done this to her- when he saw him!
"Let go!" She snapped and wrestled it from his grasp. Thank God, she'd gotten it. The tides had turned. It feels like him…
"Thanks for your donation." Twirling it on her fingers, she enjoyed its feel. It'd been forever since she'd held one and the power from it was astounding. Plus, she had the lovely plus of a weapon against Juandissimo.
Hiccupping and bawling anew, he watched her toy with it and wondered what on earth she was thinking about. There was a demonic smile on her face and she seemed to be swearing to harm someone with it. Wands shouldn't be used to hurt fairies…how could Wanda even think that?
"As for you, don't get in my way. You got off easy this time but if you ever do that again, I'll kill you." Just to ensure her meaning penetrated, she pointed the wand at his chest and a few warning sparks flew off and hit him. "To let you know I can."
Shutting her eyes, she vanished and Cosmo fainted on the bed, only noticing one thing before losing consciousness. Timmy was beneath the treehouse and he'd witnessed it all.
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(10:45 a.m., PST, Dimmsdale Central Park)
Hmph, he didn't know why he was here. At least he was alone, no one to pester him about cutting school. He needed to think, even if it didn't much matter because he'd be dead soon.
Tossing a few crumbs for the birds to eat in the fountain, Timmy settled on the bench and sighed heavily. Well, wasn't it ironic? The only being he thought capable of ending his plight and forcing Cosmo into seeing reality was a cold-hearted bitch now. All the more reason, he guessed, to kill himself now and get it over with.
I bet Tootie will miss me, if she ever comes back from wherever the hell she is. She's not in this universe, I bet she's having fun with a more upbeat version of me. Who would want to spend time with me, anyway? I'm just some pathetic excuse for a godkid. I never even made any good wishes.
It'll probably take Cosmo a while to realize I'm dead. He's so busy pretending Wanda's back with him and he's in the past. His previous godkids sounded better than me. None of them ever tried to destroy the world with a stupid wish. Dammit!
Heh, at least now he can't pretend Wanda is coming back normal. Wonder what Juandissimo did to her? Oh, well, Cosmo won't figure it out. He's too dumb to tell when he's being insulted, much less figure out something as complex as that. Without Wanda, he'll just die of heartbreak.
Throwing one particular piece of bread so hard it skipped straight out of the fountain, Timmy smirked. Stupid bread. Don't you know when you're not meant to be eaten? To be enjoyed? Just like me.
No one's even noticed I cut school. Look at all of them, those adults, running their lives without a care in the world. They'll come home to their kids and they'll all eat dinner together like a normal family. One I can never have because I was so damn selfish! Why the hell am I so stupid?
Fresh out of breadcrumbs, Timmy flung himself on the bench and glared at the birds. Vultures, they never ask, they just take and take. Like me, I never asked, I just demanded things. Look where it got me, nowhere.
Wanna laugh at me, Gary? C'mon, laugh! Mock the kid who was too stupid to realize what goes around comes around.
C'mon, Gifoalski! I know you want to hit me. I know you've wanted to since we met, you just haven't because Lorenzo's been protecting me. Now he isn't here, you can go ahead and knock me into a coma. I won't even fight back. After all, I'm worthless.
An errant tear slipped down his cheek and he pressed his hand against it, stunned. He thought he'd gotten this out of his system, that he wanted to be dead and he was going to be, soon. Why would it hurt him to think that, then? Unless he really wanted to be alive…
Why? What's being alive going to do for me? It won't bring my parents back, it won't undo the past. It won't unrape Vicky, it won't revive Tootie's parents, it won't make Trixie like me again. Then again, I don't think she really liked me in the first place. It won't bring back everyone else he killed, everyone that was my fault.
I'm responsible for six deaths. Six. And, if Lorenzo had gotten me to kill Cosmo and Wanda, I'd be responsive for eight and directly murdered two. Isn't it amazing how these things add up?
I'm also responsible for Cosmo hating me. And, before Wanda left, I bet she hated me too. She never said so, but why not? Why not hate me? I'm not worth liking.
After all, Trixie made that abundantly clear to me on my birthday, almost eight months ago. I should have just listened to her then and ended it before Lorenzo came out and ruined my world.
No wonder Tootie's gone, she can't stand me either. I don't deserve her- she loves me so much more than I could ever hope to love her back. I was stupid, shallow, for liking Trixie. And, through all the shit I did to Toot, she still loved me. She returned, no matter how badly I treated her.
Wonder what this will do to her. Will she cry at my funeral? Will I have a funeral? Will she fling herself down on the coffin? Will she just return to her other worlds and lose herself there? Will she find someone better, someone more worthy of her love? Will she ever love someone else?
Do I really want to do this? Is my pain so overwhelming that I can't stay here? Is suicide really necessary? Is it?
A black van sped past the park and Timmy sat up, watching its progress. He couldn't tell from his prospective and the car was moving too quickly for him to be absolutely certain, but he could swear it was Lorenzo. Why he would use a non-magic version of transportation was beyond him, so it couldn't be him. Still, it felt like him…
What was going on?
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(11:15 a.m., PST, the treehouse)
It was one hell of a time for his powers to crap out. No, correction, they hadn't crapped out, he was too weak to use them. Timmy hadn't eaten all day yesterday or the day before and he was feeling the effects too. So, instead of using magic that was far more reliable, he'd jacked Crocker's car and drove over to Timmy's house. Unfortunately, not knowing how to drive meant instead of stopping at Timmy's driveway and parking, he'd crashed into the tree. Oh, well. That would buff out or so he thought. At the moment, there were far more pressing matters.
Climbing the wooden stairs brought back memories, memories that weren't really his, but nonetheless, memories. He recalled a water gun fight here, Timmy dropping water balloons on Tootie (he liked that memory), Timmy running a radio station, and other events. Timmy had a lot of history here.
Finally, though, he'd reached the top and smirked at the new decorations. Pink and green, what a surprise. Gee, he wondered who lived in here now- not! What gaudy decorations they were too.
"Good morning, Cosmo," The Other crooned and stood beside the bed where the fairy was curled in a fetal position. "Morning being the time of day when the sun has not risen to its full height yet. As you are an idiot, I thought I'd inform you of this."
"What do you want?" Cosmo whispered, looking at The Other's pocket where the handle of a particularly large knife hung out.
"Let me cut the small chat. After all, you are terrible at small talk. The weather, as I'm pleased to report, is not Jeff, but it will be raining little red droplets of Cosmo if you don't answer me satisfactorily," The Other smirked and pressed the knife to Cosmo's throat.
Cosmo sobbed and Lorenzo, irritated already because of Timmy's condition, cut a thin slice of skin off of Cosmo's neck.
"Aw, the baby wants a bottle. Look, I'll even warm it up for you. Body temperature okay for you? A little red tinge is expected, seeing as the bottle will be filled with your blood," The Other spat and grabbed Cosmo by his hair.
Gaping at him, he merely stared. For a second, he couldn't think why Lorenzo would be doing this. Okay, for more than a second. Cosmo was pretty clueless.
"Think, moron, think!" The Other shook Cosmo by his hair and jabbed at his arm with the knife. "Why would I be here? Hmm? Time's up!"
Thrusting with the hand holding the knife, The Other struck Cosmo in the chest, right below the heart. "I can and will kill you. Tell me what you've done to Timmy!"
Defenseless without his wand and weak from the energy Wanda had stolen from him, Cosmo would have passed out if it weren't for Lorenzo. Sighing heavily, The Other healed the injury and loaned him some of his own energy. It wouldn't do if Cosmo was unconscious.
"Why did you help me?" Cosmo asked, realizing the pain had stopped and he could see the world clearer. "You were trying to kill me."
"If I kill you, it won't help Timmy. Do you realize what the hell you're doing to him?" The Other snapped, returning to his previous point. "He's been cutting himself!"
Cosmo stared blankly and Lorenzo silently swore. Of course, that wasn't obvious enough for him. He had to explain it further.
"On purpose!"
Cosmo still didn't get it. Giving him another good shake to placate himself, Lorenzo muttered another curse. "He's going to try to kill himself, you idiot! Isn't that clear enough to you, you fucking moron?"
"Why would Timmy kill himself?" Cosmo mused, completely bewildered.
"Because of you!" Lorenzo snapped and slammed Cosmo against the wall. "You numbskull! What did you do to him? I'd kill you now if I wasn't afraid that would mean I was too late."
"Too late? Too late for what?"
"Too late to stop him! He's going to kill himself today! I saw the goddamn note- he was writing in school!" Lorenzo retorted and contented himself by hurting Cosmo in a non-vital place, his arm again.
Between the pain and the fact Lorenzo wasn't, no matter how hard he tried, going away, it finally set in. Timmy was going to kill himself if someone didn't stop him. Wow, he'd never thought that. Then again, he thought so rarely it was a foreign notion to him.
"Timmy's going to kill himself?" Cosmo whispered, tears falling down his face. Lorenzo didn't harm him for doing so because he couldn't blame him. He didn't, of course, make a motion to comfort Cosmo- as far as he was concerned, this was all Cosmo's fault and he was going to suffer.
"You have little more than a half hour. Timmy is at the park but he won't stay there. I doubt he'll go into the arcade, the proprietor, the owner, isn't keen on kids any more. There isn't anywhere else kid friendly, besides Dimmsdale Elementary…" Lorenzo trailed off, realizing Timmy could go there.
"At any rate, you'd better meet him there. I know you usually only come when Timmy calls you, but you two aren't speaking and he won't try to summon you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Timmy won't listen to me. I need you to stop him. You're the only person left he cares for," The Other said.
"You're not going to kill me? You want-" Cosmo started but Lorenzo cut him off.
"Not today, fairy. You got lucky. I'll get you soon, when Timmy's life and mine doesn't hang in the balance. For now, go to him. I don't think he really wants to commit suicide, he just wants someone to love him." Lorenzo said and glared at the wall.
As an afterthought, he added bitterly, "And my love doesn't seem to be enough."
"Go now. Timmy needs you."
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(11:30 a.m., Dimmsdale Elementary, beneath the slide)
Recess hadn't started yet and wouldn't for a good hour. By the time it started, the kids would get to see a real corpse because that was where he planned on dying, right where he'd been the day before he'd wished he was a fairy. It was perfect, no one was there to stop him.
Pulling a razor out of his backpack, Timmy traced the lines of his veins on his wrists and began to press lightly on them. The note was taped to his bag so, when they found him, they'd see it too. Of course, they wouldn't know who Cosmo was, but, since Vicky was technically his human guardian, she'd probably show it to him.
He thought he saw a green bird perched on the tree beside the slide but it couldn't be. Why would Cosmo be here, of all places? Cosmo wouldn't think he'd be here, he'd think he'd be in school where he was supposed to be.
"Timmy?" Cosmo whispered and turned into his fairy form to sit next to the boy.
"Hey, Cosmo," Timmy smirked. "Came to see my final moments? I guess you might want to get a camcorder so you can show Wanda and Tootie."
Cosmo shuddered and, still weeping, burst into fresh wails. "Timmy…you don't want to…"
"Don't want to what? Don't want to be here, yeah, you're right. I don't. I wanted to be dead and look, I'm going to be in a few seconds. I'll even put it in wish form for you when I'm dying, that way you get it right. You can't screw up a death wish, can you?"
"No…stop…you're scaring me…" Cosmo sobbed and grabbed his wrist, the one holding the razor.
"Oh, I'm scaring you? Surprise, I don't care. Why should I? You don't care what happens to me. You wished I was dead, didn't you? I knew you hated me. You were only keeping me around because Wanda might have liked me. Now that she's gone, there's nothing left for me, no reason for you to bother pretending you love me. I know you don't," Timmy said coldly and shrugged Cosmo off.
"I do love you!" Cosmo blubbered. "Don't do this."
"Why? You don't lie well, Cosmo. You never did. You don't care. Maybe if I were Tootie, you'd be trying harder, but I'm not important. I just fucked up the world and now I'm fixing it. Isn't it wonderful, the power of wishes? If you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be? C'mon, I'm all ears until I bleed to death."
"I…stop!" The razor was making a diagonal slash across Timmy's wrist but it just missed the right vein. It was just now Cosmo saw every single mark Timmy had made, some of them looked old but many were new. How could he have not noticed?
"STOP!" Cosmo pleaded and grabbed Timmy's wrist, the one holding the razor. "Timmy…"
"What do you want? Oh, you want to do the final cut? Be my guest. Now you can say you killed your own godchild, aren't you happy?" Timmy whispered maliciously and felt a cold, salty tear slide down his face.
"No!" Cosmo screamed and threw himself on top of him. A wand appeared in his right hand, something Timmy hadn't noticed before but he realized he must have been carrying or else he couldn't have been a bird before. Numbness spread through the arm holding the razor: his arm was now paralyzed, both of his arms were.
"I didn't want you dead. I never wanted you dead. I didn't mean to say all those things to you, I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd take them so seriously. I know this is my fault and I should have done something to make you feel better, I should have noticed all those times you came home with those, those things. I didn't. I failed you and I'm so sorry!" Cosmo rambled into his chest and Timmy felt Cosmo's arms encircle him.
"I love you, Timmy."
From what he considered the most unlikely source came these great emotions of remorse, grief, and love, overpowering love. They were all from Cosmo- he'd, even though his true love didn't recognize him, managed to open the telepathy link.
Neither of them said anything for a moment but Cosmo pulled himself up to run his hands through Timmy's hair. This clinched it, Cosmo wasn't lying to him. He really did care.
"Aren't you going to say something?" Cosmo said, wondering why Timmy was looking over at the school.
"I'm hungry," Timmy admitted sheepishly. "I didn't eat anything because I thought that meant Lorenzo wouldn't try to stop me since he would be too weak."
"I can do that!" Grinning widely, he stood up and helped Timmy to his feet. "Nothing poisonous, though."
"Yeah. Hey, Cosmo?"
Twirling his wand as a squirrel, the fairy glanced up at his godson. "Yeah?"
"I love you too."
Cosmo smiled back at him and turned into a kid to hug him tightly. "I won't leave you alone again!"
"Great," Timmy muttered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
------------------------
(Fairy World, 3:00 p.m. EST)
"He did it!" Frank screamed and quite a few of the cadets engaged in a toast to Cosmo. Unlikely as it had seemed, he'd pulled through and stopped Timmy. The world was safe, for now.
"But he's not out of the woods yet…" Frank murmured, sipping his Fuzzy Navel. "Not by a long shot."