Author's Note: Well, well, well. Welcome back to morbid theatre...(evil laughter)
All right, at any rate, I'd like to thank all my reviewers and fans. TOS would not be what it is today without you guys! Thanks. J
Disclaimer: (staggers as if she's bleeding from the chest) I...don't...own...FOP...(collapses)
Chapter Fourteen: Past, Present, Future
Cosmo was dreaming. It was a nice dream, full of cheese and Wanda (in that order). No one got hurt or kidnapped and he didn't have to deal with these burdensome memories.
They weren't his memories, but they might as well have been. He still hadn't the slightest idea where Wanda was, but she continued to transmit. Interspersed with heaven were bits of hell, her hell.
He never wanted to leave dream world, return to reality. The real one entailed responsibilities and blech- who wanted those? He just wanted a glass of melted cheese and Wanda. No Timmy in sight.
Somewhere in that deluded mind of his, he knew Timmy needed him, but he didn't care. He needed Wanda more than anything and, until he got her back, to put it politely, Timmy could go drop off the edge of the planet.
Never mind that he'd actually tried it. (Cosmo no longer remembered current events, precisely because they caused such grief). The past was better; he always knew what was going to happen.
Once in a while, he received a transmission from Wanda. This would jerk him out briefly, only to be sucked in again. Problems only held a monetary interest for him.
Sometimes, when he remembered Timmy, he recalled he was his godson. At other times, not and this was when he only thought they were related in some fashion. The distinction remained unclear in his mind- the boy wasn't a fairy, so what was he?
Cosmo rolled over, his eyes open but seeing nothing. Nothingness...down, down, down...
Welcome to the void.
------
(The study, Lorenzo DeMedici's mansion, 9:45 p.m.)
He had a picture of her. No, not Vicky (although he had a few pictures of her too), but one of Wanda. Just Wanda, and he didn't quite understand why this was, just that he had it.
A memory came to him, Timmy's memory, of Wanda hugging him. Abruptly, he longed for a mother's touch, but dismissed it as Timmy's thoughts and not his. It was getting harder and harder to tell these days.
But he digressed. The frach looked almost...motherly and loving. And, after the picture was reverted back to its former state (he'd added some rather lewd details), he could almost see why Timmy loved her. Almost.
Slapping his hand to the desk, he stood, recalling where she was. Finally, his chance to eradicate her once and for all! He had just to make sure he was there before Remy.
No, wait. He couldn't kill her- Timmy needed her. And, on some level, he would mourn her loss. She was a formidable opponent and that was why he wanted her alive, right? Not because of Timmy, right?
However, while he deliberated this, the blonde brat beat him to a head start. Clearly, he had to miraculously arrive before him and protect her. Wow, that was a switch- protecting the frach.
Using a few underhand tricks (a.k.a. dark magic), Lorenzo just barely managed to slip down unnoticed and seal off the room from any rotten little love struck boys. The air seemingly froze around him, as though not only couldn't Remy enter, but he couldn't leave. Thank Beelzebub that wasn't the case.
Slowly, he approached the bed on which she lay. The breath caught in his throat and a sense of awe filled him. Juandissimo had really done a number on her, hadn't he? Her wings budded and ebbed, her hair turned to its normal and black again, as did her skin.
There was a chair beside her and he sat, marveling at the juxtaposition of dark and light magic in her body. Names, Timmy and Cosmo, she murmured, clutching the sheet beneath her. Was she dreaming of them?
The Other whispered softly, "Frach?"
There was no response. He hadn't realize she neither (a), remembered him nor (b), recalled her injustice at being referred to as such. The fairies he'd killed in Fairy World had provided him with scant information.
His voice trembling, he called her again. "Wanda?"
Tossing and turning, she hesitated before reacting. His heart sank- Timmy wouldn't like it if Wanda didn't even know her own name. He had to do something to jog her memory.
"Timmy?" Her hand closed around his and he gave a start. A mother's touch...
"Close." Biting his lip, he decided against introducing himself into her mind. She had enough to deal with without him adding to it. Besides, how could she understand him if she had yet to comprehend her godson and husband? (He now remembered Juan telling him about the initial potion).
Hmm, she had to recall them somehow. Could he risk showing her Timmy's memories? Did she have any of her own that he could call forth? How was he to go about this?
There was such a thing called a mind meld, but that would involve melding more than minds, contrary to what the term suggested. They would have to be so close that their souls would both be exposed and visible to the other (if they chose to present themselves this way). In addition, if either of their processes began to fail, the other would live vicariously through them. He might lose himself within her. Was he willing to pit his soul to help Timmy (and, by proxy, Cosmo)?
Well, there was only one way to find out...
In the midst of her tossing and turning, Lorenzo captured her hand, miniscule within his. A bright pink aura and a dark blue one formed; the metaphysical representation of their souls. No matter what she'd been through, she retained an admirable purity of soul. Juandissimo could not tarnish it, no matter how hard he tried.
Black consumed his vision and he realized this was the astral field, giving them a proper place to meet. He wasn't welcome in her mind room nor did he wish to visit; plus, in her state, there might not be a room for much longer. Therefore, it was the astral field.
It was like floating in a void, his projection gawking at the darkness within. Her soul was out there; he had to tether it to him lest he risk losing it. But he had dragged her here, so the chances of that happening were minimal. At least that was a relief.
Apparently, the thought hadn't occurred to him that, in order to do this properly, the souls and their projections are both exposed before the other and both are nude. This made him a bit squeamish, but he swallowed hard, thinking of Timmy. If he could help him, he would and that was what all this was about.
Unlike Cosmo, he had no direct mind link to her and he was an anti fairy, her opposite. The only way their projections could meet, while she was under the deepest of sleeps, was through the astral field, so he had to grin and bear it. Besides, it wasn't as though they were engaging in any less than permissible activities, now, was it?
Like in the ‘real' world, his hand sought hers and he pulled her to him. A dark purple aura hung about her projection- Juandissimo's. However, within the aura was a green one, one that he knew to be Cosmo's. And, if he squinted, he spotted the light blue one, the one Timmy didn't know about.
Cleansing his mind, Lorenzo searched for a proper memory, one that would edify her but not obfuscate her any further. Devil knew she didn't need any more help in the arena of confusion.
At long last, he found one, one from a year ago, so it was semi recent. He couldn't engage any that involved him, so this had to be it. It was Timmy's last happy memory.
------------------
(One year ago, Timmy's room)
"Let's play the not study game again!" Cosmo croons, tugging on the controller. Wanda scowls- Timmy's finals are coming up soon (they decided to give elementary school children finals too in order to educate them about the stress of being in high school). She doesn't want her godchild to fail abysmally and thus, repeat the year and Crocker. She's had more than enough of that stalking, skulking, egomaniacal ‘crackpot' for a lifetime.
"Let's play ‘if Timmy doesn't study, he'll fail his classes'," Wanda hisses, trying her best not to make evident her distaste for the ‘not study game' and its demerits. Cosmo is always such a bad influence.
"That isn't a game," Cosmo says innocently, and Timmy, about to turn on his new game system, mentally slaps a hand to his forehead. All right, it's not a game, but that wasn't really the point Wanda was trying to make, was it?
"And neither will be avoiding Crocker if Timmy fails for the year!" Wanda retorts, bristling. Cosmo winces- her anger is horrid when it's brought on in full strength. She's never disputed the ‘not study game' before, though.
"I'm not going to fail for the year, Wanda," Timmy says, rising to Cosmo's defense. I just won't do very well on the final.
"Stay out of this, Timmy!" Wanda snaps, forgetting that it involves him.
"Don't yell at Timmy!" Cosmo retorts, floating in front of his godson.
"I'm just sick of living on the edge of being discovered, that's all!" She hisses, hugging her arms to her chest. Cosmo has nothing, either stupid or correct, to retort, so he quiets and relents.
"I'm sorry, sugar bear..."
Smiling at his cute term of endearment, she wraps her arms around him and kisses him on the cheek. He grins widely, about to return the favor on the lips when Timmy interrupts.
"Hello! I don't need to see you guys doing that!" Timmy calls, throwing down the controller in disgust.
"But we want to see us doing that!" Cosmo protests, kissing her on the neck. She has to push him away, much to her chagrin. Timmy doesn't need a sex education courtesy of his godparents.
"We'll, we'll be back soon, don't worry," Wanda says, extracting his lips from her shoulder. He whines and begins to caress her back.
Timmy's eyes widen and he gazes slack jawed at them, wondering just what Cosmo's trying to accomplish. He keeps making moves on her.
"We'll see you in twenty minutes." She grins devilishly at Cosmo and sticks her tongue out. He tries to french her when she indicates Timmy with annoyance.
"It'll take longer!" Cosmo protests, still trying to french her. She could tell just by looking at him he wanted her badly.
"Twenty one minutes then," Wanda winks and they vanish into the fishbowl.
Lorenzo cut the memory there, since the rest didn't pertain to her. This was enough to lay the groundwork down and she'd flirted with Cosmo, so that established him. Was it to bring her back?
Wanda whimpered in his arms. Some time during the memory, he must have embraced her. Damn Timmy and his infernal emotions towards her.
She was projecting too, but it wasn't a real memory. Lorenzo, being objective, could sense its falseness. However, before he could say a word, she'd forced it upon him.
------
(9, 898 years ago, on what would have been Wanda and Cosmo's first date)
Her breath catches in her throat and for one blissful second, she cannot think. Juandissimo stands before her, resplendent in a white tuxedo and black dress pants. He is the man of her dreams...
((If you enjoy nightmares,)) Lorenzo quips, smiling wanly. The "past" Wanda turns to him but the "past" Juan cannot see him. After a moment's scrutiny, she shrugs and glances back at her beloved.
He takes her arm and they amble down the streets of Fairy World. Denizens cloud the streets; cloud, not crowd; Juandissimo's imagination leaves much, including realistic backgrounds, to be desired. Lorenzo enjoys it, too- he can insert witty, damaging comments.
Above them, the sky is a vivid verisimilitude of violet, inducing a smirk on Lorenzo's face. For the moment, he'll let this lapse until he can find an even grievous anachronism. Anyway, he muses with a grin, there's nothing like pumping up your own ego.
Cosmo sits on the stoop of his mother's house, his hand resting dejectedly on his chin. He gazes at Wanda wistfully, wondering what would have been. The house is off color...
((Why would Mama Cosma let him out on his own like that, when she knows the damage he can cause?)) The Other peers down at Cosmo- his hair is a shade darker than usual.
The argument makes her halt. For a second, the world freezes around them and she squints at Lorenzo. He is out of place here, but he's not the only one...
As much as he'd love to correct what he could of the memory, he didn't know the full story and might hinder more than help. She was the purveyor of her past, she could unlock the truth. Only she, Juandissimo, and Cosmo knew the truth and the latter two were not present (the first rightfully so).
Slowly, Wanda says, weighing her words and selecting them very carefully, "No. It didn't happen this way...At least, I don't remember it like this..."
Around them, the world shimmers and vanishes as Wanda tries to remember the real date. For once, Lorenzo almost wishes he could help- he doesn't fancy remaining in her mind for eternity, trapped in a half forgotten realm. The thought terrifies him more than falling in love did. God, he doesn't know why he chose to do this, but he wants out!
Wait...did he just say God? As in, the benevolent one? He has to get out of here before he starts getting...nice.
The world descends into blackness and they fall down, down, down...
------
Lorenzo awoke with Wanda in his lap. He nearly fell off the chair in shock. However, before he could extract her (and remove the peculiar warmth she radiated), he discovered, annoyingly, what had revived him.
"You've gotten soft," Remy sneered, punching the barrier. White hot pain shot up his arm and he cursed. Goddamn it, why was he protecting her?
The Other restrained himself, yet trembled with suppressed rage. His hand slipped down and absent mindedly stroked her hair. Damn Timmy for making him fond of her. Who the fuck said he wanted to be a good guy?
"I thought even you would know better than to strike when an opponent is down," Lorenzo remarked icily, shivering from the remnants of Wanda still present. Grr, now he was referring to her by her name in his thoughts as well.
"And I thought you wanted her to die by your hands," Remy scoffed. "But here you are, behaving like she's your fairy godmother and defending her."
Damn, he really abhorred it when the blonde brat pointed out the obvious. Despite that, he hadn't placed her back on the bed. The mink-meld remained in effort, it was merely dormant.
There was utter silence while Remy glowered at Lorenzo, still stroking her hair. Moments ticked by but the barrier sustained no damage and Wanda continued to slumber. Finally, Remy left, muttering something about killing her when Lorenzo wasn't present. Looked like he was to be here all night...
-----
(Timmy's room, 10:45 p.m. PST)
"You're sleeping here?" Timmy repeated incredulously. Lord, he'd seen enough of her to last him a lifetime. If she spoke that much awake, one could only imagine how much she'd talk asleep.
"Yes." Unless you rather I berate you for something I just learned about. It's bound to irk you off and get me thrown out, but it might remind you I'm still here!
"I don't really-" He began but she flung herself down on the floor beside his bed.
There was an awkward silence while Timmy stared at her and she shivered- the floor was chilly. Sighing heavily, he placed a warm blanket on her, scooped her up, and placed her on his bed. At least some of his guilt would be appeased.
"Wha-why?" She murmured, growing sleepy. Considering how you treated Tootie.
"If I can't make it up to Tootie," Timmy explained, And just hold her in my arms and let her cry, instead of acting like the dick I am, "I can at least be kind to you."
Before Sophie fell asleep, her last conscious thought was, Well, it's about time.
-----
(Cosmo's mind room, time indeterminate)
For the first time in a long time, Cosmo had a visitor. The tempest of insanity halted and his projection gawked, slack jawed, at her. Not that he was displeased, mind you, just astonished.
Wanda perched on his mind couch. Her projection's eyes darted back and forth, clearly searching for Juandissimo. The idea had not occurred to her he could not follow her, she was too preoccupied with the notion that he could.
"Wanda!" Cosmo cried, delighted. He leapt beside her and kissed her. Wanda went crimson and began to kiss him back until she remembered she wasn't here for that. (Not that he particularly cared, mind you, he was still trying to kiss her, caress her back, and just generally get into her mental projection).
"I...I need your help..." Wanda murmured, forcing herself to stop coming onto him. However, that didn't stop him from kissing her neck and sliding his lips downward. He wanted her, she wanted him, but now was neither the time nor the place.
"Damn it, Cosmo, stop!" Poised just above her chest, he froze and she exhaled sharply. At least he knew the meaning of the word. Her whole body, recalling Juandissimo's reaction to that four letter word, shuddered.
Stung, Cosmo drew back and pouted. Relenting, she wrapped her arms around him and began to talk. She told him what Juandissimo had done afterwards, how a person resembling Timmy was trying to help her and what state she was in now. Cosmo, naturally, grew agitated at the idea of the Timmy look-a-like.
"The Other's helping you?!" Cosmo exclaimed, jumping up.
"Who?" Wanda replied, completely perplexed.
"The Other, Timmy's anti-fairy," Cosmo explained, unclear as to why she wasn't getting it.
"Who?"
Looks like I'm not the only clueless one around here, He thought, but let the subject drop.
After this, he listened, mostly because he had no choice. She frightened him.
When she informed him in detail about the rape, the mind room began to shake. She ducked when one of the few books within hurtled towards her head and she glowered at Cosmo. For the love of God, she hadn't come here to be figuratively beheaded.
"I WILL KILL HIM!" Cosmo thundered, the fireplace and its heat growing more intense. Standing aside from her, his projection's eyes burned with anger. She grinned- he'd pay to see that.
"Where is he?!" Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her until she pried him off- don't manhandle a dangerously pissed off fairy. It could be the last thing you ever do.
"If I knew where he was, if I knew where I was, I'd let you know, wouldn't I?" Wanda replied icily, folding her arms across her chest. Had this been her mind room, a vase would have cracked in anger. She couldn't help it- Cosmo's stupidity rose her temper.
Whimpering, he retreated from her anger. He could never survive being eternally furious around her, especially now. She frightened him too much.
"Goddamn it!" She swore and vanished.
And, with that, he awoke.
-----
(Timmy's room, early morning, 6:45 p.m.)
"Grr...too early...sun, go away..." Timmy moaned, stretching and rubbing his eyes. He reached to shut off his alarm when he touched a head instead. What the?
Fighting his drowsiness, he rose only to discover, sadly, the head did not belong to Tootie. Unfortunately, it belonged to Sophie...and yesterday's events came crashing down upon him. God, how could he have been so stupid?
"Why the hell am I such an idiot?!" Timmy cried, unwittingly uttering it aloud. His hand slammed down so hard on the alarm, a bolt of pain shot up his arm.
"Blame this guy named Butch Hartman...I hear he's the creator of the known universe..." Sophie quipped, awaking when he felt her hair instead of the clock. She straightened up and glanced at him, silently seething. He liked Butch Hartman, didn't he? Maybe not...
Shooing her out of the room, he dressed, his eyes falling upon a picture of he and Tootie. After Lorenzo had been exorcised, but before his parents became ghosts, they'd posed for it. They were so happy...his heart wrenched in his chest.
((Tootie...I'm so sorry...)) Desperately, he strove to contact her via telepathy, but it bounced back. Wherever she was, it was beyond the scope of him to reach her or the world varied too immensely. All he caught was an ache for physical comfort and the touch, like a snake slithering around its prey, of a weasel. One of these days, he was going to discover just where she went.
Another picture, of he, Cosmo, and Wanda gave him pause. She too looked happy- he wondered if she would be again. Would she ever return? In a way, her disappearance was as much as an enigma as Tootie's, only he hadn't driven her away. It was no one's fault, a slim amount of comfort.
Lorenzo pushed at the barrier again and he was so stunned, he let him in. No one, aside from lugubrious Sophie, gave him more than five minutes of their time. Loath as he was to admit it, the murderous, malevolent, misogynist anti-fairy he created was all he had.
((Don't cast me aside like you did Tootie,)) The Other warned. ((I am in no mood for fighting as I did all last night, preventing Remy from murdering Wanda in her sleep.))
((Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about?!))
((Remy, Juandissimo's godchild, is in love with him. He views Wan- the frach (he caught himself this time), as the only obstacle in his way. Therefore, he must eliminate her,)) The Other explained as though his sire were a small child. Timmy was, after all, extremely dense. You never knew how much he understood.
((You know where Wanda is?)) Timmy cried, delighted. ((Where is she?! Cosmo can finally return to normal and- you called her Wanda. The first time you referred to her by name and then you corrected yourself.))
Damn, Lorenzo knew when he was caught. ((What does it matter what I call her? I know where she is. And, for a paltry duel, you can too.))
((A duel, you mean like on Yu-))
((No. No one thinks of a duel as two people pretending cards are real and believing in their non existent heart. The only people who want you to are the lame companies that support that show. They, of course, make some revenue off the enterprise.
((But I've digressed. A duel, not to the death since I cannot kill you, but a duel nonetheless. No weaponry permitted- hand to hand combat only. Battle of the betters. There are more details enclosed in the letter you'll get from your homeroom teacher when you arrive at school.))
((By the way, I happen to know where your beloved Tootie is. Of course, you can't really think of her as your ‘beloved' because, last time I checked, splitting open your ‘soul mate's' stomach is not considered endearing. You're so sweet on her, aren't you?)) Lorenzo sniggered and Timmy's fists clenched. Who the hell was he to tell him how to treat her? He'd raped his love...wait, that was him. Just thinking about it made his stomach settle uneasily. At least he hadn't forced Tootie to give him affection.
((Just tell me where she is,)) Timmy snarled, sending a miniature mental attack with his message.
((Please don't do that. I'm weak enough as it is, floating around in a mind meld and defending Wanda on the side. I already feel as though I'll pass out.))
((Whoopdie fucking do. I don't give a shit. Tell me where she is and tell me now or I swear to God, I'll slam this link down on you right now. I'll cut the duel and you can live your pathetic life-))
((With Wanda's death on your head. I'm not going to be able to defend her forever. And when I fail, Juandissimo will come after Cosmo. Wanda will be undefended and Remy will kill her. She is under a deep, dark, induced sleep and only Cosmo can break it.))
((Don't tell me- ‘with a magic kiss from Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty awoke'.))
(((snicker) Your words, love, not mine. I have no idea how Cosmo is supposed to enact her waking nor do I care to know. And, since you are not her soul mate, it is not applicable to you.
((Btu the fact remains- I know where she is and you need to know. You'll find out later.))
Before The Other vanished, he sent, ((I love you...and Tootie vanishes into alternate worlds. She's only gone so long because of the transport time.))
Then, the link was closed and Timmy reeled from all the information. He had to make some semblance of sense somehow, but that easier said than done. Everything The Other had told him spun around in his mind and he sat, staring for a good ten minutes.
-----
(The ‘hidden' room, Lorenzo's mansion, 7:40 a.m. PST)
Beforehand, he hadn't known how to feed a person in hibernation. Well, she wasn't really in hibernation, but she wasn't getting any nutrients, so he had to provide them. So, basically, all of his energy was scraped by her, the barrier, and keeping a supernatural eye out for Remy.
It was so bizarre how she trusted him unconditionally. She was like a small child, believing in her parent. And, despite his supposed hatred, he couldn't bring himself to harm her. Timmy needed her and loved her; he'd protect her in this situation. So, since Timmy couldn't, Lorenzo did.
Lorenzo acted as he knew Timmy would, including...caring for her. Because, in his own twisted way, as a result of their energy/value exchange, and from his slow reformation, he was beginning to care about her and maybe even love her. She was technically, both Timmy's godmother and his. Besides, he'd spent so much time in her mind, some of his sharper hatreds and angers dulled significantly.
Yet again, it grew time to delve into her stream of consciousness and the ‘past'. The few memories that involved Timmy he was able to mend, but one only partially due to Wanda's disappearance into Cosmo's mind room. He'd yanked her back- such a strong gap between minds was excruciating. Part of him lamented it, but this killed him as it was, so he didn't really care.
At the moment, she laid, curled up, in his lap. Disturbing thought the thought was, he smoothed her hair and waited for the next memory to seize her. It would be any moment now....
------
(What would have been Cosmo and Wanda's wedding day)
"He's late," Wanda mutters, tapping her pink high heeled toe. Her wedding gown is a glorious pink and it resembles an old ballroom gown. Right now, she looks radiant but pissed off. Where is he?
((C'mon, this isn't how it happened and you know it,)) Lorenzo says. ((Focus.))
The world changes form a chapel to a street in Fairy World. Wanda stands beside Cosmo and his arm is wrapped about her waist. She belongs to him and they both acknowledge it.
"You're supposed to get the milk," Wanda teases. "I don't think Mama Cosma put eloping on the list." Unless it was me to Juandissimo or Cosmo to her. There's definitely an Oedipus complex going on there.
"She didn't?!" Cosmo gasps, checking the list. "Then I can't get married, it's not on the list!"
Wanda begins to laugh, yanking Cosmo along. She's never been happier in her life-
-standing next to Juandissimo as the minister marries them. She opens her mouth to say "I do" when-
-Cosmo shoves a block of cheese in her mouth. The rabbi (the first place they found to get married in was a temple) gazes at her and wonders if she's insane for marrying this lunatic. But, nevertheless, he says, "By the power invested in me by the Gilded Yarmulke division Alef-Bet-"
(Both speak at the same time). â€""I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride-"
-"Kiss the cheese first!"
"No."
"C'mon, Wanda, he's your husband too."
"Cosmo!" Reluctantly, she kisses the cheese as well. She draws back, revolted. What on earth is in that cheese?
"I kept it in my shoe!" Cosmo says proudly, showing the rabbi. Disgusted, he slowly floats away.
She's torn between anger at Cosmo and laughter. Finally, though on such a joyous day, laughter wins out and she kisses him, just as he accidentally trips over the glass plate and they fall over. Too bad they're too busy making out to notice that (a), they fell over glass, and (b), neither of them are Jewish yet they've both been married by a rabbi.
It's much too good of a day to complain, anyway.
-They're dancing joyously at her wedding celebration, her parents, his parents; it's just a big mass of people-
Suddenly, the world just stops and freezes on Cosmo and Wanda's wedding day. Lorenzo gazes at her, understanding she's rejecting the fantasy but still puzzled as to why. Her and Juandissimo's made up wedding certainly seems more enjoyable than eloping in a synagogue.
"My parents were dead then..." Wanda murmurs softly, turning to him. Eyes clouded over, she almost collapses from the unmitigated effort of battling through the lies effusing through her. And, if she collapses here, they might never get home.
((Damn it, Wanda, get up! Staying in an abyss my whole life was not what I had in mind!)) Lorenzo snaps, attempting to speed her memory along. She glowers at him and he stops- don't aggravate your ticket home.
Unwilling, she pulls forth an emotion he'd rather keep secret- love. That is, who he loves and how exactly he feels about it. Once it comes out, it's impossible to pull back, no matter how much he'd prefer if they just vanished into thin air...or, in this instance, no air at all.
Images of Vicky, Timmy...and Cosmo and Wanda appear. He gasps at the latter two, stunned they would materialize like that. He's familiar with why he loves Vicky and Timmy...but not the fairies. Soon, though, a banner comes up explaining this.
"Cosmo and Wanda...loved as fairy godparents," Lorenzo reads slowly, frowning. "But I don't love them, I-"
((You are not speaking in telepathy,)) A soft feminine voice warns him. ((Therefore, you are lying to appease yourself.))
"Who the hell are you?!" Lorenzo retorts, folding his arms across his bare chest. He glances around but does not see Wanda anywhere. Joy, he's going to be stuck here for all eternity.
((I am Wanda.))
"You can't be Wanda," Lorenzo hisses, irked. "And I'm not even going into why, because I'm not in the mood to waste words."
((Good, because neither am I. I am Wanda's pure soul, untainted by the scoundrel, that malevolent son of-
((Oh, sorry. Perhaps I've been tainted a little...
((At any rate, I know your feelings towards Cosmo and me in turn. Try as you might, you cannot ignore the fact that, although you've attempted to kill us and hurt us many times, you still feel as Timmy does towards us.
((The transfer of energy does more than you think. It lent you Timmy's ideas, which, unconsciously, because you loved him, you incorporated into yourself. You aren't becoming softer, as Remy suggested...you're becoming lighter.
((Do you know what happened to the last anti fairy that was sealed within a human body?))
((I don't know and I don't really give a shit,)) Lorenzo growls, glowering at nothing in particular but hoping it reaches her. What truly bothers him is this is the truth and there's nothing he despises more than being told the truth...about himself.
((He fell in love with a fairy...and they begat Jorgen. That is why Jorgen has no wings and is larger than a fairy- he is a fairy hybrid. When such colossal amounts of magic come together in such a way, it can only create a large being such as him.
((However, when Jorgen was born, his father was put on trial and condemned for befouling a fairy. He was sentenced to death and hung on Jorgen's first birthday. Before he died, he was placed in exile...in your mansion.
((It is no coincidence, I see that now, that you were sent here after being excommunicated from Timmy. In a way, you are part of the last human anti fairy reborn, which is why you fell in love against your will.
((You have the innate ability to love...only, unfortunately in your case, you did not realize you were in love until you hurt the people you loved beyond reconcile. The last anti fairy did not have that problem...he discovered his feelings beforehand. He-))
"This is a load of bullshit!" Lorenzo roars, running his hands up and down his arms. He could not fathom the idea that all of him used to belong to someone else.
((Say that in telepathy.))
((This is...damn.))
((Good, now be quiet.
((Your deal with Timmy was in a last ditch effort to prove to yourself that you were separate from him, a different entity. You wanted to show your independence by becoming his opposite in every way, including hating women and Timmy's fairies in particular.
((The only reason you believe you hate women is because of your observations of two in particular while you inhabited Timmy's body. You saw Vicky and Trixie, who are not exactly the paragon of virtue, and you deemed that all women were like that.
((But you ran into a problem when you encountered me. You knew I was not cruel by nature but you didn't know how to place me. Instead, you acted as though I were singularly responsible for all your hatred, since, at that moment in time, you were comprised entirely of it.
((Your hatred for Timmy was based upon your ‘jail' in his mind. You only wanted to make him suffer because you thought this was just, when you really hadn't the foggiest idea what you were doing. You were cast in the villain role and you just played it by ear. You were the anti fairy, so, in your mind, you must be as cruel as possible.
((Real anti fairies are mischievous, but not untowardly cruel. They do like to cause pain to humans, but not on such a grand scale as you.
((But you still have a chance for redemption. The road will be long and arduous, but you will have little choice about traversing it. You will either do so in hell, after Timmy kills you-))
((Timmy won't kill me!)) Lorenzo replies, flabbergasted. ((He wouldn't, he couldn't...))
((After I am rescued by Cosmo, he will challenge you to another duel. Again, you will lose, but you will lose more than just your pride.))
((What do you mean' again you will lose'? I'm not going to lose- I'll beat him so badly, he'll regret-))
((You will lose, Lorenzo DeMedici, because you cannot, in good faith, harm your sire. You will concede defeat and-))
((I'm not giving up that easily...Wanda. Damn it, why do I keep calling you that? You're a fr-))
((You refer to me as Wanda because that is my name. You no longer think of me in derogatory terms so the term ‘frach' is not applicable. In fact, you have ceased to think of Tootie as ‘the whore' but slowly as a person.))
((Li...no, I can't say it. Goddamn telepathy! Timmy won't kill me!)) Lorenzo gasps, desperate.
((Timmy can and will kill you. It is only a matter of time. By foolishly training him in the art of combat, he is more proficient in it than he would have been otherwise. You, in actuality, have trained him to kill you.
((This is why we did not intercede although we truly feared he could kill us. Those skills, if used appropriately, would yield your death much sooner than would otherwise be possible.)) Now her soul appears, a glittering pink avatar of her, her cherub eyes shining brightly.
With her comes a gust of warmth and a bright light, as if of angelic proportions. He rejects this theory immediately- she's a fairy, not an angel. But her soul is so pure, it puts his to shame. He cannot bear to look at it, it blinds him.
((As I previously indicated, after I am rescued and Juandissimo is dealt with in any matter Cosmo deems appropriate, the time will become nigh for Timmy to murder you. It will be exactly a year since you came into being and the moon conditions will be identical to those you were born under.
((Old fairy traditions relied on the moon tidings. The waxing and waning of the moon determined many a thing, and, in some instances, were the only times a fairy could take action or rise against another.
((It is this night Timmy will kill you...but you still have a chance at redemption.)) Gently, she flies over to him and caresses his cheek. He jumps, gasping at the tenderness with which she does so. He is not used to love being given so freely to him and his eyes widen in disbelief.
((Even when Timmy kills you, you can still wish to be saved. The choice is yours, to rot in hell eternally or to repent your sins and live on Earth. I cannot make the choice for you.)) Her touch is like a mother's and, although he tries to drive her away, she remains glued to him. Slowly, his face turns bright red.
(((scoff) Wouldn't you prefer I were dead?)) Lorenzo retorts, attempting to push her off only to realize he has become paralyzed.
((You will find I am amazingly forgiving. Timmy, for instance, has done a great deal of things that a normal person would hold a grudge against, but I do not. Only fools hold a grudge when that hatred can be used to love instead.
((I cannot promise you I will love you. I cannot promise you anything if you do not repent but fury. Only if you make the effort will I.))
Glumly, he nods. He has nothing else to do but admire her and blush shamefully at himself. Already, he has begun to lament his past but has said nothing to the effect. She knows this- when she looks at him, he has the sense she can read deeply into him.
((You are part of Timmy, therefore, you can make a wish. I cannot grant it in this state, but I can record it in my mind for later. What is your wish?))
((Hmph. Why should I make a wish when the only thing that'll happen is I'll be screwed for the rest of my life?))
((Just because Vicky and Timmy will not love you does not mean there is not life beyond them. I can offer my guidance and support...if you are willing to accept it. But if you are not, there is little I can do to aid you.))
Gasping, he feels her press at his chest and release his own soul, a glittering black orifice with speckles of white. White? But white would indicate that, in some way, he is still pure. That cannot be possible.
((You are not wholly corrupt. If you wish for another chance, I can grant you this, provided you do as I say and not as you see fit. Do you accept this?))
((I don't have much of a choice in the matter do I?)) Lorenzo asked, glancing down at himself. White...he was not wholly corrupt...
((You do. You can choose to die. I do not truly care.))
((I...Timmy will grow up and I won't be able to see him do so...I want to be there with him-))
Wanda smiles sardonically. ((Like his parents were for him? You could have restored them, if your intentions were thus. But you chose not to, and to try to hurt him and procure him for yourself.))
((Yes...))
((Do you regret that now? Do you regret scarring him as you have? Do you regret harming him, Vicky, and murdering their parents and fairies? Or will your soul implode, like a super nova?))
((I...I'm sorry for hurting them...))
((I thought you might be. Since the deal went array, you planned no more harebrained schemes to force Timmy from us and turn him to yourself. If you tried a little harder, perhaps they would have worked.
((But you did not desire to. You knew you hurt him and you could not bear it, so you left him alone.
((Now...your wish before this world collapses.))
((Why would it collapse?))
((Because you are the only one supporting it and, once your magic runs out, it cannot remain.))
((I wish...I wish to be with Timmy, no matter what...I'll do whatever you ask of me, just so I can be with him.))
((You can only be with him in physical presence. You will renounce all claims to try to coerce him into a sexual relationship with him and you will not physically harm him as you have in the past. Can you hold true to this?))
((Yes. (I hope so).))
((There is no hope. There is no ‘try', there is only doing. You will do this...or Timmy will kill you again, this time permanently. Your wish is granted.))
The world disappears-
-and Lorenzo awoke, gazing down at Wanda. How on earth could all that have happened, in the void? Was Timmy really going to kill him? Was it real?
Despite his doubts, he still knew one thing- Cosmo was coming soon.