A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I'll try to update this fic regularly seeing as how Des is already in a lot of my pics up at deviantART. Ah, regarding the loophole about Norm gonging laws out of the book. That's actually covered in this chapter but I'll go ahead and say it's indestructible (and can only be altered by the godchild). It'd be too easy to leave something like that unchecked and Tootie is nobody's fool. But it's still funny to see Norm try. I'm sorry LadyEsca, Norm's already paired with someone else. But um...here's a lovely consolation prize! :hands Norm-loving fan a Norm plushy that says over a hundred sarcastic action phrases: Tootie doesn't remember having Cosmo and Wanda for godparents. Her slip up was just because ordinarily the magical godparent is a fairy not a genie. Chartre has a small part in the this, it'll be in this chapter. Des will be introduced in this chapter! Crocker is coming up next chapter. Great feedback:)

Anti-Cosmo: Well well, it appears she's up to her old tricks again.

Anti-Wanda: :through a mouthful of sandwich: Who is?

Anti-Cosmo: The author, Amanda--ur--well I forget her name. It's not important.

Anti-Wanda: :looks around in confusion: So...are we here to steal her story?

Anti-Cosmo: :cringes: Oh Heavens no! I wouldn't want my name associated with such an atrocity!

Me: :red faced: That's it! You're in the next story and I'll tell EVERYONE all about your personal lives Mr. Anti-Critic!

:Author storms off muttering about know-it-all evil geniuses.:

Anti-Cosmo: :smirks triumphantly: And that my dear is how one effectively manipulates a writer into giving them their own story.

Stuck Together

Chapter Two: Shattered Dreams

"Greece!" Tootie's eyes were wider than the frames of her cat-eye glasses. "I can't go to Greece! My parents would ground me for life!"

"Hey hey hey," Cupid's holographic image argued, "are you an agent of love or not missy?"

"I-"

"And don't worry about your folks finding out," Cupid assured her, "The Sandman owes me a favor so when I give the word they'll be out like a light until tomorrow morning."

Tootie frowned, Greece was a long ways off, a whole ocean in fact! "But can't you just poof there or something? Why send me?"

Rolling his eyes the cherub explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "One, I'm a very busy guy and two it's a temple! Magical beings can't go poofing into sacred places like that. There are tour groups, history buffs, devoted followers, TONS of humans to spot us!"

And more importantly, he thought, it's my mother's love shrine!

"Then how'd the arrows get there in the first place?" she persisted.

Sighing the pink haired fairy poofed up a visual aid slide show next to his image and replied, "Way back when the temple was first constructed it wasn't nearly as crowded. And it's location made it harder for the people of that century to reach. So of course it was an ideal place for storing magical items. Kind of like a mystical vault. They've been there so long that we'd almost forgotten about them."

"But now you need them and it's too risky to go there cause you might get spotted?"

"Exactly," Cupid applauded. Yay! Mom won't be able to nag me again about being a single god of love!

"Yeah if the pink hair and wings didn't give him away the oversized diaper sure would." Norm tossed in his two cents.

Leaning to the side Cupid spotted the cynical genie hovering over by Tootie's dresser. In his hands he held an aqua color book and appeared to be trying to rip out the pages. Unfortunately all his efforts earned him was a painful jolt each time he tried.

"What on Earth is that nutcase doing?" the cherub wondered aloud.

"Oh he's just trying to destroy The Lamp Laws." Tootie replied nonchalantly.

"Lamp Laws?"

"A book of strict laws that I wished he had to obey."

"Oh, I see." a mischievous smile spread over his usually peppy face, "Well then let's do lunch Saturday and I'll make a few humble suggestions."

"Okay!"

Norm's shades hit the floor. "Whoa! Hold up! No way Feng Shui! This brat's got enough malice in her to wreck the reputations of ten genies!"

"See ya Saturday then." Cupid winked to his operative before the hologram morphed into a swirling magical vortex. It would take her directly to the temple.

Floral Poof!

Tootie whiffed the rose the instant it appeared in her hand.

Norm yawned as the transformation from twelve-year-old brace face to eighteen-year-old knock out took place. In seconds Tootie stood five and a half feet tall with long raven hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her smile flawless and her utility belt loaded with gizmos.

She already had one foot inside the vortex when she noticed that Norm wasn't following. Glancing back she tried to make her voice sound as indifferent as possible. "Aren't you coming?"

"Why?" it was obvious that Norm was in a snippy mood. "You're the 'agent of love'. Is one lousy temple too much for your handle on your own?"

Frowning Tootie pulled her foot out of the vortex and spun around to face him, "Is this about the fourth law?"

"Fourth law?" Norm was playing naive and it was utterly aggravating to the teen. "Oh, you must mean the one that says 'only the godchild of the genie godparent may add, change, or remove a law from The Lamp Laws'. And then ya went and had it booby trapped so I get shocked every time I try to get rid of this stupid junk!"

"I'm sensing a bit of hostility here." Tootie fought back a smile as Norm was repeatedly shocked while trying his best to tear the book apart. "And don't forget the one where I made it indestructible."

Slamming the book down only to have it bounce across the floor the genie started dissolving into a swirling mini-cyclone of smoke.

"Where are you going?" Tootie was starting to feel nervous. She'd never admit it but the thought of going without Norm there was--well--scary.

"Back inside the lamp. You'll be in Greece so you won't need me." Norm snapped as the smoke descended into the magical lava lamp.

"But-"

Too late, the peeved genie was gone leaving Tootie standing in front of a closing vortex with no other option but to go it alone.

"Fine!" fighting back the tears swelling up in her eyes she turned and marched herself inside the vortex leaving Norm to pout in his lamp.

...Flashback (Setting: 12 years ago in Greece)...

A cloaked figure pulled their hood further over their face as they peered at the temple from the dirt path at the base of the hill. It was getting late and a storm was rapidly moving in. A few drops of rain were already starting to fall.

Hustling up the stone steps they failed to draw much attention from the visitors as they hurried past to seek shelter in their homes before the weather worsened.

Soon the stranger was inside and creeping slowly down the main hall which led into a large open room decorated with great marble statues, mosaics, and candles. In the center of the back wall stood an altar with a statue of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) towering over it from behind. Her arms were spread out as if to welcome the odd guest but her visitor had no intentions of staying.

"I just need a place to stash this bottle," the cloaked figure thought aloud.

As her gaze traveled over the vast expanse of the temple's largest chamber her mint green eyes fell on a table filled with offerings to the goddess. It was tucked away in a poorly lit corner and probably remained overlooked by most of the people who entered.

Slowly the traveler made their way towards the table of gifts. Upon closer inspection she could tell that many of the items were covered in a thick layer of dust. Cobwebs hung from the handles of pottery, old fruit lay dried up in barely distinguishable piles, and unused candles stood amidst the folds of dingy gray cloth.

"It's perfect," the figure remarked as they pushed back the hood of their cloak. Reaching into a hidden pocket within the folds of their bulky garment they brought forth a dark pink glass bottle.

The stranger--now revealed to be a blonde haired young woman with a floral headband and matching earrings--stood silent for a moment staring at the attractive container. She seemed almost hesitant to put it down. Finally she sighed and placed it towards the back of the other items, blowing a bit of dust from them onto the bottle to hide its brilliant shine.

"There," she said when at last she was satisfied with her work, "it blends in perfectly. You'll be safe here Des. Golen won't be able to find you."

A sad look spread over her features as she pulled the hood back over her head. With her identity once again shrouded in the shadows of her disguise she cast one last look at the bottle before racing out of the temple and into the rain.

...End Flashback...

Back to present day. Five minutes after Tootie arrived in Greece...

"AAAHHH!"

Tootie screeched as she was nearly skewered by another hidden trap. Heart tipped spears shot out from hidden compartments in the walls with impeccable aim. She'd managed to dodge the bulk of them but one particularly close call left a tear in her black leotard and managed to scrape the skin on the back of her leg.

Now running along with a slight limp from the sting she mentally berated herself for letting Cupid talk her into this.

"Yikes!" staggering backwards she narrowly avoided falling into a gaping hole in the floor. Large cracks like this were appearing everywhere. Ever since she'd taken the bag of tarnished arrows off the statue above the altar. The moment she had the marble column supporting the statue had sunk down into the floor and the entire temple was shaking from the ground up!

Of all things her choker was now beeping like crazy. Pressing the button she leapt across the next wide crevice in the floor and dodged a falling column. Great, the whole roof's gonna collapse on me!

"Special Operative Trudy!" an angry voice snapped.

"Cupid!" she shouted ripping the communicator off her neck so his holographic image could take shape. "Why the heck are there booby traps in a LOVE TEMPLE!"

"How should I know?" the cherub was obviously perturbed about her delayed return. He needed those arrows! The world's love was at stake here! "Just hurry up and get outside so we can activate the portal!"

"Sure," Tootie's voice was laced with sarcasm as large chunks of debris began crashing down around her, "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Just make sure you don't leave any behind!" he instructed, "Each arrow is precious and could mean the difference between love and hate, peace and war!"

Turning her head she peered inside the bag of arrows she'd slung over her back, "How am I supposed to know if there's anymore inside this place?"

Slapping a hand over his face Cupid made a mental note to have her get acquainted with the gadgets equipped on that utility belt of hers. "You might try the magical item finder we had attached to your utility belt!"

"The what?"

More debris, this time it landed right in front of the hallway, blocking half the exit.

"That doohickey next to the grappler beside the row of heart grenades!" the holograph shouted while pointing it out.

Frantically searching the belt she found said item, "Got it!" and flipped the power switch on the front panel.

The screen lit up and a pink beacon started bleeping in the center.

"That little pink dot is you. If there's anything else magical around it'll show up as another red dot. Got it?" Cupid explained. "Now move it missy or you'll wind up a pancake!"

Nodding Tootie continued to dodge the accumulating debris from the crumbling temple and held out the scanner. Turning round in circles as she darted about (one eye on the exit) she was ready to leave when a small red dot appeared on the screen.

"Perfect," she grumbled, "there's one over there."

Tucking the choker inside a pouch on her utility belt she sprinted across the room to a table of relics over in a dimly lit corner. Everything there was completely gray with dust and covered in cobwebs. Tootie took a deep breath and blew away as much of the filth as she could. Holding up the scanner again she tried to distinguish which one of these was the magical item.

"I don't see any arrows..." she muttered.

After a few brief seconds the red beacon began bleeping and shrill noise let her know that the item was directly in front of her. Pushing an antique vase filled with the blackened stems of wilted flowers aside she spotted a tall glass bottle with a broad base and thin neck. Picking it up she blew away more of the dust and noted the strange glimmer the object possessed.

Her eyes went from the bottle to the scanner and back again. With a puzzled expression she asked aloud, "A genie in a bottle?"

It made sense--well--more sense than Norm in his lava lamp anyway.

A large chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and landed right on top of the table. The contents where smashed sending shards of clay pottery and glass straight for Tootie who'd stumbled backwards with her arms up to shield her face.

"I'll take that as a sign that it's time to go." she said hoarsely then bolted for the exit, making sure to secure the bottle carefully to a strap on her utility belt first.

As she ran the bottle rubbed against her hip. The glass cork at the tip gradually started to slide upwards as a small yet steady stream of light blue smoke poured from the tip. All of this went unnoticed by Tootie who was a bit preoccupied with saving her hide!

Cracks were spreading throughout the floor now and trying to escape in time was like playing a deadly game of hopscotch or maneuvering through a dangerous maze. Traps were going off left and right. Cherub statues that stood between the large marble columns armed with bows and arrows were firing at her! The ground was splitting apart beneath her feet while overhead the ceiling was coming down in massive chunks.

Looking up towards the exit she failed to notice the hunk of stone that had been shaken loose from the floor and tripped.

"Ompf!" falling face first she landed with a thud. With the wind knocked out of her she barely registered the fact that the bottle was no longer strapped to her belt. That is...not until it came crashing down in front of her.

"NO!"

Tootie could only watch from her sprawled out stance on the ground as the magical object landed just inches from her reach and shattered to pieces against the cold stone floor.

SMASH!

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. For what felt like an eternity all she could manage to do was stare motionlessly at the jagged shards of glass scattered across the floor. Getting a grip on herself she pushed herself up on her knees and scrambled over to the mess. She desperately started searching the remains for any sign of the genie who had supposedly dwelt inside.

It can't be true... she sniffled ignoring the small cuts the glass shards made on her hands as she brushed them aside, ...it just can't!

A soft bleeping noise caught her attention. The scanner! Yanking the device out of its holster she pointed it at the pile of glass. To her extreme dismay the red beacon's bleeping slowed before dying out completely. Tears now streamed freely down the guilty girl's face as she looked at the screen finding that only the pink beacon remained.

"No...NO!"

Her whisper of disbelief turned into a shrill cry that was silenced when a football sized chunk of stone fell from the above and struck the back of her head. Now quiet she fell forward into the pile of broken glass. The communicator in the pouch of her belt continued to sound but received no reply.

Up in Fairy World at the Love Bunker...

"Sir!" Sergeant BeMine was in a panic, "We've lost contact with Special Operative Trudy!"

"I can see that you nimrod!" Cupid snapped from in front of the static filled screen.

"It gets worse boss," Twitter spoke up from his monitoring station, "The temple is collapsing and our last coordinates show that she's still inside!"

"What!" Cupid zipped over to the trembling cherub. "That's it! I'm going down there!"

"No sir you can't!" Sergeant BeMine objected.

"I can and I will!" Cupid was already strapping on the heavy artillery, his heat seeking Tough Love torpedo! "That's my agent down there and I'm responsible the kid's safety!"

"But-"

"LOOK!" Twitter twisted a few knobs on the control panel of his station while Cupid and Sergeant BeMine rushed up from behind. "These readings indicate a high concentration of magic within the temple."

"Magic? What kind of magic?" Cupid demanded.

"Not sure sir. It's definitely not ours." Twitter replied as he skimmed over a print out, "But whatever it is it's powerful!"

"All the more reason for me to get down there!" Cupid resolved before poofing away.

The other cherubs turned their attention to the main monitor as they awaited a visual signal from their boss.

"So the entire temple is coming down?" Sergeant BeMine inquired. Twitter nodded in response. "You know what that means..."

"Yeah," the rosy cheeked cherub sighed, "his mother's gonna kill him."

Back inside the temple...

Tootie still lay unconscious on the floor. Her leotard now torn by the falling debris and sharp pieces of glass. Dust from the ceiling has accumulated in her ebony hair turning most of it gray.

The swirling light blue smoke began to take on the outline of a woman. Finally a curvy silhouette was revealed when a lavender glow shone through. The smoke dissolved leaving a tan skinned woman with snowy white hair and ice blue eyes. She was dressed in light and navy blue harem girl garb and wore a baffled expression.

"Behold mortal I am the all powerful and utterly amazing genie of the bottle--Desmona Sandz!" the genie introduced herself only to glance down and find that her grand entrance was wasted on a master who was currently out cold.

Pursing her lips she floated down for a closer look. "Well I was hoping for astonishment but clearly you're unimpressed."

A falling chunk of debris came down just inches short of her head. "Whoa! Watch out! I mean I knew my intro was good but I never pictured it as something that'd bring down the house."

Gazing down she frowned when Tootie failed to respond. "These are the jokes kid. Don't like 'em, wish yourself up a clown."

The sparkling shards of pink scattered around the fallen teen finally caught her eye. "Oh no!" she exclaimed scooping up a handful of what remained of her home, "My bottle's busted! I'm...homeless!"

Just then the columns on either side started collapsing inwards which would bring about a ton of stone directly on top of the pair below.

"Holy smoof!" tucking an arm under Tootie's waist the genie held out her free hand poised to snap, "I don't usually give freebies but in this case I'll make an exception!"

GONG!

What remained of the roof came hurdling down and smashed into the floor below.

Outside the temple two minutes later...

The temple lay in ruins. Luckily there was no one else inside. The building had been strangely deserted when Tootie had first arrived but she never thought to question that. Then came the booby traps and her suspicions arose...

"Rise and shine human! Come on! UP! UP! UP!" Desmona was starting to get worried. She'd tried everything she could think of--shouting, shaking, water to the face--but still this woman wouldn't budge. "Maybe that knot on your head is a lot worse than I thought."

Poof!

Heroic Rescue!

A sudden burst of pink smoke spooked Des into snapping herself to a safe distance off in the shrubbery. Peering through the leaves she saw a pint sized figure with angelic wings and pink hair step forward dressed in what had to be the fluffiest battle gear she'd ever seen!

"Who's this joker?" she whispered to herself.

"Don't worry kid I'm-" the newcomer froze as terror suddenly gripped his heart, "-oh no! I'm DEAD! Mom's gonna flip when she sees this mess!"

A soft moan caught his attention. That's when he spotted Tootie laid out on the grass next to the dirt path as she began stirring from her blackout. Rushing over he knelt by her side and held a rose up to her face. "Here ya go kiddo, whiff this."

Inhaling the sweet aroma Tootie's form was engulfed in a bright light. Her blackened silhouette changed from teen to kid in a matter of seconds. Desmona watched from the bushes, an eyebrow arched in fascination. "Now that's interesting...looks like my little master is hiding a big secret. Hn, it's always the quiet ones."

Tootie held a hand to the back of head and winced in pain. "Oooh..."

Helping her sit up Cupid unstrapped the arrows from her back and smiled softly, "Welcome back agent," his smile faded into a frown as he gestured to the ruins of the temple, "Mind telling me what happened here?"

"You saw the booby traps go off." Tootie grumbled, something was nagging her but she couldn't quite place what it was. "The whole thing finally came down."

"Well," Cupid sighed, "at least you managed to get out in time. And you got the arrows, goodie!"

His attempt at optimism only served to refresh Tootie's memory.

How did I get out in time? The last I remember I was running for the exit when- her eyes went wide as recollection hit her -I dropped the bottle! And the genie...

Cupid noted the sorrowful expression that swept over the young girl's face. "Why the long face kid? You got the arrows. What's one little temple compared to maintaining the balance of love?" he said the last part more to convince himself than her.

"No," she sniffled, "I failed!"

"Huh?" Cupid was dumbfounded, "That bump on your noggin' must've rattled your brain missy. You didn't fail."

"Yes...I...did!" she sobbed with her face buried in her hands. "I-I...dropped...the b-bottle!"

"Bottle? What bottle?"

Desmona strained to hear her words.

"The g-genie's bottle...I-I found...inside the t-temple!" Tootie struggled against her tears to explain, "I-I was rushing b-back outside...and tr-tripped on a rock...and th-that's when I dropped it...and...and...now it's broken!"

"Oopsie." Cupid cringed as she finished her explanation. This was bad. If a genie's magical container was shattered while they were still inside it was curtains for them! Even if they did manage to get out before it happened it was still just a matter of time before their energy ran dry and they faded right out of existence!

So that's what happened. Desmona sighed, Kind of tough to be mad at the kid. The poor thing's blaming herself when it was just an accident.

Cupid helped the distraught pre-teen to her feet with a sigh. "C'mon kiddo, let's head back to the Love Bunker and get you patched up."

Rubbing her puffy red eyes Tootie shook her head, "No, I just wanna go home."

"You sure?"

She merely nodded in response.

Desmona watched as Cupid helped Tootie inside the vortex before poofing back to the Love Bunker. This was--strange--to say the least. She took a moment to glance down at her left wrist. The golden cuffs there revealed a meter in the shape of an hourglass. Her powers were fully charged right now but without her bottle to restore her spent energy she knew it was just a matter of time before her 'limitless' magic ran dry and she faded right out of existence.

"Looks like she's my last master." the genie realized. A look of determination washed over her face. "Well then, if I'm going out I'll do it with a bang!"

With her mind made up Desmona emerged from her hiding place and flew inside the vortex before it closed completely.

Amanda/Artiste: Eh, I'm not crazy about this chapter but it had to be done. Otherwise nothing that follows would make much sense. Next Chapter: With her days numbered Desmona is resolved to 'go out with a bang'. Tootie isn't feeling up to wishing right now and even Norm is starting to worry. MeetCupid's mom!Please review, no flames!