A/N Yep, I've humanized Veronica and given Norm a heart. It's about time their good sides were shown. ;-) Thanks for the great feedback! Keep it coming and enjoy!

Blonda: What? I'm in one lousy pre-story segment? :dramatically: How am I ever gonna win a Zappy Award this way?

Remy: How do you think I feel? I'm rich AND powerful and still she refuses to work me into this story!

Me: I told you both your fic's coming up. Sheesh I can't go out of order or nothing will make since!

Remy: Oh but I noticed you weren't too busy to work Timmy into the tale!

Blonda: Or my FRUMP of a sister Wanda!

Me: :sigh: And my headache's back.

Blonda: This is SO unfair!

Remy: We'll unionize!

Stuck Together

Chapter Six: First Impressions

Tootie and her new foreign pal arrived at her house about an hour before sunset. On the way over Tootie had gradually begun to get more and more excited. No one had ever agreed to sleepover at her house before. With a terrorizing redhead like Vicky around it was no wonder that none of the other kids dared to befriend her. She only hoped that Dezzie managed to avoid Vicky's wrath tonight.

The door was locked when they arrived so Tootie let them in with her key. A note posted on the fridge caught her attention.

Tootie,

Mom and Dad went out to dinner tonight with the Turners so I got called in to baby-sit. Stay inside and lock all the doors. If I get back and find out you've wrecked the place it'll be your head! Got it Twerp?

Love,

Vicky (Your adoring big sis)

"Well," Dezzie commented from over Tootie's shoulder, "at least she's got a sense of humor."

"Yeah," Tootie rolled her eyes, "and this is nice Vicky."

"Charming."

"Well, I guess there's no one around to ask permission from." Tootie shrugged.

"Let's get this party started!" Dezzie cheered.

Twenty minutes later...

Music blared, an action/comedy played on the television, and the girls were engaged in a popcorn fight in the living room leaping about across the furniture.

Dezzie scooped another handful of ammo out of her bowl. "So then he says: 'That's not a camel--that's my wife'!"

Both girls burst out laughing.

Suddenly Dezzie's legs gave out and she landed just short of the coffee table with a thud.

Tootie was at her side in an instant, "Oh my gosh, Dezzie! Are you okay?"

"Whoa," Dezzie's head was spinning, her legs wobbled like jello as she attempted to stand with Tootie's support, "what just happened?"

"You fell," Tootie studied her weakened friend warily. "Maybe you should lie down for a little while?"

Dezzie panted as though she'd just run a marathon. She recognized these signs, they were warnings. Warnings that she didn't have long before...

"No, I'm okay." she forced herself to stand on her own, "See, all better now. C'mon, let's--um--go up to your room and play!"

Tootie nodded slowly, wondering if Dezzie could make it up the stairs. "This way."

The effects of draining energy began taking serious effect on the disguised genie. C'mon Des, pull it together. You may not have long so it's now or never to get those wishes oughtta her.

They were halfway up the stairs when Tootie heard a thump behind her. She spun around to find that her white haired friend had collapsed.

"Dezzie!"

Tootie shook her shoulders but got no response. Dezzie seemed to be out cold and for a second there...nah. Wait, it happened again! Dezzie's hand just...faded?

Dark blue eyes gazed at the strange sight mystified as the young girl's right hand faded in and out of existence. Trembling a little Tootie lifted it up for closer examination. Something cool and shiny caught her eye. Two gold cuffs were hidden by Dezzie's sleeve. Tootie recognized these from somewhere...

She gingerly flipped Dezzie's hand over in hers and saw a very familiar symbol glowing dimly on the other side. "The hourglass symbol." she gasped, "Just like the one Aphrodite showed me. But then that means..."

"Ungh..." Dezzie's eyelids fluttered open. The first thing she noticed was that Tootie was leaning over her, the second thing was the dumbstruck expression on her face. Arching an eyebrow she tried to sit up only to find that someone was holding her hand. "Aw no," Dezzie plopped her head back against the railing. She knows.

Up in the Love Bunker a blond cherub yawned as he waited for his computer to finish searching the magical creature database for any matches.

Empty coffee mugs, crumpled pieces of paper, and piles of folders littered his desk. Twitter yawned as the 'search complete' counter displayed ninety-eight percent.

At last the search was finished and the results displayed one match found.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Twitter sat upright and clicked a few keys. An image of the genie to whom the bottle had belonged appeared. Twitter wasted no time in contacting Cupid.

Seconds later the head cherub poofed into the room, "Let's see what we've got here."

"Desmona Sandz: white hair, blue eyes, approximately fifty thousand years old." Twitter read the listed information aloud. "She should've been able to last a couple of days without a container. Not sure if she'll make it much longer though."

"We'd better see if Tootie recognizes her from anywhere." Cupid surmised, "With her powers dwindling she couldn't have gone far."

Back on Earth Tootie cautiously made her way up the stairs and down the hall towards her room. Desmona followed alongside with her arm slung over Tootie's shoulders.

"Sorry ya had to find out about me this way." she muttered an apology.

"Don't be," Tootie frowned, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I broke your bottle. It's all my fault that you're fading away."

"Aw kid, don't blame yourself." Desmona smiled softly, "If it wasn't for you I'd have been smashed right along with it."

"But if I had just been more careful when I was getting the arrows-"

A loud beeping noise interrupted her.

"Duty calls?" Desmona smirked.

Tootie unfastened her choker and pressed the heart button in the center. Cupid's holographic image instantly appeared. "I've got good news and bad news sweetie."

"What's the good news?" Tootie inquired, he obviously hadn't noticed her companion yet.

"The good news is we know which genie lived in that bottle." Cupid answered, still not noticing the stranger.

"What a genius," Desmona mumbled sarcastically, "next he'll figure out the Earth is round."

The comment caught the love fairy's attention. "And there she is!"

Tootie would've giggled at the dumbfounded expression on the hologram's face if the circumstances had been different. Now she just ignored the baffled cherub's exaggerated pointing and asked about the bad news.

"Right...uh...the bad news." Cupid managed to compose himself, "The bad news is that she's been without a magical container for far too long. If she doesn't find a containment source where she can restore her energy soon I'm afraid it'll be-"

"Too late."

"Exactly." Cupid nodded.

"No!" Tootie exclaimed when Desmona went limp again. "She meant it's too late!"

"Quick!" Cupid shouted, "Get her to Norm's lava lamp! It's her only chance!"

Mustering all her strength the twelve-year-old grabbed the fading genie under the arms and started dragging her the rest of the way into her room and over to the nightstand.

The lava lamp sat just where she had left it last. It's fuchsia glow came from mystical powers rather than an electrical power supply. Hopefully Norm would still be inside (instead of out partying or playing a card game with his poker buddies) and the magic within would save her dwindling friend.

"Norm!" Tootie snatched the bottle after propping Desmona against the side of her bed. "NORM!"

No response.

"Norm PLEASE!" Tootie began desperately shaking the lamp. Why won't he come out?

She rubbed the lamp furiously to the point of nearly breaking it. Still her genie godfather did not emerge. Strange to think he had a choice in the matter.

"Norm hurry, there's a genie out here and-"

"Oh so NOW you're ready to talk?" her godfather's voice snapped from somewhere inside the lamp. "And here I thought Diaper Boy was the only one you'd confide in."

Tootie raised an eyebrow, since when did Norm care about her problems? If she remembered correctly he saw her as an annoying little squirt who embarrassed him in front of his friends and made him a laughing stock to all the other genies.

"I don't have time for this Norm!" she replied with increasing desperation and anger.

"Well maybe I'm busy right now too fruit cup!" Norm sounded ready for a long debate, "So why don't you and your secret little friend go hassle a cherub or somethin'?"

A quick glance down at Desmona reminded Tootie that she didn't have time to argue. At the rate her body was fading the genie resembled more of a ghost.

"Norm I'm sorry okay? I should've told you why I was upset! I shouldn't have been so snippy with you. And I should've told you about accidentally breaking that bottle. But I was just scared that-" Tootie swallowed a sob that threatened to escape her throat, "-that if you knew what happened you wouldn't want to be my godfather anymore. You weren't exactly thrilled about in the first place."

She was answered with a painfully long silence.

"Norm?" she couldn't hold it back anymore, tears came streaming down her cheeks and her voice broke every time she tried to speak. Desmona was unconscious again and nearly too pale to see. "NORM?"

Tootie watched in horror as Desmona's form changed from human to genie. The hourglass on her wrist cuffs had ceased to glow entirely. Her energy had vanished and she was seconds away from doing the same.

"NORM!" Tootie let out a heartrending scream that would've sent anyone in the house rushing up to her room in alarm. "PLEASE NORM? I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

Tootie dropped to her knees balling her eyes out clutching the lamp in both arms while hunching over the disappearing genie. A swirl of aqua blue smoke poured from the top of the lava lamp and engulfed them both before winding back inside the lamp.

Over at the Turners' house...

"Aw, what's wrong Sport?" Wanda hovered over her moping godchild with a worried expression.

Timmy sat on the side of his bed with his face propped in his hands staring down dejectedly at his floor. With a sigh he spoke, "I dunno Wanda, I've been feeling kinda funny since Friday."

"I don't get it," Cosmo scratched his head, "if you feel funny shouldn't you be laughing?"

"He doesn't mean that kind of funny Cosmo," Wanda explained, "Timmy, why don't you tell us what happened before you started feeling bad? Then maybe we can help."

"Well okay," Timmy shrugged, he was willing to try anything at this point. That gnawing queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach was starting to become unbearable. "I guess it all started on the bus ride to school."

"Ooo!" Cosmo's hand shot up, "You mean when Tootie got mad and yelled 'it's not like anyone else wants to be your girlfriend anyway' so loud that the whole bus could hear?"

Timmy glared at his fairy godfather who took the hint and zipped his mouth shut. "Anyway, at first I was pretty mad about it but after she ran out crying during lunch I started feeling kinda crummy."

Unable to resist Cosmo unzipped his mouth, "Why? Were you sitting on crumbs? AHAHAHA--AHA--AHAHAHAHA!"

A double glare from Timmy and Wanda made him zip it up a second time.

Wanda turned back to her godchild and patted him reassuringly on the head. "Don't worry hon, it sounds like you're just feeling a bit guilty, that's all."

"But WHY am I feeling guilty?" Timmy demanded. "I didn't do anything! Tootie's the one who practically bit my head off! It isn't MY fault she was having such a cruddy day!"

"Well maybe not Timmy but you probably didn't help her bad mood when you made that comment on the bus about the restraining order." his godmother reminded him.

"Yeah," Timmy sighed, Wanda was probably right. Heck, Wanda was almost ALWAYS right about these things. "So what should I do?"

"Aw even I know this one," Cosmo ventured to unzip his mouth once more and waited warily for any glares of disapproval. When he received none he continued, "Go and apologize!"

"Wow Cosmo," Wanda was impressed, "you actually got it right!"

"Wahoo I'm on a roll today!" Cosmo cheered.

"WHAT?" Timmy didn't like where this was going, "B-But I can't apologize to Tootie. That would mean going to Vicky's house! And Vicky's already prowling around downstairs 'babysitting' me with her eyes glued to the TV!"

"Exactly!" Cosmo exclaimed, "She'll never noticed if you slip out for a minute to go say you're sorry."

"Aw think of it sweetie," Wanda added, "poor Tootie's up in her room all alone feeling miserable without a friend in the world to turn to."

"Okay fine," Timmy grumbled, "I'll go say I'm sorry and see why she's being so moody. But then I'm coming back here and playing video games for the rest of the night!"

"That's the spirit!" Cosmo grinned raising his wand. "Follow sympathy with mindless T-rated violence!"

Poof!

When Tootie opened her eyes she was surprised to find herself in the midst of very unfamiliar surroundings. The decor of the room reminded her of a cross between Arabian palaces and Las Vegas hotels. It was filled with silk sheets, beaded curtains, tons of feather soft pillows, stark colors, and flashy lights. Weirdest of all were the walls. Luminescent purple with floating hot pink blobs of all sizes moving across them. It was exactly like she'd pictured the inside of Norm's lava lamp to be. Wait a minute...

"I'm inside Norm's lamp!" Tootie gasped.

"Whoa, slow down there Miss States-the-Obvious, you're goin' way too fast for us 'normal' guys to follow."

That voice, she'd know that sarcastic tone anywhere. "Norm?"

"In the flesh," her genie godfather smirked down at her as she rubbed the wetness from her cheeks.

"Where's Dezzie?" she demanded.

Norm quirked an eyebrow, "Aw you must mean that genie broad you've been hidin' from me. Heh, not too shabby. Curves in all the right places, she's really workin' that classic harem girl look."

"Norm!"

"Oh right, she's in the back restin' up, recharging her battery, so to speak."

Tootie's expression brightened a bit. "You mean she didn't fade away?"

"Not completely," Norm propped his hands on his hips, "But you really cut it close there puddin' pop. Another few seconds and she'd have been nothin' but air and sad memories, hn."

All of Tootie's anger returned at full blast, "I cut it close?" she screamed, "YOU'RE the one who wouldn't come out of the lamp and help! She almost died because of you!"

"Hey hey!" Norm shot back, "I'M not the one who droppedher bottle butter fingers! And keep it down or you'll wake her up. The last thing I want is two girls nagging me to death."

Tootie was about to shout back when something he'd just said made her freeze, "Did...did you say I might wake her up?"

"Yeah so pipe down ginger snap, she'll wake up on her own once her energy's restored." Norm stated in a matter-of-fact way.

"How long have we been in here?" Tootie questioned absently.

"Couple of hours," Norm yawned and stretched out a bit, "ya wailed yourself right off to sleep."

"That's not funny!" she scowled when he grinned down at her smugly, "I can't believe you stalled all that time in here just so I'd start crying!"

"Oh c'mon," Norm teased, "did you think I'd let ya get away with giving me the cold shoulder all this time and not get even? And then there's the little matter of The Lamp Laws."

"You can expect three more chapters of those before school Monday." Tootie growled. "That was a rotten thing to do."

"Spare me the waterworks," the genie rolled his eyes, "all I really wanted out of ya was an apology...and the truth. I mean if we're gonna make this whole godfather/godkid relationship pan out we're gonna have to work on our communication."

"Huh?" Tootie blinked. "Does this mean you actually want to be my genie godfather now?"

"Heh, beats sitting around in the lamp all day collectin' dust." Norm muttered. "And don't even get me started on my last master! I swear that guy gave new meaning to the words 'mama's boy'. And those 'brilliant plans' of his-"

Tootie flung herself at Norm and squeezed him tightly in a lung-crushing hug. He was about to object when a small smile crept over his face. This kid really had grown on him. He supposed it wouldn't kill him to ease up on the insults...just a little.

"Aww," a female's voice softly reached their ears causing them to jump and turn towards the source.

"Sorry," the white haired genie smirked, "didn't mean to interrupt this tender moment."

Norm blushed instantly. Nobody was supposed to have seen that!

Tootie slid out of his arms and stared agape at the female genie. Now that she wasn't fading out of existence Tootie was able to examine her more closely. Norm was right, she was gorgeous! Her pale blue top was almost the same shade as her stunning crystal eyes. The puffy sleeves hung off her tan shoulders in ruffled straps of deep blue silk. Below that a moon shaped belly ring dangled from a dark blue bead. Her complexion held a pleasant contrast to her snow white hair which framed her face perfectly with a gold beaded strand on each side and two bat-wing like bangs which covered most of her forehead and parted in the center. Tootie smiled a bit when she noticed that the ponytail seemed to wave about on its own accord above her dark blue and pink hair accessory. Hn, only a genie...

"So this must be your pad huh?" Desmona tilted her head towards Norm.

"Uh...yeah," he was still a bit embarrassed from before but tried to retain his air of cocky indifference, "I get sucked in here every so often."

"Well now that I'm feeling up to it again," she gestured in Tootie's direction, "Mind if I give the kiddo here her three wishes?"

"Knock yourself out," Norm wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rolling her eyes Desmona floated over to the speechless pre-teen. "Want me to give him a personality transplant? How about some better pick-up lines?"

Tootie laughed aloud at this as Norm went red again. "It's okay, you get used to him."

"I might have to," Desmona admitted, "we could be roomies until I find somewhere else to live."

"You could stay with us." Tootie offered. Surprisingly, Norm didn't object.

Desmona started to sweat visibly. Live with Norm the smooth talking magical jerk on a permanent basis? Not likely, she'd rather sprout legs and walk across hot coals.

"C'mon kid you know better than that," Norm finally spoke.

With a sigh of relief Desmona nodded. I didn't think this 'ladies man' would go for that.

"Ya gotta put it in wish form." he finished with a smirk at Desmona.

"Huh?" Desmona yelped.

"That's a great idea!" Tootie bounced up and down excitedly, "Then you could be my lifelong genie godmother!"

"L-lifelong?" Desmona stammered, "Ya mean w-with him?"

"It'd save ya from havin' to come up with two more wishes on the spot," Norm snickered.

Tootie didn't seem to noticed the terrified expression on Desmona's face. "Okay then--um--"

"Desmona," the genie woman muttered her name uneasily, "Des for short."

"Okay then Des," Tootie resumed, "I wish you were my lifelong genie godmother!"

"I was afraid of that," with a sigh of defeat and a glare in Norm's direction Des raised her hand and snapped.

GONG!

Just as with Norm swirling magical mists surrounded her. Two twinkling star emblems appeared on her wrist cuffs and her hair accessory was replaced with a floating crown.

"Don't ya just love the accessories?" Norm chided folding his arms in triumph.

"Well I may be stuck together with you," Des muttered, instantly perking up when she scooped up Tootie, "but at least I get a cutie pie outta the deal!"

Tootie coughed from lack of air, "Um...Des? We humans--cough--need--gasp--to breathe!"

Amanda/Artiste: One more chapter to go! Next Chapter: Timmy arrives to apologize to Tootie, Cupid learns about his special operative's newest godparent, and one big question is still left to be answered. Review and make sure to tune in next chapter for the exciting conclusion! Okay, maybe not so much exciting as humorous. :)