Author's Note: Not even gonna lie, these past few weeks have been extremely difficult for me, but reading your kind reviews really helped me feel better, so thank you for being wonderful human beings :)

Piperamitt: Aww I'm glad I made your day with my review :) I really liked your prospective of Chloe because, as we all know, Chloe on the show is just...irritating. And yeah these next few chapters are gonna be kinda heavy; but heavy stuff is kinda my forte ;)

Also...I knew someone would appreciate my Harry Potter Easter eggs lol I had other names for the teachers but I saw the episode The Fairy Beginning and was like...hmmmmmm...

I'm really glad I'm not going to school (especially high school and younger) during these pandemic times; I've heard so much about all the drama behind it and it's just makes my brain hurt. Good luck and stay safe, yeah?

McSgwizzle: I wasn't sure if it was corny or not calling you an inspiration, but I'm glad it's appreciated lol

I'm also glad you like it so far! I wasn't sure if I wanted to make Wanda's scene with her family so intense since things are already a ball of Hell between her and Cosmo, but I wanted to give her a reason to resort to drastic measures. Her situation with her parents is slightly similar to what I went through with mine, so it does truly hit close to home, especially the self-harm scene.

Okay I'm done talking (or writing)...whatever

Voices muffled in her ears as she absently stirred the helping of spaghetti on her plate.

Wanda found it easy to hide her habit from everyone around her over the last four weeks. Cosmo simply ignored her, and if he did notice her, he'd pretend as if he didn't. Spike decided he'd much rather keep Cosmo's company than Wanda's, and Susie diverted most of her energy and attention into her new courtship with Alewandro. Juandissimo went on living his own life, and Blonda, of course, couldn't care less. As far as her parents, she kept a low profile; complete her chores without question, keep her grades as close to their standards as possible, do exactly what she's told and only speak when spoken to. For the most part, she kept her parents off her back, but it hasn't eased the stress, and holding in said stress has done more harm than good.

When it came to fairies, any injuries, even self-inflicted, healed at half the rate of humans. Scars that would normally take 3 days to a week only needed about two to three days before scars became barely noticeable. At first, she could get away with only cutting once every other day. However, the more she stressed, the more she cut, to the point where she longed for the comfort of a blade multiple times a day. Sure, her parents have noticed her arm warmers, but they didn't bother to question them. They just assumed it was all part of Wanda 'trying' to be 'edgy.'

"Production is almost complete for the play!" the sound of Blonda's irritating boasts about her upcoming performance sucked her back into the dining room, floating in her seat at the table. "I'm super excited!"

"We're excited for you, darling." Little Mamma placed a reassuring on Blonda's right shoulder, a warm smile on her face. "And we'll be excited to see you in action!"

"That's right, buttercup." Big Daddy agreed, sitting across from his daughter. "And, as always, we'll film the whole thing."

"Thanks, daddy!" Blonda relished in her glee, taking a bite of her garlic bread. "Can't wait!"

The sound of her sister's shrill voice decreased her appetite. Wanda dropped her fork onto her place with a heavy sigh, a little too loudly.

"Hmmph." Little Mamma wiped her mouth with a porcelain napkin. "I see someone hasn't touched their dinner."

Big Daddy, sitting to Wanda's right, placed the back of his hand onto Wanda's forehead. "Don't feels no fever. Though that don't mean you ain't comin' down with somethin'."

"I'm fine." Wanda lied as her father removed his hand. "Just not hungry. May I be excused?"

"Excused? You haven't eaten not one bite!" Little Mamma complained. "And I worked hard on tonight's dinner!"

"You heard the girl, she's ain't hungry." Big Daddy interjected. "She can just have it for leftovers; let the girl go."

Without a rebuttal from Little Mamma, Wanda rose from her seat and flew straight from the dining room through the living room down the hall to her bedroom. She didn't know how much longer she could tolerate sitting at a table with people considered family by DNA only.

Wanda flew into her bathroom and slammed the door shut, placing her hand over her heart in as she attempted to control her breathing. The weaker she felt, the stronger her urges. She flew over to her medicine cabinet to retrieve her only sense of comfort. With razor in hand, she hovered over to a nearby wall next to her toilet, rolling down the left sleeve of her arm warmer. As soon as she was sitting, she dragged the blade across her wrist, her breathing becoming more centered as the blood oozed down her arm.

The rip of her skin no longer stung; she felt as if she hurt less once her blood seeped from her wounds. So, she created another wound underneath the first one, and then another, and then another…

"Wanda!" The muffled voice of her sister jolted her attention towards her locked bathroom door, followed by hammering knocks. "Open the door! I have a question!"

The heck does she want?! Luckily, Wanda had her wand to poof bandages over her wounds. She quickly discarded her razor back into the medicine cabinet and rolled her sleeve, poofing the blood stains that dropped onto the floor.

"What are you doing in there, shaving!?" Blonda knocked impatiently. "Hurry up!"

Rolling her eyes, Wanda shut her medicine cabinet and hovered over to the door, twisting the lock on the doorknob. She opened the door to her sister floating with a hand on her hip with an annoyed expression. "Locking doors again, I see?"

"Just ask your stupid question!" Wanda peered through the door where only her head was visible, returning her own irritated glare.

"Okay! Sheesh…" Blonda folded her arms. "Tré rude…anywho, Daddy asked me to ask you if you can house sit this Saturday?"

"Seriously?" Wanda replied. "I'm grounded, remember?"

"Oh, I know." Blonda arrogantly smiled. "But daddy wanted me to ask cuz we're all going on that vacation to Fairy World Magic Springs Spa and someone has to watch the house while we're gone."

Of course, it was the same vacation their parents planned for everyone in the family except Wanda. Where Blonda gets to miss two days of school because they'd plan on leaving the morning after the school play. As their parents called it, it was Blonda's 'reward' for being such a 'good daughter' that 'never caused them any trouble.' "Yeah." Wanda groaned, lowering her gaze. "Okay."

"Great!" Blonda exclaimed. "I'll tell daddy."

Wanda waited for Blonda to exit her room and close the door completely before closing the door to her bathroom, feeling her ears drum to the beat of her heart pacing. Her urges returned with a vengeance, and she flew to her medicine cabinet.

With the punch of double kicks and harmonies of melodic lead and rhythm guitars of 'Fairnevermore' playing softly within the four navy blue walls of Spike's bedroom, Spike scribbled with his pencil the answer to the last question on Mrs. Slytherin's homework assignment, sitting near the head of his bedframe. He shifted his gaze momentarily to Cosmo, sitting on the end with his legs dangling off the edge of the bed, staring mindlessly into his notebook.

"Dude, c'mon." Spike groaned, putting his pencil down beside his notebook. "At least try to focus."

"What for?" Cosmo questioned dejectedly, keeping his gaze towards his notebook. "…it's not like I'll ever get this stuff…"

Spike noticed Cosmo's rapid spiral into bouts of depression. Almost as if he could sense Cosmo's misery, Luther has taken every opportunity to make Cosmo's day just a little bit worse. Tossing his head into toilets, shoving him inside lockers, shoving him into a locker face first, beating him relentlessly, tripping him as he flew passed, writing notes in class like 'kill yourself' and throwing them in the back of Cosmos's head…the list was endless. Cosmo couldn't fight for himself, and when Spike tried fighting for Cosmo, Luther's annoying goons always had to pin him down in some way or the other.

It also didn't help that Cosmo's mother never seemed to be happy with her son. She had an issue if he talked too little, yet she had an issue if he talked too much. She had an issue with the fact that he was barely passing in school, yet she had an issue if he wanted to go to Spike's house to study or work on homework. She had an issue with how often he played video games, yet she had an issue with how little he left the house. She had an issue if he didn't do his chores right away, yet she had an issue if he didn't do said chores how she wanted them done. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Dealing with Cosmo's mood swings and pessimistic woes wasn't exactly fun, but Spike figured if he wasn't there for Cosmo, no one would.

"Coz, listen." Spike closed his notebook. "You and I both know you don't wanna be done with Wanda, and you're not done with Wanda, so why haven't you tried to work things out?"

Cosmo observed the crease of Spike's brow, questioning why he would even ask him that. "I…" Cosmo began to hug himself, speaking just above a whisper. "…I-I can't be with her…"

"Says your mother." Spike reminded. "But what says you?"

Cosmo paused, closing his eyes as if to shield himself from punch in the face. Despite telling his mother the story of how he broke up with Wanda, technically…he hadn't. Technically, no one has ended anything with anyone. He hadn't found the courage to talk to Wanda in any way, shape, or form, and in return, she hasn't tried to approach him. As far as he knew, their relationship hit a brick wall, and everything was at a standstill. Despite this, Cosmo knew that Spike knew that Cosmo knew that, eventually, he would have to have a conversation with Wanda and come to a conclusion. He didn't know if he was ready to have said conversation…

"I…I wanna be with Wanda…" Cosmo hugged himself tighter, letting a single tear run down his cheek. "…but…I-I can't not listen to my mama again…"

"Just look at you, Cosmo!" Spike spoke firmly, quite irritated with all the self-pity. "You're completely miserable without that girl! And guess what? Your 'mama' don't seem to care!"

Cosmo flinched as Spike's stern yet true words tore through his fragile heart. "I...I know…"

"But?"

"But…" Cosmo's mind went blank, unsure of what to say next.

"Exactly." Spike rose from his seat on his bed and flew in front of Cosmo, forcing Cosmo to stare directly into his cobalt orbs. "We've been over this a million times." Spike grabbed Cosmo by his shoulders. "You gotta decide what's more important. You mom's stupid approval, or your love for Wanda."

Cosmo wished those comparisons were less difficult to weigh. Wanda meant more to him than life himself, but he knew his mother could disown him if he went behind her back. If he chose Wanda, he feared his mother's wrath. If he chose his mother, he feared Wanda's broken heart.

He could feel his heart play tug-a-war with his mind, and he wanted to vomit.

"You still want to go to the party after the game tonight?" Alewandro asked, floating down the high school halls with his brother.

"I do." Juandissimo replied. "Are you thinking about bringing Susie?"

"Eh, things with Susie are still new." Alewandro shrugged. "Plus, she told me she did not want to go."

"No?" Juandissimo glanced towards his brother. "Did she say why?"

"'Our crowd' is not 'her crowd.'" Alewandro responded with air quotes. "She would not feel very comfortable around a bunch of cheerleaders and football players."

"Not even if she is with you?"

"Tal vez. Señoritas are such a big mystery."

Juandissimo paused at the sight of his locker, Alewandro following suit. Purple and white streamers with baby blue balloons draped down four vertical rows of the metal door, along with the phrase 'Awesome 18' painted in navy blue on a stream of white ribbon towards the top. Juandissimo hovered closer and reached out to touch one of the rows of streamers with a quizzical expression on his face.

"¡Feliz cumpleaños!"

As Juandissimo reacted to the sudden cheers from behind him, Luther, Neptune, Bozo, and Dyno tackled him mid-air, ruffling his hair and tussling him in playful roughhousing as Blonda and the triplets blew their party horns. Floating a couple feet away, Alewandro laughed to himself, observing the entire scene.

"Hey, Alewandro!" Ruby called out as the boys ceased their horseplay. "Did we say it right?"

"Si." Alewandro responded with a smile. "Muy bien."

"Gracias!" Sapphire gleefully exclaimed in reply.

"De nada." Alewandro flew next to Juandissimo, patting him on the back. "Feliz cumpleaños, hermanito."

Juandissimo looked to his brother, then back towards the group in front of him. "Is all of this for me?

"Who else, amigo?!" Luther playfully punched Juandissimo in his arm. "Besides, it all your brother's idea. The decorations, the surprise, all of it."

"Not only was it your brother's idea," Blonda continued with a friendly grin. "he practically begged us to do it."

"Plus," Neptune added. "it's your eighteenth, dude! Just in time to buy alcohol for tonight's party!"

"Totally!" Bozo and Dyno simultaneously agreed.

For the first time in a long time, a sincere smile etched across Juandissimo's face. "Wow…muchos gracias! For all of this."

"No need to thank us." Amethyst replied with a wink. "Just keep being your awesome self!"

As the group gave their goodbyes in the opposite direction towards their respective classes, Alewandro drifted towards his brother, completely proud of himself. He had the idea of surprising his brother on his birthday since the day Juandissimo told him about the events with Wanda at Fairy Falls.

The death of his mother affected Juandissimo probably a little more than it affected Juanita. He shut everyone out, including his family, and a good portion of their mutual friends stopped speaking to him. His year-long relationship that started in 10th grade eventually failed because his ex-girlfriend grew tired of trying to pull him out of his own darkness to no avail. To see how far his brother has come from a year ago to now, the fact that he was putting in effort not to succumb to his memories, the more he seemed to be able to truly smile again, all of that gave him the motivation to show Juandissimo just how much he meant not only to him, but to others as well.

"So," Alewandro put a hand on Juandissimo's shoulder. "How does it feel to be the second Magnifico to turn eighteen?"

Juandissimo glanced towards Alewandro, still surprised by the entire ordeal. "Why would you go through this kind of trouble?"

"Because hermanito." Alewandro responded. "Seeing that smile on your face made it all worth it."

Juandissimo smirked, playfully shoving his brother. "You are so cheesy, you know that?"

"Haha!" Alewandro returned his own playful shove. "Would I be your hermano mayor if that were not true?"

Floating down the empty halls passed rows of lockers, Cosmo allowed his mind to wonder. Another horrible day at school to end another horrible week to start another horrible weekend. He had to attend a pep rally he didn't care about, he had to watch other students cheer and celebrate an overall successful football season that he also didn't care about, and he was surrounded by disgusting PDA and friends happily socializing as if they had not a care in the world. Absolutely nothing could ruin his mood more.

Nothing, except…

Cosmo happened to glance towards the row of lockers across from the hallway intersection to see a lone fairy sitting with her knees to her chest, her sunken fuchsia eyes staring off into space. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach as he couldn't help but stare. Though he knew there were other factors that fed into her misery, Cosmo cursed himself for being one of those reasons.

He'd notice her sit at her desk with her head down in homeroom while Susie sat next to Alewandro, talking his ear off. He'd notice her alone in the cafeteria with nothing but her backpack, or some days he wouldn't see her at all during lunch. After school he'd notice her as she was now, in the same spot on the floor, and sometimes, he'd notice Susie come up to her after a while and ask if she were ready to walk home. She'd always nod 'yes', and she'd follow Susie out through the double doors. This must be one of those days where he spotted her alone, waiting on Susie.

Gosh, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

It wasn't until a few moments later that Wanda blinked out of her daydream and shifted her eyes to her left, past the hallway intersection, to a familiar shamrock green fairy staring back at her. Their eyes locked, and her soul instantly ripped to shreds. This wasn't the first time that she'd seen him staring at her, but this was the first time he stuck around for longer than a few seconds.

Her poor Cosmo…he looked so broken. She could see the deprivation in his eyes from the bags that drooped beneath them. She could see the unkempt of his shaggy hair. And by the slight tremble of his hands gripped to his backpack straps, she could see the doubt in his mind. For the most part, Cosmo kept to himself if he wasn't around Spike majority of the time, and majority of the time, Cosmo wasn't smiling. She hadn't seen Cosmo's metal-mouth smile in what seemed like forever.

Man, did she miss that lovable smile of his.

Cosmo didn't know what to say or even what to do. Since Spike stayed home to care for his father of whom just had a Faggigly Gland transplant, Cosmo didn't have his backbone beside him. His heart desperately wanted to hug her, to touch her, to kiss her until he could hear her heart sing. But his mind…his mind replayed the memories of his mother's wrath on a loop. It reminded him that he has yet to regain his mother's good grace. It reminded him of what could happen if he listened to his heart, but the emotions his heart wanted him to ignore the logic of his mind.

Wanda wasn't sure if she should go up to him or not. They've distanced themselves without any say as to whether things were officially over. She needed answers, she needed to know; could two years of boundless love just end, just like that? However, if Susie were by her side instead of somewhere else with her boyfriend, she'd probably remind her that Cosmo was the one that pushed her away, not the other way around. If Cosmo wanted to talk to her, he would.

Time stood still, as if particles of dust froze and ligaments felt like weights wading through the depths of the ocean. Cosmo stared into Wanda's eyes, and his mind triggered him to either fight or flight.

Cosmo, of course, chose flight.

He flew faster than he'd ever flown before, turning down the intersection which lead straight to the exit. He didn't bother to hold his tears from flying as he burst through the doors and onto the sidewalks. He thought he was ready to face the woman he loved. He thought he could muster the courage to at least approach her. And yet, here he was. Running away like a stupid coward.

As the knife dug itself deeper into her heart, Wanda sprung from her seat on the ground and flew to the nearest girl's bathroom. She pushed through the doors and ran into the first stall she saw, slamming the door behind her. Tearing her backpack from her shoulders and throwing it on top the toilet tank, she ripped open the zipper to her front pouch to retrieve a tiny makeup bag. Said makeup bag wasn't full of makeup; instead, it was loaded with bandages and cotton swabs, along with a small bottle of peroxide and a razor kept sealed in a plastic case.

She hastily rolled down her sleeve in between hitched breaths as her mind spun with racing thoughts. She took the razor from its case and lifted one of her bandages from the night before. Her nerves surpassed the relief of creating new cuts, so she decided to take the razor in her hand and drag it over one of the wounds that had yet to heal. She exhaled as she drew fresh blood, feeling her anxiety depleting as her breaths calmed.

"Wanda!" a familiar voice rang out through the bathroom. "Wanda, are you in here?"

Crap.

Acting quickly, Wanda put her bandage back onto her bleeding wound and zipped her makeup back shut. There was a gentle knock on her stall as she shoved her makeup bag back into her backpack. "Just a second!" Wanda replied, putting her backpack onto her shoulders. How did Susie know to look for her in a bathroom?

Rolling up her sleeve, Wanda released the lock from the bathroom stall to see Susie's indigo orbs staring back at her. "Um…hey, Susie." Wanda hesitantly greeted, forcing a fake smile.

"You weren't by the lockers!" Susie retorted, backing away so Wanda could exit the stall. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Wanda lied with a small shrug. "I'm fine."

Susie looked down to Wanda's left arm, noticing a growing red dot seeping through her arm warmer. "Then why is your arm bleeding?"

Wanda froze as if caught red handed. "It's nothing." Wanda diverted as she quickly covered the evidence with her right hand. "Just…bumped my arm."

Not taking her word for it, Susie reached to remove Wanda's hand from her arm. Wanda tried to float away from her so she couldn't reach, but Susie grabbed her wrist before she could back away. Susie observed how Wanda cringed when she pulled her arm and the ring of red enlarged, which Susie didn't pull that hard. "Wanda." Susie's tone grew serious in concern. "Show me your arm."

Choosing not to fight it, Wanda reluctantly removed the sleeve and rolled the sleeve of her fishnet, revealing the soaked bandage with tiny tears of blood trickling from underneath.

"Oh my gosh, Wanda…" Susie's eyes grew wide with shock as she stared at her arm riddled with old and new cuts alike. She lifted her gaze towards her best friend, observing her fuchsia eyes glued to the ground. "…what is this?"

As if her question slapped her in the face, Wanda felt her eyes gloss with tears. Susie, as a reaction, gently pulled Wanda closer to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. Wanda stood silent in her arms with no reaction, just her tears streaming down her face onto Susie's shoulders. "Wanda…" Susie held her tighter, sensing her best friend shutting down. "Please…talk to me."

But she couldn't talk to her, as if her vocal chords were taped shut. Despite her tears, she felt numb. It took seeing the pain she inflicted onto herself for her own best friend to notice the pain she'd been trying to mask.

"Please, Wanda." Susie pleaded. "We're best friends-"

"Best friends?" Wanda shoved Susie off her, finding the voice to speak. "You're really gonna play that card?!"

Susie stared at her, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you serious?!" Wanda snapped. "It's been all about Alewandro with you! To and from school, he's all you ever talk about! And if you really cared, you wouldn't leave me by myself to go flirt with your boyfriend, you wouldn't ignore your 'best friend's' phone calls, and my arm probably wouldn't look like this!"

Her body was shaking, overcome with frustration. In that moment, Wanda didn't care how hurt Susie looked by her words. She wanted her to talk, so she did. She spoke her truth, and now her friend was visibly upset. In any other situation, she'd feel more remorseful.

"Wanda…" Susie began, shaking her head in denial. She had to admit, her priorities have been warped over the past month of her relationship with Alewandro. She just got so caught up in the butterflies and her own happiness; she failed to realize just how much her best friend suffered. Sometimes she noticed how Wanda became more quiet than usual as she tended to internalize. But Wanda didn't always want to talk about her issues, so she didn't think much of it.

Looking back now, she should have noticed the warning signs sooner. "…Wanda, I'm really sorry-"

"Save it." Wanda spat bitterly. "Don't pretend to give a crap now."

Before Susie could rebut, Wanda wiped her tears and sped passed her towards the exit.

"If you want, you can come over to my house after school on Friday." Spike said he and Cosmo flew out of their last class of the day. "That way you're not in the house by yourself."

"No thanks." Cosmo replied. "I don't always have the house to myself so…"

"You sure you need to be by yourself, though?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "I mean…you get 'emo' when you're by yourself."

Cosmo was going to refute his statement, but the sight of Wanda putting away her books caught his eye. Spike noticed this as well and turned toward his friend. "You remember what we've been talking about, right? Go talk to her."

Cosmo shot a nervous glance towards Spike. No, he couldn't. He wasn't ready. "What?! B-but…but I can't-"

"Dude, I'm sick of your excuses!" Spike held Cosmo's face in his hands, forcing him to lock eyes. "You still love her, right?" He waited for Cosmo to nod a pathetic 'yes' before letting him go. "Then man up and go talk to your girl!"

As offended as Cosmo felt, he knew Spike had a bit of a point. He did still love her, it's just…what could he possibly say? He didn't have much time to think about it, because Wanda was on her way out the door. In that split second between chasing after her and letting her go, he chose to listen to Spike.

"Wanda!" Cosmo flew after her. "Wanda, wait!"

Wanda paused a few feet from the door, facing her back towards Cosmo. He stood behind her in mid-air, pondering whether he should get her to turn around or wait for her to face him. After a moment, Wanda slowly turned to towards him, and he could already see her eyes water. She didn't seem too happy to see him, and he didn't have to remind himself why.

"Um…" Cosmo swallowed the lump in his throat, putting his hands in his pockets to make him feel less awkward. "…Can…can we talk?"

Wanda hesitated to answer, unclear of his motives. All this time, and now he wants to talk? "…why?"

"Please?" Cosmo pleaded. "I just wanna talk. Can…can we go to our cliff? Just for a little bit?"

He could tell by her stand-offish demeanor that her trust in his had faded. He lowered his gaze, unable to face her cynicism. What if she didn't want to talk to him? Then what? Should he give up? Should he throw in the towel and end things now?

"…okay."

He jumped at her response, though her voice was quiet. "…okay?"

"Okay." Wanda replied simply. "We'll talk."

Cosmo felt a glimmer of hope, thinking maybe they might have a chance, as he waited for Wanda to pull out her wand so they could both poof from the school.

The afternoon sun shined bright over the horizon, a gust of wind dancing through the clear magenta skies. The teenaged pair materialized over the cliff's brink, and Cosmo took a seat so that his legs dangled over the edge. Wanda quickly followed suit, though she sat a foot or so away from him. He stared towards her as she ignored his gaze, staring towards the city below. Cosmo twiddled his thumbs, lowering his own gaze. He wasn't sure if he should let her speak first, or if he should initiate the conversation. What would he say? Where would he start? His mind was racing and chaotic thoughts weren't making any sense.

He looked over to her again, observing her vague expression. It appeared she would let him go first, though he worried whatever was to come out his mouth would be a bunch of jumbled nonsense. Deciding to break the deafening silence, he took a deep breath, and began to express whatever came to mind. "…things have been really complicated…"

Wanda continued to cast her gaze downward, though Cosmo at least knew she was listening. "…Things have been…complicated…with my thoughts versus how I feel…" He cleared his throat as if to counteract the dryness he felt. "…My mom really hates you, and she wants me to have nothing to do with you. But…I can't let you go so easily…"

It was those last few words that encouraged her to look towards him. He was trying to hide it, but she could see in his hands that he was shaking. "…I…I want us to work." He continued, meeting her eyes. "…I know I haven't acted like it…but I want us to work. I want us to work…because I'm miserable without you…"

She wished there were no doubts in her mind of his words, and she found it difficult to trust them. She considered that maybe his mother influenced a lot of his actions and scared him into avoiding her. Still, him running away from her very existence caused her to believe he didn't love her anymore. She also had to admit, that she's harbored more strife in four weeks than she has in seventeen years of life. Strife which voided her heart of feeling, strife that emptied her soul. She felt as if she couldn't breathe because Cosmo was her air.

Wanda exhaled her nerves, and she spoke in a calm, composed tone. "…I've…been miserable without you too." He stared at her, letting her continue. "But…if you really…want this to work…." She locked eyes with his green orbs, hoping to convey just how serious she was. "…you have to be all in. Otherwise…otherwise I…don't think my heart can take it…"

"I'm all in." Cosmo assured as his eyes grew serious. "And…and I wanna do whatever it takes."

She nodded in response, her mind formulating an idea that sounded crazy, but, if they were all in, it was worth the risk. "My parents are taking Blonda to Magic Springs Spa this weekend…and they're making me house sit."

"House sit?" Cosmo questioned. "As in…sit on the house?"

"No." Wanda replied. "Basically, I'm babysitting the house. Making sure no one breaks in or something crazy like that. They're leaving Thursday morning, and won't be back until Monday morning."

Cosmo thought about how he'd basically have his house to himself that same weekend. "My mom's going to visit her friends in Willowsing…she's leaving early Friday morning and will be back Sunday morning."

"Okay." Wanda responded. "So…do you…wanna come over?"

Cosmo paused, thinking heavily of his next response. Was she crazy? Him? Come over? To her house? "B-but what if we get caught?"

"Both are families won't be back until Sunday, right?" Wanda reminded. "If you come over Saturday and leave Sunday morning before your mom comes home…then no one gets caught, and no one gets in trouble."

Meeting Cosmo to talk instead of going straight home wasn't as big of a deal to Wanda as it probably should have been. Yes, her parents still distrusted her, but since the opportunity presented itself, she absolutely found the loophole in her punishment, just to satisfy her own agenda. In her mind, she was already grounded. What's the worst that could happen?

Cosmo weighed all the probable scenarios; 1) her family comes home early and catches him in their house. 2) his mom comes home early and realizes he's gone. 3) both 1 and 2 happen simultaneously, and they're both screwed. Did she not think of these things? He thought she was the smart one. Then again, this would give them the opportunity to start the journey in getting back to where they were. Alone together, together alone. One on one, to focus on each other. It wasn't every day that both families would leave the two of them to their own devices, so why not seize the opportunity while it presented itself on a silver platter?

Cosmo examined Wanda's eyes for a reason to doubt his final decision, yet no doubts could be found.

Just a little thing I wanted to clarify before you go:

I know in not America, some countries have legal drinking ages of 18 and even 16, so that's the inspiration behind the emphasis of a fairy's 18th birthday. Also, I don't know if anyone truly knows how fairies age (I sure as hell don't,) and since I'm already breaking so many rules of the FOP universe, I might as well have them age 'normally' for now.

Does Cosmo and Wanda's relationship have a chance? Guess we'll see :)