Author's Note: I felt like I did a lot of editing this time around, to force the scenes to confine to a certain length. As usual, I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the delay in updating. School's over for this term, but personal problems abound.
Also, more Anti Cosmo/Wanda. Heh. And one more thing- this would have been up last night, but Firefox hates me.
Chapter Nineteen: Mirror Mirror on the Wall (Who's the Fairest Fey of All?)
Whomever Doombringer employed as a cook knew how to create a decent omelet. Its cheesy warmth, along with the hot cocoa Doombringer had given her, did nothing to dispel the inner chill. Food kept sticking in her mouth and she realized it had only been two days since she had arrived here. It felt like an eternity. The last time she had been separated this long from her husband was before they had married. Marriage jokes or not, physical and emotional abuse or not, she missed Cosmo terribly.
Doombringer had placed her at a children's table in a diminutive, otherwise empty room. The walls were alabaster, the door was locked and coded, with no knob on the inside, and lengthwise, it might have been about five feet by five feet. It was a glorified closet and Wanda might have voiced her sorrow if she wasn't positive Doombringer was watching her. Someone had to be spying- she could feel the tension at the back of her neck.
After she had stomached all her feeble body could handle, Doombringer entered and inclined her head. Wanda inclined her head back and her stomach somersaulted. Feigning passivity, she permitted Doombringer to seize her (and stifled a sharp remark, because she hated the woman's hands upon her). Doombringer carried her underarm like a football and Wanda gritted her teeth.
Doombringer walked down the hall and used her palm to open up another room, which had a two way mirror. She dumped Wanda on the counter and backed away, locking the door. Wanda groaned, struggling into a sitting position. Her stomach felt like it might revolt and she clutched it.
"For security reasons, I can't let you be in the same room as Remy," Doombringer said. "You understand."
Wanda didn't, but she thought it best not to ask questions. She flopped onto her back and rolled so she could see the tiny white room in which Remy found himself. Remy was sitting, his breakfast tray ignored and to the side, and brooded upon an indent on the wall. From his current position, his back was to them and he appeared to be muttering to himself.
Doombringer hit a switch on the wall near the mirror to activate the other room's mike.
"Juandissimo, where are you?" Remy cried. "I want to go home."
Wanda's heart wrenched. Was Timmy wishing the same thing in his cell with Tootie and Cosmo? Was Cosmo even there anymore? Her heart told her otherwise, even if their Bond was too badly sundered to distinguish his location.
"Remy," Doombringer said, pulling a microphone closer- it was on the counter near Wanda's feet. "I have a mission for you. If you can accomplish this, I'll let you see Juandissimo."
She shut off the mike and Wanda had to ask, even if she'd probably regret it.
"Are you really going to let him see his godfather?" she said.
"It depends on how well he does," Doombringer said and, in a darker voice, added, "And why Juandissimo didn't return last night."
Turning the mike back on, she said, "I want you to create a hole big enough to walk through. There's a room beyond the one you're in. If you can reach it, I'll let you see Juandissimo again. If you can't…"
She left the threat open and Remy whirled, staring at what appeared to him to be a blank wall. His eyes hooked onto where Doombringer's voice emanated.
"And if I can't, what then?" he said. He definitely whined more than Timmy and Wanda grimaced. Godchildren could be such pains when they groused.
"Juandissimo didn't come home last night," Doombringer said in a silky smooth voice. "You wouldn't want his punishment to include the repercussions for your actions, would it? After all, he already suffers so much."
Wanda and Remy shuddered in unison. Wanda had never really loved Juandissimo the way she loved Cosmo, but she couldn't bear to see another creature in pain. Sometimes, they deserved it, but she knew however Doombringer meted out punishment, it was never fair and always excruciating. The butterfly net might not work on Juandissimo, but she was sure the longer he went missing, the longer Doombringer had to plot how to punish him for his perceived insurrection.
"How long do I have?" Remy said. The whine was still present, but subdued now. "And if he didn't come back, where is he?"
"That's for you to wonder and for me to find out," she replied. "And you have until six o'clock. Wanda will make sure you don't cheat."
Wanda's jaw hung agape. How on earth did she expect Remy to cheat? Remy was human, not fairy. Remy didn't have vast magical stores beyond his reach.
Doombringer seized Wanda by the collar. "And if you help him, once I find Cosmo, I will feed him to my half breed army and listen to him scream."
"Wanda?" Remy echoed. "Timmy's fairy godmother?"
"That's right," Doombringer replied. "And you said you two didn't know each other."
Wanda gulped and Doombringer smiled.
"You have ten hours," she said. "Make them count."
She dumped Wanda on the counter again and smiled cruelly, allowing the image of half breed dogs tearing Cosmo limb from limb to sink into her mind. Wanda hugged her knees and stared through the mirror at Juandissimo's godchild. Even if she had wanted to help him, she didn't know where to begin. Doombringer had known she would have done whatever she could to help Timmy and Tootie.
But what was this supposed to prove, by forcing her to watch Remy? Doombringer already knew Wanda sympathized with disenfranchised children. Then what would this accomplish?
"You're Turner's godmother," Remy called.
Wanda flipped and crawled to the mike. "That's right."
"So Turner's here too," he said. "Have you seen Dissimo?"
She shook her head, remembered she could see him, not the other way around, and said, "Not recently."
Remy sighed. "And you can't help me?"
"I'm afraid not, hun," she said.
"Not even suggestions?" he said.
"I'm sorry, sweetie."
"Typical," Remy huffed. "Even poor children's godparents aren't as good as rich children's."
Wanda's jaw dropped and she was tempted to retaliate. She forced herself to remember Remy was suffering like her and although he sorely needed a reality check, now was neither the time nor the place. Instead, narrowing her eyes, she squeezed the microphone.
"Good luck," she said and shut off the mike. "You'll need it."
Remy huffed and she smirked. As weak as she felt, and as irritating as Remy was, this beat staying in an iron butterfly net.
The instant Jorgen entered with Cosmo, the faeries in the waiting room fled and Cosmo grimaced in Jorgen's arms. For the sake of his sanity, he had knocked the puny creature out, because he kept whining about Timmy and Wanda. Jorgen had no idea what was going on in Dimmsdale, but it was secondary to whatever else had happened. It had been millennia since a full blooded fairy had shown evidence of the taint. The idea it might spread to the other fairies was horrifying.
Jorgen placed Cosmo inside a magical force field on the floor.
"Don't move," he commanded. Cosmo, who was semiconscious, didn't show any signs of moving, but just to be sure, Jorgen confiscated his wands. It nagged at him Wanda was missing, since he always found the two together, but he shelved the concern. Slamming his massive wand on the ground, he transported into the doctor's office, where Dr. Ripped Studwell (why did he hear Cosmo speaking over his internal narration?) was in the middle of an important phone call.
"Dinner at my place or yours?" Dr. Studwell purred. "Should I bring the champagne or do you have something special planned?"
"I hate to interrupt your love life-"Jorgen started and Dr. Studwell put a hand over his phone's speaker. He inclined his head at Fairy World's leader.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to set up a date tonight," he said. He returned to his conversation. "Yeah, no, that was Jorgen. Look, babe, you have to make up your mind. I'm a very busy fairy."
"So am I," Jorgen growled and brought his huge glowing wand, shooting off menacing sparks, close to Dr. Studwell's face. "And I do not care what you're doing tonight. We have a situation here."
"I'll talk to you later, Betty," Dr. Studwell said and hung up. He straightened and posed, as if Jorgen hadn't been threatening bodily harm. "What is it? What patient needs my urgent care?"
"Cosmo," he said. "Here. I will bring you to him."
They reappeared in the waiting room. The receptionist had fainted and was on the floor; Jorgen sneered. Puny fairies always showed their fear, when they should hide it and be proud instead. Of course, he wasn't going to admit the taint terrified him too. It was his job to appear strong so the fairies had a role model.
"Oh my Oberon…" Dr. Ripped Studwell breathed. "I have never seen a taint this powerful before."
"Of course you haven't," Jorgen snapped sarcastically. "There has not been a tainted fairy in Fairy World in well over ten thousand years."
"I knew that," he said. "What caused it?"
"I do not know," Jorgen said. "And asking him is useless. All he does is ramble about Wanda and Timmy."
Dr. Ripped Studwell stared blankly and Jorgen sighed.
"His wife and godchild?" he explained.
"Right, right, the dowdy woman and the whining kid," he said. He frowned at Cosmo, who twitched. Wary, the doctor touched his wand tip to Cosmo's forehead and the tip fizzled and turned black. Trembling, he stared at Jorgen.
"You want me to cure that?" he said.
"I should have known better than to ask you," Jorgen said, grimacing. "I will take him to the fountain to be healed. It will be painful, but necessary."
"Wait," Dr. Ripped Studwell said. "I'm sure I've got something." He disappeared, his wand crackling, and Jorgen groaned. He pounded his wand and Cosmo popped into his arms. There was another way to glean the information, but it would be much more painful. It was known to cause permanent brain damage if applied inexpertly and although Cosmo had little brain mass to begin with, the repercussions of his actions could destroy Fairy World. An idiotic Cosmo already posed a substantial threat. An idiotic, possibly insane Cosmo sent chills down his spine.
"Give this to him when you bring him to the fountain," the doctor said, reappearing and brandishing a small bottle full of clear liquid. "It's a sedative. It should counteract the poison the dark one gave him."
Jorgen stared and Dr. Studwell cleared his throat.
"I use it for patients who are possessed by demons," he said. He checked his watch. "Look at the time. I have a miniature golf game later and-"
"You are not going anywhere," Jorgen growled. "You are the foremost expert on fairy conditions in all of Fairy World and if anything happens to Cosmo, I will blame you."
The doctor pulled nervously at his collar. "What do you expect me to do? I've never treated this before."
"You will stand by the fountain and wait," Jorgen said. "If this is contagious…"
He smiled coldly. "You will be the first to know."
Anti Cosmo and Anti Wanda had reached the abandoned warehouse district. Anti Wanda was still distracted by food, but Anti Cosmo was alert, his nose to the ground and his tail in the air. Cosmo had been here recently. Wanda was still here. His tail quivered and he sprang into his normal position.
"Something very queer is going on," Anti Cosmo announced. Anti Wanda was munching on spoiled dinner rolls she had purloined from Il Maestro, the Italian restaurant in town. (The Italian restaurant that seemed to make its appearance in many similar universes…)
"Like this dinner roll? I think it's green!" Anti Wanda said. Anti Cosmo sighed. Five seconds later, she tossed it up and chowed down. He advanced, sensing not only Cosmo and Wanda, but corrupted magick. Whirling, he let out a desultory growl.
"You're on our turf," a voice called and launched itself near them. A male bloodhound with a tarnished half-crown landed in front of them. Its fur was a mixture of red and black and Anti Cosmo growled again, this time a warning, standing practically on top of Anti Wanda. He tensed, readying for the inevitable fight. Normally, anti fairies had superior magic to half breeds, but this one was getting its power elsewhere. Anti Cosmo couldn't identify it, which was unsettling.
"Really? I thought you were on mine, since you don't deserve to be here," Anti Cosmo said. Anti Wanda abandoned the roll, partially eaten, and stood behind her husband.
"Says you," the half breed countered. "We're going to run this place pretty soon, once we milk the fairies' get for what they're worth."
"The fairies get…" Anti Cosmo echoed. He tossed his head. "Fairies can't have children."
"Not the real get, you idiot," the half breed growled. "Their human children."
"You mean them thar godchildren?" Anti Wanda said. Anti Cosmo groaned.
"That's right," the half breed said.
"What on earth do godchildren have to do with fairies beyond ordering them around?" Anti Cosmo said. "Human children are basically useless in terms of power."
"That's what Jorgen wants you to think," the half breed continued. "But once we get our way, the children will be our puppets."
"You're deluded," Anti Cosmo said. "Who is your master?"
"Come in and I'll show you," the half breed said. Anti Cosmo stared at the ground, littered with debris and garbage. He could sense Wanda inside the warehouse and it quickened his heart. Juandissimo might love Wanda with a Latino passion and Cosmo might love her with the sickly sweetness of the light and good. Anti Cosmo wanted to own Wanda, to possess her and bring her over to his darkness, to bar her from being with anyone else ever again. Anti Wanda picked up her head and stared at Anti Cosmo. She couldn't guess his thoughts and they didn't share telepathy, but she sensed something. He scoffed. What little she sensed was of no concern to him.
Anti Cosmo looked at his wand and smirked, looking back at the half breed.
"Why not?" he said. "Anti fairies have always stood for chaos."