Author's Note: Honestly, I forgot I'd written this. XD Bad author. Also, standard comments about stress about to murder me. -_-
Chapter Twenty One- Danse Macabre
After Doombringer left, Tootie slumped onto the floor. Despite her best intentions, Doombringer's words reverberated in her mind. The ring of truth pierced her deeply and she wrapped her arms around her legs. If she agreed to help Doombringer, she'd be betraying Timmy. Normally, she'd never conceive of it, but what if Doombringer was right? What if Cosmo and Wanda had brought her happiness and Doombringer could return it to her? Was it worth hurting Timmy? Which did she want more- a chance at true pleasure for once in her life or to be by her beloved's side? He didn't even care for her the way she cared for him.
"I'm sorry," Timmy said. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you and I'm sorry I'm still attracted to Trixie Tang over you."
The words washed over her, the second part only to be expected. "Which would you choose?"
"What?" he said flatly. "What are you talking about?"
"If you had to choose between helping Doombringer and bringing back Cosmo and Wanda and me, who would you choose?" she said.
"That's ridiculous," he said. She stared pointedly at him and he stared back.
"She's not going to let you have them back," Timmy said. "And what good are memories? Fairy World can take them away and they're not real, not like this is."
"You didn't answer my question," she said. "You'd pick Cosmo and Wanda. I know you would."
"Because they're my-"he stopped at the look on her face. "You can't side with her. She's evil."
"So's my sister," she replied.
"I don't know why you lost Cosmo and Wanda, if you had them, but it's not like Doombringer's going to give you Cosmo and Wanda back and you can be the way you were before," he said. "There's a reason you lost them."
"How do you know?" she snapped. "Maybe it wasn't my fault. And you haven't given me a good reason to side with you."
"Duh, because I'm not crazy and I'm not out to hurt faeries and children," he said.
"You hurt me all the time," she said softly. "And you don't even think about it. Or call yourself evil."
"I'm sorry," he huffed. "How many times do I have to say it?"
"But you don't mean it," she said. "You never learn your lesson."
"What do you want me to say? I'll share them with you? I can't do that," he said and rolled his eyes. "You're being ridiculous. We're trapped in here together. We should work together."
"If our situations were reversed, would you help me?" she repeated.
"Yeah, 'cuz it's the right thing to do," he said. "I'm not a complete jerk."
"If I don't side with Doombringer, I'll never know how happy I was," Tootie said sadly and looked at the floor. She knew, by the way her shoulder blades itched, that Doombringer was probably monitoring them.
"Yeah, and you won't know how miserable you really are," he said. "Why torture yourself? That's all she's doing. Torturing everyone until she gets what she wants."
Tootie didn't speak.
"I know bullies," he said. "And Doombringer is a giant bully. She's pushing us around and using us. And if you join up with her, she'll use you and then throw you away."
"Would you be my boyfriend if I joined you?" she said.
Timmy choked and sputtered. "No!"
For a long moment, she surveyed him. She loved him, or thought she did, but she was ten. What did she really know of great, heartrending love? For all she knew, she'd find someone else to fix her affection upon, although she doubted it. Timmy was her light in the darkness, the beacon she flocked to when all hope was lost, but he had more power as an ideal than a person. Still…she barely knew Cosmo and Wanda, thanks to Fairy World's meddling. She wavered back and forth.
"What if I let you pretend I was your boyfriend?" Timmy said. "But only until we fix everything."
"Can I kiss you?" she said.
"On the cheek."
"No deal."
"All right, fine, on the lips, but only five a day," he said. "And no tackle hugs."
"No more name calling or taunting me?" she said sourly. "No water balloons or unexpected lock ins? Can I tell people you're my boyfriend?"
"Sure…" he said and groaned. "Anything else?"
Tootie frowned. She really wanted to know whether or not she had been happy with Cosmo and Wanda and what had happened. But knowing probably wouldn't help her and Timmy was right. Fairy World could always wipe the memories clean again. She wished working with him and deciding right now didn't immediately close the doors off to her. She wished for so much…and didn't have a faerie to grant it.
"No," she said. "We're good."
"Okay," he said and relaxed. "I was afraid for a moment you really were going to side with Doombringer against me."
She thought but didn't say that she was afraid too, but not for the reason he had named. Timmy moved closer to her and looked at the not wall behind them.
"When do you think she'll be back?" he said.
"I'll give her five minutes," Tootie said. "She was probably listening the whole time."
Doombringer, who was indeed listening, smirked. She wasn't going to rage or be upset it appeared Tootie had temporarily sided with Timmy. She had planted the seeds of dissent. In time, they would sprout and perhaps Tootie would remember Doombringer's words. Perhaps, at some crucial moment, Timmy would misspeak or alienate her.
All she needed to do was wait. In the meanwhile, Remy had performed spectacularly. She was very hopeful.
Their guide was recalled to his master shortly after their arrival, how fortunate for him. Without him to lead the way, Anti Cosmo took point with Anti Wanda slightly behind him. There was no need for subterfuge here and they shifted back into their true forms. The first thing Anti Cosmo noticed weren't the surroundings but the way an unknown force cloyed at his magic and dragged him along for the ride. After a while, the sensation faded into the background, although it never quite left.
The hallways were dusty and dimly lit, most of the overhead bulbs broken and the lamps in disrepair. Their wands provided the illumination required and Anti Wanda kept freezing and rubbing her nose.
"I dunno," she said. "I don't think we should be in here."
"That's precisely the reason why we should," Anti Cosmo said. "Surely you can sense the potential."
Anti Wanda sneezed again, so hard she made a few overhead lamps rattle. Anti Cosmo sighed and waved his wand to produce a facemask for her. She sneezed into and he created another one.
Steel doors were locked and barricaded, complete with security devices. Anti Cosmo scoffed- anyone with magic wouldn't need to worry about primitive human security.
They drifted for minutes past the same scenery and Anti Cosmo found himself growing bored, as he knew Anti Wanda was. He found himself wondering in which level he could find Wanda and what state she might be in. He mentally catalogued how large the building could be underground and then grimaced, realizing he didn't know the full extent.
"I wonder where she is," Anti Wanda said and Anti Cosmo jerked, staring.
"Their master," Anti Wanda elaborated and stared back. "Who did you think I meant?"
"No one, dear," Anti Cosmo said and sighed.
"There's nothin' to do here and no one to talk to," Anti Wanda complained.
"Then let's say we go down a level," Anti Cosmo said and they held up their wands. The lower level was much more brightly lit and Anti Cosmo saw pristine floors and working bulbs. Everything was white and-
Whoosh! From above, a butterfly net slammed them into the floor and both moaned, shuddering.
"That wasn't very nice!" Anti Wanda complained.
"I should have expected it," Anti Cosmo groaned. "All right, whoever you are, you've caught us. Since we came willingly, I don't see the point."
No one came. They must have sprung a trap no one was monitoring. How tedious and tiresome that their magic was suppressed by something as mundane as a butterfly net. Beside him, Anti Wanda was pushing and pulling to no avail. If they could use their wands as blades, they might be able to escape, except the net's dampening effect turned their wands into glorified firewood.
"Now, what kind of place would willingly adopt half breeds no one wants, kidnap a godchild and his godparents, and then not bother to clean their traps?" Anti Cosmo said.
"Someone who wanted something they couldn't get?" Anti Wanda said. Anti Cosmo stared at her and she laughed insanely, grating his nerves. Still, she might be onto something.
"Like what, do you suppose?" Hopefully, he wasn't making a mistake treating her like a rational thinking creature.
"I dunno," she said. "Magic? Ooh, I know, some sorta voodoo."
"I highly doubt it," he replied. This was yet another reason he longed for Wanda. She would be intelligent and have useful insight. Hopefully, after prying her free from Cosmo, she could shake off the effects of being tied to an idiot for millennia.
Anti Wanda shrugged. "Let's sing folk songs."
Anti Cosmo suppressed a scream and ignored her. If the half-breed's boss wanted magic, this was a historical repeat. There were always enterprising humans who wanted to steal magic for their own and Fairy World usually suppressed them before they got too far. Kidnapping a godchild and their godparents meant Fairy World was preoccupied, because they would have surely noticed earlier.
However, Anti Cosmo doubted that was it. Half-breeds represented a very specific magical demographic. Their powers were more primal, because they were linked to ancient magic instead of the newfound magic tied into Fairy World's power base. Humans shouldn't know about that. It wasn't uncommon for a human to stumble upon their existence, although such instances were usually stricken from the record if Fairy World discovered it. But to learn secrets about the fey…it made Anti Cosmo uneasy.
He had no proof. Since they were trapped, he used the opportunity to process everything he saw. The facilities down here were fairly recently, which meant either the human had a great deal of money at her disposal, she had borrowed extensively, or a faerie had accommodated her. The faerie must have been under duress and he thought of Wanda again. Cosmo was gone, but he wouldn't have willingly left Wanda here. There might be another faerie in this equation, one he hadn't met yet. That probably meant another godchild…Jorgen was losing his touch.
The butterfly net was glued to the floor and Anti Cosmo grimaced. It looked like they'd have to wait for the human to discover them. In the meanwhile, he'd tune Anti Wanda out. Once she started singing, she didn't stop for hours.
Cosmo gasped and sputtered. Water seared and burned him; in his mind, screaming in agony, the darkness deafened him. He thrashed, trying to get above water and away from this torture. Every time he thought he surfaced, someone pushed him back under.
((Wanda! Wanda, help!))
There was no answer. The last time he had tried sending telepathy was months ago. The statue in their storage room had discouraged it. But right now, statue of his mother or no statue, he needed his wife.
((Wanda!))
"It's not working!" Jorgen snapped.
Finally, someone dragged him out and he lay, panting, on cement. Overhead, the sun was too warm and close. Water cascaded in a fountain that distantly seemed familiar. Wanda would probably know where he was. He reached for his wand, came up short, and discovered it in Jorgen's pocket.
"I told you I didn't know how to cure this!" Dr. Ripped Studwell protested.
"Cure what?" Cosmo said. "Where are we?"
"Fairy World," Jorgen said and picked Cosmo up. "You are still tainted, puny faerie, and you run the risk of contaminating everyone in Fairy World."
The darkness continued to cling to him.
"Then what are you going to do?" Cosmo said.
"Locate the source," Jorgen said. "And isolate you where you can't hurt anyone."
"What about Wanda and Timmy?" Cosmo protested.
"Too dangerous," he said. He tossed Cosmo at the doctor and banged his wand on the ground. Smoke erupted out of it and Jorgen glared, staring impressively off into the distance.
"You will take him somewhere safe and I will deal with the infestation," he said. He banged his wand once more upon the ground and vanished. Cosmo stared at the doctor, who groaned and wiped his forehead.
"Great," he muttered. "Just what I've always wanted to do- babysit."