Chapter 19; Risks

~Poof POV~

"Poof, poof…poof, poof…." Poof was in his bedroom, humming to himself as he worked hard at coloring a picture of Timmy and himself playing at the park.

"What is that your drawing?" His grandmother asked, peeking over his shoulder. After Jorgen had left, grumbling about being reduced to a cameraman/messenger-boy, his father had asked for his grandmother to come stay with them.

"Tim-me, get well." He proclaimed proudly, as he finished the get well soon card he had been working so hard on.

"Well, isn't that nice? You're such a good boy, just like your father." She praised him, sitting on his bed as she watched over him.

"Poof, poof!" He sat the card aside and picked up another piece of paper. "Poof, poof?"

"You want me to cut it into the shape of a butterfly? Well, alright then…" She took the paper and cut it into the shape that he wanted. "Is this card for your mother, perhaps?"

"Little Tim-me." He corrected. He was going to make his mommy a card too, of course, but since Timmy was the one who was feeling unwell, he wanted to make his first.

"Little Tim-me?" She questioned as he took the butterfly shaped paper and colored it. He explained to her in a series of poofs the adventure they had in catching Timmy's soul and then seeing that despite making its self look so scary, it was really just a little infant, even younger than him!

"Little Tim-me cute!"

"Oh my, I—I see…." His grandmother looked a little uncomfortable. "Poof, let's just be very careful about not telling anyone about…er…little Timmy."

"Poof?"

"Well…it's because human souls are very vulnerable and delicate things; they can get hurt easily when they're out of their body like this."

"Poof." He nodded; he'd protect little Timmy the same way big Timmy protected him. He was still confused about how a baby was living inside his brother's heart, but everyone else seemed to understand, so maybe he would too once his mother or Timmy told him; they were good at explaining things. He picked up one of his pink crayons. Timmy loved pink, so he was going to make the butterfly card in all different shades of pink. Just as he started, the last person he ever expected to suddenly poof in front of him did.

"Cease your frivolous coloring of your idiotic pictures and tell me if you've seen my dada around here!?" Foop grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

"Poof, poof?"

"I know, I know—why would my father be here? I don't know, but I've searched all of anti-fairy world, and I tell you he's not there so he must be here plotting something against your troublesome god brother and your dimwitted, goody-goody parents!"

"Poof." He crossed his arms and shook his head; Foop's face fell, his shoulders slumping. "Poof, poof?"

"It's not any of your business!" Foop sniffed, crossing his arms and tossing his head, then hesitated after a moment. "Well, if you must know—it's my momma. She took ill all of a sudden and, well, she's calling for my father."

"Poof…." He felt sorry; having your mother fall ill and not being able to find your father must be terrifying. "Poof, poof."

"I don't need your help! ….But if you have any information or can keep an eye out, it would be appreciated if you'd inform me."

….Isn't that the same as helping? He wanted to point that out, but if he did, then Foop probably would just run off. This sounded serious and even though he did not get along with Foop—family was important, and having your mom fall sick was really sad.

"Oh, you poor thing." His grandmother put a finger to her cheek thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'll ask Cosmo, he might have seen him, somewhere, maybe?"

Come to think of it, where did his dad go? They made that video for mama and Timmy and then, after Jorgen left, his father said he had some things to do, and his grandmother took him away to color.

His grandma poofed his dad into the room. He looked tired, as if he had just been woken up from a nap. Perhaps the thing he had needed to do was sleep? He blinked, confused for a few moments and then pointed and Foop, surprised.

"Hey, what's Foop doing here?"

"Looking for my father, you ninny! Have you seen him anywhere? I scoured all of anti-fairy world and since I can't find him, I can only assume he must be over here conducting some intricate and diabolic revenge plot against you all."

"Aww, did you come here because you feeling left out?" Cosmo cooed.

"Perhaps a trifle—wait, what, no! I came here because my mother suddenly taken ill!"

"Anti-Wanda's sick? She must have just eaten too many throw pillow sandwiches…"

"It's not with a tummy ache, you ignorant buffoon! She suddenly collapsed and I am worried—er—I mean to say, I am concerned about who will pack my lunch for school tomorrow…"

Poof rolled his eyes. Why couldn't he just admit that he was worried about his mom?

"Well, if your father is in here, I am sure Cosmo will find him. Honey, just go into a room you'd never go into and see if he's in there." His grandma suggested, ushering his father out of the room to search.

"That buffoon wouldn't be able to find light in a blackout!" Foop declared and then looked down at his drawing. "Get well? Is your mother sick too?"

Poof knew telling Foop about what happened would be a bad idea, but he knew lying was bad as well. Pondering it for a moment, he decided that he'd tell a half-truth.

"Tim-me sick, Mama make better."

"She's taken him to a nice relaxing wellness spa. She's probably pampering herself as well, leaving all the work on my poor Cosmo…" Apparently his grandma did not have any compulsions against lying.

"Aha! That explains why my mother is ill! As your mother's opposite, she must be sick because your mother is selfishly indulging in self-care!"

"Poof…" He puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms, irritated by the accusatory tone.

"FOOP!" Anti Cosmo poofed into the room now, looking severely annoyed.

"Aha! So you were here, father!"

"No, I was not." Anti Cosmo's shoulders drooped. "I was in fact, up to something rather crucial, but I had to abandon it abruptly to investigate the commotion over here."

"That makes no sense. How'd you know I was here?"

"Tsk, tsk, Foop, considering the predicaments you constantly ensnare yourself in, did you honestly believe I wouldn't have you micro-chipped, dear boy?"

"You what!? Don't assume, father, for a second that I won't detach my arm just to elude your unwelcome surveillance."

"Indeed,but rest assured, it's not situated in your arm or any other conveniently detachable location." Anti Cosmo pointedly looked at Foop's butt. "Your mother's idea."

"You fiendish monster!" Foop grabbed his behind with his mouth agape. Poof couldn't help but chuckle.

"You find this amusing? Just wait until my show and tell project quite literally blows you away! Mwahaha!"

"Yes, Yes. Come along, Foop. Show me what's troubling your mother." Anti Cosmo seized Foop by the ear, twisting it slightly, making the anti-baby squirm in protest. "My apologies for the intrusion. Until next time, cheerio!"

And just as quickly as they came, the anti fairies were gone.

"Finish your drawing Poof, I'll go find your dad and tell him that he can stop looking."

"Poof!" Poof was relieved that Anti-Cosmo wasn't hiding in the castle. If the anti-fairies learned that Timmy was injured, they might concoct an evil scheme against him. His big brother was already going through a lot, and he couldn't afford any more misfortune.

— Wanda POV —

Timmy's body was quivering with pain, making his breaths come in quick gasps. He was crying so hard that his sobs wracked his body. She whispered reassurances as she gently rubbed his back in a soothing circular motion, unable to stop her own hand from shaking.

He had just finished his second treatment, and it had been every bit as bad as the first.

No, it had been worst; because Timmy had known exactly the amount of pain that he was going to endure.

From the moment they had woken him up from his nap among the pets and had given him a small amount of food so that he could take his medicine, he had been a ball of anxiety.

Piper had suggested that it would be better for him to undergo the treatment on a near-empty stomach to avoid any messy vomiting or delays in the time-sensitive procedure but she would have liked to at least of given him something good to eat to cheer him up before enduring such pain.

Nova promised to provide a much more enjoyable brunch once Timmy had calmed down.

Frankly, food was the furthest thing from her mind. These treatments were a nightmarish trial that came far too soon, even with the time in their room manipulated; where 15 minutes outside equaled an hour inside.

There was no possible way that Timmy could endure this treatment if he had to experience time as normal. The physical pain and emotional stress of the ordeal would kill him.

He was such a brave, brave little boy…doing his best to endure something that was not endurable.

Pain aside, everything in this treatment had been going well until she had reached the second to last point. After she had performed the injection…Timmy had stopped breathing; Nova had quickly performed a chest compression to revive him, assuring her she had done nothing wrong, but…she had been so panicked that she hit orange on the meter when doing the final injection.

Piper had given her a severe tongue lashing but none of her insults had hurt half as bad as the whimpering noises that passed Timmy's lips, his small body going into convulsions.

If she had been alone whilst performing this treatment, Timmy might have died and she had also put him through more pain than had been necessary.

The weight of this realization settled heavily in her chest, causing her heart to ache and her eyes to well up with tears. She felt a lump form in her throat as she held back sobs, trying to remain strong for the child in her arms. Her body shook with the effort of controlling her emotions, and she could feel her muscles tense as she held onto the small, trembling form of her godchild. She knew that there was nothing she could do to take away his pain, and the thought filled her with a sense of helplessness that was almost unbearable.

"You poor things." Nova shook his head in dismay whilst Piper readied some of that gummy bear flavor medicine.

"Here, kiddo, take this." Piper did not bother handing the cup to Timmy, whose entire body was shaking, but put it directly to his lips so he could drink. Piper shot her a dirty look as she passed by. "The reason his body is having tremors like this is all because you lost focus and injected too much."

She put her head down, ashamed. It was true. Timmy's body kept shaking, not just from tears but from small shock waves, as if constantly being struck by small bolts of electricity. He made almost puppy-like noises, burrowing his head against her as he continuously flinched from the pain of it.

"Piper, don't be too harsh." Nova chided. "Wanda, my dear, we are to blame for this. We knew that the treatment was particularly more painful for Timmy because of his…unique condition. We should have warned you to be prepared that something like that could happen."

"He ain't passing out 'cause the shocks keep jolting him awake. It's a pity getting some shut-eye would help him recover quicker." Piper ruffled Timmy's hair. The gummy bear medicine calmed him, but his body continued to take sudden jolts.

"How long before the shocks stop?" She asked, guilty and ashamed.

"Who knows? I'm more concerned about the state of the stigmata. That mark really did not need any mistakes making it worst, you know?"

Her eyes fell morosely to his wrist. When they had taken him out of the Cuddle & Snuggle room, it had been so pale you had to squint to see it, but now it was even pinker than when it had first appeared; almost a shade of red.

She understood now why Nova had been so persistent about lessening the stigmata before the treatment; if they hadn't taken measures to have it fade, then the stigmata would have been far worse right now, maybe it would have even spread to his other limbs.

"Wanda, dear, errors happen, worry not. The Stigmata is still not what we would refer to as severe. We'll get it faded again before the next treatment."

"…nnn!" Timmy made an upset noise at the mention of 'next treatment', and she held him tighter, whispering apologies in his ear.

"The next treatment will be around 3;00." Nova spoke soothly. "That's five hours out here, but in your room, that will be twenty hours. So don't fret, child, for you, it will feel like nearly an entire day before you need to go through this again."

She felt Timmy's breathing relax a little, and he managed a slight nod. "Can we go…."

"To our room?" She finished for him, hearing the strain in his voice, throat still raw from screaming. He nodded, sniffling.

"I'll bring you there; would you mind if I came in? There are some things I wish to discuss." Nova requested. She would much rather be alone with Timmy, but there was a chance that Nova had something important to say, so she agreed to his company.

"I'll try to get into contact with Aur-Aur. She can be a little hard to get a hold of," Piper spoke as she poofed up some overly cutesy candy-themed stationery and began using a floating candy-cane pen to write a letter.

"Do try your best. Aurilinde's knowledge and advice will be required to ensure the poor boy gets the best of aid in his road to recovery."

"Is she very skilled?" She asked, honestly dismayed about allowing even more Fey to get close to Timmy, but she was keenly aware that the state he was in was far beyond what she was capable of dealing with on her own.

"Aurilinde is renowned for her vast knowledge and expertise on human souls. Any Fey who has a Kinder suffering from soul damage seeks her advice."

"I see…."

"Her knowledge and advice will be invaluable in ensuring poor Timmy receives the best possible aid on his journey to recovery." Nova patted her godchild on the shoulder. "Now, let us retire to your room to rest."

Before she could blink she found herself back in her recovery room. Jorgen had warned her to always make sure she was in the right room after leaving it; even if it looked the same. She had taken the precaution of hiding one of the Eldritch Horror game tokens in one of the pillow slips. Discreetly, she checked for it as she laid Timmy down in bed. Sure enough, the game token of Lily Chen, the character she preferred to play as, was there.

"Mom…." Timmy whimpered softly, clinging onto her hand. She decided to sit in the bed with him, whatever Nova had to say, Timmy should be allowed to hear it as well. She squeezed his hand and did her best to smile back at him. He shouldn't call her mom in front of Nova, but, she could tell just from looking at his face that he wasn't in his normal frame of mind.

"Shh, it's ok, it's all over for now. You were a good, brave boy."

Timmy shook his head, looking anxious and upset. "I squeezed you too hard…I hurt your wing…"

She had been so shocked when his heart stopped and devastated when she messed up that the pain in her left wing had completely escaped her mind. Just like before, Timmy had clung tightly to her in his pain. Piper had suggested putting restraints, but she had refused. She tried thinking of them as tight hugs; because she knew that in her agony he needed to be held and did not want him held down instead. Unfortunately, at one point his Fingers had dug into her wing and she had flinched, releasing a cry of her own. Even in his state of agony, Timmy got really pale and apologized in tears.

"That was an accident, sweetie. My wing is going to be fine. I've had far worst things happen to it over the years."

"Your not mad?"

"Of course not…" She poofed up a tissue and wiped his tear stained cheeks. She could feel Nova's eyes watching them, and perhaps she was being a little rude, not paying any attention to the 'guest' in her room, but Timmy came first. "I accidentally hurt you, too. Are you mad?"

"No." He tried to shake his head, but winced no doubt his neck was hurting—-she could still see it in her mind's eye, the horrors she had seen in that room of mirrors, the broken form of his little body, his neck at such an awful angle.

"Everything is ok, shh, don't worry about me."

"I don't know what made my mom stop loving me…I don't know when it started or what I did…you won't stop too, even if I accidentally hurt you again? I'll never do it on purpose, I swear….I'm sorry, I…." Timmy broke off into sniffles and she tried to calm him. Nova's voice entered her head now.

'The Stigmata's aggravation has led to a certain disarray in his mental state and a degree of instability in his emotions.'

She had already figured that it was something like that. Timmy was only expressing a fraction of the hurt he felt from the scar left on his tender heart by Mrs. Turner.

"I will always love you." She reassured, stroking his hair. "You're my one and only little blue-eyed angel."

He managed a smile and clung to her hand with both of his, closing his eyes. He looked so tired, but the shocks caused by his overdose of magical injection were keeping him from being able to drift off into slumber. She wished there was something she could do for him. She knew that the bath had helped last time, but with the constant tremors wracking his body, it was too risky. The gummy flavored medicine also had no effect on the constantly renewing pain caused by the shocks.

This was so much worst then a hurt wing. How could she of been so—unfocused, so…stupid!

"Don't beat yourself up over this, my dear." Nova consoled. "Others have made worse mistakes."

"Don't feel bad, Wanda…." Timmy opened his eyes, the warmth and sincerity in them clear despite their foggy state. "Your doing so much to make me feel better."

"Sweetie…."

"Your such a good boy." Nova praised. "And I have something that might help. We can't have you take a bath because your body is a tad too jittery for it to be safe, but—" Nova looked towards the jacuzzi.

Wanda peeked into the hot tub; it had seats for up to four people, and unllike normal jacuzzis there were some foam restrains for around the waist. That would allow Timmy to sit in the tub without his trembling causing him to slip under the water. She wondered if this tub was part of the room specifically to replace the bath in case this sort of accident happened during the treatment.

"Do you want to try it, sweetie?" She asked him, as she opened the closet and automatically the garment she had been seeking appeared in her hand; a pair of pink boys swim trunks.

Timmy nodded and she poofed them onto him and carried him over to the tub, strapping him in as Nova pressed a few buttons on the side, causing it to fill with a warm and very sweet smelling water.

Nova pressed some settings and grinned. "The bathtub is currently scanning your body and will customize the jets according to your exact requirements. There are audio and lighting options available too, if you'd like."

She could use this level of pampering herself, later on but for now it was enough to see Timmy start to relax, his expression softening as the pains in his body were soothed.

"Now, Wanda dear, a brief conversation and I'll allow you time to rest up." He led her over to the table where they had left the cage with Timmy's heart-soul. It looked upset and was looking towards Timmy, little bell like chimes indicated it was probably crying.

"What's wrong?" She leaned forward, concerned, wishing she could take it out and rock it in her hand, but doing that could just cause him to fly away or worse—try to get back inside of Timmy.

"It's connection to it's mind-soul is strong enough that it senses it's damage." Nova explained. "Wanda, I'm going to explain some proper soul-care to you, since your going to have to look after this little one."

Nova pointed at a bare wall and a door appeared, exactly the way it did when he had created the Snuggle & Cuddle room for Timmy. He waved for her to follow him in and to take the cage with her. She looked over at Timmy, concerned about leaving him alone in the room.

"Timmy, we won't be long and we'll just be in this room, so call if you need anything."

"Ok…."

"Here child, watch this. It's a video from Cosmo and Poof." Nova looked at her to offer an explanation. "Jorgen came while we were prepping Timmy for treatment. He did not seem thrilled about all the back and forth he's been doing, but it seems Jorgen might have a bit of a fondness for you all."

"Well, he did refer to Cosmo and I as being his closest friends once, but…it's a little hard to believe sometimes."

Especially with their most recent conversation….

"Aww, well, Jorgen is actually the kindest of the Von Strangles, believe it or not." Nova leaned in to whisper. "The entire Von Strangle family, except for Leonard, Hildegard aka Nana Boom Boom, and Jorgen, reside here in Fey World as the soldiers of our fair Fairy Queen."

"Fairy Queen?" Fairy world used to have Titania and Oberon but they had been poor rulers and had been reduced to powerless figureheads a long time ago, and that stunt they pulled awhile back had reduced them to even less than that.

"Oh yes, Fey world is enormous, since we can literally create landmass out of thin air." Nova chuckled. "But, how to put this….hmm, well, we like to be around those on the same wavelength, so we tend to segregate ourselves from those who do not have the same…values…as we do. It's really quite complicated and you might just say we're a little picky about the company we keep. For example, one of the core values of our group is that we do not allow any Fey who have experimented on or misused children. I could go into far more detail, but I doubt you're interested."

It was true that she had no interest or reason to learn about how Fey World was structured; hopefully Timmy's body would adjust to the treatment soon and they could leave…

Though it could be a good idea to learn a little more about the state of things, it might help her keep Timmy safe.

"I would not mind hearing more, perhaps later on."

Nova seemed to not have expected this, but seemed quite pleased with it. "I'd be happy to educate you, my dear, and little Timmy as well. Come along now, this won't take long."

She followed Nova into a moderately sized room that had been decorated like a nursery. He told her to sit the cage down on the floor and snapped his fingers. The cage grew to an enormous size, standing several times her height. The little soul inside, that would seem to be just a speck in the vast space if not for the magnifying glass amplifying its form, made a gleeful noise and fluttered around its increased space.

"Being confined to such a tiny area would make it depressed. Increasing the size of the cage won't affect its ability to contain the soul."

"But can't it slip through those spaces easily?" She pointed at the silver thread that was laced across the bars of the cage.

"A soul can't approach those threads too closely. Even with gaps, it can't get out. I doubt you would be aware of what soul-traps are used for, such barbaric things, really."

"I'm guessing to trap souls."

"Yes, yes, but what are the trapped souls used for?"

"Experiments, no doubt." She folded her arms around her midsection, feeling sick at the thought.

"Yes, but—not always. Sadly, keeping souls as a decorative pet is still fashionable in most parts of Fey world." Nova's expression turned dark. "None in our village, mind you, for all the souls here belong to our former Kinders or pet companions. We let their souls be free. The closest thing you'll find to a 'soul cage' here are those tiny houses you no doubt saw in the village. When a kinder passes away, those are constructed for the Mind-Soul to reside in, to remain close to their Fey families, but they are not trapped within and are free to come and go."

"I see…." She looked at the infant soul in sympathy, hating for it to be trapped.

"This is a special case where we are not left with much choice. It's for it's own safety, but, souls do need proper care, especially those that are trapped."

"How can I care for him?"

"Let me ask; are you good at sewing or crafting?" Nova asked and she frowned.

"I can poof up—"

"I mean by hand, my dear, no magic."

"W-well…I can knit. Why?"

"To keep a trapped soul happy, we can place some toys in the cage, and bedding, as well as little knick knacks. However, because it's a human soul, it won't want to get close to things conjured by magic. You can use magic to shrink the items so the soul can use them, but anymore magic then that will have it avoid them."

"Oh, I see….well, I can knit some blankets and toys…." She regretted never learning to sew or do hand crafts, but Cosmo was good at crafting things out of popsicle sticks. Maybe he could make some things?

"And souls do actually require food. They don't physically eat it, but they drain food of its vital essence. There are some countries on earth that have a tradition of feeding the dead, you no doubt heard of some?"

"I have…" The Mexican day of the dead, and the Chinese ghost festival came to mind.

"Here, the souls are of children who have undergone either the transformation into Kinder or a pet, and they can consume foods conjured by magic safely. We do not, however, want to feed this little one even a solitary crumb of anything conjured by magic." Nova's expression was serious as his tone grew stern to stress the importance of this. "You are what you eat goes double for souls; if this little one consumes even a speck of magic, it will alter them not just for this life but every future life it has."

"I see. What if—what if it somehow gets hold of something by accident?"

"A soul cannot consume anything not explicitly offered to them. You could even leave a giant cookie in the cage with it, but unless you tell the soul that it is meant for them, it will not be able to touch it. Also, Timmy himself will not be able to feed the soul as the soul is a part of him and all food offerings can only be made by another person."

"So I need to feed it some normal human food. How often?"

"I am no specialist in souls." Nova admitted. "I do know they need far less than a living person does, but I'm not sure if this little one still being attached to its living self will affect its need for substance. Aurilinde will be able to tell us more. For now, I'd ask Jorgen to bring some non perishable human foodstuff next time he comes."

"Will he be ok without food that long?" She watched the infant flutter around, happy about its increased space and the colorful surroundings.

"Oh yes, as I said, souls do not require much food, and this little one is showing no signs of starvation. Jorgen will be back soon enough. No need to be worried."

"Ok, is there anything else?"

"Do not let Timmy sleep in the same room as it. You've seen how it can influence him in his sleep. This room has a special barrier that will not allow this soul to influence anything outside of it. You can shrink the cage when you want to take the soul outside of the room, but always bring it back here. Speaking of which, I recommend taking it out at night for a walk around the garden, but never take it out during the day. Human souls hate sunlight, but they love moonlight."

She began taking notes. This was all very important, but she hated that the instructions she was getting sounded so similar to pet-care instructions….

"Souls like music, so play it some, or better yet, sing to it. Don't leave it alone too much, but also don't push too much attention onto it. Souls are a little like cats…if they want you around, they'll let you know."

"I see…." She looked at the infant soul, having fun flying around. It seemed to have no interest in them right now at all.

"Oh yes, Wanda I should give you a heads up. Interacting closely with a soul might trigger some—links—"

"What are links?" She asked, never having heard the term. Nova put up both hands defensively before answering.

"The process called Linking occurs when you and your anti self temporarily link minds."

"…! Being around a soul—it'll make me a fey!?" Her heart leapt, and she recalled Nova's earlier statement that he became a Fey without being aware of it.

"No, no, no." Nova shook his head with a reassuring smile. "While it is true that interacting with souls or having certain thoughts or feelings will trigger links; it won't be enough to cause you to merge with your anti-self. The more you link, the more the process may appeal to you, but it won't cause you to turn into a Fey without wanting to."

"…May I ask….?" She wasn't sure how to, but Nova understood and his smiled turned a little pained.

"It takes very deliberate actions to cause the uniting process to occur without your consent. It was after helping smuggle my 34th child into Fey world that I became a Fey. So you can see, a few powerful thoughts or feelings or even playing with a soul won't push you into becoming a Fey. The most that will happen is that you'll link, and the more you link might make you want to become a Fey, but it won't make you become a Fey."

"Were there no signs?" She questioned still a little nervous.

"There were plenty of signs that I was linking, but I chose to ignore them. Thoughts that's not yours entering into your head. Temporary changes to your likes or dislikes, or doing things abnormal for you are signs of linking. As I said, don't fear a few links, you have to really break the fairy world taboos to become a fey against your will."

"Could you…give me an example?"

"Does Fairy world still has that rule that if a godchild's human parents die and they have no relatives to care for them, that the godparents may take on human form and adopt them?"

"Y-yes..."

"It's a very tempting set up for many loving godparents. The child's memories will still be erased upon losing their godparents by breaking a rule or outgrowing them, but they will remember their adoptive parents and the adoptive parents can remain by their side acting as their guardians. They can even remain part of the grown child's life in order to continue playing their human role." Nova smiled, almost too sweetly. "That's why Da Rules added the rule about not killing your godchild's parents. Too many wanted to keep their godchild, you see…now if you broke that taboo, then yes, it could cause you to become a Fey."

He would have to pick that one as an example, wouldn't he? She thought a little bitterly...not that she'd ever go as far as murder, but...well, to be honest she would not be sad at this point if some misfortune were to befall Mr and Mrs Turner.

"You see, it would take something extreme to turn you into a Fey instantly—killing in order to claim a child, or killing a child, or irreparable alteration of a child through magic….as you can see, all extreme acts. Simply loving the child and claiming him as your own in your heart won't make you turn into a fey."

"….Ok." She nodded, feeling better.

"…But being a Fey isn't really a bad thing; if your family comes with you, there really is no downside."

"Nova."

"Ok, ok, I won't press the subject for now. You've been through a lot and you're tired." Nova relented. "Well, that covers all I needed to speak to you about, my dear. I'll leave you to your rest."

"Thank you, Nova." She told him, sincerely. She still hated the things he had done, and she did not fully trust him, but she was happy that he was here to reassure her and explain things. He beamed with a childlike smile that made her feel like Cosmo was in front of her.

She hoped her husband would be ok without her around and that he wasn't letting his guilt over what happened to Timmy eat away at him. She was angry with what he had done and the misfortune his carelessness had caused, and as much as she wanted him to change his bad ways, she did not want guilt and sorrow to be the things that changed him.

— Anti-Wanda—

"Cosie, y'all done arrived!" She sat up in bed, excited and relieved to see her husband. She had woken up not too long ago. Her little Foopie must have brought her to her bed. "Thank goodness! I ain't feelin' too good, and I done heard this strange voice inside my noggin', and…!"

"Yes, yes, my dear, no need to exert yourself. You'll be just fine." He sat on the bed next to her, and felt her forehead, brushing the swirl of her hair tenderly with his fingers. "It's quite likely you've been influenced by something your counter part did. There is nothing medically wrong with you."

"Oh well, that's a relief! I reckoned there was somethin' mighty bad goin' on, but good golly, I'm feelin' right weak."

"Just stay in bed and try to get some rest. I'm sure you'll feel better by tomorrow." He pushed her back down onto her pillow, stroking her arm.

"Shucks, I was plum excited 'bout them locusts comin' round. I sure don't wanna spend our anniversary cooped up in bed."

"Well, there is still plenty of fun that can be had in bed, isn't there?"

She blushed, putting her hands to her face, feeling girlish. "Oh, Cosie, you makin' me flush redder than a baboon's behind."

Her husband flinched, startled. "Wait, what I—I mean, I—!"

"Come here, you romantic stud, you—!" She caught him in her arms and snuggled against him, finding it adorable how he struggled to pull away.

"I thought you were feeling weak!?"

"Your love done set my heart to dancin' like a fiddlin' tune and brought me back to life, darlin'!"

Physically he was much stronger than her and if he really wanted to escape her arms she knew he could, this was just him being stubborn about showing his affection, but even if he resisted at first, her Cosie always made her feel safe and loved. She really couldn't imagine life without him and luckily, because anti-fairies were immortal, she would never have to. Even if they couldn't find each other for a little while, she knew he'd never disappear on her, just like she'd never disappear on him.

— Wanda's POV—

She laid down next to Timmy, who was sound asleep in bed. The hot tub had done wonders for him, and his tremors had almost stopped completely. The stigmata on his wrist had also faded a tiny bit, and when he woke up, she'd see to it that it faded even more.

She watched the television, where the tape of Cosmo and Poof was playing.

"It's good to see that the two of you are doing well!" Cosmo smiled, but his eyes looked nervous. No doubt he was worried she was angry with him. He looked well, Piper's medicine having cured all his injuries. Timmy must've been so relieved to see that.

"Poof, poof!" Her baby chimed. Her heart warmed at the sight of him; she wished he could be here with her, having both of her boys by her side…..

"I'm so sorry, Timmy, for everything! I promise I'm going to make it up to you and I'm going to work really hard at becoming a better godfather!"

"Poof!" Poof proudly declared that he'd help his dad study.

"Wanda, I'll accept any punishment you can dish out when you get back, so please forgive me!"

She sighed; she loved her husband, and she'd never hate him, but he would have to work hard to be forgiven for this one.

"Poof, poof, poof!" Poof told Timmy he was jealous that he got to play with all those fuzzy animals and that his soul was really cute.

"If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know, ok?" Cosmo seemed really anxious to prove himself.

"Hurry this up, I don't have all day!" Jorgen snapped, the camera shaking a bit.

"Oh, ok, uhh, well, I love you Wanda, Timmy! Please get better soon and be safe, ok?"

"Poof, poof!"

"Aww…I love you both too." She told the video as it signed off. She looked down at Timmy and stroked back his bangs, smiling at his sleeping face. "And I love you too…your all my precious family."

….Powerful emotions, and thoughts and caring for the infant soul might cause her to link with anti-Wanda, but, if Nova spoke the truth, that wasn't enough to cause her to become a Fey, but it would make her more acceptable of the idea of uniting with her other half.

She did not want to become a Fey. She did not want to leave Cosmo or Poof, her father, her uncles, her mother, not even her sister. Fairy World was her home, and she was still too appalled by the atrocities committed by Fey to ever want to become one. However…she wasn't willing to give up Timmy just to avoid the risks of 'linking' with anti-Wanda. She loved him, he was her son….her poor human son who needed a proper mother.

He needed her. He was the only godchild who had ever truly needed her and not just the magic she provided. Timmy loved her like a mom and she loved him like her son, and if these feelings and thoughts of hers meant risking becoming inclined towards the idea of becoming one of the Fey, well that was just going to be a risk she'd take.

"My little blue-eyed angel…" She smiled lovingly at his sweet slumbering face as she stroked his hair. "Your worth all the risks in the universe."

Authors note: Tatiana and Oberon appear in the Fairly Odd Parents game Shadow Showdown where the incident Wanda alludes to occurs.