Chapter 2: Baby Play

Wanda sighed, feeling down. She had enjoyed the week she had spent with her father and watching things being prepared for the upcoming Fairy Festival. Poof had fun bonding with his grandfather and watching him prepare the field for the Target Blasting Tournament. The big TBT was shaping up nicely. It was the biggest of the events. Though she never took part in it herself, it was mostly the male fairies who liked to show off in it.

It had been a great week; she spent time with her mother and had even tolerated her sister's company, too. Having her family gush about how cute Poof was always made her swell with pride.

…But while she was having fun, her eldest son had gotten so hurt. It made her feel terribly guilty, like she had let him down, even though Timmy hadn't said a word of reproach.

She normally got a sense when something was wrong with him. That she had failed to get it this time made her feel lacking as a mother..

…. Well, Godmother. She had to remind herself of that more and more often. Timmy was not her biological son. She had always known that, but in the past two years in had become harder to accept that reality.

It had been hard on Timmy at home lately. Shortly after he turned eleven, he was diagnosed with a learning disability and…his parents had not taken it well. In complete ignorance, they had blown the matter out of proportion and acted like a common and innocent enough disability was some great shame, and a fault on Timmy's part. As if he had something 'wrong with him' because of his own doing. They had reacted as if it was something shameful and mortifying and had refused to acknowledge any improvement he had made in school because of his medication, which they reluctantly gave whilst griping about the cost.

Their neglect intensified, and the subtle hints of inward resentment towards their son lost all subtlety.

The worst of it was that they did not even seem to realize how comments like this actually hurt Timmy and they'd occasionally remember to show him just enough love (always as an afterthought) that he was left with just enough hope to have it hurt whenever he was let down.

It was like they had his love on a Yo-Yo and it hurt her to watch them unintentionally play with his heart, bringing it up and down with every careless word or action.

She had thought to help him by giving him extra affection and motherly love, and…well, it got to where she could not help but think Mrs. Turner was fully unsuitable for the role.

She watched as Timmy read to Poof from a storybook, sitting next to his brother's crib. She was happy to have Timmy here in their castle, she just wished she could keep him here away from neglectful parents and abusive babysitters.

Even hurt, Timmy was such a perfect big brother to Poof. It was a little early for the baby's nap time, but her little one had cried so much over Timmy getting so badly hurt that he had exhausted himself.

Cosmo should have been the one reading to Poof now, really, since Timmy himself needed rest after all he had gone through but her husband had shut himself up in his room to instead tend to Philip, his stupid nickel which he treated with more care than his actual son and godson. She loved her husband, but she wished he'd get his priorities straight.

She was used to it, though; whenever she needed help with Poof, he'd either just make more of a mess or be nowhere to be seen. At least, though, she had Timmy to help her. Her eldest had really become so much more responsible in the last two years—perhaps in response to all the extra maternal affection she had been showering him with.

As Poof drifted off to sleep, she touched his shoulder with a smile.

"I think…now is the time you should get your rest, too."

He smiled back, a little shyly, knowing what she was implying that they should do. Their special little game of pretend. She poofed them into the guest room.

Well…she called it the guest room, but she had decorated it so much to his liking that he was the only guest it was ever intended for. No, she'd bring no one else here. This was the room that would belong to her eldest son, her blue-eyed boy, Timmy.

"Ok, Timmy, let's play the baby game. You can rest your mind, and relax, let everything become nice and simple, just let yourself be loved and taken care of by a mother who truly loves you." Wanda cooed. She wrapped her arms around her injured godchild, rocking him gently. Timmy closed his eyes with a soft smile.

She knew he sometimes worried that he was being childish or weird for liking this game so much, but she reassured him it was alright; that she did not think of him as being any of those things. She understood that sometimes it just felt nice to receive a mother's unconditional love and be treated like a precious treasure and not some unwanted burden. She knew how he felt. All her mother's love had always gone to Blonda.

She played with the boy's hair fondly, playfully teasing him with her wand as she bopped it lightly on his head. Would this tap be the spell, or the next? Maybe this one, no, the next?

She activated her magic now and tapped him again. His body relaxed in her arms as a warm feeling nestled over him. He had described the sensation of this transformation as a warm, cozy, almost hypnotic feeling of comfort. According to Timmy, different body transformations had different feelings; sometimes a gentle tingle, other times an uncomfortable tugging or pulling, sometimes something akin to a static shock, or even so subtle, he did not even notice. She was not sure of what caused the feelings experienced to differ, but she was glad that the one he felt whenever they played what she termed "the baby game" was such a peaceful one.

The baby game…a whim when Poof went to school for the first time and she suffered baby-separation blues. Timmy had reminded her she still had him and that 'I'm not a baby but—' only to have baby clothes poofed onto him. He had resisted the efforts but with just enough of a hint of actually somewhat liking the attention that she had gotten it into her head to de-age his mind—-which was why he had been walking around sucking a pacifier when they had gone to pick up Poof.

When he had been returned to normal—he actually seemed to be a little happier than usual and without ever actually having a discussion about it, "play baby" became a regular game between the two of them.

Cosmo, however, hadn't liked it. He had been on board the first time because he had thought it was funny, but when it became a regular thing, he had called it creepy or weird.

She looked down at her godson, who was now completely de-aged, his mind and his body now in a completely infantile state. Since this was not a wish, but a game played by her own will, there was no need for him to speak, to wish himself back.

Wanda smiled down at her baby-blue eyes, as she thought, baby-Timmy had cried almost immediately after his mind had gone 'baby', in response to all the pain he was in.

"There, there, let it all out." She rocked him. To Wanda, this was a form of therapy she liked to give to Timmy; it helped with his stress, his anxiety, his depression. It had all started as a simple whim that one day, but it gave her a grasp of understanding she hadn't previously had on the boy—as if she had found out the heart of the problems he had, and the reason for his occasional misbehavior.

To make sure she hadn't been wrong, she had done it to him again; when he didn't want to watch a baby show (that was admittedly mind numbing for a ten year old) with Poof. She had zapped him down to baby size and made him as mentally young as his body. Poof had a great time having his god brother the same age as him, and sometimes would ask her to do it; but of course, except that one time, she'd always ask Timmy for permission, but he obliged 99% of the time.

There really was nothing sweeter than to see her two boys, both as babies, playing together. It was also a way to stop Cosmo's ridicule of the 'baby game', by pretending it was just to give Poof a playmate his own age. It was a game that was good for both of her boys. Poof got to play with another baby and Timmy got some of his emotional wounds healed.

Timmy—-he was just a lonely child wanting to feel loved. He craved the affection that he had never gotten as a young child. He wanted the same unconditional love, care and adoration that he saw other children receive; what he saw Poof receive, but was at such an age that asking for it directly was too embarrassing. Not that the Turners would ever give it to him. They might spare a few moments to say, "We love you, Tommy!" before prancing out the door and leaving him to Vicky.

…. That was why he sought the maternal affection he craved from her. She was happy to oblige. Timmy was—-well, he was special. He had always been a special boy to her, but even more so in recent years. After all, what other god child had loved her so much that they'd freeze time for fifty years and continue enduring neglect and physical, verbal and emotional abuse just to stay with her? Ok, it was bad to have done that, but—how could she help but feel flattered? To Timmy, they weren't just playmates who gave him what he wanted all the time. He had even said he did not care if he never got to make wishes again, he just wanted to be with them. They were not just fairies to him; they were family. To Timmy, she was not a godmother but an actual mother, and not just the 'nagging half' of a wish granting playmate. He loved them, not the wishes. No other godchild had ever loved their fairies that much. To receive that much love from a human child was a treasure no other godparent had ever experienced. It made her feel more fulfilled than the combined total of all her years spent as a godmother.

"Wanda...?" Cosmo poked his head into the guest room, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked over her shoulder at him and saw him make an uncomfortable face. "...You've been doing that more and more often lately...is it really a good idea to...? I mean... it's getting a little… on the…. weird side…"

"It's not weird. Besides, Timmy likes it and I enjoy it, too." She patted the crying infant, whose sobs had quieted down to a slight sniffle. She took a long look at her husband and noticed that he was looking really pale in the face. "Cosmo, are you alright?"

"Alright? How can I be alright!? I killed our godchild!"

"You didn't kill him, Cosmo. Accidents can happen quickly. Jorgen could name off all those solutions because he was in a situation where he could think calmly and rationally." She comforted him; honestly, she was sure that she could have saved Timmy had she been there but thinking was not her husband's strong suit.

"I... I just... did not want something like that to happen. This was the first time in a while that Timmy and I spent any alone time together and...I... I messed everything up!" Cosmo bit his lip, looking away. She felt a pang of pain, seeing her other half in such agony over what had happened, and was surprised at how hard he was taking it.

"It's not like you to linger on things, Cosmo..." She went over to him, cradling Timmy in one arm as she placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. Cosmo stared at the baby version of their godson she held with a miserable expression.

"... It was a terrible week, you know?"

"Did you not have a good time, at least before the accident? You and Timmy did not get into a spat, did you?" She asked worriedly, but he shook his head and smiled in a way that was not happy at all.

"No. Timmy behaved like your good little boy." Cosmo came close to rolling his eyes. "He said he did not want to make any trouble and ruin your visit with your father. He said he wanted you to feel comfortable leaving us alone so you can do the things that are important to you; like visiting family."

"Aww, he's become soo sweet! Responsible, thoughtful... a little angel!" She gushed, tickling the baby in her arms, making him coo lightly despite the pain he was in. Ever since she began giving him so much attention and affection, he had become such a good boy. He was so much more responsible, more focused on studying... he still had a few immature tendencies, but his faults had evened out and minimized to where they had become endearing quirks. She knew he was putting in all the extra effort to please her in order to show just how much he appreciated all her pampering. Children were like flowers, a little love was all they needed to grow into beautiful blossoms. She was so proud of the job she had done with him. Her little Timmy was her greatest success story; he had gone from being a dandelion to becoming a sunflower all because of her love and affection.

She stopped inwardly praising her parenting skills, however, when she saw the depressed look grow on her husband's face. "And... what was wrong with that?"

"He didn't use to be...like that. He used to be just as big as a goof as I was; but... I guess lately he's been much more reliable than me. I can't help but feel like an outgrown toy when he doesn't want to goof off and misbehave."

"Oh, you shouldn't have been encouraging goofing off and misbehaving in the first place." She chided him. "And I think you're reading too much into it; Timmy loves you. He likes to play those video games, and he still wishes up those crazy stunts time to time."

"Not nearly as much as he used to. Anyway... I was hoping this week we could really bond, but... we didn't. I mean, we played and stuff, but...it felt off. It did not feel like before..."

"You don't think he's begun to ween off magic, do you?" Wanda asked, feeling her chest tighten with dread. According to what she had learned in that whole running away into the TV fiasco, they should still of had five, nearly six years left! Cosmo laughed ruefully. She hadn't heard him laugh like that before. It was unnerving.

"No, I think he needs you now more than he did when we first came into his life; but me...? Not so much."

"Cosmo, don't think like that. Come on..." She held Timmy out to him, and he looked at the baby version of their godchild with a raised brow. "Go on, take him."

He slowly obeyed, taking the baby in his arms. "Now what?"

"Look, he smiled up at you. Even if he might not enjoy the same immature games, he still loves you. Babies are very honest about their emotions, you know, so no more fretting over such silly things. He loves you just as much as me. We're both his godparents who he treasures so much."

"...I was...curious...you know, so I...I used magic to make him tell me something..." Cosmo seemed to ignore her words and glanced away from both her and Timmy.

"Cosmo, you're not supposed to do that!" She scolded, but was curious. "... What did you want to know so bad, you'd risk having Jorgen come to lecture you?"

"..." He pouted, like a disappointed child. "Which one of us was his favorite."

"Cosmo, that was really childish!" She lectured and then couldn't help herself. "What did he say?"

"You really need to ask? You, of course."

She cheered a little, feeling ecstatic; every single one of their past godchildren had all liked Cosmo best, so she was overjoyed that she had finally gotten one god kid to favor her, and that it was Timmy made her feel especially happy; though she tried to tone it down because of how crestfallen Cosmo seemed about it.

"Well, you shouldn't ask questions you do not want the answer to, and just because I'm his favorite doesn't mean he doesn't love you." She still felt giddy and jokingly poofed the words "Favorite" onto her shirt in the same way he used to gloat when past godchildren had admitted to favoring him. Cosmo's response was to hand Timmy back to her and cross his arms with a childish pout.

"Oh, don't be a sore loser."

'I'm not being a sore loser. I can handle not being first, but it feels like there's an enormous distance between first and second... or is it third? I did not ask, but I think Poof is above me, too."

"Does it really matter?" She felt herself becoming irritated. She had thought that Cosmo was bothered because of Timmy's injury, but it instead seemed that he was really just upset that he found out Timmy liked her best.

"... No, it's just... Wanda, am I a terrible godfather? Or a useless one? I couldn't think of anything special to do with Timmy even though we had an entire week together and then... then... I—!" He shook, tears stinging his eyes. "Oh, Wanda—-the look on his face, was so shocked! It's like he did not even have time to know what hit him! There was so much blood…he looked so pitiful…so broken….! He looked like a torn up doll…and I kept thinking…this isn't Timmy…this can't be Timmy…!"

When Cosmo broke down crying, her irritation vanished in an instant. Her husband was not the most articulate person, but she now understood what this was all about.

He wasn't upset because Timmy liked her better. He was upset because he felt like he was a failure of a godfather.

"There, there, come over to the bed. Tell me all about it."

"No, it'll hurt you too much."

"Cosmo!"

"O-ok...Ok...well I...the truth is...I...I was practicing my shooting, you know for the big TBT, and I..." He stopped talking in order to stare at her and then at Timmy who she affectionately cradled in her arms. He reached out his hand to rub the baby under the chin, tears brimming in his eyes. She watched as he opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Cosmo…. speak to me. Please?"

"... I heard him fall." Cosmo murmured, face turned away. "The reason I wasn't unable to stop it was because I got frustrated with him for talking about how 'quiet and lonely' it was without you and Poof. I was trying my best to have quality time with him, but he just spoke about missing the two of you. I got annoyed with him and told him I needed some privacy to focus on my shots. Then Vicky showed up to babysit and..."

"You couldn't stop the accident because you had taken an immature tantrum and behaved younger than your godchild." Wanda had intended to comfort him, but this bit of information had angered her. What had happened to Timmy had been no slight hiccup. They could have lost him forever. If that chainsaw had damaged his heart past 50% then the revival magic would not have worked. If Cosmo hadn't reacted before a minute was up, the revival could have failed. When she thought about that could haves, and the tears the boy had shed because of his pain, she could not help but become angry.

"Please don't hate me!" Cosmo begged desperately and she took a deep breath in order to calm down.

"I could never hate you, I love you, but—-think about how much Timmy is suffering right now! You know how dangerous Vicky is. You should have known you had to keep an eye out."

"I know, I was a stupid idiot!" Cosmo smacked the sides of his head with his fists, tears made waterfalls on his face. "I heard him cry out; it was just a tiny little half cry, like he hadn't even had time to finish yelling. I went to look and... oh, Wanda, it was awful! There was blood everywhere...! I got it all over me when I picked him up. His head dangled at such a weird angle, his eyes were so empty, but the worst was that look of surprise on his face—just half-way there, like he hadn't even had time to realize what was happening before he—-! I picked up his foot...it was so light not attached to his leg..."

She couldn't help it. Her own tears she had been holding back broke free, and she sobbed at the mental image coming to mind. She squeezed the baby close to her, wishing she could keep him this way, safe and sound, in her arms. Cosmo turned pale and put his head down, hiding his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have...you care about him so much. This is too painful for you…"

"No...no, keep telling me, I need to know, we're both his godparents, so we should share this pain."

"... The revival almost failed." Cosmo continued gloomily. "... I barely made the limit. For a while, when he did not wake...I thought I missed it, but...when he did wake up...he was so traumatized, crying and screaming...like he'd been attacked by a monster...I couldn't comfort him, I had to wipe his memory...and then...he took a seizure a few hours later and I couldn't do anything...I failed to prevent him from being hurt twice in one night. No wonder Timmy thinks I'm useless."

"He does not think that."

"Yes, he does."

"Did he say that to you?"

"No, but he doesn't need me for anything anymore. I couldn't even get him to eat breakfast, but you, you got him to finish almost the entire bowl. I can't even do something as simple as that for him."

"Cosmo, you were the one who revived him. You sat with him all night once he took his seizure, didn't you? I can tell by the bags under your eyes that you did not sleep a wink."

Cosmo looked sullen and reached out his hand, touching the boy's chest with a guilt-ridden face. "...All night he was moaning in pain, and crying out in his sleep. I stayed by his side to make sure he didn't have another seizure, but I couldn't do anything about the pain. This morning he woke up and when he started crying I panicked. All I could do was tell him you'd be back soon."

"Well, you just leave him to me, alright?" She told him reassuringly. "You just calm down and be ready to play with him once he feels better."

"..." Cosmo removed his hand from Timmy's chest and hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but then shook his head and did his best to give her a smile. "Yeah... I'll think of some fun games for us to play... I can at least be a good playmate if nothing else…"

"Oh, Cosmo…" Wanda watched her husband leave the room, dragging his feet, depressed. She sat down on the bed, rocking Timmy in her arms. Despite the pain he was in, he was dozing off. If nothing else, she'd like to usher him off to sweet dreams, off to a happy, safe place where nothing and no one could hurt him.

"I bet your human mother never rocked you in her arms like this…" She commented, more to herself than to him. She was sure that Mrs Turner did love her son in some small way, but only because he was her son. She loved him because that was what was expected of her.

Unlike Wanda, who loved him far more than his neglectful human mother ever would. She felt guilt every time she reassured Timmy that his parents loved him. In the beginning, she had believed it, but the more she saw, the more she had realized that their love was a reluctant one. Mr and Mrs Turner had never wanted to become parents and when they had, they had put their hopes on having a daughter. That his parents had met his birth with disappointment made her hurt and furious. She realized their neglect was not from overwork but from passive, aggressively punishing Timmy for both his existence and for having come into the world as the wrong gender. Add his recently diagnosed learning disability to the mix and the Turner's looked as if they couldn't wait to kick him out the door the moment he turned 18. Heck, hadn't they been ready to sign him up for Crocker's military school in order to rent out his room when he was still just ten?

…. And when that day came, when his human parents left him to fend for himself, she wouldn't even be able to be there. She'd be forced to leave him at exactly the time he'd probably need her most.

She mournfully stroked Timmy's hair, staring into his sweet innocent face longingly.

"I really, really wish there was a way I could just keep you forever…."