Chapter 34: Jeweled Emotion

— Wanda POV —

The sterile and clinical room where she administered the Magical-Filter-Cycle almost felt as if it were closing in on her, the stress of the moment was suffocating, and the tension in her body made her feel like she had live electrical wires under her skin.

Timmy's labored breathing completely drowned the noises of various monitors, and even her own breath and heartbeat out as he tried his best to endure the unbearable.

The sound pierced her heart, as it served as a constant reminder of the pain she was inflicting upon him. His writhing became more pronounced, his body contorting in agony as she performed the second injection of 1.5MJ (magic jolts) into his Root point, and she wished with every fiber of her being that she could bear his suffering instead.

The tears streaming down Timmy's cheeks mirrored her own, a shared anguish that connected them during this ordeal. She was performing the treatment that would save his life, but she was also the one causing him all this torment.

She yearned for the time when his body would finally adapt to the magic, when the excruciating pain would begin to subside. Watching his struggle now made it hard to believe that this treatment was supposed to eventually become a pleasurable sensation.

How long would it take for them to reach that stage? Days? Weeks? Months? The uncertainty gnawed at her. She did not know just how much more pain her poor boy could withstand.

"Shh, hang in there little one, try to calm your breathing…." Nova spoke to him gently, holding his hand while she focused on performing the magical injections.

Already Timmy's physical pain seemed to have overcome him. His once vibrant complexion now resembled porcelain, contrasting sharply against the stark white sheets, and his small body trembled uncontrollably. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, tracing a path down his temples and disappearing into the creases of his brow. His bangs were stuck haphazardly to his forehead, the damp strands clinging to his clammy skin and the magical garments he wore were damp with sweat clinging to his skinny frame, making him appear even thinner than usual.

Nova took out a handkerchief, wiping his brow, a single swipe being enough to significantly dampen the cloth. He had broken out into a profuse sweat before, but never to this extent—she felt that if it persisted like this, he'd become completely dehydrated by the end of the treatment. Was it because he still had a slight fever from Mab's kiss? He didn't feel hot, though; instead, his entire body felt cold and clammy.

The room was permeated with the acrid scent of his perspiration, assaulting the nostrils. However, mingling with it was an additional odor—a faintly putrid stench emanating from his breath. It carried an oily, fleshy aroma, reminiscent of decomposing raw meat left to rot under the scorching sun.

'What's that smell…?' Concerned about it, she questioned Nova telepathically. He met her eyes. He did not reply to her, but his expression confirmed that he smelt it too, but that he also did not know what it was.

Maybe if Piper was here, she'd know, but she had not returned. Nova said it would be an excellent opportunity for her to get the experience she would need for when the time came when she'd have to perform this treatment alone, but she still wished Piper had come. The woman might have been rude, and often had an insult ready for her, but she knew what she was doing. If Timmy's heart stopped again…or something else went wrong, Piper would know what to do about it. Having her not be here made her feel vulnerable and paranoid; that if she made even the smallest of mistakes that Timmy could perish.

'No, don't think like that!' She scolded herself. 'Timmy needs me to be strong and brave for him. Don't think about failing him, think about saving him.'

"…Mo—mom….." Timmy groaned, his voice hitching as he tried to reach for her hand.

"Timmy, you're doing good, sweetie." She encouraged him and took hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The touch of Timmy's limp hand in hers caused the conflicted emotions of compassion, guilt and frustration to whirl around inside of her.

Timmy always sought comfort in her hugs during his treatments. Grabbing onto her had helped him endure some of the pain. Her arms had given him comfort. It was true that in his pain, he could not control his strength and sometimes lacked awareness of just where his hands were. As a result, she had suffered bruises, sprained ribs and even an injured wing—but she had not minded. If clinging to her helped him to endure the pain, even if by a little, then it was worth it.

However, this time Piper had given him a powerful muscle relaxant in the incense, rendering him unable to do anything but lie there writhing weakly in his agony.

While this was a safer option for her, she couldn't shake the feeling that his pain was exacerbated by his inability to move freely. Nova tried to reassure her that the muscle relaxant was effectively reducing his pain, but she couldn't help but think that the poor boy needed the comforting embrace of a mother.

"Mom….!" He wheezed through a choked sob as she placed her wand on his throat.

"Take a deep breath." Nova instructed gently. He was holding Timmy's other hand, tears in his eyes. As much as his views clashed with hers, there was no denying that he really did seem to genuinely care about Timmy and hated seeing him in pain. "Squeeze my hand and grit your teeth…"

Timmy complied, inhaling a tremulous breath that was part sob. He gripped Nova's and her hand as tightly as he could, but the relaxant had made his grip so feeble that it was pitiful. She clutched his hand back with her free hand and steadied her hold on her wand with the other. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying not to cry herself as she injected 2.27MJ into the third injection spot; it was half over now….

"Aah…haa…..haa…!" Timmy cried out, his voice hitching, his body spasming. His eyes widened with alarm and his breathing turned strange—before she could comprehend what was happening, Nova reacted with a quickness born of experience and lifted Timmy into a sitting position, pushing his weak body into her arms to hold him steady as he pushed Timmy's head down and then wrapped his arms around his stomach and pushed hard. After two pushes, Timmy coughed up something that looked like a hard purplish gumball that looked like it was made from slime and magical vomit; with something that looked like pulsating red blood vessels running through it. The unpleasant smell that had been coming from his breath left, but she could smell it strongly coming from that nauseating object instead.

Timmy now threw up a combination of water, a little bit of blood and mucus, shuddering several times before his body finally began to relax as his breathing came under control.

"Ugh…! What is that?!" She asked him in alarm and disgust as Nova poofed the object into a steel medical container; probably to show Piper later. He used his magic to send the container to the desk on the other side of the room, but even at that distance, she could still smell it.

"Not now, my dear. We don't have time for questions. Ready the next injection!" Nova scolded. He was right. The time Timmy took to throw up that weird thing had already pushed the limits on how long they could wait between injections.

"Right!" She placed her wand on the sacral point and Timmy whimpered, his cheeks turning as red as they always did. She did hate that this spot felt invasive to him, but it couldn't be helped. The injections had to be made in the location of the star points and there was no changing where they were placed. Nova held Timmy's shoulders so he could remain sitting up, in case he threw up again and, almost like a little puppy seeking affection, Timmy buried his head into her shoulder with a whimper that could break her heart.

She used her free hand to stroke the back of his head as she injected 9.36MJ into the star point. Timmy screamed out in pain, and Nova hugged him from behind, trying to comfort him whilst she nuzzled her head against him affectionately.

"Hang in there, sweetie. You can do it, you're my brave boy. You can do this." She reassured him, trying to keep the tears out of her voice so that she could sound strong for him.

"Timmy, before we need to do the next point; tell me, how are you feeling? Can you breathe well? Is there any unusual pain?" Nova questioned, taking a concerned glance at that unknown object in the steel dish.

Timmy tried to speak, but his body was in so much pain that his attempts at doing so failed, being choked out by tears, but he managed to make a little thumbs up gesture, which probably meant that there was nothing amiss.

"Ok…we're going to leave you in a sitting up position just in case. We don't want you to choke." Nova told him gently, speaking without his usual penchant for big words. He hugged him tight to give him support, something she wished she could do, but she needed at least one hand free to do the treatments.

Timmy sniffled and leaned his head back, knowing that the next star point was located right between his two eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he gave her a pitiful look but tried his best to give her a brave smile, which she did her best to return; but his attempt at smiling had only made him look all that more tragic. She cupped the side of his face affectionately and placed her wand on the little indigo star. Timmy squeezed his eyes closed and clenched his teeth in anticipation.

"Nnnnnngh!" His eyes flew open, his body taking spasms that, if not for the muscle relaxant, would have been quite violent. He put his head down and threw up again; this time in a way that was normal for a human. Her eyes searched it, but there were no signs of the same strange object from before. Timmy's body began shaking, as if ice water had been dumped onto him and then he went limp, falling against Nova heavily, but his eyes remained open and blinking, his tongue hanging out a little as he panted for breath.

"Timmy, are you ok?" She leaned forward anxiously.

"…Ice….I feel like….ice is in my veins….!" His words were punctuated by ragged gasps for air, each breath a struggle against the freezing grasp tightening around him. "Cold! S-so c-cold!"

She reached out, placing a hand on his trembling shoulder, hoping to offer some small comfort to him. She could see the fear in his eyes, the panic as he struggled to catch his breath. It was as if his entire being was being consumed by an icy grip that seemed to suffocate him from within. Sadly, her touch couldn't thaw the frozen torment that had taken hold of him.

Every time before, he had complained of a burning in his veins and breath, like acid—but now, things had done a 180 and left him freezing rather than burning. Had something else gone wrong? First that excessive sweating, then throwing up that foul smelling lump of whatever it was, and now this! Why had Piper chosen this time to be absent!?

"Nova…?" She asked shakily, hoping he could provide an explanation this time, and he gave her a gentle smile in reassurance before speaking gently to Timmy, stroking his hair in a soothing gesture of comfort.

"Don't either of you worry; that it has turned cold is actually a fantastic thing. I know, I know, it does not feel that way right now, but it really is a great sign." Nova's words halted her fears before they consumed her thoughts. "When the sensation shifts from hot to cold, it signifies the conclusion of the first stage of the treatment. Henceforth, the intensity of pain experienced during each treatment will decrease gradually." He gave Timmy an encouraging smile. "It'll take a while longer, but eventually it won't hurt anymore."

"Ah…" Timmy looked relieved even as tears flowed down his cheeks. She was glad to hear it—even if it was just by a little, if his pain would be less from now on, that was something to be happy about.

"Wanda dear, we need to move on to the next point. Quickly now." Nova's tone was kind even as he rushed her forward; after all, they couldn't wait too long between injections—this was no time to pause for a conversation.

"Ok, last point—and then it'll be over for many, many hours. Be strong, ok? You can get through this." She reassured and Timmy nodded, trying his best to look brave for her. He leaned against her; shivering with both cold and fear. She wrapped an arm around him, holding him securely close, and Nova rubbed his back soothingly as she placed her wand on the final point, the little white star on the top of his head and sent the final 12.01MJ of magic into him.

He emitted a high-pitched squeak, reminiscent of an animal rather than a human, causing a surge of panic within her. His body stiffened abruptly in her embrace, as if he had turned into ice. She momentarily feared that he had frozen solid. Suddenly, his body went completely limp, and he collapsed backwards. With her arm still encircling him, she managed to maintain him in a seated position. His head hung back, drooping like a lifeless rag doll, and Nova was quick to support his neck, not wanting the already painful area to become sprained.

"Timmy, are you alright?" She asked, but although his eyes remained open, there was no trace of consciousness in his vacant gaze, and he failed to answer.

He was breathing, though, and the unnatural coldness that had overcome his body during the treatment was gradually fading. It was not unusual for Timmy to faint after these treatments; the pain was so severe, but this was the first time he had lost consciousness with his eyes still opened, but at least his heart hadn't stopped this time; if that had happened again, she feared her nerves might have snapped.

"The level of agony that this poor boy must be enduring is unimaginable." Nova sounded choked up as he brushed Timmy's bangs out of his eyes. "Rest assured that the difficulty will begin to decrease from this moment onward. The pain will not completely subside immediately, nonetheless, it will gradually become more manageable for him."

"Even this treatment went a little easier, I think…." She tried to be positive; compared to his first treatment, and the one where his heart had stopped—this had gone much better, except for….

She glanced over at the metal dish where the bad smelling lump had been placed and Nova followed her gaze and shook his head apologetically.

"This is an occurrence I have not encountered before, so I'm afraid I cannot provide any insights into what it is or what may have caused it."

"I see…." She looked at the object uneasily. She hoped that it wasn't yet another thing that would make this situation even harder on Timmy than it already was.

"Perhaps Piper will be able to clarify what it is and why it happened." Nova consoled her, taking his own uneasy glance at the object.

"Yeah, sure, I can do that easy."

She cried out in surprise as Piper suddenly appeared into the room, hoisting herself up on her desk, using it as chair, despite there being an actual chair readily available. "What, did you think I'd just blow off attending to his treatment because I was in a shit-mood? Please, I was watching from another room in case an emergency happened."

"I should have been better aware that you would not abandon your priorities even under such stressful circumstances." Nova spoke apologetically as he flashed Piper a smile laced with both gratitude and sympathy.

Throughout the treatment, her anxiety was heightened by Piper's absence, yet she found herself withholding criticism, comforted by the knowledge that Piper had been attentively overseeing the situation, ready to intervene if necessary. Additionally, the recent news that Piper had received about her mother tempered any feelings of anger towards the doctor for not being physically present during the procedure. Perhaps she had stayed away because she had felt that her presence may have distracted her during the treatment. If that was the case, she'd have to agree that she had done the right thing, and she was grateful that she had considered what was best for Timmy's wellbeing even after receiving such terrible news of her own.

"Nah, it's fine." Piper reassured Nova with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I took a tantrum, I admit it. Heck, I even feel bad about how I treated Jorgen—well, just by a little bit." She stuck her tongue out jokingly, but the smile failed to reach her eyes. "Anyway, have the kid sniff some smelling salts and I'll explain what that little flesh-marble over there is."

Piper casually pointed her thumb towards the smelly, disgusting object residing in the metal container. Since she displayed no concern or alarm, Wanda reluctantly interpreted this as a positive sign. Deep down, she couldn't fathom how the existence of such an abhorrent thing could possibly be anything but bad.

Nova lifted Timmy's head carefully, and poofed up some smelling salts, which caused Timmy to stir after only a few moments. Timmy grimaced, awaken by the strong, unpleasant smell—but honestly, she'd rather have the scent of the salts than that weird lump of flesh Timmy had thrown up.

"Here, drink this." Nova gave him some more of that gummy bear flavored medicine; a pain killer so potent and necessary to relieve his suffering after treatments that even the not very compassionate Piper was willing to give her some to take home with her. Timmy gulped it down with a desperation so pitiful that it hurt to watch. The amount of pain his body must be in after these treatments was something she couldn't even begin to guess at.

"You good, kiddo?" Piper questioned as she pulled on a pair of gloves pulling at them so that they made a very audible snap. Instead of being the standard white of normal latex gloves, these were a mint color and covered with a gingerbread cookie pattern.

Timmy gave a weak nod, looking utterly exhausted, and laid down on the bed, which with a wave of her hand, Piper elevated the area where his head rested so he could sit comfortably propped up by the pillows.

She sat next to Timmy, while Nova continued to float near; his eyes looked at Piper with concern for how she was doing after the bad news she got, but he apparently decided that it would be best to let her bring up the subject of her mother on her own—for he asked no questions.

Piper appeared completely focused on Timmy's condition at the moment, but the sullen look in her eyes served as a constant reminder that something was amiss. She didn't know Piper as well as her father-in-law did, but she sensed that asking if she was okay would not be appreciated. Taking a cue from Nova, she refrained from asking any questions or offering any words of comfort that Piper would probably just end up interpreting as empty platitudes.

The Fey doctor brought the metal dish over to them and sat down on the end of Timmy's hospital bed. Timmy, whose pain during the treatment had left him senseless during it, furrowed his brows in confusion at the object, likely having no recollection that he had been the one to vomit it up.

"Ew, that looks gross! What is it?" He asked, crinkling up his nose.

"A little bit of 'waste' material that was inside you." Piper answered, throwing the small, smelly object up in the air like a ball and catching it. Timmy grimaced, making a face of pure repulsion.

"That…was inside…me…?" His gag reflex kicked in, but fortunately, nothing came up. She did not blame him for looking so disgusted; she'd have the same look on her face if that thing had been inside of her. Why couldn't Piper have just told them what it was rather than bring it over for them to see up close?

"This here can form for one of two reasons." Piper squeezed the object and an oozing jell like liquid seeped out of it; it was sparkly, but the color was reminiscent of puss, making it just as revolting as the rest of it. "It's filled to the brim with waste fluid, which is a sign it formed because both reasons came into play."

"Is it something concerning, Piper?" Nova asked. He sounded almost as impatient as she was to learn the cause of it.

"Nah, not really—well…" Piper paused for a moment as though to consider the situation. "That might not be accurate; it would be worse under different circumstances, I guess, ah, well, I'll just get right into the nitty-gritty and not keep everyone in suspense."

She had to admit, sometimes she did appreciate Piper's direct approach, even if she often lacked tact in her delivery.

"Well, you see, usually the one to perform the Magical Filter Cycle is the same person who used the revival magic, but since Cosmos's ability at control and his focus is so bad, we decided to use you instead." Piper stated bluntly. "Jorgen's letter he sent to us explaining that a new kid was coming for treatment informed us of those details—Nova was disappointed. He was hoping to see his son."

"I did not say I was disappointed." Nova corrected sheepishly. "The specific verbiage I utilized was, 'While I harbor a wish to behold my son, I grasp the rationale for his non-dispatch, considering the narratives I have been privy to. I will be nevertheless pleased to meet my dearest daughter-in-law and the delightfully infamous Timmy Turner.' That was what I said."

She did not care if Nova had been disappointed to hear she was coming instead of Cosmo; it made perfect sense. After all, if she was in Nova's situation and had to leave Poof when he was a baby, she'd vastly prefer being reunited with Poof than meeting his spouse.

"So, does this happen when the one to perform the revival magic and the magical filter cycle differ?" She asked, caring much more about the subject at hand rather than how Nova had felt upon hearing about her arrival. She really hoped that strange object had formed for no other reason than a trivial thing like that and that it would do no harm.

"Not always; but it will happen…if…" Piper glanced at Nova and scrunched up her face a bit. "Well, delicacy isn't my strong suit, so don't get offended. I'm not actually trying to be insulting, there's just no nice way to really say it."

She braced herself, not knowing where she was going with this. For Piper to look apologetic and hesitant to say something—it really had to be something bad, but…her gaze seemed to rest on her, rather than on Timmy.

"Green fairies are known for their immense power. They only ever show up in Pure-Bloodlines. What about your family?" Piper asked bluntly but with a voice softer than the one she normally used and Nova began to mess with his glasses, looking very uncomfortable with this turn of conversation. It seemed even in Fey world asking someone the details of their ancestry was considered incredibly rude.

She might have balked at this topic if Piper hadn't warned her beforehand that she was going to be blunt, and if it hadn't to do with Timmy's treatment. If finding out why he threw up that awful little object meant having an uncomfortable conversation, then so be it.

"I know many fairies prefer to conceal any traces of human ancestry in their bloodline and some pure blood lines can be pretty damn snooty over it. However, it's pretty easy to spot those with bits of human in them." Piper sighed and held up her fingers, counting down the ways. "Fairies whose hair and eye color don't perfectly align or those who possess human-like hair or eye color. Fairies with human nationalities, fairies who are taller than normal, ones who lack wings, etc."

"Well, yes…my father, mother and sister all have human hair colors….and my family is quite proud of their Italian heritage…" She spoke without shame. Her family had never tried to hide it or found any shame in it—Her grandmother, known affectionately as Nana Cadabra, had nine humans scattered across her bloodline, and her Grandpa Capone Fairywinkle had at least twelve. Her mother had come from the Enchantelune family, a bloodline that was not at all shy of its Paris roots, and had seven humans amongst their family tree. Three stands of her heritage all contained a human element, and it was not something she considered disgraceful in the least.

Timmy looked up at her with a look of surprise on his face and she gave him a lopsided smile, pinching his cheek.

"Don't look so shocked; you do remember that time when Cosmo poofed us both into space without helmets, right? He was fine, but I was suffocating right alongside you."

"I remember that but…." Timmy's brows furrowed. "When you both took on human form so you could go to my parent teacher meeting, you were surprised about having to breathe…"

"My exact words were 'all the time'." She corrected. "I need to breathe much less often than a human does, but I do still require oxygen."

"Even pure blooded fairies and we Fey will breath sometimes if we're overexcited, tired or agitated, but as an emotional response rather than an actual need for breath." Nova added, trying to be helpful. She could tell by his tone that he feared she felt self-conscious over talking about this. She shook her head at him politely, letting him know he did not need to do that for her. Having humans in her family tree had never really bothered her in the least. The only time she ever got angry is when someone brought it up as an insult to her; as Piper had said, there were many pure-blooded families that were snooty about it, and while Mama Cosma had never said it—she suspected that this was among one of the reasons that she was so opposed to her marriage to Cosmo.

"And, I do dye my hair." She added, in order to emphasise that she had no embarrassment. It wasn't to make Nova or Piper more comfortable, however, it was because she did not want Timmy to think that she believed having some human in her was something disgraceful. She never wanted her human son to feel as if she were looking down at him. "My natural color is still pink, just—much lighter, and I don't dye it because I'm ashamed of my heritage. It's just…I'm more of a winter than a summer."

"Ooh, so—your actual hair color is…" She could almost see Timmy thinking back to the time when Cosmo and her had gotten into a fight on their anniversary and he had gone off running to his mother; during their argument at her house, he had changed her hair back to its original color, even though he knew she hated it. Timmy seemed to think it over in his head for a little and then nodded.

"Well, it did not look bad—but this color does suit you better. Maybe it's just cause I'm used to it."

She laughed, happy with his honesty, and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Well, is that it, then? That lump happened just because Cosmo is pure blood and I'm not?"

"…Your magic levels are also very different." Piper had a serious face and Nova was now looking sullen as well, but she did not understand…this wasn't a big deal, was it?

"Yes, well…Cosmo is stronger than me…"

"According to the letters sent by Nova's wife; a lot of the crazy hijinks that happen around Timmy occur often because of mistakes made while granting the wish—which means despite your excellent control, Cosmo's magic overtakes yours."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" She questioned, becoming a little guarded. She had no shame in her heritage, but if Piper was about to bring up what it sounded like she was going to…then that was something that did cut a little deep.

"Tell me, can you poof your godson into fairy world on your own?" Piper frowned, furrowing her brows.

"I-I can…." She defended, her voice faltering; she had no shame in the bits of human in her bloodline…but she was ashamed of the lack of magic it had left her with compared to other fairies.

"….I….just can't poof him back….." She admitted, blushing when Timmy gave her hand a supportive squeeze. The muscle relaxant had made his grip feeble, but she could still feel the affection in the gesture.

"My dear, there is no reason to feel ashamed if you lack a significant amount of innate magic. I have no interest in indulging in snobbishness when it comes to preserving lineage purity or other such frivolous notions." Nova reassured, but it seemed like he wanted to say something else yet was holding back, his eyes full of pity.

"…It's fine. I know I'm among the weaker fairies…." She admitted, not without some bravado. Timmy snuggled a little closer to her to comfort her; but he did not look surprised. He must have noticed that most kids had a single godparent, like Remy with Juandissimo, or Molly with Swizzle, and Dwight with Irving—and yet those godparents had no problem with bringing their godchildren to and from Fairy world and yet…without Cosmo's half of the magic, it was a feat well beyond her. As Timmy had learned from the fight she and Cosmo had during their anniversary, poofing him to Fairy world on her own had exhausted her, and she hadn't been able to bring him home until she and Cosmo had made up.

"But I have Cosmo's magic, and we work together just fine. It's because we're together that we can be godparents to kids who need us, like Timmy." She smiled. She did not mind having weak magic because she had the support of her husband, who she loved very much; and while Cosmo could be clumsy, unreliable, irresponsible, and sometimes insensitive, it's because she had his help that she could fulfill her dream of becoming a godmother…

"That's all perfectly fine. I'm not judging. Even my family has one or two humans in the mix," Piper admitted. "And I personally think all fairies are weak, so I don't care if you're considered weak or strong amongst your own kind…your all the same to me."

"So, is that it, then? It formed because of the power difference between Cosmo and I? It won't harm Timmy, will it?" She wanted to be done with this conversation.

"Oh, Timmy has nothing to worry about over this. It's not dangerous to him at all—the concern is…."

"Oh, Piper…let me…." Nova was practically squirming, but Piper held up her hand and shook her head. "Nova, I love ya buddy, but your way of delivering bad news feels like you're being slowly lowered into a pot of boiling oil—the more considerate you try to be, the worse you make it."

"Aw." Nova's bottom lip trembled and his eyes got teary, but he did not rebuke her.

"I'll be blunt about this." Piper actually looked apologetic. "You should really thank you godson for wishing for you to be a mother; because…with this power imbalance, you and Cosmo would not have been able to have any kids together."

"W—w—what….?" Her heart seemed to skip a beat, the weight of the words hitting her with a force she hadn't anticipated. A wave of dizziness washed over her, which would probably have caused her to stop floating and fall out of the air, if she hadn't already been sitting down. Her vision momentarily blurred as her mind struggled to process the enormity of what she had just heard.

Her fingers clenched into tight fists, nails digging into her palms as she tried to ground herself. It was only the sensation of Timmy's gentle touch on her hand that allowed her to keep her senses.

With great effort, she regained control of her racing thoughts and steady herself, giving Timmy's hand a reassuring squeeze to let him know she was ok.

"This is what I meant by 'worse under different circumstances'." Piper began messing around with her braids, wrapping them around her fingers uncomfortably, but continued to professionally hold her gaze the way a doctor ought to when delivering bad news. "For one, Fairy world has that rule that forbids fairies from having babies, so the issue may have never come to light. Secondly, thanks to Timmy's wish, you two were able to conceive and have a kid despite the difference in your magic levels. I'm just…letting you know, if in the future you and Cosmo decide to become Fey, you won't be able to have more children. It's better to know now than suffer a heavy disappointment later."

"Wanda…." Timmy looked at her with sympathy. Even though he had just gone through so much pain, it looked as if seeing her look sad had hurt him far worse.

'You should care about yourself….' She thought, stroking his bangs out of his eyes, red and swollen from crying. The agony he had endured was clear in his weakness, his ashen complexion dotted with petechia; those red and purple dots he broke out with whenever he cried excessively. His skin was still sticky with sweat, his flesh cold and moist, felt almost fishlike to the touch.

Despite being in a pitiful condition, he was ignoring his own suffering and trying to offer comfort to her. However, in her numb shock, she could barely register his thoughtfulness. The dominant thought in her head was, "Cosmo and I wouldn't have been able to have a child together naturally?" She tried to shake off this realization, reminding herself that a wish had given her Poof, so she shouldn't feel as upset as she did. Nevertheless, it still came as a painful shock.

"Oh, Piper, that was quite the heavy blow…" Nova chided and looked at her sadly. "It might not be possible to conceive naturally, but we could look for alternatives if you wish for more children once—er, if—-you and Cosmo become Fey someday…"

"I…umm…" She messed with her hair; too stunned to really grasp what she was hearing. "…Y-you said there were two reasons? W-what's the other one…"

Her change of subject was indelicate and said more about what she was feeling than she had wanted to divulge. The pity in Nova's eyes increased and Timmy attempted to give her a hug, but the muscle relaxant had made his limbs so hard to move that he wasn't able to complete the gesture. She wrapped her arms around him, quietly giving him the hug he had tried to give to her.

"Yeah, sure, let's continue." Piper had the tact to move on without lingering further. "The second reason it happened is because the affection levels between your godson and Cosmo differ from the affection levels between you and him. You see, If the one who casts the revival magic is in a lower affection grade than the one performing the filter-cycle, then we get this fluid buildup." She smirked a little, as if laughing at an old joke as she squeezed the disgusting little object and made that sparkly puss colored liquid seep out. "This happened to every angel my mom made; I'd revive them, and she'd perform the treatment…I loved the kids too, don't get me wrong—but not nearly as much as she adored them."

"I do love Cosmo lots." Timmy clarified, looking at Nova. "—but he's like a goofy big brother to play with; Wanda, well…" Timmy affectionately nuzzled closer to her and met her eyes with the sweetest smile she had ever seen. "…She's mom."

Her heart swelled with warmth, his words being just the right ones to break through the gloom that had descended on her heart. Meeting his eyes, she couldn't help but be captivated by the genuine love and adoration shining from within them. It made her feel as if she was the most important person in the world—and maybe in the eyes of this little boy; she was.

She pressed her lips against his head. The weight of her emotions, too powerful to articulate, found solace in showing him this simple act of affection in return.

"Well, that's it. That's the reason for the formation of these things." Piper concluded. "If it's just the first reason, then this lump is full of fairy dust, if it's just the second one, this lump is clear and liquidly—both reasons have it look like this." She once again threw the marble sized lump up and caught it. "But it is no threat; just a nuisance. It came up during treatment this time, but it can come up other times too. If he starts sweating a lot, it's a sign he'll cough one up."

"Ugh….! You mean I'm going to cough up more of those things!?" Timmy looked aghast.

"Believe it or not, these ugly little things aren't all bad; they actually have something pretty nice inside them; I'll give the whole scientific breakdown for you later if you want, but I think you're both a bit too tired right now for it. Anyway, let's cut it open."

"No!" She, Timmy, and Nova all protested. That thing smelled horrible—she couldn't imagine how awful it would stink if it was cut open; plus, it was really gross…

Nevertheless, Piper conjured a scalpel and, despite their collective protests, cut into the lump. The smell was revolting; it smelled of rotted fish, stale oil, raw meat and lots of stinky magic. She and Timmy simultaneously gagged, grimacing Nova snapped his fingers, making perfume soaked handkerchiefs appear in each of their hands. Neither she nor Timmy wasted anytime in following Nova's lead and pressing the cloth to their noses.

"…It looks like a giant pimple is being lanced…." Timmy squirmed, his voice thick with revulsion.

"Ugh…." She agreed with the description, but it was not the visual reference she had needed right now—she could feel herself turning green.

Enough fluid to fill a small teacup poured out; seeming too much for how small the lump was, but she could see that once cut, there were several fleshy layers inside, all of which had a spongelike texture. Nova and Timmy alike had squeezed their eyes closed as Piper reached into the folds of the lanced lump and pulled something out of it.

It was small but incredibly shiny, shimmering softly with a faint pinkish glow. Piper thrust her hand out so she could see the object up close.

"A jewel?" She questioned, confused. A small pink jewel that seemed as if it should belong to a necklace or a ring was in Piper's hand; it was shaped like a flower petal.

"Powerful magic such as Revival magic and the magic filter cycle will have the fairies' own emotions imprinted in it and this will react to the child's emotions as well…so when the conflicting magical and emotional levels collide sometimes it can lead to the emotions becoming crystalized." Piper shrugged and deposited the item into her hand. Timmy was looking at it now, wide-eyed, whilst Nova nodded appreciatively.

"Well, isn't that pretty?" He leaned in to observe it and then glanced at her neck where the makeshift necklace she had made out of the blossom the toddler version of Timmy had handed to her and smiled. "It matches the petal in your necklace."

"It does." She realized, in fact, it was like its jeweled twin.

"They don't have any use, they're just pretty little baubles." Piper disposed of the rest of the lump, and removed her gloves, and began to vigorously wash her hands with a candy-cane scented soap that fortunately was strong enough to chase most of the foul smell away from the room. "They'll take on a shape symbolic of some powerful emotion. Keep them as momentos or give them as gifts. Heck, you can even sell them if you wanted."

"It's pretty, isn't it Timmy?" She showed it to him, knowing he was still too weak to take it into his own hands without risking dropping it. "You can do whatever you'd like with them, sweetie."

If he'd want to collect them, or give them as a present to someone or even if he wanted to sell them for spending money, since the allowance the Turner's gave him was nearly nonexistent, she'd be fine with it, though it was such a pretty little trinket that she hoped he kept them as momentos.

"Actually…I think I know why it looks like a flower petal." Timmy looked at her makeshift necklace with a tiny blush. "All the mother day or birthday presents I ever made for my mom all either got put away in the attic and were forgotten about…or tossed in the trash after a few weeks—like that 'Chalice of Mome' I made in art class for her…no matter how much she said she liked it, they always ended up the same way…"

"Timmy…."

He smiled at her. "But you took so much care with a random flower petal I handed you…it made me really happy…so, I want you to have that."

A tear escaped her eye, tracing a glistening path down her cheek, and she felt like a little ray of sunshine was shining directly onto her heart. "Your so sweet…" She couldn't think of any other words to say as she took the little glass shell she had encased the real flower petal in to preserve it and used her magic to add the real one next to it. Timmy smiled brightly as his gift was accepted; real petal and jewel encased in glass together and held by a little gold chain—a necklace she'd be wearing as part of her everyday attire from now on.

"Undoubtedly, the two of you must be feeling quite drained. Would you like me to send you back to your room to rest until the scheduled time for his next treatment?" Nova asked her gently, and she nodded as she admired her new necklace.

"Yes, we can both use a nice hot bath and a nap, I think."

"Definitely!" Timmy agreed with her heartily. He must have felt gross with how sweaty he was and how the clothes were sticking to him.

"The muscle relaxant will take sometime to wear off completely, so don't leave him in the bath alone." Piper warned.

"Of course." She agreed, having already come to that conclusion, and playfully cuddled Timmy close. "I'll poof you down really small and bath you like I do Poof."

Timmy blushed but giggled a little; it wouldn't be the first time she did this; Poof loved it when Baby Timmy took a bath with him. The way they'd play together was just too cute. She must've had over a hundred different pictures of them splashing around and playing with bath toys together.

"I shall place a "Jorgen alarm' by your door, allowing you to play your endearing "baby game" without concern for Jorgen walking in on you this time." Nova informed her, looking apologetic. "It will light up if it's Jorgen at the door, so you won't be caught off guard again."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Piper put a finger on her chin, looking up at the ceiling with an awkward smile. "But It's not like I could see into your room or anythin' so, it's not really my fault."

She couldn't help but wonder about that, though; as there were several incidences when the timing of things had been too spot on; such as the call button for help lighting up at just the right time after Timmy's first treatment, and the brunch invitation arriving the moment they said they were hungry. Perhaps the thought showed on her face as Nova laughed heartily.

"The room is enchanted to respond to your voice. If you express a desire for snacks or inquire about the location of something, it will react accordingly. So, if you've observed any oddly timed occurrences, that's the explanation. Rest assured, we would never be so impolite as to install hidden cameras."

"Yup, but if we did have cameras sit up to watch ya, we would have known not to bring Jorgen up to your room just then, but it worked out…and I think you'd rather have no cameras, right?" Piper laughed.

"Definitely; thanks for the Jorgen alarm…he just wouldn't understand even if I wrote a hundred page novel explaining it to him." She told them with honest gratitude; the baby game comforted Timmy, and it was something she enjoyed too—she did not want to have to stop doing it just because Jorgen could walk in on it. It was also very nice to know that all those oddly timed occurrences weren't because they were being watched.

"Don't I know it?" Nova agreed, rolling his eyes. "You'd have better luck explaining Alfred North Whitehead's Process Philosophy to a toddler than have Jorgen understand anything about a child's needs."

She did not know what that was, but she felt as if what Nova said was probably the truth; Jorgen, despite being the one in charge of all Godparents, really did have no idea of what a child truly needed to be happy.

It wasn't wishes.

Author's note: When I was re-watching the special "77 secrets of fairly oddparents it mentioned that Wanda dyes her hair so I decided to to include it in this story. Also, I always did wonder why Wanda had such a hard time bringing Timmy to Fairy world on her own in that episode, despite that most god kids on the show has a single godparent so I decided to come up with a explanation for it.