Chapter 37: Soul Food
— Jorgen POV—
'Nova's decorating scheme, I'm guessing.' He thought as he looked around the room the soul was being housed in. It looked like a nursery for a baby. Well, the soul was a newborn, so that made sense, he guessed. Still—the room was overly cutesy, with bright pink, baby blue and yellow walls and ceiling, and a bunch of cartoony decals stuck all over the place. A baby mobile hung from the ceiling with various types 'companions' dangling from it as decoration. There was a rocking chair, likely meant for Wanda to sit in whilst keeping the soul company, and a moon shaped lamp that when turned on, illuminated the room with actual moonlight. It was a bit too namby-pamby for him, but he supposed it was a good enough place for the Heart-Soul to stay in—fortunately Nova had taken care not to place any mirrors or any reflective surfaces of any kind inside the room.
The soul cage had been greatly enlarged while in the nursery so that the soul had a lot of space to fly around; but it kind of made the popsicle stick furniture seem really small. Then again, the soul was the size of a speck. If not for the magnifying glasses Piper had attached to the cage, all they'd see of it was a tiny glow.
He was exhausted and really just wanted to go home; but before he left, he figured he ought to show Wanda how to feed the Heart-Soul. While he was sure Nova or Piper could have shown her, he'd rather not have her rely on them for aid in things he could explain to her himself.
Fey knew how to get under people's skin, how to provoke them, how to play on their insecurities, and most of all, how to tempt them. Every interaction with them was another opportunity to get manipulated by them.
He ripped open the bag of cheesy puffs he had bought; safe, human food that had zero magic. He handed one puff to Wanda, who was looking both anxious and excited about 'feeding' the tiny soul—acting almost like a little kid at a zoo being allowed to feed some exotic animal.
She had been on cloud nine since he had told her that she could stay with Turner until he turned 21; he still couldn't believe he came up with such a controversial rule on the spot like that! Those stupid cuckoos must've driven him cuckoo….but he wasn't the type to go back on something he said….and she had made a good point about how Turner probably wouldn' thrive if left with all those toxic people around him.
….If anything, he might have decided this because of Dulice—she had left Mary Alice whilst the girl was still in an awful state; not just her family issues, but unable to bear the negative side effects the magic-filter-cycle had left her with. Dulice had been so worried and hadn't been able to make peace with leaving the girl when she did….and that was why she hadn't been unable to resist the temptation of paying her adult godchild a visit….and paid the ultimate price for it.
If he gave Wanda, the opportunity to help Timmy get ready for 'adult life', far away from the toxic elements that suppressed him as a child—if she could get him ready to stand on his own legs and leave him in a state where she felt secure and at ease that he'd be alright—she'd be content and not feel the anxious need to go and check on his wellbeing—and fall prey to an adult human's greed the way Dulice had. However…if he saw that Timmy's attachment to, and dependance on his godparents weren't lessening, he'd have to go back on his word. Turner was a good kid at heart, but he was a very obsessive one with attachment issues that could inspire the psychiatric community to write several books.
"Just this?" Wanda asked, looking at the single cheese puff in her hand dubiously.
"It does not need too much food. This amount will do for now." He told her. He was no expert but, he had seen souls being fed before, so he knew how it was done.
"So…I just put it in like this?" Wanda questioned as she gingerly placed the single cheesy puff into the soul cage. The Heart-Soul was currently hiding its self inside of the popsicle stick outhouse. No surprise it felt the need for privacy after all the attention it had received today. Heart-Souls were naturally private creatures but apparently, the desire for attention was one of Timmy's soul's five core traits, so it had responded positively to being the center of attention for a while, but even it had its limits and had now withdrawn.
Not the best time to make an offering, admittedly, but he was tired, and his stress levels had hit a point where he did not feel as if he'd be able to keep functioning for much longer.
"You will need to clarify that the offering is for it. If you just place it in the cage, it won't be able to take it." He corrected gruffly. "Give the soul a name. If you use general language like 'for you' then any soul can come and eat it, which will also draw departed souls to your location, which, unless you want the Turner House to become a haunted house, isn't a good idea."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I really don't want his parents to go back to being Poltergeeks." Wanda shuddered; he did not know the incident she was referring to but knowing how weird Mr and Mrs Turner were, he could take a few guesses.
"Once the soul is named, not only will no other soul be able to steal its offerings, but it too will be unable to eat any offerings that is not given to it by its name, so think of a name you will be sure to remember." He warned; if she named it something and then forgot it, then that would be a mess since a soul could not be renamed.
"I can really name it?" Wanda practically broke out into an excited grin. "Oh, what kind of name should I give it…? It ought to be something cute….but something that fits too…hmmm."
"Anything is fine." He rolled his eyes at how childish she was being about this. "Just not Timmy's own name."
"Would Tiberius work? That's Timmy's middle name."
"Tiberius? Seriously?"
"I guess his parents were big star trek fans." Wanda hunched her shoulders.
"Well no, if it's part of Timmy's name, you will want to avoid it, as it will confuse the soul about who the offering is actually for." There was a lot more to it than that, but he saw no reason to go into full details; Wanda had no need for all that information.
"Oh, ok….well, Tiberius isn't really a cute name anyway." Wanda muddled over it for a few moments, then her eyes lit up as apparently a 'great idea,' occurred to her. She was having way too much fun with this. "What about Astral?"
"Astral?"
"Yes! Timmy loves stars, and his eye color is such a pretty shade of astral blue, and since that's the color of his mind-soul, well—-Astral!"
"That's fine." Any name, he thought, would have worked; she did not have to put that much care and effort into it. "Ok, so tell it the name you've given it."
"Ok, ok…umm…" Wanda looked a little perplexed as she knelt down and tried to speak to the soul she couldn't see. "Um, little one…do you hear me? Well, um…I'm naming you Astral, is that alright?"
She heard a little chime that sounded surprised, and the soul stuck its face through the opening in the outhouse door, blinking at her with a shocked expression.
"Do you not like it?" Wanda looked worried.
"Nah, Heart-Souls, just find it a little weird to get named." He reassured; once again, there was more to it than that, but he saw no point in cluttering Wanda's mind with irrelevant details. The important thing was that naming the soul put into place two very important safety features.
One was what he had told her, to prevent ghosts from coming after any 'general' offerings made. With Turner missing one of his souls, he'd be vulnerable to getting possessed. The second reason, however, was the most important reason he had her name the soul.
"Don't let anyone else know its name, as it will only be able to accept offerings given to it by that name. This will stop any tragic accidents."
"Tragic accidents?" Wanda looked alarm.
"Yes." He nodded solemnly. "They can happen all too easily. For instance… Poof is very young and might not see the harm in conjuring a piece of candy for it even if you warn him not to. He might think, just a little piece won't hurt…but consuming even the smallest thing made by magic will alter the soul forever—and because he would have broken the soul alteration taboo, Poof would end up a Fey."
"Oh, I see!" Wanda's eyes went large and her face pale at the idea of how horrible a tragedy that would be—! Losing both her son to Fey world and having her godson's soul be irrevocably damaged because of such an innocent mistake. "So…without knowing its name, even if Poof puts something into the cage and says it's for them, it can't take it?"
"Exactly!" He would have hated to see a tragedy like that play out as well; so even though naming a Heart-Soul brought complications, they were worth dealing with if it prevented a worst-case scenario. "Also—it will stop anyone who dislikes Turner from trying something with it—Pixies and especially genies have no qualms about damaging human souls. Fortunately, Anti Fairies take the taboo seriously, but—we know how Foop is. He might be immature enough to try something without realizing the full significance or consequences of his actions."
"Yeah, like trying to get Poof erased and getting himself erased along with him during that awful Secret wish trial." Wanda rolled her eyes, her expression souring. "Ever since then, rather than trying to destroy Poof, he's been coming after Timmy instead."
"Exactly the point I'm making. Without knowing the soul's name, however, none of them will be able to give it anything that can harm it, so be sure to keep the name secret. That includes from Cosmo, you know he has the bad habit of blurting out things."
"That's true enough!" Wanda sighed, no doubt not having enough fingers on her hands to count how many times Cosmo had told someone something he should not have. Such as telling Turner that he'd both lose and forget about his godparents when he got older. That kind of information looming over a child's head was far too depressing. If he had found out sooner, he could have used the short-term Forgetacin to erase that bit of information, but by the time he learned that Cosmo had spilled the beans, it had already become a long-term memory.
….Reflecting on it, if Cosmo hadn't informed him, the secret wish would never have been made. Cosmo wouldn't have botched the job when he restored Timmy's youth after the council aged him by 50 years; the revival magic would have proceeded without a hitch. Since Turner wouldn't have had the heart condition that was only meant to manifest in his 60s, the heart-soul wouldn't have been expelled from his body due to the revival magic affecting the heart.
The fact that Timmy's current predicament was caused by Cosmo's lack of attention on that fateful night, his oversight which caused him to leave Timmy's organs that of a 60 year old when returning Timmy's youth during the secret wish, and his indiscretion that led to Timmy knowing he'd loose his 'fairy family' someday and making such a wish in the first place, was indeed infuriating.
"Jorgen?" Wanda nudged him, a questioning look on her face.
"Sorry; my mind wandered off a bit." he cleared his throat. ""Ok, so now tell it that, that cheesy puff over there is for it—by name."
"Ok, umm…Astral, this is for you….I, I hope you like it…" Wanda watched, hopeful, looking a little uncomfortable with how the soul had reacted to receiving its name.
Its reaction to being named hadn't actually been bad, considering most Heart Souls got furious, if not outright enraged when named by someone—but like it or not, once given a name, the name became engraved upon them; it must have liked Wanda enough not to be offended at her choosing the name it would bear for all of eternity.
Hesitantly, the soul came out of the outhouse and approached the cheesy puff, which was several times the size of its body. The soul eyed it suspiciously, sniffed it, poked at it, and then sat down in front of it cross-legged, staring at it as if deciding if it looked appetizing, and then finally put his two hands on top of it.
"What's it doing?" Wanda leaned forward, interested as the soul's hands glowed and the cheesy puff did as well and then, the glow stopped and the soul patted its belly, looked at them, blew a kiss to Wanda and retreated into the outhouse again.
"It did not eat it?" Wanda looked at the left behind cheesy puff, disappointed, and he shook his head, reaching through the bars and retrieved the offering.
"Try eating it."
"Oh, um…ok." Wanda retrieved the snack item and popped it into her mouth, chewed, and frowned. "Hey…it does not taste like—anything. Cardboard has more flavor than this! Did you buy out of date cheesy puffs?" She took the bag and started checking for the expiration date.
"A soul eats the essence of an item, not the item its self. That cheesy puff has no taste or any nutritional value—whatever little it had to begin with—left in it."
"Really?" Wanda looked fascinated as she continued to chew the puff, as if trying her hardest to detect any flavor left to it.
"Eating the food offered to a soul after they've consumed it will make you feel full, but calories, vitamins, and anything else that was in it, are gone. The same thing goes for any food offered to the Fey from the human world by worshippers."
"Really?" She swallowed the puff. "So, this had no calories, or fat or sodium or anything left to it?"
"That's correct." He nodded. "There is a well-known story in Fey world about one of Queen Mab's worshipers who became exceedingly well off because of the blessings she was given and who made daily offerings of only the very best foods and wine to the Queen. There was a beggar in her community who saw these offerings and would come and steal them every night. They tasted like nothing to him, but they filled his belly, so he continued to pilfer them. Do you know what happened to him?"
"The Fey punished him?" Wanda guessed, looking worried.
"No, they did not need to. He starved to death—even though his belly was full."
"That's so tragic!" Wanda gasped, looking aghast.
"Messing around with offering made to either spirits or Fey never end well. Make sure Turner is careful when making offerings to Queen Mab. People and even animals can become affected if they take these offerings. They will need to be made on an 'altar' outside, but help him find one that's discreet…"
"Altar?"
"It can be anything from a hollow in a tree to a yard ornament; just as long as it's outside."
Wanda poofed up a notepad and took notes, nodding to herself. "An altar long as it's outside—would his tree house count?"
"Nah, it needs to be a natural environment; a tree house with video games and soda can laying about won't count; but if the tree has a hollow, that could work."
"It does; we'll come up with something for the offerings." The way Wanda's brows furrowed showed how much she disliked this. He understood her reasons, frankly he did not care for it either but he had to also admit that receiving Mab's creativity blessing would go a long way in helping Timmy find success in the future.
"So…are Soul and Fey offerings similar?" Wanda asked, curiously.
"Almost identical." He confirmed; it was actually eerie how similar the two were and as a child he had often wondered about it; though any time he gave such thoughts a voice, his father had a harsh punishment in store as a response.
"But…if Timmy makes offerings to Queen Mab….doesn't giving things to the Fey grant them ownership of you?" Wanda bit her lip fretfully. "Won't they be able to pull him into Fey world any time they want, if he does that?"
"No." He shook his head reassuring but was glad that such a worry had occurred to her; it showed that she was serious about keeping her godchild safe. "He'd have to give them something of his—either of his own body, such as hair, or something of his own personal belongings—clothing, toys, etc. However if he's buying or making something specifically for Queen Mab…that does not count as something of 'his'. For instance, say he made Mab a macaroni necklace; she couldn't use that to summon him to Fey world because it was never 'his'. It might of been made by him, but it was for her; get it?"
"Oh, I see…so, making them something doesn't count."
"It can count." He corrected. "Say if instead of a macaroni necklace, he made her sock puppet out of one of his old socks; that, since it had once belonged to him, could be used to claim him, even though it had been made over into something for her."
"I get it. I will be very watchful of any offerings he makes."
"You be sure you do." He definitely did not want Turner to end up as another Kinder for them to play with.
Wanda nodded slowly as she appeared to mull the situation over in her head. "So, if he buys honey or something for Mab at a store, that also wouldn't allow the Fey to take him?"
"Food never counts as something that would let them claim a human; he could even make it homemade and the only thing they could do with it is eat it; and yes—if he buys an item with the intention of giving it to Mab, it also won't allow her to claim him."
"Ok." Wanda appeared to already be making a list in her head of what she would and would not allow Timmy to offer. "So, about feeding the soul, do I need to consider nutrition, or anything?"
"Souls will get hungry when they're not inside their host, but while they can taste the essence—they don't need to worry about vitamins or protein or anything like that. They just want to feel full."
"How often should I feed it?"
"That I'm not sure." He confessed. "Normal souls don't need much food—however, this soul is a living soul, not a departed one, and Turner's condition is unique. I'd say watch its behaviour. If it starts seeming grouchy or starts misbehaving, it means it's hungry. Souls will become violent if they start to starve."
"I'd be pretty testy too if I was let starve!" Wanda was peering into the cage, trying to see the Heart-Soul through the little hole in the outhouse door. They could see the light it radiated, but not much else. "I hope Astral liked it…"
The soul, hearing its name, poked its head through the opening again and gave Wanda a long, hard stare and then ducked out of sight again. Knowing what he knew about giving souls names, he could understand its reactions, but Wanda looked worried.
"Does it not like it? Maybe I should think of something else?"
"You can't change the name once given. Anyway, it's fine. Don't dwell on it."
"Aw, but…"
"Wanda." He crossed his arms; he was too tired right now to waste time on nonsense. She sulked but let it drop, but eyed the outhouse with a slight pout.
"Ok…but, it's a cute name…it should like it."
"Moving on." He rolled his eyes and her uncharacteristic childishness. "Always make sure to remove food offerings. Souls get really angry if you leave rotting food in their vicinity, and Fey will get insulted if rotting food is left on their altar."
"Makes sense." She agreed.
"Fey will receive the offerings three to seven hours after it's been made; it's mostly best to make them at night and remove them the next morning." He explained. "However—it's different with souls; they might eat it right away or they might save it for later; but if you make the mistake of removing the offering before they've eaten it, that will make them angry."
"If I'm not watching, how do I know if it's eaten it?"
"If it's going to eat it, it will within 24 hours. If it doesn't in that time frame, it's because it does not want it. It won't get angry if you remove something it doesn't want….oh, but if you mistakingly give it something it dislikes seven times…it will get angry. If you give it something it hates three times, it will get angry; and if you give it something it dislikes or hates two times in a row—"
"Let me guess—it'll get angry?" She intoned flatly.
"No. Furious."
Wanda rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms, looking skeptical.
"No, seriously!" He pressed his point. "An angry soul would be like dealing with a piranha—a furious soul would be akin to dealing with a Megalodon!"
"…." Wanda quirked her brows; probably seeing no possible way for a tiny little speck like Timmy's Heart-Soul to ever be a piranha, let alone a Megalodon, but he wasn't about to forget that nightmare in the funhouse mirror room anytime soon. If that soul ended up in a furious state—that would be a terrifying scenario for everyone involved.
"How do I know if it dislikes or hates something?" Wanda wondered, tilting her head to the side as she tried to get a glimpse of the soul through the opening in the door.
"You should be able to tell by watching how it reacts to it. For instance, it enjoyed the cheesy puff. You can tell by how it blew you a kiss after eating it. If it disliked it, it might have stuck its tongue out at you or something."
Wanda released a tiny laugh. "That…might actually of been kind of cute."
"Yeah, well, give it something it dislikes repeatedly and you'll see how 'cute' it can get." He stood up from where he had been kneeling by the cage to let Wanda know that they were finished. She got up hesitantly, side eyeing the cage—it seemed the soul's reaction to being named had really bothered her.
"Don't take it so personal." He scolded. "Heart-Souls just find being named weird, that's all. It'll get used to its name."
"Yeah, but…"
"Come on, I'm exhausted and don't want to be here all day…." He had his fill of Fey World for the day. Ever since he arrived this visit, it had been one bad thing after another—that awful run in with the tragic Estelle Lenoir in the forest—to see the child he had failed to save not only living as an animal but one that was bred…it made him sick to the stomach.
Then it was his reunion with those three godkids, Theo, Edmund and Eleanor—meeting those three mischievous scamps who used to keep him on his toes so often back when they were still human godchildren. Seeing them reduced to Kinder….playthings….and Theo, not even able to remember the name of the sister he had once adored with all his heart…had not only been sad but also a reminder of the fate that could very well befall Turner if they weren't careful.
Then it had been the run in with his father—at least he had managed to get one good hit in, but his defeat meant that his mother's tree had sacrificed some of its flowers in order to heal him.
Right after being healed had been that horribly uncomfortable conversation with Piper, and then he had been locked up for endless hours in a cuckoo clock room.
Could he be blamed for hurrying things along?
He had a splitting headache and every time he blinked; he felt ready to nod off asleep—only for the sound of cuckoos to reverberate in his mind.
"Oh….ok." Wanda reluctantly followed him out of the room, taking a few glances over her shoulder at the heart soul's cage as if hoping to see it reappear; it did not.
They stepped into the frilly pink monstrosity of a recovery room that Wanda and Timmy had been provided. Nova's Fey Power allowed him to read memories; but unless you opened the door of your mind to him, he could only see the surface—normally he read the surface memories of godparent and child and made a recovery room that combined their likes and interests but this was—almost nursery-like in its appearance. It did not seem right—Wanda and Turner, as he knew them, should not have their room look like this.
Wanda instantly looked towards the bed where Turner was still curled up in the blankets; it seemed he hadn't awoken yet and her shoulders drooped in disappointment. Being cooped up for hours in the same space must be pretty boring, and no doubt, she was missing her family back home.
"Oh, before I go, do you want to make another video recording for your baby and your idiot?" He asked, not because he wanted to stay longer, but because if he didn't, then Poof and Cosmo could end up bugging him for updates and he just wanted to spend the rest of the day resting.
"That would be great!" Wanda looked relieved.
"Fine, but make it a quick one." He poofed up the camera. "I want to get some rest before this entire place drives me completely cuckoo!"
"…Cuckoo…." A playful little chirp came from the direction of the bed and Wanda's expression brightened as Turner stretched his arms and released a great big yawn as he sat up in bed.
"Don't you dare cuckoo me!" He nearly took a spasm. The boy's high-pitched voice could make a disturbingly realistic cuckoo noise that had, for a moment, made him feel as if he had been back inside that room!
"Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" Timmy giggled, and he held onto his head, shuddering.
'Ugh…to think, Jorgen Von Strangle, the mightiest of all fairies, traumatised by cuckoo birds!' He thought as he put his hands over his ears.
"Oh, Timmy, sweetie, stop that." Wanda chided while stifling a laugh.
"Ok, but—what's with the sudden Cuckoo phobia?"
"He was locked in a room full of cuckoo clocks for hours."
"It's not funny!" He defended as the boy cracked up laughing. "I was in cuckoo bird hel—heck…" He censored himself as Wanda gave him a look that implied she'd hit him with a frying pan if he didn't.
"Why didn't you just poof earplugs in your ears?" Timmy questioned in a tone that implied puzzlement, but with an expression that was of amusement—as the boy had correctly guessed that he just hadn't thought of it, and was now taking the opportunity to rub that bit of idiotcy on his part in his face while disguising as a question.
That was the Timmy Turner he knew so well; a cheeky, sarcastic little pain in the butt, but…it was good to see signs that the old Turner was still in there; hopefully Wanda's care would be able to bring him back to how he was—frankly, with Turner being so subdued lately…his job had been boring.
"Oh, Timmy, don't make fun of Jorgen. He's been through a lot." Wanda sat down on the bed next to Timmy and felt his forehead. "Your fever seems to have spiked….are you ok?"
"A little weak." Timmy admitted and leaned back against his pillows with another yawn.
"It's normal for the fever left behind by Queen Mab's kiss to rise and fall over the course of three days," he reassured, hoisting the video camera up to show he was ready to start recording. Timmy, with no need to be told what they were doing, instantly put on the perkiest face he could manage and tried to sit up straight. He wanted to put his god brother and godfather at ease, no doubt, but his fever-flushed face and the overwhelming sense of fatigue that seemed to have permeated every inch of his body showed through clearly. Wada seemed to silently debate with herself if she ought to tell him to rest or allow him to continue to put up his facade for the camera. She seemed to decide on a mix of the two as she said nothing to discourage him, but poofed a few more pillows behind his back to offer support. Timmy leaned back and allowed her cover him up with the blankets, before they started recording.
"Hi Poof, Hi Cosmo, I hope the two of you are doing well!" Wanda spoke to the camera a little awkwardly as she tried to sound cheerful. "Timmy has just finished another one of his treatments and is resting up from it. He's being a real brave boy."
Timmy blushed a little. "The treatments are hard, but Wanda is being awesome, and everyone here is being really nice to me. They took me out for a tea party earlier, and then showed me some baby deer at this really pretty field—then Cosmo's father, Nova, took us to an underwater cafe…" The boy seemed to look around for something, and Wanda, without needing to ask, poofed up a few photographs, which she held up to the camera. They seemed to be playing a board game and making silly poses in front of—he shuddered—Pickles. He'd never forget his first visit to Fey world after exiling Nova to it; the bastard had literally chained him up and 'jokingly' dangled him for hours above the cave where that sea-monstrosity lived, just barely out of the reach of its tentacles.
Timmy prattled on about things; he did not like how much of a 'fun' place he was making it out to be, but he did not say anything that wouldn't make it past the normal censors put in place when exchanging mail between fairy/fey world so he did not stop him. He hoped though that Wanda would later remind the boy of the dangers abound in Fey world and not to allow himself to get too comfortable.
"They've been treating us well; you don't need to worry about the two of us." Wanda reassured; by her tone, he could tell that unlike Timmy, she had remained aware that the Fey weren't a jolly bunch of good samaritans. "Timmy is working hard at getting better so that we can come home soon."
"The Fey have this really awesome ability to make time flow differently!" Timmy added. "The room we're recovering in has time pass really slow, without it affecting our bodies, so I get to wait a long time before each treatment! An hour inside here is only fifteen minutes outside of here! And the cafe—Nova made it so that one hour in that room was only one second outside of it, and—!"
"I don't need to be reminded of that power right now!" He warned, spasming—he had been in the cuckoo clock room for—he had no idea how long!
"Ooh, right." Timmy put his hands up defensively. "…They kinda locked Jorgen up in a room full of cuckoo clocks using that power, so he's a little on edge…."
"Because of that ability, though, Timmy is getting a lot of extra recovery time." Wanda quickly continued, seeing the vein bulge on his forehead. "But it does make me miss the two of you even more."
"Yeah, same here—I miss the two of you a whole lot!" Timmy agreed. "But I promise when I can come home, we'll all play together a bunch!"
"You two behave yourselves until we get back."
"—And then we can all misbehave ourselves." Timmy joked, making Wanda roll her eyes with a smile and give him a nudge.
"No, you behave yourselves when we get back, too." Wanda waved at the camera, and Timmy followed suit. "Love you, bye for now!"
"Bye-bye!"
He shut off the camera, and Wanda chuckled, pinching Timmy's cheek, calling him a scamp.
"I'll be going now; what are the two of you planning?" He checked; hoping they had no further plans of leaving this room outside of Timmy's treatments.
"This TV has a bunch of old shows from a long time ago; Wanda was showing me one of her favorite cartoons from when she was a kid. It's called 'Little God Mommies'. I think I'll watch some more of it. It's pretty good."
"Oh! I remember that show—er—not that I ever watched it." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Then, if Timmy is feeling better, I think going out into the garden for some fresh air might be nice. We have a lot of time before his next treatment, so we'll play it by ear and see how we feel." Wanda did not seem like she had any other plans in mind, so he took that as a good sign that Nova had not proposed any additional outings.
"By the way—-Turner…." He paused. There was something he wanted to do a double check about. "Earlier, do you remember being turned into a toddler?"
"Ah!" Timmy's face went beat red, and he covered it with his two hands. "I was so cringy!"
"Oh, I told you, you were not!"
"…I referred to Piper's chest as her 'milk place.'"
He snorted. "What? Really? That is cringe."
"I took tantrums, I head behind the curtains, I kept trying to play on the play yard equipments, I cried for toys, I—-"
"It was cute!" Wanda protested and then lifted his arm. "And besides, it really helped with that nasty Stigmata! See, it's so pale now I have to squint to see it! With any luck, it'll be all gone before your next treatment."
"Well, being a toddler was kinda fun too—" Timmy shrugged. "My mind pieced everything together in a kind of weird way; like my toddler's memories had me thinking my human parents went away somewhere, and I was taken in by a new family—Poof and I were the same age and grew up together and…well, it was weird how my memories rearranged everything, but I did not remember any of the bullying or the neglect so it was super relaxing too."
It seemed a logical approach for the magic to alter his memories to avoid confusion. He had inquired to confirm that the action truly was taken on Nova's suggestion, not on Wanda's impulse, as the fairy godmother appeared quite anxious when he stumbled upon the 'toddler treatment.' Had she regularly engaged in such behavior, it would be worrisome, but it appeared to be a singular event carried out strictly based on Nova's counsel.
If it had been done before, Turner would have tried to cover it up by either pretending not to remember or focusing on the wrong things—such as the difference in height or knowledge—things that would not have been at the forefront of his toddler-like mind; instead, he reacted to the things he had done and to the tweaks in his memory, which made sense for a first time transformation.
"I'm glad that it's lessened your Stigmata." He was honestly relieved. "Those things can get out of hand fast, so try not to think about things that distress you too much."
"Lately when bad things get stuck in my head, their hard to get out," Timmy admitted with some reluctance. "—I might need some more Toddler time."
"Now, don't you get overly dependent on that." Wanda warned, wagging her finger at him. "Though I can get not wanting to remember any of the bad things."
"Running or hiding from things never help." He agreed. "…But taking on too much is even worse. It's important to push yourself—but not to push too hard, get it?" He advised. His life must've taken a truly bad turn if he was seriously thinking that becoming a toddler for a while just not to remember things was appealing.
Timmy managed a tentative smile. "Yeah, I got it."
"Ok, but…one last thing before I go, since you can remember things from being a toddler—there is something important we need to make clear."
"Yeah?" Timmy looked confused and a little nervous as he jabbed his finger in his chest.
"God Mommy! Not Good Mommy! Say it!"
"Ok, ok…!" Timmy laughed. "She's my…good god mommy."
Wanda snorted as she started laughing into her hands.
"You just won't let me have a complete victory, will you, Turner?" He sighed, yet a small smile crept in. He was confident that with Wanda's assistance, Turner would be alright—the boy was not one to yield when knocked down by the world, he was merely taking a bit more time to stand up again; Turner's spark was still very much alive.
— Piper's POV—
"Huh, you know, I thought this before, but Jorgen really does have a soft spot for that kid! Wow, never thought I'd see the day." She remarked as she threw a marshmallow up in the air and tried to catch it in her mouth as she reclined on the chair in Nova's room. He was still watching the habitat channel, spying on his daughter-in-law, her godson and Jorgen as they spoke; he'd probably be glued to it for hours; most of the Fey would be. Everything in this world was so boring and repetitive that having people living here that weren't under the control or influence of their magic was a fascinating treat.
She was feeling better now. Well, not completely, of course, but she had gotten her emotions under control. Nova was a good person to hang out with when you were upset; he allowed you to vent, did not offer unasked for advice and did not shove his opinions on how you ought to feel or what to do onto you. He especially did not give any of that ho-drum cliched crap that most people would spew at such times in an effort to be seen as consoling and empathetic.
"I can't believe he made her name the soul, though! I understand the reasons, but seriously, man! Can you believe he didn't tell her anything? Sheesh!" She exclaimed, but when he did not respond to what she thought was the highlight of the exchange, she stopped throwing her marshmallows in the air and looked over at him. He was slumped in his chair, tapping his feet together as he rested them on the footrest. The pose he always took up when he had become angry or annoyed by something.
"Err…Nova? Somethin' wrong?" She raised a brow at him, glad her chair was on the other side of the room; Nova was her best bud, but even she did not want to be near that guy when he got pissed.
"Twenty one!? Are you kidding me!?" He blurted out in a deep snarl; if it wasn't filled with such raw fury, she'd easily recognize it as his Anti-self voice, the same one he liked to use in those movies he enjoyed making, but said in such rage, it was barely recognizable.
"Well, I'd certainly love to see Gunter's reaction to that one! The guy thinks eleven is too old! If he heard Jorgen was extending it to twenty-one for special cases, he'd likely be infuriated enough to von Strangle—the life out of his son." She tried to make a pun, that even she found a little cringy but was the type of really lame joke that always seemed to cause Nova to break out into hysterical laughter; not this time, though. He just silently remained staring at the screen, livid. He was practically shaking with rage.
"Oooh, kay…." She whistled and conjured up an umbrella that was resistant to glass, opening it in front of her like a shield—on the off chance he ended up blowing up the television. "Buddy, I usually understand what you're thinking, but this time you're gonna have to explain it to me. You love your daughter-in-law and Timmy, so shouldn't you be pleased that their being given such a chance? Well, not that it matters, because we are definitely going to steal him away before he reaches twenty-one…."
"I must confess that if it weren't for my deep emotional connection to them, I would be furious enough right now to attack Jorgen before he could reach the exit." Nova turned off the screen; and turned his chair around to talk while facing her. "I am genuinely delighted for their good fortune. Even though we do plan to claim the boy before he reaches such an advanced age, it will give the two of them peace of mind and comfort between then and now."
"So, what's bugging you?"
"The unfairness, of course!" Nova struck his fist on the arm of his chair. "The fact that Jorgen believes he can modify rules or create exceptions according to his own preference is infuriating, even more so than his inflexibility with the rules!"
"Ooh." She nodded slowly as she began to grasp the very justified reason for Nova's sudden burst of fury. Nova did not like to speak about himself, but since they were close, he had told her everything about his god daughter Julia and—about….Jullian. He had to leave Julia when she still needed help because her fairies had been discovered, and Jullian had to lose his fairies because he had aged out even though he was still in a very toxic environment.
'Man, that really must suck….hearing some other kid being told, 'hey it's fine if this guy finds out about your fairies, I won't count it,' and 'hey guess what, for your kid, I'll let you stick around to help him get started in his adult life until he turns 21. If I had two god kids meet tragic ends, I'd be pretty pissed off too to hear one kid getting all these exceptions….' She thought. Nova had always resented Jorgen for his strict adherence to the rules which had allowed for those two tragedies…but the new knowledge that Jorgen was willing to bend the rules—but only for his favorites—was so much worse.
It was definitely a good thing Nova regarded Timmy as family because, unlike her, Nova was definitely the type who allowed his personal feelings towards a person to affect his work.
"Stella and I had been so worried for Jullian, because even though we helped him get through childhood, we were leaving him alone in that awful rathole, surrounded by that awful excuse for a family. We were told that we did our job by helping him survive to adulthood, and that we thought him the lessons he would need in life and that it was up to him to carry them through…."
"….And look what happened." She nodded in sympathy. "…If he had offered you and your wife, what he had offered to Wanda…"
"….Do you think he might have turned out differently?" Nova asked softly, lowering his eyes to the floor. "Is it possible that additional years could have prevented his fate, or was it inevitable that he would become what he did upon reaching adulthood?"
"I really don't know." She admitted; she did not have the same hatred for adult humans as Nova did, but she had to admit that most of them were unpleasant.
"It's frustrating to consider that if Jullian had received the same favoritism from Jorgen as little Timmy does, there might have been a chance for a miraculous outcome—a world where both he and my dear Julia could have lived happily together." Nova clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "And poor Julia! If we were allowed to stay with her despite being discovered…I just know we would have been able to prevent that tragedy!"
"I get it; sometimes the past is nothing but a bunch of regrets, I still don't know if it's worse when those regrets are something you can blame yourself for, or when their out of your control…but yeah, it really sucks, and such unfairness would make anyone mad."
"It's more than unfair." Nova gloomily rested his chin on his hand. "My apologies, 've just been dealt such difficult news, and here I am, regretfully having my own compsure slip over my own preoccupations."
"Hey, it's fine; you listen to me bitch and I listen to you moan, right? We have a lot of time before the boy's next treatment; wanna go get a drink?" She offered; in her opinion cocktails were infinitely better than any sympathy one could offer. Nova nodded slowly and looked at a framed photo on his desk; it was brand new, not one she'd seen before—it was of Wanda, Timmy and him fooling around in front of Pickles, must have been taken today.
"Indeed, it would be pleasant to have some drinks." Nova sighed. "I desire to let go of my anger so that, when next I see my dearest daughter-in-law and sweet god grandson, I can approach them without any lingering sense of injustice." He picked up the photo and smiled at it, no doubt recalling the day's memory. "It's not their fault, after all….and, if Jorgen was going to grant an exception….I'm glad it's for them."
"Well, gotta say, you're much more mature than I'd be." She admitted; not something she was proud of, but not something she could very well deny—especially after how she behaved today.
"It is not due to my level of maturity." He corrected. "I prioritize the happiness of my family above all else, and if something brings them joy, I can't remain bitter about it."
"…You beat me in that regard, too." She admitted as she thought about her mother—and her mother's precious little angels—the human children that had filled her mother's heart so much that there had hardly been any room for her in it at all.
— Timmy's POV—
"My poor sick boy," Wanda whispered, her gentle touch gliding through his hair as he nestled in bed, fixated on the animated show she had introduced to him earlier. With her arm draped around him, he found solace in the warmth of her embrace, his heavy eyelids drooping as he lazily observed the colorful cartoon playing on the screen. A platter adorned with an array of delectable treats, ranging from savory cheeses and crispy crackers to sweet cookies, was within Wanda's reach, and she would intermittently offer him a morsel or a sip of refreshing juice. Yet, his appetite was scarce, overshadowed by the exhaustion that engulfed his weary frame. Although he wasn't drowsy enough to succumb to sleep, his body yearned for nothing more than the comfort of the bed, leaving him devoid of the energy to engage in any other activity.
"Hmm." He smiled, closing his eyes as he savored the feeling of her petting his head. As a young child, he had all the usual illnesses; measles, chickenpox, the mumps—and they had been miserable times where he felt horrible. His illnesses were spent with Vicky doing everything she could to make him feel worse; and the loneliness of his parent's neglect seemed to sting even more than usual when he was left alone sick in bed.
Even in the days before Vicky became his babysitter when his parents were still around; his father was more focused on taking videos than providing care and his mother would just give him a bowl of soup, check his fever and leave him to rest.
Being on the receiving end of so much attention and pampering was an unfamiliar experience for him; was this how kids were normally treated when they were ill, or was Wanda just being the most wonderful mother in the world?
He was sick, but he did not feel horrible at all; he felt loved and special. It had initially depressed him when Jorgen had told him that he might be left weak for an entire year or longer, but if he could look forward to being fawned over like this, then it wouldn't be so bad at all. This felt nice…kind of soothing…
"Here, this will help you keep your strength up." Wanda offered him a bit of cheese on a cracker. She did not even mind that he was getting crumbs on her…
At times, he found himself pondering why she loved him so deeply. He didn't consider himself a good kid; he wasn't smart, talented, or particularly handsome. All he saw himself as was selfish, irresponsible, and foolish—a brat with an endless list of faults. Yet, her love for him was immense, genuine, and not out of obligation, but the real, unconditional kind.
"You really are the best mom ever, Wanda." He praised her gratefully.
"You make it easy; You're just such a precious little thing." She continued stroking his hair.
He smiled a little sadly. "99% of the population of the universe would disagree with that; but….thanks….knowing you love me so much, makes me feel…."
'….Like it's ok for me to still exist…' He thought as he let his voice trail off. Even though he knew from what Jorgen had showed him that time when he had wished he was never born, that Wanda, along with everyone else, would be happier if he was never born…
"What is it, sweetie?" She might have read something in his expression—but he wasn't ready to talk about that—that dark secret he had never told her in detail about. He did not want her knowing that he had selfishly cut off her happiness—the happiness of many others—-and even the life of his sister—just to continue to exist…to keep living in a world that did not want him; he had brought so much pain to others….but a part of his heart ached as he wondered….if Wanda knew, would her love for him diminish?
"…In one of my wish gone wrong fiascos…." He began, there were so many, she'd never be able to pinpoint just which one he was talking about. "I saw an alternate timeline where I wasn't born—and Chester was your godchild instead and…he was kind, helpful, never selfish….far better than me….your such a wonderful godmother, sometimes I can't help but feel like you deserve better than someone like me."
"Perish the thought!" She shook her head. "Chester? Ha! We've both seen how he turned out; running about with those hoodlums, vandalizing property, shoplifting, and, most of all—turning his back on his best friend? Maybe he would have been easier than you to handle when he was ten, but he'd have grown to be a terror…." She softened her voice at this last part and pinched his cheek playfully. "Yes, Timmy, you've had your share of bad ways, but that's true for every child, and frankly…while a 'well behaved kid' is an easy job….well, that's just it, isn't it? I loved all my godkids, of course, but they were all jobs, some good, some bad, some so-so….but for you, it's different. You're no job to me….I'm not sure how to express this in words, but…" Wanda seemed to mull over it for a moment and pulled him a little closer to her.
"Let me tell you a story; Timmy. I always wanted to be a godmother, just like my childhood heros." She paused the TV and gestured towards the main character of the trio of trainee fairies, Magenta. "I wanted to be just like her. I wanted so much to make a difference and help little children overcome their problems the way she did….to help bring happiness and love to children who did not have enough of it in their lives." She soothingly rubbed his back as she spoke, her voice as soft as it was when she was reading Poof bed time stories. "I always wanted to be a godmother to sad little children….but I never dreamed of being their mother. True, years of being married to Cosmo and being exposed to children did have both of us develop a longing for a child of our own, but whilst helping our godkids we…we never felt like any of them were 'ours', but then one day we were given a few pictures to choose our next assignment from and you know what?"
"What?" He asked, and she leaned in and playfully rubbed noses with him affectionately.
"We saw your picture and felt an instant connection to you. You looked so much like Cosmo, and you were all dressed in pink; we both thought, if we had a child of our own, he might look just like this little boy. We learned about your situation and our hearts just melted for you."
He blushed, but felt a little happy that they had liked him just from seeing his picture; usually the first thing people did upon seeing him was laugh at his teeth.
"…But you must have been disappointed with…how I am…."
"Not in the least! Sure, you had some bad ways—but every child does! Besides…perfectly behaved kids are a tad boring, sport! Besides…the moment we met, you just clicked with us—you acted like Cosmo in some ways, and like me in others….and the more time we spent time with you, we thought….yes, this is as close as we'll ever get to having a child of our own. You were our favorite, long before you wished Poof up for us. That's why we had the Hall of Timmy…because we thought of you as our own child and wanted you to have a special place to be remembered."
He had no idea that was how they had been looking at him that entire time, and to think….after seeing how much happier they were if he were never born, he had begun lashing out, acting like a brat to them and everyone else who he had seen was happier in a world without him….if that Fairy Idol incident hadn't snapped him out of it, made him realize how much it would hurt if they left…..he might still be acting that way.
"….I'm sorry I once acted like such a brat towards you. I…I just got caught up in thinking that…no one could ever love me….and I got scared about being rejected….so I….I dunno….I wanted people to have a real reason to push me a way….being rejected when your trying hurts…I guess it….it made it feel more out of my control….while when I acted bad, I….I could just say it was my behaviour….not me….." He fumbled; it was hard to explain his reasoning without touching upon the reality Jorgen had showed him where everyone in the world was so much better off; but he felt like he owed her some explanation for how he had treated her and Cosmo back then.
"Aw, Sweetie!" She hugged him. "Well, thank you for opening up and telling me about back then, but it's truly all water under the bridge. So you had a brat phase!" She hunched her shoulders to emphasise that she had gotten over everything he had done in those days. "Even during that time, there were still loveable things about you and every kid has a naughty phase, you grew out of it, you learned your lessons, and look at you—still apologizing two years later when most other kids wouldn't even remember, let alone hold on to the guilt!" She ruffled his bangs playfully. "—and you say that you're not a good boy! This is one of the things I love most about you; when you do something wrong, not only do you own up to it, you do everything you can to set things right—but there is no need to keep feeling so bad about this. It's all ok, you've been forgiven and have made up for it countless times. Don't carry such guilt, besides….Cosmo and I are also guilty of encouraging some of that behaviour because we got that offer and contract to make 'Timmy TV', when what we ought to have done is try to get to the root of why you began acting out—so let's just say we're both equally guilty for that little rough patch, and put it behind us, alright?"
He closed his eyes to suppress the tears he felt burning behind them and cozied up closer to her, desperately grasping for the words he needed to explain himself. "Sorry for bringing all that up….I….I guess…I just….I'm trying to say that…I love you so much, and that you love me back just as much, means the universe to me, but I….I just don't see anything about me, worth loving….so it's hard to understand how you can feel so, so much for me. I keep trying to wrap my head around it but….I just can't grasp how, out of thousands of other godkids, why….you'd want…..to…give me such a special place in your heart. I guess….I know I asked you this before….but…I…just wanna know…why do you love me?"
"I told you before, didn't I? Mothers don't need reasons to love their children. I love you, just because your, you and I always will." She gave her answer in a simple voice with no elaboration to her words and he had none of his own words to respond with, but tears of gratitude leaked from his eyes, saying more than he ever could. Wanda smiled at him, gazing at him with warmth and affection.
"Your my son just as much as Poof is, and you always will be, no matter how much time passes—and a mother's love is unconditional. Never forget that."
He sniffled, feeling overwhelmed. He still did not fully understand her reasons for loving someone like him so much, but it was clear that she loved him and, not even being told that her life would have been better without him, seemed to change her mind. "Thank you so much for loving me—and—you did grow up to be even better than Magenta…not only the best godmother, but best mother—ever."
"You know, it really feels nice to finally be told that…maybe it's a bit silly of me wanting someone to compare me to a cartoon character I idolized as a child, but…it really feels good to hear it, especially coming from you." She chuckled and poofed up a tissue to wipe the tears away from his face. "You know, if not for you, I'd never have been able to become a mother."
He recalled the conversation Piper had with Wanda about how she and Cosmo wouldn't have been able to have children together naturally, and felt sorry about maybe having brought up what must have been a hurtful topic.
"I'm…sorry about….that bad news…" He consoled awkwardly. "I'm glad I was able to notice that Jorgen forgot to put the no baby rule in the book before he realized it, so that I could wish Poof up for you."
"Do you know what I found out while you were sleeping? That your wish was actually a miracle."
"A miracle?"
"There is a limiter put in place that can lower or raise our magic, using the power of the amount of love our godchild has for us. It's put into place to stop godparents from forcing their godchildren into wishing up things for them. With this limiter any wish a god child makes for the benefit of their fairies will have its outcome determined by the amount of love put into the wish…..well, normally wishing up a fairy baby for a couple who couldn't naturally have one together would be impossible—but your love for Cosmo and I was so strong, that it made a miracle for us. So, you see….even if there are better behaved godchildren out there…there is no godchild yet who has ever loved his fairies as much as you do—even the fairy council admitted that—-and your love made Poof's life not just my son, you're my little miracle."
He had always believed that, if not by his own wish, another godchild might have eventually wished Poof into existence, or that the ban on babies would be lifted someday, allowing Cosmo and Wanda to have their child without a wish needing to be made. However, realizing that Poof was alive solely because of his wish eased some of the guilt he harbored for having prevented Sophia's life, albeit only slightly.
"—And between you and me, I was a little disappointed to hear that Cosmo and I won't be able to have more children someday, even if we came to live here as Fey…" Wanda continued speaking, gazing down at him with a warm affection no one else in the world showed him. "but….you know what? I have the two best sons in the universe, and that's good enough."
"Wanda, can I make another confession?" He looked up at her, feeling warm and happy. "I do miss Poof and Cosmo but…I'm actually really happy that we get to spend so much time together….and I hope we can stay here for a while longer, just the two of us."
"Can I also make a confession….?" She grinned and pulled him closer. "Me too."