June 2015

Hello readers! I'm very glad you're all still enjoying my little brain droppings. I've updated my profile with the latest on my fanfic writing, and some new links to my other nooks around the 'Net. Please check it out and thanks for reading!

Here's where everything gets wrapped up. Our favorite little fairies are vulnerable, and unsure. But there's still that underlying want to make things better. So a little angst, a little fluff, and a lot of squishy love and they're back to making goo-goo eyes at each other and being oh-so-wonderfully in love again. ~sigh~

FOP doesn't belong to me.

"You don't love me anymore, do you?"

It was more statement than question and Wanda winced at the serious tone in Cosmo's soft voice.

"Of course I still love you, Cosmo. I always have."

They were in the bedroom of their secret castle at the bottom of Timmy Turner's goldfish bowl, and Wanda was struck with an extreme case of déjà vu. This conversation eerily mirrored the one on that night over a month ago. The night everything changed.

"But you're afraid of me."

Wanda uttered a shaky sigh. She sat on the bed, facing the wall. Silence hung heavy in the air, and the pink haired fairy could feel the weight of her husband's gaze upon her back.

"Cosmo . . ." Her voice trembled, which wasn't surprising considering the tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

"You are, aren't you? Tell me."

Wanda covered her mouth as a sob struggled to escape. The thought of lying passed briefly through her mind, a notion dismissed almost as quickly as it appeared. She couldn't lie to her husband, not now, not ever. Doing so wouldn't make things any easier, anyway.

"I . . . I'm sorry, Cosmo. I just . . ." She paused, her heart pounding heavily within her chest. "I don't want to be afraid of you, sweetie. I'm trying to get better . . ."

The bed springs creaked slightly as the green haired fairy sat on the corner of the bed behind his wife. He sighed softly, and Wanda could imagine him running a shaky hand through his hair. It was a nervous habit that he had had ever since they had begun dating, and the fact that she knew him so well caused a warm flicker within her chest. She smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Wanda."

Her smile dropped just as the warmth in her chest died. Snuffed out by yet another of her husband's apologies.

"Cosmo—"

"I'm really sorry, Wanda!" he whispered harshly, the bed shaking slightly as he spun around and leaned toward her. "I don't know what else I can say or what I can do to make it up to you, but I'm really, really sorry!"

"I KNOW you're sorry, Cosmo!" she cried, spinning around to face him. Her tears had returned as the last reign on her self-control snapped. It was time to tell him. He had to know. "PLEASE stop apologizing! I can't take it anymore!"

"But—" Cosmo's face was a mixture of confusion and shock.

"I know you're sorry about what happened, sweetie," Wanda continued, forcing her voice into a softer tone. "I know you feel bad. But when you apologize . . . it hurts me."

Cosmo's eyes went wide.

"Hurts?" he asked in a shaky whisper as tears appeared in the corners of his large green eyes. "I'm hurting you again?"

Wanda shook her head as she laid a gentle hand on his cheek. "Not you, sweetie," she said softly, offering him a small smile. "Not directly, anyway. But, you see, when you apologize, I remember how bad I felt. And it makes me feel bad again. And then I see how upset YOU are about the whole thing, and I feel even worse. I don't want you to continue to punish yourself about it. It's over. Can't we try to move on and put it behind us?"

Wanda locked eyes with her husband, searching for a sign, some small flicker of the man she married. The jovial, happy-go-lucky fairy who was always ready with a smile and laugh when she needed them most. The cheery, happy fairy who was quick with a tickle or joke when he thought Wanda needed to laugh.

Because Cosmo always had a special talent for making Wanda laugh, no matter how upset or sad she felt. He had told her once that she could sometimes be so serious, he worried she'd get so lost in her thoughts she'd actually disappear! So he'd make her laugh, and she'd instantly feel better. She always felt better after a good Cosmo-induced bout of laughter.

And boy, could she use a good laugh right about now. She couldn't even remember the last time she had laughed—a REALLY good one that started from the tips of her toes and tickled the top of her head. One that sent tears running helplessly down her cheeks. One that made whatever was bothering her seem insignificant. Yeah, one of those would feel absolutely wonderful right about now.

But the more Wanda searched her husband's eyes, the more sadness crept into her heart. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks, and he pulled away slightly, out of her grip. He looked confused and hurt.

"You want to forget about it," he said, pulling himself off the bed. "Right?"

Wanda shook her head quickly, almost automatically.

"No, not necessarily forget . . ." she began, but paused as she thought. Wasn't that what she really meant? Wasn't 'Let's move on and put it behind us' simply a nicer way of saying 'Let's just forget it ever happened and go on with our lives'? Hadn't she—well, truth be told, hadn't they BOTH dwelled upon this a heck of a lot longer than what was truly necessary or even healthy? She doubted that 'forgetting' would truly be that simple, but what exactly was 'remembering' it doing for either of them except making them both miserable?

After a silent moment, Wanda sighed and nodded slowly.

"Yes," she said quietly, lowering her head to stare at the fidgeting fingers in her lap. "That's what I want. I just want to forget this whole horrible thing ever happened and go on with life."

Silence permeated the bedroom, and Wanda could feel Cosmo's gaze bore into the top of her head. The rapid beating of her heart sounded very loud in her ears.

"I don't."

Wanda jerked her head up quickly, her mouth hanging slightly agape in her shock.

"What?"

Cosmo's gaze softened as he went to one knee before his wife, placing his hands very gently over hers. His eyes were wide and shiny, and Wanda gasped at the emotion she saw in them. It was so strong it practically emanated from the little green haired fairy in waves. It was an emotion she would not have expected.

It was fear.

"I don't want to forget, Wanda," he whispered shakily, his tears returning. "I can't!"

"Why not? Sweetie, what are you so afraid of?"

Cosmo looked down for a second, gently caressing his wife's soft hands with his thumbs. When he looked back, the fear in his eyes was more pronounced.

"Hurting you again. Wanda, I'm so afraid of hurting you all over again if I forget about this. I don't want to hurt you, and I'm so ashamed of myself for doing it once, I . . . I just couldn't live with myself if I did it again. You mean so much to me, you and your happiness, and if I ever hurt you again like I did before, I'd . . . I'd . . . well, I don't know WHAT I'd do, but I couldn't stand it! So I can't forget, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much I'd like to. Because if I forget, I might hurt you again."

"But Cosmo, beating yourself up about it every single minute of every single day isn't going to change what happened," Wanda said as she pulled one of her hands free and placed it on his cheek. "And you don't have to think about it all the time in order to learn from it and keep it from happening again. What's done is done. Try to put it out of your mind."

Cosmo shook his head. "Wanda, you know me," he said softly, a weak smile curling one corner of his mouth. "If I forget about it, it's most likely completely gone."

"'Most likely' doesn't automatically mean that it IS," she pointed out, offering her own half smile. "I have a feeling that this particular . . . incident will never completely fade from either of our memories."

The green haired fairy shook his head again. "I'm not sure I want to take that chance."

"Sweetie, you're never going to be happy if you're continually punishing yourself over this."

He shrugged slightly. "Your happiness is more important than mine."

"But Cosmo, I'm not happy," she said, pulling her other hand out to place on his other cheek. "I can't BE happy if you're not. YOUR happiness is very important to me, and I hate seeing you so sad and upset. It makes my heart hurt to see you so unhappy."

Tears streamed steadily down Cosmo's cheeks, and his body shook with a muted sob. The pain and sadness in his eyes were almost too much for Wanda to bear.

"Tell me what to do," he whispered harshly. "I don't know what to do Wanda! I'm so scared and confused and upset and I have no idea what I should do! No matter what I do, I hurt you!"

"You have to let it go, honey," she said softly, yet firmly. "I know you're afraid of repeating this whole thing, but believe me when I say that dwelling on it really isn't helping anything. You don't necessarily have to forget, but trying so hard to NOT forget is almost worse. Do you understand?"

Cosmo's head shook back and forth slowly in her hands. "No, I don't. Isn't it a good thing that I don't want to hurt you again?"

Wanda smiled lovingly. "Of course it's a good thing, sweetie, it's a wonderfully thoughtful thing. But by dwelling on this fear so much, you're not giving yourself a chance to do anything else. You're spending so much time and energy degrading yourself for your actions that you've completely forgotten to live."

He offered her a confused look. "I don't understand."

"Time doesn't stop, sweetie," she said gently, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. "It's been well over a month since we had that confrontation, and things need to move forward. By continuing to dwell on things, you're not allowing yourself to learn and grow from the experience. In a sense, you're still stuck in that night, feeling the same pain and guilt over and over again. That's not good for you, emotionally speaking. You need to try and forgive yourself and have faith that you'll remember this enough to keep from behaving the same way later."

The two fairies sat silently for a moment, their eyes locked. Slowly, Cosmo raised his hands and gently grasped Wanda's wrists, pulling her hands from his face. He wasn't crying anymore, and a thoughtful expression had replaced the pain and confusion from before.

"Forgive myself," he repeated softly, almost as though he were talking to himself. "Do you forgive me? Can you?"

Wanda's heart thumped madly within her chest. There it was, the question she hoped she'd never hear, but expected nonetheless. She herself had wrestled with this particular query during the countless sleepless hours before she had confronted him, and still wondered about it since that night.

She knew in her heart that the answer would—eventually—be 'Yes', but was it really as simple as that? Right now she didn't think she could honestly tell him such a definite answer, mostly because—in her mind—it would be like saying 'Hey, you treated me horribly, but that's okay, don't worry about it!'. The truth was, it WASN'T okay, and she DID still think about it, no matter how many times she told herself not to.

Yes she knew he felt awful about how he treated her, but that didn't mean that his actions simply erased themselves from her memory in an instant. His hurtful words still crept up in her dreams, and that familiar ache would return to her heart, taking its good sweet time fading long after she'd awoken.

It would seem that Cosmo wasn't the only one dwelling on the past.

"In time," she said finally, making sure to lock eyes with him so he wouldn't misunderstand. "I love you Cosmo, and I will forgive you, of course I will, but it's just going to take some time, that's all. Healing takes time."

Her husband sat quietly for a moment, as if contemplating her answer.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked softly. "Anything at all? If there is, please tell me. I'll do it. No matter what."

Wanda offered him a genuine smile. "The only thing I can think of that would really help is for you to stop being so hard on yourself," she said, brushing some errant hair from his face. "I can't heal if you're acting . . . well, so un-Cosmo-like. I know you feel bad about how you acted before, and I appreciate your worries and concern, I truly do. But please try not to dwell on it any longer. Please Cosmo. For me."

He looked unsure for a moment before uttering a heavy sigh.

"All right, Wanda," he said slowly, getting to his feet before her. "I'll try. I still feel bad, and don't think I should just pretend it never happened—"

"I'm not asking you to," she interrupted, shaking her head quickly. "I know that this isn't something that can be simply forgotten or ignored, no matter how much the both of us would like to. But you can remember it without letting it have such an emotional hold over you. Can you do that?"

"I'll try," he answered softly. "For you. I'll try to be better."

"Thank you sweetie," Wanda whispered as she stood and pulled her husband into a tight embrace. Her heart rate quickened, spurred by the warmth and gentle pressure of her husband's arms around her waist. The tiny spark within her chest flickered again, and this time, remained lit. "I love you so much, Cosmo. I don't want you to be sad."

"I love you, Wanda," he whispered back, nuzzling his face into her shoulder. "I'm so sorr—" He stopped himself with an almost physical jerk. "I mean, I don't want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you more than anything and I want you to be happy." She laughed softly.

"I want us BOTH to be happy, Cosmo," she said, giving him a tighter squeeze. "We have each other, and we have love, and those are the two most important ingredients for happiness in my book! All we need is a little time and things will be better. You'll see."

"I hope so," Cosmo whispered, nodding slightly against her shoulder. "I really hope so."

-X-X-X-

Wanda opened her eyes and sat up slowly, casting a quick glance at the bedside clock. 2:20 AM. It had been almost an hour since the emotional scene with Cosmo, and the pink haired fairy shook her head slightly in an attempt to push the fog from her mind and remember just how she had ended up in bed, asleep. She glanced to her right and discovered her husband's side of the bed empty.

Okay, scratch that. How did she end up in bed, asleep and alone?

After swinging her legs to dangle over the edge of the bed, Wanda replayed the interaction with her husband in her mind. It had been an emotional but much needed discussion, and the heavy feeling that had been weighing down her heart recently seemed much lighter now. Hope blossomed within her, and she truly felt that a re-connection with her husband was close at hand.

She frowned as a thought nagged at her, deep within her mind. Something was . . . well, not exactly 'wrong' per se, but 'off'. She glanced behind her, at the side of the bed that was still empty. They laid smooth and neat, just as they had when she had made the bed that morning. The pillow was still fluffed and sitting perfectly in place.

THAT'S what was wrong. Or 'off'.

Cosmo's sleeping habits had been one of the most difficult things she'd had to get used to when they were first married. Simply put, he was a 'roller'. If he was lying on his belly, he would take his pillow and practically roll it into a ball and tuck it under his chin. If he was on his side—which wasn't often, Cosmo wasn't generally a side-sleeper—the rolled pillow was set under his jaw. On his back, the 'pillow-ball' ended up right in the nape of his neck, tilting his head back at—what looked to Wanda like—an extremely uncomfortable angle. The position usually didn't last long, because his tilted head meant his mouth was left to drop open, allowing his snores to escape unfettered. Wanda—not at her best when woken suddenly by her husband's snores—would deliver a light slap to his chest to get him to roll over, which he would, taking his crumpled pillow with him. In the morning, his pillow always resembled a mushy, misshapen blob. And this didn't even touch on the tangled mess he turned the sheets and blankets into on a nightly basis.

But right now his side of the bed was pristine. Not a wrinkle in the sheet, not a dent in the pillow.

Cosmo hadn't been to bed at all tonight.

Wanda's frown intensified as she fast forwarded her thoughts to the last thing she remembered. She asked him to ease up on himself, he promised he'd do better, they hugged and—

"I need to be by myself for a few minutes. I'll be back in a little while."

Wanda nodded to herself as her memory returned. Cosmo had left to do some thinking and Wanda had climbed into bed to wait for him. She had intended to stay awake until he returned, but the emotions of the night, not to mention the late hour, had taken their toll and she must have fallen asleep. It actually wasn't very surprising when she considered all that had happened earlier.

So now she knew why he wasn't there. But where was he? Was he in Timmy's bedroom? In another part of the castle? Had he—heaven forbid—gone home to Mama Cosma?

A chill ran up Wanda's spine at this last thought, and she grimaced unconsciously. If he had gone home to be with his precious Mama, there'd be fireworks in Fairy World tonight. You betcha.

A faint 'clang' floated to her ears just then, and two things flittered through Wanda's mind in an instant—Cosmo was still in the castle, and there was no confrontation with Mama Cosma in the pink haired fairy's near future. Thank goodness.

Lifting herself off the bed, Wanda began to float toward the doorway. Halfway there she paused and looked back at her bedside table, where her wand was resting. After a moment's consideration, she continued out into the hallway, leaving her wand behind. She saw no need to take it with her.

Wanda floated downstairs and headed toward the kitchen. The 'clang' she had heard earlier was the unmistakable sound of two steel bowls clattering together, and the entire downstairs was dark except for the light pouring through the open doorway of the kitchen, so that must have been where Cosmo was.

But what on earth was he doing in the kitchen at 2:30 in the morning?

The question was shocked from Wanda's mind by the sound of shattering glass, followed by a familiar voice hissing, "Aw, nuts!"

Sticking to the shadows in the adjoining room, Wanda peeked around the corner of the doorway into the kitchen. The countertops were a mess, with flour and spilled milk splattered everywhere. One of her large cookbooks was open, sitting on the island in the middle of the room. Green hair bobbed up and down behind the island, and after the fourth bob, Cosmo finally stood up, holding a small hand broom in one hand and a dustpan with the remains of whatever glass had broken in the other. As he walked to the garbage bin, Wanda got a good look at him. And felt even more confused.

He was still dressed in his pajamas, but they were dusted with flour. His shirt was wet from his chest to his belly-button, and a large dark stain practically covered his right thigh. For one terrifying moment, Wanda thought it might have been blood, but since Cosmo didn't seem to be limping as he walked back to the island, or in any pain whatsoever, she dismissed it. Once back at the island, Cosmo tilted his head slightly to look at the cookbook, and Wanda noticed a small smear of flour on his left cheek.

She smiled. And noticed the little flicker in her chest grow just a wee bit bigger.

"Okay, where was I?" Cosmo asked himself softly as he ran a finger down the page in the book. "Flour, check . . . milk, check . . . eggs." He stopped and glanced around himself, searching. "Eggs . . . eggs . . . where . . . oh yeah. Fridge." A quick trip to the fridge and a few seconds later, Cosmo was back at the island with a carton of eggs in his hand. "Eggs. Okay. Two eggs."

Wanda watched as Cosmo pulled the first egg from the carton and turned to the large steel bowl on the far end of the island. His face took on an expression of such intense concentration, a safe cracker would have been jealous. His very first attempt at cracking an egg met with success . . . technically. The egg DID open, but Cosmo over-estimated the amount of force necessary to crack the shell, resulting in a slippery, stringy mess oozing from between his fingers. The green haired fairy grunted in disgust as he hurried to the sink to wash his hands.

The second egg he was taking no chances with. He gently tapped the shell against the edge of the bowl, creating a tiny crack in the surface. Smiling, he placed his thumbnails into the crack and began to pry the egg open. Four seconds later he was back at the sink, washing his hands again.

Ten minutes, seven tries, and three more trips to the sink later, the two eggs Cosmo needed were in the bowl and he was ready to mix. He pulled a handheld mixer from a nearby cabinet and approached the bowl, his face set with determination.

"Okay," he muttered, reading the page in the cookbook again. "'Mix thoroughly until smooth.' Right. Mixing. No problem."

Before Wanda's unbelieving eyes, Cosmo turned the mixer on at its highest speed and lowered the spinning beaters into the bowl. The pink haired fairy closed her eyes tightly, in anticipation for the great splattering mess that was inevitable. She heard the beaters skitter off the sides of the bowl and . . .

Nothing. The sound of the running beaters never wavered.

After a few seconds, Wanda opened one eye a tiny crack and peered into the kitchen. It was still clean—or at least as 'clean' as it had been when she first arrived. Cosmo was hugging the bowl to his chest, his face set in grim concentration as he whipped the batter within the bowl to a smooth consistency. Wanda's eyes opened fully and she stared at her husband in slack-jawed shock.

Three minutes passed, and all the while Cosmo meticulously mixed. Once satisfied with his job, he placed the bowl back onto the counter, and let go. Then he began to pull the beaters out. Wanda placed a hand to her mouth to hide a startled gasp.

He didn't turn off the mixer first.

The response was both predictable and spectacular. When the still-running beaters left the thicker part of the batter, they sent globules of thick liquid flying in all directions. Cosmo was splattered with the goopy mess, and the hand holding the mixer jerked in his surprise. It knocked against the side of the bowl, causing it to roll slightly on its side, toward him. In his flustered attempt to quickly right the bowl before it spilled his entire night's work all over the floor, Cosmo pushed forward with the still-running hand mixer. He had apparently forgotten he was even holding it.

An angry clattering sound filled the kitchen as the beaters made contact with the beveled bottom of the steel bowl, causing it to vibrate and shake on the counter. A great wave of brown batter spewed forth then, and for a split second, Wanda lost all sight of Cosmo's face.

Once the wave had settled, the batter-dipped fairy slowly pulled the mixer from the tilted bowl, and slid the power switch to 'Off'. He sighed, and ran a hand down his face before uttering one word.

"Crud."

From her spot in the doorway, Wanda looked over the mess in the kitchen. Batter had splattered everywhere, and her husband looked like some demented Easter treat—'Chocolate Covered Fairy'. The warmth in her chest grew quickly, and Wanda did what any loving wife would have done in that situation.

She laughed.

And laughed.

And for variety, laughed some more.

And it felt GOOD. Never had a laugh felt so good to Wanda. Her toes curled and the top of her head tingled. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes and she held a hand to her chest to keep her heart from breaking through. It was beating hard and fast, spreading the warmth that had began as nothing but a small fleeting ember, but was now as hot as the sun. No a hundred suns. It filled every part of her, making her laugh harder.

It was life. After all this time, she finally felt alive again.

And whole. She was WANDA again and not simply some cheap imitation.

Cosmo's head jerked toward the doorway as his wife walked in, still laughing and wiping at the tears on her cheeks. His face flicked quickly from surprise to confusion and back again.

"Wanda!" he cried worriedly, raising his voice to be heard over her laughter. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"N-No Cosmo," she giggled, struggling to control herself. "You didn't wake me." A fresh bout of laughter seized her then, and she clutched the island countertop to support herself.

"Oh." Cosmo watched her for a moment before a small smile curled the corners of his mouth. "What's so funny?"

Wanda laughed harder. Was he kidding?

"Wh—What are you doing?" she stuttered, finally gaining control of herself. The occasional giggle still seized her, but they were easier to stifle.

Cosmo sighed, a dark blush burning his cheeks. "I was . . ." he said quietly, placing the mixer on the counter. "Making a cake. Or trying to, anyway."

Wanda offered him a gentle smile. "Why?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Sweetie, it's almost three in the morning."

He shrugged. "Upstairs, you said something about ingredients and being happy, and that made me think about chocolate cake, because it has ingredients in it and you really like it," he explained as he righted the bowl and moved it aside. He wouldn't look at her. "So I thought I'd make you one. The slow way, because things usually taste better that way instead of being poofed up. I thought it would make you happy." He paused. "Or happier at least."

Wanda watched as he ran a finger through a puddle of batter on the counter.

"You were going to make me a cake?" she asked softly, his finger never wavering. "Just to make me happy?"

He nodded slightly before lifting his head with a startled jerk.

"Oh, jeez! It wasn't supposed to be a bribe or anything!" he said quickly, his face filled with anxiety. "I know that might be what this looks like, but I never thought that I could just 'make everything better' by doing one nice thing for you. I swear Wanda, that's not what I was thinking at all!"

"Calm down, sweetie," Wanda soothed, placing a gentle hand over his. "I believe you. If that was the case, you would have done this a lot sooner, right?"

Cosmo's brow furrowed as he contemplated this.

"I-I guess so," he said quietly, lowering his head again. "I just . . . I never wanted to do something that seemed . . . I dunno. Fake. I mean, I always wanted to do something for you, ever since that night, but . . . I always thought that it kinda felt like I was trying to MAKE you forgive me or something. I never wanted you to feel like you HAD to forgive me just because I did something nice." He paused before looking up at his wife, offering her a questioning glance. "Did that make sense? It kinda made sense in my head, but sometimes when I say things out loud it sounds weird."

Wanda nodded, a small smile on her lips. "It made perfect sense, sweetie," she said as she walked around the counter to stand next to him. He turned to her and smiled as she took both his hands into hers.

"Good," he said with a soft sigh. "I was a little worried for a second."

"And you were right," she continued, drawing a slightly surprised look from her husband. "We needed to be in just the right frame of mind for anything you did to have its fullest effect, and immediately after our confrontation, when both of us were in a very vulnerable emotional state, was not the right time. Emotional healing can be a slow process, but right now, tonight, I think we are in the perfect stage for closure." The familiar confused look was back on Cosmo's face.

"Closure? But a little while ago you said—"

Wanda placed a gentle finger on his lips, a loving smile on hers.

"I'm not afraid anymore," she whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks. "For the first time in months, you've acted like Cosmo again. MY Cosmo. The sweet, child-like, adorable fairy I fell in love with all those years ago. I hadn't seen him in so long, I had almost forgotten what he was like. But I missed him. I never realized just how much I missed him until tonight. When I found you in here, making a cake just for me, you reminded me just how much I love that green haired guy."

"But I never finished your cake," Cosmo said shakily, casting an eye over the mess of the kitchen. "I goofed it up."

Wanda shook her head, her smile never wavering. "But the whole fact that you were down here so late, doing everything by hand instead of magic means so much to me already, sweetie," she said, placing her hands on his cheeks to lock eyes with him. "Because it truly is the thought that counts. Knowing that you truly love me and would go out of your way to do something just to try and make me happy is more wonderful than a thousand chocolate cakes. No, a million!"

"Really?" Cosmo whispered, his eyes shiny.

Wanda nodded, tears filling her own eyes. "Really."

"Does that mean you still love me?" he asked, his voice thick and uneven. "And you'll always be with me? Forever?"

The pink haired fairy released his cheeks and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close for a tight hug.

"Forever and for always," she whispered into his ear, smiling widely as he wrapped his arms just as tightly around her. "For as long as you're My Cosmo, I'll be Your Wanda. I promise."

"I'll always be Your Cosmo," he whispered, his body trembling with muted sobs. "I promise I'll never say or do anything mean to you ever again. Never. I promise!"

Wanda smiled as she held her weeping husband tightly, her own tears falling fast and free. The bizarre quality of the entire scene humored her—her kitchen was a mess, it was nearly three in the morning, and they were both covered with chocolate cake batter, crying like babies. Talk about unexpected.

But.

There truly was nowhere else she'd rather be. She had found her husband again—her TRUE husband—and had honestly never felt happier.

Slowly, the emotional tidal wave withdrew, and the two fairies began to calm. They shared one tender kiss before pulling apart slightly.

"I'm sorry the cake didn't work out," Wanda said softly.

Cosmo shrugged. "It's okay," he said as he looked over the kitchen. "I'm sorry about the mess."

It was Wanda's turn to shrug. "It can be cleaned."

"Should we do it now?"

"Do you have your wand?"

"No. Do you?"

Wanda shook her head.

"Should we do it the slow way?"

"Somehow I doubt that cleaning all this mess the slow way will be much fun. Besides, I feel all sticky," she replied, looking down at her chocolate batter stained nightgown. "I'd really like to wash up."

Cosmo nodded. "Me too."

A mischievous smile curled the corners of Wanda's mouth.

"Wanna do THAT the slow way?" she asked slyly, making Cosmo's mouth drop open.

"WANDA!?" he cried, floating closer to her. "I can't believe you just said tha—RACE YOU UPSTAIRS!"

The green haired fairy took off like a shot, with a laughing Wanda close behind.