AN: This is the product of a demented and over active imagination. Please do not read on if things like incest offend you. Thank you.

Much More Than Maternal

Chapter 1

The Chance

She had never been so happy. Underneath a blooming cherry blossom, the smiling blue cat sighed contentedly. She squeezed tightly, holding her lover in her arms. His smell made her crazy with want, drowning her mind in an intoxicating blend of animalistic lust and deep affection. He spoke softly in her ear, a single word that was lost to her but still made her body burn with need. She lifted her chin from his shoulder, wanting to look into his eyes. Their eyes met and she felt herself melt inside. She leaned in for a kiss, deliberately taking her time. It was deep and she relished his taste, enjoying the way his tongue fought with hers for dominance. After what felt like years she broke the kiss, wanting to lose herself in his eyes. Their eyes met and she smiled brightly at the familiar face looking up at her. The male cat smiled back at her warmly.

"I love you, Mom," Gumball said, his voice echoing in her ears.

"Oh Gummypuss, I've always wanted to hear you say that."

A shrill scream cut through the still air, startling Nicole. She tightened her hold on her son, as if to protect him from the offensive noise. Gumball remained as calm as ever, his smile never faltering. The shrill screaming did not go away, in fact, it seemed to be getting louder. Nicole put her hands over her ears, attempting to blot out the screaming as her son continued to eye her with an almost serene calmness. Gumball placed a soft hand on her cheek, drawing her attention to him.

"Time to wake up, Mom," he said, planting a light kiss on her cheek.

Nicole's eyes snapped open as her alarm clock continued to beep loudly. She sat up, groggily looked around and sighed. It had all been a damn dream, a nice one, but still a dream. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, quietly cursing her sub-conscious. She longed to tell Gumball how she truly felt about him, to let him know her love for him was so much deeper than he knew. But the fear of the unknown, of not knowing how he would react held her back. Would he simply brush her away or would he run to her husband? She shuddered to think what would happen if Gumball's reaction turned out to be the latter. Her dozing husband groaned beside her and reached out from underneath the covers to silence the alarm clock.

He missed it twice, swung left and knocked the lamp from the bedside table. The resulting crash made him leap from the covers, babbling an apology to Nicole as he ran from the bedroom in search of a broom. Like clockwork, another crash resounded through the house. She groaned inwardly, burying her face in her hands. Why had she married that oaf? She asked herself that very question everyday. The spark was gone and Nicole had given up on trying to reignite it. Richard just didn't seem to care about her unless it involved food. It wasn't all bad, she supposed. He had given her Gumball.

"Mom?," a familiar voice said from the doorway, making Nicole gasp and her heart skip a beat.

Nicole looked to her right to see Gumball peeking past the bedroom door at her with a frown on his face. Her mood instantly perked up at the sight of her son.

"Good morning, honey," Nicole said, eagerly holding out her arms, "Give your mother a hug!"

Gumball obliged her request, entering his parent's bedroom and jumping onto the bed beside his mother. Nicole wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close before Gumball could hold his own hands out, pinning them between his chest and hers. One of his hands brushed against her breast lightly, making Nicole shudder. Gumball felt the shudder and gave Nicole a puzzled look.

When their eyes met, Nicole was suddenly overcome by a wild urge to take Gumball's chin in her free hand and press her lips to his. She hesitated, nearly gave in then ultimately released her son just as Richard walked in with the broom and dustpan.

"Oh, hi son," he said, sweeping the shattered lamp and glass into the dustpan, happily humming away.

"Morning, Dad," Gumball replied, flashing his mother another puzzled expression.

Nicole avoided Gumball's gaze and got to her feet to pick out her clothes for the day. It was not a work day so Nicole settled for her favourite outfit. Plain white shirt with a grey skirt plus the little rainbow button from work. Richard left the room again, the broken lamp and glass safely tucked away in the dustpan. With Richard gone, Nicole peeked over her shoulder to see Gumball still looking at her funnily. Again, she was hit by the same wild urge to kiss her son. To press her body against his and kiss him deeply. Instead, she pushed the urge away and smiled at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school, honey?," she asked, trying to resist the temptation to hurl herself at her son.

"It's Saturday, Mom," Gumball happily stated. "No school."

"OK, then how will you spend your day?," she asked, .

"Dunno Mom," Gumball said, "Probably play Dodge Or Dare with Darwin."

Nicole nodded an answer, turning back to her clothes. Her rainbow button was proving to be an elusive find this morning. The bed creaked behind her and Nicole turned. Gumball had left the bed and gotten within arms reach of her. Her heart fluttered wildly, her mind screaming at her to kiss him. It wouldn't be hard, she told herself. All she had to do was grab his chin, lift his face and press her lips to his. She took a hesitant step toward Gumball, her breath catching in her throat.

"Sweetie, I..," she began, but the coming sound of footsteps stopped her.

Richard poked his head through the doorway, eyeing up the two cats. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Whatever's in the fridge, Richard," Nicole answered, resuming the search for her missing button.

Richard bounded off again, stopping momentarily to shout a greeting up the stairs at a very groggy Darwin. The goldfish mumbled a drowsy reply and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Not a second after, Anais stepped from her bedroom with Daisy clutched in one hand. Gumball quietly made his way to the bedroom door, stopping to turn back to his mother who had finally located her elusive button. Nicole drew a deep breath, gathered her courage and turned to her son. She was going to do it. She was going to tell him how she truly felt about him. She opened her mouth to speak and stopped. The bedroom was empty, he had already left. Upon realizing this, Nicole cursed and put a fist through the top of her dresser.

After regaining her composure, Nicole left her room for the kitchen. Thanks to the dream, she needed a strong shot of coffee. Entering the kitchen, her attention was drawn quickly to Gumball. This was not because of her feelings however, but because he and Darwin were currently engaged in a food fight. A bowl topped with milk and soggy cereal flew past, inches from her head, making Nicole instinctively flinch. The bowl careened straight into the fridge behind her and shattered, throwing its contents everywhere. She narrowed her eyes at the pair, freezing them with a glare.

"Uh, hi Mrs. Mum," Darwin said meekly.

"Dude, she's giving us the death stare," Gumball whispered to his adoptive brother.

"Should we face the consequences of our-?"

"What have I told you about having food fights in this house?," Nicole interjected, her voice burned with anger.

Richard made a move to leave the table but Nicole stopped him dead in his tracks with a look that could melt stone. Anais continued to eat her breakfast calmly, ignoring the burning pillar of flame her mother had become..

"And why didn't you step in and do something?," Nicole said, jabbing an accusatory finger in Richard's direction.

Richard looked down at the floor guiltily then back up at his wife before offering her a shrug as an answer. The boy's attention darted back to their mother whose eyes burned with uncontrollable rage. Richard sauntered to the living room and plopped himself bemusedly on the couch, switching on the TV.

"Dad, I think you should say something to Mom," Gumball advised, looking back and forth between his parents.

"Where is Mom anyway?," Darwin asked, gesturing to the empty kitchen.

In unison, the three children turned to the living room, where Richard sat laughing heartily at the TV. Nicole was behind him, her hands balled into a pair of shaking fists as her eyes burned with hell-fire.

"Dude, let's get out of here before Mom remembers us," Gumball whispered to Darwin, who silently nodded in agreement.

But before they could move, Nicole acted first. She leaned over Richard's shoulder and tore the remote from his hands. In one smooth motion, she threw the remote straight into the TV screen which went with a resounding bang that echoed throughout the house. Richard was on his feet in a flash, his eyes wide with fear. He spun and came nose to nose with his furious wife.

"I'm sorry!," he shouted, recoiling from her fiery gaze, "I'm sorry!"

He repeated the two words incessantly, cowering before his snarling wife. Nicole crossed her arms over her chest.

"And what will you do to make it up to me?," she asked, her voice dripping with anger.

Richard fumbled for an answer for a minute then smiled at his wife.

"I'll do the grocery shopping for you," he said proudly.

Nicole dropped her arms to her sides, mouth agape with astonishment. She did not expect him to say anything productive. She nodded approvingly.

"That will do just fine, Richard," she said curtly. "But be back by three."

"You can count on me!," Richard exclaimed, tiptoeing around his wife.

Darwin and Anais approached their mother carefully, as if she was liable to explode. Nicole turned to them, her anger fading slightly.

"Can we go with him too?," Anais asked, eyeing her mother warily.

"Of course, sweetie," Nicole answered, pulling the pair into a warm hug. "Someone needs to keep an eye on your father."

Nicole bade the three family members goodbye then made her way tiredly into the kitchen for a second time, nearly tripping over Gumball.

"Gumball, what are you doing on the floor?," Nicole asked, taking a clean mug from a cupboard.

"I was just cleaning up the mess," the young cat said, getting to his feet and showing his mother the soaked dishcloth in his hand.

Nicole smiled warmly, giving her son an appreciative look.

"Thank you honey, that was thoughtful of you."

She ran her hand over Gumball's head approvingly then turned back to fix herself some coffee. The coffee was still hot so she filled her mug to the brim.

"Didn't you want to join your father at the mall?," she asked her son, putting a spoon into the mug and stirring.

Gumball shook his head, "Nah, I want to stay here with you, Mom."

The 'with you' part made her unexpectedly blush which Gumball, luckily, did not notice. He was at the sink, rinsing the dishcloth out. Gumball turned the water flow off and placed the dishcloth back on the sink to dry. Drying his hands on his pants, Gumball left his mother in the kitchen and headed upstairs to check his Elmore Plus account. Nicole watched him ascend the stairs from the kitchen, her eyes gleaming with love. She quickly finished her coffee and rinsed the mug out, nearly dropping the mug onto the floor in her haste. It was just the two of them in the house and Richard would be at the mall for a while. She would never have another chance like this to talk privately with Gumball.

But how was she going to tell him without upsetting the young boy? Plainly stating her feelings to him could make him uneasy and would botch their relationship before it had even started. She went to the living room and sat down, blankly staring at the broken TV. The jagged hole stared back at her like a dark pupil and it felt like the broken TV was mocking her somehow.

She let her mind wander, losing herself in her own reflection. A memory surfaced, rising from the watery depths of her mind and she smiled a bit. It was the memory of when she first realized that she cared more about Gumball than she had previously thought. It had been quite confusing to her at first, so she had simply chalked it all up to work related stress. But as that week went on, she had started to realize that the mere mention of Gumball would ignite a fire within her. In fact, it was the very same fire she had felt when Richard had been courting her. Every time she'd heard Gumball's voice, her heart would skip a beat and her hands would start shaking. She had finally come to terms with her feelings last week when Gumball had come across her crying in the living room.

Richard had pushed her advances away again and the pain had been needle-sharp so she had left their bedroom to cry her pain away. She didn't tell Gumball why she had been crying and he hadn't asked for an explanation. He'd simply sat in her lap, tucked his head under her chin and held her. And it had been that very moment, that Nicole accepted the fact she loved her son more than her husband. Nicole blinked, realizing she had brought herself to tears.

Maybe I should just outright tell him, she thought. What the Hell do I say to him though? And how do I say it?

Gumball spoke up behind her unexpectedly, making her jump.

"Mom, you do realize the TV is broken, right?"

"Of course, honey, I was just...," she spluttered, losing her train of thought as she met his gaze.

Her son regarded her silently, as if he knew what kind of turmoil she was in. Without a word, he came around the couch and sat beside her.

"Mom, are you OK?," he asked, his voice contained genuine concern.

"Of course I am, honey!," she lied, wincing a little at her unnecessary fib.

Gumball raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, forcing a weak smile. Gumball looked his mother up and down for what felt like hours then, without any kind of warning, Gumball swiftly moved to his knees and threw his arms around Nicole's waist, burying his face in her chest. Nicole uttered a small sound, her heart doing a somersault into her throat. Gumball nuzzled deeper into her chest, tightening his grip around her. After some time, he finally released her and sat back on his haunches.

"You can tell me, Mom," he said, patting her arm. "What's wrong?"

He was kissing distance from her. She just needed to lean forward a couple of inches and their lips would be touching.

She struggled internally, grasping at words that suddenly had no meaning. Every sentence that formed in her head was incoherent, her mind had frozen and refused to work. She finally placed her hands on her son's shoulders and smiled at him.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said breathlessly, "It's nice to know you care."

Time seemed to slow to a dead stop as she slowly leaned toward her son who smiled back.

"You're my Mom," he said, his smile seemed to get bigger, "Of course I care about you."

She could feel his breath on her chin as she inched ever closer to her son.

"Gumball, I want to tell you something," she finally choked out.

"What is it, Mom?"

"I love-," she jumped as the telephone rang, breaking her from her trance.

"I'll get it," Gumball said, sliding off the couch and taking the pink phone from its cradle.

"Hello?," Gumball made a small squeak, "Hi Penny."

Nicole cursed, punching the couch hard. Of all the times that orange fairy had to call, it had to have been right now. Gumball retreated to the kitchen with the phone pressed tightly to his ear, babbling incoherently. Nicole strained to hear what he was saying but she could only hear small snippets, nowhere near enough to satisfy her curiosity.

She sat silently, jealously wishing Penny had never called. The jealousy struck hard, choking her airways and making her whole body shake like mad. She bit her lip, suppressing her feelings as a happy Gumball re-entered the room and placed the phone back onto its cradle.

"Mom, can I go to the mall with Penny?," Gumball asked, his eyes twinkling brightly.

"Sure, honey," Nicole said, sighing inwardly, "Want me to drive you there?"

Gumball shook his head and opened the front door, "Nah, I'll walk, thanks!"

"OK, be careful on the road, sweetie."

"I will!," he shouted, shutting the door behind him.

Nicole listened to his footfalls slowly fade away into the distance then buried her face in her hands. She had been so close to finally telling him. Yet, once again, she had missed her chance.

AN: I have rewritten the first chapter before starting the third. I came back and read it and damn, I buggered it good and proper. So, I rewrote everything. It is still in the same vein as it was before, but hopefully it is a bit better than when I first posted it. Please let me know if any errors escaped my attempts at proofreading. Thank you for your feedback!