Ch. 14 Funny Love

You sure you want to do this?...

Gumball jogged down his neighborhood.

'I am sure about it. Tyrone may have taken my mom.' Gumball replied to Steel.

But how can you be sure?...

'Trust me, my senses are going hay wire.' Gumball replied. Unfortunately, Gumball tripped on a rock.

I think your senses were trying to warn you of that rock...

Gumball pulled his face off the sidewalk.

"Shut up..." Gumball said aloud.

Nicole stood looking out the window of their house. Richard sat on the couch playing a video game.

"Richard, are you seriously playing games right now?" Nicole asked her simple minded husband.

"Aww... but it's been a long time since I have brushed up on my skills." Richard complained. Nicole sighed and went back to looking out the window. She jumped. One of the creatures was looking at her through the window. It tilted its' head. Nicole backed up a bit.

"Richard, turn the game off now and grab the bat." Nicole said. Richard did as he was told. The creature then looked toward the front door. It crashed down. Nicole unsheathed her claws, ready to defend her and her husband. A buff looking figure walked in.

"Hello, my employee of the year." a deep booming voice said. Nicole growled.

"Tyrone..." Nicole said with venom. Tyrone chuckled.

"Now now,that will take off a bit of your salary." Tyrone said.

"I don't think that really matters at this point." Nicole retorted. Then, Tyrone became serious.

"I'm afraid I have to use extreme measures for you." Tyrone growled. Nicole was taken aback by the sudden threat. Richard stood in front of her.

"You arn't hurting her, nor taking her away!" Richard boldly said.

"Richard?" Nicole was even more surprised. Her husband, standing up for her. It almost brought a a tear to her eyes.

"You fat fool..." Tyrone growled. He cracked his neck and walked toward them. Richard swung the bat and hit Tyrone on the head. No luck. The bat broke, but Tyrone didn't flinch even a bit. He walked up and grabbed Richard by the neck. Even though Tyrone's hands didn't fit around the neck, it was enough to make Richard gag.

"Let him go!" Nicole slid underneath them and dug her claws into Tyrone's back. Tyrone winced and dropped Richard. Nicole backed up, ready for another attack. Tyrone this time flicked his tail. It hit the gasping Richard and sent him flying through the window.

"Richard!" Nicole cried out. Richard tried to crawl away, but the creature that was outside their window grabbed his leg and slithered up to his face. Richard was frozen in shock. It hissed at him. Nicole ran to the door, but Tyrone got in her way. Tyrone swung the back of his fist. It hit Nicole in the face. She hit the wall and passed out. Tyrone grinned evilly.

"No, not her!" Richard cried out trying to kick off the creature hungry for his blood. Tyrone picked up Nicole and slung her over his shoulder.

"Your death will enrage your son... then he will finally come to try to save his precious mother. Then... that's where I will get Limbo's power!" Tyrone walked down and placed Nicole in the back of his limo. He got in, closed the door and drove off. Richard struggled to kick the creature off.

Gumball turned the corner and saw a black limo drive off.

"Oh no..." Gumball sprinted toward his house. He saw his father trying to shake the creature off. "Hold on, Dad!" Gumball unsheathed his claws, ran up and swung at the creature. The claws went through like butter, and the creature vanished into a wisp of smoke. Richard got up.

"Thanks son..." he said glumly. Gumball held his father up.

"Where's mom?" Gumball asked. Richard sighed and sat down.

"Son... am I a poor excuse of a father?" Richard asked. Gumball was thrown off.

"Err... well... to be honest, dad. There were times where you weren't. But even with all your failures and mistakes, we still love you as our father." Gumball said with awkwardness.

"You mean it?" Richard asked. Gumball nodded.

"I do." Gumball said patting his father's head. Richard stood up.

"Gumball!" a voice called. Gumball turned and saw Penny, Carrie, Darwin and Anais run up to them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gumball asked them surprised.

"Don't be so naive." Carrie said. "We knew what you were planning to do."

"W-what?" Gumball backed up a bit. "I don't know what you are talking about." he said smiling nervously. Carrie gave him the "you are so predictable" look.

"I'm sorry, Gumball. But we can't let you do this alone." Penny said. Gumball looked at them.

"Where's mom?" Anais asked.

"Tyrone took her." Gumball said.

"Son..." Richard said standing up. "You stay here and keep an eye on the house. I'm going to get back Nicole."

"Dad?" The Wattersons have been surprised by Richard's act of bravery since the epidemic happened.

"dad, you could get hurt. Let me handle this." Gumball said getting up. Suddenly, Penny stood in his way. Her hands at her hips with a angry look. Gumball backed up a bit. He bumped into Darwin and Anais giving him the same look. Carrie sighed.

"Gumball, have you even taken a second to look at yourself." Carrie said. Gumball looked at her.

"What, is there something on my face?" Gumball said patting his face. Carrie lead Gumball up to the bathroom and showed him through the mirror. His beaten reflection stared back at him. She was right. Gumball really didn't have time to look at himself. He had cuts and bruises from his head down to his knees. His favorite sweater ripped and dirty, his jeans had holes in them. Gumball touched a cut on his head. Dried blood trailed from the cut, around his eye and down to his cheek.

"Whoa... when did I have this?" Gumball said tracing the dried blood.

"When you fought that restaurant owner." Carrie said as they walked out of the house.

"Wha?" Gumball thought back. That was four or five days ago.

"You see Gumball, we are trying to get you to relax from having to do this. You have been obsessed with trying to save people and look for that red cat." Penny said.

"But... i have to go save mom!" Gumball said trying to walk past her.

"Not so fast!" Carrie flew straight into his mouth, took control of his hands and flew him up into the air. She moved the hands out to his sides. Gumball struggled to take control of them.

"Carrie, let me go!" Gumball said to her. Carrie controlled his hand to slap him. "Ow! Stop that!" he was slapped again. "Grrr..."

"Carrie... don't do anything terrible to Gumball while we help his dad rescue his mother." Penny said. Carrie used Gumball's hand to nod. Penny smiled. "Thanks Carrie. You are a true friend." Richard had gotten into the car. Penny, Darwin and Anais got in. They drove off. Gumball watched them.

"Carrie, please let me go! They are in danger!" Gumball pleaded.

Sorry, Gumball. But you need to rest up.

"But how can I when you are holding me up here?" Gumball asked her.

Just shut up.

Gumball thought of an idea. "Alright then, you asked for it." Gumball closed his eyes and went into his mind. He woke up in nothing but whiteness. It wasn't long before he saw Carrie holding her arms out to her side. Gumball went up to her.

"I said, let me go." Gumball said. Carrie turned and almost lost control of Gmball's hands.

"G-Gumball? Wha... how?" Carrie was in utter surprise.

"You are in my mind. MY mind." Gumball said crossing his arms in victory. Carrie was speechless. "Look, you have to let me go. They will die! It's me that Tyrone wants. If I go to him, he would leave everyone alone." Carrie regained her speech.

"Gumball, If he gets that power, he wouldn't leave everyone alone. He would enslave them. Or even worse!" Carrie said.

"She's right, Gumball." a vice said. They looked to see Steel sitting at a table and playing cards with himself.

"Wait, you... your in his head? How?" Carrie asked him. She was very confused. "I could have sworn you were with Gumball when we recruited Blitz!" Steel snapped his fingers as he stood up. The table and cards vanished.

"I've always been in his head." the tuxedo cat said. "From the very beginning of this town's demise." Steel then walked past them. With out turning to them, he held out his hand and a door appeared. "I have to apologize, Gumball. While in your head, i decided to poke around your memories." he said guiltily.

"Wha- hey! I gave you permission to live in my head, not snoop around!" Gumball said stomping his feet. Steel then turned to him.

"I need to show Carrie something. It'll convince her to let her go." Steel said.

"You just told me your plan. i'm not falling for it and I will not let him go." Carrie said with a frown.

"I bet you like not letting him go." Steel winked. Carrie was thrown off.

"Wait, what?" Carrie seemed to blush. If ghosts could blush, Gumball couldn't see it as well.

"Just follow me." Steel said. He walked through the door. Gumball and Carrie followed him in. They were standing in front of a small building. Gumball read the big sign out front.

"Yellow Daisy Pre School?" Gumball asked. Carrie looked at him.

"wait, isn't this the place where we went to Pre-K?" Carrie said. Gumball looked at the building.

"Oh hey, your right." Gumball said. "Why did you bring us here?" Gumball asked Steel.

"You'll see." Steel winked. he opened the doors and went right past the desk where a person supposedly is suppose to check in the child. She didn't seem to notice Steel. Gumball and Carrie went past and reached Steel. There was a small room where the walls were decorated with paper with bad handwriting and art work on the side walls. There were little children running around the room, playing.

"Hey look, there's Banana Joe and Tobias." Gumball pointed out. Little versions of Tobias and Joe were crowded around a small cat. Gumball realized it was him. His toddler self wore a white T-shirt with the logo of a cartoon show along with red overalls. Gumball held in his hands a fish bowl with a small gold fish in it.

"Hey, Gumball. Why don't you hand over that fish?" Tobias asked. Gumball just held it closer to him.

"You weave Darwin awone!" Gumball said.

"Aww... come on. We just want to put him on top of the blocks." Joe said laughing for no apparent reason. Gumball just held his pet goldfish's bowl closer to him. Tobias reached for the bowl and tried to pull it away.

"No! Weave him awone!" Gumball said pulling back and not losing his grip of his friend.

"He's just a fish!" Tobias said trying to pull it out of his hands. The bowl slipped out of their hands. It flew toward the wall and broke. Gumball gasped. Tobias and Joe where silent.

"Oops." Tobias said.

"Darwin!" Gumball cried out rushing over to him. Gumball tried pouring the spilled water on his flopping pet. Darwin hopped around. Gumball grabbed a paper cup, filled it with water and caught Darwin in it. Darwin swam in panicked circles. Gumball was on the verge of crying.

"Err... sorry, Gumball." Tobias apologized. Gumball sniffled.

"Your a jerk, Tobias." a voice said. The toddler version of Penny stood there with a flower in a pot in her hands. She stared at them with a angry glare. Carrie, who was now a little human girl, carried a water pale and gave them the same look.

"You okay, Gumball?" Penny asked. Gumball looked at her, holding the cup closer to him. Carrie held out the pale.

"Put your fish in here, he will have more room." Carrie said softly. Gumball just held the cup even more closer to him.

"I don't know who you people are?" Gumball said. "How can I twust you?" Carrie just smiled. Penny places the pot down and walked over. She carefully took the cup from him and dumped Darwin into it.

"See? You can trust us." Penny said gently. Carrie clasped the handle.

"Err... Gumball. Do you wanna play with us?" Carrie asked him. Gumball looked at both of them. He nodded.

Steel turned to them. "Well?" he asked. Gumball and Carrie looked at him.

"Well, what?" Carrie asked.

"I prove my point don't I?" Steel said. Carrie flew close to him, angry.

"What point! You just showed us a child hood memory! That's all! What point were you trying to prove!" Carrie fumed.

"That you love him." Steel calmly said as if it wasn't a big deal. Carrie stuttered. Gumball stood there shocked.

"I... is that true?" Gumball asked Carrie.

"No, it's not! I don't love you! I don't even like you! You are just a dumb boy!" Carrie retorted.

"Ouch." Steel said. Gumball gulped.

"L-look Carrie, I didn't say anything to offend you. S-so I don't see why you are going off on me like that." Gumball said. Carrie then calmed down. She held her arm.

"I-I am sorry Gumball. I didn't mean to do that. i just... flipped out I guess." Carrie said.

"Look, Carrie. If you love Gumball, you should let him go and help his mother. If you don't, Tyrone would win." Steel said. Carrie pondered this. Gumball regrets having to do this.

"Umm... Carrie. I like you and all. But only as a friend. I love Penny. But just because I love her, doesn't mean I love you. What I'm trying to say is, I love you as a friend and only a friend. But, I am truly grateful that you have helped me this far. And I appreciate that." Gumball looked Carrie right into her eyes. She was crying. Gumball felt terrible.

"Carrie, look into yourself and choose the right thing. You are better then this. You have been with him by his side all the way up to this point. But you have to know the truth. You had to hear it from the person you love. You have made yourself miserable since your death. All because you think he has never noticed you." Steel said.

Carrie looked at both of them, sniffling."H-have you ever noticed me?" Carrie asked Gumball. Gumball nodded.

"Of course, Carrie. I've always noticed you. I always notice my friends." Gumball said with a smile. Carrie smiled with him.

"I- I have never realized till now." Carrie said. "I'm sorry Gumball... I truly am..." Gumball surprised her with a hug. Carrie blushed and pulled away.

"How are you doing that?" Carrie asked.

"Doing what?" Gumball asked confused.

"You... you hugged me. But... you should have gone right through me. How?" Carrie asked. Steel just chuckled.

"You forgot, Carrie. You are in Gumball's head. He has the power here to make things real. Only in his mind however." Steel said. "Now then, can you find it in yourself to let Gumball go?" Carrie thought of this. Then nodded.

"I'll let you go Gumball." Carrie said. Gumball smiled.

"Thanks Carrie. Penny was right. You are a good friend. I'm happy to be your friend." Gumball closed his eyes and vanished.

Gumball was still hovering over his house. He felt himself being lowered to the ground. Gumball gagged when Carrie came out of his mouth. Carrie turned to him.

"Gumball. Promise me you won't go back on your word." Carrie said. Gumball wiped his mouth.

"I promise Carrie." Gumball said. He took off down the road and followed the direction he saw his father drive off. Carrie watched the figure of Gumball grow smaller and smaller. She looked up into the night sky.

"The stars are beautiful today..." she said.

To all you GumballxCarrie fans. I hate to say that the ending will not be a GumballxCarrie. I just figured having a second admirer would explain things better. The good news however is that I read on an character interview that the creator of The Amazing World of Gumball mentioned that indeed Carrie has a small crush on Gumball. Yet, since she is a ghost that rather wants to be miserable, has no time for that feeling. So she just sees Gumball as more of an annoyance then a crush.

I am happy to say that this story only has four more chapters left. I congratulate you readers that have stuck with me and Gumball's troublesome hour. Tomorrow will be the climax.