Enjoy!


Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto if you see me throw a little of that, too.


Chapter Twenty-Nine


Some things, when lost, may never be retrieved, and when broken, could never again be whole. King Boo was finding that out for himself as he gazed at the boy he'd come to care so strongly for over several years. He'd worked hard at fostering a familial relationship with Ludwig but he knew that things would never be the same between them. He'd savagely betrayed the younger sorcerer's trust when, at the same time, he'd only been trying to protect him. But he knew Ludwig would probably never see things that way. Nor would he care. He sighed and stopped gazing into those empty emerald eyes. The emptiness was but a façade, for Ludwig's emotions were intense but he kept them stifled inside.

"I've seen to your brothers." King Boo announced. "They're at your palace, as per your request."

The room, like the entire estate, was silent. There was a tension that latched itself to the manor like a foul flea would onto a healthy dog. It filled the quiet room and was only broken by the sound of Ludwig's chains. They rattled as he stretched his legs from where they'd been folded and spread out in front of where his childlike body was sitting with his back to the wall.

Tipping his head back he asked languidly, "What, are you waiting for me to thank you?"

King Boo stared at the boy but didn't answer. This made Ludwig frown, his mouth tilting downwards and his eyes narrowing.

"If it weren't for you," He accused, "I wouldn't have had to send them there in the first place."

"So you aim to protect them this way?" King Boo inferred softly. He asked, "Is that why you've got the whole place warded?"

"None may enter unless they're of our bloodline." Ludwig confirmed slowly.

King Boo frowned and said, "But you must realize that would include—"

"Yes, I've realized that!" Ludwig snapped. "When I constructed my palace I did so at a time where he was no longer a threat. How was I to know you'd come along and ruin me?"

"Ludwig—" King Boo spoke placatingly.

"Don't." Ludwig filled that one syllable with so much agitation and distaste that King Boo flinched inside.

He stared down at the young man and his voice hardened to that of a chastising tone.

"Do not forget where fault truly lies," He stated. "It wasn't I who incensed and slighted him in the first place, but it was I who told you time and time again to—"

"Don't you have something better to do with your immortality than lecture me?" Ludwig cut in icily.

King Boo's magenta eyes were shrouded behind pale lids as he blinked slowly. He tugged slender fingers through ebony locks and then glanced at the door before facing his ex-enforcer.

"Now that you mention it, I do have something to do." He drawled, folding his arms. "I'll be leaving for an engagement party tonight. That means you'll be on your own."

Ludwig rolled his eyes towards the wall.

King Boo was careful in phrasing his next question for he didn't know how his former pupil would react.

He asked, "…Is there something you'd like me to tell her?"

Ludwig frowned, darted his eyes over to the older being and then something flashed in his eyes, something akin to understanding and then regret and then his features grew slated again.

He spoke distantly, "There's nothing she wants to hear; not from me."

"I understand."

"No you don't!"

"I do." King Boo insisted. "That girl trusted you and you betrayed her."

"You'd know a lot about that, wouldn't you?"

"Listen, Ludwig." King Boo interjected sternly. "You clearly have it in your head that I'm against you but if it weren't for me you'd be dead right now."

"I wish I were." Ludwig spat vehemently. "I may as well be. You took everything from me. Everything I ever worked for."

"You stole that power," King Boo reminded him casually.

Ludwig narrowed his eyes at the raven-haired royal and said, "And what of my own magic? You took that, too."

"For your own good."

"For my good or yours?"

King Boo brought his hand up to massage his brow. This was futile. He knew Ludwig would probably always resent him now no matter what he did. And he could sense that beyond the anger there was a determination yet unmatched.

It won't be long before he figures out how to unseal his magic, King Boo predicted. He's been working at it nonstop. I can't keep it bound forever.

"Ludwig," The immortal said, dropping his hand. "I won't argue with you any further but while I am away please," he stressed, "Don't do anything reckless."

The falsely-congenial expression Ludwig's features twisted into was so strained it looked painful. He jerked around pointedly in his strait jacket and the fake smile melted into a derisive scowl.

"What could I possibly do?" He hissed.

King Boo said, "There's no telling, really. Especially when you put your mind to it."

Ludwig didn't reply to that. He brought his knees up to his chest and turned his back to the king, who sighed and vanished from the room.


"They are taking this really, really well."

Daisy said what was on my mind in regards to her friends. From the time we brought them here this morning until now they've been at our sides, running around the palace and checking out all the rooms and people. Daisy was a very enthusiastic guide and hadn't missed so much as a single bathroom on her tour. Needless to say, that, as well as the early morning start and the train ride, was exhausting for the other couple and they'd retired to their room to get some rest before the party. Daisy and I were heading up to the tower to do the same.

"You say that now," I told her, "But wait until they meet some of the other guests. Like my troops."

I bounded up the stairs along with my peppy fiancée and smiled at the thought of those soldiers. They were nothing if not unique. Daisy caught her breath at the top of the steps before yanking open our bedroom door.

She said, "Oh, right. And King Boo."

"You invited him?" I frowned, shutting the door behind us.

Daisy launched herself onto the bed and kicked off her shoes. Rolling onto her side, she grinned at me sheepishly.

"I had to, Luigi!" She claimed. "He helped us out and…he'll make things interesting."

"That's not the word I'd use." I muttered, taking off my trainers and coming to the bed.

I sat on the edge and rubbed my hands over my face. Behind me I felt the bed dip a little as Daisy came towards me. Around my middle she wrapped her legs and hooked her arms under mine, holding my chest. She laid her head on my shoulder and I could feel and hear her heart beating. This was a moment I had to close my eyes and appreciate.

"I never thought I'd get this far." Daisy murmured.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

She said, "Falling in love, getting engaged, coming back home: I never imagined I'd have such a great life."

"You're engaged to an ex-plumber who's afraid of scary movies," I informed her wryly. "And you work twenty-four seven. You call that a great life?"

Daisy's laugh made me smile and she said, "Luigi, stop it. You're wonderful. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I swear if I didn't have you, I'd go crazy or something."

"Honestly, I'd say the same for you." I told her.

Daisy disentangled herself from me and laid her soft hands against my cheeks. She tilted my head backwards as far as it could go without snapping at the neck. I smiled clumsily and swallowed a cough.

My girl's expression leveled off and she said solemnly, "I mean it. Going through all that…you know what kept me going when I was locked up with Bowser?"

I grimaced and guessed, "Your amazingly strong will and bad-assery?"

Cracking a smile Daisy said, "No. Jeez." She rolled her eyes and said, "It was you. Yes, you mister. You were worth holding on and fighting for."

…Is she serious?

Daisy leaned down so, so slowly that I ached for the inevitable touch of her warm, sweet ruby lips against mine. This would be the first time I kissed her or anyone upside down, and it was tricky business.

They made it look so easy in Spiderman, I vaguely recalled.

Daisy released me with another, shorter peck against my mouth and sat back on her bottom. I flopped back onto the bed and watched Daisy cross one leg over the other.

"I love you Daisy." I said sincerely.

She grinned brilliantly and said, "I love you too, baby. Now go ahead and sleep, I can see you're tired."

"Only 'cause you had us all running laps around the palace." I said, drawing up my legs and sliding up onto the bed some more.

A short nap would be good, I thought, drifting off to sleep.


"My, Chai Kingdom sure has changed." The Princess of the Mushroom Land remarked.

"I'll say," her husband Mario agreed, looking around.

Another person with them just stared around quietly, his insides filling with nostalgic emotion as he took in the familiar building. The trio stood with their bodyguards just beyond the entrance doors.

There were plenty of guards at Chai's gates to take care of their horses and carriage and the royal attendants inside the castle took their bags for them, but the Lord and Lady of the hour were nowhere to be seen.

"I wonder where Luigi's at?" Mario frowned. "He oughta' come down and meet us."

"Perhaps he and Daisy are still getting ready." Peach spoke amid the low murmuring among the castle personnel.

At the mention of Chai's princess the other member of the group perked.

"Well come on, we gotta' change." Mario stated, leading his group over to a room where he saw a servant drop off their luggage.


"Luigi."

I heard someone call my name and groaned, rolling onto my side. The temperature was fantastic and the mattress yielded just right under my body and I was much too comfortable to part from the bed.

"Time to get up, sweetie."

With her kisses the girl woke me and only then did I open my eyes and yawn. That felt like about five minutes of rest and I was more tired and sluggish now than before. Daisy had much more energy and was crawling off the bed eagerly.

"You slept for three hours." She told me over her shoulder. "We've got to get ready for the party now! Aren't you excited?"

"Um. Sure." I blinked, unsticking my tongue from the roof of my mouth.

I needed a shower, mostly to knock the sleep from my limbs, so I headed to the bathroom and stopped short. There were two sinks in there and Daisy had clearly claimed the one on the right side of the room. The basin was full of her hair and the counter was hardly visible under a slew of sticks and discs and jars I couldn't identify. She strode in the bathroom and grabbed a small towel, wiping all the hair away.

"Sorry!" She said, "I meant to clean this up."

"What's all that for?" I said, wagging a finger lazily at the various items.

"Um, this is my lotion and this is my nail stuff and these are-"

"Forget I asked," I smiled, knowing I wouldn't remember all that anyway.

Daisy started packing away her things in little cosmetic bags but I told her to leave it be. It wasn't like it was bothering me.

A quick shower I took, accidentally getting the ends of my hair wet. That was a sign it needed to be cut but tonight I didn't have time. I dried it off along with the rest of my body and grabbed one of the robes from the rack near the sink on the left. It was nice, felt like cashmere.

Say what you want about Chai but they really know how to treat a guy, I thought appreciatively.

For the occasion I had to branch out from the usual and get fitted for some nicer clothes than what I'd been wearing so far. I had dress clothes of my own, but the pants the palace tailor came up with were much better than my slacks and I didn't even have to wear a belt with them. It was odd just pulling them on and having them fit exactly right, no zipper, no buttons, or no clasps. The shirt was definitely more expensive than anything I could have ever afforded and also fit like a glove, though it did have a set of buttons along the front of its shiny green surface. They were so tiny they kept slipping from my fingers.

"Want me to help with that, baby?" Daisy asked, coming up behind me.

I nodded and she stepped over the damp towel I'd dropped and began working on closing my shirt. Underneath it I wore a white t-shirt and, when she was done, I tucked them both in my pants. There was something else the tailor gave me, a gold thing that looked like a censor bar with prongs on the back of it. I took it from where it sat on the shelf under a rack of clothes and showed it to Daisy.

"You know what this is?" I asked her.

She nodded and said, "It goes in your hair."

"How?" I frowned, placing the thing atop my head. It fell to the floor a second later.

Daisy laughed and said, "It's not gonna' stay with your hair like that. Come here."

She led me over to the bed and then disappeared into the bathroom. While she was away, there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it, the rug swallowing up my bare feet in the best of ways. When I saw who was on the other side, I couldn't help but grin.

"When did you get here?" I asked the visitor, a flush of warmth swelling inside me at the sight of my best friend.

Peasley replied, "I only just arrived." He then glanced behind him and said, "I don't really think I'm allowed to be in this wing."

"No, you're not." Daisy said, emerging from the bathroom with a comb in hand.

Peasley bowed to her and she grinned, coming over to hug him. She still had on jeans and a casual shirt, she wasn't even dressed yet, but Peasley seemed to be. As my fiancée stepped back and allowed the golden-haired royal into the room, I looked him up and down.

"Is that what you're wearing?" I asked with a smidge of doubt.

Only a smidge, though, because this was Peasley I was asking.

He nodded and asked blithely, "Is there something wrong with my attire?"

"No," I said slowly, "Not if you were going for the ah, citrus look."

His suit was fine for the occasion, a nicely-tailored waistcoat and long-sleeved dress shirt with slim pants and what looked like crocodile boots. But his dress shirt, like the coat draped over his shoulder and his pants, was bright lime and his dress shirt was a sort of lemony variation of the color. There was a canary-yellow ascot under his neck and a gold chain-link watch in his pocket. He blinked innocently, looking down at himself again.

"I don't quite think I follow you, my friend."

Daisy laughed shamelessly and said, "You look stunning, Peasley!"

"Why thank you, fair flower." Peasley dipped his head in thanks. He glanced at me and said, "Have you nothing to add?"

"I'm speechless." I remarked, not wanting to hurt his feelings by telling him he looked like a can of Sprite.

Not that he'd know what that is, I mused, and he might even take that as a compliment.

"For shame, you two." Peasley admonished us, "You're not even ready and all your guests are arriving."

"We're getting there!" Daisy told him, guiding me by the hand over to the bed.

She sat me on the edge and climbed up behind me. Like earlier she sat with her legs on either side of mine and took the comb to my head. Peasley sat beside me, tossing his coat near the headboard and revealing two things in his hand.

"I have something for you." He said with affection in his pea-colored eyes. He handed the first thing to me and I frowned.

It was a golden rose.

"A token of our friendship, mm?" He said in earnest.

With a brow arched I stared at the thorny rose, and it only took seconds before Peasley broke out in a grin and Daisy started to laugh.

"Is that for me?" She gathered when he instead offered it to her.

He nodded and told her, "Blow on it. There's something inside."

I rolled my eyes at their laughter and Peasley nudged me in the side. His grin was infectious and I smiled a little as he handed me a white box. Like his waistcoat it shimmered.

"This is my real gift to you." The Prince claimed. "Go ahead, I picked it out myself."

I took the box and gave him a severe look, anxious of what I might find. Removing the lid I saw a glass bottle inside. It was cologne.

Blinking I said, "Thanks, Peasley. This isn't so bad."

"I hope it's more than that," The prince sniffed in faux-injury.

"Oh my—Peasley this is beautiful!" Daisy exclaimed.

The comb, in her excitement, had been dropped onto the floor. I bent to pick up the black thing and then turned to see what she was going gaga over. The rose was in her hand but its petals were fully in bloom now. At the center of them was a gold-banded diamond ring. It was beautiful.

"And you were gonna' give that to me?" I questioned, shaking my head.

Daisy slid the ring onto her finger but it was too big, so she moved it to her middle one. It fit snugly and the little diamonds, innumerable to my untrained eye, glittered in the light of the bedroom. I looked from my ecstatic fiancée to my best friend. He was twirling the empty rose between his fingers.

Way to show me up, Peasley; I couldn't even get her a diamond ring and I'm her fiancé. This just makes me look bad.

"What's the matter, Luigi?" Peasley asked.

I shook my head and let the matter go. There was nothing to be ashamed about really. Daisy didn't even care about the ring, if I remembered correctly. I stood but Daisy grabbed my arm and sat me back down.

"Wait!" She said, "I have to do your hair!"

Peasley glanced between us and ran a hand through his own thick locks. Daisy glanced once more at the ring, she loved it, before reaching for the comb.

"We've gotta' hurry." She murmured, starting in on my black mane.

I winced as she worked it up to the top of my head quickly. She was merciless in the way she raked the comb through my scalp, getting rid of all the tangles.

"I do believe you're hurting him." Peasley observed.

I said, "Yeah, Daisy, do you have to be so rough?"

"Sorry, Luigi but seriously; when's the last time you really combed your hair?" She asked, rubbing my scalp soothingly.

The girl tied most of my hair off in a rubber band and knotted the end of that ponytail around it, then reached for the gold band. It must've been a crown because she bent the prongs on either side to hold it in place. There was hair down in front of both my ears and Daisy straightened those strands between her fingers so that they'd lie flat like sideburns.

"All done, sweetie." Daisy announced, bending down and kissing my cheek.

Peasley studied me and then nodded, saying, "Well done, princess. You've really brought out his eyes with that style."

I frowned and stood, with the box of cologne in hand, and went around the bed to the bathroom. In the mirror I stared, not recognizing myself. My hair was neater than it'd ever been and Peasley was right, my eyes looked especially bold now beneath black brows.

I look like Zair, I despaired.

"Luigi, don't make that face," Peasley advised, suddenly beside me. "You'll get wrinkles."

I looked down at the box in my hand and sprayed some cologne on. It smelled really good, so that did make me feel a little better. Leaving the bathroom, I heard the closet door shut and, with Daisy nowhere in sight, I knew she was changing clothes.

"So how you been?" I asked my friend.

Peasley went over to the bed to collect his coat and his smile faded. He sighed and told me, "Fair. And you?"

"Alright, I guess." I answered. "Is something the matter?"

"No," Peasley refuted. "It's just been terribly lonely for me these days."

"What about your little fan club?" I vied for a smile.

I was rewarded with a faint one as Peasley told me, "I've made myself scarce but the attention from my people remains fervent."

"Whatever happened to those girls? Mina and uh…"

"Nina." Peasley supplied. Then said, "They've grown up quite a bit. Both of them are nearly finished with their training at the hospital."

"That's right, you're a doctor now," I teased. "How's that working out for you?"

Peasley tilted his head and picked at his coat. "In truth, it bores me. I'm very good at what I do, but it doesn't hold my fancy anymore."

"So you're gonna' quit?" I asked, leaning on the bathroom door.

"Heavens, no." Peasley replied. "I've just resorted to filing my time with…other activities."

"Why does that sound ominous?" I frowned.

Peasley shrugged and Daisy came out of the closet looking like a million bucks. I surveyed her as she walked out of the room full of garments and twirled like she was on the catwalk. Her dress was the same color as my shirt and looked like it was made especially for her.

In this place, I wouldn't be surprised if that actually was the case.

Like a moonlit forest her dress shined, the hunter green fabric cradling her breasts and cutting jaggedly into her hips like a corset. The dress was more of a gown because it covered her feet and had a slit up the side, all the way to the middle of her thigh. The back was no better as there was a huge scoop with nothing but sheer material covering her skin. The girl sashayed over to me and let down her hair. I didn't know how, but in the time I went to sleep to now, she'd done something incredible to it. It bounced down her shoulders and back, partly in braids and partly in waves with bits of jewels and ribbon woven in.

"How do I look?" She asked me, seeming nervous, as crazy as that was.

How could she be nervous when she looks so magnificent? So sexy? A little too sexy, actually. My troops are gonna' be there. What if they-

"Luigi?" Daisy asked, her expression growing troubled.

I swallowed and nodded vigorously, only able to say, "You…you look good."

Daisy gave a short, breathy laugh and shook her head. To Peasley she said, "Can you believe this guy?"

"Your immeasurable beauty has rendered him inept." Peasley drawled, winking at me as if he'd done me a favor.

I shot him a look and Daisy patted her hand against my chest. She then went into the closet and grabbed some heels, which reminded me to get my own shoes. For a second I almost reached for my trainers.

"You ready?" I asked once my dress shoes were on.

Daisy was by the door with Peasley and she hooked her arm in mine when I reached her. Without asking Peasley did the same.

"Yup." She answered, then opened the door and said, "Let's go, handsome."

The three of us left the room with me in the middle and once we left the tower, all eyes were on us. Daisy gave the onlookers a cheery smile and Peasley blew them kisses but I paled.

"Careful, Luigi." Peasley whispered, "You wouldn't want to sweat out your cologne. It'd make horrible stains on your shirt. Trust me, I know the fabric well."

I glanced over at him and just tried to concentrate on walking with my heart pounding in my ears. To calm myself I thought of a conversation Daisy and I had a couple weeks ago. She was showing me her ideal location for the party. She called it the 'Happening Room' when she was little. Apparently her parents held gatherings there and she would often try to sneak in, but was nearly always caught by her good-natured father and, after a sip of champagne—which was to never be mentioned to her mother—she would be sent back to bed. Our trio arrived at this room sooner than I thought and, before Daisy could step through the open oak doors, I stopped her.

"Shouldn't we get Dean and Alicia first?" I asked, stalling.

Daisy looked at me funny and asked, "Didn't you hear? I was gonna' do that but the attendant said they were already down here."

No, I wasn't paying attention. Peasley gave me a knowing smile and an encouraging pat on the arm where his and mine were linked. I glanced at the party room and saw that it was nearly full. Everyone must have already arrived like Peasley said.

"Come on," Daisy kissed my cheek. "They're waiting for us."

The room was like a spacious lounge. There was an impossible large spun rug on the floor with various couches and small tables scattered around, with a raised plateau in the center of the room with a long table dressed in an elegant black cloth and with gold candles lighting its length. There were people I recognized there, as well as a ton of my troops and what I guessed was their plus-ones milling about. We went over to the table and by that time everyone grew hushed, even the musicians playing in a corner near the front of the room.

"Well it's about time!"

There was one person who still had little sense of tact and couldn't be quiet for the life of him sometimes. I flushed at the sight of my older brother coming towards me because I knew his intentions. Predictably, Peasley and Daisy stepped away from me as I was wrapped in a bear hug.

"Alright, Mario, you're crushing me!" I complained with a grin I couldn't stifle.

Being hugged like that wasn't the worst. I hadn't seen him in a while. And at least he hadn't called me—

"Baby brother, Congratulations!" Mario boomed for everyone to hear.

I groaned inside, colored on the outside, and tried to tune out the snickers and giggles from the people in the crowd. At least it was so dim in the room that I couldn't make out anyone's faces.

Doesn't mean they can't see mine, I realized, seeing as how the table and all the low-burning candles was the brightest spot in the room. Great. I longed to take my seat before my sibling could embarrass me further. He wasn't done yet as he folded his arms across his chest, chuckling at me. He'd lost no weight or muscle mass, I could see his biceps and barrel chest outlined by his silky red shirt.

"You're looking good." My brother praised. "Got your hair all fixed up and stuff-"

"Mario, you know Luigi doesn't like to be put on the spot," Came the sweet voice of my momentary savior.

Peach spoke from her seat and I could see she wore a red and blue print frock and bright red lipstick. She looked lovely and her honeycomb-like hairstyle was, too. A grateful look I shot her and felt Daisy's hand slide in mine.

"Toast time," She stated, leading me over to our seats in the middle of the table.

She remained on her feet and everyone else in the room got to theirs. There were already glasses of champagne at the table so all her, Peasley and I had to do was grab the neck of the cups and hold them high.

Daisy beamed at me, positively radiant, and said to the crowd, "I apologize for our tardiness, you wouldn't believe what we got up to that made us late."

The people laughed but I was mortified, especially when Peasley winked. God only knows what they thought, seeing the three of us all walk in together, nearly joined at the hip.

These two are determined to keep me at the butt of their jokes.

"But we're here now," I said loudly, only braving a public speech so as to prevent any more of their shenanigans. "So on behalf of myself and my future wife, uh. Thanks for coming and um..."

"Cheers!" Peasley finished for me because I was starting to lose my nerve.

"CHEERS!" Everybody repeated.

Clinking glasses and music filled the air as I took a drink and slouched in my seat, glad to be out of the limelight for now. Peasley sat and tipped his head next to me with a smile and Daisy tapped my shoulder.

I glanced at her and she said, "I love you, baby. Good job."

She used her two fingers to guide my chin in her direction and I met her halfway for a brief kiss. Across the table, someone cleared her throat.

Standing not sitting was Alicia, and it looked like she wanted us to do the same. Daisy eagerly obliged but I hesitated.

I said, "We only just got here."

"Well we've been sitting for like, thirty minutes!" Alicia claimed. "What were you doing, anyway?"

Peasley started to say, "Getting—"

"—Dressed." I finished, sending him a stern look.

He stood as well with his eyes on Alicia and tugged on my arm until I groaned and stood, too. It looked like everyone was mingling anyway. I followed Daisy around the table and we joined her friends. Dean stood beside Alicia in a modest black dress shirt and slacks and his fiancée wore her hair down tonight, her voluminous curls hanging around her face and shoulders. Her top was like a black tank top with a lacy long-sleeved shirt atop it, and ended above her navel. She wore a matching black skirt that was satin and swirled when she moved and black and faux-wood wedge heels.

'You've gotta' introduce me to all these people!" Alicia gushed, practically bouncing on her feet.

Dean's easy smile was a muted version of her enthusiasm.

"Allow me to be the first one you meet." Peasley volunteered, gazing at the girl with a charming smile. He bowed low at the waist and offered her his hand, saying, "Prince Peasley of the BeanBean Kingdom."

"Bean-Bean, wha? Oh. Um. Hey." Alicia blinked and suppressed a giggle as she took his hand and said, "I'm Alicia, and this is my fiancé Dean." She gestured to the man behind her and added, politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

"I must say it's wholly mine." Peasley insisted, shaking Dean's hand next.

He then left us with one last lingering look in Alicia's direction and Daisy nudged me, pointedly glancing towards the departing royal.

In my ear she whispered, "He's totally got a crush on her."

I smiled and shook my head.

Alicia asked with sparkling, amused eyes, "Who was that?"

"A friend of mine." I told her. "My best friend."

Alicia raised both brows and said, "He's interesting," then took Dean's hand.

He glanced in Peasley's direction with mild interest but didn't look too affected. The two followed behind Daisy and I as we made our rounds, speaking to people and letting them know who our foreign friends were.

"Well hello, there!"

As if his loud greeting weren't enough, King Boo stepped in front of us and his magenta eyes glowed as he roved them over the four of us. They stopped on Alicia and Dean, and when I tried to be quick about the introductions, he stopped me.

"King Boo, this is Dean and Alicia," I spoke rapidly, "Dean, Alicia, this is King Boo. Moving on."

"Now just a moment, old friend," King Boo refused to move out of the way.

He had a glass of champagne in one hand and the other was stroking the top of a black cane. Since he was always dressed fancy, there was no change in his usual black and crimson and violet-hued Victorian apparel. He raised the walking stick to his hip and pointed his index finger at the couple behind us.

"Can't I get a better look at your friends, there?" He entreated, then stepped around us without waiting for an answer.

I rolled my eyes and asked Daisy in a low tone, "Why did you invite him again?"

She shrugged helplessly and whispered, "He's not hurting anybody."

"Yet." I amended.

King Boo held his hand out to Alicia and she took it unknowing of the consequences. The immortal turned it palm side up and the girl blinked, but I cleared my throat and locked eyes with the king. I shot him a meaningful look and he smirked broadly, showing off sharp teeth, but merely traced his thumb over the girl's palm. His eyes widened as if in sudden intrigue, but he refrained from licking her hand.

Dean wasn't so lucky.

"Um. Okay…" The dark-skinned guy murmured and made a face, somewhat bewildered and violated. He rubbed his hand on his slacks, inhaling through his nose while raising both brows as if thinking, 'well that was weird'. Alicia glanced from him to the king and he gave no explanation, just smirked incorrigibly.

"Moving on." I said again, directing our group away from the chuckling immortal.

We had to stop because someone plowed right into Daisy's body and knocked the wind out of her.

"Hey!" I said, then saw who it was and received a dirty look from them. "Oh."

"D, who is this?" Alicia asked, referring to the young man hugging the breath out of the princess.

Daisy stroked the boy's hair and back and waited until he pulled back to answer. To me, he hadn't changed, and there was no way a dress shirt and some slacks could diminish the country-boy aura that surrounded him. His hair was still a mop of tousled brown hair and he glanced over at me, no longer with malice or bitterness but acceptance in his hooded eyes. He even smiled. A little. Briefly.

"This is my little cousin Daniel." Daisy introduced, then said to her younger cousin, "These are my friends, Dean and Alicia."

"It's nice to meet you." Danny's voice was lower than I remembered, but no doubt civil as he shook the other couple's hands in turn.

With love in his eyes he told Daisy, "I missed you."

"Where's Meech?" Daisy asked.

Danny looked down sadly and told her, "He got sick last week. Couldn't make it. But he wanted to give you this."

Danny pulled something thin and gold from his pocket; a locket. He gave it to the princess and she gasped.

"Oh, wow." She stated softly, touched. Inside the locket's oval interior was a picture of the two boys, smiling and posing together.

"Mario took the picture," Danny explained humbly, "We wanted to get it for you so that you'd look at it and think on us."

"I will." Daisy promised, kissing the teenager's forehead.

He looked down and shuffled his feet, his hands in his pockets. Daisy showed Alicia and the other girl went on about how cute the boys looked. Meanwhile, Danny turned to me.

"Congratulations." He said, though reluctantly. I couldn't even say thank you because he tacked on, "If it all works out you're gonna' marry the greatest woman in the whole world. You're really lucky."

"I know." I agreed.

Maybe he thought I was gloating because Danny's eyes hardened, then he blinked and sighed and said from the heart, "Just be good to her, okay? I guess…If she's got to be with somebody, she could do worse than you."

"Thanks." I said slowly, figuring with this kid I'd take what I could get.

Coming over to us was my brother and Peach, arm in arm. They both had a hug for me and were pleased to meet Alicia and Dean.

"Any friend of these two is a friend of ours," Mario spoke jovially, punching Dean playfully in the shoulder.

Dean's smile was strained as he gingerly rubbed the spot on his arm. We met eyes and I smiled wryly because I'd been there. For all of my childhood and adult life I'd been there.

We walked around some more, running into people Daisy was familiar with and some of my troops. Real tedious this got after a while, so I was completely floored when something out of the ordinary happened.

The music changed drastically.

I blinked, not expecting to hear what was blasting through the room now. It sounded like…Usher…?

"Yes!" Daisy exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "They got the stereo to work."

"Stereo?" I frowned, glancing at her in perplexity.

She exchanged a clever grin with Alicia and from Dean's clueless shrug I could see he wasn't in on whatever they'd cooked up.

Daisy explained, "I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Dean and I bought you guys a stereo!" Alicia sang loudly.

"We did?" Her fiancé looked like this was news to him.

"I put your name on the card," Alicia told him simply, then said, "Happy engagement!"

I felt bad then because, to my knowledge, Daisy and I didn't get them anything. But that was to my knowledge. Who knows? She looked to have no sense of regret as she pulled her friend by the hand and left poor Dean and me to fend for ourselves in the mob of guests. I looked at him and he looked at me and I shook my head.

"I guess it's just you and me." I told him.

He smiled and buried his hands in pockets. Some of his dreads, though most were tied back, hung in front of his shoulders.

While we walked I asked, "Is she always like that?"

"Alicia?" He spoke, his quiet voice barely audible over the music. "Oh yeah. She's the total opposite of me."

"Same with Daisy," I admitted.

There were attendants walking around with food trays. Unlike with the music, I did know what was on the menu tonight because Daisy and I had decided on that together. So I wasn't shocked to see the array of bite-sized snacks coming our way. Dean ate some of the tiny cheeseburgers and I grabbed a glass of shrimp off another tray. The wineglass was filled with cocktail sauce and several shrimp hung around the lip of the cup. It smelled great and I couldn't wait to taste the flavorful seafood, but as Dean and I meandered through the crowd, someone plucked the glass from my fingers.

"Commander, you shouldn't have!" A voice, feminine and familiar, cried delightedly.

All I saw was purple hair as Portia stole my shrimp and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

"Congratulations." She told me, popping a shrimp into her mouth.

She was flanked by Lise-Marie and Deanna and had her thick violet hair down in sultry waves. Her outfit reflected her tomboyish personality; a white button-down dress shirt was tucked into black pants that seem sculpted over her athletic legs.

"So where's the lucky lady, you stud?" Portia grinned, her hair covering one eye and the light making her smirk appear deviant.

No, that's all Portia.

I said, "She should be around here somewhere."

"Hey!" a voice cried, not too far from us.

Portia's grin cranked up to full wattage but the other two girls had mixed reactions.

In her satin pink dress with the sweetheart, halter neckline Deanna turned towards where the voice had come from and rolled her eyes, smiling as she did. Her dress matched her pale pink skin and complimented the red tresses that were piled high in an elegant ponytail. On Portia's other side, Lise-Marie looked highly irritated. Her hair was significantly shorter, as it was braided neatly and coiled over her shoulder and ended at her hip, no longer dragging the ground.

"You cut your hair," I stated obviously.

Lise told me, "Yeah, I had to."

"It was getting on your nerves?" I asked.

"Not exactly." Lise replied. "I'll die if I don't keep cutting it. Cancer." She reminded me with a tiny, nonchalant shrug.

Oh. Right. How could I have forgotten?

"Lise!" That same voice from earlier called, but this time I recognized it.

I asked, "Is that—"

"Troy?" Portia finished, then said, "Yup. He's been trailing us, well her, all night." She inclined her head in Lise-Marie's direction.

The brown-skinned girl rubbed her arms but it was out of aggravation, if anything. She looked so pissed I wondered why she even put up with the other troop. Then I remembered how persistent he could be. I didn't blame him, for even though Lise-Marie had this cold, all-business exterior, she was undoubtedly beautiful and that's probably part of the reason Troy wouldn't leave her alone. Tonight she donned a sheer, royal blue sleeveless blouse that was made like a vest with burgundy lace roses embroidered all over it. They matched her tight burgundy pants and beneath the blouse you could see her solid black bra underneath.

So does she want his attention or not? Dressed like that, I'm not sure.

"Commander," Lise spoke professionally, "Since this is a royal function, would you not be within your rights in dismissing him?"

"What?" I frowned.

"She wants to know if you'll kick lover-boy out of the party." Portia simplified.

I said, "I understood her the first time but thank you for that, Portia." To Lise I said gently, "I can't kick him out. I invited all you guys. It wouldn't be fair."

"I understand." Lise-Marie frowned as though she didn't.

"Just try to avoid him." I suggested.

Portia ate another shrimp and said, "It's what we've been doing so far. I just hope we don't accidentally run into my father."

"He's here?" I asked.

"Of course." Portia replied.

"I don't remember inviting him." I then said.

Especially since I don't even know who he is.

With a smile that was now sardonic, Portia said, "He probably invited himself. He's kind of an ass like that."

"Okay." I blinked, wondering where the subtle hostility was coming from.

That's right, her dad's the only reason she couldn't join the military, I recalled.

I saw Deanna moving her hands and looked to the other two girls for help since I knew jack squat when it came to sign language. Portia glanced at the redhead since Lise was walking away. And brusquely.

Portia said, "Deanna wants to know—"

"Lise wait!" Troy cried, following the other soldier. He stopped when he saw me and smiled like the teacher's pet and said, "Oh, congratulations on your engagement Commander."

I said, "Thanks—"

"Do you mind?" Portia was talking to Troy, glaring at him like he was an ant under one of her combat boots.

Troy returned her glare and accused, "This is all your fault," then sought to catch up with Lise.

Portia scoffed and said to me, "Anyway, as I was saying, Deanna wants to know who the cute stranger is behind you."

Deanna flushed and swatted at Portia's hand but the black-eyed young woman threw up her hands and said, "What, you're the one who said it!"

I glanced and saw Dean looking between the girls and introduced him to them as a friend of mine. Shortly after that a stricken look passed over Portia's milky-white features.

"Shit, here he comes." She hissed, grabbing Deanna's hand. She smiled at me and winked at Dean and left, pretty much dragging the other girl behind her.

I didn't have to wonder long who it was sauntering towards me because he made his identity known when he spoke to Dean.

"Good evening, Dean was it? It seems we meet again."

Dean was saying something in response but all I could think about was how blind I had to have been not to make the connection before. The nosiness, those intense black eyes, and lastly Portia's reaction.

Whirling around I asked, "You're Portia's father?"

"That is what the doctors told me."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or not because General Zair's smirk was forced.


A/N: Part one of the party, I'll post part two later today. Thanks for reading and don't forget; something is gonna' go down. Can you guess what?

Until next chapter!

~DymondGold~