Part 2 starts 1:00 AM New Year's Eve Day, many hours before any year ending celebrations. As before, any text in italics belongs to Star.

Favs, reviews, and constructive feedback are all really helpful. Thanks!

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Chapter 2 - Dreams Worth Dreaming

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Made-for-TV Movie

Two hours had passed since the teens exchanged a foot massage but Star was still tossing and turning on the air mattress. Marco had long ago made his way to dreamland but no matter what the young woman tried her brain was thinking much too loudly for her to fall asleep. To make matters worse, she kept seeing images of her boyfriend. They were all scenes of what he might have been doing back in that dimension where time passed so differently.

'He'll talk to me for two hour about fighting freakin bear-wolves or spend an afternoon reenacting a story about chasing Hekapoo across a glacier, but whenever I ask him about relationship stuff he gets all -oh, maybe I did but I can't remember clearly, my Neverzone memories are all blurry-. Seriously, he must be hiding something.

I know he couldn't have dated a Neverzonian since they were all wraiths. Oh corn, what if he has a secret thing for undead? That would be so gross. No, Marco is definitely NOT into that. Something must have happened between him and Hekapoo...or was she dating that bird guy back then? Would she cheat on sunglasses dude? Bird-glasses seemed like a good person, he even talked about coaching some sort of kids sports-ball team. It couldn't have been Brunzetta since they never acted like they were into each other. Maybe someone took advantage of him or-or maybe there was someone I don't know about?'

Star tossed and turned a few times hoping a new position would calm her down. 'Maybe that girl from Marco's calculus class found a way to visit him in the Neverzone? Argh! This must be the kind of crap the Dark Lord of the Multiverse loves. I bet the woman eats popcorn in her perfect little multiverse house watching cute couple's like Marco and I get all lovey-dovey and then BAM! She uses fate to drop truth-bombs like Marco fathered a half-dozen kappa children and he doesn't want me to find out!'

After twenty punches to her pillow a frustrated Star sat up and groaned. "There's no way the boy who aced every test in school can't freaking remember if he fell in love!"

Finally getting up, Star stood by the foot of the bed as her boyfriend lay fast asleep. The room was dark but her eyes had adjusted enough where she could clearly see her dreaming bestie. As she studied his face her thoughts wandered back to their romantic Friendship Thursdays. The summer make-out sessions on the roof. How they would hold hands under the blanket when they watched a movie. As she watched, the young man turned slightly. "...Janna...get ou...m...room."

"My sweet beautiful Marco. It's so hard to be angry when you're so dreamy-face cute."

Needing to do something that might help her sleep, the teenager made her way down to the living room sofa. She knew it was the best spot for both watching TV and staring at the holiday tree that was scheduled to come down a few days after New Years.

As she walked by the fake evergreen her fingers grazed a picture of five-year-old Marco all dressed up like one of Santa's elves. Thinking back she remembered what the tree looked like Christmas morning, when she snuck down before dawn. Even now Star could hear the whole conversation she had with herself as she jumped around the room, 'AW MAN! Santa already visited! Oh-oh, a gift for me! That's a big box for Marco and-and another one for me! Just look at all this, how can Janna say Santa isn't real?! Muuuusssst noooot opeeeen theeeem. Ms. Diaz said we ONLY open presents when everyone is up so I'm totally-totally going to wait, totally waiting...maybe!'

After reliving Christmas morning in her head, Star settled on the couch with the last of Marco's homemade holiday cookies and started flipping through channels. It wasn't long before she settled on yet another Hallmark special. Although she had binge watched holiday themed movies for weeks there were still a few she'd missed. This one featured a lonely young man who moved away from his family for work but after a decade finally returned home for the holidays. Once back the main character reconnected with his childhood best friend and for the first time in his life fell in love. Star, who'd cocooned herself in blankets, as per usual felt tears in her eyes when the two main characters kissed just before the closing credits. All cozy and warm, the mewman teenager gazed in the direction of the decorated tree before finally falling asleep.

-O-

It was three hours before dawn. The world might not be awake but Star Butterfly was. The sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean, the sight of clouds traveling between her and the moon. The woman in a tattered white dress loved all of it. Even the dampness of her hair along and the soreness of her muscles, both of which reminded her how close she'd been to drowning during the long swim to shore, did not take away from how elated she was to still be alive.

Other than the twenty-nine-year-old, the night sky, and a few dozen street lights glowing off in the distance, the beach was empty. Seemed like a perfect time to reflect on life…or nap. Eventually the nap won.

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"Miss. Miss. Miss! Are you okay!?"

It took a few tries but the concerned voice's tone was enough to convince the adult Star to break from her slumber. Once she regained her focus she saw that a man in a dark gray suit was standing over her. Although it wasn't dawn, there was enough light where she could see a red tie was hanging loosely from his neck. Over his shoulder was a simple black bag, but what she thought was most strange was the paper filled manila folder in his left hand.

"Hey."

"Hi."

The dark haired gentleman just stared at the woman, surprised not only that she was alive but also that her long blonde hair almost reached down to her knees.

"Sorry, I was just taking a break here but yeah I'm totally-totally-totally fine. I just had a long night-week-month. Long year really but yeah, it got REALLY crazy last night." The woman stretched her arms and let out a huge yawn before she was able to continue. "So where am I?"

"Echo Creek. Right now you're in the best spot for watching the sun set over the Pacific. Sadly that's not for another eleven hours but it's also not a bad place if you want to see the sun rising over the mountains. However, if you don't know where you are...instead of getting ready to watch the sunrise I should probably call social services. Have you been drinking? Did you take some pills?"

"Ha! Do I seem that messed up?" She peered down at her ruined clothing and started brushing the seaweed that was stuck to her legs in a failed attempt to improve her appearance. "Listen, don't answer that. I admit, I don't look my best right now but that has more to do with being on a pirate ship and jumping through a portal to escape after monsters attacked. I don't see any sails out on the water so I'm guessing none of them followed, I'm very happy about that. Any-who, more specific than where am I, what dimension is this? Not enough moons to be Mewni. Also come sit with me. I haven't talked to someone who didn't say r-r-r-r-r-r between every other word in a VERY long time."

"Mewni? Dimensions?" He kneeled down to get a good look at her face. The sky above them brightened just enough where he could see the hearts on her cheeks. "STAR! STAR BUTTERFLY!"

"How do you know my name?"

"Don't you remember, it's me Marco! You're on Earth! I'm that kid who walked you around school that day you were at Echo Creek Academy!"

"Marco? You mean t-the Safe-Kid!? Wow, it's been like forever since I've seen you."

"Sixteen years I think. I never thought we'd meet again! Wow, after that day I always wondered what happened. Are you okay? I mean other than traveling with pirates and fleeing for your life?"

"It's a looooong story but right this minute everything is absolutely peachy. Hey, you wouldn't have anything to eat you'd be willing to share would you?"

Joining Star in the sand, Marco opened up his shoulder bag. It took a few seconds of rummaging before he smiled and handed the woman a granola bar and a juice box.

"Yes! Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!"

"Last time I saw you...I...I was being a jerk in front of the Stop & Slurp. I remember you talked about living with another family but before I could find you to apologize these monsters showed up. They threatened to kill me if I didn't tell them where you went, but I ended up driving them off. Then when I got home your tower was gone. I looked everywhere but never found you."

"Aw, I didn't know you fought Ludo's goons for me, that's so sweet. Those guys weren't the hardest fight but they weren't exactly pushovers either. Don't take this the wrong way but you didn't look like much of a warrior as a kid, how'd you beat them?"

"I broke out a few karate moves they weren't expecting and then when this frog creature broke a telephone pole I had the Stop & Slurp guy call the police."

"Aw man! I wish I stuck around now! I soooo would have fought them with you."

"So did you end up going home?"

"Eventually but not right away. First I looked for another family but couldn't find any takers. I spent a few nights living under a bridge. Then for two weeks I shared a car with this kid named Oscar. He was nice but it didn't go so well when Ludo found me, that boy didn't exactly have a warrior spirit. Also, I was messy as a teenager but wow, that kid made me feel like an organization overachiever."

"I remember Oscar. If I had known you were living with him I would have invited you back to the house. So what happened after that?"

"I wandered a bit. Went back to Mewni. My parents tried to send me off to boarding school. I fought a lot of monsters. Got better at magic. Mmmm...this juice in a box is so good. There was a BIG low-point when this suit-lizard named Toffee tried to get me to give up my wand by kidnapping one of my besties. One of Princess Pony Head's sisters told everyone before I could attempt a secret rescue and when Pony died it ended up starting a war. From that point on a lot of awful stuff happened all over my dimension. Then the monsters found a way to mess up Butterfly Magic so it wasn't as strong as it used to be. Eventually a truce was called and things settled down a bit. I even got engaged to this half-demon a-a-a-a-and...then mom set a date for when I would become queen."

"So you're a queen now?"

"No-no. Instead I kinda-sorta, you know...ran away."

"Ran away!? How long ago was that?"

"Mmmmm...ten or eleven years now give or take. But it's fine, I've been living the good life. Exploring dimensions, racing warnicorns, running with pirates. You know, awesome stuff."

"Wow. I thought being a magical princess would be crazy enough but that's more adventure than I've seen in all the Mackie Hand movies combined."

With a toothy grin she tossed the empty juice box at her former guide. "Yeah but enough about me. What have you been doing with your Earth magic? Do you still wear a helmet in the shower?"

He smiled as he poked her knee. "Hey, I only did that once! So my story...well, I don't know if it's much of a story after hearing what you've been through. Let's see, I survived high school. I barely survived this pain-in-the-ass girlfriend I had junior and senior year. Total troublemaker, she still steals stuff from me to this day. Then I went to college and dated this woman I'd been crushing on since WAY back in elementary school. Sadly it didn't last long and my life kind of crashed and burned after she ended things. Once I put what was left back together I decided to focus on school and eventually got my masters. I've worked a few jobs over the years but I was technically still in school until last night. Yesterday I finally finished the thesis for my doctorate."

"Ooooooh...I have no idea what that means."

"I was reading parts of it again as I was walking just now. With this paper-" Marco shook the thick folder almost knocking loose his clipped on reading light. "-I've finished becoming a doctor of occupational health and safety. The board has already previewed it, my advisor said it's good, and I have a journal all setup to publish my work next month. The big moment was 2:18 AM last night when I quadruple-checked the last of the statistics and hit submit. All I need now is the signed piece of paper that proves it."

"I still don't understand but congratulations! I bet you had an awesome celebration after with your friends! Where are they? Are they're not big party animals like you?"

The safe-adult lowered his head and began rubbing the back of his neck. "No-no. I finished up at the office, ate some leftovers, a-a-a-a-and went for a walk. Most of my friends don't really get excited about this kind of stuff. But hey, I'm thirty-" He stopped to let out a long sigh. "-and in a few weeks I'm going to be the assistant director of safety for California's largest offshore waste disposal company. It's a really...really exciting time for me."

She could hear the sadness in his voice and felt it resonate within her, reminding her of the feelings of disappointment she sometimes felt about herself. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'd give you a hug but I probably smell like an unwashed cabin boy if I get too close."

"Thanks for the offer but if it's any consolation, I can already smell you from here."

"Ouch!"

He looked up with a slight smile. That was enough to convince Star to playfully kick sand at him. Marco continued to grin but instead of sending sand flying back he pointed to the sky behind her. Looking over toward the mountains the two watched the first light of dawn fill the world with an amazing array of pinks, yellows, and blues. The pair sat in silence, awestruck by the moment of beauty.

"..."

"..."

"Hey, I don't know what your plans are but my folks are out of town until New Years and my little sister is in France. While they're gone I'm taking care of the old house. If you just crashed in our dimension and needed a place to stayyy-"

"Are you sure you want me? You didn't seem too happy last time I was over."

"Star, sixteen years ago I was a teenage idiot who didn't think about the fact that you were dropped into a place knowing no one and I did absolutely NOTHING to make it any easier for you. As soon as you disappeared I realized that you were just trying as hard as you could to win me over as a friend. Please accept my apology, I was dumb and maybe today is my chance to make it up to you."

"Apology accepted. I don't know if this helps any but I was a bit of a teenage idiot too."

Star popped up first and offered him a hand getting to his feet. For a few seconds Marco found himself lost in her clear blue eyes until the smell of 'pirate' broke him out of his trance. As they walked toward the street lights she began talking about dimensions that reminded her of Earth. During her story about strange human-cat hybrids Marco studied her movements. He had only spent a few hours with the girl sixteen years before but other than being a bit older, she was exactly like he remembered.

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The drive in Marco's immaculate electric sedan started with a lively conversation about the laser puppies. Marco explained what it was like growing up with them and how they all eventually grew old and passed on. Although the Earth native was noticeably sad by the end, Star turned his mood around by getting him talking about the eternal cuteness that is often found in kitten memes. Marco wasn't sure exactly when it happened but somewhere between the mall and his parents house Star's eyes closed. By the time they pulled into the Diaz driveway she was snoring away. Many hours later the princess woke up on the living room sofa all snuggled up with a blanket and pillow. As she stretched her arms and yawned, Star spotted a note on the coffee table beside her.

'Good morning/afternoon,

Sorry I left you on the couch. I put you down so I could get one of the beds ready but you looked so cozy I didn't want to move you a second time.

The three towels and toiletries on the chair are for you. I also found some clothes that should fit. I hope you like hoodies. Assuming you're good with letting go of that "cabin boy" smell, feel free to use either of the showers. You're also welcome to help yourself to anything in the kitchen.

The Safe-Kid'

Next to the note was a small plate of cookies and a picture of a young Marco half-buried in a pile of laser puppies. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a karate graphic and a wide smile. Star giggled as she held up the photo and thought about how cute the baby animals were with their tiny heart shaped butts. The boy was pretty cute too.

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Hours later, adult Marco and the cleaned up princess sat in front of Britta's Tacos ready to eat what was either a late lunch or an early dinner.

"Did you recognize Oscar there making our burritos?"

"No! I had no idea on Earth that your most talented musicians are also chefs!"

"I'm guessing he hasn't made it too far in the music business yet but thirty is still young, he still has a chance."

"So is Earth always this festive? I know it was a long time ago but I don't remember lights and decorations everywhere."

"There's a big holiday coming up. You know you're welcome to stay for Christmas if you want. My parents aren't planning to be back from Mexico for a while."

"Hmm...maybe...well...I appreciate the offer but-"

"Something's wrong? Did you not like the conditioner I set out for you? The strawberry smell can be a bit much, I can get you something else if you want."

"What? No-no! It's just that my mom wants me back and I've finally started thinking about returning."

"So you have to go back and be queen?"

"I don't HAVE to do anything but I've been running away from responsibilities for awhile now. Maybe I should do something with my life other than just keeping myself busy with dangerous adventures. On top of that more and more bounty hunters keep coming after me. Sadly the kingdom has a truce with the monsters but the war never ended. Add on that my mom is getting older and...and it's pretty clear something needs to change. Maybe as queen I can negotiate a real peace agreement...maybe."

Marco noticed that the excited glow he'd been watching all afternoon was fading from her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ask a question that would get you down."

"It's alright, I've had this in the back of my mind for a while now. But hey, what's the saying...unlucky in life means lucky in love, right?"

"If that was true I have a pretty great life right now. So forget about the queen stuff, yesterday you said you were engaged. Did you end up getting married?"

"Nope. I used to blame this mysterious person who controls fate for breaking us up but really we weren't a good fit for each other. The turning point was when he wanted to go on this big trip and...well...ESCALATE our relationship. I kinda bailed on him. We're still friends but yeah, he didn't want to stay together after that. You could probably guess this but I'm a pretty crappy girlfriend...or so I've been told."

"Seriously, who would say something like that? If it helps any, I've been called a crappy boyfriend more than a few times."

"The last time Tom and I fought he said I'm impulsive, immature, I lose focus too quickly, I'm unfit to be royalty, and get this...he said I hug too hard."

"How can you hug too hard!?"

"I know right!"

"Well I've been tagged as boring, obsessed with details that don't matter, too serious, and as Janna used to say, WAY too safe. Jackie was never that harsh but she wasn't happy with me either."

"Maybe you liked to be safe back when you were a kid but why should anyone care about that now? All that matters is who you grew up to be. I bet you're a great guy who's all about going out and having fun, just responsibly. Right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, exactly!"

"Can you pass me the sugar? This burrito is good but I want to try turning it into a sugar-itoo-"

Out of nowhere the noise of a running chainsaw filled the air. Before the twenty-nine and thirty-year-old could tell where it was coming from a machine designed for felling trees was flying toward them. At the last second Star pushed Marco out of the way just as a lizard person in a magenta cloak cleaved the outdoor bench, and their suppers, clean in half.

"Hello princess!"

"Rasticore! What are you doing here!?"

"The bounty on your head has gone up Little Butterfly. Your mother is offering your weight in gold if I bring you back to Mewni alive and unharmed. What she doesn't know, Toffee is offering twice your weight even if you're brought back dead. Surrender if you want, either way I can't lose."

"How about you eat narwhal instead!"

As Star prepared to dip down for wandless spell-casting her dinner date took a low-wide defensive stance directly in front of the Septarian.

"MARCO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? HE HAS A FREAKIN CHAINSAW!"

The man in a red hoodie ignored her warning and instead signaled with his forward hand for their scaly opponent to come toward him. To that Rasticore smiled before making a leaping kick followed up by another swing with the motorized weapon.

The monster's foot was easy to block but the spinning teeth came a little too close for comfort, only missing Marco's torso by an inch. Despite the danger the payoff was worth it, Marco grabbed the fuel cutoff switch with two fingers and set it to off.

"Just like clipping the nail."

"Damn it! Do you know how hard it is to get this thing started!?" The angry lizard flipped around. Marco was ready to block normal limbs but he didn't expect a tail. Rasticore laughed as he watched the man fly through the air until he crashed into the right side of Britta's pickup window.

"MARCO!"

"Looks like he wanted his order, TO GO!"

"Shut up you dumb lizard, that doesn't even make sense! Narwhal blast! Narwhal blast! Narwhal blast!"

Rasticore easily dodged the first sea mammal and managed to get his chainsaw started before the second grazed him. The third however he cut in half mid-flight sending blood and guts everywhere.

"Oh corn! That was really gross!"

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Inside the taco stand Oscar helped his former schoolmate stand up. "Mango dude, did I forget to give you chips?"

Ignoring the part-time 'musician', Marco quickly scanned the inside of the restaurant for a knife, club, or anything he could use as a weapon. However, after seeing that Star needed help, he went with the best options available before jumping out the way he came.

"Narwhal blast! Ah, Strawberry annihilation!"

As Rasticore continued cutting through Star's spells Marco could see that each one was getting smaller and less powerful. It was as if the princess had a limited reserve and was quickly approaching empty.

"Marco, I can't keep this up! Just run, it's me he's after!"

The doctorate of workplace safety ignored her pleas, instead taking the same defensive stance he had taken before.

"First time wasn't enough for you? How about I make you part of the menu!"

The lizard pulled back as he prepared to cut through the red belt's midsection but before he could connect Marco squeezed the plastic bottle of hot sauce he'd hidden up his sleeve. The spray caught Rasticore in his only good eye causing him to stagger. With his enemy now partially blind the human was easily able to kick the monster's midsection and followed it up by tossing a handful of pain-peppers down the creature's gullet.

"Good luck with those, I've heard they've been banned in sixteen states. Star, you want to finish this?"

"YES, YES I DO! RAINBOW FIST PUNCH!"

With all her might Star magically stuck the beast right under the jaw. The half-blind monster, who's throat was on fire, didn't stand a chance. Rasticore's chainsaw stayed but the rest of him was sent high into the air, into traffic, and into the front of a delivery truck that was definitely moving faster than the posted speed limit. The two friends stood in shock as the bounty hunter's splattered remains flew into oncoming traffic.

"He...he's dead. We killed him."

"Ah, no-no-no. Septarians can regenerate. He'll be fine...maybe." The woman bit her lower lip since she was pretty sure she was stretching the truth about what type of wounds a Septarian could recover from.

"Star, w-we should go."

The princess, who was covered in a bloody mix of sea mammal juices, grabbed the dimensional chainsaw in one hand and Marco's arm in the other. "Leaving now might be the best idea ever!"

As soon as the last word left her mouth they were both running.

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Montage

[Author's Note: I recommend listening to 'Wagon Wheel' by Old Crow Medicine Show on low while you read this part. There should always be music during a montage, just make sure it fades out by the end.]

The rest of that day was spent in the Diaz home recovering from the battle, telling stories, eating cereal, and most importantly learning more about each other. Then, the next morning, the pair began a whirlwind of activities. Star got to watch Marco teach a dozen five-year-old's how to block and kick before all his students played a game of dodgeball. The best part for Star was when Marco asked if she wanted to join and the two adults got to test out eachother's dodging skills. The same day Marco brought the princess to the mall. That was where the hugging started. First was an excited shopping hug when he found Star a perfectly fitting dress that reminded her of something she used to wear as a teenager. Second was also at the mall when he liked the red zip-up sweater Star picked out for him. The third was after she convinced him to try on a frilly pink dress that she swore was his color.

The following morning Star gave him a thank you hug for saving her after she almost walked in front of a dozen runaway shopping carts. That happened in the parking lot right after buying groceries. Fifth was after Mari had a long video call with her brother. The teen revealed that her French girlfriend broke up with her and she was having a hard time keeping it together. Star listened from the other room and was so sad after that she went to console Marco as if the heartbroken child was their own.

Activities that were fun even without hugs included watching movies, popcorn mouth tossing, and a long hike in the foothills outside Echo Creek. There were also conversations where Star explained how the leader of the monsters had managed to drain most of the Butterfly Magic from their universe to one where magic had been destroyed. It was why her spellcasting stopped developing and she was now limited to only a few minutes of magic a day before her reserves completely emptied.

The most interesting event of the week however was when Star spotted a flier for a local holiday contra dance and forced Marco to take her. There were at least two hundred people stuffed in the Echo Creek Academy gymnasium lined up and ready to weave themselves in long patterns as directed by Justin Towers and the Blood Moon Five Band. The music alternated between folk songs, waltzes, and zydeco all of which were designed to keep everyone's feet moving. Star and Marco paired up for each dance and by the end of the night they were happy to find that they'd become perfectly in-sync waltz partners. The hug after the last song was the best of all.

Over seven days Marco went from thinking that Star had personal space issues to looking forward to finding what else he could do to bring out that beautiful smile and if he was lucky, one more bone crushing embrace. From Star's perspective, Marco had gone from an overly worried planner to someone who was just trying to make everything the best it could be even if it meant sacrificing a little time in order to be prepared. In her opinion Marco's magic was making the little day-to-day things awesome.

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Tiny Hands of the Dark Lord

It was Christmas Eve and the pair were again sitting on the Diaz sofa all wrapped in a blanket having just finished the original VHS version of Mackie Hand's holiday classic 'Frosty the Ninja'. With the movie over the red belt went to finish preparing dinner while Star followed.

"So Marco, I get that this is a big important holiday here on Earth but what is it really about? I'm guessing it means something more than just bringing down gangsters snowman style."

"Some would say it's about giving gifts and Santa. Others would talk about the holiday's religious meaning. But for me Christmas is about spending time with family, friends, and the people you love."

"But your family isn't around, you're just stuck with me."

Instead of replying, the thirty-year-old smiled and grabbed a set of oven mittens so he could check to see if their small baked ham was done.

"Marco, have you ever been in love? I don't know about you but most of my 'been in love' friends are now either grumpy single people or grumpier married people. Take my bestie Kelly, she's on her third marriage and super unhappy. Although now that I think about it, that situation is weird because her first two husbands died while buying groceries. Woolandia is one of those dimensions where you REALLY don't want to forget your coupons before you go shopping."

"That girl I crushed on forever, the one I told you about, I thought it was love but looking back I wasn't. I put her on a pedestal and loved who I thought she was. I might have been in love with Janna for about a week but I swear it was only because she hypnotized me. How about you?"

"Lots of crushes, lots of dating amazing abs, but no not really. Even the guy I was engaged to, I sorta loved him but not the way that he wanted. I love your cooking though. You have no idea how awesome your food is, so much better than pirate slop."

"Speaking of food, dinner it's almost ready. Why don't you go sit and I'll bring everything out."

~ Marco's cooking, going to eat some din-ner- ~
~ Earth-food Earth-food, makes me feel like a win-ner. ~

Star continued her happy song and dance all the way to the dining room table. Over the past week the princess had turned the Diaz living room into her own personal bedroom. Her new clothes were mostly on the floor but hanging from the back of a chair was the tattered but at least now clean white dress she had worn the night the two reconnected. Next to it, on a side table, where the few belongings that survived her ocean swim. Two silver coins with her grandmother's likeness stamped on them, a wide leather bracelet that Star normally wore on her wrist, and most importantly her water-resistant compact mirror.

As she waited for the small feast to begin Star thought about Marco's explanation of Christmas. How long had it been since she talked to her family? Were they getting ready for Stump Day? It was at that moment the princess started feeling tiny pings of guilt deep within her stomach. Slowly she got up, picked up the compact, and then returned back to her seat.

"How many messages from mom?"

The screen flashed, '17 new messages'.

"Huh. Play the first message."

"Star, this is your mother. You're father and I wanted to know if you're safe. We heard rumors that you've gone missing...well more missing then you were before and that has us worried. I know there are certain topics that you don't wish to talk about but could you please let us know if you're alive. W-we miss you and I'm sorry Star. I'm truly sorry for everything I've put you through. I love you."

Marco was standing at the dining room entrance with plates in hand but was wary of interrupting the moment. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah-yeah. Just a message from my mom, I've been ignoring her."

While placing the ham and side dishes on the table Marco continued talking. "Are you still thinking about going back?"

"Yeah. Avoiding my family and responsibilities seemed like such a good idea years ago b-but I'm starting to think all I'm really doing is hurting them. Hurting my kingdom. Hurting me."

"I admit, I don't envy you. As a kid I would have loved to have been a noble but now that I've taken management classes and studied medieval history it doesn't seem like it would be fun at all."

"It really isn't."

"I know we haven't been friends long but I have to say, I've really enjoyed this time with you. It might sound cheesy but if I had a best friend to hang out with all the time, I'd hope it would be like this. Chilling, having someone to keep me company, going on silly little adventures around town. It's been nice. Maybe if you go...you can still come back and visit once in a while? You know, if you want."

Star's eyes went huge as an idea suddenly popped in her head. "M-Marco, you could come to Mewni with me! And-and we can keep hanging out there! Maybe visit for a few weeks o-or you can stay as long as you want! If we're there we can go on all sorts of super crazy adventures and maybe visit some of my favorite dimensions. I so wish the Bounce House was still open, I totally would have brought you there."

"Would you be going back to be a pirate again or to see your family?"

"At this point it would be to visit my parents but I'm sure they would end up pressuring me to perform some princess duties. Maybe we can get that dimensional chainsaw working so we could leave if we want, like if things with my parents got weird."

"So if you end up being busy doing princess stuff what would I do?"

"I don't know. Maybe use that doctor degree thingy you were talking about to make things better for Mewni? I mean, it's super unsafe there so everyone could use your help. Maybe I can make you my squire so no one can hassle us about hanging out?"

Marco finished his last trip with food from the kitchen and was now standing directly in front of the princess. She could tell by his expression that he was considering the offer but she hadn't quite won him over. "Star, I admit I'd like some time off before I start working full-time but-" Before he could say another word she reached up, grabbed the collar of his red sweater, and pulled him down until their lips met. Marco was a bit surprised at first but as he ranked unexpected kisses in his mind, it was the best he could remember.

The two enjoyed the warmth and sensation of their faces touching. Eventually the safe-adult realized he was leaning over her awkwardly so he pulled Star up so they were both standing. Now that the two were closer in height the kiss began to move around a bit as each tried to make sure every square inch of their lips was touched at least once, then twice, then one more time. When they did pull back their breathing was quick but deep as if a fire had been lit and they needed air to make sure the flame kept growing.

"So...ah...if you come to Mewni maybe we can do more of that."

"Yeah, I would like that...a lot. B-but if I come with you we need to talk about some things first."

"Talk? Sure, talk!" She locked lips again with him. It was not for as long but it definitely involved much less self-control. "Mmmm. What else is there to talk about?"

"If we're going to be doing more than hanging out, because we've dated other people, there are details we need to go over."

"Okay, so-" There was another kiss. "-what do you need to know?"

"Like do I need to worry about some demon ex-fiancé trying to kill me?"

"No-no, he's all cool now. I bet you and Tom could even become friends."

"Alright. So do you already have any...well...k-kids?"

"Kids!?" Her thoughts immediately jumped to stories she heard about Pony's sisters, Kelly, her cousin Rock, even Queen Penelope. They were all around thirty and had children. "I guess we are old enough to already have kids but-"

"We should also go over our medical histories. I mean, I assume neither one of us has any STDs but the responsible thing would be to talk about any potential problems so we can be prepared ahead of time."

"Y-you mean like mewnerpes?"

"And then there is stuff like are you wanted anywhere or have you murdered anyone? I mean you were a pirate so I assume you have. Now that I think about what happened at Britta's with the bounty hunter, maybe we both count as us both having killed someone."

"Y-you really need to know all that?"

"Star, we're not teenagers. I don't think any of this would change how I feel about you but if we are going to have a relationship we need to be responsible."

Star was beginning to panic, this was not going at all how she expected. "Sure, I want to be responsible if that's important to you but I don't think that we need to worry about all that just yet. W-we just have to be together. You know, l-l-like in those movies where kids meet at fourteen and then sixteen years later everything works out. It doesn't matter if the main characters already have kids or weird ex-boyfriends or any of that, all that matters is that they finally admit that they're in love."

As soon as the 'L' word left her mouth, everything changed. The room began to spin and from the darkened windows bright lights started flashing. Next time itself slowed until nothing was moving other than Star. Years before she had accidentally created a situation like this but the magic wielder was not at all prepared for the soft otherworldly voice that began calling from the shadows.

"Sta...Sta."

The princess held onto the man she just admitted loving, ignoring everything that was now wrong. In her mind the only thing that was important was that they finish their conversation.

"Once two people are in love they get a chance for a happy ending right? It doesn't matter how old they are, or what they've done, or what doctor thing they studied, or what kingdoms are at war, or what worlds were cleaved, or that magic was destroyed. All that matters is that they have a future together!"

The voice called again, "Sta...Sta."

"Marco, it's her! It's that multiverse-person!"

"Sta-Sta."

"Go away woman, just let us be! Haven't we been through enough!" Star held on to her new love as tight as she could while at the same time burying her head into the crook of his neck. But it wasn't thirty-year-old dream Marco anymore, they were kids again and it was the boy she belonged with.

"Sta-Sta."

"Marco, we have to say that we belong together like in the magic! That's the only way we can have our happily-ever-after! Why do we have to be teenagers!? Why does the Dark Lord go after teenagers!?"

Despite her pleas the young man never moved. They could not escape fate.

-O-

After one last squeeze, the morning light and tiny Mariposa hands pulled the sixteen-year-old out of her dream.

"Sta-Sta, p-ay kara-tee. Up Sta, up."

"Ohhh...ohhhhh...good morning Mariposa. I just had the weirdest dream about your brother. The totally weirdest dream."

.

Love/Fate

A few minutes later the young woman's arms are wrapped around the onesie-wearing toddler. The child stared at the television, mesmerized by Foolduke & Ruberiot singing one of the few Mewni folk songs that didn't belittle monsters. Behind the singer and jester a half-dozen princess puppets danced in dresses that were similar to what Star had worn on Song Day. Ignoring the performance, Mariposa's 'big sister' was instead lost in thought.

'I wondered if that twenty-nine and thirty-year-old Star and Marco ever got their happily-ever-after. If they can get past all that being older stuff they were dealing with I bet they'd really like being together no matter where they ended up. If I met my Marco like that or maybe some other way I bet we'd find a way to be happy...as long as some weird fate person didn't get in the way.'

While Star's emotions jumped back and forth between sadness and frustration, her disheveled teenage walked down the stairs, only stopping once to stretch out his arms while letting out a yawn. After giving his girlfriend a half-awake smile he joining her on the sofa.

"Morning sleepyhead. I see that Mari climbed out of her crib again. This girl is going to be an awesome ninja one day."

"Hey."

On top of her emotional frustration Star was still tired and Marco could see it on her face.

"Uh-oh, you have one of those looks. Did you not get enough sleep?"

"Marco, have you ever woken up with thoughts about love and fate bouncing around your head?"

"Well I love you and I think about that most morning, but I haven't thought much about fate since the Blood Moon Curse or maybe the Cleave. If it helps any I'm guessing both are topics for the philosophy class I'll be taking this fall. Why, what's going on? Were you up watching another one of those cheesy holiday love stories?"

"Totally not cheesy. I'm just thinking about how fragile love can be. The perfect couple could be next to each other but if events don't line up right...BAM! Both of them are stuck with a lifetime of meh. And then even when love does happen fate can throw all sorts of stuff to try and mess it up. I don't like it."

"Those are some big thoughts for this early in the morning. I got it, how about you think about love as a big bowl of cereal. Imagine the box of Sugar Seeds as everything you like in life, the milk is everything you have to deal with, and the spoon is fate. Your job is to make sure you find just the right mix of crunchy bits, marshmallows, and sugar flavored milk to create a perfect mouthful of...love."

"Great, I'm dating a guy who eats love for breakfast. You're hungry right now aren't you?"

"I'm starving. I couldn't eat dinner last night, I was kind of nervous about that special gift and it made my insides weird."

"Alright Sir Dorko, let's get you breakfast before you tell me something silly like the universe is actually made out of pancakes, but don't you think this love and fate conversation is over yet. We're coming back to this."

Leaning over he gave the young woman a kiss on the cheek. "I'll go start Mari's oatmeal. Hey what if each layer of love is another pancake on the stack while the syrup is-"

"No! Go make us food, I'll be right there."

Off to the kitchen he went with a smile on his face while Star felt around for the TV remote. Once the show was off she placed the toddler on her hip and walked over to the little girl's highchair.

"Come on Mariposa, let's get something in your belly so you can fall in love one day and then have fate rip your heart out."

"Yeah!"

"Say Mari, while he's in the other room...has your brother ever said anything to you about the Neverzone?"

.

.

Dear wise and powerful Dark Lord of the Multiverse,

I've prepared the popcorn and salted it with the dried tears of the innocent.

Your humble servant,
Olin Nordenn

If you ever have the chance, at least once in your life you should go contra dancing. Years ago I got dragged to a few dances. Although they're a bit strange, if the crowd and music is right the experience is totally worth it. - Olin