(A/N: With Peach in her 3rd trimester, she should be having the baby pretty soon. Will this be the chapter where she has it? Maybe we'll find out when I get this chapter started.)
It was a peaceful night in the Mushroom Kingdom. Everything was quiet and calm, and most of the people in the kingdom were getting ready for bed. That includes Mario and Peach. Hey, why don't we go check up on those two? Let's go to Mushroom Castle and see them!
At Mushroom Castle, Mario and Peach are in their pajamas and sitting up in bed, talking.
"Are you sure you don't want me to take you downstairs to the infirmary tonight, cara mia? You know that the baby is due this week." Mario said to Peach, concerned.
"We can go down to the infirmary first thing tomorrow morning, okay? Right now, I feel like getting some sleep, and I like sleeping with you. Sleeping alone just isn't fun anymore." Peach said as she snuggled close to Mario.
"Well, I can't argue with that. I didn't like sleeping alone, either." Mario said as he slipped an arm around Peach, making her feel safe and secure. She always felt that way whenever she was with Mario.
Before long, the Mushroom Kingdom's monarchs decided it was time to turn off the lights and get some sleep.
However, around 1:00 a.m., something was about to disturb the peaceful nighttime scene. Yup, Bowser decided that he couldn't wait for Mario to get over his anger (or maybe he thought Mario was bluffing when he made the threat). He wanted Peach in his grasp, and he wanted her now. So he got in his Koopa Clown Car and flew to Mushroom Castle, ready to kidnap the Queen.
He parked his Koopa Clown Car by the balcony, got out, and made his way to the French doors that would lead into Mario and Peach's bedroom. To his luck, Mario and Peach had forgotten to lock the French doors before they went to bed! He took care not to make a sound as he opened them, then entered the room, quietly closing the doors behind him.
The room was dark, of course, but the moonlight coming in from the window allowed him to see Peach lying in the bed, fast asleep. Mario, however, didn't appear to be with her.
"Good! She's fair game! Now I can claim her as my own, and Mario isn't here to stop me! This is great!" Bowser whispered to himself. He couldn't believe his luck! He didn't know where Mario was, but who cared?! Peach was right there, all alone! She was his for the taking!
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of a toilet flushing, accompanied by a light. Then he saw Mario turn out the light. He'd been in the bathroom the whole time! Oh no, he couldn't get Peach now! And he definitely couldn't let Mario see him on the off-chance he hadn't been bluffing! He quickly hid in the shadows, hoping against hope Mario hadn't seen him.
It didn't seem that Mario noticed him, for he crawled back under the covers and put a loving arm around Peach as he went back to sleep. Now Bowser would not be able to grab her. If he did, Mario would've felt it, and that would've woken him up. Unless he was a very heavy sleeper. But Bowser didn't know if Mario was a heavy or light sleeper. He could try to find out, but after that threat Mario made, it wouldn't be a very good idea.
"Curses! Why did he do that?! More importantly, why didn't I just grab Peach when I had the chance?! Now I'll have to wait for him to turn over or get out of bed again!" Bowser growled to himself. He decided to wait it out. This was going to take a while...
About 2 hours later, Mario and Peach were still in the same position, and Bowser was starting to get really annoyed. It was 3:00 a.m., and if Mario didn't turn over or get out of bed again before daybreak, he'd never be able to get Peach, and then he'd have to leave to avoid being spotted by Mario or Peach. This was so not fair!
Suddenly, he found that his patience paid off! Mario turned over, meaning he no longer had his arm around Peach. This was what Bowser had been waiting for!
"Yes!" Bowser cheered to himself as he quickly but quietly ran to the bed and snatched up Peach in his arms. To his happiness, she didn't stir.
"You're mine now, Peach!" Bowser said to himself as he placed a small black envelope on her pillow.
Then he ran to the French doors, taking care to open and close them quietly again, so as not to wake Mario or Peach. If they woke up, then it might be Game Over for him!
He held Peach close and made sure not to wake her as he put her in the Koopa Clown Car before getting in himself. Once he got in, he made his way back to his kingdom, where his own castle was. All he had to do was hope Peach didn't wake up before they got there.
Later that morning...
It was 7:00 a.m., and the sun was beginning to rise in the Mushroom Kingdom. It looked like it was going to be another beautiful day. Perhaps we should see what's going on at Mushroom Castle now, for it's around this time Mario and Peach usually get up.
In Mario and Peach's room, Mario is still sleeping like a baby. At least, he was, until he turned over again, but this time, his arm didn't touch Peach. His arm fell onto the spot where Peach usually slept.
Mario immediately woke up when he felt his arm hit the bed. Wasn't Peach supposed to be lying next to him? Why wasn't she in bed? She didn't have anywhere to go today, except for the infirmary.
Mario thought that maybe Peach was in the bathroom. When he looked, he saw that the door was standing open. No, the door would've been closed if she was in there. She never left the door open when she used the bathroom.
Maybe Peach was out on the balcony? Mario would sometimes see her out there on a beautiful sunny morning, enjoying the view. But a quick glance out the window told Mario that she wasn't there, either.
Perhaps Peach had gotten up early and made her way to the infirmary by herself? Mario thought she'd want him accompanying her there. Unless she thought she was in labor and didn't want to wake him... Well, he figured that he'd better find out. So he made his way downstairs, hoping that he'd find his wife there.
When Mario got to the infirmary, the Royal Physician saw him and said, "Mario, what brings you down here? Wait a minute. Did Peach just go into labor?"
"You mean she's not down here?!" Mario asked, really worried.
"If she came down here, I would've contacted you to let you know. Are you saying she's not in your room?" the Royal Physician asked, concerned.
"No! I woke up to find her missing! She's not in our room, our bathroom, or out on the balcony! I even checked the kitchen on my way here, and she wasn't there, either! I don't know where she could've gone!" Mario said, getting upset. He was starting to wish he brought her down here last night.
"If she was in your room last night, why don't you head back up there and see if you can find anything that might tell you where she is?" the Royal Physician suggested, trying to get him to calm down. Panicking wasn't going to do him any good.
"I'll do that. I just hope that wherever she is, she's not in labor yet." Mario said as he hurried out of the infirmary and back up the stairs as fast as he could.
Once he was back in their room, Mario looked around for clues. It didn't take long for him to notice that Peach's crown, gloves, earrings, and shoes were still in their room. A look in her wardrobe showed no empty hangers. That meant she hadn't gotten dressed yet. Peach wouldn't leave the castle in her bed-clothes; she was a princess and much too proper to do that sort of thing.
That's when Mario spotted it. There was a black envelope resting on Peach's pillow. Perhaps this would tell him where she'd gone. He quickly tore open the envelope, finding a note inside. The note read:
Mario,
You stupid idiot! I have Peach in my grasp, and there's nothing you can do about it! I have taken her to my kingdom, where I will make her my wife, and the queen of my kingdom, and since she rules the Mushroom Kingdom, it will be mine, too! You'll have no choice but to leave the castle and the kingdom, for when Peach and I marry, it will be our summer home. And don't even think of showing up to foil my plans this time, because if you do, I'm going to kill you before you get the chance to kill me!
Your mortal enemy, Bowser
Well, this did not sit well with Mario. He was madder than he'd ever been! He now knew where Peach was, but he was ready to let Bowser have it! How dare he kidnap Peach like that! Especially when she was due to give birth that week.
Mario gasped in shock when he remembered that little detail. Their baby was due this week! What if Bowser had frightened Peach into labor?! What would Bowser do if he found out Peach was pregnant? If he noticed the little bump that was a tell-tale sign that she was expecting, or if she had the baby in front of him...
"Oh no!" Mario cried, grabbing his usual outfit and putting it on as fast as he could. Surprisingly, he didn't put anything on backwards or inside-out. He had to hurry and save his wife and child from Bowser! She and their baby needed him now!
Before Mario left, he realized that he was going to need help rescuing Peach. He couldn't do this alone. Lucky for him, Luigi and Daisy were presently staying in the castle. They'd arrived a few days ago, wanting to be around when their godchild was born.
Mario ran to the guest room Luigi and Daisy shared, threw the door open, and yelled, "Luigi! Get up! We've got to go!"
Luigi and Daisy awoke with a start, as did Polterpup (they brought him along), who had been sleeping at the foot of their bed.
"What's going on, Mario?" Luigi asked, sitting up in bed, wide awake.
"Maybe Peach just gave birth." Daisy said.
"No, I wouldn't have gotten you up for that, but you're half-right. This has something to do with Peach." Mario said.
"Then what's going on with her?" Luigi asked.
"Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser! He took her back to his kingdom, and we've got to rescue her! If Bowser finds out she's pregnant..." Mario said, not daring to finish the sentence.
"You're right! We've got to go save her!" Luigi said, leaping out of bed and quickly getting dressed.
"I'm coming, too!" Daisy said, also getting out of bed.
"No, someone needs to stay behind and keep an eye on things here!" Mario said.
"Didn't you or Peach appoint anyone to rule in the event that neither of you could?" Luigi asked.
"We've tried to before, but we couldn't think of anyone good enough! And when we found out we had a baby coming, choosing a back-up ruler didn't seem as important to us!" Mario said.
"Okay, I'll stay here and rule in your stead. Peach has always been like a sister to me, so I'm going to help her out by ruling the kingdom while you go out to rescue her." Daisy said.
"You help Daisy keep things running smoothly here while Mario and I are gone, okay?" Luigi said to Polterpup.
The puppy responded by licking his face.
"Good boy." Luigi replied, patting the dog's head.
"Thank you, Daisy!" Mario said, giving his sister-in-law a hug.
"You're welcome, Mario." Daisy said, returning the hug. Then she turned to Luigi, giving him a hug and a quick kiss on the lips, saying, "Please come back safely!"
"I plan to. And when we get back, Peach will be with us. I just hope she hasn't given birth to our godchild yet!" Luigi said, knowing that he had to go and hating that he had to leave his wife's arms so soon.
"Good luck!" Daisy said as the brothers ran out to where the Odyssey was parked. They quickly got in, and Mario quickly entered Bowser's Kingdom in the Odyssey's GPS system. Once it knew where they wanted to go, they set off on their rescue mission!
And how is Queen Peach doing? We'll find out in the next chapter! Yup, you'll have to stay tuned to find out what the expectant mother is going through!
