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Author's Note:

Okay, based on the 21 reviews I got from the last chapter, 2 of you like Mr. L's minor appearance while the rest of you want him to be ongoing.

His appearance are going to on and off, similar to Nail from Dragon Ball Z: Abridged so don't be surprise if you don't see him in every chapter. Also, I' m not really a comedian so bare with me on any jokes.

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story idea and any OC(s).

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Chapter 42:
What He Wants

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"...W-What?"

Bowser smirked at the plumber's shock expression. And he wasn't the only one; Wendy, Kammy, and even Kamek were surprise as well. Nothing of them had expected him to say that.

Surprisingly enough, it didn't take him long to come up with this offer. Being forced to come here under the acts of a treaty and the threat of war; it only makes sense that the greatest reward he could possible give to the man in green would be his freedom to return home without any fear hovering over his head.

"You heard me," he said. "I'm letting you go...I'll just think of something else I can get out of this treaty."

Luigi had to blink a few times before it could settle in, but even then he could hardly believe. "A-Are you... s-serious? I mean, y-you're really l-letting me r-return home?"

"Yes, I'm serious." The Koopa King grunted. "How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

Luigi frowned. "I-I'm sorry but...I-it's just s-so hard t-to believe."

'A chance for your freedom…' Mr. L commented. 'You got to hand it to the Big Guy; he came up with a very fitting reward.'

"This is what you wanted, right? The chance to go home," Bowser said with his arms cross. "Well, this is it. I'll dissolve your marriage with Wendy and you can go back home without worry. We'll rewrite the treaty to exclude you and the Mushroom Kingdom gets the peace what they always wanted."

'What they wanted, yeah,' Luigi thought. 'But for me...I'm not so sure.'

'Yes, you are.' Mr. L said firmly. 'Deep down, you know what you want. You just have to focus on the real question… after all you been through here, is it really worth it now than it was several months ago?'

Mr. L was right. Months ago, he would have done anything to return back to the Mushroom Kingdom, because he knew that as his home. His family, his friends, and his love...they were all in the Mushroom Kingdom.

But now, things were changing – he was changing. He had learned to appreciate this land for its own beauty as well as the people who lived here. He had befriended those who were once his enemies and also found a new love among them.

'Wendy...'

He took a glance over to the pink koopa beside him. Wendy had her gaze on the bed, her blue eyes filled with sadness. Luigi frowned; he knew she wanted him to stay, but she won't force him to do something he didn't want. It was like the saying goes...'If you love something, set it free.'

"So plumber, what do you say?" Bowser spoke, breaking Luigi out of his thoughts. "Do we have a deal or what?"

Luigi blinked before glancing around the room. Kamek didn't look please about this, but he made no move to argue with the king. Kammy was the same. His blues eyes landed on Wendy who looked up to him with a smile, signaling she wasn't going to fight with his decision. Luigi smiled back and let out a deep sigh as he turn back to address the Koopa King.

"Lord Bowser, I greatly t-thank you for y-your offer. Truth be told; it's p-probably the nicest t-thing you ever done for me."

Bowser snorted in amusement. Luigi took a quick glance at his side to see Wendy's gaze had return to the bed. He smiled and continued on with what he had to say.

"But as n-nice as the offer is, I-I'm afraid I'll have t-to decline it."

"What?" Now it was Bowser's turn to look surprise. The others were too. Wendy quickly looked up to him. "W-What do you mean you decline to it?"

Luigi shrugged. "I-I mean, I want to stay; I-I don't want to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"But...why?" Kammy asked. She and the others couldn't understand why he would willingly want to stay with them.

"Because..." Luigi explained. "T-They don't need me b-back at the Mushroom Kingdom; t-they got Mario a-around to keep the peace. And e-even if I did g-go back, it'll only b-be a matter of t-time before e-everything goes b-back to the w-way it was b-before the treaty."

"Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" Bowser asked.

Luigi frowned. "Not if you l-live at home alone, with y-your brother's too busy a-acting as king to even v-visit you, and the woman y-you loved is d-doing Grambi knows what with the man you c-consider as y-your rival." He snorted. "I w-went t-through more than a year f-feeling abandoned, lonely and depressed, it's a m-miracle I d-didn't commit suicide then."

Bowser couldn't really comment to that so Luigi continued.

"A-Although, I will a-admit my first few months h-here wasn't exactly paradise. Actually it felt more l-like I was living in the Underwhere, and I'm not g-going to lie, suicide did c-cross my mind more t-than once. But then..." He glanced at Kamek. "I got some guidance. I had to t-think about what I was d-doing wrong, who I was p-personally, and what I have a-achieved. Instead of t-thinking the Darkland was s-some type of prison, I started to t-think of it as a place I could s-start my life over..."

He took Wendy's hand and smiled. "Here, I found something t-that I wasn't able to f-find in the Mushroom Kingdom. It may h-have been forced and unexpected at t-the time, but… w-with time and progress f-from the both ends, it could work.

"I'm different now t-than whom I was before and I h-have a lot more to gain here than a-anywhere else. This place...it is my home now, w-whether you like it or not. I still d-don't know much about it but I know it's in t-trouble and I'll do a-anything to protect this land and its people."

'Very well said,' Mr. L commented.

His speech left a rather tense yet respectful silence in the room. Wendy smiled and tightens her hold on his hand. Bowser simply stared at the plumber, astonish that he was actually willing to stay. He turned to Kamek who seem really pleased by this turn of event. He turned back to Luigi with a raised eyebrow.

"...Are you serious?"

Luigi nodded. "As serious as I could ever be,"

Bowser sighed and ran a claw threw his red hair. Kamek did say this might come as a surprise to him. He just hates the fact that he wasn't wrong.

"Well, there goes my reward." He said.

"I won't say that," said Kammy as she steps up. "Since Luigi is determined to stay, why don't you send him and Wendy on a vacation?"

Everyone turned to her and blinked. "A vacation?"

"Yes, after everything that has happened here, I say some peace time away from the castle will be the best thing for them once Luigi recovers."

"Well," Wendy thought "We never did get our honeymoon. And it would be nice to have some time away from the castle."

"I can a-agree on that." Luigi said.

Bowser crossed his arms and glanced between his daughter and the plumber. He studied them for a bit, taking note on just how close they are now and comparing it to how they were seven months ago. After a few moments, he softened slightly and spoke.

"Okay, how about this..." He said. "As a counter offer, I will schedule a week paid vacation to any place you want."

Luigi thought the offer over. "A month..."

Bowser narrowed his eyes. "Two weeks,

"How about three weeks?" He bargained.

"Two weeks or you get nothing at all,"

"Two weeks is fine," Luigi said quickly, earning a victory smirk from Bowser.

"Excellent," said Kammy. "Since it's been agreed on, is there some place specific you would like to go?"

"Well, I'm willing to go anywhere with a beautiful beach." said Wendy.

"A beach?" Luigi questioned.

"Mistress Wendy loves the water," said Kammy. "She's a superb swimmer and a talented ice-skater. Even her middle name is water based."

"Really? W-What is it?"

"Ora," Wendy answered. "It means 'seacoast'."

"Ora," Luigi repeated, getting the feel of the word in his mouth. "Well, t-the only beach resort t-that I knew of is t-the one Mario w-went on with the princess years ago."

"Isle Delfino," Bowser confirmed. "Yeah, I remember that one; Junior made his first appearance there."

"So, I heard. But d-despite that, they still h-had a great time and I t-thought I'll go there myself s-someday. However," he hesitated. "...people might recognize us."

"Hmm, I don't think it'll be a good idea for Mushroom Kingdom to know about the two of you right now." said Kamek. "They might not be too please about it."

Luigi nodded in agreement. He didn't want his brother finding out about his new wife...not yet at least. News tends to travel fast in the Mushroom Kingdom; if they had gone to Isle Delfino, then it would only be a matter of time before it reaches Mario's ears.

"If it's a typical resort you're looking for, may I suggest Koopabiza?" Kammy said.

"The Koopabiza?" Luigi blinked. "W-What's that?"

"It's a small, sunny island just outside of the Darkland; it's where you can find the popular Gumba Royal Hotel."

"Gumba Royal Hotel?" Wendy asked. "Wasn't that place listed as one of the worst hotels to visit?"

"That didn't stop it from being popular." She said. "However, Ludwig and Kanary had gone there for their honeymoon and they say the hotel had undergone major improvements. Plus you won't have to be concern about being distinguished by anybody; your whole time there will be worry-free."

Wendy turned to Luigi and asked, "So... what do you think?"

Luigi smiled. One thing the Mario Brothers loved to do is explore new places. Just how they explore it differentiate them. While his brother preferred to explore when on an adventure, he likes to do it on his own spare time.

"I think it's a great idea."

"Then its settle," said Kammy. "Now, don't you two worry about a thing; we'll handle all of the reservations. You just worry about getting yourself better."

He nodded. "Thank you, Kammy"

"So if there's nothing else to do here," said Bowser as he turns towards the door. "I'll just be leaving,"

"The doctor should be here soon," said Kamek. "I'll send someone to deliver your breakfast."

"Thank you everyone,"

They exit out of the room leaving the two on their own. When the door close, Luigi yawned and stretched his tired limps. Once he was done, he wrapped his left arm around Wendy's shoulder and pulled her close. He smiled,

"Now... where were we?"

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Ending Note:

Koopabiza is an island that appeared only in a Club Nintendo Super Mario comic. In the story, Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, and Yoshi took a vacation to the island but, they were greatly disappointed about it.

Gumba Royal Hotel is the hotel they stay on Koopabiza. Its condition is very poor; however, it was still popular among villains. Gumba is Goomba in German.

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