So what will happen to Gumball? Will Carrie be able to tell that all is not well? OC's are not mine, Gumball is not mine. Only the plot is mine, and any coincidence with future or current shows is unintentional. Please review or you suck.

"Carrie! Carrie don't let her!" Lexy woke up screaming. She looked around and for a moment and didn't know where she was. The landscape was dominated by towers of boxes and in the dim light she had the odd feeling of being a giant waking in the middle of a metropolis. It wasn't until the grandfather clock in the hall chimed that she remembered. She was in Priar's house.

Lexy had come back here just after she and her new friends had rescued Carrie. Lexy shook her head. She had never seen so many seemingly impossible things occur so quickly. From her own transformation to the living ghost who banished a concentrated spirit of jealousy, Lexy had had more then she could take in so short a time. She also had to meeting the movers and

Now she couldn't shake the feeling that Gumball was in trouble. Again. Trusting in whatever connection she had with the blue cat, Lexy grabbed her phone and dialed Carrie's number. She listened while it rang and until the girl's voice answered on the other side.

"Hello?" Carrie asked groggily.

"Carrie?" Lexy didn't wait to confirm. "Hey, listen I need you to check on Gumball for me."

"What?" Carrie suddenly sounded much more alert. "What's wrong?!"

Lexy bit her lip. "Um. Well, I don't know… I just woke up calling your name and I have a bad feeling." Lexy sighed realizing how she sounded. Carrie surprised her though.

"I'm supposed to meet him at the mall this afternoon, but I'll check on him as soon as I get ready." Carrie told her.

Lexy gaped at the air in front of her for a minute before she caught herself. "Thanks. I realize it must sound crazy, so it means a lot that you'd believe me."

The sound of Carrie's laughter surprised her. "Look Lex, when it comes to Gumball, anything is possible. I mean you spent 3 days around him and look at all that happened. I've spent years around the guy; I'm willing to go on a little faith."

When Carrie mentioned the time she'd spent with Gumball, Lexy was reminded of the last time she'd actually talked with her. Guilt swept over her and she wanted to apologize. "Oh yeah, ummm… I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for that thing I said."

Carrie's voice softened. "It wasn't your fault. I have a feeling it would have come out eventually anyway." Carrie sounded resigned and Lexy's heart went out to her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Carrie brightened. "Penny and I had a talk. We don't want this to come between us. She said we can let the Gumball thing figure itself out."

Lexy was confused. "But what will you do? You can't both be with him."

Now Carrie's voice took on a serious note. "Why not?"

Lexy was speechless for a moment. When she finally found her voice she sputtered, "B-b-because you just can't!"

Carrie calmly reiterated her question. "Why?"

Lexy had to think a minute. "Isn't it illegal?"

"It is illegal to be married to more than one person, but nothing says you can't be romantically involved with any number of partners." Carrie said matter-of-factly.

"But won't there be a problem with your friendship? And what would people think?" Lexy struggled to understand the other girl's alien attitude.

"Honestly, the only people whose opinion matter to me on this issue are Penny's and Gumball's," she said firmly. "As for jealousy," Carrie sighed, "try to imagine that you had a best friend, and found out both of you loved the same guy. It isn't like you did it on purpose, right? So why get mad?"

"Okay. I could see you guys still being friends," Lexy relented. "But are you sure you aren't just grasping at straws? I understand your position in all of this undesirable. I mean Gumball likes Penny already, right? Why would she share with you?"

Carrie was silent for a moment. "You have a point, I guess," she finally admitted. "I just haven't been able to get it out of my head," she explained. "I mean these are the people I care most about. It wasn't too big of a leap to think about caring about and living with both of them." Carrie sounded a little despondent.

Lexy sighed. "Look. I am not saying it can't happen. I just didn't want you to end up like Sarah, idealizing a situation that no one else wanted." She paused thinking. "If you really are serious about this, I suggest you bring it up to Penny. The kind of thing you are talking about can't happen without complete honesty."

Carrie didn't answer for a moment and when she did, she was hesitant. "Do you think it could work?" she asked hopefully.

"'When it comes to Gumball, anything is possible' right?" Lexy asked with a smile.

Carrie laughed. "Right. Well I need to get ready if I'm going to go check on him. Will you be back soon?"

Lexy groaned. "Yeah, soon. I have to get a transcript from my school and I finished packing so the movers are coming today. I should be back tomorrow."

Carrie sucked in a breath sympathetically. "Well good luck with that. Bye!"

The phone disconnected before Lexy could answer. She didn't know how it could work, but she hoped it could anyway. "Good luck to you, too." She said before she put the phone down got on with her day.

Page break

CRACK!

Carrie teleported into the designated "telepad" she, Penny, and Gumball had set up on his roof… well, she and Penny anyway, but it had been Gumball's idea. She smiled at the memory.

Gumball had been listening to Carrie explain how her body worked to Penny and had deduced that if she teleported into someone, it might constitute possession and might exhaust her. Thus the telepad where that wouldn't be an issue.

Carrie had been touched. She hadn't considered it, but it was actually a really smart thing to do. In fact, she intended to set up a telepad at the high school just before the first semester started. She went intangible and phased through the roof towards Gumball's room.

It was dark inside and Carrie couldn't see a thing. She felt her way over to the light switch and turned it on. Gumball's head was visible above the blanket that rose and fell with the deep, steady breaths of slumber. Satisfied that Gumball was safe, Carrie phased back out of the house and up to the roof.

She thought hard about what she was now considering. She knew that if she brought this up, if might be the end of her friendship with Penny. Lexy had been right. Penny had the upper hand in this, so she had less reason to worry and really no incentive to consider this option aside from her expressed desire to remain friends.

Carrie, on the other hand, had every reason to push for this. Gumball had expressed no romantic interest in her and she had never given him an inkling of her attraction to him. Penny might think that she was simply trying to get Gumball any way she could, but Carrie had considered the possibility in herself and rejected it. The thing was, she wasn't just interested in her own happiness. Though she loved Gumball, she cared for Penny with equal intensity, if not quality, and wanted her to be happy as well.

Carrie sat down, examining her feelings for Penny. She wondered if it was like the love of a sister and the thought comforted her. She really liked the idea of Penny being her sister. She'd never had a sister, but Penny was everything she would want in a sister: kind, thoughtful and always there for her.

Carrie made up her mind. She stood up, squared her shoulders and winked out.

CRACK!

Carrie was on top of Penny's house. She smiled when she saw the telepad-in-the-making next to Penny's window. She hadn't known Penny was doing that and the thought touched her and bolstered her confidence. The house behind the window was dark so she silently floated across the shingled roof and tapped softly.

Thump! CRASH!

A chair flew through the window and Carrie, who barely had time to go intangible. A guttural voice rang dangerously from inside. "What did you DO?!"

More furniture followed the chair and Carrie flew forward, bewildered. "What do you mean?" she cried helplessly, lost as to the reason for her friend's anger.

"Gumball called me last night," the voice cracked as it spoke. "He said he never wants to see me again, and that he's going to marry you!" The last word was punctuated with a grunt and a large vanity arcing out of the hole in the side of the house.

Carrie was so stunned she forgot to go intangible and the vanity caught her in the chest. She sailed with it for a few seconds before she could manage to phase through it. She had never been so torn. On the one hand, she was elated at this indication that Gumball cared for her but the gut wrenching anguish she felt for Penny swallowed it entirely.

Carrie had an epiphany then. All at once, she understood several things. First, she now knew that it wasn't pity that drove Penny to comfort her. Carrie understood why Penny had consoled her, as she now wished desperately to do for Penny.

She also knew that she couldn't accept this situation. She could clearly see that there could only be one acceptable outcome so long as both she and Penny still loved Gumball. She knew it was now or never to do this, so she sucked in a breath and shouted, "So, what!? When things get flipped, did you think I would just take him and fly off into the sunset!?"

Penny's gruff voice suddenly when high pitched. "Huh? I don't understand."

Carrie took advantage of this break in her anger. "I know what you are feeling. What do you think the past three years have been like for me?!" Carrie shouted, tears welling up as she finally vented the frustration she'd held in check all this time. "'It's hard to hate anyone you've understood on that level.'" Carrie quoted her friend softly. "It's also hard not to love them like a sister!"

Carrie was really picking up steam now. "Do you really think I could do anything to make Gumball drop you like that?! Or that I would even want to?!"

"Well, no. I mean, I guess I… uh -" Penny stammered before Carrie cut her off. She couldn't risk losing her momentum now.

"I don't want him if it means you have to go through what I've gone through." Carrie sobbed. "I'd rather give him up completely." Penny's shape appeared in the hole she created in the side of the brown house and Carrie rushed forward and jumped into the other girl.

Carrie? Penny's thoughts were jumbled and chaotic as they brushed against her own. What are you doing? This is weird.

Carrie concentrated. I want you to see how I feel now. I didn't know if you would listen so I decided to show you.

Penny's thoughts felt worried. Won't this deplete your energy?

Carrie felt warm. Penny did care about her. She decided to try something. It might be dangerous, but she was willing to risk it.

Penny, listen. Carrie tried to think comforting thoughts. I want to give you something. This might feel funny. We are going connect our minds a little.

Carrie felt Penny's surprise and fear. Don't worry. The worst that can happen is I might get lost in your consciousness. I won't have any control over you or you over me. It's like a blood sister ritual that I can do just a little stronger.

Penny relaxed a little. Are you sure you are ok?

Eh, don't worry. I'm not actually possessing you. Carrie's thoughts tinkled and Penny's thoughts contorted in confusion.

I laughed. Carrie told her. Now then, will you do this?

Carrie could feel her eagerness and her apprehension. What will it be like?

Carrie understood her uneasiness. If it works, we will be able to sense each other. I would always be able to find you and vise-versa. If we were near each other and we want to, we can talk like this without me jumping inside you. You and I are different from normal girls, though, so who knows?

Are you sure about this? What if we end up hating each other? Penny worried.

Penny, do you feel this? Carrie concentrated on the love she had for Penny.

What is that?! Penny's thoughts were amazed. It's like a warm hug times a thousand!

It's… Carrie hesitated. This is how I feel about you.

Uhh… you know I'm not like that right? Penny's mind recoiled a little.

Carries thoughts tinkled again. It's not like that. It's more like a sister. I care about you and I need you to be happy. And I am willing to go to extraordinary lengths to achieve that.

Penny was suddenly decisive. What do I need to do?

Just think about me, Carrie thought, and I think about you. Then we let our minds overlap. From then on, when one of us thinks about the other, we will be able to sense them, even tell how the other is feeling.

So we can turn it on and off? Penny asked, intrigued.

Yeah. But can we hurry? I can't maintain this much longer. Carrie was feeling tired.

Immediately Carrie felt Penny's mind warm and brighten. The feeling contracted and concentrated. Okay, Penny was ready. Carrie focused and soon she had a similar area in her thoughts. The two minds merged at that point. Then they kept going. Carrie realized too late that they were fusing.

Carrie struggle to separate the from her, but Penny's confident psyche was dominating her and drawing her in to incorporate Carrie into her own mind. Carrie kicked herself. This was why spiritborn usually didn't do this. Without a physical brain to anchor her mind her entire sentience could be absorbed by another. Just as she was giving up hope, Carrie felt a surge within her that she instantly recognized.

A blue burst of Gumball's energy tore through her mind and concentrated on the point where the girl's minds connected. Penny's thoughts were terrified but Carrie soothed her with by concentrating on calm feelings. She focused on her mind and on what Gumball's leftover power was doing, fascination overcoming fear.

It melted into their shared mind space and raced towards the girls' minds. She braced herself for the burning heat she remembered from her first encounter. Instead she was enveloped in a warm, tender sensation as the power she'd borrowed from the blue cat suffused her mind. She relaxed at first, but tensed as the warmth became heat finally a burning power.

Suddenly everything contracted and the two minds were repulsed from one another. Instantly, the two were separated into their own bodies and staring at each other panting. Carrie could still feel something happening and focused her mind inward to watch. The string connecting their minds glowed with the energy Carrie had gotten from Gumball.

She didn't know she still had it. She focused on the connection and she heard Penny gasp. When Carrie looked back at herself, she had transformed. She was a dragon just like Penny could turn into. She had a thought.

"I'll give it a try," Penny answered and Carrie blinked. She hadn't said anything yet. "I can hear you thinking… Yeah it probably is because you are using my abilities." Carrie and Penny stared at each other.

"This is so weird!" they spoke in unison. Carrie turned off the connection and she was back to being a, relatively normal, spiritborn. Her mind was suddenly flooded with Penny's thoughts.

Am I doing it right? How do you activate the powers? What power do I want to use?

Carrie concentrated and the thoughts trickled down to a manageable level. She picked up a broken bit of wood. "Yes you're doing it. Picture the idea of intangibility."

Penny stared at her, the thought coming through the link. Wow, that is weird. Okay intangibility, intangibility.

Carrie tossed the wood and it passed through the other girl. Oh, wow. This will take some getting used to. What the heck was that anyway?

"That was some of Gumball's energy." Carrie explained and Penny gaped at her.

Some? "Some?" Penny demanded. Just how much power does he have? "Just how much power does he have?"

Carrie's head hurt from the echo. "Could you please turn it off? I can hear you twice and it's confusing."

"Sorry," Penny apologized. "Anyway, what happened? I can't imagine that was the way it was supposed to go."

Carrie shook her head. "I messed up somehow. Our minds were completely fusing and I was going to become part of you. Gumball's power saved me, though. It separated us and latched onto the connection. It's different then what is was supposed to be."

"What do you mean 'fuse'? Like we'd be one person?" Penny stared at her.

Carrie cringed. "More like I would become a little pocket of memories and kind of cease to exist." Her voice got higher as she spoke and watched Penny's face get angrier.

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED?!" Penny screamed, furious.

Carrie nodded meekly. Penny took a deep breath and Carrie felt a tug on the string in her mind. Then she was in Penny's mindscape. Carrie could feel the anger, but mostly she could feel relief and sorrow. Suddenly, she was back in her own head, and Penny was glaring at her with wet eyes.

"Don't you ever be that reckless, ever, again. What would I have done without you? What would I tell Gumball when he wants to know where you are?" Penny asked plaintively.

Carrie grabbed her own arm and rubbed it uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I just really wanted to talk to you about something but then you were throwing things and I didn't think I could say it the right way."

Penny looked at her for a moment. "I'm sorry about that. I never realized just how it felt to be in your position. I mean, I knew how you felt, but I'd never had to actually experience it." It was Penny's turn to look uncomfortable and ashamed of what she'd done.

The girls sat in awkward silence for a bit until Penny finally asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"

Thankful for the opening, Carrie grinned and shrugged. "Gumball, what else?" She was thoughtful for a moment and then asked, "How did you pull me into your mind?"

Penny smiled. "I imagined reaching through the tunnel and pulling you through."

Carrie grinned. "Get ready for a ride, then." She focused on the thoughtform Penny had described. After a second, she was looking down on an image of Penny as if from a great height in her mindscape. Give me a second, she thought and Penny's form nodded.

After a minute, Carries mindscape exploded in activity where scenes involving her, Penny and Gumball played out. Over the course of a few seconds, Carrie showed Penny her vision of them living, laughing, and, eventually, loving together. The final scene was the most compelling and showed the three of them working in concert to raise the children they'd engendered as a single, unified family.

When it ended, Carrie released the connection and Penny was looking at her silently. Carrie began to fidget uncomfortably, questioning whether she should have done this or not. She was about to apologize when Penny suddenly wrapped her up in a hug!

"Oh! I knew if I put the idea in your head you'd find the answer!" Carrie gaped at her and Penny grinned slyly. "Why not?" she said with mock shock, perfectly imitating herself before. "Why not, indeed?" she asked more seriously. "If other people can manage it why not us?"

"Wait, wait. You mean you meant to put this idea in my head?" Carrie asked indignantly. "And you let me be the one to put myself out there?" She grabbed a pillow off Penny's bed and threw it at the girl. It passed right through her, but Carrie was too irritated to process that right then. She slugged the girl in the shoulder.

Penny fended off her attack. "Look, come here." Penny guided her to the other side of her bed and lifted the brown carpet, revealing the hardwood floor. She lifted up a board and pulled out a piece of paper. Penn gave the paper to Carrie and she looked at it. A lot of the writing was incoherent scribbles, but a diagram with hers, Penny's and Gumball's names and several question marks stood out to her.

Carrie looked up at Penny who started to explain. "I had the idea, but I couldn't see any way to make it work. I didn't know how to prevent animosity between you and me." Penny said sadly. "So, I set out to try to build our friendship, but you latched onto the idea almost immediately. You've even found an answer for every question but one!" Penny exclaimed excitedly.

Carrie was confused. Penny tapped her own head. "This connection thing makes us closer than most lovers," Penny said. "It gives us a link to understand each other and communicate better than anyone else on the planet. We may not always agree, but we will always be able to see the other's perspective – literally."

Carrie nodded excitedly. "It gives us a connection that we would have been struggling to maintain otherwise!"

Penny continued. "Plus your little mind movie was the best example of how to maintain a successful relationship between the three of us. Sure, there may be certain things we'll have that are unique to us with Gumball, but the important thing is inclusion. In your head it was about being with Gumball and me." Penny face-palmed. "I couldn't get around intimacy, but even that was together – everyone trying to make sure everyone else was happy."

Carrie frowned. "So what is the last question?"

Penny looked at her levelly. "How to get Gumball to fall in love with you, too. But now I guess it'll be how to get him to fall back in love with me…" Penny trailed off sadly.

Carrie's clouded in anger. "Why don't we go find out about that?" Carrie said firmly. Penny shot her a confused look so Carrie elaborated. "I have trouble believing that Gumball would ever willingly tell you he never wanted to see you again. I think it may be Jealousy."

Penny's eyes narrowed and Carrie could feel the girl's anger and dislike for the spirit. "Didn't you just re-banish it?"

Carrie nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, but I keep remembering what it said just before the banishing spell completed." Carrie shuddered. "It promised to destroy everything Gumball cared about, and told me I would be his undoing."

"So, you're thinking; maybe, he's possessed by it again?" Penny suggested.

"Maybe. If so, he called you and told you off to make us fight, or to make you jealous so he could possess you." Carrie explained.

"I'm guessing you have a plan?" Penny asked hopefully, sitting down on her flower design bedspread and hugging her knees.

"Even better, we have a secret weapon," Carrie answered with a grim smile. "We have you."

Page break

Aretha woke in the boy's body. She check to make sure her dreamsnare was still in effect. She peeked into his dreams and laughed. The child was obviously delusional if he thought two girls would ever agree to such a ridiculous proposal. Still, he probably didn't think it was possible either. The dreamsnare was a powerful thoughtform that trapped the victim in a dream of their ideal world. It was self-reinforcing because the victim simply didn't want to leave.

She grinned maliciously. It was the perfect trap. She sat the cat's body up and a change came over her. For a moment, the voices in her mind rose like a tidal wave, trying to drown out her consciousness. She covered her ears, unconsciously singing along with one of the voices – a little lullaby she could remember singing to… someone. The moment passed and she was herself again while she took stock of her surroundings.

A small cramped room with a bunk bed against the wall, a ratty nightstand and an incredibly dated computer adorning a rickety desk insulted her eyes. She wrinkled the boy's nose in disgust. Was this cat really the best her failure of a daughter could do? Well, it really didn't matter, so long as they could provide her with the sustenance she required.

Aretha wondered what she should do now. She checked the boy's memory and used that to go through his usual morning activities without attracting attention. She review her plans in the meantime. She had already dealt with the pesky shapeshifter girl. Now she needed to start taking advantage of Carrie's obvious attraction to this boy.

She opened the cat's phone to send her daughter a text inviting her to an unpopulated park of the nearest park and was surprised. A text from Carrie? Aretha read it.

Gumball, I'm so happy you want to be with me! Meet me at the over by the graveyard, back near the woods, where no one can bother us. And make sure to come alone. I'll be waiting, XOXO – Carrie.

Aretha felt a wild chuckle bursting to get out. This was too perfect! The girl was practically giftwrapping herself. She texted back a quick "Be right there!" Then she used Gumball's voice to call out, "Dad, I'm going out for a bit!"

The boy's fat, stupid sire popped his head out of the kitchen. "Okay, son. Call if you won't be back before dinner!"

Aretha controlled the cat's body to grab the rope she'd prepared, just in case. She had slowly coated the rope with ectoplasm. If Carrie didn't do the deed willingly, she had a Plan B. She wanted to make sure this boy, with his boundless energy pool was the one to produce a spiritborn progeny with her daughter.

She drooled at the thought. With such a soul to supply her, she might never need to feed again. She cackled madly as she stated the engine and drove towards the graveyard and an end to this cursed hunger.

Wow… I didn't know how that was going to go at first. Can someone make sure the dialog with Carrie and Penny during the whole mindmeld thing isn't confusing and has a natural flow?