Foreword: Ah, my sincere apologies for not updating in forever. I don't even dare look at the last update date. D: Seriously, I was horribly irresponsible. I've been so busy...anyway.

There's fluff in this chapter. I quite enjoy it. :) (took them long enough, aye?)

A rather intricate chart was scrawled upon a chalkboard, Roy pacing in front of it. "You all know how dis is gonna woik, roight?" His siblings nodded slowly, looking from one to the other. Lemmy's claw shot up.

"I don't."

Roy glared at Lemmy. "You don't?"

Now seeing that they weren't alone, almost all of the other koopalings shook their heads as well.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Whatevah. I'll explain again, dunderheads. Ever'one teams up in ter twos, and ever'team puts in cash. Amounts hafta be met by all teams, or dey forfeit. In de end, da one who made Mama Peach an' Pops fall in love da most gets da jackpot."

"Who judges?" Larry asked.

Roy grinned. "Me."

The koopalings were outraged. "You can't judge! You'll choose yourself!" "Roy, that's not cool!" "This is an outrage, I demand an unbiased adjudicator!" "Choose Kamek!" "Yeah, Roy, Kamek!"

Roy glared at his siblings. "Why would Kamek be in dis? He wouldn't like it."

"Well, I know I would rather have Kamek judge than someone like you, Dirtbag."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll ask 'im. But don't say I didn't warn ya!" Roy stormed over to the door, starting to pull it open when it swung open on by itself. Roy reeled back in terror and shock as his father stared him down. "Hi..hi…hi…Pops."

The koopalings gasped in shock, stuffing away betting papers and shielding the chalkboard from Bowser's view. The Koopa King looked around the room at his children, attempting to look innocent. He grinned and said, "Tryin' to hide your birthday plans, huh?"

The koopalings sighed in relief and nodded as fast as they could.

Bowser scanned the room again, trying to see exactly what the koopalings were hiding. "You all are going on a picnic with your Mama Peach and me."

The koopalings gasped and almost left their positions of protections to run and hug their father. Roy sat up, trying to keep his cool as he asked if Bowser was serious.

Bowser tried not to smile as he nodded and saw more of his children's reactions. The royal family hadn't gone out together for years, let alone with Peach. Bowser never had "time" to spend with them. Of course, he had time to plan Mario's torture, kidnap Peach, go to war, master every sport he could imagine, and build doomsday machines, but never to spend the afternoon as a family.

"No excuses. I want you all in the CC53 hanger in thirty minutes. Somebody go get Cookoopa, somebody else get Kamek, somebody else get Peach."

"Why don't you get Mama Peach, Papa?" Bowser Jr. asked curiously.

Uncomfortably, Bowser answered, "I don't think she wants to see me right now. By myself. She'll like the picnic, it is my idea, after all." Bowser grinned.

Iggy wrinkled his brow as he asked, "Dad, isn't CC53 broken?"

Bowser glared, seething, "You certainly would know." He continued, saying, "Yeah, but if I want it fixed, it'll get fixed. And I want it fixed."

"Dad, is Kammy coming?"

Bowser shook his head, remembering her brisk attitude earlier. "I don't think she'd want to." Without even saying goodbye, he left, leaving the koopalings talking at a million miles per hour.

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Peach was shuffling through her dresses, music blaring from the radio she had just found, and couldn't hear the eager knocks at her door. She rolled her eyes as the song ended and turned minor again. She wasn't in the mood for anything of that style, but she had no doubt it was the most popular kind. She turned the dial, waiting for another happy song and in-between stations, heard the knocking at her door.

She took a breath and answered it, nearly getting bowled over by Bowser Jr., Larry, and Lemmy. "Mama Peach!" They cheered, Junior shamelessly hugging her around the waist, Larry standing back and grinning. Lemmy ran to her bed and jumped up onto it, swinging his legs as he sat.

"What are you boys doing in here?" Peach laughed, forgetting her depressed attitude she had earlier.

"We're goin' on a picnic, Mama Peach!" Lemmy roared in glee, bounding off the bed to jump on the floor instead. "We're goin' on a picnic with you and King Dad!"

"Are we now?" Peach asked as she pulled against Junior, apparently trying to knock her to the floor. "Says who?"

"Daddy," Larry answered as he looked around Peach's room. "In thirty minutes."

"For how long?" Peach asked. Junior had almost pulled her down when she spun on her heel and smirked at him, causing him to blush and let go.

Lemmy grinned, opened his mouth to answer, and frowned. "I dunno." His face lit up as he continued, "But I hope for a long time! I like Daddy and you."

Peach blushed and smiled. That does sound like fun…she thought about the last night she spent with Bowser and almost grinned. What's the harm of spending an afternoon enjoying myself? There's…nothing wrong with that…not really wrong, that is…She sighed and Larry saw her frown.

"Mama Peach, you hafta go. You'll have fun, I promise." Suddenly Larry remembered the bets. He smiled suggestively as he added, "and you can get to know Dad better, too."

Peach laughed heartily and smiled. "Alright. Where are we meeting?"

Junior grabbed her hand and pulled toward the door. "I'll show ya, Mama Peach!"

Peach slid her hand out of his grip and shook her head. "We have thirty minutes and I'd like to change."

Larry looked at Peach up and down, wearing one of her almost-identical pink dresses. "I think you look pretty already, Mama Peach."

Peach smiled at the koopaling's honest compliment. "Why thank you, sir. But I'd like to find something different for your d-…picnic."

Lemmy gasped as he remembered the bets and caught Peach's almost-slip-up. "Its cause o' what Larry said, in't it?"

Peach laughed and rolled her eyes, not catching what the koopaling had caught. She ruffled Lemmy's rainbow-mane. "Sure. Now where are we meeting?"

Junior frowned, realizing Lemmy and Larry had just gotten themselves ahead in the 'race'. "I'll show you, Mama Peach. You just finish gettin' dressed, okay? Larry and Lemmy should go leave now."

Larry shrugged, passing Peach with Lemmy following close behind. He hissed, "we're winning" in Junior's ear before the two brothers took off running.

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Bowser paced the hanger floor, watching as Wendy, Morton, and Iggy came through the door, followed by Cookoopa and a team of helpers. He leaned through the open door on the clowncopter and mumbled, "are you almost done?" to the repairman and his crew.

The lead repairman, an even shorter and squatter goomba than most, wiped his sweat off his brow. "Almost, sire. Just a few more fixes and she'll be as good as ever."

Bowser nodded as Cookoopa walked up to him. "So we're goin' on a picnic, I hear? Do ya'll want picnic foods then? Hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, pasta salads, and the like?"

"Sure, if that's what you wanna cook." Bowser answered, waiting eagerly for Peach to show up in the doorway. Instead, Roy, Ludwig, and Kamek appeared, Roy explaining something excitedly to Kamek, with Ludwig looking rather disappointed with him.

Frustrated, Bowser crunched a fly sitting on the ground as he waited for Peach. Finally, he saw Lemmy and Larry. Peach mustn't be far behind, they went to get her! Bowser rushed towards his boys and put his claws firmly on their shoulders. "Where's Peach?"

Larry looked up at his father, trying not to be afraid by the intimidating glare. "She's coming with Junior. She's changing her dress."

Furrowing his bushy eyebrows, Bowser asked, "Why?"

Lemmy shrugged while Larry smiled. "She said she was doing it for you."

Bowser's face brightened exceptionally as he asked, almost choking in glee, "She said that?"

Lemmy hit his brother on the head as he answered, "No, she said she did it for the picnic."

Bowser's face moved from glee, to disappointment, to anger within seconds. Sheilding his face with his arms, Larry screeched, "She said our du-picnic! So it coulda been either! Either our dad, or our picnic!" Before waiting for a response, Larry grabbed Lemmy and ran towards his siblings, Bowser's face slowly reshaping back to a smile.

At last, Bowser saw Peach with Junior running slightly ahead. Eagerly, Bowser himself took off towards the princess, ignoring Junior and stood awkwardly in front of her. He knew he shouldn't hug her, but after a few seconds of awkwardness, he did anyway.

Peach "oof"ed in surprise as she was squeezed, Bowser being exceptionally careful not to poke her with his wristbands. Bowser put his claws tenderly on her arms and grinned, Peach catching his contagious grin.

Her heart swelled and she was glad she came. How can something that makes me so happy be bad? After all, its not like Bowser's making me…I'm going on my own to be happy with…Bowser's kids.

Bowser looked Peach up and down, admiring her dress choice. It was pink, of course, but slightly less poofy and more summer appropriate. She had put her hair half-up, letting part of it trickle down her front. Bowser felt a rush as he touched her hair, feeling its softness without quite stroking it. "I'm really glad you came, the koopalings…and me…were really hoping you would. And you look very beautiful!"

After releasing Peach, he turned to the clowncopter, his family and subjects gathering around it as the repairmen climbed out. "Are you done yet?" he roared. The goomba crew nodded and unlocked the door, everyone climbing and choosing prime seating.

"Bowser, how long will we be picnicking?"

Bowser shrugged, smiling. "Do you have any plans or something?"

Peach laughed and shook her head, smiling as she said, "That's a good point," and climbed in the shot-gun seat.

Smugly, Bowser said, "Of course it is."

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Bowser lifted a claw off the steering wheel and tapped Peach's shoulder. She had been staring over the wall as the landscape changed. They hadn't been flying long, but because of the speed of the clowncopter, they had already gone from the heavily populated central city to a more rural part of the Darklands. "Our picnic is over there," Bowser said, pointing straight ahead.

The nose of the copter tilted downward and the noise in the back, where the koopalings were, increased dramatically as they rushed for seatbelts. The clowncopter landed softly on a green plain and Peach stood to look at their picnic location. The plain they landed on extended quite a while in any direction, one end stopped by a series of black-rock cliffs, waterfalls rolling over them and spilling into a river, cutting the plain off on one side. The other side had a thin river of lava slowly moving through, a rather bright yellow, with blue rocks on both banks extending the length of the lava flow.

Bowser caught Peach's view and told her, "That lava has a temperature ideal for plains. It is cool enough to keep the grass alive, but warm enough that it really is lava, not just rock. The blue rocks help the temperature remain constant, so you wouldn't want to touch them." He placed his claws on his hips and inhaled the air, fresh and good, although tinted heavily with smog and fumes, as it was through the entire empire.

Peach followed him over to the table that Kamek was magically summoning, and the entire group, with the exception of Cookoopa and her helpers, sat down. Cookoopa laughed and shook her head. "Y'all don't need ta sit just yet. Ol' Cookoopa hasn't started your lunch yet or nuthin'! Go play."

The koopalings moaned as they got up and started to walk around, trying to look too cool to play. Bowser stood up and looked down at Peach, playing with her hands. She had left her gloves at the palace. "C'mon, princess. I've got somewhere I want you to see." He put his claw out, not really expecting her to take it. However, she did, sending a chill up both spines as her skin touched Bowser's.

Bowser didn't bother suppressing a grin as he looked at Peach's face. "You don't have your gloves…" Peach shook her head, trying not to smile at Bowser's boyish grin. As they began walking, he looked at their hands, entwined with each other. "You have very pretty hands, Peach."

Peach looked into Bowser's eyes and smiled. "Thank you." She herself looked down at the two entwined hands and said quietly, "keeping them gloved keeps them healthy, just a little pale." She added as she noted the noticeable difference from her hand's shade to her slightly tanned arm.

Bowser looked up at Peach's face and smiled. He was so uncontrollably happy- he was here with Peach, holding her hand, taking her to a secret place, and she was willing. She was smiling back at him. Everything seemed perfect. "I love you, Peach."

Peach was taken aback. She had always known that Bowser loved her, but to hear the words…wasn't as weird as she thought it would be. It seemed…right. Like Bowser was always supposed to love her. She couldn't…didn't…return the feelings, but she still appreciated those Bowser felt for her.

Feeling his nervous stare, Peach whispered, "I know, Bowser," and tried to look at him. Once she forced her blue eyes to look into his, she smiled. Bowser smiled back.

"I'm really glad you came, Peach," Bowser told her, "I haven't taken the koopalings out for a long time and you were a good excuse." Bowser laughed and looked at Peach's smiling face, feeling as if his heart would burst. "Really, last time I took them out was before their mother died."

Peach looked at Bowser's face, looked for a trace of sadness or mourning, but saw nothing. Confused, she asked, "Bowser, why haven't you told me about her before?"

Bowser shrugged. "There's not much to tell. Here, sit." Their hands broke apart and Bowser sat on a rather tall rock, Peach seating herself in a patch of grass across from him.

They were sitting next to a quiet waterfall, cascading almost silently over rocks and into a dark pool. "Tell me about her," Peach ordered. Perhaps she'd forget his feelings for her that way.

Bowser bit his lip, trying to decide where to start. "Well, she was a wonderful koopa. Her name was Klawdia, and she was one of the most beautiful koopas I've seen. You're much prettier, but I don't think anything is prettier than you."

Peach tried to hide her blush, but Bowser had seen it and smiled. "She was a wonderful mother and queen, everyone admired her and she is sore missed by most of the palace. She had a wonderful knack for children and treated all the subjects like they were our children. She died before she saw Larry hatch, and Morton hardly knew her. Kammy says that may be a reason he's so sour, but I just think he takes after his Daddy." Bowser laughed and Peach forced a smile.

Peach tried to swallow a tight lump in her throat, but it just made it worse. "Did you…Did you love her?"

Bowser looked curiously at Peach. "Love her? Well…our marriage was arranged." Bowser smiled at something and continued. "My mother knew she would be a wonderful queen and mother, but I wasn't willing. I was in love with someone else."

A little too fast, Peach asked, "Who?"

Bowser smiled as he answered, "You. But not nearly as much as I've become in love now." He laughed and was uncontrollably pleased to see her smile, not gag, choke, or complain. He continued, "My mother always told me it would never work out and she convinced me to marry Klawdia. I told Klawdia right away that my heart was sworn to you, and she thought that was immature, but after the first month, she realized I was serious.

"She raised most of our children and was wonderful, but I was never really in love with her. She was my friend, my wife, and the mother of my children, but not my love. I didn't even have a crush on her."

"And she was fine with that?"

Bowser laughed and shook his head. "Not at all. Sometimes she even threatened leaving the house, but never followed through. I told her I'd be more than happy if we split up, but she always ended the conversation telling me the children needed her and the empire needed her."

Peach felt sorry for Klawdia. She could almost relate to her unrequited love, but not quite as unbearably as she must have it. She considered herself lucky, actually, especially compared to poor Klawdia. Mario cared for her dearly, and Bowser loved her. But she…she shouldn't be considering Bowser a love option.

Blinking long, Peach asked, "How did she die?"

Bowser looked squarely at Peach and said, "Mario killed her."

Peach gasped, her head started to reel, and she felt a sudden chill. "Mario…he…he wouldn't do that…he wouldn't…not Mario…you must…no…"

Bowser shook his head. "Peach, listen to me. You of all know how violent Mario's epic battles to reach you and me are. I often imprison your subjects, kidnap your people, and infiltrate your lands with my own subjects. But no one ever dies. Mario battles with hundreds of my subjects and usually defeats a lot of them. The manner he fights doesn't always promise death, but…"

Bowser sighed and Peach looked intently at his face. He was pained. Was there something Mario had never told her about his journeys? Bowser took a breath and continued. "Mario has exploded more of my castles than any other thing has. He fights a little too well sometimes. Sometimes, he doesn't settle for a poof, sending his victims to royal aid. Most of the time, a poof is fine, but not always. I hate him," Bowser's teeth started to grind as he thought about his enemy. "I hate him more than I hate anything…but he's a good fighter and great competition. That's why I don't kill him.

"I could kill Mario in a matter of seconds if I chose. Sometimes he really is the better of me, but if I put my mind to killing him, it wouldn't be hard at all. I'm sure it's the same on his end- if Mario wanted to kill all his enemies, except me, of course, I'm sure he could. I don't have any reason to kill Mario. If you were in love with him against your will, he'd be dead. But…he makes you happy."

Peach played with her fingers, her heart feeling heavy. She tried as best she could to ignore Bowser's remark, to not think about her relationship with the two boys. She swallowed and asked, instead of the question pressing her mind, "And how did …how did Klawdia die…exactly?"

Bowser looked away from Peach's face, sighed, and answered. "She was in a castle he blew up. I didn't like her being in castles when Mario was in pursuit, but she wanted to. I told her she might not come out alive, but she was mad at me that day and…went to spite me, I think." Bowser shook his head slowly, not looking at Peach. He didn't see her loving and caring face peering at him, or her hands twitch in want to give him a reassuring hug.

"I really shouldn't be telling you all this. It's weak and stupid."

"No, it's not, Bowser. You can't let something like the death of a loved one go un-mourned. It'll eat you up inside until there's nothing left."

Bowser looked up at Peach, feeling weak and tired. "I didn't love her, Peach. That's why this is stupid. If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to go on. I'd kill myself, even if I wasn't trying. I love you."

Peach's heart did a flip, much to her dismay. She shouldn't care what he felt for her…she shouldn't care at all. The truth was that she did care, and she was beginning to accept it. She'd be miserable if Bowser didn't love her. Why she'd be miserable, she didn't know. But she knew she needed his reassuring love almost more than Mario's…friendship.

She looked into his eyes and saw the pain. He was mortal…under his shell and hard exterior, he was a simple koopa that needed love as much as she did. He was just like her, only different. "You miss her, don't you?"

"Sometimes. I miss her when the koopalings get lonely. I miss her on holidays. I miss her whenever Larry asks about her. But…I don't miss her enough to want her back. I think my life is happier without her. I know that seems horrible, but…" Bowser smiled toothily, the first time for a while, "I'm a horrible koopa." Peach laughed and shook her head in amazement. Bowser's toothy grin faded into a loving smile as he said, "You're much more of what I wanted from her, even when you're not here. You're…everything to me…even when you hate me. Even…even when you want Mario to come save you…whether or not you're kidnapped."

Peach blinked, trying to hold back tears. What was she supposed to say? 'I need to be saved from my life, but I've stopped waiting for Mario'? She couldn't say that…it was her secret with herself. She stood up, brushed her skirt down, and put her hand out for Bower. "Let's go get food."

Bowser looked from her hand…her hand…to her face, smiling and serious. He took it gingerly and lifted himself up, feeling himself tingle from the base of his tail to the tip of his horns. He couldn't seem to find his voice, so they walked silently to the table.

Once all eight koopalings had come to the table, Kamek talking intently with them one at a time, Cookoopa served the food. A buffet of hot dogs, hamburgers, cheep-cheeps, fried goomnuts, cakes, mushroom pasties, and all sorts of foods was laid before them. Eagerly and hungrily, everyone ate their fill. Peach complimented Cookoopa, and she in return promised Peach the recipes.

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Tears threatened to fall as Kammy turned the pages of her photo book. She had picture after picture of her in training, Kamek tutoring her and Bowser bothering her. He was about Roy's age when she took the job of Second-in-Command Magikoopa to the Prince, and felt like a babysitter.

She remembered the crush she had had on Kamek, although he was three years older than her. She remembered how sweet he was, and how much of a brat Bowser was.

She remembered sitting next to Kamek at Bowser's wedding, watching Klawdia beam and her parents cry while Bowser scowled. She remembered feeling happy for not his marriage, but his displeasure.

She remembered when Bowser's parents died, and he came to her to mourn. She remembered how she had told him to "suck it up" and "be an adult" because "he was king and kings don't cry". She remembered how Klawdia didn't even know Bowser know how to cry.

She remembered Klawdia's death, and how Bowser had yet again come to her. She had counseled him, as much as it hurt her, when he told her how he wasn't very sad, but rather excited. She remembered how her heart had clenched when he told her he still loved Peach, and was pleased Klawdia was out of the picture.

She remembered she didn't smile all that week until Bowser finally cracked and cried with his children all around him.

She remembered when Bowser promoted her and Kamek started to hate her. She remembered how glad she was to not be crushing on her lesser anymore, but how horrid she felt at the same time.

She remembered when she had offered to help Bowser create a new koopaling, one that had nothing to do with Klawdia and everything to do with him. She remembered hating herself for suggesting the idea when Bowser asked if Peach would be the mother.

She remembered what she had with Bowser and how every time Peach came into the picture it fell apart. She flipped through her album, looking from picture to picture, and the hard exterior Kammy had built after years of working under Bowser collapsed.

She remembered, and she cried.

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When it was dark, the group finally climbed into the clowncopter to go back home to the palace. Half the koopalings had fallen asleep and Peach was jealous. She herself was so tired; it was as if she'd never played as hard as they did in her life.

Looking out the window as the house lights started illuminating the ground, she smiled. She thought about the conversations shared, the games taught, and how cute Bowser was when he ran to grab her hand every time, without fail, during partner tag. She laughed inwardly remembering the comments the koopalings would make and how if she wasn't watching her back, they would find some way to pair her up with their dad.

Peach turned her face to watch Bowser steer, smiling as he remembered things as well. She smiled fondly, remembering her heart flops each time he told her he loved her. Now that he had said it that one time, he used every excuse he could to remind her. She looked straight ahead, letting her head fall back into the comfort of the seat. She closed her eyes and smiled, picturing Bowser turning to her and confessing his love yet again.

It was so pleasant, to know she was loved. It was a feeling she had wanted to feel for years, and never imaged feeling it with Bowser. Her smile started to fade as she remembered Mario didn't love her. Okay, maybe he did. But if he did, he was horrible at showing it. Perhaps that why it felt so good to hear Bowser tell her about his love. It was something she hadn't felt or heard before.

She had been in Bowser's palace for only three days and already dreaded leaving. Then again, perhaps next week would be the week Mario told her he loved her. She tried to smile, thinking of his sweet confession under the Grand Canal moon, but it didn't seem sweet. He was her friend, she didn't know if she wanted to be in love with him…the thought chilled her to the bone.

She was falling out of love with Mario, and had been since the second she saw Bowser smile at her. She had realized how inadequate he was, how much he lacked. She had started to want to be with Bowser…she had started falling…falling for Bowser.

And the fall hurt every bone in her body.

Author's Note: So, how'dju like it? I do apologise for getting this to you all late. Again. This one should have been put up much faster, but at least its up, right? Well, I liked it better than last chapter, that's good, right?

Next chapter makes me happy. :P We start to see new perspectives, more going-ons, but its not crazy or anything. But I still like it.

So hopefully, if I get motivated enough, it should be up -much- sooner than this one was.