"Marshall…" This was humiliating. But I had to find out if Marshall had seen Fionna. I knocked again. "Marshall! Are you home?" Still no answer. "Marshall, I know you're home!" I pounded the side of my fist against the door, and rested my forehead on it. "Marshall…. I need your help…." I whispered, closing my eyes in defeat, "Please…"

"And why would I help you, Gummy? You still won't answer me. From last week."

I yelped and spun around, pressing my back against Marshall's door. "Well, I, uh..." Last week? Oh, the nosing. I thought, How embarrassing. Not telling him.

"Great words, Gummy. Really inspirational. Made me want to help you so much."

Colour flooded my cheeks at Marshall's words, and my lips parted, as though I were about to say something embarrassing. Marshall's eyes seemed like they knew exactly what I was going to say just by seeing my face. I covered my mouth again.

Marshall floated in really close again, putting a hair's space between our noses. An exact repeat from last week. The unconscious me was tempted again to touch Marshall's with my own. I resisted.

"It's just that... Fionna said she was going to save Flame Prince, a week ago, and... I haven't seen her, so I was wondering if you… had?" My voice pitched at the end, making my practiced statement sound like a question.

"You've been practicing that, Gummy, haven't you?" Marshall gave me that same fierce look he had before, and I pulled my head back away from his, resulting in a clunk sound against his door. "Knocking won't do you any good, Gummy, I'm already outside."

I scowled and drew my eyebrows together in frustration, taking the hand from my mouth and using it to push Marshall to the side, freeing me. I stepped away from him and said, "I knew you weren't going to help me."

"Then why waste your time coming here in the first place? Did you really want to see me that much, Gummy? I'm flattered!" Marshall floated around me and rested sideways at my height, his body wrapped around- but not touching- me. "And, no."

I stopped so I wouldn't ram into Marshall again. No? What? Oh, my question about Fionna. My brief confusion made Marshall laugh, and he floated the rest of the way around me and then up. I sighed; "So what now? No one has seen her or the Flame Prince..."

"Well if you want my opinion..." Marshall started suggestively.

"No, I don't. Thank you." I already knew what he meant. And pictured it. Fionna and FP tangled up in some embrace; it was disgracing.

Disgracing? My conscious laughed. Isn't that what you've wanted to do with one Marshall Lee since you met him?

I shook that image from my head as well. Although, if I somehow got Marshall to help me find Fionna, that could open some possibilities... "Help me find her, Marshall?" I forced myself to say.

"Help me find her, Marshall?" Marshall mimicked in a nasally tone, floating back down to face me, upside down. His hair fell in uneven sheets. "Why would I do that, Gummy?"

"Well, because…" my brain worked overtime to come up with something. Aha! "Because you like Fionna and don't approve of Flame Prince!" Marshall blushed violently and I forced a smile. Knew it. Not good for myself, but it'll get him to help me.

"I do too approve of FP! He's a nice… guy…." Marshall couldn't find anything else to say, I could see.

"But you'll help me? In case there is some trouble?" I didn't look at him, in case I was throwing some awkward gawking look.

I heard Marshall sigh, and he floated around me again, stopping at my face. "Yes, I'll help you, Gummy, since you're no adventurer and you'll need someone to protect you."

My protector, huh? I wish you were more than that, Marshall…. I thought, fighting to keep the blush from rising in my cheeks. I didn't dare look Marshall in the face, lest I give away what I think of him.

Marshall started floating toward the entrance of his cave. "You're going to have to look at me during this though, and stop blushing, or this is going to be very dull."

I startled and looked up at Marshall's retreating form quickly. "What…?" I'm not… Oh lump, he's right. I sighed and followed him. "Yeah, whatever, Marshall."