A/N: I definitely didn't expect to get any reviews on my first chapter - so thanks so much to a.m. and StoryMaster64! You really upped my confidence for continuing with this story, I appreciate it so much! This chapter's a little shorter than the last...but its purpose is to finish up setting the scene/background.

As per the last chapter, I don't own the characters - thanks, Nintendo!
And thanks to everyone who reads! It means a lot to me, really. You're awesome - regardless of whether or not you review!

Destroying a twenty year tradition of peaceful, respectful competition among international racing enthusiasts was all in a day's work for a burly king of evil like himself – but to do it with Peach in his lap? Oh yeah, Bowser was smug. Alright, she wasn't technically in his lap but she was…in front of him, sharing his seat, and she'd smudged the head of his bike with her ink-stained gloveprints – proof that she'd been there, much to his satisfaction – and when he braked hard, she rocked back against him (even if only for a second). She'd never been this close to him…er…willingly before. He really wanted to drive past Mario, slow down to let the guy get a good look - him and Peach on his bike, just to rub it in that mustached moron's face.

Peach, of course, was nowhere near as pleased. She'd scooted as far forward on the seat as she could safely manage, even arching her back so as to minimize the amount of physical contact she had with Bowser. The staircases were particularly nightmarish, since she was knocked back into him every time she pulled forward – and she hunched her shoulders to repress a shudder whenever her shoulder blades, or the back of her head, made contact with his belly. It wasn't as hard as…the rest of his body, but she still didn't like it. He was almost as warm as the lava itself, and…and he was…Bowser…and she didn't want to touch him any more than she absolutely had to. A small part of her felt...uncomfortable with the reaction, because it was true that Bowser had done her…an uncharacteristic kindness in protecting her from the fireball. She supposed she should've been more appreciative. At least, that would be protocol (but since when did Bowser care about protocol?). Peach shivered to think of what would've happened to her without anyone to come along…but mind you, this…guilt was a very small part of what she felt towards him right now. He terrorized her kingdom – and her – repeatedly, without remorse, and tried to kill her dearest friends!

The least he owes me, Peach thought to herself self-righteously, resentfully, is a short chauffeur ride to solid ground! And that's exactly what this was. Her mistrust began to dwindle as Bowser took no unexpected detours – soon she found herself clutching onto the bike for dear life as Bowser zigzagged between the flaming geysers, but the finish line was in sight!

"Bow-wow-ser! Slow do-own!" Her voice wobbled as Bowser caught a jump off one of the geysers just seconds before it erupted, smashing into the ground so hard that the bike kicked up dust – and it only gave him a turbo boost. The checkered finish line was nothing more than a blur of color – this wasn't what they agreed on at all! "Bowser!" So much for 'trust' and 'appreciation'. Peach's head snapped forward and then she collided hard into his chest as he made the jump from the bridge to the castle once more – but instead of driving through the red carpet hallway, Bowser made a sharp detour to the left, just before the steps. The naivety in her thought, oh, maybe he really wanted to finish the race, maybe that was all but- no, this definitely wasn't part of the course. It never had been.

"Bowser, stop!" This time, she thought she managed a 'commanding' tone – but all she got in response was that deep, throaty guffaw that she'd learned to associate with cages and threats.

"Buahahaha!" Peach couldn't stand that laugh, and her ink smeared face twisted into a disgusted grimace as Bowser shoved his snout against her ponytail to hiss, "And lose again? Not a chance!" The Flame Runner sped through the frigid – or maybe it only felt frigid in contrast to the lava - arches of an unused hallway and Peach gritted her teeth with pinpricks of tears at the corners of her eyes. She knew this would happen. She knew it, she knew it and she let herself be tricked into thinking that…that he had…had any sort of chivalry!

"I trusted you!" she choked out, betrayed and stunned that she ever had enough faith in him to feel betrayed. It was-

"First mistake, Princess!" he didn't even have the grace to sound sorry – or remotely interested in what she had to say! "Evil, remember?" Proud, too. He was so pleased with himself. She'd been captured again, just like…that.

It upset her all the more because…because she loved this: the cups, the series, the entire sport. Toadsworth never approved of unseemly, risky activities – like racing, but for the morale of the kingdom and for the purposes of diplomacy he permitted her to participate. She loved the thrill of uncertainty and peril, the exciting places she saw, the people she met, and most importantly, the freedom she had. She protected herself – with green shells and quick reflexes – and she…she was equal with Mario, Luigi, even Daisy who was…arguably…well, she just…she'd always done things a little less…conventionally. It wasn't that Peach felt sorry for herself, or even felt as if she were a burden to her friends. It was just…well, she didn't see the harm in showing people, her people, that she was more than just a…damsel. She could…oh…what did Daisy always say? She could pack a punch too, and didn't have to fret over whether or not her actions seemed 'ladylike' enough because she was just playing the game! And she didn't need to be rescued because it was safe here. It was supposed to be safe here.

She couldn't let Bowser take this away from her – and just imagine how it would ruin the event for everyone!
That wouldn't do at all.

There was no way that Peach could wrestle the controls of the bike away from him – Bowser was too big, too strong, but she could still surprise him. She waited until she saw the end of the hallway – it formed a T, so he would have to turn one way or the other – and then she gingerly lifted her right leg to sit sideways – like she normally did when horseback riding – both feet on the left side of the motorcycle. The closer they drew to the inevitable fork in the castle, the more she leaned into the right crook of his massive arm and- and she- "Let me go!" She slung all of her weight to the left, grabbing the handlebar and pulling it towards her body hard.

"Hey!" The bike did jerk too far, smashing front first into a sharp stone corner – Peach's feet slipped off the motorcycle and she tried to duck beneath Bowser's arm while he was distracted regaining control over the- "Not so fast!" he snarled, both feet hitting the ground with a resounding thump as he steadied the bike with his weight, both hands free to snatch the princess back onto the Flame Runner, this time cradling her horizontally with a yank on her ponytail, blonde hair wrapped tightly around one clawed hand.

"Ow!" Peach gave up on her first escape, more or less immobilized, but she had a Plan B. It was- "Mario! Mario, help me!" She kicked and thrashed, even after Bowser clapped his other arm down over her knees to keep her from flailing too hard. "Help! Luigi! Mario! He-e-elp me!"

"STOP!" she didn't, and Bowser tried repeatedly to cut her off, "Pri- Pe- st- shut up!" He released her hair, if only to clap a hand over her face and silence the cries for 'help' from those idiot brothers. "Shut. Up." He felt like he was disciplining one of his kids – if with a gentler hand. Tough love. "Jeez, what's wrong with you- oof!" As a last ditch effort, Peach did a rather unladylike thing – well, not that she wasn't already humiliated – and elbowed Bowser as hard as she could in his fleshy stomach. Daisy would've been proud of her. "Enough!" Less than amused, the Koopa King leaned over her menacingly, pinning her down with a glower that would send even his bravest minions diving for cover, "Hey- I said enough. You don't cut this out, you're gonna wake up in a dungeon – got it?"

Peach didn't say anything because, well, she couldn't – but she nodded once, slightly, and that suited Bowser just fine if all she had to say was What's-his-face's name. Or his dumb brother's. It was bad enough he – awesome king that he was – got stuck on the Red Team to begin with – he didn't like red much anymore, especially not on short fatties with too much facial hair.

Bowser didn't want to threaten her, but he didn't know how else to control her, and it was important she keep quiet so he could get her out of here. "If I…uh, move my hand, you gonna scream?" he asked finally, almost sheepishly. He watched her face intently – and not just because of her eyes. They were so blue. There was nothing like 'em. When she shook her head slowly, reluctantly, Bowser believed her – why? Because she wasn't an evil king, that's why. She was the kind of royal who kept her word. Princess Peach. She probably never lied a day in her life.

Besides, he was the best racer – claws down – in this whole stinking competition but he still couldn't steer his bike with no hands. Not if he wanted to make sure she stayed safe. So he eased his right hand off her mouth, after which the princess drew in a deep, angry breath between her lips. Whatever she meant to say, she didn't – Bowser cocked his head, having heard the bike first, recognized the type, but soon Peach heard it too. She was so hopeful that her hero had heard her after all that she only breathed his name, "Mario," without even questioning why Bowser was so relaxed. Was…at least, he had been…before she spoke. Stiffness rippled through his body, including the arm pinning her legs and he glared at her.

Then he smirked, but it wasn't a friendly expression. Truthfully, Peach didn't think Bowser had a friendly expression, but this was different. This was…mean. Even so, he was gentle enough in the way he slid his free hand beneath her back, lifting her up to sit her on the bike again properly. He kept an arm around her, the other on the steering, and the only reason Peach didn't fight was because she thought she was getting rescued. Imagine her surprise when Bowser turned the bike around to face the oncoming noise and-

"Sire! Your Nastiness! Your Supreme Foulness!" No, this can't be. Her heart ached as if it had plummeted from her chest to her feet, so swiftly that she felt sick and would have swayed were Bowser not so firm on acting his part as a Koopa seatbelt, holding her in place with but a fraction of his full strength. "My liege!" The incoming motorcyclist – who cried out an epithet for every few feet he covered – was not Mario at all, nor Luigi, nor Daisy, nor Toad. It was Kooper, that Koopa Troopa from the race! He'd be no help to her at all!

"Expecting your knight in no armor, Princess?" Bowser murmured mockingly, the taunt rumbling in his chest.

"He always finds me," she said airily, confidently, betraying in her voice none of the despair in her face. He couldn't see it anyway.

"You put too much faith in him." Flat. Surprisingly articulate - for Bowser, but he followed it up with a much more characteristic, "He's a schmuck." The humor was gone, and the ill-tempered growl had returned. Good. She preferred that anyway. She didn't need Bowser attempting to make conversation with her.

"My Lord Bowser!" Kooper declared reverently, slowing his bike a respectable few feet away from his king with a low bow of his yellow head. The inclination was meant for Peach too, whom he briefly acknowledged as, "Princess." Then it was right back to, "Your Maliciousness! Your Most Iniquitousness! Your-"

"What!" Bowser cut in with an impatient huff, scowling down at his minion, "You sniveling idiot, what is it!"

"O-of course, sir, my deepest apo-"

"NOW!"

"Yessir! The race has ended, sir! Our spy, sire, will delay the calibration of results for as long as possible – but eventually they will start to ask questions." Spy? Did he say spy? Now Peach was listening very intently, but the earnest Koopa Troopa only had eyes for his king. "I...humbly suggest, my lord, that you…vacate the premises. The Lakitu has informed me your Koopa Clown Car has been fully fueled and awaits your…your Most Malevolent…ness- er, Most…Malevolence- uh-" He fumbled and gulped at whatever Bowser's expression must have been, the last few words tumbling out of his mouth, "atopthenorttower, sir!"

"Good." Good? Peach disagreed – and tried to process what she'd just heard. Who calibrated the results? Why, the referee was the one to say who'd crossed the finish line first...unless it was very close, in which case, instant replay was your best friend. A beat later – and Bowser heaved a hostile snarl to see the uncertain Koopa Troopa hadn't budged from his position- "What are you standin' around for? A tip? Get outta here! I don't want Mario and his buddies trailing your sorry butt back to me!"

"Oh!" Kooper started with a bob of his head, "Yessir! Thank you, my lord!"

The Lakitu. The spy. The…referee? While Kooper revved up his standard bike and sharply U-Turned back the way he'd come, Bowser took advantage of Peach's silence to kick things into gear – the North Tower, two turns and one staircase – but he didn't get far before the Mushroom Princess tilted her head up, shocked but furious, "Referees are supposed to be impartial, Bowser!"

He didn't look at her – if he'd tried, the angle would've been too awkward. He always has trouble looking directly down past his snout – although you'd never hear him admit it. "No Koopa's impartial to me," he said, the egotism just…dripping from his words, "Find me one that is, and I'll stomp him in the ground!" Well now, that wasn't true- she'd known…one or two that were…perfectly helpful. They would never- she didn't think- it didn't matter!

"You cheated!" That mattered. "You- you bribed a referee!" Or threatened, or Stars knew what! What did this mean? Saying it aloud, it helped her think – blue eyes flashing in recognition. Her accident, her lost bike, the Lakitu with his fishing pole…he was…. "You…you were the reason I didn't get my bike back! You! You didn't save me from- from anything! You set me up! Bowser! You lied to me!" The only reason the Lakitu wouldn't have lifted her back onto the track was…because he was ordered not to. Bowser did- he- he made no effort to defend himself, so she knew it was true.

The entire...race...the cup...the series, it had all been a trap.
Peach was not one to hate indiscriminately - but he- she- how would she ever set things right now?