The air inside the house wasn't getting any warmer the further inside Junior ventured. It didn't help that he was coughing from the dust he was occasionally kicking up from the floor with his feet. Being built by his family, Junior thought this house was supposed to feel special. But for some reason it just…didn't. The little Koopa almost felt a bit betrayed for being unaware of it for so long.

"If you and Mom built this place, how come you never told me about it?" Junior asked.

"Well to be honest, I…kinda forgot this place existed," Bowser confessed. "Remember, Junior, this was all way before you were born. When your mom and I decided to get married, I had taken up the throne with your mom as the new queen so we moved in together in the castle," Bowser explained. The duo ventured deeper into the shadowy residence. Bowser appeared to be looking for something as he talked, but Junior didn't have the slightest idea what it could be. "When we decided to settle down and have you, we stopped coming here altogether. We never had a reason to. Raising you was just that much more important to us that…come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I was here. I wanna say your mother was still with me at the time…," Bowser described.

As he stood off to the side in this desolate building, Junior was picking up on the fact that Bowser was just as much saddened about being here now as he was relieved to have rediscovered it. It was very obvious that he was uncomfortable being here without his wife and instead with his son who wasn't even aware of this place's existence until now. But Bowser was never one to directly admit to his feelings so easily, as obvious as they might've been at times.

Eventually, Bowser found what he had been searching for: a large stack of wood. He tossed it into a large crater-like structure in the center of the room. It was a fire pit. Bowser took a deep breath and tried to breathe fire in order to light the pile ablaze, but he coughed up a few pathetic sparks instead. Junior could tell that his injuries were messing with his father's powers. Eventually, Bowser got the fire started, grabbed a torch, and walked around the room as he lit candles on the walls to finally bring light to this forgotten place.

"Wait here," Bowser instructed. Junior stood alone in the room as Bowser exited. He moved closer to the fire to bask in its warmth. Bowser returned a moment later; dragging in two mattresses, blankets and pillows. "I knew we still had this stuff laying around somewhere." The Koopa King set up two beds around the fire. He motioned for Junior to take a seat when he was finished. "There. Now we don't have to sleep on the ground." Junior was remembering the excited look on Bowser's face when they found that sign near Scorched Rock Road. The little Koopa's moments alone had given him ample time to think about this.

"Dad, do you know how to get us home now?" Junior asked.

"Sure do," Bowser confirmed.

"Then…how come we have to stay here tonight?"

"Junior, now that we made it this far, I know for a fact that the castle's an entire day away from here on foot," Bowser explained. "I get that you'd probably rather sleep in your own bed tonight and believe me, I would too. But it's better if we stop here so we can at least get a good night's sleep. Besides, why sleep out there on the cold hard ground when you've got a comfy bed and a fire right here? We can head out again first thing in the morning." Junior groaned a little, but didn't say anything more as he gazed into the fire.

Bowser left the room again, but this time he exited on the opposite side, obviously journeying somewhere else. He returned again, but now he brought an ice-pack, a towel, a small bowl of water, and a box of other supplies with him. Bowser set his stuff down nearby and sat in front of his son.

"Here, let's get you cleaned and patched up before you get settled in," Bowser declared. Junior was too tired to object. He first requested Junior to hold the ice-pack up to the bump on his head. The little Koopa vaguely remembered even getting it. The injury most likely came about from him hitting his head against a rock when he fell down that hole on the mountain. "Don't press it so hard that it hurts," Bowser warned. "This'll just help the swelling go down a little bit." After a minute or so, he took back the ice-pack, and placed a medium sized bandage on Junior's head; covering the bump.

Next, Bowser dipped the towel into the bowl of water and gingerly stroked Junior's arms, legs, torso, feet, shell and face with it. He made sure to be especially careful with Junior's broken arm so as not to upset him too much. Junior squirmed and tried to resist all the rubbing, but he wasn't able to put up too much of a fight.

"Come on, kiddo. Don't fight it. You're covered in soot from that mountain," Bowser commented. "Good thing you took a bath the other day, or else you would probably stink even worse than you do right now." Junior grumbled at his father's comments. "But lucky for you, we don't have a bath tub here and you're too big to sit in the sink so no bath for you tonight, heh," Bowser declared with a small laugh.

"I could've done this myself, y'know," Junior argued. "I'm not a baby."

"I never said you were," Bowser replied calmly. "But you're hurt, so I figured I'd do it for you so you can relax. It's the least I can do after all the trouble I've put you through." He set aside the towel and bowl of water when the cleaning was done. Then, Bowser reached for the mysterious box of supplies behind him and dug around the contents inside. He pulled out a short, flat piece of wood and held it in front of Junior. "Here, put this in your mouth," Bowser instructed.

"Huh?" Junior responded, confused. "But…Dad, don't we have anything else to eat here?"

"No, don't eat it," Bowser corrected. "Put it in your mouth and bite down on it as hard as you can." Junior sighed. "Trust me on this." The little Koopa took the stick, but continued to eyeball it with disgust. "Just…pretend it's a big, gooey chocolate chip cookie," Bowser proposed. "Like the ones Kammy makes that you like so much." At last, Junior followed his father's instructions and inserted the piece of wood into his mouth; chomping down on it as hard as he could with his front tooth. "Good, now hold still. This is gonna hurt a little…," Bowser warned.

Junior's eyes widened with fear as he saw Bowser firmly grip his fractured arm with both hands. The Koopa King violently jerked Junior's arm, sending an enormous surge of pain through his son's system. Tears welled in Junior's eyes as he continued to bite down on the wood with all his might; desperately fighting the pain. Eventually, he just couldn't take it anymore. Junior spit out the wood and let out an agonizing scream as he started to cry.

"There we go," Bowser concluded aloud. "All done. We're all done," he said soothingly as he calmed the little Koopa down.

"Why'd you do that!?" Junior wept.

"Sorry, kiddo. But I had to bend your arm back into place or it won't heal properly," Bowser explained. He sprayed Junior's arm with a bottle of disinfectant, and then rubbed a bitter-smelling cream on it. He picked up the wooden stick a few inches away with his other hand. "That was a trick my dad taught me when I broke my arm," said Bowser.

"You did too?" Junior asked between sniffs as he gradually stopped crying.

"Uh-huh. When I was your age, I fell out of a tree I was climbing one time and broke my arm. This is how my dad helped me. If you hadn't been biting on this stick, you would've bitten me instead!" Bowser explained playfully. He unraveled a bandage, and began to repeatedly wrap it around Junior's arm, then placed it in a cloth now hanging from Junior's neck. He had created a makeshift cast for Junior's arm. "There, that ought to hold your arm in place until we can get you home," Bowser declared. "But I still want to have the doctor look at it and get a second opinion about treatment."

"How come you didn't do this the last time it was broken?"

"I didn't have the supplies," Bowser explained.

"Oh….I never knew you were a doctor," Junior commented. Bowser's eyebrows rose at this.

"Hmm? Oh…Junior, I'm not!" he corrected with a laugh. "This was just basic first aid. Your mother insisted we both learn how to do stuff like this so we could take care of you whenever you got hurt," Bowser explained. "She wanted the two of us to be pros at just about everything; from diaper-changing to first aid to helping you with your math homework, hehe. I think your grandparents just really wanted to make sure their grandson was being taken care of adequately; knowing you had a lazy, loud-mouthed oaf like me for a dad. Your mom wanted to make sure we were each able to care for you however you needed it…" Bowser trailed off as his eyes looked away. "Even if…one of us wasn't there to help the other…" Junior was listening with such fascination. The little Koopa had never heard Bowser talk so much about his mother like this before. There was so much about her that Junior didn't know or didn't remember. But as much as he loved learning about her, he could see that making his father remember her also brought up a great feeling of sadness in him. Junior had to find a way to keep the conversation going without making Bowser more depressed.

"What was that smelly stuff you rubbed on my arm?" he asked curiously.

"Just a special ointment," Bowser answered. "It's going to make your arm numb so it'll probably feel a little funny when it kicks in. But don't worry. It'll make sure your arm won't bother you when you're asleep tonight.

"Okay…," said Junior quietly. Bowser looked at him. A moment passed in silence before Bowser spoke again.

"Hey, way to take it like a champ back there, by the way," he praised genuinely. Junior looked up at him.

"Huh?"

"You know, letting me bend your arm back into place just now."

"Really?" Bowser nodded. "But…I was crying…," Junior admitted.

"Not as much as I did when I had to go through this. I was bawling like a baby!" the Koopa King described. "But you handled this like it was nothing!" Junior smiled at this praise. It felt good to hear his father actively say something positive about his actions for a change. "Now then," Bowser continued as he painfully staggered to his feet. "Why don't you sit back and relax, while I go find us something to eat, hmm?" he suggested. Junior smiled and nodded his head as Bowser helped his son climb under the covers.

"But what if I fall asleep?" Junior asked. "I don't wanna miss dinner…" Bowser chuckled.

"You won't, I promise. Go ahead and get some shut-eye, champ. I'll wake you when it's ready, okay?"

"Okay," Junior agreed sleepily. The little Koopa drifted off to sleep a moment later.

"Psst, Junior. Hey…Junior! Wake up, kiddo," said Bowser. Junior slowly opened his eyes as Bowser came into view sitting on the bed nearby. "Dinner's ready." Junior couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. He could've sworn he had just fallen asleep a minute ago and now he was already being woken up for dinner. He tried to sit up against the pillow in his bed, but his dad's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Hey! No, no no," said Bowser. "Don't get up. You need to save your strength."

"What's for dinner?" Junior asked.

"It's a special jerky and dried shroom soup. I found the recipe in an old cookbook in the closet," Bowser explained. He spoon-fed the soup to his child. Junior immediately licked his lips after the first taste. "How is it? You like it?"

"Mmm, yeah!" Junior replied, anxiously awaiting the next spoonful. Bowser smiled.

"Really? Huh, maybe I should cook more often then!" Junior realized that it had been a while since he had eaten his dad's cooking. Typically, the royal chef was the one who prepared all of Junior's meals since his father was too busy being the king to do it himself. Aside from the fact that Junior was so hungry that just about any kind of food would've tasted great to him, there was something particularly special about this meal. After what Bowser had just told him about learning all sorts of special skills in order to take care of him, this cooking made such an idea seem all the more genuine and real in Junior's mind. Bowser was actually a pretty great dad when he wanted to be…

"What about you? Aren't you hungry too?" Junior asked between sips.

"Sure am. But you're my top priority," Bowser explained. "You can eat as much as you want. I'll get more for you if you need it. Don't worry about me." After two bowls of soup, Junior was just about satisfied. "Did you get enough to eat?" Bowser asked later on. Junior nodded and sunk down under the covers slightly. The Koopa King smiled and stood up. "Good. Guess I'll go fix myself a bowl now too and see if it's really as good as you say it is."

In his father's absence, Junior tried to fall asleep but…couldn't. Despite his exhaustion, Junior found it difficult to shut his eyes and truly get comfortable. He tossed, turned, and shuffled a bit in his bed, but with no success. Eventually, Junior turned his head and stared into the fire. He knew what was wrong.

Bowser returned a moment later with his own bowl of soup. He sat down on his own bed across the fire from Junior, blew on his spoon, and began to eat in silence. He hadn't even noticed that Junior was still awake until the little Koopa spoke up to him.

"Dad…?" said Junior in a raspy voice.

"Oh, hey. What's the matter, kiddo?" Bowser replied.

"I can't sleep…" Bowser's eyes widened slightly. Despite his usual composure, his paternal instincts were going into overdrive at that moment.

"What's wrong? Are you still hungry? You know, there's still some soup left. I can feed you another bowl if you-"

"No…I'm not hungry," Junior rejected. Bowser was getting flashbacks to the long nights of tending to Junior as a baby. Plenty of time had passed since those days obviously, but Bowser was still ready for them, even now.

"Is anything hurting? Are you hurting somewhere else that I didn't treat? Do you need new bandages already?"

"No, I'm okay…"

"How's your bed? Do you need your pillow fluffed? Are you warm enough? Too warm? Do you need more blankets or pillows? Is your mattress lumpy? I can switch beds with you if-"

"No…" Bowser's rationality was slipping out of control with every rejection. His mind was racing, just trying to figure out what his son needed.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom? There's one straight down the hall. I-I can help you get to it!" Junior shook his head. Bowser sighed but tried his hardest to keep his composure. "What is it then, Junior? What can I do to help you?"

"I…need to talk to you," Junior explained at last. Bowser froze, then slowly took a seat as his heartbeat slowed down to normal.

"Oh…okay. Sure. What's on your mind?" Junior sat up in his bed.

"I wanted to say…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? For what?" Bowser asked, concerned.

"For…everything," Junior began. "For not doing what you tell me to lately; and staying up late the other night; and not taking a bath when you told me to; and yelling at you so much…," Junior rambled. "I disobeyed your orders to do all that stuff around the castle." Bowser could feel guilt washing over him as he listened. "If I had just stayed home…we wouldn't be in this mess right now." Tears welled in Junior's eyes. "You were right all along…I really am a lousy son…" Bowser walked over to Junior's bed, sat down and hugged his son tightly. "I don't deserve you doing all this stuff for me…"

"Hey…now you listen to me," said Bowser. "You are not a lousy son. I'm a lousy dad for ever letting you think that. You don't have to be sorry about anything. In fact, I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Junior sniffed and looked up at Bowser.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. How can I blame you for not listening to me? Why would you want to when all I've been doing is yelling at you and bossing you around all the time? You're my son, not my slave. You need time to have fun and to just be a kid." Bowser shifted his gaze to the fire as he spoke. "I guess I was just worried because…well, I just wanted to be a good father." He looked back at Junior. "I've wanted that all this time. Without your mother around…...I guess I just...fell apart. I was scared without her, and I didn't know what to do with you," Bowser explained. "I turned cold and ruthless and did all the bad stuff I've done because I didn't want anyone to know how scared I was. I thought I could snap you into shape if I'd never let you know I was afraid."

"Dad…"

"I've been chasing after Princess Peach for so long because…parenting is a two-man job. There are things your mother could do that I just can't. I've always thought Peach could fill the role that your mother left behind and make our family feel…you know…"

"…Not-so-broken?" Junior finished. Bowser nodded.

"I thought I was stepping up and being more responsible for you in my own way. But I guess all that's been doing is hurting you and pushing you away, huh?" Junior didn't know what to say. So he nodded his head slowly. Bowser hugged him again. "Junior, I'm sorry I hesitated to save you back on that platform. Sorrier than I've ever been about anything else I've done or will ever do. The reason I hesitated…it wasn't what you think it was. I wasn't thinking about whether or not you were worth saving," Bowser confessed. "I hesitated because I was so mad at the thought of losing Peach again that I almost chose her over you. I would've lost sight of what I've really been fighting for all this time."

"I don't need Mama Peach to be my mom," said Junior. "I don't need one. I have you. So what if Mom did some things better? That doesn't mean you can't still try…"

"I know…," Bowser agreed. "I should have tried all those times. I've been treating you like a problem all this time when you're all the family I've got left." Bowser turned back to the fire. "You know, a lot of people used to wonder how your mom was really your mother when she wasn't a Koopa and you looked nothing like her," Bowser described. "But there was one thing you inherited from her: your kindness. Even when I was selfish and ungrateful, you saved my life with that wish when I didn't deserve it. I've probably screwed you up more in these past few days than I ever did back home. I've done a lot of bad deeds in my day. But the worst thing I know I've ever done…is making you think that I don't love you."

"It's okay…," Junior replied. "I know you have to love me because you made a promise to Mom." This time tears were forming in Bowser's eyes. He could practically hear his heart breaking.

"Aww Junior…," he began "I love you because you're my son, not because I promised I would. Your mother was my whole world, and her happiness meant everything to me back then," Bowser explained. "The happiest I've ever seen her was the day you were born. She loved you more than you'll ever know. And that goes double for me. When I see you, I see your mother's happiness, and my own too. That's why you're so special. That's why I promised to take care of you. Because I wanted to make her happy forever, and I did it for myself too. You're pretty dang important, you know."

"To you guys?" Junior asked.

"Yeah, but not just to your mother and me. You're important to our entire kingdom. You're the Koopa Prince; the heir to the throne. Someday you're gonna be king. So it's my job to keep you happy and make sure you grow up right until then. I do it to make me happy, to make your mom happy, and to make our kingdom happy."

"Wow…I guess I am pretty special then…," Junior commented.

"You bet. But it's not always just a job to make you feel special. You do that on your own just by being yourself."

"You think so?"

"I know so. No matter what goes wrong or how terrible of a day I'm having, you being there with me always makes it better. I'm closer now than I've ever been before to making Peach marry me, thanks to your help." Junior blushed a little at such tremendous praise. "You're smart enough to manage your own clown car, you're brave enough to take Mario on no matter what, and you're pretty dang clever too. I certainly hadn't thought of using a power star to power up my clown cannon." Junior's face lit up with the biggest smile Bowser had seen all day. That was the praise Junior had really wanted all along. His plan ultimately worked, even though things hadn't gone the way he'd expected. "Uhhh…" Bowser froze.

"What's wrong?" Junior asked.

"Nothing. It's just…I'm not used to giving mushy love talks like this so…I guess I kinda ran out of things to say just now, heh," Bowser admitted, embarrassed. Junior giggled at this. "Look, I'm sorry I've been such a pain in your shell lately. I didn't mean to yell, or to break your game system, or to scare you, or to make you question my love for you. It's been tough trying to do this on my own; really tough. But I'm doing the best I can, okay? I know sometimes it must be pretty dang hard for you to love me. But I'll always love you, no matter what," Bowser declared. Junior shook his head and smiled.

"It's not that hard," he replied. The two smiled and exchanged one more hug. "But, I think I can forgive you for all of this on one condition," Junior proposed. Bowser was surprised by this first shred of cockiness all day. But he knew his son's mischievous side well enough to not be totally blind-sided by it.

"What's that?" Bowser asked.

"Let's make a promise right now, you and me! If the promise you made to Mom is so special, I wanna have one with you too!" Bowser smiled at his son's sudden enthusiasm.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Bowser asked. Junior froze.

"Uhh…," he stuttered. His mind went blank as he hadn't actually thought this far ahead yet. The Koopa King decided to help him out.

"How about this: If you promise to do the things I ask you to do, when I ask you to do them, then I promise not to yell so much, lighten up, and let you have more time and freedom to have fun," Bowser suggested. "Sound good?" Junior smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, okay!" Junior agreed.

"Alright then, let's shake on it and make it official," Bowser declared with confidence. The two grasped each other's claw firmly and shook with an equal exchange of strength. Immediately after retracting his hand, Junior yawned and laid back against his pillow.

"Feeling better now?" Bowser asked.

"Yeah," Junior confirmed as he settled into his bed.

"Good, because I don't have a watch but I'm pretty sure it's past your bed time, hehe," Bowser noted. Junior raised an eyebrow at him. "Uhhh…I mean, not that you didn't have a good reason for staying up," he confessed playfully with a smile. Bowser tucked Junior in under the blanket and gave him a good night kiss.

"Night, Dad," Junior called out.

"Good night, Junior," Bowser replied.

"I love you." Bowser smiled.

"I love you too, and I always will." Junior shut his eyes and finally fell asleep peacefully. With his son put to bed, Bowser put out what was left of the fire, laid down in his own bed, and went to sleep himself.