We can continue on with the story. Charlie and Fionna have taken residence at a place that he once inhabited. Someone asked where he came from and stuff. Rest assured that you'll find it all out this chapter.

And, for those of you who don't know, I'm a girl. I think the pen name and the picture of Hungary as my profile pic kind of make it obvious... just saying (and the fact that I find Marshall Lee to be incredibly sexy for a cartoon character).

And be sure to always send in some songs. I would love one or two for Charlie. :)

Disclaimer: Ahhhhh. No.

The sky overhead was cloudy and dark. Rain was pouring down, hitting the tin roof, making a soft pitter-patter noise. Fionna was sitting against the wall on the little futon, watching little Marshall Lee and Fionna fly around her knees. Charlie was seated in front of her, going through some of his old notes. The rain was heavy outside so they didn't go out, deciding to take residence in the shack for a few more days until the whether let up. It had been raining for five hours since they reached the shack and didn't show any signs of stopping. Fionna looked up from the little couple and her eyes landed on Charlie. He was biting his tongue, his eyes narrowed as he shifted some papers, occasionally scribbling a few things down. He noticed her stare and glanced up at her from over his glasses.

"Yes?" he said.

"Where'd you come from?" she asked him.

"Excuse me?"

"Well... what I mean is... you had to have come here from somewhere. You don't just appear outta thin air," she explained further, her chin dipping to her chest to gaze back upon the little people.

He blinked twice and then smiled. He cleared his throat and she looked back up at him. "I came from a village deep in a forest many, many, many miles away. It's not as extravagant as Aaa, from what I've heard of it at least, and has a population of about twenty." He wrote something down for a quick second and then pressed on. "I had human parents until I was three. Then they just... disappeared. I was then in the care of a talking ape that lived in the village until I was ten. I left around that time to find my parents..."

Fionna cracked a grin. "You're saying you were raised by a monkey?"

"An ape," he corrected, a shadow of a smirk playing on his lips. "There's a difference."

"Sure, whatever," she giggled. "But how did you become so sophisticated if you were raised by a monk- ape, I mean."

Charlie shrugged. "I just did. She was a very nice ape. A good mother to me."

"What happened to your parents?"

His smile flickered. "I dunno. Left me, I suppose. I don't remember much about them." He looked back up from his notes to Fionna, who was still watching the little people. He nodded to little Marshall. "You miss him, huh?"

"More than I think I should," she said. "He was a great friend. He wanted to come along... he didn't want me to die."

"We won't," he said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"Why not?"

"Because you and I are slightly mutated."

"Wha-?"

"From what I've seen in old drawings and photos of humans, we're slightly different in looks. Their eyes are more prominent. Their heads are slightly smaller. It's minor mutations... so you and I mostly human with just a pinch of mutant," he said. He smiled assuringly. "I promise that it's no big deal."

It didn't bother Fionna like she had thought it would. She had seen herself as a "normal" human before. When she had wished for a Lich-free world, her eyes were different. So were Cake's. It was surprising that she was slightly mutated. Charlie continued to explain that their slight mutation kept them from getting effected by the radiation further. That comforted Fionna in more ways than one. That meant she had a good chance in returning home, Charlie by her side. She smiled at this thought and put the little Marshall and Fionna back into her bag, leaning her head on the wall behind her.

A breeze rattled the rood and passed through the small cracks in the building, making her shiver. The silence was comfortable for the both of them. Fionna then returned her gaze on Charlie and spoke up again.

"What was your village like?" she asked. "Was it magical?"

"Not really. It was a little like Aaa. Talking animals and such. That was what mostly inhabited the area," he said. "There wasn't a crazy witch who kidnapped every man she laid her eyes on, if that's what you mean."

Fionna laughed. "Sounds boring."

"To you maybe," he said. Charlie paused his writing and decided it was his turn to ask the questions. "What's Aaa like? I've only heard so much."

Her eyes brightened and her face lifted a little. It made him happy to see her like this. There was something about her home that perked her up in a way that talking about other things could never accomplish.

"Dude, it's totally nuts. I basically go on an adventure everyday!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "And wait until you get there. You, me, and Cake will be an unstoppable team. You the brains, me the brawn, and Cake the supernatural. And I know that Gumball will love you. You guys can go and study everything together. And I'm sure that Marshall will wanna get to know you. Thank you for all you've done." She got really excited as she went on. "What's great is that even if you and I don't find the reason, we can go the other way. The opposite direction of Aaa, away from the crater. But this time, it can be all of us. A great adventure that will be!"

Charlie smiled at her enthusiasm and wrote something else down. "I'd like that a lot, Fionna. I'm looking forward to a great life in Aaa with you and your friends."

"Our friends," she said. "They'll be yours too."

He felt his heart flutter at her genuine smile and he returned one, the two of them lapsing into another silence. This time, they felt closer than they had before. The days in the shack passed, Charlie going in and out of the basement, handing Fionna some books and notes. They would look through them to find any clue that Charlie had come across years ago. Fionna mentioned how she knew Monochromicorns ate humans before they disappeared and a shiver went down Charlie's spine. He asked her if she thought that led to human extinction and she shrugged, telling him that humans might have been hunted by them during the wars with cats.

"Maybe that's what happened to our parents. A Monochromicorn found and ate them," Charlie said but Fionna shook her head.

"It's unlikely," she said.

"Ah, unlikely, yes. But not impossible," he said. That made Fionna a little afraid of Lord Mocro and his parents. And slightly angry too. But Cake's boyfriend hadn't attempted to eat Fionna yet so she didn't think there was anything to worry about. Then again, his parents had. And they didn't know that she was Lord and Cake's friend yet. Was Mocro suppressing his hunger for human just because Cake was her best friend?

No! That stupid, Fionna told herself, a small smirk crossing her features.

The rain finally let up and they decided it was time to leave. Fionna and Charlie packed their things and head out. Dozens of puddles covered the bare ground, their feet occasionally stepping in one, sending droplets of water splashing around. The sky above was still grey and hazy, rain daring to start falling again but it never did, which was a relief on their part. They kept on walking, Fionna checking the halo-globe to view their coordinates, making sure they were going to right way. By Charlie's calculations, he estimated they would make it to the crater in two months time. Fionna groaned and he chuckled, punching her in the arm a little, telling her to lighten up. She knew it was going to be a long trip but she didn't expect it to take this long. It would take four months (so far) to get there and four months to get back. That's an eight month trip.

The duo reached a large mountain range, meaning they had to do some climbing. They faced one another with grimaces on their faces. Fionna loved climbing as much as the next adventurer but Cake usually did all the work. They didn't even have proper climbing materials, which made the journey a little more dangerous for the both of them. Fionna wondered why they couldn't just cut through but Charlie said the path continued at the top. They would have to hike their way around the mountains. Another groan escaped Fionna's lips and they pressed on. She leapt up, her hands gripping the mountain face, her shoes sticking into indentations, making it a firm grasp. Charlie followed after her, not as skilled in the art of climbing like she was.

By the time they were halfway up, their faces were pink from the decreasing temperatures, their hands were raw from climbing, their legs ached, and they were breathing hard. Charlie pointed out the path on the side of the mountain, a little ways away from them on their left. Fionna clambered over, reaching the flat ground and sitting down, catching her breath. Charlie soon joined her and they sat, panting. He deduced that this path must had been blown down a while ago, making the only way to reach it by climbing.

After relaxing for a moment, they got back on their feet and continued a much easier descent up the mountain. Their windy path suddenly turned flat and straight. They assumed they were now traveling along the faces of all the mountains, hiking along the outside of them. Fionna had tugged on her "like-like" sweater, feeling warm all around. Charlie pulled on a grey hoodie he had in his bag and dug his hands in his pockets. Fionna glanced at the view beside her. She could see so far. Miles and miles of nothing but desert, the sky still a pearly grey. Then something caught her eye, making her stomach flip over. She stopped walking, making Charlie accidentally bump into her, having not seen her pause. Ignoring his apologies, she narrowed her eyes to see whether or not her eyes were playing tricks on her. He questioned her but all she did was point, somewhat possessed with a terror that only struck her when she faced her greatest fears. He looked in the direction she pointed and his stomach turned over as well.

It was huge. Even from this distance, it was enormous and seemed to go on forever. What was worse, it looked closer, even though it was going to take them a long time to reach it. Fionna swallowed in the cold air hard and felt a shiver run down her spine.

It was the crater.

A long way away, Marshall Lee was making his way home. To his surprise, he found Gumball and Cake at his threshold, waiting for him to arrive. Since Marshall didn't return home the day the two decided to visit, they left and came back every so often to see if he were home. It had gotten to be very frustrating so they were glad he finally came back from his visits with Ice Queen. It was another sad attempt to take off her crown so he left early, hoping to play a few songs. Gumball heaved out a "finally" and Marshall glared at him, demanding why they had come to visit so late at night. After Cake explained Gumball wanted to talk Marshall growled.

"Not interested," he spat, shoving past them and opening his newly fixed door.

"Please, Marshall Lee," Gumball said. "I've been coming here every night for the past week to see if you and I can put the past behind us and start over. To see if you and I can apologize."

"You and me?" Marshall repeated incredulously. "I don't need to apologize to you, you sour piece of hard candy. You started the whole thing."

"That's such a lie!" Gumball said, his voice rising. "If anything, it was the both of us."

"Do you hear yourself? You can never accept the blame! It either has to be the other person or both. It's never just you."

Cake stood their awkwardly as she watched the boys bicker. She cleared her throat and they both rounded on her, glaring daggers at her that had been aiming at one another only seconds before. Her tail frizzed and she smiled sheepishly.

"What the stuff happened to the both of you?" she pressed.

Marshall scoffed and crossed his arms. "Another story to tell?"

"At least this time you can hear both sides," Cake pointed out. "Your side and Gumball's. It'll make it fair and maybe you can come up with some sort of compromise or agreement of sorts."

Gumball sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "This is how I remember it..."

A young, fourteen year old Prince Gumball was wandering around the Grass Lands, watching a ten year old Fionna run across the land with a smaller Cake. Gumball had only met Fionna once or twice since his mother didn't let him go out too often. His friend Marshall Lee had been gone for a long time and he missed him a lot. Marshall liked to travel so he didn't see Gumball to often. It saddened the young prince but he was always delighted to receive some mail from the Vampire King.

They had met when Gumball was eight and Marshall Lee was about 16, still aging slowly. Gumball had gotten lost in the woods and Marshall found him, taking him back to the Candy Kingdom. To return the favor, Gumball visited Marshall in the treehouse often, since he was still living with Ashley at the time. As Gumball grew up, he and Marshall got closer. But two years later, four years ago, Marshall broke up with Ashley over something he was refusing to tell Gumball and decided to leave on a journey, traveling around Aaa. Thinking about this, Gumball sighed and started to make his way home. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned, seeing Fionna standing a few inches away, a bright pink blush on her face.

"Hiya, Gummy!" she said, smiling and showing some gaps where her baby teeth should have been. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh, hello... Fionna?" he said, remembering her name. She nodded and he smiled too. "And I'm not doing anything at the moment. Just missing someone a lot."

"I'm sorry," she said, a tiny lisp passing through a gap. "Maybe they'll come back one day."

"I hope so," Gumball said.

Fionna waved him goodbye and she and Cake ran off home to the tree fort. Gumball made his way home and upstairs to his room. To his surprise and delight, Marshall Lee was floating there, waiting for him.

"Marshall!" Gumball grinned.

"Hey, kiddo," Marshall said, accepting the prince's enthusiastic hug.

"How long are you going to be here? Are you back forever?"

"I'm just stopping by for a while. Then I have to keep on going."

The light in Gumball's eyes vanished and he frowned. "Aw... why?"

"I still have other places to visit, Benson," he explained, using Gumball's first name. "But I'll be back. I just wanted to see my best friend before I leave again."

Gumball felt small tears prick the back of his eyes but didn't let Marshall see. The vampire sensed the disappointment and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be back permanently soon, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The next morning, Marshall was gone. And Gumball was left alone for another four years until he heard that Marshall Lee was once again roaming the Grass Lands and had taken residence in a cave not too far away from Fionna and Cake's. Excited to see his old friend, he made plans to visit in his lab. Suddenly, someone knocked on the window and he looked up It was Marshall! He hadn't changed a bit! The only difference was the fact that he was slightly younger than Gumball, biologically of course.

"Hi!" Gumball said, opening the window, his younger self pushing forward, wanting to greet his friend with a bear hug. His older side sucked it up, not wanting to anger Marshall.

"Hey," Marshall said indifferently.

"What made you want to visit?" Gumball said, catching the vampire's tone.

"I've been gone a while. Just seeing if you're still around."

"I've contacted you but you never wrote me back."

"Oh... that's because I've been busy," Marshall said, shrugging.

"To the point that you can't talk to your best friend?" Gumball demanded, putting his hands on his hips.

Marshall was taken aback. "Look, Benson, if you cared, you would have visited me a month ago."

"I was going to but I never found the time."

"Who told you I came back?"

"Fionna."

Marshall let out a laugh and noogied Gumball. "That human girl? That's real funny."

"It's not my fault that I don't know everything! You dropped off the face of the planet years ago. If you cared about me, you would have visited me more often!"

"I was halfway across Aaa, you moron. I couldn't drop everything and come and see you."

The way Marshall spoke was cold and distant, like he just wanted to irritate Gumball the way he used to. But he was going to far. And it hurt Gumball when Marshall Lee spoke up and said:

"You've changed. I don't think we can hang anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're cramping my style, Bro. I can see you're just another lame guy that is gonna bring me down," Marshall said. "I don't even know why I came to see you."

"I don't want you to come around me anymore if this is how you're gonna be."

"That's fine with me, Gumbutt."

They glared at one another until Marshall flew out of the window and Gumball slammed the window shut.

"That is not how it happened," Marshall Lee said, crossing his arms.

"Yes it is," Gumball said.

"The first bit yeah," Marshall said. "This is what really happened..."

After moving into his new home, giving the treehouse to Fionna, Marshall wanted nothing more than to visit his old friend in the Candy Kingdom. He was going to see Gumball as soon as he fixed the house up. Now that he was finished, Marshall flew off the Candy Kingdom on a warm, summer evening. He knocked on the prince's window, peeking through the candy glass. Gumball looked up from his notes on his lab table and saw Marshall Lee grinning at him from behind the window. Groaning a little, Gumball opened up.

"Hi," Gumball said shortly.

"Hey!" Marshall said, floating inside.

"What made you want to visit?" Gumball said coldly, turning away and shifting through papers, not looking at Marshall.

"Well, I've been gone a while!" Marshall explained, floating over to him. "Just wanted to see if you were still around."

"I contacted you but you never wrote me back."

Marshall chuckled. "Sorry. I've been busy."

"To the point you couldn't see your best friend?" Gumball growled, rounding on Marshall.

"Look, Benson, buddy. I'm sorry. But I thought you were gonna see me first. It seemed like a thing you would do."

"I was going to. But I only found out recently."

"From whom?"

"Fionna."

Marshall grinned and noogied Gumball. "You listen to that human girl? That's a laugh, Benson."

Gumball fought to get out of Marshall's grip, growling at him. "It's not my fault that you don't tell me things first. I thought you would have wanted to see me. If you did, you would have come sooner."

"I was moving into my house, Dude. I can't exactly drop everything," the vampire replied, releasing Gumball. The prince stood up straight, flatting out his robes, a distasteful grimace on his face. He turned away from Marshall and sighed. Hanging out with someone like this wasn't a good thing for his reputation as royalty.

"You've changed. I don't think we can hang anymore," Gumball said.

"What are you talking about?" Marshall said.

"You're different, Marshall. You're becoming a bad influence and I can't hang around someone so... laid-back and rude."

"If this is how you're gonna be then I don't want to see you anymore," Marshall said, his anger rising. "I don't even know why I came to visit you. I should have known you would do something stupid like this."

"As of now, we are no longer friends," they both barked in unison.

"Fine!" Marshall growled.

"Fine!" Gumball snapped.

They glared at one another before Marshall flew out the window and Gumball slammed the window shut.

"They both sound similar," Cake said to the boys as they glared at one another like they had so long ago. "Let's try and see if we can come up with an agreement, yes?"

I'm just gonna stop there... yeah.

I hope you guys are enjoying this. I don't particularly like this chapter as much because it was mostly dialogue but I'm hoping that I can change that. We'll see more of Gumball and Marshall's friends problems in the next chapter. And more of Fionna and Charlie's adventures as we progress.

Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading and, as always:

See you next time!