Please excuse the fact that this is ridiculously short, lol.

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting :)

Chapter Forty-One

Today was a slow day. That was the main reason why she'd spent the majority of it watching music videos and texting Luigi. Right now she was playing that addictive game with very little success. Her attention was only half-focused on it, though, which was why she was losing. She couldn't stop thinking about the plight of the Mushroom Kingdom. Daisy was concerned because, if her country really was in jeopardy and she didn't go home to do something, she'd be turning her back on her people for the second time in less than a decade. But on the other hand, she didn't want to leave behind the life she'd made here in Brooklyn. She enjoyed working at the shoe store, enjoyed spending time with her best friend Alicia, and liked discovering and learning about new things each day. She couldn't do that back home. Her days would be filled with the stress and dread of defending her kingdoms and preventing the next Great War.

Ooh, girl, I like that

Yeah girl I like that

Girl gimme' some'a that

Ooh girl I like

Ooh girl I like

Girl gimme some-

Alicia answered her phone while Daisy grinned at the girl's new ringtone. It was a song Daisy recognized at once and had started singing along to in her head. She watched Alicia grin back at her and spoke into the small device.

"Helloo," She sang, smiling.

Daisy went back to her half-hearted attempts at playing the game on her own phone while Alicia twirled a bit of her hair around her slim finger.

"Dean, you know you're not supposed to call me at work." She spoke softly, still smiling.

Her smile began to fade as the call wore on. Soon Alicia sported a confused expression.

"What do you mean, it's an emergency?" She frowned. "Yeah, I'm coming. I'm leaving right now."

She slipped the phone into her dress pocket and hopped down from her stool, gathering her purse and keys and belongings. She turned to Daisy, who was now looking a bit concerned.

"Something the matter?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know." Alicia shrugged, "Dean says he needs me. Says it's super important, so I guess I gotta' bounce."

It was nearly closing time anyway, so Daisy didn't mind covering for her friend in this instance. She waved goodbye to the other girl and told Alicia to call her if anything was wrong. Alicia told her she would and left in a rush. Daisy just shook her head and watched music videos for the rest of her shift. When it was time to go, she gathered her apartment key and went to clock out. She was outside shortly after, standing near the curb waiting for Luigi to come and pick her up.

And waited.

He was taking longer than usual.

Wher u at?

The text was brief and to the point, as Alicia had suggested it be. She sent it to Luigi's number and waited for his reply. It was just as short as hers.

Omw. Traffics bad.

She smiled and moved her fingers slowly over the tiny on-screen keys.

I can't wait to see you

The girl glanced up as soon as she hit 'send' because there was a flash of movement to her left. Her eyes widened at what she found. Amidst the busy streets, moving vehicles, and bustling crowds, there was a person she recognized but didn't expect to see ever again. Standing about five feet away was a regal-looking woman, out of time and out of place, with a dazed expression on her face.

"...Mama?"

Daisy loved to text. I knew this for a fact because she sent me about a thousand of them a day. It surprised me when she didn't text me back. I'd sent her something about ten minutes ago and in that time, she normally would have fired back something by now.

Maybe she's doing something, I thought.

But there was a rising dread inside me. I had a feeling that all the anxiety that had been building up since our return was finally at its peak. I just knew something bad was happening or had happened and it involved Daisy.

Stop being so pessimistic, I told myself. I'm sure the girl is fine. She's at her job, waiting for me to stop wasting time on dark thoughts and come and get her already.

There was no way I could shut that part of my mind off, though, even after all these years. The only thing I could do was remain distracted and the most potent distraction was standing on the curb in front of the shoe store. Or at least she should have been.

I frowned and parked my car near the entrance and then got out. She wasn't in sight. Usually Daisy waited right by the front doors for me to come, ready to hop in and go home.

"Daisy?" I called, walking around the department building.

The girl wasn't around. She wasn't inside either because the store was dark and locked up. I tried to open the doors anyway because I was paranoid and this was Daisy I was worried about; they didn't budge. I took the time to try and call her. The phone rung and rung, but she didn't answer. Now I was starting to worry badly, as in think of all the possible scenarios that could have happened to her. Had she been hurt? Kidnapped? Trafficking was bad in New York, it wasn't a far fetch. Could someone have taken her? She was a small young woman, it wouldn't be hard to just snatch her up and throw in the trunk or something.

Calm down, I urged myself, Panicking won't help matters.

I called the phone again and stared at the ground, looking for something, anything that would clue me in to where she'd gone. Maybe she'd dropped her phone or something. As the phone went to voice-mail yet again, I froze. There was a sole clue like I'd been looking for, but it didn't pertain to my girl. And in fact, it confused me more. But there was no doubt about where it had come from, because I'd seen it countless times before. I knew then that what I'd been dreading had finally happened. Even though I didn't know what, I just had a feeling that something bad was going to occur and now it had.

Ludwig had taken Daisy.

"Alright, now what's the emergency?" Alicia asked as she walked in the door.

She closed it and locked it behind her and then let her hands rest on her hips expectantly. Her boyfriend, the tall and dark-skinned Dean, leaned on the wall next to the television. Alicia stared at him expectantly.

"Well?" She prompted.

He said uneasily, "I'm not sure what's going on. He just came out the blue, knocked on the door and asked to see you."

"Who?" Alicia frowned.

"I don't know his name." Dean admitted. "He's in the bathroom."

"You let a stranger into our apartment?"

"He said he knew you." Dean replied sheepishly. "He said it was urgent that he speak to you."

"Dean," Alicia sighed. "What did he look like?"

When Dean described the mystery person, Alicia felt her blood run cold. She refused to believe that...that that man had somehow entered her life again. The girl bit down on the corner of her lower lip and glanced at the bathroom with some trepidation. She faced her boyfriend once more and lowered her voice considerably.

"How long has he been here?" She asked.

"Not long." Dean assured her. "I called you as soon as he came. I tried to get his name but he says he won't speak until you get here, so..."

Alicia nodded after he'd said that and licked her lips anxiously. She knew that if it really was someone from her past, she should bite the bullet and go face them head on. She rolled her shoulders back and took a calming breath. Dean stroked her cheek.

"I really don't think he's that dangerous." Dean murmured. "I mean, he's just a kid."

Now Alicia paused, puzzled.

"A kid?" She asked in confusion.

She brushed past Dean and hurried to the bathroom, turning the handle slowly and pulling the door open with even less haste. She was startled to find her boyfriend was right. The person sitting on the closed lid of the toilet with his legs spread and his head in his hands was no more than a teenager. He wore a short-sleeved white shirt and dark olive pants with black boots. His attire was otherworldly, or at least out of date. When she arrived, he raised his head up and her heart ached. Those eyes, those sea-green eyes, reminded her of the baby-faced boy she used to know. Alicia's voice stuck in her throat when she next spoke because all her emotions overwhelmed her.

"...Munson?"

"Long time no see." The boy spoke with a roguish smile, though there was a film of mist in his own eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She then asked.

He forced that smile to stay when he said, "I need a favor."

I probably ran about ten stop signs and for sure two red lights, but that was the price my impatience cost me. I had to rush. I had to hurry and get home because Daisy could be light years away by now. I recognized the dust on the ground, the little bluish, glittery powder that Ludwig left behind whenever he teleported. I knew that he'd taken her and since he could move from one place to another in the blink of an eye, they could be back in the Badlands by now. The sooner I got to her, the better, because I really didn't want to think about what he planned to do to her.

Once I turned into the parking lot of my complex like a maniac, I shifted the car into park and flew out the door. I ran towards the stairs and took them two at a time to get to the third floor. After opening the door, I slammed it shut and headed straight to my room. From the closet I grabbed my old suitcase and threw it on the bed. I unzipped it and yanked the top flap back so that I could go to my dresser and start tossing in clothes as fast as I could. I added Daisy's clothes, too, making sure to put in some underwear for her. I only paused briefly when I saw some of the more risque garments, only just noticing how long it had been since I'd undressed her.

Now is not the time to be thinking about that, I reminded myself firmly. I finished stuffing my luggage and forced it to close. Then I raided my nightstand for some extra cash, money that I'd need to change out and pay for the fare to the Mushroom Kingdom. The first stop would be my brother's since I didn't know how to get to the Badlands and couldn't waste time getting lost. I would have liked to be able to go straight there but this was the better option.

"What else?" I said aloud.

I wracked my brain for whatever would come to mind in terms of what I'd need for my impromptu journey. I had clothes, money, I'd get food after I arrived. I guess that was it. I really had to get going. Who knew what Ludwig was doing to her.

A/N: My head is freaking killing me slowly, I swear. It sucks. I know I always have an excuse for not making the chapters longer but something always comes up. This time it's because I feel crummy. Some reviews would be great now. I love reading what you guys think of this story. Or even PM because I just love discussing this fic and the characters in the Mario-verse.

What can I say; I'm bed-bound and bored. I need communication. Typing at these keys is a chore but I do it because I like writing, haha. So enough of my whining. Stay tuned for the next chapter people!

Until then...

~DymondGold~