Nicole awoke and stretched out her arms. It had been a long night. Rubbing her eyes, she groggily got up and out of bed. It had been two days since Gumball had been gone. She tried to keep a mini routine with herself, but was already starting to feel it becoming a burden. She had tossed and turned for nearly half the night. It had just felt so strange not sleeping next to someone...

Yesterday brought rain. She couldn't do much in it, so she decided to simply stay in and keep her mind occupied with whatever she could get her hands on. She cooked and cleaned; despite the rooms being near sterile. After exercising, she decided to take a shower and eat her dinner. Nicole then decided to settle down for the night. She thought that sleeping early would help her rise early too, in case Gumball came back around then. To her dismay...that didn't seem to work. She kept having thoughts of Gumball in her mind. She still had fear that something had happened to him, or that he was gone, never to return. Despite her keeping that as a worse case scenario in her head...it still lingered. Something that prevented her from fully embracing sleep.

Nicole sat at the kitchen table and sipped her morning drink. The flavor felt good on her taste buds, but couldn't replace the flavor of...

Gumball.

Nicole set the drink down and rubbed her temples.

'God why am I like this? Why do think I need him so badly? Come on Nicole...he's fine. You just know he is. He will be back. He will be back. He. Will. Be. Back...'

Nicole let out another breath before picking up her mug again.

"Please do..." she spoke softly, before taking another drink.

——

"Aaaaaaand...DONE!" Gumball uttered, rubbing his hands together in accomplishment. He had finally crafted his second gift. It was a lovely homemade teddy bear, made from the many sewing fabrics that he had found in one of the upstairs bedrooms. It had took him a few times of trial and error to make the body parts hold the pillow stuffing properly, but he finally had figured it out and sowed it all together. It had a light brown body, complete with a gold color lining and blue eye buttons to top it all off.

Gumball held his woven masterpiece and looked over it carefully again, just to make sure it met his expectations. He had crafted this gift to be the one to give to Nicole when he got back and to save his now smoothed and polished "gift" for later.

Satisfied, he placed it back down and stretched out his body. He had been up all night working on it. He didn't want to waste any more time being away from Nicole. He himself was already feeling the effects being alone for a while now, and it was unsettling him to a degree.

'I hope Nicole is doing alright...it's been a while...'

Gumball made his way over to the fridge and grabbed himself a chunk of cheese and started eating it. Although he was VERY proud of his lovely meal that he had crafted the other day, he felt too tired to make another one, especially after barely getting sleep. Despite it having been two days since he had left her, he had barely rested. Every once in a while he would slump on the counter and take a few minutes to doze off, he would suddenly jerk back awake and pour himself a cup of milk and continue his work. Now that he was done, perhaps he it would be best for him to rest before coming back to Nicole in a zombie like state. After all, he didn't want her more worried then she might already be.

Making his way over to the couch, he collapsed onto it and let out a sigh of relief. It felt heavenly. Especially after working so hard, day and night.

"Man, I wonder if this is what "working" would have felt like back at Elmore for Nicole. If it was, I'm not sure how she could have lasted...especially after so long...'

Gumball soon felt the tiredness overcome his body and eventually drifted off peacefully, all while thinking of Nicole.

Nicole...

———

It was now senset. Nicole was exercising in the final rays of the warm sun. It felt warm on her skin and body as she stretched. She sighed as she closed her eyes and focused on her movements.

'Focus on the pain. Focus...'

Nicole could felt the tingling of her muscles as she stretched. The pulling, the stretching...the pain. All of it. This was her method of mental thinking when she did this. It always seemed to suit her best. She didn't seem to know why, but it was like she was drawn to it. Pain seemed to push her further. It always did. Her parents had made sure of that; something she didn't always agree with, but accepted it nevertheless. She wasn't strong enough to go against them back then...but now she was stronger then they could have imagined.

...right?

Nicole suddenly lost focus and stopped her stretching. She sat down onto the grass below her and rubbed her temples.

'Stop thinking about them Nicole. Think about-'

Gumball.

'Stretching. I still need to finish my last set of stretching.'

Gumball.

'I must focus...'

Nicole got up and positioned herself again and focused on her pain as stretched her legs and arms.

'Focus on the pain. The pain. The pain...'

Like you're good at managing pain...

Nicole furrowed her brow. She remembered what her mother had said to her...

——Flashback——

Useless! We paid good money to have you practice on dealing with your pain, and yet here you are, crawling to my feet in tears because you were picked on today...pathetic!

"M-mommy please! *sniff* they made fun of me and mocked me for being too quiet. They called me names and tried to smack me to make me speak."

I don't CARE! I want you dealing with the pain. If you don't, you won't be #1 for the karate tournament coming up soon, something you can't afford to lose.

"But mommy..."

NO! I'm not comforting you. You solve that problem by yourself. If they say you talk too little, talk more. If they fight you, fight back. Think Nicole! You are disappointing me and your father. If you are weak, then you will not a leader. A leader, and winner, doesn't show their weaknesses to their enemy and opponent. They don't show them to anyone. Not even to their parents...

"I...I..." *sniff*

Do your exercises Nicole. Do what the trainers that we hired told you. Focus on the pain. Deal with it. Don't disappoint me...

——End of flashback——

Nicole clenched her fist. She hated those words spoken to her. She hated the harshness of her mother...the harshness of them both. While her mother made her perfect her methods and yell at her for her mistakes, her father would spank her for any mistakes that fell under his watchful gaze. She then had to hold in her tears. Any crying from it would result in more spankings. Any weakness had to be stripped away from her. Pain was to be utilized to drive her forward and to win. No matter the cost...

She opened her eyes and let out a breath. Shaking her head of her past, she stood back up and decided she would head back inside.

'Please come back soon Gummypuss...' she thought, yearning to have him close to her to forget all this faster...

——

Gumball opened his tired eyes and looked off to his side. He saw the final rays of sunset shimmer through the window and into the living room.

"Yikes! I slept that long?!" He said to himself, quickly getting up and off the couch.

He needed to head back. He really didn't want to be away from Nicole another second longer. It was like something was telling him that she needed him more than ever. With rapid speed, he quickly rushed to back into the kitchen to gather his belongings. Picking up stuff and separating what he needed to take home, he gently placed his teddy bear off to the side. He then looked towards the center of the table. There, resting on a table coaster, was the silver ring that he had crafted. It's lovely metallic and glossy shine made his pupils expand. He gingerly picked it up and looked at closely before kissing it and putting it in his pocket.

'I really hope this is worth it...'

With that, he picked up the teddy bear along with a few small wraps of fabric, the gold ring and a sewing needle. Just in case. Heading out the door was his next move. He may have still been hungry, but maybe he could eat something with Nicole when he got back.

As he made his way down the blackened street, the cool winds of approaching nighttime blew through his short fur. Despite this, he paid little attention to it. He was so close to home now. He was so close to her. To Nicole.

Nicole...

——

Stepping out of the shower, Nicole slipped into her nighttime attire. Her mind still felt...cloudy. She couldn't seem to think straight. It all felt like a thick haze was lingering over her. Something that was really starting to bother her.

"Why did I have to think of my parents?..." she said to herself, letting out a heavy sigh and lowering her ears.

"Why didn't I just think him instead? Why not just-'

"Nicole? I'm back!"

'G-Gumball?'

"Gumball!" She practically yelled, quickly turning towards his voice. Without hesitation, she opened the bathroom door and practically glided downstairs.

Gumball closed the door behind him and witnessed Nicole quickly rush towards him. This brought a bright smile to his face.

"Hey Gummybear! I really mi-" His sentence was quickly cut short as she wrapped him in a heavy embrace.

Nicole felt flooded with instant joy as she held him in her arms. All the harsh memories started to crack and loose their footing in her mind. It seemed like only a few seconds with him like this had completely made her feel better about herself. His scent, his warmth, everything about him made her feel weak in her legs. Her senses were in overdrive.

She then felt a tap on her back.

Pulling back, she heard him cough, followed by inhaling a few labored breaths. Realizing what just happened, she quickly moved back a few more inches and covered her mouth.

"Oh my gosh Gummypuss, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hug you so hard..."

Gumball reassured her by gesturing his hand in a swatting motion.

"It's *cough* alright Nicole. Don't worry about it. I can see you missed me..." *cough*

Nicole smiled before chuckling softly and rubbing the back of her neck.

"You could say that..."

Gumball stepped closer before stepping up onto her toes and drawing her into a kiss. Nicole was now in heaven. Slowly she closed her eyes and felt the lovely sensation flood her body again; only this time, it was 10 fold. All the harsh memories she had were instantly evaporated and her mind went blank. She felt the warping heat in her chest spread all throughout her body. It was so addicting. She didn't want it to end. Nicole wrapped her arms around him. One hand glided through his hair, pulling him in close to deepen the kiss. The other hand wandered down his body. She was loving the feeling of his shirt. She didn't stop gliding down until she felt something strange. Something that felt like...yarn?

Pulling back from the kiss, Nicole looked into his eyes curiously.

"Gumball, what is behind your back?"

Gumball smiled back warmly before stepping back, off her toes and onto the floor below.

"Close your eyes..." he said, putting both hands behind his back in a rather cute manner.

Nicole obeyed and closed her eyes, still wondering what on earth he had for her.

"Hold out your hands." He spoke softly, causing her to slowly stretch out her arms and open her palms.

She then felt it in her grasp. It's soft and squishy texture was exciting her already.

"You can look now."

Opening her eyes, she let out a gasp of excitement. Her eyes were drawn to its intricate design of different shades of brown and its cute shape. The bear was so lovely. It was like the one she used to have as a baby...

"Gumball..." Was all she could say before she felt tears come streaming down her face.

"Awww, come here..." Gumball said, pulling her close and rubbing her back.

"Thank you Gumball...thank you...*sniff*"

Gumball smiled and kissed her chin.

"You're welcome Gummybear. I'm glad you like it."

Nicole wiped her eyes before holding his face looking him deep in the eyes.

"Gummypuss, I love it...not just like it. This is truly something I will forever cherish..."

Gumball shimmered his eyes back and forth slightly. He was touched. He really had no idea how she would react to this. To think she felt this deeply about it...meant he really made her proud and that she really DID love it...

"R-Really?" He asked.

"Yes...I promise."

Just like that, tears soon fell from his eyes. Nicole seeing this, slowly lowered herself and rested their foreheads against each other.

"I'm glad you're back Gumball. I really did miss you..."

"Come on, *sniff* you didn't just replace me with a tree or something?"

Nicole laughed. God she had missed his humor.

"Come on sweetie, you know they are all bark but no bite..."

This time it was Gumball's turn to laugh.

"I thought you stopped with the corny jokes." He said, raising his gaze to hers.

"Not unless it stops you smiling from...ear...to ear."

Gumball playfully swatted her with his tail.

"That was so bad~"

"You're welcome." She responded, making him shake his head and sport an even bigger smile.

As she leaned back, she soon started to notice something. Despite hugging him and being so close to him, it was only occurring to her now that she had neglected a somewhat obvious problem. His smell.

"Gumball, when was the last time you showered?"

Gumball gave her a sheepish look.

"I uh...really haven't took one since I left. Heh..."

Nicole then started to push him towards the steps.

"Well then mister, I think a shower is to be put in order. Now please."

Gumball lifted his sleeve to his nose and seemed to scrunch his nose at its scent.

"Good point..."

Nicole rolled her eyes before pretending to dust herself off.

"Well, I'll make dinner for us and you get your shower. Once you're done, we can eat."

"Alright, I'll do that." He said, walking up the steps.

He then stopped halfway and called down to her.

"Hey, uh, what are we having for dinner anyway?"

"I'm not sure, but don't worry Gummypuss-"

She started, before looking at him smugly.

"-I promise I won't make it too...corny."

This time Gumball rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Again...that was SO bad." He playfully said, rushing upstairs.

"You know you liked it!" She called up to him, chuckling softly to herself.

'*sigh* it's good that he's back...'

———

After a much needed shower, Gumball emerged from the bathroom smelling much better and feeling a lot cleaner. Sniffing his fur again for clarification proved it so. Gumball entered his room and shut the door behind him. As he walked over towards his clothes, he began unloading his pant pockets of their contents. Removing the sewing material first, he placed it all in his nearby drawer by his bed. He then reached and pulled out the two rings.

Gumball placed the golden ring under the sewing stuff in his drawer before looking back towards the silver ring.

Staring contently at it, it almost seemed to put him in a trance. The metal almost seemed to speak to him in a language of distant ringing. His mind just seemed so transfixed on it. Doing this...his mind started to wonder.

'Am I still going through with this? I could always back down...I could always just not do it...'

"Gumball? You done up there?"

Just like that, his mind broke his chain of thoughts.

"Yeah. I'll be done in a sec!" He called out, quickly sliding the silver ring beside his book between his bed and drawer.

Giving it one last look, he pulled away and made his way downstairs for dinner.

——

Nicole set their warm plates of food on the table. Gumball set the cool drinks beside them. As they sat down and started to eat, Nicole kept giving him plenty of lovely stares.

"So, it took you that long to make that lovely gift for me?" She questioned, causing Gumball to meet her gaze.

Swallowing his food, he gave her a warm smile in return.

"Pretty much. I had to do a bit of...trial and error."

"Heh, I see~" she spoke, setting down her silverware and resting her chin on her hands.

"Well, Gummypuss, I can once again say that you impressed me. Not to mention won my heart over too."

Gumball mimicked her body's position and rested his chin now too. As he glanced off to his left, he saw the bear resting near the middle of the table.

"You gonna name it?~" he asked cutely, swinging his feet under the table.

Nicole stifled a giggle before glancing at the bear.

"I thought I already named it."

Gumball smiled.

"And what name might that be?"

"Gummybear."

"Oh, I see. I guess that would make sense..."

Nicole flicked her tail at him.

"Looks like there is two of us now, huh? You gonna be able to handle that mister?"

Gumball flicked his tail back at her playfully.

"I'm sure I can. I heard that Gummybear over there is the shy type..."

Nicole rolled her eyes before continuing to eat her food.

Gumball then leaned towards the "second Gummybear".

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two will get along. Although she might be a bit feisty at times, don't let that scare you..." He pretended to whisper.

"I heard that..." Nicole said, poking her fork towards them.

Gumball winked before patting the bear and continuing his food.

A few minutes went by and Gumball was done with his food. Nicole was just about done herself. As he wiped his mouth, he glanced towards her.

"So, Gummybear #1, what did you do when I was gone?"

Nicole glanced up to meet his gaze and pondered for a few seconds.

"Well, I did a few things. I helped improve the garden a bit, I did some housework and cooked some lovely meals for myself, and I-"

Nicole caught herself, remembering the exercises and the thoughts she had...her mother...wanting to not be alone...the breakdown...Gumball.

Gumball.

"N-Nicole? You alright?"

Shaking her head, she looked towards him again.

"Oh yeah, sorry..." she apologized, wiping her face with her napkin.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"O-oh. It's nothing sweetie, I just was...remembering my painful exercises I had today. I'm glad I didn't pull anything. Heh."

Gumball knew something was up. This wasn't like Nicole at all. She seemed so nervous mentioning that.

"Come on, what's wrong?" He questioned again.

"Nothing. Just that." She said, suddenly seeming to change tones as she picked up her drink and gulped down the rest of it.

"Let's go to bed. I'm tired..."

Gumball obliged and set the plates in the sink before heading upstairs with Nicole. As he was making his way to his room to change into his night clothes, he saw Nicole wander into the bathroom before hearing her sigh.

'Something's up with her. I need to talk to her about it...' he thought, putting his t-shirt on before heading over to Nicole's room.

——

Nicole came out from the bathroom a few minutes later. She then slipped into bed next to Gumball. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she let out a breath of relief. She craved feeling this. Perhaps now she could sleep and forget those harsh memories again that had resurfaced within her.

Gumball, having felt her needy embrace, opened his eyes and rolled over to face her.

"Hey." He started, rubbing her cheek.

"Hey..." she responded, rubbing her hand against his.

"Can we talk?" He asked, causing her to look at him concerned, before lowering her ears and sighing.

"It's about what happened during dinner, right?"

"Yes." He said, resting his forehead against hers for a second before pulling away.

"So...what's wrong?"

Nicole let out another sigh, before averting her gaze.

"I...had some trouble when you were away..."

"What do you mean?" He asked, giving her his full attention now.

"I..."

Nicole clenched her fist.

"I had another breakdown..."

Gumball's eyes widened.

"What?! A-are you alright?" He asked, drawing in closer to her.

"I-I'm fine now, it's just...*sigh* it's just that I guess I had some bad thoughts at the wrong time, at the wrong place..."

Gumball now placed both his hands on her face and pulled her into a loving kiss. Nicole felt that familiar warm sensation spread throughout her body and calm her mind. Quickly, she latched onto him, not wanting it to end...

After a few minutes, Gumball pulled back for air and looked at her with a loving gaze.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you...I should have came back sooner...I should have not gone..."

"Gumball..." she spoke, now rubbing his cheek.

"It's not your fault...stop blaming yourself. You didn't know."

Gumball smiled slightly before pulling her into a hug.

"Alright..."

Nicole then rubbed his hair lovingly.

"Also, about the exercises I mentioned..."

"I'm listening..." he spoke softly, nuzzling into her embrace.

"I remembered a few harsh memories about my parents..."

"Like what?"

Nicole paused a moment before responding.

"Remember how I told you they wanted so much out of me?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...they made me train every day. No breaks. I had to strive to be the best of the best. No exceptions. I was belittled by bullies as a child and my parents never helped me deal with them. They wanted only me to deal with them myself, alone. I was a shy and quiet kid then. Eventually, after being pushed around, not being helped...along with my anger at my mistakes from my exercises and personal flaws...I lost myself. I grew...so angry. This made me fight off the bullies; but it all came at a cost. I felt ruined. I had snapped. The problem with wounds is that they don't heal right if you keep stressing them. That's exactly what happened..."

Nicole felt tears return to her face.

"I wanted to be free Gumball. I couldn't stand them anymore. I had to leave them. I didn't know when...but I had to. For my own sake. Eventually, I did; but their words..."

I said GET UP! Stop whining!

I am your father, and when I tell you to stop crying, you DO IT!

You will be nothing but a FAILURE unless you win this round. Now FIGHT!

Focus on the pain... Deal with it! Don't disappoint me...

"Their words still haunt me..."

Gumball felt her shivering now. Pulling her in closer, he gently rocked her side to side.

"Shhhh, it's alright. I'm here for you..." he gently spoke, caressing her cheek now.

Nicole clung to him tightly, still weeping tears. She felt angry. She felt sad. She felt so much...

So long had she thought that she had conquered the past trauma of her wicked parents and moved on, hoping to have forgotten it. It would seem after having a breakdown, all alone, had opened more fresh wounds of her past. A past that she had hoped never saw the light of day again.

"They were ignorant." Gumball spoke, causing Nicole to look towards him.

"W-what do you mean?*sniff*" she asked.

Gumball gently wiped a tear from her eye.

"I mean, they didn't understand. They thought pushing you would lead to greatness for, not you, but for themselves. It never was about you, only them. They were so driven by their own motives, they forgot to see you as a person. You aren't a robot. They only seemed to see you as a tool for their own gains. They were nothing but egotistical, narcissistic husks of people..."

"Gumball..."

"No. They never could see what they were doing to you. They broke you...hurt you...They did something so horrible to your younger self that I wouldn't wish it on anybody..."

Nicole was at a loss of words. Never had she heard Gumball speak like that before. It made her feel...warm. Very warm. He truly cared for her...

Nicole was brought back to her situation when she felt him kiss her again.

"I can't imagine what that must of felt like Nicole...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that happened to you..."

Nicole kissed him back.

"It's the past Gumball. I moved on...I know it resurfaced, but overall...I still moved on. It's over now. I'm free. I had a family...I have you."

Gumball smiled warmly and interlocked his hands with hers.

"I love you Nicole...and I'm not leaving you. I'm never going to abuse you. If I did, I never could forgive myself..."

Nicole tightened her hands in his.

"I love you too Gumball. I'm not leaving you either..."

With that, they both started producing tears. It was such an overwhelming moment for the both of them. Although they had ceased their rocking, they both embraced each other and nuzzled close; the warmth of their bodies bringing a little extra comfort. This brought a faint smile to the pair.

——

Almost an hour had now passed, and Gumball was fast asleep in her arms. Nicole was almost at the point of drifting off herself, but she kept thinking over Gumball's words. He had been right. He had been right about it all.

'It all makes sense now...'

Despite her being relatively smart on most things, she didn't seem to piece together why her parents did what they did to her. It all was coming together now. That's why they wanted to her to succeed...

'After all this time...I finally understand...'

Richard.

Nicole felt confused.

'W-why did I just think his name?'

Richard.

'What does he have to do with my parents?'

Richard.

'How is he connected to my par-'

Nicole's eyes widened.

'No...No that's...that's not right.'

Nicole remembered leaving her home. She remembered feeling vulnerable. The abuse...all of it, was too much. She had left them. She then found Richard. He showed her something that she felt was foreign to her...Love. He helped her get them a house. He really did love her...right?

Right?

Then she remembered the slaps...the crying. The pain...

The pain...

"I can't believe you left him down here for this..." Richard seemed to say, storming off from her.

Nicole then heard Gumball cry in his playpen. Instinctually, she crawled over to him and comforted him, shushing him to not cry. She remembered the horror and pain in his infant eyes...

The pain...

Richard...

Focus on the pain...

Nicole clenched her fists. She realized that not only had he abused her...but gave her a false sense of love for his own gain. His gain to be lazy and lay around all day; having completed his biological goal in life. He had won...Nicole had lost. He treated her with a kind hand, only to seemingly backhand her with it when he was lost in his addictive mindset later.

Richard...

Now she knew why she had connected the dots in her mind...it all was coming together. She had been surrounded by nothing but pain, exploitation, and hatred. Despite it all, she kept her head on tight and made it this far. She raised a family. She got a job. She made it through. She was strong. She knew she was. She was stronger than her parents, then Richard, her bullies; all of them. Despite the challenges along the way, and mistakes, she did it. She was free. Free from them all. She overcame each and every one of them.

Nicole felt a stir. Looking down, she saw Gumball smiling in his sleep, nuzzled and cozy against her. Smiling back, she held him close and kissed his head. She truly found someone who she loved with all her heart. Someone who cared for her inside and out. Someone who wouldn't bring her pain...

Finally...

'Focus on the pain Nicole, use it to keep pushing you further...'

With that, Nicole slowly drifted off to a peaceful sleep; finally at peace...