The Confrontation

A Terrible Secret

Peach immediately cupped her hands over her mouth like she had spoken a fowl word. In her panic, she had admitted to the very thing she swore she never would. The thing she had spent years hiding.

For Mario, his entire world seemed to fall away. What had she said?! Surely, he mis-heard her. No... NO! Bowser just keeps her caged... He would never... Mario turned back to Peach, and could see it in her face. This was real. Mario stared for a moment and spoke in barely more than a whisper.

"What?"

Peach could feel her entire body trembling. She attempted to respond, but years of pain, shame, guilt and embarrassment hit her all at once. Instead, Peach collapsed onto the floor and into a fit of inconsolable sobs.

Mario ran to her and instinctively wanted to pull her into a tight embrace. But the memory Peach's pervious outburst was still fresh in his mind. He didn't want to grab Peach and panic her again, but without being able to comfort her directly, Mario didn't know what to do with himself. He stood over her staring around the room as though looking for some clue for what he was supposed to do in such a situation. When no help came, he gave a yell of rage and fell to the floor next to her breathing heavily. After a moment, Peach offered him a single hand. He took it in his own hands, leaned over it, and began to weep himself.

It was a long time before either spoke again. Peach had cried herself into silence before Mario finally felt comfortable to proceed.

"Has he done it before?"

Peach gave a small sniff, nodded gravely and spoke in a terrifyingly small voice. "It started on Ilse Delfino... He... he said Jr. needed a mom and that he had had enough of my sh...stuff... Then one night... he just got so mad at me... he grabbed me and..." Peach shuttered and began to cry again.

Mario's heart sank. He gave Peach a moment before he spoke again. His mouth was dry and horse. "How often?"

Peach spoke to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to look at Mario. "Every time he takes me. I try to stop him... but he's so strong... and when I fight back... he hurts me."

Mario felt sick and ashamed. Why hadn't he seen it before? Peach had been suffering in silence for years yet somehow kept a strong appearance for those around her. Mario felt his previous anger now seemed like a petty temper tantrum by comparison.

"Peach I am so sorry..."

Peach shook her head. "I hid it well... even Bowser was always very careful to fix me up before you reached me. You couldn't have known."

"A better friend would have seen... Peach, I wish you had told us."

"NO!" Peach screamed again and caused Mario to leap a second time. "Mario you mustn't tell anyone. The Toads look to me as their leader, their protector. If they learned the truth, it would crush them. It may even push them into declaring war on the Koopa army. I love my Toads, but we both know that is not a war they can win."

Mario tried to respond but Peach held up a hand to stop him. She then rubbed her eyes and led Mario back to the sofa with her.

"Mario, I'm sorry for how I sometimes behave around you. I do see how I have hurt you... and I really do want to be with you... but every time I try... all I can think of is him... and... and what he does to me... I just think I am broken now." Peach's voice began to crack up again. "It may be better for you if you did just give up on me..."

"Don't you do that! Don't you dare apologize! You have done nothing wrong, and I am not going anywhere!"

Peach stared at Mario. "But, Mario you talk so much about wanting a family... and... I do want one too... but..." Peach took a deep breath. "But after everything Bowser has d-done to me, I'm not sure I could even h...have children anymore." Peach barely got the last few words out, bursting into another bout of desperate sobs.