Two Halves of the Same Heart (FIOLEE)

In Which Marshall's mother shows up

Admittedly, I needed to lean on Marshall a bit the next day when we were making our way down the mountain. Not that he seemed to mind. We avoided Breighton, and made camp again. 
On and on it continued down the mountain. My wounds didn't heal completely, but I was soon able to walk on my own again. 

He'd tell bad jokes, and I'd have to kiss him to shut him up. It was comfortable. It was sweet. It was ours. 

And then we were almost home. 
"So this is it?" He grinned. 
"I guess it is." I replied. 
"So... we should get married sometime soon, right?" He leaned towards me. I backed up automatically, and hit a tree. 

"I... well, soon... but not..." 
His lips grazed over mine. "A date for the wedding would be nice." 
"Um... May?" 
"Let me check my calendar." He smirked, before kissing me gently. "Calendar says I'm free." 

I laughed. "You're so corny." 
"And? You love me, admit it." 
"You know I do." 
"C'mon, say it." 
I laughed again, disturbing the quiet of the forest. "I love you, Marshall Lee." 

He grinned. "I know." 
"Wha-- you're supposed to say it back!" 
"Yeah, I know that too." He chuckled. 

"How delightfully sickening." A new voice interrupted. 
Marshall froze, before whipping around, keeping me behind him. "Stay away from her." 
"Honestly, Marshall. You think so little of me? I have no interest in your little pet." 
"She's not a pet." He growled. 

I tried to peer around him, and he backed up, pinning me to the tree from earlier. 

"Come along, Marshall. We have business together." 
"The only business we have is me telling you to piss off!" 
"Honestly, Marshall. You're being such a child." 

I tried to wriggle past him, and he shot me a look. "Stay. There." 
"I want to help." I huffed. 
"Oh no no. You are staying right there." Marshall snapped, before turning back to the woman in front of us. "And you! I don't care if I'm being a child, but you wouldn't know about me being one in the first place!" 

"That is a low blow, Marshall Lee Abadeer." The woman sighed. "Now, come along. If you want another pet, we can find you a suitable one in the Nightosphere." 
"For the last time, she is not a pet!" 
"...Marshall. Humans and demons never work out. We are infinitely older than--" 
"I am not a demon." he growled. "I've been hearing that for a long time, but I am not! And you more than anyone should be able to know that humans and demons do work out." 

"No. They don't. Example; you don't see Anthony around here, do you? You don't see Eldridge with some sort of concubine trailing after him?" 
My cheeks flushed, and from what I could see of him, he was blushing fervently as well. "I don't care about Satan's sex life!" 
"Well, no one does, really. Besides him of course, but he's so annoying about it. In any case, humans make nice pets, but really one cannot form lasting relationships with them. They are like soap bubbles to us. Easily manipulated soap bubbles with strange ideals. Anthony was... a fluke. And we knew  it could never last, not really." 

You know, meeting Marshall's mother couldn't have gone more awkwardly. 
"Okay. Well, I age like a human, so it's not going to end that way for us. Go have a nice life, or whatever." 
"Marshall, you really think I would let you marry a random human?" She clicked her tongue. "Of course not. This is getting tiresome and repetitive, and honestly I will just take you." 

Marshall was quickly torn away from me, and I immediately grew my sword. The attacker was a female demon with a tight black hairbun, and a black suit. 
"Leave him alone." I growled. 
She stopped pulling on Marshall for a minute, and turned to me. "You wish to challenge me, child?" 
"I--"

"No! She does not." Marshall snapped. 
"I'm trying to save you!" 
"I don't need saving! Get out of here before she hurts you!" 
The woman sighed. "As if I'd stoop that low, Marshall." 

She grabbed his arm and he tried to pull away. 
"Marshall, honestly. What will it take for you to come quietly? Must I threaten your pet?" 
"You wouldn't get to carry it out." I promised. "This sword is made from demon blood." 
She peered at it. "So it is. And I suppose that's what Kee-Oth has been groaning about for the last few decades... in any case, that is not going to hurt me." 

"I don't care. Let go of Marshall Lee." I growled. 
"I admire your loyalty, but I have somewhere to be in..." She trailed off, squinting at her wrist. "Five minutes, and I have to make sure that he doesn't run off again and looks respectable in that amount of time." She let out a sigh. "Farewell, little blondie. Maybe we'll meet again, and our fight wouldn't be so disappointing, hmm?" 
Marshall's eyes widened as she pulled him towards a portal. "Fionna--!" 

I ran forward, but they were already gone.  
"No no no no, this isn't... it can't work like this! He was never supposed to leave!" I felt the tears stream down my face, dripping off the edge. 
Then something occurred to me, and I was off like a shot. If anyone could help me save Marshall, it would be Gumball. Right? 

A few minutes later, I reached his home. Bryce was sitting at the kitchen table, his dark hair blowing in the wind gently. 
"I need help!" 

Gumball emerged seemingly out of nowhere, carrying a tray of muffins. "What happened?" 
"Marshall Lee has been kidnapped!" 

"Your ex...?" Bryce asked coolly. 
"Fionna's soulmate." Gumball replied, setting the muffins down on the table next to Bryce. "And by whom?" 
"His-his mother! She just showed up out of nowhere and took him! And now they're gone, and--" 
"Pursue them." Bryce suggested. 

"Marshall's mother is a demon." Gumball told him. 
"Ohhh. He's the...?" 
"Yeah." 

Bryce tapped a dusky finger against his cheek. "What can we do then? I'd love a fight as much as anyone--" 
"How do I get to the Nightosphere?" I asked quietly. 
Gumball froze, and Bryce cocked his head at me. "The what now?" 
"The-the Nightosphere. She mentioned it. It's where she took him, I need to go there!" 

"Calm down." Gumball walked over and handed me a muffin. "Honoria will not hurt Marshall. He's notoriously tight-lipped about her, but I know that much. He'll likely pop up again soon." 
"She-she said something about him getting married... please, just tell me how to get to him!" 
Bryce rose from his chair, wrapping an arm around Gumball's waist. "I'd be that upset if you were carried off like that." 

Gumball glared at him. "We agreed never to speak of that incident again." 
"And I didn't. You did." Bryce laughed, before pulling Gumball into a kiss. 
My heart constricted. Bryce was reminding me too much of Marshall, and they were so happy together and I... I needed him. 

"Just wait it out." Gumball recommended. 
I curled my hands into fists, feeling my nails dig into my palm. I nodded once. "Thank you."