PAW Patrol: Marshall Gone Missing.

Chapter 43

One by one, they all came in. Marshall sat there on the bed, doing his best to keep calm and not lash out in anger or hug his friends in tears. He saw the nervous and guilty looks they were giving him, but he had to make sure. For a long time, there was no talking.

Finally, Chase stepped forward. "Marshall, we-"

"Stop," ordered Marshall, holding out his paw. Chase obeyed and stood down. Marshall closed his eyes. "Before we talk. Before you tell me how sorry you are. Before you do anything. Let me get something out of the way." Marshall took a deep breath and, for the first time in his entire life, spoke in anger. "You betrayed me!"

The five winced, but continued to stand as Marshall let out everything he had been holding in for so long. "How could you say all those mean things to me?! After everything we've been through?! I trusted you! I loved you all! I thought of you as family, and you stab me in the back! Yes, I make mistakes! Yes, I am a klutz! But at least I don't tell my friends they are annoyances or worthless!" He growled, showing is teeth as he got up and stood before the whimpering pups, who were already tearing up.

"I would do anything for you five! Anything! Especially you, Chase!" shouted Marshall glaring at the Police Pup. "I was there when your dad died! I was there for you all the way! You were my brother! And yet you yelled at me like I was... I was... some kind of criminal!" He barked in anger. "I ran away because I felt that I wasn't needed by any of you and I almost died doing so! Yeah, running away was stupid, but so was bullying me!"

Marshall continued to huff and puff, but there was also something else he was doing that caught the eyes of the Pups. He was crying.

Tears leaked down from his eyes as he lowered his head, muttering, "But... I can't hate you. Any of you. Every time I try, I just think about all the fun times we have had together growing up. All the missions we did, and the lives we helped. I think about how much we've grown close, and I want to believe that feeling is still there. I want to still love you five, even though you hurt me."

Their ears perked as Marshall continued, "I... I heard everything of what you pups did when I left. I want to know, right now from each of you, why did you do that? Why go through a storm and fight a bear just to bring me home? You made it clear you didn't think I was fit for the Paw Patrol anyway."

Rubble was the first to answer. "Because you're our buddy!" They all glanced at him. "What we did... it was stupid! Apollo was just a TV show, and we shouldn't have said those things to you, Marshall! It was wrong! We were wrong, and when we realized what we did..." Rubble sniffed as he began to tear up. "When we thought we lost you... it felt like... like nothing we would ever do would make up for our mistake. That nothing would ever make you happy again."

"Rubble's right," said Rocky, lowering his head. "We're ashamed of what we did. There's nothing wrong with being clumsy, we've lived with it for so long and we love you for being you. When I thought you were dead, Marshall, I... I prayed that you were still alive. I offered anything to see you again, even drowning myself in water if it meant having you back." Rocky walked over, and gently licked Marshall's cheek. "Do you remember when you took care of me when the others dealt with those bullies? You stood by me, and I let you down. I promise that will never happen again."

Before Marshall could answer, he was tackled by a crying Zuma much to everyone's surprise. The sobbing chocolate labrador held him tight and didn't dare let go. "Please tell me it's real. Please tell me that you're still alive."