AN: People wanted an epilogue and I delivered. I didn't want to stop writing because I enjoyed writing this story, but all good things must come to an end. Enjoy this chapter and as I promised a while ago, this is the final chapter and it contains a LEMON. Yes, it's hardcore but not like every other story out there. It's similar to chapter 11.

Much More Than Maternal

Epilogue

One Year Later

A year had come and gone and for Nicole and Gumball, who were now finally reunited, the love that blossomed between the two cats continued to thrive, despite the knowledge of the disdain society has for such a union. Though the first few weeks after Nicole's return to her real home had been tense on account of the lingering fear of another betrayal, the two lovers were happy to watch as the family slowly became accustomed to the two being a couple. During the past months, Nicole had also noticed a significant change in her husband.

He was now an entirely different person, though old habits do die hard. Sure, he still spent an inordinate amount of time with his face glued to the television, but the way he was so attentive to everyone's needs made Nicole incredibly proud. He was there for anyone, even Gumball and Nicole, if they ever needed someone to talk to.

Richard was well aware of the fact that his actions were too late to be of any real value to his marriage and this tidbit of knowledge did cause the man pain. But the smiles he was putting on his family's faces was more than enough to ease Richard's suffering. The pain still lingered within the man she had called her husband, it was to be expected and Nicole had made it clear to her husband that she was available if he ever wanted to talk.

In fact, on the very night Richard had allowed her to come back , he had come to her in search of reassurance. Worries over Gumball becoming jealous were quickly quashed when the young boy himself gave Nicole his blessing to comfort her husband. Of course, there was nothing intimate done but Nicole always had a certain way with words and that proved to be the very thing for the grief stricken man who was slowly, but surely, coming to terms with their mother/son relationship.

Today had been a particularly dull day for the city of Elmore and the sun was beginning its descent, throwing long shadows across the city as it disappeared behind the horizon. On an unassuming street, a young cat was walking home, school had finished for the day. A bitter wind blew through the street and the cat bowed his head to shield his eyes. Gumball drew his hoodie tighter, the cold was annoyingly strong today and he longed to sit in his mother's lap and draw her arms around him. His wish would soon become a reality, Gumball was only a few meters from his home and the eager cat sped up his walking.

He could see his mother's car parked on the roadside and he couldn't resist smiling. Another early day, though he knew she was only taking early days so she could be with him longer. The wind blew again, sending a wave of leaves over Gumball and he pulled his hoodie even tighter around himself.

The leaves were dead and they crunched under his feet as he walked, the sound was quite loud in the silence that hung around the street. Gumball shivered, the cold was almost biting now and he sped up again, eager to be in his warm home. School had been spectacularly boring, as it usually is for the cat, and Gumball wanted nothing more than to embrace his mother in an affectionate hug. His heartbeat picked up speed as Gumball stepped onto the front lawn of his home.

He felt butterflies in his stomach and Gumball smirked, knowing Nicole was only a few paces away would always do this to him. He reached for the doorknob, the cold metal chilled his bare palm and he opened the door, striding into the warmth that welcomed the boy like a long-lost friend.

Nicole heard the door open from the kitchen and she came out to greet her son, throwing a hand-towel onto the counter before she left. Seeing Gumball sent her heart aflutter, she could've swooned if she truly wanted to and Gumball removed his hood to smile at his mother. Nicole swept her son into a hug and without a single word, kissed him as hard as she could. He pushed back against her lips with infinite want and Gumball purred when Nicole broke away, he loved her way of saying hello. Their open display of affection was noticed by Richard, who smiled brilliantly at the pair.

"Have a good day, son?," Richard stepped up beside Nicole, he sounded quite jovial.

"It was boring, Ms. Simian's classes always drag on," Gumball said, he looked back and forth between his parents as he spoke.

"I agree, she's not the kind of person you'd want to spend all day with cooped up in some small room," Nicole said, nodding in agreement.

Gumball squeezed past his parents and headed for the kitchen. "You can say that again, Mom."

"Wait, honey, did you do as I asked about your brother?"

Gumball turned and smiled. "Of course, Mom. I'm in his debt for life. I'd do anything to help him after what he did for us."

Nicole watched him disappear into the kitchen before turning to Richard, the man smiled at her. "How have you been feeling, Richard?

"Nicole, I'm fine, believe it or not. Seeing you and Gumball being affectionate is still kinda weird, but it doesn't bother me anymore," he sat in front of the television and turned it on.

"Richard, if you ever want to talk, I'm here whenever you need me."

He waved her away, smiling. "I know you are but I'm okay, really."

"My offer still stands, Richard. Don't forget that," she spun on her heel and went after her son.

She found Gumball at the sink, a near drained can of soda was clutched in his hand. He heard her come in and turned, downing the rest of his drink in one go. Nicole returned to the cooking pot on the stove, the sound of a cupboard opening behind her was followed by the crinkling of the trash bag. A second later, Gumball had his arms around her waist and Nicole moved her free hand down to pet his cheek.

"Hungry, are we?," she asked, she knew the answer before Gumball even opened his mouth.

He leaned into his mother, his grip around her waist tightening. "You know the answer, Mom.

"Well, it's almost done, you won't have long to wait," she ran her hand over his head as she spoke.

Gumball poked her in the side with his chin. "We had that sex education class today and afterwards, we had a test. I got an A."

Nicole's attention left the bubbling pot and focused on her son. "Well done, Gummypuss. All though, I'm not at all surprised you passed."

"Yeah, you taught me everything that was on the test. Anything else you got in that head of yours you'd like to teach me?"

"A couple of things, but they're for when we're alone," she kissed him before returning to the stove.

"Well, it's a Friday so we can stay up all night and, you know, enjoy each other."

"Not tonight, honey. I have some things I need to do early in the morning and I'd prefer to be able to walk tomorrow," Nicole turned the stove off and began searching for plates.

"I'm not that good, Mom," Gumball opened a drawer and started collecting spoons, he was smiling at his mother.

"You're getting much better, especially with that tongue of yours."

Gumball gave her a blank stare. "Tease."

She laughed and blushed at her son as Gumball left to set the table. Ever since she'd come back, Nicole had only fallen more in love with her son and she never missed an opportunity to show him just how much he meant to her. Though the physical kind of love that's done between the sheets was what she usually chose to do with him, it had been a very long time since they'd had a date. Their first date had been their only one so far and Nicole had tried to find an appropriate time for just the two of them.

Unfortunately, she had failed in that account, the Rainbow Factory had just taken on a huge contract with one of the Yoshida's clients and everyone was clamoring to get it done before its coming deadline. For the past three weeks, Nicole would return home exhausted and would forgo spending time with her son, instead throwing herself onto her bed to sleep.

She would awake hours later consumed by guilt, she was afraid she was hurting Gumball. But one night, as she had woken with the familiar guilt inside building in her, she'd quickly come to the realization that the pillow in her arms wasn't a pillow in the first place, it was her son. He'd held her and told her he understood the amount of stress she was under from work, and on the heels of that, he had insisted that he wasn't upset.

After all, he had said, her job was important and if she needed to sleep after a stressful day instead of spending time with him, so be it. His complete understanding of her predicament had been surprising, she'd expected her son to be hurt and to realize he felt the exact opposite was a shock.

He'd kissed her afterwards and they'd had sex a little later into the night, it had been just as sweet as their first time and Gumball had actually managed to bring her to a third climax before he himself finished. He always took his time with her, it was maddeningly cute and on more than one occasion, she'd had to beg him to move faster or otherwise she would explode.

Gumball came back into the kitchen but Nicole was unaware of his presence, she was too caught up in her thoughts. Realizing his mother was miles away, Gumball went to her and gave her arm a friendly pat. Nicole gasped and turned, her expression of surprise changed to a bright smile when their gaze met.

"You all good, Mom?," he still had his hand on her arm and Nicole put her own over it.

"I'm fine, honey. Just got a little caught up in my head," she went back to the stove and started heaping food onto the waiting plates sitting on the counter.

"Are you still stressed over all the work you've been doing at your job? I'm right here if you need me."

She glanced over her shoulder at her son. "I'm aware of that, sweetie. Thank you."

"Mom, I care about you. I don't like seeing you stressed," he stepped up beside her and Nicole gave Gumball a sideways look, he put his arm around her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Gummypuss."

"Mom, you forget who you're talking to. I can sense when you're not yourself, talk to me."

Nicole sighed and placed the last bit of food on the final plate. He could read her like a book, she loved that about him. He always knew if she was upset or not and would deal with her accordingly. It was just who he was and that was why Nicole loved him.

Before speaking to her son, Nicole made sure the stove was turned completely off. When she had assured herself the appliance was completely shut off, Nicole turned her eyes to her son and the young cat gave her a wide, toothy grin.

"I've been so stressed lately and it's because of this damned stress that we haven't been spending much time together. I'm doing to you what your father did to me and I can't help feeling guilty over it."

Gumball threw his other arm around her, he was now hugging her waist and he gazed up at her. He was smiling, but Nicole could see how worried he was for her.

"Mom, listen to me. I don't mind it one bit, your job is the only thing putting food on the table because, let's face it, if Dad ever got another job the universe would implode."

"But I want to spend more time with you, I don't want you to feel like I'm ignoring you," Nicole faced her son and threw her arms around him.

He kissed her cheek. "I know you, Mom. You wouldn't do that to me, I'm not worried and you shouldn't be either."

"What did I ever do to deserve someone as understanding as you?," Nicole said, she kissed him briefly and her son blushed.

"You're a pretty sensational mother so I guess it'd have to be that," a high pitched voice said from the entrance.

Anais stepped forward into the light, she smoothed out her orange dress then smiled at the two cats. Nicole picked her daughter up and hugged her, the young girl happily returned the hug with a content sigh.

"I love your hugs," Anais whispered, she tucked her head underneath Nicole's chin.

"And I love giving them," Nicole said, she reinforced her sentence by tightening her arms around the girl.

"It's good to see that you've come around, Anais," Gumball said as he stepped up beside his mother.

"Now that I've been able to watch you two be together, I can see how happy you really are and I won't step between you again, it'd be wrong to break you apart."

Nicole kissed Anais on the forehead then set her down. "That's wonderful to hear, honey. Gumball and I both know how strange it was at first."

"How has Dad been coping with everything?," Anais pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the living room, Richard could be heard laughing.

"He's coming along well and I'm so proud of him, but he still has a long way to go, I'm afraid. I've caught him crying a few times and I've comforted him as best I can but we all know that losing me has devastated him," Nicole said, she was clearly worried for her husband.

"Really? When was he crying?," Gumball raised a surprised eyebrow at his mother.

Nicole thought for a second, the memory came to her without much difficulty. "Last Wednesday was the most recent one. He is still upset over the breakup and in a way, so am I. All we can do is be there for him and give him the support he needs."

"He doesn't seem sad."

Nicole turned to Anais, sighing dismally. "He hides it from you three. He doesn't want any of you worrying about him."

"Do you still love him?," Gumball blurted out, his voice masked his worry rather poorly.

"Of course, but it isn't the love you and I share. I'm yours and I always will be," she kissed her son to comfort him, it seemed to work because he smiled.

Anais spoke up then, she sounded uncertain. "So he's just family to you?"

"He's not just family, he's also the man who gave me my three wonderful children. I'll always love him for that."

Gumball and Anais smiled at their mother who smiled back.

"Come on, guys. Let's have dinner," Nicole said, she picked up two plates and handed them to the kids.

The small pair were gone in a hurry and Nicole followed them out, her hands laden with the three remaining plates. Darwin and Richard were already seated at the table, the smell must have brought them in like moths to a flame and Nicole slid a plate to each of them. With a hearty thanks, they dug in ravenously as Nicole took her seat beside Gumball. The family ate in relative silence, the only sound was the occasional clinking of a spoon on a plate.

The happy couple would occasionally throw each other a small, shy glance, which was quickly followed by a series of not so quiet giggles. They were halfway through their dinner when Anais spoke up.

"How has high school been treating you, Gumball?," the aforementioned cat laughed as he put his full spoon down.

"It's somewhat the same, sis. Except the classes are harder."

"Is Ms. Simian still your teacher?"

Gumball nodded, frowning. "Unfortunately, yes. I thought I'd be rid of her once I started high school."

"Wait, she's your teacher? Why aren't we in the same class?," Darwin asked, he looked unhappy.

"Different classes at different times, dude. It doesn't make it suck any less though."

"Yeah, without you in the same class, school is isn't as much fun as it used to be."

"You and Gumball can still have fun during lunch, honey," Nicole said, she gave the fish a reassuring smile.

"But it's not for very long."

"I know you like spending time with your brother and you can always play here at home after school," Nicole finished her dinner and sat back, putting an arm over Gumball's chair.

Darwin didn't answer, instead he returned to his dinner. Richard was the first to move, his chair squeaked loudly as he got to his feet.

"That was a great dinner, Nicole," he said, he wasn't lying, he had finished his plate in mere seconds.

"Thank you, Richard. I appreciate it."

"See you in the morning," he said, waving as he trudged upstairs.

Before anyone could answer the man, Anais jumped from her seat as well. "Yeah, I'm off too."

"Okay, don't forget to brush your teeth, honey."

"I won't, Mom. Good night."

The three bid the bunny good night as she left and Nicole watched as Darwin yawned, he blinked a few times tiredly. Nicole began to gather the plates together and she patted her adopted son on the back.

"You seem tired, sweetheart. Go to bed."

"Do I have to? It is a Friday."

"If you want to stay up, you can. I won't stop you, honey," Nicole took the fish's empty plate and left him with Gumball.

Gumball turned to his brother and grinned widely. "Wanna play a game?"

"Sure!," Darwin's mood seemed to brighten at his brother's suggestion and he was off before Gumball could leave his chair.

From the kitchen Nicole could hear the two boys laughing and she smiled to herself. A little after Gumball had started high school, he and Darwin had been separated and this obviously didn't go over well with the emotional fish. Nicole could remember the day they had come back, Darwin had been on the very verge of tears and Nicole had immediately assumed someone was bullying the poor fish. After some carefully selected questions and hugs, Nicole finally got to the root of the fish's problem.

She sympathized with the boy, he was genuinely upset over the fact he hadn't been able to spend all day with his brother. This made Nicole glow inside, Darwin's clear love for his brother was profoundly cute and she had made sure to give the fish an extra hug. She had made it clear to him that even though they hadn't been able to hang out during the day, nothing stopped them from going ballistic at home.

This did perk the fish up, but the repeated days without Gumball were wearing on the fish, Nicole could see this. Just last night, Nicole had spoken to Gumball in an effort to make him spend as much as time as he could with Darwin and Gumball had agreed with 'd admitted he was also missing the things he and Darwin would get up to, he found school boring without his brother. Nicole had told Gumball to be there for his brother because after all, he had already done more than enough for them.

Nicole had said no more that night, she felt like she'd said enough and they'd gone to sleep in each other's arms. Though this night's events had shown Darwin was still upset over school, at least Gumball was putting in an effort to cheer the fish up and that made Nicole proud. The two boys were still playing their games when Nicole came out from the kitchen.

The dished were done and now she was looking forward to some quality time with her two sons. She joined the boys on the couch, even though their game did not interest her in the slightest. Being with them was what really interested her and as she got comfortable, Gumball gave her a friendly nudge in the side.

"How was your day, Mom?"

Nicole threw her arm around Gumball's shoulders. "Stressful, we had another setback at work today and Mr. Yoshida was not happy."

"I heard Masami talking about that before you picked me up. She said there would be lay offs if the contract fell through," Darwin said, he paused the game to peer at the two cats.

"And that is exactly why I've been so stressed. If something goes wrong and I lose my job, things could get very bad for us."

Gumball placed a warm hand on Nicole's thigh. "It won't come to that, Mom. You're good at fixing things, I mean look at what you did with our family. I'm sure you can figure something out at your job."

"I hope so, sweetheart. There's a lot riding on this contract."

"I know you can do it, Mom. The whole family is beside you, especially me."

Nicole gave her son a kiss and he nearly dropped his controller in his haste to throw an arm around her. They broke apart slowly, both cats had forgotten about Darwin's presence.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better, don't you?," Nicole whispered, she was smiling and Gumball joined her.

Before Gumball could answer, Darwin piped up. "Mrs. Mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, honey. Ask away," she moved and sat between the two boys.

"How did you find the courage to tell Gumball about your feelings?"

Nicole thought for a second, she made eye contact with Gumball and the boy blushed. "I didn't really have the courage to tell him so instead of telling him, I showed him."

"You mean the kiss I saw?"

"That's right, honey. The very same kiss you saw on the back porch a year ago was our first kiss," Gumball gave Nicole a peck on the cheek and she looked down at him happily.

"Pity I was too surprised to enjoy it," Gumball said, Nicole giggled at him and hugged him closer.

"Are you still scared about people finding out? Also, Granny Jojo doesn't know about you two," Nicole hugged the fish tightly and he fell silent.

"Of course I am, it's been a wonderful year with my son but I still worry about being caught. And concerning Granny Jojo, she's not here enough to deserve an explanation so we needn't worry," Nicole was smiling despite how scary the thought of losing Gumball was to her.

"I just don't want to see you two broken up, that's all."

"Dude, I think Mom and I are going to be okay. We were kinda worried about how we were going to tell you, Dad and Anais but now that all three of you know and accept us, there really isn't anything to worry about," Gumball said, he leaned across Nicole's lap to slug his brother in the shoulder.

"I suppose. I just hate seeing everyone upset."

"We know, sweetie. You're a very caring person," Nicole said soothingly and Darwin nodded approvingly.

"I take after the best," he said, laughing.

Nicole turned to Gumball and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to bed now, don't stay up too late, okay?"

They boys answered her with a happy laugh as they resumed their game. Drowsily, Nicole got to her feet and went to the room she shared with her son. Today had been exhausting and she needed the sleep. She stopped at the door momentarily to look back at her son and she saw him staring right back. She waved and he pantomimed a kiss, Nicole smiled and headed for her waiting bed.

As his mother's shapely figure slipped into his bedroom, Gumball turned to the glowing television and restarted the game. Darwin was winning but Gumball wasn't going to admit defeat, he'd claw his way to victory if he had to. Despite his best efforts, Darwin was crowned the victor after a good hour and a half and Gumball slapped the fish on the back with a congratulatory hand.

"Well done, Darwin."

"Heh, thanks. I suppose we should go to bed, huh?"

Gumball shook his head. "Not right now, dude. Gotta talk first."

"Oh? About what?"

"Tomorrow."

The fish raised a perplexed eyebrow."What's so special about tomorrow?"

"Check the date, man. Tomorrow marks the day when Mom and I had our first kiss. We got together on the same day so it's basically our one year anniversary and I want to make it special for her."

"Just tell me what you need."

"Thanks, man, but you don't need to do anything huge. I just need you to be there for Dad."

Darwin's expression became puzzled again. "Why?"

"Because Mom and I are going to spend all of tomorrow together and we'll probably be all affectionate. I want you to be there for Dad. He's still not over losing Mom and I don't want him upset. He's been hurt enough already."

"Understood, I'll see if Anais wants to help me. Things will probably go over smoother with her help."

Gumball drew his brother into a hug. "Thanks, Darwin. I knew I could count on you."

"I'll always help you out. I mean, you skipped class to hang out with me today. You were caught, but the gesture was really nice."

Gumball jumped from the couch and turned to the happy fish. "You've done more for me than I'll ever be able do for you. I'll be forever thankful, Darwin."

Darwin didn't answer, instead he left the couch and hugged his brother. "I wanted to help you and Mrs. Mom, that's all."

"Don't be modest, man. You saved our whole family. Mom and I are grateful for what you've done."

"It's what I do," Darwin replied happily.

With one hand, Gumball turned the TV off and with the other, he patted his brother on the back. They trudged to the stairs, they separated into their alternate paths and they paused to wish each other a good night before heading for their respective bedrooms.

The mattress dipped underneath her lax body and the sleeping cat awoke from her dreamless sleep. With a groggy mind, Nicole raised her head to see what had caused the sudden movement that had wrenched her from her peaceful doze. A familiar pair of lips met hers and she instinctively pushed against them, her still sleepy brain failed to register their taste. A small figure discreetly slid under the covers beside her and Nicole wrapped her arms around her son. After they were settled in, Nicole yawned loudly and Gumball shuffled closer to his mother.

"Sorry, Mom. Didn't mean to wake you."

Nicole's reply was a kiss on the back of the boy's head. "It's okay, sweetie. Now that you're here, I'll be back to sleep in seconds."

"It's just you've been so stressed about your job. You need as much rest as you can get."

She kissed him on the back of the head again. "Gumball, it's okay. Just be there for me, it's all I ask."

"I will, Mom, I promise."

"Thank you, honey," Nicole pressed her body against Gumball's back and the boy froze.

Judging from the softness of her chest, his mother didn't have anything on. His mouth went dry at the thought and his body began to surge with powerful currents of electricity.

"Uh, Mom? Are you naked?," she giggled at him and drew the boy even closer.

"Not completely, I took my shirt off because it was too hot, I still have a pair of panties on."

Nicole slipped her hand down Gumball's chest, her exploring fingers stopped to toy with the waistband of his shorts. With one calm and fluid motion, Nicole shuffled forward a little and kissed her son on the neck. Her breath tickled at him and Gumball shuddered in her arms. Nicole suddenly felt wide awake as she whispered to her son.

"Why do you ask, sweetie? Do you want me naked?"

He was shocked into silence as Nicole's fingers slipped into his pants to tease him. He shivered again and Nicole kissed him on the neck, the boy hadn't said a peep yet but Nicole could tell what was running through his mind. As her fingers enclosed around Gumball's rapidly hardening member, the young boy finally managed to choke out an answer to his waiting mother.

"I thought you didn't want to have s-," Nicole stopped him with a squeeze, he exhaled sharply and she smirked.

Her deepening lust was ordering her to act and Nicole nuzzled her cheek against Gumball. "Well, you did just say I am under a lot of stress and I think we both need some relief, don't you?"

Gumball swallowed audibly, his whole body was slowly being consumed by desire from the inside out. "I don't need any relief, it's you who does."

"Oh come on, honey. You and I both know how hard high school has been since you started, all the tests and new classes. Don't you want some relief?," at the final word, Nicole's hand began to move in his pants and Gumball's breath caught in his throat.

Nicole began to deliberately tease the boy, it had been a while since their last time together and she dropped her voice to a seductive whisper. Her voice sent tingles down Gumball's back and the lusting cat realized his hips were moving in time with his mother's hand. A low sigh escaped him and he turned his face to Nicole, who seized the opportunity to kiss him. After they broke apart, Nicole could see the lust twinkle brightly in his eyes and she moved closer until their lips were barely touching.

"Tell me what you want, honey."

"I want you," he whispered, and Nicole answered him with another deep kiss that drew a delighted moan from the young cat.

Gumball had moved to his back as they were kissing, he was still moving against her hand which was still down his pants. Nicole removed her hand and straddled him, she could feel his excitement growing between her legs. It was highly arousing for the mother and Nicole began to grind herself into him. Gumball gasped underneath her in pleasure and his hands found their way to her hips. Even in the dark, Nicole could see the faces Gumball was pulling and she fell onto him to kiss the boy.

His breathing was ragged and he returned her kiss with power, his hands left her hips to play with her breasts. Nicole sat up and resumed grinding herself into him again, he bucked under her instinctively and their respective movements made her moan. Gumball's voice floated to her and Nicole stopped to listen.

"Mom, I want to see you. Can I turn the light on?"

"Of course, honey. It'd be better, I think."

There was no reply but Nicole could feel him moving under her. There was a soft shuffling, followed by a click then Nicole's vision went white. She shut her eyes tightly, both cats groaning in pain. The lamp hadn't been very bright to begin with, though both cats had been looking directly at it when it turned on. After allowing her eyes to adjust to the light, Nicole opened her eyes. Gumball had already been staring at her and she blushed like a teenager, he smiled at her when he noticed her blush.

"You're cute when you do that," he said and Nicole leaned down, placed her elbows on either side of his head and kissed him.

After pulling away, Gumball's mouth found its way to her chest and Nicole used a hand to steady herself when he latched on to her nipple. He pulled with his teeth and Nicole sighed, his other hand was busy playing with her other nipple. Having both breasts stimulated at once was a new thing for her and Nicole had to stifle a rather loud moan, the pleasure was too much for her. He switched nipples but Nicole barely noticed, her mind was too fogged with pleasure for her to take stock of reality.

After what felt like years of this treatment, Nicole gazed down at her son who was still busy suckling on her breast.

"Want to continue with the foreplay or do you want to get right to it, sweetheart?"

He stopped and looked up at her, he thought her question over before answering. "What do you want to do?"

"I have no problems getting right to it, honey. But if you want to take your time, I'm fine with that too."

"We don't get much time to be alone together like this, Mom. I want to do this for as long as we can," his hands had traveled to her hips as he spoke.

She kissed him deeply, then sat back so he could remove his shirt. "I couldn't agree with you more, honey."

"I've missed being with you like this," he dropped his shirt over the edge and Nicole leaned down over him again.

"I've missed your touch as well, sweetheart. I know we've both been too busy for each other but I promise it'll get easier with time."

"I realize that, Mom. It gets hard sometimes though," she placed a hand to his cheek and he looked at her shyly.

"We may not have the time for each other during the day but we can always spend some time together before bed."

They shared a kiss as Nicole expertly slipped his shorts off and threw them to the floor. Clad in his underwear, Gumball couldn't help blushing at his mother.

"Or in bed," Nicole added as she sat back and removed her panties, allowing Gumball to do the same with his undies.

Now both completely naked, the two cats cuddled together, content with each other's presence. Nicole sighed, being intimate with Gumball was therapeutic and she held him close to her chest. He didn't seem to mind this and he wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. After some time had passed, Nicole felt her son fidget against her and she opened her eyes to see him slip a finger inside her.

The unexpectedness of it turned her on greatly, and she pushed back against his roaming finger, her breaths coming out in small gasps. He was searching for her G-spot but he was finding it difficult from the way they were positioned.

"Hang on, sweetie. Let me get into a better position," she moved to her back and without her saying so, Gumball moved between her splayed legs.

As Nicole gave her son an encouraging look, he returned to his prior act and this time, he slid not one, but two fingers into her. Nicole scrunched her eyes closed as the pleasure struck her, albeit stronger than before and she gasped. She could feel him searching around inside her again and this time, he was able to locate what he had been looking for. She went stiff on his fingers, the pleasure was like lightning and Nicole grabbed a handful of the sheets to steady her drowning mind.

Without a word, Gumball removed his fingers and before Nicole could chastise him for teasing her, he had pressed his tongue to her clit. As the beginnings of an orgasm began to engulf her mind, Gumball's fingers re-entered her and pressed on her G-spot. This amplified her pleasure and Nicole ran her hands over her sensitive breasts, she would moan every time Gumball flicked her clit with his tongue.

Her orgasm was building to unfathomable levels, he was moving painstakingly slow and Nicole tried to say something but a moan stole her words from her before she could speak them. His fingers and tongue changed places and Nicole grunted as he pinched her clit between two fingers. His tongue probed into her deeply as he squeezed her clit again. As he pulled at her clit, Nicole felt sure she would pass out if her orgasm were to proceed and she bit down hard to smother her scream.

The pleasure was now monumental to her, she was begging him to finish her off yet no words left her, only whimpers and moans. Then mercifully, Nicole's orgasm finally gave way and the resulting release flooded her senses with pleasure so powerful, she could feel every single nerve in her body sizzle with the fire from the explosion within her. Gumball didn't stop when she had come and this sent aftershocks through her, each one felt like a miniature orgasm as they shot through her like fireworks.

It took Nicole a while to come down from that high, it had to have been one of the most powerful orgasms she'd ever had. As she opened her eyes, Nicole saw how hard she'd been gripping her sheets and she had to pull a claw or two from them. From between her legs, Gumball looked at her and laughed.

"I love the faces you pull when you come," he went around and snuggled up to her.

"You pull them too," Nicole shot back, blushing at him.

"But I don't look as pretty as you."

"I don't know about that, sweetie. You looked pretty cute whenever I've made you come," Nicole noticed his dick twitch at this and she giggled quietly.

He laughed along with her and Nicole hugged him close, her whole body still tingled from her exceptional orgasm. Gumball kissed her on the neck and she wrapped her hand around his dick as she pushed him onto his back. She had him in her mouth before Gumball could breathe and he grunted loudly, his whole body went stiff beneath her. As she raked her teeth over his trembling dick, Nicole looked at him and saw he was looking at her, his face creased with pleasure. She removed him from her mouth momentarily and smiled as she stroked him.

"Does it feel nice, honey?"

He dropped his head down onto the bed. "It's incredible."

She giggled at her son before returning her mouth to his waiting dick.

Running her tongue in circles around his tip made Gumball jump and he twitched madly before her, every breath he took would come out in a cute mewl. She began to press her tongue to the underside of his cock as she ran her teeth over the top, her hand would stroke what her lips could not reach. He was twitching crazily in her mouth and Gumball gasped out a strained warning.

"Mom, I'm going to come if you keep doing that."

She slowed down to tease him, Gumball knew this and he groaned. She giggled at her son's frustration and Nicole took her mouth from his dick.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Gumball shook his head. "Not at all, Mom. Come up here."

She climbed over him and kissed him, he pushed back and moaned into her mouth.

"Want me on top, honey?"

He nodded and Nicole positioned herself over him and he gave her a small smile, he knew what awaited him. With infinite care, she sunk onto his dick, relishing the feeling of him filling her. Gumball's hands immediately went to her hips as Nicole continued to lower herself onto him until he was completely inside her. Nicole moaned briefly before leaning down to kiss the boy, who was lost in the mists of pleasure that blanketed his mind.

"I'll never get over how good this feels," he croaked, and Nicole kissed his neck lightly as she grinded into him.

"It's quite something, isn't it?," Nicole replied, she moved to look into his eyes.

"Yeah, I especially like the way you move when I'm inside you."

"What? Like this?," she gripped him tightly with her inner muscles and Gumball gasped, he smiled at her lustfully.

"Yeah, like that."

Every time Nicole would descend, Gumball would buck his hips to meet her and this would force his dick deeper into her. He was touching her in places she'd never dreamed of and watching him grunt and groan underneath her was highly erotic. The small mewls of pleasure coupled with the faces he'd pull drove Nicole's body into a frenzy and she sunk onto him completely. She remained still, her inner walls milked Gumball's dick with ferocity. He spasmed underneath her and grunted, he was much too sensitive and Nicole eased off a little and rose halfway up his shaft, only stopping to kiss him.

His eyes had taken on a glazed look and he smiled at her dumbly, she smiled back before resuming her movements on his cock. Her orgasm had already been trailing behind her but it was steadily catching up, Nicole could feel the tell-tale tingles in her mid-section. Gumball looked about ready to explode himself and the hands on Nicole's hips tightened their grip.

"Mom, I don't think I'll be able to hold on for much longer," his breathing was ragged as he spoke and Nicole kissed his cheek to calm him.

With that, Nicole brought him to the hilt in her and began to rhythmically move her muscles around his dick like waves. As Gumball's breathing became more labored, Nicole drew level with the boy and smiled seductively. She stopped massaging his dick and Gumball was grateful for the momentary reprieve, though he didn't show it.

"How close are you, honey?"

Gumball's opened his eyes and sighed before answering his mother. "Like, right on the edge. If you keep doing what you're doing, I'll come."

"Then do it, Gummypuss. Come inside me," she kissed him and at the same time, she picked up where she left off.

Gumball's eyes snapped shut again instantly, he gasped and his hands dug deeply into her hips. He was now bucking into her in wild, uncontrolled thrusts and in doing this, he was making Nicole's own orgasm approach even faster. Gumball's hands left her hips to wrap themselves around her waist and she pressed herself into him harder, wanting him to go even deeper.

"I'm almost there, Gummypuss, I'm going to come."

He didn't provide any indication if he heard her or not, but he did pick up his pace. Nicole dropped her face into the crook of his neck, her own moans fought Gumball's for dominance. They looked into each other's eyes for a split second and Gumball moved to kiss her, their meeting lips finally brought Nicole to her climax. As the explosion of white hot pleasure inundated Nicole, her spasming pussy successfully pushed her groaning son to his orgasm.

As she felt the first searing shot of his seed enter her, Nicole groaned from deep within her throat as she kissed her son as hard as she could. He would thrust into her with every spasm, their groans sounded loud enough to travel between walls, but neither of the cats bothered themselves with this thought.

As the pair came down from their orgasms, Nicole moved to her son's side and pulled him into a hug. She could feel how warm he was and this was comforting to the mother. Gumball made a small sound and Nicole opened her eyes. Their eyes met and Nicole snuggled even closer, Gumball tucked his head under her chin and purred alongside his mother.

"I love you," Gumball said, and Nicole answered with a quiet purr.

"I love you too, sweetheart," she whispered, as she nuzzled up to the boy.

Both cats were exhausted and Gumball reached over to turn the lamp off. The darkness was cool and inviting, Nicole whispered a thank you to her son as she closed her eyes. He didn't answer, if he was asleep or not, Nicole didn't know. All that concerned her was how fast sleep was approaching and before the mother knew it, she was gone. And this time, she dreamed of her son. As the night slowly wore on, Nicole smiled in her sleep.

Hours later after the sun had risen, Nicole stirred from her sleep. She was sure someone had just kissed her but she wasn't one hundred percent sure. Better to ignore it and sleep, she was incredibly tired. There it was again, someone had pressed their lips to hers and Nicole's eyes snapped open. The room was filled with golden light and Gumball was beside her, he seemed to be in a rather jovial mood this morning.

With a curious mewl, Nicole moved to her elbow and gave her smiling son a tired smirk. They were both naked still, they hadn't bothered to dress themselves and Nicole realized that this little tidbit didn't bother her. Though it would be embarrassing if Darwin came blundering in, she really wasn't worried and she blinked to clear the gunk from her eyes.

Gumball pressed against her happily, he was purring deeply and Nicole purred back. Gumball chuckled and turned his eyes to hers, they were twinkling with happiness.

"Guess what day it is, Mom?"

"Saturday?"

"Well yeah, but today isn't just any Saturday. What happened a year ago today between you and I?"

Nicole thought harder and the memory came back so sharp, it may as well have happened yesterday.

"We shared our first kiss."

"Yes! It's our one year anniversary. How could you have forgotten?," Gumball's ears wilted in sadness.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I thought our anniversary was going off of the night we first made love."

"No, we had our first kiss and then we got together on the same day, one year ago. It's more fitting, isn't it?"

Nicole sat up and drew her son into a hug. "I have to agree with you. I mean, as you said, we did start our relationship on that day so I suppose that today is our anniversary."

Nicole gave the boy a kiss and in doing so, she pushed him onto his back. Their kiss did not break and Nicole enclosed her hand around his flaccid dick.

"Up for some celebratory sex, honey?"

He laughed at her, Nicole always was insatiable and this was especially true in the mornings. "Not right now, Mom. I'm too tired after last night."

Now that she actually stopped to think about it, Nicole did realize that her own exhaustion was bone deep and she nodded in agreement. She sat up on him and put her hands on her hips in a mock gesture.

"Well, since it's our anniversary, we'll need to go get each other presents and organize a date and-."

He stopped her with a smile. "Mom, calm down. I've already taken care of everything, I've done all there is to do. Except for the presents. Anyway, all you have to do today is rest because today is all about us."

With tears in her eyes, Nicole fell on the boy and kissed him deeply. Gumball held his shaking mother in an affectionate hug, both cats still hadn't considered the fact that they were still naked. Nicole gazed lovingly into her son's eyes and he gave her his trademark toothy grin in return.

Nicole buried her face into his neck and sobbed, she couldn't control herself, her emotions were getting the better of her. She lifted her teary face to her son, she smiled at the young boy and at that moment, she held no regrets for showing her feelings to Gumball.

"Sweetheart, to be honest, I thought you'd forget our first anniversary. I'm sorry but I was expecting you to miss it."

A glistening tear hung from Nicole's drenched cheek and Gumball wiped it away with his thumb. "Why would I miss it, Mom? Today is our special day. I'd never forget the day you and I started our relationship."

"Thank you for this, Gumball. I'm sorry I doubted you but to know you never forgot, well, let's just say that this means quite a lot to me."

He threw his arms around his mother's mid-section and gave her chin a playful nip. "I love you, Mom. I know how much these kinds of things mean to you and there's no way I'd forget our day."

Nicole was crying even harder now and she buried her face into her son's neck, he patted her side lovingly. Not even in her wildest dreams did Nicole ever expect this. She'd expected Gumball to completely forget their first anniversary and she did feel guilty about doubting him. She had been afraid that Gumball would regress and become the very same person his father had.

Even with her son's sleeping form beside her, the mere thought of her son changing kept her awake most nights. Without any hesitation, Nicole kissed her son again and she ran her claws down his chest, purring ever so quietly. He returned her loving kiss happily and as they broke apart, he smiled wildly.

"Come on, breakfast is waiting so I suppose we should get dressed, huh?"

Nicole looked down between them, her eyes fell on his dick and she felt a flash of arousal stir in her belly.

"Okay, you fine with sharing a shower?," she asked inquisitively.

Gumball chuckled at her and she blushed. "Sure, it saves water anyway."

Throwing on their pajamas, the two cats gathered their day clothes and went upstairs hand in hand. Surprisingly, nobody was awake even though it was getting close to eight thirty. Their shower took over fifteen minutes, both cats couldn't keep their hands off each other and they ended up losing track of time. After they had dried off, the happy couple went downstairs together. The TV was now on and they noticed Darwin seated at the couch.

The cartoons were on and a bowl filled with cereal sat in the fish's lap. Darwin saw the lovers and waved at them with his spoon, his mouth was much too full for him to speak.

Gumball motioned for Nicole to sit at the table and she did so, she was shaking with excitement. Gumball entered the kitchen and a second later, he came back out with a plate covered with pancakes. She took the plate from him with a thank you and Gumball laughed apologetically.

"I'd cook you something else, but pancakes are all I know."

Nicole shook her head and delivered a kiss to the boy's forehead. "They look perfect, honey. Don't worry."

As she took a bite, she realized that they were indeed cooked to perfection and Nicole hungrily took another bite. She loved the way she was being treated and Gumball left her alone as her went back into the kitchen. Again, he came out with another plate with pancakes and he took the seat beside her, the pancakes in front of him remained untouched for the time being.

"Sweetie, are you going to eat?," Nicole pointed at Gumball's plate with her fork.

"I will, I just can't get over how happy you look," at this, Nicole realized she had been smiling without her knowledge and she reached over to pat Gumball on the shoulder.

"Well, this is beautiful, honey. I am happy."

"And I love your smile, it's the prettiest part of you."

She blushed and purred softly, though Gumball was the only one that heard it. "Your eyes are your best part."

"Oh? Is it because they're the same color as yours?"

"Could be, sweetie. I enjoy losing myself in your eyes, I would do it all the time if I could," she gazed into his eyes as she spoke and she noticed how they twinkled before her.

"Come to think of it, your eyes are really pretty too," Gumball said, he punctuated this by leaning forward a little to get a better view of his mother's eyes.

"Look all you want, honey."

"I'll look more when we're alone," he gave Nicole a wink before turning to his breakfast.

As they ate, Richard came downstairs dressed in his bathrobe and upon seeing the two cats, he waved at them. He walked past them and disappeared into the kitchen, he was humming happily as he went by.

From the couch, Darwin continued to eat his breakfast. He heaped a spoonful into his mouth and burst into laughter at the TV. Richard appeared at the microwave, a bowl in his hand. Putting the bowl into the appliance, he hummed to himself as he pressed in his desired time. He leaned on the counter, sighing happily. Gumball noticed this and he lowered his fork from his mouth.

"Dad, you're in a good mood this morning," Richard chuckled softly at his son and smiled.

"I am, son. I did a great deal of thinking last night and I feel...," he paused to choose the relevant word. "Comfortable."

"Comfortable with what, Richard?," Nicole asked, the plate before her was empty.

"You and Gumball."

They gasped in unison and Richard slowly nodded in confirmation. He leaned himself over the counter even more until his chest was touching the surface.

"I made so many mistakes in our marriage, Nicole. I realize I wasn't the best husband and I apologize for ignoring you when you needed me," Gumball watched his mother as Richard spoke, her eyes had grown misty and she was smiling.

"Richard, I did my fair share of mistakes too."

Richard cleared his throat before continuing, he wanted to get everything off his chest. "I know we both made mistakes, and as a result of those mistakes, we ended up drifting apart. While it does pain me to lose you, I just want you and Gumball to know that I am not holding any grudges or hiding any resentment at all. I've been watching you two when you're together and the happiness I've witnessed is a sight to behold."

Nicole wiped her eyes with a shaky hand. "Richard, I'm at a loss for words. I never thought I'd hear you say these things."

"That's okay, I'm not done yet. I also realize how controversial your relationship is, and I want you to know that you have nothing to fear with me or anyone else telling someone about you two. Anais and I have agreed that there is no chance of either of you hurting the other, and we want you to know that in spite of how strange your relationship is, we accept it."

Gumball smiled shakily, hearing his father say these things was having a greater effect on him than he thought. "Dad, do you mean it?"

Richard pressed the release on the microwave and retrieved his bowl from the appliance's belly. Setting his steaming breakfast down, Ricahard abandoned the food to sit with the two cats. When the rabbit had taken his seat, he nodded at his son.

"I do, son. I'll always love your mother, but she made it clear that she wasn't happy and after thinking about it, she did show signs. I was too self-absorbed and I missed them. But now she has you and I've honestly never seen her so happy," Richard looked back and forth between the two crying cats as he spoke, his expression remained a happy one.

"I don't care you're in love with each other, not anymore anyway. You're happy and that's all I want for you, son. To see you grow up happy and if that means you have to be with your mother, then I truly have no problems with it."

"Dad, I-I have no idea what to say right now."

Nicole set a hand over her son's trembling shoulder as she smiled at her husband. "Thank you, Richard. You've made our day, if not the whole year."

"Nicole, I want this family to stay together. I do miss you but there are some things you can't change, and I can't and won't force you to stay with me. Also, I want to offer my support for you two for whatever problems you may have in the future," Richard replied, his eyes were becoming teary.

Gumball left his seat and without a word, threw himself at his father. Though Gumball's arms barely made it around his father, Richard was grateful for the hug and he put his arms around the boy.

"Thank you, Dad," Gumball said and Richard gave the boy a small pat on the head.

"I'm doing this for you and your mother. Just treat her right, son. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

"I won't, Dad. She means a great deal to me."

"I'll hold you to that promise, buddy. Now if you'd be so kind, I'll leave you and Nicole alone. You two have an anniversary to enjoy."

Nicole started to nod but stopped. "How do you know it's our anniversary?"

"I told him," Darwin said from the couch, he was waving his spoon around in their direction.

"When?," Gumball said and Darwin turned to face the trio.

"This morning. I woke Mr. Dad and told him about the anniversary."

From where he sat, Richard was nodding his head. "True and after Darwin had left, I got to thinking about everything, and you already know what decision I arrived at."

"You also mentioned Anais, when did you and her talk?," Nicole asked, she looked around for the young girl but didn't see her.

Richard was the one that answered the curious mother's question. "Last night after we went upstairs. We talked for a long while, I think she went to her room a little after midnight. So she's most likely still asleep."

"No, I'm awake," said Anais, who was drowsily walking down the stairs.

Nicole threw a glance at her daughter and she waved at her. "Come here, sweetie."

Anais bounded to her mother and the overjoyed mother pulled her daughter into a hug that made the young girl sigh blissfully.

"It's so good to have you back, Mom," Anais whispered and Nicole squeezed the girl tightly.

"It's good to be back, honey. I missed each and every one of you."

Darwin shuffled to the edge of the couch, his breakfast was finished and the empty bowl was clutched in one fin. "We all missed you."

"And thanks to you two, I was able to come back and be with Gumball."

From his seat, Gumball saw his mother glance at him from behind Anais. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I don't think any of us want it to be any other way," Richard said as he got up to get his breakfast.

Anais gave Nicole a small peck on the cheek before jumping from her lap to make herself breakfast. Nicole rubbed thoughtfully at the spot her daughter had kissed her and she sniffed back a tear.

"You all right?," Gumball said, he leaned over the table to whisper.

"I am, sweetheart. It's just a little overwhelming that the family finally accepts us."

"I know, it's surprising. But I am unbelievably happy to hear it."

Nicole moved over and kissed her son on his nose. "And so am I. I feel like a huge burden has been lifted and for the first time since we fell in love, I'm not scared of losing you."

"And neither am I, I feel that we are going to be just fine."

Nicole was delighted and she stood, Gumball followed his mother as she moved to the stairs.

"We're going out, we have a whole day to ourselves," she said, all three family members appeared.

"You two be careful," Richard said, he gave Nicole a wide grin.

Anais sat on the couch beside Darwin and after balancing a full bowl in her lap, she turned to Nicole. "Where're you going?"

"To the mall. I believe Gumball and I need to get ourselves some anniversary presents."

"We don't have to, Mom."

"Nonsense, I want to buy you something."

Gumball nodded, the prospect of a gift satisfied him and he decided to keep quiet.

"We'll be back around five, okay?"

"Stay out as long as you want, we'll all be here when you get back," Richard replied, he turned and vanished into the kitchen.

"We won't leave you, Mrs. Mom," Darwin piped up, he sat up on his knees to smile at the two cats.

Nicole nodded happily and went into her bedroom to fetch her keys. Upon returning, she threw her purse over her shoulder and pushed her son gently out the door as she gave the family a small wave. Gumball stopped Nicole before she could open her door and she turned to him, a smile on her face.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"What are you getting me?"

Nicole knelt down until she was level with her son. "I see no harm in telling you. I want to buy you a necklace, but not just any necklace. It'll have our initials engraved on it so we can always be together."

"Mom, that's sweet but I don't know what to get you."

Nicole reached into her purse and produced a gold chain from the bag's depths, a small locket was also attached to said chain. Though the locket was old, Gumball could see the faded roses engraved into the small heart-shape that glittered up at him. Nicole opened the locket and Gumball saw one half was empty, the other half held a photo of his mother of when she had been in her twenties.

"This was given to me by my mother on my wedding day. I was meant to put Richard's photo in it beside mine. But everything went south before I could and this side has remained blank for years, until now."

"You want my photo?," Gumball inquired and Nicole nodded.

"Yes, I want to take our photos today and I'll have them placed in here, side by side," Nicole shut and flipped the locket over. "And then, I'll have our names engraved here followed by the date we fell in love."

"Won't that be suspicious?"

Nicole shook her head. "Not at all, Gummypuss. I'm doing this for my son, who I love very much and I'll say the date is your birth-date. Simple!"

"Mom, that's still suspicious. I wasn't born last year."

Nicole nodded, she'd already thought of this. "That I know. I'm not having the year put in, just the day and month."

"I suppose that's okay."

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be careful, I don't want to lose you ever again."

Gumball nodded briefly. "I can't help but worry that I will lose you."

"Gumball, the family accepts us. We have nothing to worry about now. I love you and there's nothing that will break us apart."

"I believe you, Mom. I do."

Nicole kissed her son deeply, she had checked before moving and there was not a soul in the street. Gumball pulled back, surprised.

"Mom, not out here!"

"I checked before I moved, we're safe."

Trusting Nicole's judgment, Gumball threw his arms around her neck and returned her prior kiss with concentrated vigor. Nicole purred softly as she kissed back, she relished Gumball's taste and she pulled back to smile at him.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go before the mall fills up," she went around to the driver side and unlocked the car.

Gumball climbed in beside her and strapped his seat-belt on. Nicole caressed his cheek before starting the car.

If one had been walking down a certain street at a certain time and day, they would have seen a rather unimportant green car drive by. In this car were two cats and upon seeing them, one could have sworn that the two occupants were practically glowing with joy and in some ways, they were. The rift that had tearing the Wattersons apart had been sealed, though this hadn't been one person job.

The entire family had to do everything they could to fix their family and they did, without hesitation. Though the secret they all shared was strange, there was no doubt that they were happy and for the Wattersons, all was well.

AN: Honestly, I didn't want to stop and this got quite long. All good with me! Anyway, once again, a big thank you to all reviewers and everyone's feedback. It's helped me greatly. This is not my first fan-fic, but it is the first I posted. I do hope you enjoy this closing chapter. Apologies for any missed mistakes, it is 12:35 am here in Australia and I'm tired. I've pored for a good while and I can't see any mistakes though I won't be surprised if there's a few. Bastards can hide. Have a good night/day, guys. I'll see you next time!