Gumball sat in the main hall, legs crossed high, his nose buried in a book about baking. "Ooh, that is a recipe I shall have to try," He reached across the table, taking notes on a piece of paper. He startled when he heard a loud crack echoing across the sky. He looked up just in time to see rain pouring from the sky in torrents. He set the book on the table and crossed the room, looking out the window curiously. "That's unusual. I didn't realize rain was in the forecast for today." He studied the landscape. It was a terrible storm indeed. Water poured from the sky in a terrifying manner, and the wind blew the rain to where it was falling nearly horizontally. He leaned against the frame, thinking about Marshall. It seems like Marshall and I finally worked out our problems. The thought put him in excellent spirits.

Gumball tied his apron around his waist. Here I thought we would never resolve things. Gumball frowned and looked back out the window. Speaking of Marshall Lee, I wonder where he is. I haven't seen him for a few days. He measured out some flour, putting it into a bowl. Well, he tends to come and go anyway. The thunder crashed across the sky, startling Gumball. "Goodness," Gumball spoke up. "That's quite a storm." He looked out the window. The trees were doubled over, nearly snapped in half under the immense wind. "I hope all my candy citizens are safe."

Across Aaa, Marshall was slumped in the air, his head hanging down, chin pointed at the ceiling, eyes closed, deep in thought. Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here. He flew out the door and to the edge of the cave. The wind was howling fiercely outside and the trees were almost broken in half. Maybe it's time to go travelling again. I've done it before. Taken years to travel the world and see things. I don't know that settling down is really the thing for me. Issue is, I don't know how I'd tell Fionna. Or Gumball. I've disappeared from people's lives before. Maybe that's the best option for me.

Marshall stared out at the swirling, raging storm out ahead. The wind blew horizontally, beating at the trees already bent in half at the fierce wind. Experimentally, Marshall stuck his arm out in it. The raindrops pelted his skin like little volts of lightning, each one hurting worse than the last. He removed his arm, rubbing it. Everytime I get comfortable somewhere, it's time to leave it. And I've grown comfortable. Marshall looked up, calling the storm to produce a gigantic bolt of lightning, and with it came a truly terrific crash of thunder. Turmoil. I've travelled my whole life. It's beginning to get boring here. I don't do boring. Marshall retreated back into the cave, entering his house. He floated into the kitchen, and straight through, up to his room, grabbing his bass as he went. Of course, my leaving has nothing to do with Gumball and I. He tossed the bass on the bed. It's just time to go. He floated into the bathroom to take a bath. Drifting again. I wonder if they'll really miss me.

Once the storm had passed, Marshall wrote a small note, to tape to the door. He assumed Fionna would be by eventually, she always dropped by unexpected and uninvited. He stopped and took a look around his front room, looking around. Well, I guess that's goodbye. Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door.

Marshall set the note down on the coffee table and went to answer the door. He pulled it open and his eyes met whoever was standing at the other side. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "What are YOU doing here? I told you, get lost!" As he went to shut the door, sleep gas hit him with its full effect and his lifeless body collapsed onto the porch, a heavy thump as he collapsed.

"Cake. I'm bored." Fionna kicked her feet, lying on the floor on her stomach, the treehouse a total mess, with trash and clothes and living articles lying everywhere. "There's nothing to do!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Fionna, I am reading my soaps," Cake turned a page, continuing to read. She was purposely ignoring the mess. It was Fionna's turn to clean after all, and she wasn't lifting a paw until Fionna took some initiative and starting cleaning herself.

"Ughhh…" Fionna rolled over onto her back. "I gotta do something, I'm going crazy."

"Why don't you try cleaning something?" Cake questioned, curtly.

Fionna's mobile phone rang from across the treehouse. "I wonder who that is." Fionna got to her feet, walking over to her backpack to answer it. She lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Fionna? It's me. Gumball."

"Oh hey Gumball! What's up? Got some more fluffy people missions again?"

"Oh no, not this time. This may sound weird but I haven't heard from Marshall in some time. And I was wondering if you had."

"I haven't. Hold on. CAKE!" Fionna hollered.

"What?" Cake asked, grouchily.

"You heard from Marshall?"

"Not for the last two weeks."

"She says no, not in like two weeks. I'm gonna go over and check on him, since you're worried."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Fionna."

The two of them hung up and Fionna slipped her backpack on. "I'm gonna go check on Marshall, Cake. I'll be back later!" Fionna headed out the door.

Cake settled down even further into the chair she was sitting in. "Good. Maybe now I can finally finish my soaps in peace."

The sun shining and slight breeze put Fionna in a better mood than she'd been in her house, although she wondered about Marshall. Fionna headed over to Marshall's, admiring the scenery. Everything got so green after that big rainstorm! The trees and grass were a bright, vivid green, and the sun was shining. Occasionally a large cloud blocked the sun, but Fionna didn't mind it either way. It's a perfect day! I hope I don't wake Marshall up though. Gumball must have been pretty worried if he had me go check on Marshall right now…

She arrived at the cave, and headed inside. Everything seems normal… She headed up to Marshall's house, looking for something weird. Everything seemed normal. Fionna knocked on the door. There was silence from within. Fionna knocked harder. The door swung open, to Fionna's surprise. The door wasn't locked? "MARSHALL…" Fionna yelled, going inside to look for him. "HEY, WHERE YOU AT? I'M IN YOUR HOUSE." She found a folded note on the coffee table. She unfolded it, reading what's inside. "Dear guys," Fionna read. "I'm going on a long journey across the world again. Life in Aaa is just not exciting enough for me. Don't worry, and don't look for me. I'll be back, ~Marshall. He left?! Without TELLING me?" Fionna called up Gumball. "Gumball, Marshall's gone. He left a note saying he's going on a long journey, and not to worry or look for him. I'm going to look for him!"

"Fionna, that's… you have no idea where he's gone," Gumball protested, weakly. "He's done this before. It's not unlike him to leave…"

"Gumball, the door was unlocked!"

"So what?" Gumball frowned.

"His AXE BASS is here!"

"Oh my goodness, I'll be right over!"

They hung up. About ten minutes later, Gumball came rushing in, totally out of breath. "S-sorry, here now! Let me see the note!" Fionna handed the note over, watching Gumball curiously. Gumball took a few breaths to catch his breath. "Yes, this is definitely his handwriting. He definitely wrote this. However, I honestly cannot believe he'd leave his axe bass here. This must have been a diversion tactic. Whoever took Marshall, and I believe he was taken… must have forced him to write this."

"There's no way he just left on his own, and left his bass here! He treats that axe bass better than he does his own life. He wouldn't leave it here!" Fionna shook her head. "NO WAY!"

"It's got dust all over it. It's been sitting a while. There's no way Marshall would let dust build up on his axe bass like this. Marshall must have been gone a while." Gumball straightened up. "Judging by the dust, it must have been at least a few days." He walked upstairs. Fionna wondered what he was doing. Gumball came back with a sheet and he dusted the axe bass off. "He'll be furious if he sees his axe bass like this." Gumball covered it in the sheet, wrapping it up carefully. "There. Now it won't get all dusty."

"Aww…" Fionna grinned. "That's so nice of you, Gumball!"

Gumball blushed. "Y-yeah, well, I don't like him! I just… I thought I would be nice!"

"Yeah, right! You big old softy!" Fionna punched him in the shoulder.

"Oww! Fionna, really! Stop that!" he rubbed his upper arm. "We really need to find some clues about where he's gone to."

"You're right! I can't imagine he'd just disappear…" Fionna looked around. "But I really have no idea where to begin looking!"

Gumball walked over to the door and studied it. "It wasn't forced. He definitely opened it." he leaned forward and sniffed the doorway. "AHA! Sleeping gas!" He seemed proud.

"Sleeping gas? Someone used sleeping gas on him?" Fionna questioned. "But…" But if someone used sleeping gas on him, how did he write that note? There's no signs of struggle…

"It has to be. There are clear traces of sleeping gas on this door. Whoever got him, used sleeping gas… or maybe some kind of… 'sleep spell'," he made the quotation marks with his fingers. "To make him drowsy. Then they forced Marshall to write the note and then they kidnapped him!" Gumball was nodding, proud of himself.

"I don't… know. That doesn't quite…" Fionna started.

"Fionna. Are you suggesting you have otherwise evidence?" Gumball crossed his arms.

"Well… It just doesn't make sense. If he were all drowsy like you said, then the note would be funny... There's no signs of struggle so…" Fionna trailed off. "I don't really know. Let's just keep looking around."

"Hmmf." Gumball stepped outside. I can't believe Marshall was kidnapped. Who would kidnap him? He walked around the porch, looking carefully. Whoever did it, they must know Marshall really well. To get him to write that note. I just can't believe he'd take off again… Aha! "Fionna, I found something!" Gumball called inside.

Fionna rushed over to him. "What, what is it?" She looked down to where Gumball was pointing. "A piece of his shirt?" she removed it from the nail that was sticking up out of the porch. "So… wait. He was dragged out of here?"

"That's what it looks like. And if he's playing a prank on us, so help me GLOB," Gumball screamed at the roof of the cave.

"I don't think it's a prank this time. Although that doesn't sound unlike him… I just get really bad vibes. Besides that, he loves this shirt." Fionna glanced up at Gumball.

"Yes, you're right. That's his favorite shirt." Gumball sighed a bit. "He wouldn't rip it, even for a prank."

"We need some kind of clue to tell us who would have taken Marshall…" Fionna made a face. "I'm gonna look around inside some."

"Wait I'll go with you," Gumball followed after her. Fionna didn't see anything in the living room so she checked the kitchen. Nothing unusual in there either, so Fionna headed upstairs. "F-fionna, are you sure you should be going into his bedroom?"

"Why? I've been in here before," Fionna crawled out onto the top floor.

"You- you've been in Marshall's bedroom? Why?! When!?" Gumball demanded.

"One time, Cake and I were playing around outside Marshall's house and I suddenly thought that it'd be hilarious if we went inside and hid to scare Marshall. So we went upstairs to his room to hide in the closet. But then, while we were in the closet, he got naked, like, totally naked. And then he started playing his bass and we couldn't just jump out and scare him, you know. He was NAKED." Fionna shook her head. "So we had to wait until he went to the bathroom and then we left."

"… M-marshall plays his bass naked?" Gumball turned his back to Fionna, going through some stuff on a side table, blushing too hard for Fionna to see his face. "Th-that's disgusting. I'm so glad I wasn't there to see that!" he said, his voice sounding a bit over enthusiastic and forced.

"Yeah, it was super weird." Fionna continued digging on the other side of the room. "Oh, look, here's a stack of letters. Oh! Here's one that looks suspicious," Fionna lifted the opened flap, pulling the letter out.

"Fionna, don't go reading his personal mail!" Gumball opened the closet, glancing over at Fionna as she started to read. He snatched a shirt off the hanger and tucked it into his shirt for safekeeping. No one ever has to know about this.

"It's unsigned. It says… 'Marshy-poo, I need you to come right away. Meet me at the castle.'" Fionna snickered. "MARSHY-POO? This girl is hilarious!"

"So you think it's a girl then?" Gumball questioned, his tone guarded.

"Of course I do. Marshy-poo was enough for me. No guy would write this with a serious face. Except maybe you, Gumball. You didn't write this, did you?"

Gumball's face flushed even deeper. "Don't be RIDICULOUS! Of COURSE not!" he buried his face in the stuff he was digging through. Eek. I'll have to be more careful the next time I write letters.

"I've got another one. This one's just signed, A. It says, 'Marshall, darling, I know you and I got off on the wrong foot last time, but I know that we can work things out between us. You love me far too much to let me go. I may have made a mistake, but as I've found out, you've rectified it since. Since the problem is solved, there is no problem! Take care to write me back to let me know when I can come visit. A.'" Fionna wrinkled her nose. "Who is A? What problem?"

Gumball wrinkled his nose. "A. Got off on the wrong foot… love… I have no idea."

"Me either… but we have to keep looking. I'm going to keep this note just in case. It might come in handy." Fionna took the note and they continued searching. "That's all I found, Gumball," Fionna shook her head.

"I didn't manage to find anything," Gumball's eyes fell on the recording station next to Marshall's bed.

"Okay. I'm going to explore outside the cave. You check inside," Fionna climbed down and ran out the front door.

Gumball walked over to the station, rewinding the tape a few minutes and then clicking it on.

"I know this isn't a rap but…" Gumball heard Marshall chuckle, although it was almost forced. "I don't much feel like it right now. The thought crossed my head a few weeks ago that maybe it was time for me to start travelling again. After all, I haven't seen the whole world yet. I've thought about it, long and hard. And the best way for me to do it is to simply disappear. One day, they'll go to bed and I'll just vanish…" There was a pause. "Maybe come back. Maybe settle down somewhere else. Besides that, SHE's found me so… now's a great time to do that. Reminder, don't date any of those crazy witches. Gah, she's sent me like… three letters already. Marshy-poo, I miss you! Oh, Marshall, darling, please write me back, I know we can work it out. She's delusional. I'd rather skip the country than work things out with Ashley. As soon as this storm passes, I'm bouncing. No goodbyes, no see yous… just me departing into the night and disappearing. And just to silence those thoughts in my head, no I am not leaving because of anyone. Except Ashley. Gotta start packing. I can't just leave everything here. Who knows what'd happen to my bass while I was gone?" The tape clicked off and Gumball sat in silence.

He really was planning on taking off again. Without saying goodbye. Again. He got to his feet. Well, I can't say he got what was coming to him, but I will say that I'm hurt that he wouldn't even come say goodbye. He headed outside, to search the yard with Fionna. I guess we start looking for a witch named Ashley.