"Bonnie..?" I asked in a quiet voice, walking over to the red headed girl, concern and worry washing over me. "W-what are you doing here? How'd you even get in?" I sat down next to her slowly, feeling as if any sudden movement would startle her. Her hair was a mess, instead of its normal, silky styled self.

Bonnie slowly turned her attention to me, and the look in her eyes broke my heart. Her once bright blue eyes were widened in fear, and her face was lost of all color. There were no words that could describe how she looked, all I knew was that something terrible had happened to her. "...Spare key..." She uttered softly, so soft I had to strain my ears to hear her. She faced in front of her again, staring blankly at the floor.

"Bonn... What happened?" I asked slowly. She didn't respond. She just kept staring at the floor.

Soon enough, tears started rolling down her cheeks, a sob escaping her lips. She brought a sleeved hand up to her face and hugged herself with her left arm, squinting her eyes shut as she muffled her sobs. Instantly, I wrapped my arms around her small figure and held her close to me. Bonnie leaned into me, grasping tightly at my arm, her crying becoming louder.

I rocked us back and forth gently, whispering comforting things into her hair and rubbing her back gently. I couldn't believe what was happening, and it was crushing me to see Bonnibel like this. She was always so bubbly and happy, a smile always plastered on her face. What could've happened to make her look so... broken? Did something happen with her and Marceline? Or... something worse possibly? I didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much.

After a long, long while of trying to calm my cousin's wife down, Bonnie ended up crying herself to sleep in my arms. I looked down at the sleeping girl, running my hand through her disheveled, natural red hair. Tears stained her freckled cheeks and there were dark circles under her eyes, but she still looked beautiful nonetheless.

I don't know what happened to her, but I definitely know whatever it was, she did not deserve it.

I stood up carefully, Bonnie placed in my arms, and slowly made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. Reaching the bed, I laid her down as gently as possible, scared I would break her or something. For a moment I contemplated whether or not I should change her clothes into something more comfortable, but I figured she was comfy enough in her oversized pink hoodie and purple leggings. Plus, that'd just be weird.

I tucked her in, placed a kiss on her forehead, and went to my dresser to change. After getting comfy, I grabbed a pillow, blanket, and Hambo, and made my way back down the stairs to make my bed on the couch. As I walked across the living room, I couldn't help but notice a few bags and suitcases stacked near the door. One was opened and looked like it had a pile of dirtied clothes thrown into it messily. Bonnie must be staying here a while, I guess.

I popped in a random movie, turned off the light, snuggled up and watched the screen till my eyes felt tired and I fell asleep.

                                >>>>><<<<<

I woke up to screaming.

It was loud, high-pitched, and coming from upstairs. I shot up from the couch and ran up the stairs as fast as my tired legs would take me, and busted into the bedroom. Bonnie was thrashing around in the sheets, crying and screaming. My eyes widened and quickly rushed to her side, shaking her shoulders, trying to wake her up. "Bonnie!" I yelled. "Bonnie, wake up!"

Suddenly, her blue eyes shot open, wide and fear-stricken. She studied my face for a second. "M-marshall?" She reached out with a fragile hand, eyes glistening with more tears, and suddenly wrapped herself around my neck, hugging me tight. She was crying again. I hated seeing her cry. I sat on the bed and held her.

"Shhh, it's okay, Bonn. I got you," I whispered to her.

She pulled away after a moment and sat up normally, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, Marshall Lee. I didn't mean to wake you up," she said in her soft-spoken voice, raw from all her crying and screaming.

"Don't worry about it, you're more important than sleep." Bonnie didn't respond. She just fiddled with her sleeves. "Do you need me to get you anything? Like a drink or something?" I asked awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

"...Could I have a glass of water, please?" She whispered, glancing up at me with sad eyes.

"Sure thing," I yawned. As I was about to exit the room, Bonnie called out.

"Wait!" I stopped in my tracks and turned around. "C-can I come with you? I don't want to be alone..."

I simply nodded my head and waited for the petite ginger to reach my side and follow me down the stairs and into the kitchen. I got a glass out and filled it with water from the jug in my fridge, handing it to Bonnie afterwards. She took it with two hands and drank a tiny sip from it.

"Thank you."

I grunted tiredly in response, walking over to one of my cabinets to get my medicine. I swallowed the pills dry and almost gagged at the feeling. I haven't seen Schwabble lately, but wherever she was, she must be hungry. I grabbed her box of food from on top of the fridge and emptied some of its contents into her food dish. Then Bonnie spoke up.

"I'm sorry for just dropping by unannounced like this... And for practically breaking into your house..." She said, stirring her glass.

"Don't be sorry, you're always welcome here, legally or not," I said, hoping to make her at least smile. She didn't react. I watched her for a moment. "Hey, can you tell me what happened? It doesn't have to be right this second, but just know I care about you and I want to make sure you're okay."

Bonnie didn't respond right away, she just stared into her glass blankly. Tears formed in her eyes once again and she looked up at me. "Marshall... I'm not okay." I frowned. The scared look was back in her eyes. I grabbed the glass out of her hand and set it on the counter, wrapping my arms around her.

This is the third time she's cried on me. Something really bad must've happened because I know that Bonnie is a strong girl, she almost never cries. Something must've really messed her up.

Wiping her eyes, she pulled away and took my hand, leading me to the couch. We sat down across from each other, Bonnie hugging her knees and me criss-crossed. We sat in silence for a while before she began talking in a hushed voice.

(A/N: I guess I should put a "trigger warning" here. I don't really realize that some people are sensitive to stuff sometimes. But uh, yeah, poor Bonnibel.)

"A few days ago I was supposed to leave to visit my family across the country for a few weeks. Marceline was at work and I was supposed to leave at a certain time so she couldn't drive me to the airport. I decided I would just take a taxi or a bus or something. So, I grabbed all my bags lugged them outside of our apartment and waited for a taxi," Bonnie started to get choked up. "And as I was waiting, a man came up to me. He looked nice, he was tall and handsome. And he asked me little flirty questions like, "Where are you going? What's a pretty girl like you doing out here so vulnerable? Do you need a ride?" Stuff like that.

"I didn't want to be rude so I just gave him vague answers. I denied his offer for a ride, but he kept on insisting after that. He kept getting closer and closer as he talked. He was saying stuff like, "Oh come on, it's just a ride. If you keep waiting out here like this someone is gonna snatch you up. I'll take you to where you wanna go." And then he just started to just pick up my bags and... I followed him, tugging at my bags to get them back, but he just kept walking." Tears were now rolling down her cheeks as she wiped them away with her sleeves.

Suddenly, I was starting to see where this story was headed.

"He went down an alley. With my bags in his arms. And like an idiot, I followed him," Bonnie shook her head, covering her face with her sleeve. She looked back up and continued. "All of a sudden he just threw my bags down and turned to me... He looked like a whole different person. He was scary now, and he just walked towards me an-..." She was cut off by a sob. And I was kind of glad she was.

Instantly, I pulled her into my lap and hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth again. "It's okay, Bonnie, you're safe now. Everything's gonna be alright." I felt so bad for her, it was truly heartbreaking. She definitely did not deserve this. She was such a loving, caring person, not a mean bone in her body. Sassy, sure, but never rude. She was perfect and smart and gorgeous, everything you could ever ask for. And now, she has to deal with this.

Bonnie was still crying, but she seemed calmer. "H-he just left me there. He walked off like nothing ever happened. I didn't know what to do with myself so I just cried there in the middle of that dirty alleyway for what felt like hours..."

"Oh, Bonnie, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be, I probably deserved it anyway. God, how could I be so stupid! I should've never followed him in that stupid alleyway... And Maybe if I had worn something less revealing... I'm such an idiot." She covered her face with her sleeves.

"Hey, don't you ever say that again. You are not stupid. And what happened was not your fault whatsoever, do not blame yourself. It's all his fault for being a disgusting pig. It had nothing to do with you or what you were wearing," I said sternly.

She sniffled. "Yeah... Anyways, I've been staying at a hotel ever since. But, I was starting to get scared staying all alone so I thought of the first person I could trust besides my parents and Marcy, which is you." I smiled. "So, I called up a good friend and she brought me here. You weren't home so I waited for a while on your porch, but the woods started to spook me out and you didn't seem to be coming home anytime soon so I just got the spare key from under the mat and let myself in. And now here we are, me crying like a pathetic loser and you being annoyed with me."

"Bonnie, you could never annoy me. Like I said, you're always welcome here, you can stay as long as you need to. And you're definitely not a pathetic loser, if anyone, it's me who is," I laughed. Bonnie let out a quiet giggle, making me smile in return. She was feeling better, which was good. She sat up in my lap and made eye contact with me.

"Thanks, Marshy. You're not a loser either, you're just young and can get away with having no job or money. And that's fine. You have your whole life to figure stuff out," she said while running her hands through my hair. I guess I haven't filled her in on what happened over the summer.

"I do so have a job," I said defensively. "I'm still working on the money part though," I laughed.

"Really? Where do you work?"

"I'll tell you later, it's a long story," I sighed.

"Hmm, I see. Well, I wanna say sorry again for all of this. I don't mean to stress you out but I just don't know who else to turn to, you know?" Bonnie rested her head on my shoulder again.

"I understand. I'm not stressed at all, don't worry... Hey, so am I the only person you've told so far?" Bonnie nodded. "You didn't go to the police?" She shook her head. "Well, you should probably do that. Like, now."

"I know, I know..." She mumbled.

"No Bonnibel, this is serious. We need to tell them right away. That sicko needs to pay for what he did. He doesn't just to walk away like nothing happened, that's not how it works." Bonnie just nodded timidly. "I'm getting cleaned up and then we're going to the police station, got it?"

"Alright..." She lifted her head and got out my lap, hugging her knees on the couch. I stood up and glanced back at her. She had a disappointed look on her face.

"Hey," I said softly, kneeling down of front of her. "I know you don't wanna go, but they're gonna help us, okay? It won't be fun or easy, I know, and they're probably gonna make you do stuff you don't want to do, but it's for the best."

"I know that. I'm just just worried that they won't be able to catch him. They can only do so much with the information I give them. They'll need a DNA sample of him."

"So let them get it."

"That's the problem, I've showered and... cleansed down there... I'm not sure if there'll be any of his... you know what..." She said meekly, averting eye contact.

I sighed. "This is why you should've went to the police right right after it happened!"

"Don't yell at me, Marshall Lee. You just don't understand! I'm sorry, okay! I don't know what you want me to do!"

"I want you to be safe and happy again!" I took a deep breath and calmed down a little, taking ahold of her petite hands. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. And you're right, I don't understand. But I know it's hard and upsetting but I just want to help you by getting you the help you need." Bonnie simply nodded.

                              >>>>><<<<<

"You're parents must be worried sick about you. Did you talk to them?" I asked Bonnie from the drivers seat.

"I called my mom and told her that something came up. That was pretty much it. Marcy still thinks I'm with them... Glob, I feel so bad for lying to her like this," she shook her head and gazed out of the window sadly, fiddling with the ring on her finger. "I just don't have the heart to tell her yet."

"You don't have to if you're not ready. No one's mad or blaming you for anything. Plus, you're not lying, technically. You told her you were visiting family for a few weeks, and you are! With me!" I flashed her a smile. She didn't even spare me a glance. I frowned and turned my attention back to the road.

Once we got to the police station, we ended up spending most of the day there. We were both drained, especially Bonnibel, who had to endure hours of being questioned and searched. Even I was interrogated. We had brought the clothes she wore the day it happened for evidence and Bonnie told them everything she knew. And when we were allowed to leave, the officers told us they'd let us know any information they find. And that was it.

We were home now, lounging on the couch, exhausted. It was around eight o'clock and the would outside was starting to dim.

"Are you hungry? I'm hungry," I stated, poking my stomach.

"Not really." I heard her mumble from the other side of the couch.

"Whaaat? Girl, when was the last time you ate?" I sat up and stretched. Bonnie shrugged her shoulders in her curled up position, not taking her eyes off the screen. I sighed. "Come onnn, what are you in the mood for? I'll make you something. Just don't ask for anything too extravagant, I'm kinda broke."

"I'm not hungry, Marshall Lee. Thank you, though."

I looked at her for a moment before frowning. She better not be starving herself. Glob, she looked so sad. I wish I could just make her happy again. Then I got an idea.

"You know what? You look pretty worn out, today was a rough day. How 'bout I go run a bubble bath for you? Light some candles, put on some music, maybe even a glass of wine... Simone left a bottle of Pink Moscato here, that's your favorite right? You can just relax a little, set your mind of things. How's that sound?"

Bonnie finally turned her attention to me, her eyes lighting up a little. "You'd do all that?"

"Of course, Bon-Bon. I'll even prepare a delicious entree. Boxed Mac n cheese." Bonnie smiled at my comment. "Now come on, before we get too tired." I led Bonnie upstairs to my bathroom and turned on the faucet, getting out the bubbles and grabbing every candle I could find. After the bath was ready and the candles were lit, I left Bonnie to herself while I went to get some speakers and a glass of wine for her.

I returned to the room and knocked as best as I could with my arms filled and waited for a response. Bonnie shouted "come in" and, with some difficulty, I managed to open the door to find Bonnie already submerged in the scented bubbles, the lights dimmed. Her hair was tied back in a messy looking bun and she had a faint smile on her rosy face. She already seemed relaxed, which was good. I handed her a filled glass and she accepted it happily. I sat the bottle down and hooked up the speakers to my phone and played some of her favorite songs at a quiet volume.

"Do you need anything else? I'm gonna head downstairs." I motioned towards the door.

"Hey wait, could you possibly stay with me? I don't want to be alone, plus I want to talk to you."

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?" I kicked her pile of clothes aside and sat down, facing her while leaning my back against the cabinets. I reached for the bottle of sweet wine and took a sip from it. "Don't tell my mom." Bonnie smiled.

"I usually don't condone underaged drinking, but I guess just this once," she said with a wink. How could one person be so elegant all the time?

It wasn't weird or awkward to be around Bonnie like this. I've known her since I was a little kid so we were really close. We were comfortable enough not to feel embarrassed around each other, and certainly never had any intentions to do anything sexual. Plus I wasn't a jerk and knew better than to try and take advantage of her. She's married to my cousin, and I had Bubba, so even if I wanted to try something it wouldn't have ended well. Not to mention she's in a really sensitive place now, and you'd have to be a huge asshole to try and take advantage of someone who was recently abused.

"I just wanted to catch up with you, y'know? I haven't talked to you in person in like, a year. Speaking of, are you going to come to that huge family dinner your mom hosts every year? The rest of the family misses you, no one's seen in you since you left your mom's. And it's never as fun without you." Bonnie took a sip from her glass, eyeing me. I forgot all about that stupid annual family dinner mom has during Christmas time.

A sigh involuntarily left my lips and I found myself taking another long drink from the bottle. "Ugh. I guess I should probably go this year. Mom and I are on better terms now so maybe that'll make it more bearable."

"That's good to hear, it was always pretty tense between you two, huh."

"Yeah, we're not a good mix. But I've been a lot happier being away from her. I think she has too, plus she's got this new guy around so he probably helps with her mood too."

"Oh yeah, Derek, I think? He's nice. Hunson, Marcy, and I met him a while ago when we were visiting your mom one time," Bonnie paused to take a sip. "She's really sorry for how she's treated you in the past, you know. I don't know if you guys ever talked about it but she really is."

"I know she is. It's whatever, I don't really care."

"Hm," was all that she responded. I think she could tell I didn't want to talk about that anymore. "So anyways, are you ever going to tell me about your job story?"

"Oh, yeah! I should probably fill you in on that. Get ready, it's a long story." And so I told the entire story about my depressing summer and how Simone gave me my probably illegal job that I have now.

"Good glob, I'm so sorry about what happened. I really wish you would've called me before you tried to... you know. That really could've ended badly... I'm always here for you, Marshall Lee." Bonnie held her hand out and I took it in mine gingerly, and placed a kiss on her knuckles. She giggled and swung our hands a bit.

"I know and I'm grateful for that. And I'm always here for you too, Bon." I flashed her a smile. She smiled back and locked eyes with me, seeming to study my face.

"You're a really good guy. I hope you know that. No matter what people may say or how you perceive yourself, know that you have a good heart." I felt my face heat up from her words. I didn't know what to say so I just smiled and took a swig of wine. Everyone seemed to be telling me what a good guy I was lately. It was starting to make me feel weird inside. My reputation is disintegrating before my eyes, but for some reason, I was okay with that.

We didn't speak for a while. We just sat an enjoyed the peacefulness of the room. Vintage tunes drifted through the air at a soft volume and it smelled sweet due to the bath and candles. I looked over at Bonnie and smiled to myself. Her eyes were closed and there was the faintest smile on her face. The light of the candle reflected beautifully off her skin and I couldn't help but stare in awe. She seemed to be feeling better and I hoped that this little relaxation moment helped take her mind off things.

"Hey, Bon?" She opened her eyes and turned her head to me. "You're really pretty. And I love you." Bonnie giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Are you flirting with me? I'll have you know, I'm a married woman! What would my wife say?" She stuck her ringed hand up. She was joking around now, that was a good sign. I laughed and played along.

"Forget your wife! You know I'm the one you truly love." Bonnie and I always played around like this. We mostly did it around Marceline to annoy her, pretending like we were a couple or flirting with each other. It was fun.

"True. Speaking of wife, what's your love life like nowadays? Any new hot babes you're interested in?" Bonnie changed the subject. I almost choked on the wine I was drinking. I forgot about Bubba. I also forgot everyone thinks I'm straight still.

"Funny story," I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "You know how I wasn't home until late yesterday? I was actually on a date."

"Woah really? Good for you! I'm glad you got over that girl Ashley. I did not like her... So who's the lucky lady?"

"See, here's the funny part. I'm dating a boy... and you'll never guess who." I felt comfortable telling Bonnie about Bubba, and I was excited too! I wanted the world to know he was all mine.

"WHAT! A boy??? You're joking, right? There's no way, you're like the straightest guy I know! And who is it!? Tell me!"

A giggle escaped my mouth and I couldn't stop the huge grin on my face. "I'm dating Gumball." I've noticed that I haven't been calling Bubba by his nickname I made for him lately. Even if it was just his odd last name, I was the one who started everyone saying it.

"NO WAY! Oh, I'm so happy for you both! How long have you been dating for?"

"Well, I just asked him to be my boyfriend last night..." I felt the butterflies in my stomach just recalling the memory.

"Aww, you guys are too cute! I love you both so much, I'm so glad you ended up together. You both are good for each other. Hey! How about you invite him to that family dinner! That'll be a great time to break the news to everyone."

"That's a good idea, thanks, Bon-Bon." I lied. For some reason, I think that'll be a disaster. But there was a ways away until Christmas so we can cross that bridge when the time comes.

"Mhm." Bonnie downed the rest of her glass. "Alright, I'm getting pruney. Get out so I can shower off... but, can you stay by the door, please?"

"Absolutely. You know where everything is right?" She nodded. I didn't question her as to why she wanted me perched outside, but I assumed it was because having someone practically guarding her would make her feel more safe when she was vulnerable. I grabbed the bottle wine and her empty glass and kissed her head before turning on the light and exiting the room. Not very long after, I heard the gurgling of the tub draining and the shower kick on.

I sat myself and everything on the floor in front of the door and played on my phone for a while. I checked all my social medias and even texted Barnaby, telling him about all the crap that went down yesterday and today. I left out the reason why she was here, I wasn't going to share her personal business. He was still shocked to say the least. I don't know how long it had been, but I was almost half asleep when I finally heard the water shut off.

Shortly after Bonnie exited the bathroom, she thanked me and we got ready for bed. "You don't have to sleep on the couch again. I can if you want me to-"

"Absolutely not. I'm not letting you lay on that couch. I'm alright with sleeping on there, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? I don't want to take over your house..."

"Hush. You're sleeping in my bed and that's final. I'll just be right down stairs so don't be scared of anything, I'm protecting the hell out of you." I shot her a tired smile. "Oh, and by the way, I have to work tomorrow, and if you don't want to be alone then you can come with me. I'm sure Simone will be fine with it. I don't really do much anyways."

"Hm. If you're sure, then alright."

That night I talked to Bubba until he fell asleep and spent the night dreaming about my new, very handsome boyfriend. That is until I was awoken by Bonnie screaming in her sleep.

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Whuddup guyssss??? This chapter kinda sucks but oh well. Idc, at least it's something lol.

But poor PB. Sad chapter ik.

Speaking of sad, marching band season is pretty much over and now I don't know what to do with my life. My first year playing Snare drum was a blast. But now I have to deal with Concert Band and my idiotic section. Ugh. Triggered.

Thanks so much for 6k! It still baffles me that people like this story 😂

Thanks again and I'll see ya in the next chapter! ❤️