A/N: To my beautiful readers, there are so many gaps in the story it's not even funny. I just can't think of any way to fill them. Remember my pretties, I'm open for some helpful criticism!
Jake woke up with the smell of bacon and Marceline nowhere to be seen. He yawned and stretched. Finn's arm fell away as Jake uncurled and hopped down to the floor.
Finn groaned and flipped on to his back. He coughed some, leaving small specks of blood on his lips. Jake made a noise of discomfort, found a chair and sat there carefully watching Finn sleep.
"Liz said it would be a few weeks before he's allowed outside." Marceline's voice appeared out of nowhere.
"Ah!" Jake yelled at her voice, falling out of chair. Finn rolled over. "Not cool Marceline. Not. Cool." Jake scolded climbing back into the chair.
Marceline laughed evilly and moved down closer. "So how is he?"
"Uh, well, that lady said he's getting better; but I don't know he's still coughing up blood and he still has that killer fever." Jake answered wringing his paws in genuine worry.
"His color's back. And he's taking in fluids." Lizzy said. She smile warmly at Jake and handed him some coffee.
"What was that gross stuff you gave him?" Jake asked taking the offered cup and sipping it.
Liz pierced her lips and beckoned with her finger, Marceline paused to grab her parasol before following them outside. "Why out here?" she asked upset.
"So he won't hear." Liz said plainly.
"Why would that matter?" Jake asked.
"Because, there is no cure for Violet Fever." Elizabeth whispered.
"WHAT? Then why is he getting better?" Jake gasped. Marceline pierced her lips a little confused.
"Fool the mind and the battle is won." Lizzy recited.
Marcy's face lit up, "Oh I get it. You're making Finn think the soup is something that will cure him so it will."
"I don't get it." Jake said.
"You see it's like this. You give someone a 'cure'" she used quotey fingers for the word cure, "and tell them it will heal them. They think it will work so in response the body will too. I think it's called the placebo effect." Lizzy stared at Jake's blank expression. "Do you understand?"
"I think so." he said.
Days went by and Finn continued to sleep. He'd get up randomly to use the bathroom; but he'd only stay awake long enough to drink the tea like soup. However he did continue to get better. The rash that dominated his torso now up to the end of his ribcage were it had become a dark lavender. The scratches behind his ear now mere scabs.
Finn's fever had dropped a few degrees the day before. Marceline became pleased when he stayed awake for more than an hour, were he ate a majority of a sandwich that morning.
Jake stayed by Finn's side, never leaving for very long, still not convinced that he was getting better. He slept curled into a tight ball next to Finn and did everything the other human told him to do.
Marceline however came and went whenever she felt like it. When she was at Elizabeth's home she spoke and did little. Mostly moving around playing her guitar and spending all her time snooping around. When gone, Marceline reported everything to Princess Bubblegum. Bonnibell had always made her feel better when situations got bad. She always seemed delighted to hear about their favorite blonde's condition.
Lizzy kept touching Finn, assuring herself that he was real and at the same time trying to convince herself it wasn't possible. She hadn't seen another human being in nearly fifteen years. Not since that terrible day...
It was on the fifth day that Finn woke up completely.
Finn sat up slowly and looked around with awake and alert eyes for the first time in-he didn't even know. He sat crossed-legged on the plush bed in what seemed to be a living room. The open window let in the pre-dawn light, showing what little the home actually had. There wasn't enough light to let him see details but what he could see was comforting and oddly familiar.
His sweeping gaze brought him back to the bed were Jake still lay asleep at the end. He eyed himself in confusion, he rubbed his eyes tiredly upon seeing his new wardrobe. An off-white almost tan t-shirt - that was too big and red boxer shorts the fit, oddly. "Ah, good your awake." came a whisper that made Finn snap his head up.
Finn pondered the woman before him. Long golden tresses like Susan Strong and blue-ish green eyes that had tints of brown to them. Her features were pretty and her clothing dull, making it hard for Finn to pin an age. He was sure he had never seen or met her before but... then again...
"How are you feeling?" she asked when he didn't say anything.
"Uh..."
'How do I feel?' he thought to himself, gaze fixed on his lap, 'Well... I'm hot, my head feels as if it's in a hard press, my chest is heavy and hurts, can't feel my nose, my side burns as if Flame Princess was hugging me, and I'm...'
"I'm hungry." he said out loud meeting her soft eyes.
"Here." she handed him the pale blue cup. Finn wrinkled his nose at the smell.
"What's in it?" he asked taking the cup of green goop.
"Stuff that will make you better." Liz said patiently.
He wrinkled his nose again and took a sip. It didn't taste as bad as it smelled. Minty but at the same time it tasted like dirt. "It tastes funny."
"Medicine isn't supposed to taste good." she said with a smile.
"Well it should." Finn smiled back then frowned when his stomach growled. Elizabeth laughed.
"All right, why don't you wash up and I'll make you some breakfast." she helped him down and showed him the bathroom; because he couldn't remember where it was.
Finn brace himself on the sink as he coughed long and hard. When Finn opened his eyes, his throat was sore and blood spots covered his palm.
"What the..." he trailed off when he caught his reflection in the small mirror above the sink. Blood shot eyes, his cute baby cheeks sunken in, and his unruly blonde hair that no longer held the sheen it usually had. But that's not what surprised him the most; the giant bright purple bruise on his neck that disappeared at his collar was the cause of the awful burning itch and his sudden surprise.
Finn turned his head, the bruise became black at his ear. He touched the scorching area and tried to remember if someone said anything about this. He focused on the woman's kind voice and gentle demeanor. Instead of an explanation he got a foggy memory:
A laugh-his laugh-only smaller and higher. He's floating-no he's being picked up and cradled. "There, there my charming little prince. Settle down, it's time for your nap." a voice that he faintly recognized cooed. She starts to rock him back and forth slowly and hums a nursery lullaby. His tiny hands grasp out for nothing, then his lids slowly begin to close.
The memory fades, but not Finn's puzzlement. He tries to shake off the crazy déjà vu he's been having by washing his hands and face.
Finn followed the smell of food toward a small kitchen and sat at the maroon nook. He pillowed his aching head on his aching arms as he watched the nice lady cook.
The lady put some delicious smelling food in front of him. "Thank you-uh..."
"Elizabeth or Liz. Sometimes Lizzy. Don't ever call me Beth though." she replied in a distant voice, like she was telling a memory her name.
"Thank you Liz." Finn said gratefully albeit a little freaked out by her tone.
Finn ate slowly, because he wasn't sure if his stomach would be able to take the yummy pancakes. When the plate was taken away he gazed out the kitchen window-it was well past dawn now.
While staring out the window he remembered his medical questions. "What's this?" he asked placing a hand on his burning ear.
"Oh. You were asleep when I explained that. Do you want coffee?" Liz spoke out.
Finn shook his head no, so instead she gave him some orange juice. "It's called Violet Fever. You are one lucky boy, in another few days you would have died. No one knew how it spread or where it came from and it only effected humans. Not many survived; I knew one other person who did. If you stay indoors and take your medicine, you'll be number two." Finn nodded intently. "The disease disappeared with the humans." her voice became sad as she finished, then it dawned on him.
"You're human!" his eyes lit up and flickered excitedly; so many emotions flew across his young face at the same time. Confusion, anger, joy, fear, surprise the list went on.
Lady Elizabeth waited. She knew what it felt like to be completely alone. How it felt to want so badly for a definite answer. She expected a million questions at once, but instead got a one word.
"How?"
"Oh dear. Luck, is what I would call it. There were so few of us left by the time I was your age." Finn saw the deep sadness in her eyes and the pained far off look. He instantly regretted asking the one question that haunted him every day of his life.
Meanwhile in the living room Jake woke up without Finn. The bed was cold and he was nowhere to be seen. He panicked, "Finn!" he yelled.
"In here bro!" came an answer followed by a cough. Probably caused from raising his voice.
Jake still anxious followed his nose to Finn. Instead of Finn, he bumped into Elizabeth, he stood spying Finn. Thinking it was weird that two people smelled the same he sat next to his brother.
"Man I woke and you were gone. Don't do that." Jake scolded.
Finn smiled, "What? You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you."
"Alright; but don't do it again." Jake said.
"Whatever." Finn sipped the OJ, temporarily forgetting.
Liz watched the happy brothers' quarrel. She was happy for the young ones. She wasn't so fortunate to have siblings, her parents died before that could have become an option.
Marceline walked in, "So have you told them your life story yet Lizzy?" she asked sitting to the left of Finn.
Before Lizzy could speak Finn broke in, "I don't want you to, if you don't want to."
"No. It's alright Finn, you deserve to know." Liz took a deep breath. "How old are you dearie?" she asked making eye contact with Finn.
"Fifteen." Finn answered not sure what his age had anything to do with anything.
"Fifteen years. A lovely age for an adolescent human. It's also been about fifteen years since my family perished and since I've seen another living human being."
"What happened?" Finn whispered.
"Hush boy. I'm getting there." Liz said. She cleared her throat and started again.
"When I was born there were only thousands of us left. Over the years the population of a few thousand dramatically dropped to a few hundred, then continued to drop. Partly due to wars, disease, rainicorns and of course accidents. Others, just simply disappeared.
'I don't remember much about my birth parents, they didn't really care what happened to me; my birth place, well that hasn't existed in a really long time. What I do remember isn't good, everyone in my tiny village was mean and cruel. They were the worst the human race had to offer. Thieves, murders, rapists, uck it was horrible. One day when I was very young strange people came to the village and began slaughtering everyone; they burned down homes and dragged away children. The only nice thing my mother did was shove me out the door and told me to run. So I did, never looked back. I wondered around alone, cold and hungry till I came upon a small village of humans. There were maybe five-hundred when I arrived. Each person was more caring and nicer than the last; the best human kind had to offer.
'That's where I met him, his mother had taken me under her wing. He was so sexy. Gorgeous blue eyes, shiny golden hair. He looked a lot like you Finn." Elizabeth smiled at Finn's blush. "He hated violence and avoided it like the plague. When pushed to fight, he'd kick your ass so fast you'd be on the ground before you know he hit you. Pardon my language. He died that way, fighting, but not for many years after I met him." she bent her head deep in memory.
"What was his name?" Jake asked enthralled by the sorrowful tale.
"Ya, what was it?" Finn repeated.
Elizabeth gazed up at the ceiling, "Tobby." she sighed wistfully.
"He was one hot mamma." Marceline sighed fanning herself. Liz gave the vampire the look while Finn and Jake shared a chuckle.
"I grew up with him and before I knew it, I became madly and passionately in love with him. I was only twelve and he was thirteen when I realized this." she continued. "By the time I was ten, three-hundred people had dropped dead. Wars created by Tobby's father was pushing the last of us to extinction." She paused to sip some coffee and for questions. When none came she went on.
"Years went by and on my seventeenth birthday he asked me to marry him. How could I have said no?" her voice grew grave, "It was a very dangerous time, we were at constant war and disease ran rampant; it was not a time for a happy ending.
'When Tobby's father died he took over-because his older brother had died of Violet Fever. His new responsibilities caused us to have less and less time for romance. Later, Tobby found a way to stop the needless wars and brought peace for a time.
'At the same time I found out that I was pregnant. He was so happy- ecstatic. Nine very happy months went by and I gave birth to a very healthy baby boy. He had blue eyes like his father. Most everyone in his village had brown." Marceline blew strands of hair out of her face, bored.
Elizabeth's voice became very sad, "I only had four more measly months of happiness. I was in our small home feeding the baby when I heard the screams. I placed my baby in his crib-he started crying like he was scared of something. I told him that I was going to be right back and don't cry, then I turned around and left to see what was up.
'Outside was chaos, there were bodies everywhere. The markets and homes were on fire, children were being dragged away screaming for their parents. I saw Tobby fighting off this strange creature and I ran to help him. When he saw me he actually turned and smiled, as if nothing was wrong, and that the chaos in the background was nothing but crazy wind. Then out of nowhere an arrow whizzed by my head and hit him square in the chest.
'It all happened so fast, but at the same time, it all slowed to a stop. Tobby dropped his sword and grabbed his chest, he fell to his knees. I caught him before he could fall on his face. I held him as he choked on his own blood." Elizabeth choked up, "He looked me straight in the eye and smiled, he told me how much he loved me, told me not to cry and to take care of his baby. Tobby let out a lasting breath as I felt his life force drain away, leaving just a shell of a body." she sniffled trying to keep the tears at bay. They all had tears in their eyes, even Marceline.
"I kissed him and laid him gently on the ground. That's when everything came rushing back. I couldn't hear any more screams, just whimpering of the wounded and dying. Then I remembered children being carried away, so I ran back to my home as fast as I could, I had to get my baby. But I was too late, the entire building was engulfed in flame, and my child was still in there. The roof collapsed and so did my spirit." Elizabeth turned around unable to keep the tears back.
"I found Liz a few days later wondering the forest alone and dirty. She was hysterical, crying out about her promise to Tobby and her baby. I didn't even know she had a baby at the time. The village was a ruined mass, no one was left alive." Marceline said finishing the story, "I helped her bury Tobby; we couldn't find the infant. She spent years trying to find him, after she gave up I helped her flee far from the bad memories."
"What was the baby's name?" Finn asked carefully, trying not to pick at an open wound; at the same time Jake said "That's so sad."
Marceline shrugged, Lizzy wiped her eyes and started boiling water for Finn's tea. "He didn't have an official name."
"Why not?" Jake demanded gently.
"Disease always took infants first, so it became a tradition to not name the baby till its first birthday. It didn't matter to me, he was my charming little prince." Elizabeth concluded.
Finn choked on his orange juice.
"Finn you must be careful, we almost lost you once." A female voice said from behind.
"Hey PB! When did you get here?" Jake exclaimed patting Finn's sore back.
"Just now. Elizabeth I am so sorry for your loss." PB said clasping her hands together at her heart.
"It doesn't matter now. What is done, is done, there's nothing that could be done that will bring my babies back." Liz smiled "Take your medicine sweetie. I'll try to find something for your rash."
"Stop scratching it." Jake told Fin, smacking his hand away.
"Oh Finn! I'm so glad you're well." Princess Bubblegum squealed hugging him tight. "You must return to Ooo." she said-more like ordered. Finn wheezed in response, his breath squeezed out of him. He started coughing.
"Finn is in no condition to go anywhere." Marceline said in defense of Finn. Princess Bubblegum was about to retort, but Lizzy broke in.
"Marceline is right. Do not be fooled by Finn's strength. This fever is incredibly deadly, just because he is walking and coherent doesn't mean he won't drop dead the next morning." she gave Bubblegum a stern look, "He is getting better, but like any sickness exposure can kill him." she exhaled loudly, as if she was suddenly exhausted. Shoving the untouched blue cup toward Finn she ordered gently, "Drink this darling, you'll feel better."
Bubblegum bowed her head in embarrassment, "Well, I only came to see for my own eyes that he is doing good. Farewell." she then left.
"How long will I be sick?" Finn asked hoarsely, a little sad to see his friend go.
"It's hard to say. Depending on your immune system, genetics, response to treatment, history, and so on...Tobby was sick for four months." Lizzy said from across the room. Finn groaned and collapsed on his arms. He couldn't even imagine feeling like this for as long as it takes for a bone to heal.
"Four months! I can't be away from Lady for four months!" Jake cried.
"Lady?" Liz asked with a knowing smile which Finn and Marcy returned.
"Lady Rainicorn is Jake's girlfriend." Finn said sipping his medicine, Marceline laughed. Lizzy flinched slightly at the word 'rainicorn'.
"It's not funny guys! A man has needs." Jake cried once again. Finn snickered in his cup while Marceline grabbed her aching sides. Elizabeth fought her smile, realizing this particular rainicorn was okay.
"Go man, I'll be fine." Finn said once he gained control of himself, "Lady must be worried sick about you."
"But... Uh…" Jake fretted.
"Jake your little brother is safe here in my hands." Elizabeth reassured the upset canine.
"Ya, besides, I'm sure Rainbow misses your companionship." Marceline chuckled floating around.
"Alright, alright. I'll think about it." concluded Jake.
"Good. Now Finn I want you to take a shower, make sure you wash your hair." when she saw the puzzled look she continued, "Because hair is a mess and you look like a girl with your hair that long-you getting a haircut."
Finn touched his hair subconsciously. "Okay."
"Next I will take you temperature and apply some rash ointment. Then you will go to bed." Liz listed, almost to herself.
"Barf that. I want to stay up!" Finn argued.
"I wasn't kidding when I said you will drop dead. Exposure can be a bigger killer that the actual illness." Lady Liz warned.
"Oh." Finn's defiance instantly faded. He took his ordered shower.
Finn's hair was a mess, even when washed. Even wet it stuck randomly; years of cutting it himself made pieces shorter than the rest. His bangs past his eyes, hair down past his shoulders and random bundles growing against the grain.
Finn sat an hour in the chair drinking the rest of his soup. Lizzy took his temperature while she cut and brushed and cut and brushed then repeated the whole cycle again; it had went up a degree and that worried everyone but him.
He felt fine just really, really tired. He kept almost nodding off. Liz had to keep stopping due to his coughing outbursts and sudden head lulls.
When she was finally done, Jake had fallen asleep and Marcy was gone. On top of that Finn could barely stand.
He looked in the hand mirror his temporary doctor gave him-not really caring what his hair looked like-and became surprised on how good it looked. Every hair was in its proper place, even and cut short enough where it didn't bother his eyes or rash, but long enough where it swished if he moved his head.
"Why did you leave Ooo?" Finn asked Liz as she helped him into bed.
"I couldn't stay there anymore, I had to leave." She answered calmly.
"But why? You could have stayed." Finn persisted.
Liz sighed, "I was afraid."
"Of what?" Finn asked tucking himself in.
"Of what killed my family. It went after everyone that was human, not stopping till there was nothing left." Elizabeth admitted.
"Who, who attacked you?"
"I don't have the faintest idea. I've been searching for that answer for more than a decade."
"Are there any more humans left?"
Elizabeth shrugged, suddenly very tired, "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not."
"Oh." Finn said disappointed.
"Sorry that I don't have the answers you seek." Lizzy apologized.
"That's okay. No one ever does." Finn said sadly.
Finn yawned. It was the middle of the day, yet he felt like it was well past midnight. Elizabeth smiled and brushed his hair from his fore head. "I know. Try and get some sleep. You'll feel better."
He nodded yawning again. Liz was glad that the sleeping drug she used in his soup was working.
When he finally fell asleep, she went outside to tend to her garden.
A/N: Chapter 3 and 4 and so one will take a while. I'm suffering from a horrible case of writers block. I am so sorry for all you who are waiting. I know your feels~ BTW I know Finn's real dad has brown hair and eyes, but I made this chapter before season 5 so bare with me.
