Marceline stood in front of the large, stone gates that marked the entrance to the Rock Village, her face set in a tight frown. She ran her hand along where the two sides met, and Finn gently took it and held it in his own.

"It'll be okay, Marcy," he whispered.

They were waiting for the guards to confirm their identities and let them into the city. Marceline had woken up with a headache, and a nagging sense that noting was right, both of which made her short trip to the village a stressful experience. Normally, flying with Finn was somewhat relaxing, but today was different. She decided that it was probably an after effect of the high she had achieved the night before, and she considered injecting just enough heroin to get through the next few hours, but she decided against it; she doubted that she could get Simon to buy more, and she didn't know when she would feel up to scoring for herself.

"You're in," a guard said, pulling a lever from inside his booth.

The gates opened, and the small group made their way into the village. They knew that Ash had moved on the night before, but they were hoping to talk to the villagers and find out if he had mentioned where he was going next.

"Where do we start?" Lady asked.

"I thought we would start with breakfast," Princess Bubblegum replied. "According to the listings online, there is only one diner in the whole town, and I'm guessing that Ash stopped there last night. Besides, how long has it been since you ate, Marceline?"

"I don't remember," the queen admitted.

Finn placed his arms around his wife's shoulders and drew her close to him. Together, they followed the princess towards the diner. When they went inside, they were met with the pleasant smells of frying bacon and the comforting noises of a restaurant during peak hours. A waitress seated them and took their drink orders.

"I'm going to the restroom," Princess Bubblegum said.

"Me too," Lady Rainicorn replied.

"Me three," Finn said. "Well, not with you guys, but…"

"And I need a smoke," Simon said, retrieving his cigarettes from his coat pocket. "You want one, Marcy?"

"Nah, I'm good."

The queen was left alone at the table with Jake. She considered trying to make small talk, but one look at the dog told her that he wouldn't be interested. They sat in silence, Marceline playing with her straw wrapper, Jake stirring his coffee. He took a sip, and looked up at the queen.

"So, what did Simon bring you last night?"

"Nothing, why?" Marceline lied.

"I saw you talking, and you gave him money. What did you send him after, Marceline? And why couldn't you have sent Finn?"

"You need to back off, Jake," Marceline warned, lowering her voice.

"Not until I find out what you're up to," Jake replied. "Finn's my brother, and I'm not going to let you ruin his life."

"Why did you even come to help if you hate me so much?" Marceline asked, clenching her fists.

"I came because, no matter how stupid it is, Finn thinks of your bastard as his son, and I'm not going to let him get hurt," Jake was angry, practically spitting the words at the Vampire. "I'm not here for you, and I never was. I'm here for Finn."

Marceline wanted to be angry, but she felt tears spring into her eyes instead. She slumped down in her chair and struggled not to cry. She jumped when she felt Finn's strong hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Marcy? What's going on here?" He asked.

"Nothing," Marceline said, struggling to smile.

Finn sat down and, although he didn't believe his wife, he let the subject go. Simon, Princess Bubblegum, and Lady came back to the table, and their food arrived not long after. Once they were finished, they asked around to see if anyone had talked to Ash the night before. A few had, but they couldn't offer any new information. Marceline began to feel hopeless, and she excused herself to the restroom before they left the diner.

Once she had locked herself inside, Marceline sat her messenger bag on the sink and pulled out the brown paper bag. Leaning against the wall, she went through her routine, one she had become quite familiar with while living with Ash. Once the drug began to course through her veins, she felt much better than she had before. As soon as she was strong enough to push herself away from the wall and stand without its support, Marceline left the restroom and joined her friends where they were waiting for her outside the diner. She was feeling a bit drowsy, but that was an improvement over the hurt and emptiness she had been so determined to chase away.

The group spent the rest of the day wandering around the Rock Village, talking to everyone who may have seen Ash and Liam. According to the shopkeepers they talked to, he had visited the grocery store, where he bought instant formula, and the pharmacy, where he had picked up diapers and a book on infant care. That made Marceline feel a bit better, as she knew that Ash was at least making an effort to care for Liam, but she was still scared.

The heroin had done its job in calming the Vampire, but it had the unfortunate side effect of making her very tired. She had nodded off while sitting down twice, and Finn was worried.

"Princess," he said, "Marcy's tired and we've talked to everyone. Can we find somewhere to stay for the night?"

"Of course," Princess Bubblegum replied. "There are no hotels, but we can camp on the edge of the forest. I'd like to examine you when we get there, Marceline. You've not looked well today."

"I'm fine," Marceline said, more sharply than she intended. "I just had a rough night last night. I'll be okay once I get some sleep."

"Well, if you're sure…" Princess Bubblegum said.

Although the princess was suspicious, she decided not to pursue it any further. She led the group out of the village and to the forest until they found a nice, flat clearing to make their camp. They were set up within minutes, and Simon, Jake and Finn busied themselves by making a fire while Lady and Princess Bubblegum checked the headlines for any sightings of Ash. Marceline disappeared into the tent she shared with Finn, taking her messenger bag, and asked not to be disturbed. Finn wanted to go with her, but he decided that it would be best to give her some space, so he stayed outside and tried to relax.

Lady cooked dinner, spaghetti, over the fire, and Simon spread out a picnic blanket so that they could sit down together. When everything was almost ready, Finn went to wake Marceline and ask her to join them. When he pulled back the tent flaps and stepped inside, he didn't immediately notice that anything was wrong. When he called Marceline's name and she didn't respond, however, he felt an icy fear clutch his heart.

"Marcy?" He said, almost whispering. He forced himself to speak a bit louder. "Marceline? Time to wake up."

Marceline didn't move, and Finn rushed over to her. Kneeling, Finn shook his wife gently while whispering her name. He rolled her over onto her back, and screamed for Princess Bubblegum. The queen's eyes were rolled back in her head, a needle hung out of the bend of her arm, and vomit trailed down the front of her shirt.

"What's wrong?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

Finn was unable to answer. As soon as the princess saw Marceline lying on the ground, she knelt down beside her, called for Lady, and pushed Finn away so that she could work.

"Is everything-Oh Glob!" Lady exclaimed, seeing Marceline. "What do I do?"

"Take this and dispose of it, then bring me my medical bag. And hurry," Princess Bubblegum ordered.

She slipped the needle out of Marceline's arm and handed it to Lady. The Rainicorn flew out of the tent and towards Princess Bubblegum's things, while the princess made sure that Marceline's airway was clear. By tilting the queen's head and lifting her chin, Princess Bubblegum insured that she wouldn't choke on her own vomit. With this done, the princess took Marceline's vital signs and discovered that her heart and breathing had slowed down dramatically.

"Lady, I need that kit!" She screamed, pushing up her sleeves.

Lady rushed into the tent and handed Marceline her bag. Finn watched as Princess Bubblegum unzipped it roughly and started throwing out everything she didn't need. He began to panic when he realized that the princess, normally so strong and in control, was scared.

"What's wrong with her, Peebles?" He asked, sounding more like a child than a man.

"Finn, I'm going to need you to fly to the pharmacy in the village. Break in if you have to."

"What do I get?"

Princess Bubblegum took the pencil she kept behind her ear and scribbled the name of the medicine she needed on the package of bandages: Naloxone. Finn stared at the name for a few seconds, then looked up at the princess.

"I don't know what this is," he said, crying.

"It doesn't matter just ask the pharmacist, read the labels, I don't care! Just go!"

Princess Bubblegum started chest compressions and rescue breathing on the queen while Finn ran out of the tent and flew off in the direction on the village. Jake had calmly taken the spaghetti off the fire and was now waiting for someone to tell him what exactly was going on. He knew from the sound of Princess Bubblegum's voice that she shouldn't be disturbed right now, so he chose to stay out of her way.

Simon, who had pieced together what was happening, was sitting on a fallen tree, his head in his hands. He cursed himself over and over for buying drugs for Marceline, but he could understand the need to slip into a different, more peaceful world, and he had a hard time saying no to her. He was shocked from his thoughts when he felt a rush of air and heard a dull thud as Finn landed on the ground next to him. The hero took off in a sprint towards Marceline's tent, a bag from the Rock Village pharmacy in his hand.

Finn ripped the bag in two and held a vial of Naloxone out to Princess Bubblegum. She stopped the chest compressions and rescue breathing and took the vial. She drew the medicine up in a syringe from her bag and jerked Marceline's pants down so that she could inject it in her upper thigh. Nearly immediately, the Vampire's breathing and pulsed returned to normal. Princess Bubblegum capped the syringe and laid it to the side. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and began to cry. Finn had never seen her like this before, and it scared him. He realized just how bad the situation was, and he crawled over to Marceline and held her in his arms tightly. He jumped when he felt Princess Bubblegum embrace them, but he relaxed into her arms and they cried together, both holding onto Marceline as if they were afraid she was going to slip away. Lady watched, slightly bewildered, for a moment before hurriedly packing the medical bag back up and going to tell Jake and Simon what happened.

When Princess Bubblegum couldn't cry anymore, she gently broke her embrace and stood up. Wiping her face with one hand, she held the other out to Finn and helped him up. Wordlessly, the princess gathered Marceline's spoon, lighter, and extra syringes and put them back in the brown paper bag.

"Stay with Marceline," she ordered.

She took the bag of heroin and marched out of the tent.

Princess Bubblegum stood in front of Simon, her hands on her hips. The older man looked up at her, and she could see that he'd been crying. That didn't keep the princess from being furious, however, and she struggled to speak without yelling.

"Did you buy this for her?" She asked, holding up the bag.

"Yes," Simon admitted.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Princess Bubblegum screamed.

"I don't know!" He replied. "She was begging me, and she just lost her child, and she…She promised that she'd be careful!"

"Be careful?" The princess stepped forward, and Simon stood up. "In the past few months she's been beaten half to death, tried to kill herself, and her son has been kidnapped. Do you really expect her to be careful with heroin?"

"I don't know what I was thinking, Princess! It won't happen again!"

"If it does, I'll have you locked up," Princess Bubblegum said, turning around and walking back towards Finn and Marceline's tent.

"I'm sorry," Simon said, so low that she almost didn't hear, sitting back down on the fallen tree.

The princess spun around on her heel, her fists clenched.

"You can apologize to me," she said, her voice eerily calm, "but could you apologize to Finn if she had died?"

As the day began to turn dark, Jake realized that Finn still hadn't come out of the tent. Worried that he might be hungry, he put some spaghetti on a plate and took it into their tent. He started to speak, but stopped when he saw Finn, his eyes swollen and red, murmuring softly in Marceline's ear, telling her how much he loved her. Jake felt anger rise up in him, and he walked over to Finn and placed his hand on the younger boy's shoulders.

"Hey bro," he said. "How's she?"

"Peebles says she's going to be fine. I just don't understand why she'd want to do this to herself."

"I don't understand either," Jake replied. "Hey, you've been doing this quite a bit lately, haven't you? Sitting around holding her hand because she did something stupid to herself?"

"What're you getting at, Jake?" Finn asked, turning around to face the dog.

"I'm just saying that maybe it's time to…I don't know, man. Cut your losses and move on."

"You want me to abandon my wife because she's sick?"

"Sick! Good Glob, Finn, she brought this on herself! You deserve so much better than her!" Jake screamed.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Finn asked. "You liked her when she was just hanging out as a friend, now she's my wife and you can't stand it!"

"I don't want her hurting you, Finn! Besides," Jake lowered his voice, "you don't know everything about Marceline."

"What exactly don't I know, then?" Finn asked.

"I bet you don't know about that whole village she wiped out when she first became the Vampire Queen, did you?" Jake retorted.

"A whole village?" Finn asked, his voice small. "I'm sure she was just trying to feed her people; I mean, that was before she knew that they could eat the color red and…Yeah, that had to be it."

"There were reports of her taking babies out of their mother's arms and sucking their blood right there," Jake said, leaning close to Finn. "Do you really want to find Liam now that you know that?"

Finn was silent for a long while.

"Where'd you hear all this, anyway?"

"Lady Rainicorn's parents remember it. They showed me newspapers, buddy. I promise, I'm just trying to watch out for you."

"It must be a mistake," Finn said, shaking his head. "It has to be. Marceline would have told me."

"Did she tell you what happened with Princess Bubblegum the night before you got married?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No," Finn said, crossing his arms in front of him. "What are you talking about?"

"I overheard them talking at the reception. Apparently, Peebles and Marceline got drunk and got to tier 15 the day before she married you."

Jake watched as Finn went through a series of emotions that made him regret ever telling his brother about what he had heard. He was shocked at first, then a bit angry, but the look of hurt on his face was most prominent

"Really, Finn, I'm just trying to keep you from getting hurt by her. I just don't want to see-"

"Leave," Finn said, his voice made thick by the tears running down his face.

Jake started to protest, but Finn repeated his command, this time with more force. The dog backed out of the tent, but not before glancing back and seeing that Finn was holding Marceline's hand against his forehead, while he sobbed, his shoulders heaving. He stayed that way for a long time before gently placing Marceline's hand back on her sleeping bag and kissing her on the cheek. The stubble on his chin rubbed against her face, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Finn?" She asked, sitting up.

"Oh, Marcy, thank Glob. You overdosed on heroin."

"I know," Marceline whispered, turning her head away.

"Princess Bubblegum is worried," Finn said, taking the queen's hand and tracing lines down her fingers. "So am I."

"I wasn't trying to hurt myself. I just used too much this time."

They were silent for a few moments, Finn's fingers still tracing patterns on Marceline's arms. They both waned to speak, but neither could find the right words to say. It was Finn who finally broke the silence.

"Jake told me that you and Princess Bubblegum…that you…is it true?"

Marceline sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, it's true," she admitted. "But it was a mistake, Finn, and we both realize that. It's over now, and it will never happen again."

Finn nodded, and wiped his eyes

"Jake also told me about you wiping out a whole village when you were younger. Is that true too?"

"Where did he hear about that?" Marceline asked. When Finn didn't reply, she sat up on her sleeping bag and took both of Finn's hands. "Yes, I did attack that village, but no one ever tells the part about them being self-styled Vampire hunters. They thought we were an affront to Grob Gob Glob Grod, so they tried to kill us all. They'd already murdered five Vampires, and injured I don't know how many, when we attacked. The way it was reported, though, made us seem like the bad guys. It always happens that way."

Finn considered this, then nodded slowly. He leaned forward and kissed Marceline's cheek. She smiled, and for a brief moment Finn was reminded of the woman he had fallen in love with.

"Do you hate me, Finn?" She asked. "For everything that happened? Everything I've put you through?"

Finn wrapped his arms around the queen, pulling her tightly into his chest. He stroked her hair and shook his head.

"No way, Marcy," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "I could never hate you."

Marceline nodded and clutched the back of Finn's t-shirt like a child clinging to their parent.

"Thank you. I love you, hero."

"I love you too, Marcy. No more drugs, okay? Promise?"

"I promise."

Before long, Finn was snoring. Marceline pressed her body as close to his as she could, and listened to the sounds of the forest around them. The glow of the full moon shone through the tent, and Marceline wondered where Liam was sleeping. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and the queen buried her face in Finn's chest, trying to block out the world.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the reviews! They motivate me so much, so keep them coming!