Hey, guys. I'm sorry this is so late. Like, really late. Originally, I wanted to post something around Christmas as a little gift from me to you (believe it or not, I've never celebrated any holidays or birthdays and have never given a gift), but I've been going in and out of a few hospitals for the past month. I won't lie, my mental health is getting worse and worse. It might get even more difficult to update chapters. Added to that, my son had to go into the ICU after I went to the hospital due to illness from being premature.

So a lot of shit is happening, guys.

But, I'm still here, and this is for you. And did you know that tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of this fic? Whoaaaaaa . . . HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, GUYS! LOVE YOU!

Marceline's POV

Marshall seemed to catch on pretty quickly how upset I was at him and kept his distance for the remainder of the day. I wanted to forgive him. I really did. But he stole my first kiss out of pity. How do you just get over something like that? Especially when it's one of your close friends. The boys didn't push me to forgive him and my girls didn't bring it up again. I was grateful, to say the least.

It was currently our second day on the way to my grandfather's house, and to be perfectly honest, I was beginning to feel antsy. If I didn't know what he had in store, who did? The teachers? Simon? My dad?

I groaned at the thought. Was Dad gonna try to do that whole "father-daughter bonding" crap again and try to "get to know me better" again? What would that make it, seven, eight times now? Stupid, stupid man. I couldn't blame him for trying to spend time with me, but with the rift in our relationship, it was kinda hard to take it lightly. In fact, it wasn't just a rift in our relationship, it was a fucking chasm. After Momma died, he changed . . . But I can't really say I remember him much from before that.

Either way, I didn't really want to see him. Ever.

. . .

Even if he did feed me. And clothe me. And put several roofs over my head.

Glob, I'm starting to sound spoiled, aren't I? Don't turn into Bonnie, don't turn into Bonnie, don't turn into Bonnie, I told myself.

I had been staring at the pleather seat in front of me and resting my head on Fionna's shoulder when she shifted suddenly.

"Everything okay, Fi-Fi?" I asked, lacing my left hand with her right.

"Mhmm," she hummed. I heard a small thud as she pressed her forehead to the window. "I think it's been five years since I've been to the old manor."

I smiled, though it felt bittersweet. "What, you were eleven?"

"Twelve," she corrected. She shifted her shoulder again. "I'm older than you, remember Marcy?"

"Be quiet," I said, my smile becoming real. I hated the fact that she was older than me so much. She was the kind of person who liked to bring up the whole "Oh, I'm older than you and you have to respect your elders" thing whenever we messed around.

"Speaking of which," she said, "it's November, Marcy. Your birthday is next month."

I pursed my lips. My birthday. That's right. That's a thing. And it's coming up quick.

My birthday was never a fun topic for me. Why? Well, Dad gets this big old idea in his head that since it's my birthday, suddenly I'm his perfect princess and we're all good and he has the damn right to be near me. So my birthdays normally end up with him showing up out of the blue and an argument between us and no actual happiness involved.

December 8th was not a good day for me, ever. Except, maybe once.

I remembered one day Bonnie and the girls had surprised me with the tiniest little party when I was eleven. I hadn't been expecting a party, or any recognition at all, for that matter, but they had been planning it for weeks. It was at my house, right in the center of the living room where they had set up games and junk food and four gifts for me. We roasted marshmallows over ice cream soaked in Dad's Bacardi. It was so small, intimate, that I had been smiling for hours.

And then Dad showed up. But you know what? Bonnie didn't let him touch me. She marched right up to him and sassily put a hand on her hip. Then, she jutted her finger at him and scolded him for not coming sooner. He protested, but she insisted that he was an asshole. Then she proceeded to tell him to get the hell out and that he had no place there. She slammed the door and locked it the second he'd stepped out.

And then she had turned around with the grace of a gazelle, popped some bubblegum in her mouth, and sat down on the living room floor with the rest of us again. Fionna clapped her on the back, Lady clung to her arm, and Cake gushed about how awesome she was.

But the entire time they were praising her, she was looking at me, never breaking eye contact. And she smiled this soft smile that I had memorized by the end of that night.

Glob, Bonnie was amazing.

Was . . .

But the point was, ever since then I made sure to remember each of their birthdays. Cake was March 22nd, Bonnie was June 12th, Fionna was July 30th, and Lady was October 3rd. It wasn't like I didn't remember them before, it was just that after that party, I had begun eagerly awaiting those dates. And we spent each of them together. Except, Bonnie's didn't last long . . .

"Helllooooo?" Fionna asked. "Oh no, did you fade off into Marceline-World again? Damn, Queen. I am personally offended by this."

I chuckled. "Sorry, babe."

"You are so not sorry," she said, mocking sadness.

I scoffed. "And how would you know if I'm sorry or not?"

She pretended to sound smug. "I have my ways."

"Would those ways include pissing me off?" I asked playfully.

Before she could respond, there was a grumpy boyish voice beside me. "Could you guys, like, not start talking randomly at two in the morning?" Lordo asked.

He was curled up in a ball on our seat, using my right forearm as a pillow and using Finn's lap to rest his feet. Finn had fallen asleep on top of his legs, and was drooling on his calves, which I found to be both really cute and really funny. On the other side of the aisle, Cake was leaning on Lady, Lady leaning on Jake, and Jake leaning on Marshall. I thought it was just a little bit adorable. Marshall's eyelashes kept fluttering, so I could tell he was still awake, just staring out the window. And, whoa, he has really long eyelashes. Do girls even have eyelashes that long?

I mentally shook my head. Focus, Marceline, I thought to myself.

I looked down at Lordo, smiling. "No problem."

"Good, good . . ." he whispered before dozing off again.

Fionna moved her arm again to catch my attention. "He's right, though. It's two. You should get some rest."

I pouted, though since my head was still on her shoulder I doubted she could see.

"Please?" she pleaded. "For me?"

I sighed, defeated. I mumbled out a "fine," and repositioned myself so that I could rest comfortably. When I closed my eyes, I fully realized just how tired I was.

"Love you, Marceline," was the last thing I heard Fionna say before I let sleep takeover.

My eyes snapped open when the bus jerked to a halt. My face had pressed against the seat in front of me and my head slammed into it. Fionna stifled a chuckle next to me.

I tried to adjust my eyes to the light of day. Was it day three already?

Betty stood at the front of the bus. "All right, everyone. We'll be coming up on the Abadeer Mansion in a few hours, but since you all have been so lovely on the trip here, we've decided to make a rest stop here at the Abadeer Mall."

My heart skipped about ten beats. The Abadeer Mall? My mall? I hadn't been there in what felt like ages. How were the girls in Marceline's Closet doing?

"We'll only be here for three hours, though, so make it count!" Betty concluded.

Almost all of the other kids, including the Perfects, excluding Ash's crew, stood the minute the bus doors opened and filed out, all chatting away like harpies. I looked around at my friends to see if any of them were interested in leaving as well, but it seemed like they were still just trying to wake up in the first place.

I did, however, see Marshall and Jake talking in hushed whispers closely, looking around suspiciously, too. Jake looked serious (for once!) and Marshall looked painfully strained. I wanted to go over there and console him, but fought the urge, though it was difficult. It was like resisting the instinct to brush away the invisible hair that fell on your skin that felt like a spider.

I averted my gaze before either of them could notice.

Fionna nudged me. "Wanna go check it out?"

Finn's head shot up from his droopy, slouched position. "I DO!"

Lordo pressed his palms over his ears and squeezed his eyes. Then he reached up to cover Finn's mouth. "Shh. Finn. Please. Not so loud."

I giggled at him. If I didn't know any better, it would've seemed that he had a hangover. I bounced my right leg, making Lordo groan and sit up straight.

He pouted at me. "Do I have to go?"

I ruffled his jet black hair and smiled sweetly. "Yes. Don't complain."

He looked on the verge of tears and groaned in agony again, putting his forehead on the seat in front of us. I laughed again, loudly this time. What can I say? I love seeing people miserable and in pain. (Joking).

That's when I saw Ash come into view. He put his hand on the back of our seat and leaned towards me, smiling in a way that could only be described as creepy and perverted. His friends stood behind him in a supportive way, all grinning like they were wolves preparing to feast.

"So we're at a mall now," Ash said.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Fucking idiot.

"I was thinking," he said, turning his head casually, "you might need a date. Someone to, you know, take care of you."

I shuddered. I did not want to know at all what "take care of" meant to him.

"She doesn't need anyone to take care of her," Fionna stated, her arm over the side of our seat. She was glaring daggers at Ash. "Maybe you could find someone a little more pathetic and shallow to fit your tastes. Like Ashley."

Ash tittered and I found the sound making my stomach churn. I hated him.

"Listen, whore, blondie, whatev-"

"Don't call her that!" Finn said defiantly. "Don't do anything. Just leave before you make things harder for yourself and-" He glanced down at Ash's crotch. "-your future children."

"Are you insulting me, pretty boy?" Ash asked, his "playfulness" gone.

Finn stood, his face becoming stone cold. "I could do a lot worse to you, fuckboy."

"Finn!" I called, standing as well. Fionna and the others' attention had been completely captured by us. I put a hand on his arm. "He's not worth it," I whispered in his ear. Finn relaxed only in the slightest. I turned to look at Ash. "If I come with you, will you leave them alone?"

There was a round of "Marceline, don't!" from my friends, but I didn't care. I had already dug myself into a deep hole with the Perfects, what with that stupid fucking deal and all, might as well sacrifice myself to Ash now, too.

I silenced my friends and looked Ash in the eyes. "Will you?" I asked again.

He pondered, though I couldn't tell if it was real or not. Then he looked at me in a way that sent chills down my spine, though not in a good way. Not in the way Marshall could.

"Depends on what you give me," he said.

I almost heaved at the thought. Fionna's jaw dropped, Lordo fumed, Jake's hands balled into fists, and Cake and Lady were staring Ash down. They were all thinking the exact same thing as me. My face contorted again. That was just revolting.

"Enough!" Marshall yelled. He pushed past everyone to stand in front of Ash and gave him the blackest look I'd ever seen. His breathing had labored and I could tell he was angry. "You lay one hand on her and see what happens," he threatened, voice dripping venom.

Ash didn't reply, instead looking at me, my body.

"Make your decision, Ash!" Marshall encouraged. "I'm sure as hell fine with either way."

Still no response. I was gaping at Marshall, but the others didn't seem fazed by his reaction. Why?

"You can either walk off bus and go your own way," Marshall continued, "or you can be sent to the hospital with each and every one of your damn bones broken, laying in a pool of your own fucking blood. Choose, Ash."

For some reason, I got the hint that Ash had heard this before, which was pretty unnerving. I remembered that the reason the Vampire Knights had gotten their fame was because of all the fights they got in with Ash, but I never really understood why. Yeah, Ash was a fucking dick, but that didn't mean it was right to just go around randomly beating people up. So the question was: what happened each time that provoked the Vampire Knights so much that they felt the need to practically start a war with Ash's gang? Something I should probably ask Marshall later . . . Or maybe Jake instead.

Ash fixed the collar on his shirt and listed his head. His friends' faces fell, like they were disappointed that Ash hadn't gotten the shit beaten out of him. He bumped into Marshall's shoulder forcefully as he passed and whispered something I couldn't hear. Apparently Lady did, because she clamped her hand over her mouth in shock.

Marshall's jaw clenched. I saw murder in his eyes.

"Hey, Ash."

The next thing I knew, Ash had been punched so hard he reeled back and fell to the ground with a yelp. Marshall took another step forward, but Jake and Finn grabbed both of his arms.

"Not now," Finn murmured in his ear.

Lordo crossed his arms and glared at the rest of Ash's crew, daring them to make some sort of move. They looked utterly terrified and ran past the boys to Ash's side. Hah. Cowards.

When Ash stood, blood was running from his nose and his lip had been split. Nice punch, Marsh, I thought.

"You're gonna regret that, Pierce!" Ash said, though the threat sounded more like a weak insult. "I'm gonna get you!"

"I'll be waiting," Marshall replied, glowering at Ash as he left.

I stepped out into the aisle with them, confusion probably written all along my face. Marshall wouldn't meet my eyes, but Cake did. She raised her eyebrows and looked both impressed and shocked.

"He'll be okay," Lordo said to me, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. "He will."

Marshall stopped staring down the back of Ash's head and sat down next to Lady, running a hand through his hair. Lady comfortingly rubbed his back.

"So," she started, placing her hand on his arm, "anyone still want to go to the mall?"

We split up, me taking Finn, Lordo, and Jake, and Fionna taking Lady, Cake, and Marshall. We figured it was best that he have some "feminine energy," or whatever Lady called it, around him to cheer him up and cool his anger. Meanwhile, I could show the boys around. I was kind of a win-win.

"Oh my Glob," Finn said. "We are going in there. We are so going in there."

I followed his eyes and saw that he was staring at the one and only Marceline's Closet. Technically it was the first one ever made, as my grandfather had insisted it be near his house, and some of my favorite girls in the world worked there.

"Marcy," Finn pleaded. He tugged on my jacket twice. "Marcy, please. Let's go in. Please."

I reached over and took a bite from Jake's ice cream, much to his dismay, and checked the time on my phone. We still had one hour in the mall. We could definitely check out my store. Besides, there were people in there I wanted to see.

I grabbed Finn's wrist, and, with a devilish smirk, tugged him inside.

It was the exact same way I had designed it.

The floor was a very bright white, due to the the lights we had installed, and lit up the entire store. The ceiling was still pitch black and glossy, so it reflected the illumination of the floor. The wall were gray and had all six of my framed album posters up, Glob Save the Vampire Queen, Tensioned, A Life on Standby, Manifested Equilibrium, and Fierce Angel Presents Angels Fall. Other pictures of stuff I liked decorated the small moldings on the floor in perfect square pictures. Korrasami was there, my favorite bands were there, different pictures of roses and things in red. I love red.

In the walls were all of the shoes and accessories and in the center was the racks of clothes. I owned all of them. I designed all of them. It felt so good to be home. In the far back where the checkout and dressing rooms were, I heard four sharp, off girlish giggles. I smiled. I really, really missed them.

Ava, Eva, Teva, and Lava all came rushing towards me. They engulfed me in a group hug that lasted longer than I had intended, but was welcome nonetheless. Eva pulled away first and put her dark pink hair into a ponytail. I laughed and told her it looked good. Lava's bright indigo hair came into view as she fixed Teva's black hair. Ava readjusted her purple bandana over her blonde hair. The lights of the floor made their skin glow green, blue, and purple.

Though they could hear me, I signed to them, knowing it was their preferred form of communication, saying, 'I've missed you guys.' I laughed and added, 'Bikini Babes.'

Teva signed back, 'Where have you been?'

'Doing school,' I signed, showing distasted.

Eva giddily bounced up and down. 'How long are you going to be here for?'

I signed, 'Weeks. Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to catch up.'

Lava signed back, 'We better.'

Ava looked at my friends. 'And who are these hotties?'

I rolled my eyes. Ava had always gone straight for the boys. 'Finn, Jake, and Lordo.' When I saw the mischievous look in her eye, and Eva winking, I signed, 'But they have girlfriends!'

Ava seemed crestfallen, but it wasn't like I had lied. Not entirely, at least.

'We don't want to keep you,' Teva signed. 'Go ahead and look around. We'll wait in the back.'

We all hugged once more, and they ran to the back of the store. I sighed wistfully. I loved those girls.

Jake appeared beside me as we all started walking around. We weren't necessarily browsing, but rather just passing the time. It was nice. "So . . . What was that all about?" he asked.

I smiled. "Those, my friend, are the Bikini Babes."

"Bikini Babes?" Lordo asked, mildly put off by their title.

I laughed. "Yep! They're the four daughters of a . . ." I faltered. "An old friend, long gone. That little one with the pink hair? That's Eva, the youngest. Next is Ava, the one with the bandana. Then it's Lava, in the neon. The oldest is the black haired one in white, Teva, as you could probably tell by her demeanor."

"And why are they called Bikini Babes again?" Finn asked.

"Because when their father died, they danced at beaches and parties in bathing suits to get money. Except Ava, actually. She wore a one piece." I shuffled through some t-shirts on the rack as the boys also began exploring. "They're mute and it was really hard for them to get jobs. So," I said, pulling out a pair of red and black checkered jeans. Designing those was a trip. "I offered them jobs. I was very little, maybe around six. But they knew me and my dad. They accepted instantly and have been working here ever since. I even built a house for them on the property of my grandfather's mansion."

"Oh, yes, thanks for the reminder that you're rich as dicks," Jake said.

"Stop it," I said with a smile.

I rounded the corner and ran into Lordo, of all the boys, holding up a pair of what I could guess was seven inch heels. "Huh," he muttered. "You wear these, Marceline?"

I rolled my eyes. Hardly. On occasion, yes, I wore heels, but definitely not those ones. Had I even designed those? I didn't think so. What were they even doing in my store? Ugh, I hate mall shoppers.

"Not those heels in particular," I responded, my tone flat but amused.

"Those things look like walking death traps," Finn commented.

"Oh yeah?" Lordo asked. A sly grin appeared on his face. "Why don't you find out firsthand, then?"

Finn protested, his face quickly turning pale, but somehow, some way, we convinced him to try them on. And they indeed did look like walking death traps. He sat on the bench with a huff, taking off his converse and socks to replace them with the heels. He held my hand and the wall in order to stand up straight.

"Don't leave me!" he said panicked as I let go of his hand and backed away. He shrieked as he looked down, his knees wobbling.

"Go on, try to walk," I encouraged, gesturing around.

His ankle bent awkwardly and he fell to the floor with the first step. We were laughing our asses off. He looked up at us, his face red and strained. "How do you ladies do it?"

"Who said heels were only for women?" I countered, raising a brow.

"I'm with Marcy on this one!" Jake exclaimed.

He stood up, helped Finn out of the heels, put them on, and strutted around like he had been doing it his whole life. Somehow this was even funnier than Finn falling. Jake started to pose, too, like he was a model on a runway. He sauntered around, looking at us over his shoulder, raising his arms up, etc. It was hilarious. Lordo ran around and found another pair of heels and put them on, joining Jake in their fashion show.

"We better work the hallway like a runway," he sang.

It was so funny, I lost track of how long Finn and I had been sitting their laughing.

Suddenly, I heard someone scream, "UGH! Have you ever even worked before? I cannot understand you! Why can't you idiots just talk like normal people!"

I stopped laughing abruptly, knowing exactly who had said that. I looked around the store, trying to find her, but when I did she was leaving with her friends. Bonnie stood gaping at the Bikini Babes, before reluctantly turning and following Ashley. It infuriated me. How dare she come into my store, bring my enemy and let her insult my friends!

I jogged over to the girls who had collapsed on the ground, telling the boys to stay back. Eva and Lava were crying, Ava sobbing though no tears came, and Teva with her arms around all of them, trying to comfort her little sisters. It broke my heart. They had always been so self conscious of their muteness. How could Ashley be so cruel? How could Bonnie just sit there and not do anything? She knew the Bikini Babes!

"Traitor," I whispered to myself. Glob fucking dammit, Bonnie.

I crouched on the ground next to the Bikini Babes, wiping their tears and trying to comfort them.

"Hey," I said forcefully so that they'd all look at me. I both signed and slowly said, "You are more normal than any other asshole in this mall, okay? You are beautiful and you are normal."

They each looked at me hopefully. Hopeful for what, I didn't know, but it was certainly there. It made me feel a bit better about the whole situation. Eva smiled that sweet smile of hers and Lava's eyes shined. Ava grabbed my hand with a vicelike grip. Teva signed, 'We love you, Queen.'

I smiled at them and hoped it looked as sincere as I felt. I heard the door to the store open and turned to see the boys greeting Marshall, Cake, Lady, and Fionna.

Lady instantly noticed the girls on the floor, Cake next. Fionna and Cake ran to them whereas Lady's brows furrowed and she walked slowly. "Sweeties . . ." she whispered.

Cake took Eva's hands in her own and Eva started crying again. "Oh, baby girl, it's okay."

Fionna looked at me. "Why don't you go talk to the boys?" she suggested. "We can take care of them."

I nodded and stood to go speak to the Vampire Knights, a heaviness in my step. I was so, so pissed off.

"What happened?" Marshall asked.

I forgot all about the anger I felt towards him and directed it entirely to the Perfects. "I fucking hate Ashley," I said. I hoped Finn, Jake, and Lordo had seen what had happened and would explain for me. I was too fucking pissed.

Luckily, Lordo did explain, resulting in Marshall looking utterly distraught.

"Marceline," he said. "I'm so sorry."

Unwillingly, I buckled under the pressure of his gaze and collapsed against him. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head. I held him as tight as I could, trying to release all the anger I was feeling. At my dad, at Ash, at the Perfects.

And at Marshall Fucking Lee Pierce.

And that is a wrap! Hope you like it. I also realized last night that the reason these chapters have been so shitty is because I write them at like 1AM. This time I wrote it at 3PM.

My friend Sahalia and I were talking today and she said that her face canon for irl Marshall was a cross between Marlon Brando and Gerard Way, which is like ? Kinda? Is that even a thing? DOES SUCH A THING EXIST?

Guest 1- well, here it is! Just for you ;)

rainbowlopez- I'm really glad you swore because no one has swore in a review yet. YES. The song is called 'The Sharpest Lives' by My Chemical Romance (AKA: one of the best bands ever) on their album 'The Black Parade.' Glad you like it!

Sukaretto20- Thank you very much, anon!

lolicat52- Thank you! I try really hard, and think it's good when I write it, but once I go back and read it i see just how freaking corny and terrible it was, usually because I've only wrote chapters of this when I'm tired. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Guest 2- RIGHT?! Like, yes, Finn, you go! Push her down those stairs!

Guest 3- Thank you, lovely guest for your encouragement :)

HAPPY THOUGHT:

you tried your best
you are not bad for doing what is right to recover
you deserve it
you need help as much as everyone else does