Watching the Sun Set Slowly

Her breathing was rampant, chest heaving with strained force as she ran through the winds biting at her flesh. Every step she made was a miracle in the broken terrain. As she rounded the corner she nearly collapsed, but caught herself on the rough remains of a wall. Face pressed against her hands, forehead touching the cold surface Betty sucked in air till she threw herself into a coughing fit. The air was so cold it made breathing painful. Body wanting to give in, Betty's knees bent and pressed together as she lightly sobbed. Silence overcame her as she heard a voice carried on the wind, off in the way it was eerily chipper, lustful in the way it called out her nickname,

"Priiiiiiiiiiiiincess," he called, "Priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiincess…"

Betty held back her sobs as she pushed herself off the wall and started running as fast as her numb legs would go. It wasn't fast enough to escape her pursuer, who descended from the sky. His white eyes fell upon her with joy, like a child finding the treasure they'd eaten an entire box of cereal for. Betty sniffled, knowing that running at this point was useless. She wrapped her arms around her body as she backed away, eyes filled with fear,

"Why princess," he cooed through a sleazy smile, eyes focusing entirely on her, "Didn't you hear me calling for you?"

"I…" she stammered, unable to put words together at first, "I'm sorry… Simon… I…"

"Simon?" his eyes narrowed and suddenly he was so close, hovering over her trembling form, "Who's Simon?" He looked down at her wide eyes and his face softened. Ice King raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek, "Oh just look at you," he breathed out, his breath a wisp of frost, "So beautiful."

Betty closed her eyes, retracting her balled fists to her chest as she bowed her head. He kissed her hair gently, possessively and then leaned back, looking her over and muttering to himself. His icy hands tried to settle on her hips but she pushed them away. Betty pressed her back to the wall and looked into his face with fear, unsure of exactly what he was going to do next. He just stared back at her, grinning. Ice King reached out and placed a hand beside her head, blocking any attempt she might make to escape. Pulling his smirk sideways he leaned in and looked at her, utterly infatuated. The clouds above them blocked any light that might have been there, leaving Betty in the shade of a dark day. What used to be her fiancée reached over and ran his fingers through her hair, brought it to his nose and inhaled her scent.

"You are so beautiful, princess," he whispered darkly, "So very beautiful…"

"S-Simon," she tried to speak but he slammed his fist against the wall to silence her,

"So beautiful," he repeated after the echo faded away, as if nothing had happened, "You know I love you, princess," he whispered, "Don't you know I need you?" the intensity of his tone escalated into a throaty growl, before he paused and his voice softened again, "So beautiful."

"P-Please," she whimpered timidly, "Simon… y-you're scaring me…"

"Soon you'll start to grow old, won't you?" he said, ignoring her fright as he pet her hair, lightly traced the fading scars on her arms, "And then you won't be so beautiful. And after that you'll die," there was a long terrifying pause before he leaned forward and kissed her passionately, against her wishes. When he pulled away there was a thickness to the air, the weight of his words falling on Betty's shoulders, "No. Princess, you're not allowed to leave me all alone. You're going to be mine forever."

Betty cried and pleaded with him, trying to get away as he cast his magical spell. Silence befell the darkness as his greatest treasure became immortal.

"Betty," Simon gasped, voice strained in panic as he jolted awake. He caught his broken breaths, finding that tears were pouring down his face when he rubbed his eyes.

"… Hm?" Betty mumbled as she half woke, feeling Simon shifting around as he held her, "Honey…did you say something?"

Simon tightened his hold on her silently with one arm while drying his tears with the other. He nestled his face into her hair, finding comfort in her scent as he trembled. Betty wiggled a bit as her back pressed more firmly against his chest and grew cold. She didn't say anything though, recognizing that perhaps something was wrong and that wasn't what he needed to hear. Instead she encouraged him to speak,

"Simon?" she began softly, grasping for answers, "Hun… did you sleep well?"

"I…" For a moment he considered telling her the truth, but as he began to speak, a half-truth rolled off his tongue, "…as well as I have been. Did you sleep well?" he whispered as he softly kissed her shoulder, over one of the red marks he'd left there, "You… okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed, gently running her fingers along his forearm, "I missed you,"

"I missed you too, princess," he responded innocently,

"Missed you," she repeated with emphasis and Simon's face lit ablaze, "…I wonder how long we've been asleep?" she changed the subject smoothly when she felt his body stiffen with embarrassment, "I have to be back at work soon…" she added with a cat-like yawn,

"Mother warned me about girls like you," he sighed, snuggling against her, "They love you and leave you," even though it was a joke, Betty caught the slightest bit of truth in what he was saying, like he believed it,

"I'd never leave you a second time," she cooed as she rolled over to face him. Betty nudged his nose to the side with hers and smiled, "Never ever."

She knew he had been crying- she could see the dampness of his cheeks even as he bowed his head to hide his eyes. Wrapping her arms around him she comforted him silently, knowing that if he didn't want to talk about it, it was best to leave it alone. But, despite this, Simon did have something to say, and it made Betty's smile fade,

"Betty…" Simon spoke quietly and somberly, "I'm sorry to bring this up, but… sweetheart I love you,"

"I love you too," she interjected, lightly kissing his damp cheek,

"I… I know dear, but listen…" he hardened his voice slightly as she began trying to divert the conversation with Eskimo kisses, "Betty, listen," he looked into her eyes, "If you ever think I'm not safe to be around, I would understand if you left me," he averted his eyes when she cupped his cheek, "I really would… I would want you to," he pressed his forehead to hers and sighed, "th-the last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"Simon, do you want to talk about your dream?"

His face fell, "Betty… I'm scared," he whispered as he pressed his face against hers, "I'm really… really scared…"

"Don't be," she kissed the side of his nose as his hold on her tightened, intent on saying something comforting but instead sneezing right in his face, "OH, oh… I'm SO sorry!"

"It's okay," Simon sighed as he wiped his face, "Not like this face can get any worse, now can it?"

"You're mean to yourself," Betty sniffled as she rubbed his cheek, "Under all that hair you still have the same face… just you know, blue."

"That's kind of you to say princess…" he sighed as he noticed the way she was slightly shivering in his embrace, "Oh… Betty, why didn't you tell me you were cold?"

"I'm fine," she breathed into his hair, "But… Simon, I wish I could stay…"

"I know honey," he responded sadly, "Me too."

Betty's eyes drifted down to the bandages on his upper arm, where he had been shot. Simon was such a kindhearted soul she knew he never would have done those things if it weren't for that crown. But she couldn't help but recall the way he had looked at her, it was as if a completely different man were in his body. Everything about him seemed so… different. And it wasn't his fault, not at all. Guilt nestled in her heart as she recalled that day she had left him and wondered…would things have been different if she had stayed?

"Simon," the determination her voice caught him off guard and he shifted back to look into her face, "Simon, I'm going to get you and Marcy out of here," she promised from her heart, "It'll be over my dead body that you die here."

"Don't say that," he hushed in panic, bringing her close and squeezing with all his might, "Princess please don't say that."

xxx

Marceline walked ahead of the men, her steps deterred by the cuffs on her ankles. She chewed on the manacles they had put on her wrists, grumbling as she recalled how they had commented about her being a flight risk. The room they brought her to was small and set with four fold out chairs. The guards urged her sit in one of them, though once Marceline sat down she complained that she would rather stand than sit in the stiff seat. Shortly after her arrival the door opened and in came her friend, wearing a strange expression. It was neither concerned nor fearful, but weary. She smiled when she locked eyes with Marceline, who bounced lightly in her seat.

"It is nice to see you again, Marcy," she said sweetly as she took a seat beside her, "How was your talk with Simon?"

"They shot him," Marceline pouted, "And then they shot me too… I woke up in this room… it was-"

Marceline was cut off as the lock on the door hitched. Both their heads turned and watched the door open. In came Simon, shackled in a similar fashion to Marceline. He looked rather unhappy as the man behind him nonchalantly pushed him into the room, nearly causing him to trip. All of the frustration melted from his face as his eyes befell Marceline, laughing as she flopped out of her seat and bunny-hopped to him. She jumped up and latched onto him, burying her face in his shirt. Watching the two curiously, Marceline's friend examined the two and their display of affection.

Simon set Marceline down at the request of the main guard. Apparently they were to have little to no contact with one another. Simon urged Marceline back into her seat, which she did obediently. Marceline sat on the end chair so that Simon was in the middle of her and her new friend. Simon's gaze wandered over to the strange albeit adorable little pink girl next to him. She'd been watching him with curiosity since he'd entered the room. He was surprised to hear her speak so eloquently in her pronunciation, being the age that she was, or rather seemed to be.

"Hello Simon," she said with a smile,

"Why hello there," he said softly, with a smile that was charming despite his appearance, "I never got to properly thank you for looking after my little girl. She means the world to me," he didn't notice the shift of pink in her cheeks as by habit he reached down and tussled her hair, "What's your name sweetheart?"

"They call me Bubblegum," she said, her voice quavering slightly as she grasped her patient uniform, "I suppose you can call me that… if you want to?"

"I…" Simon wasn't sure he should tell her that they had likely placed that name on her in ridicule, so instead he opted to make light of it, give the child some pride, "Sure darling, Bubblegum… a sweet little bubblegum princess."

"A… princess?" she blushed, "You think I could be a princess?"

"I-" Simon was interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking. He stood and stepped in front of the girls, not knowing who was going to come in. The guards reached out and grabbed his shoulders, fearing that Simon might do something unexpected, "Girls… don't say anything. Let me talk, okay?"

"Okay," they responded in unison.

A woman came in with a clipboard and an upturned nose that shouted attitude problems. She looked from Marcy, clutching Simon's leg, to Simon, bracing himself as if ready for a fight, to Bubblegum, who stood and stared silently. Scribbling in her notes the doctor pursed her lips and gave the guards a knowing look. The three were instantly encouraged to sit back down with brutish helping hands.

"I suppose you three are wondering why you're here," the ebony haired woman was apathetic as she tapped her pen against her paper, "this is mostly a debriefing… the organization has acknowledged that you three aren't like the others housed here," her voice dripped sarcasm at the last bit, and Simon could tell she was trying not to smirk, "So before we move on with our tests, we just want to get to know you a little better."

Simon narrowed his eyes at the woman, but held his tongue. It was not polite to bark at ladies. He sat back down and encouraged the girls to follow suit. They sat on each side of him, Marcy turned toward Simon and Bubblegum faced the doctor with a calculating stare. The woman addressed herself as Doctor Harley, to which the three in question nodded silently. Simon felt something grip his pants and looked down to find a small gray-blue hand latched onto his pant leg. He gently slipped his index finger under her palm and she lightly latched onto it. Marceline smiled contently, her shoulders dropping.

"Ma'am," Simon looked up at the woman with gentle eyes, the eyes a child uses when it requests something it really wants, "do the children have to be here? Whatever questions you have I feel I can answer… however there are certain things I will not…" He gestured with a slight nod of his head towards Marceline who looked at him with discontent,

"I'm not a child," she pouted, "How come you never tell me the truth?"

"Because…" Bubblegum interjected softly, looking down at the ground while she fidgeted her fingers, "He is trying to protect you."

"It would seem so," the doctor mused, scribbling in her notes, "Which is precisely why she's here."

Guards stepped up behind the three in question and grabbed onto their shoulders. Simon whipped around, breaking free as he fell to the floor and scrambled away. Marcy and Bubblegum squirmed in their seats, eyes opened wide with fright and concern. Getting to his feet with some difficulty Simon backed away from the men approaching him till he was trapped in the corner of the small room. As his body tensed, his eyes widened he resembled a frightened animal. But his eyes were on the girls more than the men hovering over him. The voice of Doctor Harley broke the pursuit,

"I have some specific questions I need you to answer for me Mr. Petrikov," She said, "You see, we found something that belongs to you… it appears that you know more than any of us about what's really going on out there."

Her dainty fingers pulled some photos out of her papers and tossed them onto the floor. Simon shoved past the men, falling to his knees as he sifted through the images; his backpack, the enchiridion, the crown, his journal…

His tapes.

Oh god, he thought… the tapes.

Simon shook his head as he held the images in his hands, tightening his grip as his mind reeled. Eventually he couldn't take the idea that they would know everything. They would know about his princess…

RIIIIP

"Are the theatrics necessary?" The doctor questioned as she scribbled in her notes, with a raised brow, "Or is there something in those tapes you don't want us to see?" she tilted her chin up and to the side smugly, adding, "Or someone? Maybe there's someone you don't want us to know about?"

"Stop picking on him!" Marceline shouted, trying to shake herself free of the brute keeping her seated, "Leave Simon alone!"

Bubblegum looked over at Marceline. The poor thing was hysterical. Marceline thrashed about trying to get free, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. And at first, Bubblegum thought perhaps this was simply out of her possessive nature of the surrogate father figure role Simon was to her. But then Bubblegum eased her attentions over to Simon, who was on his knees with his head bowed. Shoulders trembling, he slowly looked up at the doctor and the fear and pain in his eyes was immeasurable. A thick, heavy tear rolled down his cheek and hit the floor as a shard of ice. In his hands he fisted the pictures into crumbled bits of paper.

"You leave my princess alone," And his voice stilled the child, because it wasn't his voice. It was broken and raspy and strained… filled with anguish and fear, "You leave her out of this or I'll make you sorry… I'll make all of you sorry…"

"No… Simon… not now…" Marceline whimpered, and Bubblegum understood, "…please not now…"

The doctor adjusted herself in her seat. In her features, one could tell she was slightly nervous, knowing that she was hitting tender areas of his psyche. But she had orders and this was important. Harley pressed on, flicking glances at the security to be sure they were on their toes,

"Does your 'princess' know what you are, Simon?" Harley asked genuinely, with a hint of pity, "Or is she still under the impression that loves true kiss will make everything a Disney movie?"

"Stop," Simon snapped, one of his hands moving up to his temple, the pictures fluttering to the floor, his eyes strained to see clearly,

"Does she know the truth, the full truth?" As she said this Harley tossed another photo onto the ground, it slid to a stop at Simon's knees- security footage of Simon wearing the crown. He had a man by the throat, smiling like a madman while encasing him in ice, "Does she know how very dangerous you are, Mr. Petrikov?"

"I'm not dangerous," Simon whimpered, clutching his head, "I'm… I'm a good man…"

"But when you wear the crown?"

"No," he shook his head as his nails dug into his scalp, "I'm not wearing it anymore… I… I promised Marcy…"

"What if Marcy was in danger?" Harley commented, tapping her clipboard hard with her pen, "What then, Simon?" She leaned forward in her chair, adding, "You will have to wear the crown again, Simon. Because war is not over and you have the power to assure our victory with that crown."

Simon bent over till his forehead touched the floor, his head suddenly pounding. He heard whispers, which was strange because he only heard them when the crown was…

"It's nearby," Simon shot up with saucers for eyes, looking around as if he'd just realized he'd been missing it, "The crown is close by… I can… I can feel it…"

"It is, Simon," she confirmed, "you see we're going to do some tests, some very important tests… but we need to know everything about the crown, about you to make this work."

"I won't help you…" Simon growled, his eyes sharpening, "It's not a weapon you can control."

"But we can control you," Harley smiled, "and you won't deny that, will you?"

'Listen to her… threatening your little girl… wanting to rob you of your precious princess, your happiness… and me', the crown's voice was a ghost in the back of his mind, his own anguish calling it to him, 'She wants to take me from you. She thinks she can order you around like a dog. You're a king, Simon! Don't let that snobby puke talk to you like that!'

Simon balled his fists, his face shifting. He ran at the woman, his hands clawed, slipping out of the guard's grip as they lunged for him. As he leapt at her the doctor froze; Simon's foot hit the back of her chair and knocked it over so that she was flat on her back and he was over her, using the shackles around his ankles to hold her down. On top of her Simon had his hands clasped around her throat, nails digging into her flesh, drawing blood. Snarling like a wild beast, he bared his pointed teeth and spoke venom,

"You think you can boss me around, peasant, but I am a king!" He screamed, "You threaten me and my family like you're invincible… but your bones will shatter just like everyone else's."

He whispered in a malicious hiss as tears began pouring down his face. Simon flailed as the guards pulled him off of the doctor. He instinctually turned his head and bit down on the first thing he could, which happened to be an arm. The guard screamed in anguish as the jagged teeth easily hit bone, even through his protective uniform. Doctor Harley scrambled away from the commotion, clutching her bleeding neck, fright induced tears running mascara. Simon roared as he was pushed down face first onto the floor, now sobbing and screaming nonsense about whispers and snow and princesses.

Marceline was trying to get to him. She knew that when Simon got like this, affection worked best to snap him out of it. Sometimes all she would have to do is hug him and he would go back to normal. But she couldn't reach him and began to cry herself as she watched one of the guards deliver a swift kick to his ribs to silence him. Bubblegum covered her mouth with her hand, not understanding this feeling in her chest. Was she scared or angry she didn't know, but these people… they were horrid, treating someone who obviously needed help with such disregard. She shut her eyes to keep from seeing the violence and eventually buried her face in her hands, trying not to be overwhelmed by Marceline's heartbroken sobs.

xxx

They locked the room down as the crown acted on its own, magic icing over every inch of the room. Behind protective glass, a group of observers stood with mouths agape. Their eyes were not on the crown, which had again become lifeless but on the corpse beside it, face stuck in pain and horror, skin seemingly frosted over. It was as if the crown itself was upset with them for letting another wear it. A well equipped team entered and nothing further happened. They collected the corpse and placed the crown in a small portable containment chamber. The room was boarded up on their way out, someone would go in and run tests later.

"General," An officer leaned over in the observation room to whisper, "This is the third time this has happened during this trial… I think it would be unwise to continue this experiment."

"Petrikov is able to use the object's abilities, surely there must be a way to…" He paused to think, when a science officer came up and interjected,

"Sir, permission to speak?" He asked, clutching his spiral notebook. When the general nodded, he smiled from ear to ear, "I've been running some numbers… it seems that humans just aren't built to withstand the immediate changes when using the abilities."

"Then why are you smiling?" the general snapped, "That isn't good news at all,"

"Petrikov seems to be an anomaly, sir," the man nodded, "He was able to survive the bonding process,"

"Bonding process?" The general questioned gruffly, "He really IS a freak…"

"The crown appears to actually bond with its host," the man explained, "Which would explain why he speaks to it. Also, it mutates the wearer on a genetic level. Here, see Petrikov's charts."

The folder he handed the general was labeled "Project Ice Man", but the general just smacked it against his hand and looked the scientist in the eye, "You're saying he really is the only one that can use it?"

"I… it's only my assumption based on the trials and the data… but yes," nervously, the scientist adjusted his glasses and then added, "But his mind is unstable… you witnessed his actions when he wore it last… It would be dangerous to…"

"Nonsense," The general intervened, "every animal can be tamed. If we want him to wear it, all we need to do is get the girl involved."

"But, sir…" The man tried to explain, gesturing openly with his hands, "His personality is amplified by the crown,"

"What does that jargon mean?"

"It means… that if we piss him off and he puts that thing on again he's going to blow this place up."

"Then when he puts it on, we just need to be sure of two things," The general looked the man straight in the eye as he spoke, "One, is that we make sure he's forced to direct his fire where we need it and two, we have what he wants… which we do. Both of them."

((Author's Notes: Can I say the beginning of this chapter is my favorite... sorry I know some of you were expecting, um... but I don't post that stuff XD The next chapter is a story milestone so It's going to be crazy! Please be sure to leave a review, feedback helps me make the story the best it can be

Also, my awesome editor Scuro-Valzer! She makes it awesome by editing for me!