In which I get a little bit distracted, blather a lot about things that aren't really important just yet, have the characters go off to do... random things and try not to break too much of the plot. So. Yeah... not much to say, Actually, this chapter is pretty boring, there will be more excitement next time... maybe... I dunno things. Have a good week and all that jazz... :D


"So… why exactly do you live in Australia?"

Marceline paused in the act of sliding a dress off the rack and glanced over her shoulder. "Um… I'm not sure I understand the question." Obviously deciding the pastel colour was not for her, Marceline let the hook clatter back into place and moseyed along the aisle. "And I only just moved here. To visit dad and Simon."

"Whatever." Bonnie followed her, watching carefully as she inspected each dress and then let it fall. "Australia has to be one of the sunniest countries in the world. I know you said sunlight doesn't really bother you, but it still seems a weird choice."

She ran one long grey finger along the edges of the dresses and circled around the end of the rack. She leaned on her arms across the top to stare at Bonnie impishly. "Yeah ok, I get that." She shrugged. "My dad lives here permanently you know."

"Why though?"

"Of all the places in the world, the absolute last place you'd look for… someone like us, is where it's always sunny. You'd go to England first, wouldn't you? Or… I dunno… somewhere rainy and overcast all the time. Not a place where it's always hot and sunny." She grinned. "Reverse psychology for magicals, righto?"

Bonnie bobbed her head, watching Marceline's hands fiddle with lace on the collar of one dress. "Do what you're not expected to," she mused. That made sense in a perverted sort of way. But sunlight really didn't affect Marceline overly much, she'd seen that first hand.

"What about this one?" Bonnie lifted a blue dress off the rack and twisted it so Marceline could see. Her friend's face contorted into a look of pure anguish. "No then." Bonnie had thought shopping was easy, none of her other friends were as resistant to it as Marceline. She made something Bonnie had previously enjoyed a nightmare. She had no concept of compromise. And, to make it infinitely worse, this was last minute shopping. Marceline had stubbornly avoided the task until the day before the party. It had made Bonnie very, very anxious. Now, she regretted insisting on it in the first place. It would have been much easier to let her wear something she already had. No stress. No whining.

"Can't I just wear something… normal," Marceline groaned, slumping across the rack. "Why do you have to torture me with all this fluffy rubbish?"

"You could wear something 'normal' if you defined the term the same way my parents do," Bonnibel explained calmly for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. "And you promised to wear something nice. The next time you come to one of their parties you may wear your tattiest clothes. This time I promise it."

Marceline pouted. "When you said I had to wear something decent I thought you meant I could wear a… suit of some kind. I'm not a proper Bond without a suit. I reckon I could pull off a tux better than any of your high society boys."

Bonnie snorted. "Maybe you would, but even the guys won't be wearing suits."

"So why do I have to wear a dress?" She threw her hands up in mock frustration. "I haven't worn a dress since… since… Elizabeth." Marceline hesitated. "And hard as they were to get in and out of, they were an awful lot of fun to flounce around in. Flying was fun in them too."

"I never said you had to wear a dress, Marceline," Bonnie said quietly. "Just that it had to be nice. Wait… You can fly?"

"I can do anything. If not a dress, what then?"

Grinning triumphantly, Bonnibel held up a double breasted light coat long enough to function as a dress but with shorter sleeves. It was ruffled at the hem and Marceline probably wouldn't like it, but it was good enough to pass as a dress without actually being a dress. "Wear some nice pants with it and you might be okay." Marceline eyed it dubiously. "Just try it on." She waved the hanger in Marceline's direction, huffing impatiently.

"With what?"

"Ugh." Bonnie shoved the hook at Marceline's chest and stormed off into another part of the store, grouching to herself the whole time. What a frustrating woman! She returned with a simple collared red top, a pair of dark grey pants, skinny, Marceline wouldn't wear stockings if her life depended on it, but these would do, and a pair of shoes. Flats. For someone who had lived as long as Marceline, she was awfully against trying new things.

"Here," she said darkly, tossing the clothes at Marceline. "Put them on. Then I'm never shopping with you again."

At first she thought Marceline was hurt, then she just smirked and ducked into the change room. She flopped into a chair to wait. Honestly. It was one day; she should be able to deal with it for one day surely.

The curtain to the change room was flung aside as Marceline bounded out. Bonnie's breath caught. She'd expected Marceline to have turned what would usually be a respectable outfit into something grungy just by being the one wearing it. Turns out the opposite was true. She had the sleeves of the coat scrunched up at her elbows and the pants would have scuffs on the knees within half an hour, but she looked very nice. Not at all like a cheeky, irritating immortal.

"What d'ya think, Bon?" She was grinning so blindingly that Bonnie half wished she had sunglasses. Marceline could tell exactly what she thought. The buttons were undone on the coat-dress, but that didn't matter, the shirt was done up to the second last silver button and… well…

"Looks good, Marceline," she whispered, standing. "I think we can go."

Marceline's smile morphed slowly into the dark one that made her heart stutter to a halt. "Yeah? You're not getting anything?"

"I have plenty of clothes I can pick from. Let's go meet Rain."


Rain was waiting patiently by the fountain, fingers dancing across the screen of her phone, no doubt texting Jake, as they arrived. She glanced up and smiled at them, sliding the phone into her pocket. Jake and Finn would be meeting them later and so would Rob and Marshall… maybe.

"Hey guys," she said happily. "You took longer than I thought. It was just a dress right?"

"I don't wear dresses," Marceline retorted.

Rain's mouth formed an 'o' and she glanced at Bonnie sympathetically. "Well… ok then. I actually have to head back to my car for a minute. You can come with if you want."

"Seriously, Rain?" Bonnie said, unimpressed. "That's the complete other direction. We'll go sit at the bakery."

"Alright then," Rain replied with a shrug. She was chipper a lot, but even this seemed a bit too chipper. Bonnibel frowned as she watched her friend trot back towards the car park.

"So…" Marceline said slyly. "You gonna tell them?"

"Tell them what, Marceline?" Bonnie asked softly, peering into storefronts as they passed.

Marceline pouted. "Don't be stupid. You gonna tell them we're dating?"

"We're not dating. We sit in the lounge room watching movies and you eat a lot of food."

"That's dating, Bonnibel."

"Oh. No I'm not telling them."

Marceline gave her an incredulous look and slipped up onto the wall around the garden outside the bakery. She patted the spot next to her expectantly. "Why not, eh? Embarrassed?" She smirked.

"No," Bonnie replied crossly, folding her arms. She refused to get up on the wall, it was probably dirty. "It's… a little bit sillier than that."

Still tapping her fingers on the stone, Marceline tilted her head. "Do explain. I love silly things."

She sighed, shimmying up onto the rock and smoothing her pants over her knees. "Well… my parents are… old fashioned." Bonnie grimaced. "That's putting it nicely. What they really are is intolerant and narrow-minded. They have a very definite idea of what's conventional and anything that deviates from this is… improper."

Marceline blinked. "They wouldn't approve of… this?" She gestured between them slowly. "That's… wow, out-dated. Homosexual relationships were common in… in… well; they've been common through most of human history. Your parents live in a little bubble don't they?"

Bonnibel was bright red, she knew. "It's not that they don't like… gay people, they're friends with some… but… They've placed certain expectations on Rob and I that can't be met…"

"Expectations?" Marceline asked with a raised eyebrow.

The colour in her cheeks intensified. "Ugh. Family matters to them, heritage and heirlooms and all kinds of things like that. They want Rob and me to take over the family business and then get married so our kids can do it, and then our grandkids. Get where I'm going?"

Marceline nodded. "No biological grandkids if you're gay. I get it. That's still mean."

"Just… don't bring it up, ok? It's fairly naïve of me, but I really hope if they like you as my roommate they might be more open to… other things."

Marceline burst out laughing. "The word isn't going to hurt you, Bonnie. It's just a word. You can say it. You really are a wad, you know that? A real princess."

"Hey," she snapped. "That's not called for."

"Why do you care so much?" Marceline asked, forcing her laughter to subside. "There's a whole string of things about me your uptight parents would hate; mortality notwithstanding. Relax for me."

Bonnie's lips compressed into a thin line. How could she explain her upbringing to Marceline? It wasn't as simple as she made it out to be.

"Look," she began slowly, testing each word before releasing it. "I… was raised in a very particular way, in a very particular society. There were rules we had to follow, certain things we weren't allowed to do. Don't use foul language, don't do drugs, don't smoke, don't get tattoos, don't hang out with the wrong crowd." Marceline smirked as Bonnibel poked her in the shoulder, making her point. "Abide by the law, wear appropriate clothing, and so on. Studies were important because graduating was important, but most parents put more emphasis on having a good social network than anything else. Because knowing people gets you more than being genuinely good at something.

"Consequently I've been disappointing my family for years. I actually like learning things and I dislike parties. Organising them I can do, attending them… not so much. I can dress the way they want me to, talk, carry myself, everything else. But I failed them miserably in one very important way: I never cared about socialising and worse, dating."

She exhaled heavily, avoiding Marceline's eyes. "I never wanted to date. I went out because they asked me to, because they threatened me sometimes. Not the way you're thinking either, they knew better than that, my books were my life. I did it because it was sort of a responsibility to my family. I did it to make them happy, they were nice guys and all sure, but my studies were more important to me. Now I've let them down again and I can already see the disappointment in their eyes. It hurts to know that I'm not what they wanted, Marceline."

Surprising her, Marceline wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "That stinks, Bon," she whispered into the top of her head.

Bonnie barked a laugh. "What, no jokes?"

"Nope, that's a serious thing. You need a serious hug." But Marceline was smiling again, Bonnie could feel it. "There will be no sadness, alright? I don't like it when you're sad." She pulled back and stared more intently into Bonnie's eyes than… well, ever. "I like happy Bonnibel much better."

"Thanks," Bonnie whispered, smiling again. "But I can't have cake and eat it too. There is no pleasing my folks."

Marceline beamed. "You think I'm cake? That's horrible." Bonnibel punched her shoulder. "What about your friends though? Surely we can tell them?"

"Let's not. Just in case. Lucy hears everything you know."

In a shocking first, Marceline grimaced. "I want cake. Let's get afternoon tea since we're just sitting here. Do they have strawberry tart?"

"Probably," Bonnie muttered, glad that Marceline was good at distracting her.

They had just sat down to eat (Marceline pleased to note that they did indeed have strawberry tart) when Rain came bouncing up to them. She collapsed into a spare chair, grinning like a fool. There wasn't even a comment about them getting food while she was away.

"Guess what?" she effused.

Bonnibel raised an eyebrow. "What?" Marceline kept eating.

"Jake asked me to move in with him!"

Now Marceline stopped eating. She placed her spoon on the edge of her plate slowly and put her best thoughtful face on. "Correct me if I'm wrong… but doesn't Jake still share a teeny tiny apartment with Finn? A ramshackle place that shouldn't really be supporting one life form let alone two."

"He used to," Rain said excitedly. "He bought a place not far from where I live. I'm so glad I won't have to live with those college kids anymore. They keep the absolute worst hours." Marceline grinned impishly. Yeah, so… no one kept worse hours than she did.

"That's great, Rain," Bonnie said. "But what about Finn? Does he have someplace to go?"

Rain nodded. "Of course. Apparently he and Jake have been thinking about this for a while. He's moving in with a girl in his class called Bianca Moe. She's an IT guru, he says. Finn reckons it'll be great because she's the only girl he knows who plays video games."

Water nearly came out Marceline's nose when she saw Bonnie's scandalised expression. "Unlike you, Bonnie dear," Marceline chuckled. "Finn has no compunctions about living with someone of the opposite gender. And I dare say there will be fewer complications in their relationship too."

Bonnibel could've slapped her. Rain, luckily, didn't read into it. "Yeah," she said. "Bonnibel's parents have some pretty strange rules. You don't have to live by them though, Elle."

Bonnie's face soured. "Trust me, Rain. I don't live by them. But I… Hey who is that?"

"Oh my god," Marceline groaned, sinking down into her chair. "That's Marshall."

"What is he wearing?" Rain asked breathily. It was a strange sight to be sure. He was in a pink polo shirt, top three buttons undone, off-white slacks and tennis shoes. His hair was combed.

"Sup, ladies," he snickered. "You all look gobsmacked."

"What are you wearing?" Marceline reiterated Rain's question. "The country club is the other way."

"Ha, ha," he replied dryly. "I told Bub that he needed to dress differently now and then. But he decided that if he was going to wear other things I had to as well. Not the worst I've ever been caught in, but still…" He grumbled and sat down beside Rain who was still staring at him like he was an alien. And with good reason: his wardrobe had less variation than Marceline's.

"Where is Rob?" Bonnie asked anxiously. This could turn out very badly and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to see what Marshall had dressed her brother up in.

"Coming," Marshall replied cheerily. Sure enough, Rob slouched up a mere minute later wearing a collarless black shirt and equally dark skinny jeans. The tee had some sort of print on it that Rob was trying to conceal behind a red and black striped over shirt. His hair was a mess, a carefully calculated mess and he had a leather band (no doubt Marshall's) clasped around one wrist. High tops, Bonnie's jaw dropped, her brother was wearing high tops. Even his glasses looked odd. It was, she realised, because they were black too and rather more clunky that the ones he normally sported. His face was bright red.

"Hello," he said softly. He sat down in his precise manner next to Bonnibel, as far from Marshall as he could get. "Sorry we're late. Marshall had a fashion catastrophe."

"Nah," Marceline said with a wave of one hand. "I think you're the one with the fashion catastrophe. Bub… what even is all that?"

"Marshall bought them for me," he sighed, hands folded neatly in his lap. "Embarrassing, huh?"

Marceline snorted. "Only a little." Bonnibel shot her a dark look. "Looks like you Bubblegums are a bad influence on us both. Psh, getting us to wear clothes we wouldn't be caught dead in a year ago. What is this?" She was smiling at Bonnie though, clearly just amused.

Marshall nodded at his sister. "What'd she get you to wear, huh? You look just the same to me."

"You coming to the Bubble-bash on the weekend?" Marceline asked him. He nodded briskly; both of them ignoring the indignant glares shot their way by Bonnie and Rob. "I guess you'll see then… then."

"When will Finn and Jake be joining us, Rain?" Rob asked. That was his way of politely changing the subject and the Abadeers knew it. Honestly it was hard to take him seriously dressed as he was.

She shook her head. "They won't. Jake's helping Finn move in to his new place." That elicited surprised mutters from both boys and Rain had to explain again. Which got another incensed and shocked expression from Rob and a reaction from Marshall very similar to the one Marceline had had earlier.

"Right then," Marshall declared, throwing himself upright. His chair screeched horribly as it scraped across the pavement. "We can see a movie without them. It is a fine day to be in air conditioning. And I for one am not going to miss out on movie afternoon because Finn has a girlfriend."

"I don't think that's quite what Rain was saying, Marshall," Robert told him, standing as well. "But I do agree about the movie."

The three women exchanged amused glances before following suit. Of course, once they made it to the theatre they had a heated discussion about exactly which movie they should see. Neither of the Bubblegums wanted to see a horror movie and the other twins were adamantly against a 'cliché, vomit inducing chick flick'. That made Rain the decider and she loved it. Action it was. And despite a few muttered grumbles about it to begin with, and much film deconstruction during, none of them had such a bad time.

"Action movies are just… ridiculous," Marceline announced confidently as they filed out. "Cars don't explode like that."

"And," her brother added with a raised finger. "One canister of petroleum does not blow up half a city block. Regardless of how many petrol stations are in that area. It just doesn't work like that."

"I thought you'd like something like that, Marceline," Rob mentioned.

"Normally I would," she replied with a puzzled expression. "I think I've been living with a brainiac for too long." She turned to Marshall. "Swap with me."

"I don't think so, sis," he laughed. "I couldn't stand it. Not after I've finally managed to get Bub to loosen up a little. No thanks. You can keep the princess."

Bonnie was livid and bright red. "I am not a princess," she growled venomously.

"Not with that voice you aren't," Rain chimed in.

Still laughing, Marceline asked, "Are we getting dinner then?"

Marshall and Rob looked at each other. Rain pulled out her phone. Bonnie blinked.

"Sorry guys," Rain sighed. "I have to go meet Jake. I'm eating with him at Finn's new place tonight. He says I should meet Bianca. Maybe next time."

"We already have food plans too," Marshall said slowly. "Some of Bub's less boring and prudish friends are coming over to play table tennis. I'm going to crush them all."

"Next time we'll do something though," Rob added. He didn't even comment on the 'prude' thing.

"Meh, that's ok," Marceline said with a wave of her hand. "We don't need you lot to have a good time, do we Bon?" The smile on her face was terrifying.

"I imagine we'll be eating popcorn and chocolate for dinner again then?" Bonnie asked, sweating under Marceline's gaze. She didn't have any concept of 'subtlety' either.

"You know you love eating poorly," Marceline grinned. "Let's go. Later dorks."

It was true to some degree; Bonnie didn't mind eating unhealthily sometimes. But Marceline could get away with eating what she liked; Bonnie still did her best to eat right. Even if Marceline would glower at most vegetables. Tomatoes she hated especially for some reason, but strawberries and apples were acceptable. The woman had the strangest tastes.

Their fold out couch was rarely ever a couch anymore; it just remained spread across the living space. Unless they had guests over that is. A permanently unfolded bed would raise questions. Tonight though, Bonnie stubbornly refused to watch a movie. She ate dinner, showered and collapsed on her bed.

Tomorrow was her mother's garden party and for the first time ever, she was worried about going. Things with her parents had never been simple, they always managed to twist things up on her, but this was the very first time she'd ever done the twisting. Marceline was a spanner in the works she hadn't seen coming and – she realised – Bonnie didn't want her to go either. Her parents had a habit of blocking people from her life if they didn't want them there. Vampire or not, Bonnibel still worried that they'd try something unforgiveable.

She rolled over to stare at her clock. The little numbers read not long after midnight. She'd been lying in the dark with her thoughts for hours, unable to sleep. Sighing, she hauled herself up; knowing of at least one thing that never failed to put her out.

"Sup, Bon? Can't sleep?"

Marceline was awake – no surprises – she was sitting on her swivel chair watching a show on the computer. She took her headphones off and spun around, smiling softly. Bonnie stopped in the doorway, wondering if what she was about to do could be forgotten later. Probably not.

"I'm worried… about tomorrow," she admitted. Marceline stood and came over to her, taking her hand and peering into her eyes.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, you know," she said softly. "I did promise to behave. No screwing things up. Honest."

As if that would help her sleep. "Will you… sing me to sleep?" Marceline blinked, clearly surprised by the request. Then her childish half-smile appeared, bright and cheery as ever and she dragged Bonnie over to the bed, pressing her down. Marceline leaned against the headboard, wrapped one arm around Bonnie and started murmuring soft lyrics.

"I know that the bridges that I've burned along the way,

Have left me with these walls and these scars that won't go away.

And opening up has always been the hardest thing.

Until you came.

So lay here, beside me, just hold me and don't let go.

This feeling, I'm feeling, is something I've never known.

And I just can't take my eyes off you.

And I just can't take my eyes off you.

I love when you tell me that I'm pretty when I just wake up.

And I love how you tease me when I'm moody, but it's never too much.

I'm falling fast, but the truth is I'm not scared at all.

You're climbing my walls…"

Bonnie could feel Marceline's eyes on her, heard the words, knew what they meant, but she was so tired. So incredibly tired. Her heart racing, aching; her fingers knotted painfully in Marceline's shirt; throat dry. She did like music after all, Marceline's music. Sleep claimed her.


That song is (imaginatively named) I Just Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Lady Antebellum (the one and only - I use their stuff a lot).