(A/N) BROS PLEASE DON'T KILL ME OR SOME JUNK LIKE THAT! ;_; I KNOW I'VE BEEN GONE A LONG WHILE, BUT I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT YOU! (I love you... -rapeface-) No, forget about that pervy stuff... I'm so weird... ANYWAYS. SCHOOL HAS SUCKED THE LIFE OUTTA ME. I'M SORRY. I AM SO, VERY, SORRY. FORGIVE ME. MY SKILLS HAVE GOTTEN RUSTY. SO MANY CHOPPY SENTENCES. THIS IS TERRIBLE. SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY u.u

I'LL JUST... I'LL JUST GO NOW... ( ._.) -foreveralone-

Let's just get to the review answerin' aye? ;_;

((Ashagon)) Thank so much buddy! Means a lot! .3.

((SakuraKiss444)) UPLOAD. AN UPLOAD. HELLO. HI. And I'm gettin' to that request too! I won't leave ya hangin'! D:

((Fhreyher)) Hehe, thanks pal! c: Summaries... they're cool. xD

((Kl3pt00)) Whelp. Here ya go man! AN UPLOAD! -heroic pose-

((Gravity5)) AND MORE YOU SHALL GET MY FRIEND! :D -gives a cheese doodle-

((Epikcheese)) OH YEEAAAHHH! x3 Thanks dude! c:

((ttpie)) Hehe, you'll see what happens in the next chapter(s) And thanks so much man! Means a whole lot to me! ^-^

((PuddingNinja)) YES. THE DEVIANTART IS COMIN' AS SOON AS I MAKE SOME ART! :D Which will be soon... I hope x3

((Douzuki Soulpower)) D'awww! :') Thanks so much man! .3.

((Alicia Vaill)) Thanks so much dude! That means a lot! :D

((BladeGuy9)) Haha, yeah. Globbit Jake! What's your problem? xD Thanks man! 'Preciate it! c:

It's been a while since they were all able to rest. Take in the beauty of a world that hasn't existed in so long. The human boy collapsed to the ground and stretched out his sore limbs, embracing the warm fingers of sunlight running across his bare arms. A sly smile crept upon his features and he let his eyelids drift downwards. He'd love to just fall asleep in the bed of breath-taking colors and aromas that made you believe you could touch the sky, but he couldn't push that memory away. The pain and fear wouldn't leave his side. He knew it was all okay now, but something was just squeezing on his guts. That feeling of uncertainty never left either.

But he knew it was okay. He tried to keep his eyes shut, but it was no use. He couldn't remain in peace.

A soft whisk of cool air rushed by his face and plopped by his side, followed by a large, shielding shadow.

The vampire laid beside him, with her arms folded upon her abdomen; and Jake standing above them to protect her.

A small load on his shoulders suddenly became weightless. As long as she was this close to him, he knew nothing could happen to her.

It's almost as if you're a babysitter, taking care of a child in a zombie invasion. You'd probably say, 'Get behind me', or 'Stay close to me'.

That's what he felt like.

As long as she was right by his side, he knew he'd be able to protect her.

"You seem tense Finn..." her emotionless whisper echoed in his ears, "Why?"

The way she sounded made him worry, but he replied nonetheless.

"Dunno..." he sighed.

"Heh... pretty intense huh?"

"Hmm...?"

"Everything... y'know... You couldn't've already forgotten all the crud that just happened." she spat.

"Y-yeah... I didn't forget... how could I?" he switched positions and his back faced her.

"Dude... somethin' wrong? I mean... we won didn't we?" she propped herself on her elbow and tried to gain sight of his face.

"Mmm..." he moaned, "Yeah..."

"So what's the problem?" she was a bit more eager to get an answer from him, but he didn't seem to respond. Maybe she should just leave him alone for a while. After all, this was definitely a traumatic experience; especially for his little boy heart.

She sighed, stood up, and spoke awkwardly, "I'm... gonna head home."

Just like that, Jake and her were off to her cave, leaving Finn alone to contemplate everything.

He wanted to respond, but he just couldn't for some reason. The things running through his mind caused him to freeze. He felt like chasing her and begging her to come back so they could talk some more. So that he could hear her soft, comforting; yet stern voice.

He shifted positions again and stared blankly at the dented grass from where Marceline had just laid moments before. His eyes had finally adjusted to the sun so he didn't have to squint anymore, however, every time he blinked, a large, bright, round ball of light flashed before his lids.

He'd held a certain grudge against the sun since Marceline came into his life. What if she was alone one day and somehow got in contact with the sun?

What if someone took her, like Simon, or Ash?

Would he be able to save her, without just depending on pure luck like he just did? Just pure strength and logic?

Well, Finn wasn't a logical person, but he can change. He can change if that meant it was better for those around him.

If Marceline was still there and was able to read his thoughts, he'd already know what she was about to lecture him on.

That you shouldn't change for anyone except for yourself. After all, there's only one person who can alter your life, and that person is you.

She'd tell him how she liked him just the way he was. A giant goofball who sucks at math.

The boy slowly sat up and removed his hat, holding it tightly in his hands. Thin, blonde strands of hair fell over his eyes, which he blew away with a heave of air.

Then, he let the hat fall to the grass and shuffled his hair around. Perspiration stuck to each strand, and he immediately shivered with disgust.

Snatching his hat, but leaving it off for his hair to breathe; he strolled back home to freshen up.

When he stepped into his treehouse, cool air whisked around his face, kissing his cheeks; welcoming him back home. Relief flooded within him, and his heart was slowly calming down.

He slowly slid his fingers across the wooden walls, making marks in the dust. Skidding his feet along the floor boards, enjoying that annoying crow that always perched itself on the roof, loving the splinters. He couldn't get enough.

He liked the pain. The little pain. The pain that hurt, but felt good at the same time. It sounded weird in his head the first few times, but he didn't care. He was just glad to be home. Yet, he suddenly wanted to leave the comfort of the treehouse and go elsewhere. In fact, he wanted to leave so badly now.

He was completely alone in there, besides BMO. Why would he want to stay?

Jake wasn't back yet, which means he was probably chilling at Marcie's house. Pretty unusual, but then again, it wasn't. That ol' dog is probably trying to get over his fear of vampires and prove that it's just his mind playing tricks.

The boy giggled lightly. Trying to get over his fear of vampires, huh? He's probably just hiding under her sofa, crying like a baby.

He knew where he wanted to go and he was ready to set out, but as soon as he flung the door open, Jake waltzed in, "'Sup man?"

"...Uhm... I was... I was just gonna go see you n' Marceline... I th-thought you were still there..." he pointed towards the door.

"Wonderin' why I took so long, eh?" Jake leaped onto the couch and flipped on the television.

"Uh... kinda..." he trailed off.

"Heh, don't worry bro. She was just bein' picky to where she wanted to go."

"What do you mean?"

"She stopped a few times."

"Where? Why?"

"Geez dude! Why're you askin' so many questions? How should I know anyway? Guess she just wanted to stare at the ground for a while. I dunno!" He kept his eyes glued to the TV, only glancing back at Finn when he started annoying him.

"...Erm..." he paused, "I... is she... going to Peeble's party?"

"Why?"

"Just curious..." he shuffled his feet.

Jake cocked a brow, "Dunno... go ask her."

"W-what? Y-you want me to go over there n'-"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"'Cause that's stupid m-!"

"And why don't you have your hat on?" he chimed in, "I thought you felt 'naked' without it."

"Huu..." the human huffed, "I... wanted a little breather okay?"

"Pffff... whatevs. Just go ask her, dude. What's the harm in askin' her to the party-"

"I'm not askin' her to go!" he shrieked, "She doesn't have to if she doesn't wanna-"

"But you want her to go. Don't'cha?" he clicked on the remote's 'off' button, and turned to Finn.

He looked so serious it was scary! It was like Jake was changing into a whole new dog! Or person... whichever he'd prefer.

"Finn, look at me."

"... I-I am, Jake..." he stuttered.

"Well then listen. And listen real close."

Finn leaned in slowly and knelt beside his brother on the floor next to the sofa. His knees were tingling from the old, worn-out rug beneath him. It felt like a bunch of bugs were biting into his flesh.

"You should go n' ask her- buhbuhbuh!" he held up his finger, just as the hero was about to contradict, "Wait. Lemme finish pal."

Finn backed down and continued to listen to Jake reluctantly, rolling his eyes every five seconds.

"Stop it man! You know how that makes me feel! Doin' that with your eyes is just unnatural!" Jake whined and took a deep breath, "Anyway... Listen, she's- we've... gone through too much together to separate so easily...just go n' ask her, but not only that. Go there to spend time with her... I know I don't exactly like this chick, but she's had it tough... I can tell just by the was she looks at everything in pain. Like as if she were standin' directly in the sun. But you can read her emotions way better than I, or anyone else could... and I know man, so don't try n' lie to me... She trusts you. Go show her she still can."

As much as he hated to admit it, he was completely right this time. No guessing, just pure explanation from the heart and deep from within it. You could tell.

Finn wasn't going to argue with him. He just nodded and said, "I'll be back in a little while Jake..."

"Go for it man." he gave him a thumbs up and turned back to the television.

The door quietly clicked back into its place; the hinges squeaking as if they were trying to speak.

Hurry! One of them pushed.

Go on already! Whined another.

"I'm going!" he paused dead in his tracks, "And I'm talkin' to door hinges... great..."

He trudged down the hills, through the trees, and passed the old man who always mistook Finn for a rabbit.

"What a cute, little rabbit..." he could hear him mumble in his usual dry, old voice.

He staggered past him quickly and shuddered.

He really didn't like that guy. In fact, he tried to take him home once or twice before...

Enough of that though. He was here for one, and one reason only.

Marceline.

He hunched over and held his knees; panting lightly.

There it was. The giant cave that held Marceline's home, and Marceline herself. Slowly, he looked around the cave; inspecting every crevis and crack even though he knew where each one was by heart already. Pretty weird, huh? Well, sometimes, you just take notice of the small things. The things that don't seem to matter at first, but then, it hits you.

It turns out to be one of the most important things in your life. Just seeing her home again made him ooze with joy. He felt like spazzing out when he reached her door, almost as if he hasn't seen her in ages.

His guts were tied into a knot. His palms began to grow moist. His heart was pounding in his chest, ready to knock down the door if he didn't himself.

Slowly, eagerly, nervously; he tapped on the door with his bony knuckles. Expecting to be standing outside a while, he leaned against the door.

He would've fallen right on top of her because of that.

Lesson learned. Never lean on doors that are prone to opening when you least expect it. It seemed as if she had waited by the door the whole time, waiting for his arrival.

He quickly caught himself before he toppled over and grinned widely, "M-Marcie!"

She looked away momentarily, met his gaze again, and returned the same warm, inviting smile, "Hey Finn."

"I-I was wonderin'..." he scratched the back of his leg with his shoe, "A-are you... goin' to..."

He felt as though he were trying to ask her out to the party instead of ask her if she's going to show up.

"To Bonnie's party?" she huffed.

"Y-yeah..." he stammered.

"Pffff... why not? I haven't messed with ol' Bubbs in a while." she stroked her chin, "Might be fun. Plus, we could hang out more."

She lightly punched his cheek with her fist, "Like the old times."

Like the old times.

He missed the old times. When they'd go on adventures together. Have jam sessions together.

Sometimes, when it would rain in the middle of their session, they'd go outside. What's the fun in staying inside? The sun was behind the clouds, so it was perfectly safe for Marceline. A golden opportunity.

They'd lay under the soft drizzles that lightly coated their faces in mist, and just talk and talk and talk. They'd talk until the rain stopped falling, but then it would start-up again, and they'd start jumping into puddles, purposely drenching each other in filthy water.

The rain would get heavier and they'd run back to the cave, shoving each other to the side, seeing who would make it back first.

Yet it didn't exactly matter. When one of them made it first, it's not like they were going to receive a prize or something. They just liked racing each other for the fun of it. For the rush they would get and the hearts that would be bound to each other forever.

That's all they wanted. A competition wasn't truly a competition for the win to them. These competitions were not to be taken seriously, but to be taken as an opportunity for their bonds to grow stronger.

How, you ask? Well, in order for a bond to grow stronger, you should be happy for that person. Proud of that person, even if they lose. Even if you lose.

You must acknowledge that person.

"Yeah," he mumbled softly, "Like the old times..."

She smiled lightly. Her hair was flowing all around her; caressing her thin frame, kissing her face. Her clothes were tattered up and dusty, but she still had a radiance about her that messy hair or dirty clothes couldn't possibly compete with.

She was still there, no matter what her appearance was.

"Come on," she held out her hand as if he were a little child and she was his mother, "I wanna show you something..."

Without a second thought, he darted for her hand, not wanting to miss the opportunity to come in contact with her cool, soft skin.

She pushed the door closed behind them and dragged him to her room. The same room that he had once been trapped in.

"Finn..." she let go of his hand and sat on the edge of her bed; snatching a small crimson book off of her night stand. The vampire rode her fingers over the cover thoughtfully, "You heard... what was in here... right?"

He blinked, "Y-yeah... but I told y'already; that I heard your songs n' stuff..."

"I know." She seemed so emotionless for a moment, but then she started cackling humorlessly, "It's funny... that I wasted time on writing junk that would end up bein' spilled out anyway..."

He put a hand on her shoulder, "I would've found out sooner or later y'know..."

"...Yeah, you prolly would've..."

"So why should it matter if it was written down or spoken? This way, I found out sooner, right? And the sooner the better-"

"But... I... yeah..." she stammered, "Yeah- you're right..."

He shot her a warm, inviting smile; yet didn't say a word.

She returned it with a smirk, setting the book down, as if she reconsidered something, "Now scoot y'little dweeb. Don't you wanna get ready for Bonnibel?"

"Y-yeah, but-"

She shoved him back downstairs, out of the door, "Go!"

"H-hey! Wait a sec! To make it clear, you're goin' too right?"

"Hmm... now that I think about it- you'll just have to wait n' see." she stuck out her forked tongue and slammed the door shut; not giving him a chance to speak.

He sighed and shook his head playfully; dragging his feet along the grass as he strode back home.

Opening the door to the treehouse, he could already predict what he was going to hear next.

"So?"

There it was.

"Is she goin' bro?" Jake pushed.

"I dunno... she said 'sure' at first, but then she said I'd have to 'wait n' see'." Finn pouted.

"Hah!" he snorted, "That's Marceline for ya!"

The boy smiled, "Yeah... Whoa, Jake! We still have to get ready!"

"Relax Finn, we have time."

"Yeah, but we smell like dog junk."

"Hey," Jake shot him a death glare, "Why'd y'have to go there-"

"Y-y'know I didn't mean it like that man!" he looked away from him, furrowing his eyebrows, "I'm gonna go shower..."

"Mph..."

Well that's Jake for ya!

He mimicked him in his mind.

Holding onto the wooden railing for support; he trudged upstairs to the bathroom, and freshened up. Nice, lukewarm water was just what he needed to wash away all of his anxieties and fears.

He took his time in the bathroom this time. He wanted to enjoy the calmness. For once, he was glad there wasn't another adventure to go on, as much as he loved them. He just wanted to relax for once and give himself a break.

Time passed, and he and Jake had cleaned themselves up and put their acts together.

"It's almost time buddy!" Jake rubbed his paws together, "You ready?"

"Y-yeah... I'm ready."

He didn't decide to wear anything fancy to this party. After all, it was just a welcome back sort of thing, it wouldn't matter right?

"Y'wanna head out now bro?" the dog pointed towards the door, "'Cause I'm ready if you are man."

Finn took a deep, thoughtful breath, "Yeah, let's get outta here."

So they went. Up and down hills, through patches of trees, and down to the Candy Kingdom. Finn immediately separated from Jake, but of course, he let him know before jolting off into the kingdom.

Again, his heart began to race, and his gaze was darting in all directions, from one person to the next; looking for one in particular.

A girl with long, ebony hair. Dark, active eyes. Pale, grey, cool skin. Glowing, pearly white fangs.

He didn't see her for a while. In fact, he thought of going back home. If she wasn't there- things just wouldn't be the same without her, so he turned around.

There, all of those qualities lay just a few feet away from him, all wrapped up into a crimson cap, an open, maroon, button-down sweater, a grey t-shirt, and some denim jeans with black converse.

Guess she wasn't in a fancy mood either, but hey.

There she was.

She came.

(A/N) A'ight dudes... again. So sorry for the wait. :c I tried to make this one a bit longer... don't think it worked out... but oh well...

I love you dudes, thanks so much for the great reviews, and as for 'Deleted' go ahead. Hate on me. I just can't help but feel sorry for ya man. At least get your facts straight. I don't ask anyone to read this story or review, these guys review 'cause they're enjoyin' this, I guess... I hope at least, but hey. Believe what you wanna bud. I ain't stoppin' ya! c:

Seeya bros next time. AND PLEASE FRICKIN' FORGIVE ME FOR THE WAIT! I KNOW THIS CHAPTER ISN'T WORTHY FOR YOU GUYS, BUT PLEASE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Dx

There was no action here, which I wanted to give y'all, but it's almost over. This story's almost done for. Will you grasp it dramatically for a million years even in death? I sure hope so...

;_; Seeya next time dudes! And I'm ready for the hate comments, okay! -braces self- GO ON! I'VE GOT MY CAPS LOCK ON! And guys, I don't care 'bout the hates. They're completely welcome here. Just so y'guys know, but okay. I guess I kinda deserve it...

~ CraZiiFanGurL