Chapter the Twelfth
Bonnibel Becket is not the one who can sleep through an alarm. She rarely does that. She even wakes up before the alarm could ring.
But this morning was an exception.
Since 6 o'clock in the morning, Peppermint Butler waited patiently in front of her door, checking if Mayor Becket would wake up like her usual morning routine. Every morning, once the Mayor wakes up, he walks her to the dining room and presents her breakfast for the morning.
She was never this late for breakfast ever since all the responsibilities of her family fell to her.
I mean, she always slept this late when she was still a kid but I can't even remember the last time she did this.
The short butler checked again his watch. It was already 8:47 am. He doubted that his wristwatch could be broken and even if it is, he still have another chained watch on his inner breast pocket – a spare you could say – which also tells it was 8:47 in the morning.
"Are you really sure that the Princess didn't leave this room?" Peppermint Butler asked one of the two guards standing by the door.
"Yes, sir! We are certain that Mayor Becket hasn't left this room the moment she walked in, sir!" answered the guard.
Peppermint Butler nodded his head. It's not that he didn't believe the guards, it's just sometimes they could be ignorant to something. That is what he is contemplating about.
There is also the fact that the inside of the room has lots of alarm that the Princess just have to press, and immediately the security will be called – a normal security measure if some intruder tries to break in the Princess' room.
If and only if the Princess is far to an alarm, her wristwatch could also be a trigger to call the securities as well as a beacon in the case she would be kidnapped.
What if something is happening in her room now?
Peppermint Butler shook his head. That would be impossible. Princess Bubblegum is not that easy to defeat. She iss good at using her intelligence.
Just her intelligence, he thought.
What if there is someone who is far stronger than the princess and is good physically?
Gadgets. The princess would use her gadgets at hand.
Peppermint Butler likes to challenge himself with questions like this. He would think of situations the Princess would potentially be and in return he would answer it, and then suggest it to the princess.
What if the princess doesn't have any gadgets at hand? Just like two months ago? Like with the case of the vampire queen?
This is the question he couldn't answer quite well. The only thing he can think of is if the Princess would run away from the vampire and he hated that fact.
He hated the fact that the Princess could be vulnerable to any dark and powerful entity out there. He wasn't disclosing this fact to himself but there are still bad things out there and that's what made him more anxious, especially when you're not expecting the queen of the vampires herself to be at the footsteps of your master's door.
Marceline Abadeer.
Peppermint Butler is now frustrated at himself.
Just by hearing and thinking that name brought him memories he rather not think about. He couldn't help but hate himself for remembering the things that person brought to the family he is serving, to the late King and Queen, to the Princess.
The little butler sighed deeply.
Sure, there was a time when his heart softened up for the little half-demon girl but now, he treats her as an enemy to the castle, an outlaw. It was a good thing she is an Abadeer or else, he would have thrown him already in the gates of Tartarus for all the things she did to the Beckets, for the dangers she brought to Princess Bubblegum and he was not just thinking about the past two-month incident but an accident, a catastrophic incident that almost throw the world into chaos.
Peppermint gritted his teeth.
He hated thinking about that. It was all in the past now and there's nothing he could do about it.
He sighed and just shook his head to try to clear up his head from the things he just remembered.
For now, he was pondering if he should just open the door to the Princess' room with the grand key or if he should continue waiting like usual.
Earlier, he had tried knocking on the door but no one answered leading him to think that the Princess might still be sleeping.
He looked again at the doors and finally he made his decision to open it with the grand key.
Walking away from the guards standing by the door, he tried to think if what he was going to do was inappropriate.
The princess would understand. I just hope she's just sleeping in her quarters and nothing bad happened, he mulled over.
He stopped on his tracks when he heard footsteps echoing in the hallway, he also felt the guards watched him or for whoever's on the end of the hallway.
This floor is restricted for anyone who didn't have any access at all since it is where the Mayor's sleeping quarter could be found, so the guards being cautious about is nothing out of the place.
When he realized it was Cinna, the official courier of the council, he signaled the guards to watch over by the doors again, gesturing that he can deal with this by himself. One of the guards in return nodded in acknowledgment.
Peppermint Butler usually hated Cinna not because he was clumsy in so many ways – most of the time, he can be responsible too – it's just that his presence brought either good news or bad news.
So when he faced Cinna, he couldn't help but to bring out his serious voice, asking what is it about. They were a little bit away from the two guards so they couldn't hear what they were talking about but even so, Cinna still whispered the news to the butler.
Peppermint Butler felt all the blood drained from his face. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
He looked back to the doors leading to the Princess' room.
This is more important. I hope the Princess wouldn't get mad.
Peppermint walked towards the guards and said to never let anyone come inside and make sure to watch the Princess before he went with Cinna.
"Well, isn't that what we normally do?" One of the guards said the moment the two officials were out of earshot.
The other guard just laughed it up. "Just shut up," he said. "You'll never know when trouble comes."
It was about 9:30 am when Peppermint Butler finished the matters with Cinna and came back to his master's room.
He sighed. And I thought this will be an uneventful weekend, he thought as the news Cinna gave to him resurfaced in his mind.
"The Princess isn't still awake?" He asked the guards the moment they saw him walking.
But even before they shook their heads no, he already realized that the door hadn't been opened ever since he left a while ago. And just like what he was planning earlier, he took out the master key from his pocket to open the door to Princess Bubblegum's.
Earlier when he was about to come back, he took a detour on his way to grab the key from his room. The grand key, which was given to him, could open the locks and knobs in the castle even without its original keys. It was one of the things he was entrusted to. Quite a few people only knew that the grand key of the castle still existed even at this time.
Checking the knob of the door, he noticed that it was an old one yet the wood of the door it was encased was new. He smiled. The princess really fancies things.
He inserted the key to its lock and was about to turn knob when he realized someone was unlocking at the other side – the Princess.
He quickly removed the key out of its lock, putting it back on his pocket.
The door opened and at the other side stood Bonnibel. She was still in her nightgown but her hair isn't as disheveled – she probably already brushed it.
"Oh. M-morning Princess," Peppermint Butler greeted. He was quite startled. He didn't expected that Princess Bubblegum would come out the moment he was about to unlock her door. He then thought at the back of his head if the Princess saw him opening the door. Oh, how embarrassing. What will she now think of me?
"Hi, Peps. I'm sorry, I just woke up." Bonnibel Becket groaned, feeling really sorry.
Peppermint's face suddenly softened up. He tried to push out his embarrassment and talked with the Princess.
"No, Princess. It's okay, it was a weekend after all," Peppermint chuckled. "You have nothing to worry about. Hmm. About that, you must be hungry now. Come on, let me take you to your breakfast."
Bonnibel Becket smiled back. She followed Peppermint Butler to the dining room like in every routine she followed – except that this time it was quite late.
Taking the stairs down to the lower floor, Bonnibel could feel the eyes of the maids and the guards staring at her backs. She could even feel the eyes of the people in the paintings hooked on the walls as she walked through the hallways.
It's not like this is the first time she slept this late.
Wait... This is a first. She couldn't even remember the last time she woke up this late.
She could now feel her cheeks burning up in embarrassment.
How embarrassing.
On her right, she could hear Peppermint making a call - probably to the cook to make a meal again.
At that point, Bonnibel silently swore to herself that this will be the last time she would woke up late. She didn't like making trouble and problems to other people and she didn't like it when their family name is tainted because of herself. How pathetic that would be.
Eating in a dining table prepared by all your subjects is really what you call having a fancy living. Although having a life as a princess in half of your life and a mayor on the other half is hard, Bonnibel never cursed her life for having that. She was just thankful for all the people that made her life more worthwhile.
As usual, Bonnibel Becket sat at the very end of table with his butler standing on her right side. Even if it was the usual position they did every morning, Bonnibel always asked Peppermint if he already ate.
"Do you already have breakfast?" She asked.
Peppermint smiled at her master "Yes, it's almost actually quite late for a breakfast-"
"Oh yes." She said with a sharp intake of breath, almost looking downgraded. "It's almost lunchtime, in actually," she added when she realized the time while looking at the grandfather's clock displayed on the center of the room. "I think this is what you already call a- what is it again?" She asked gesturing the whole scenario she's having.
Peppermint scrunched up his face. He didn't know what Bonnibel was talking about at first. "Hmm. Brunch-?"
"Oh yes. Brunch. I never had one until this," she uttered with a soft voice, nodding her head while eating slowly as if she was feeling miserable.
Peppermint Butler only sighed in replied. "Princess, you don't have to worry about it too much," he said when he couldn't take what Bonnibel was doing. "It's a non-working day! - it's a weekend."
Bonnibel quickly swallowed the food she was eating and looked at Peppermint. "But still, all my plans for the day will be moved." She suddenly sighed and let her back fall on the backrest of her chair. "By the way, what's my schedule for today?"
"Nothing much in the morning-"
"Oh thank glob." She said. It seems she was feeling quite tardy for the day. She leaned forward again and continued eating her food as Peppermint talks.
"And nothing to do much in the office since it's a weekend but you need to take care of the Magic Man and Door Lord incidents since you still haven't checked the scene."
"Is that still in my jurisdiction? I mean, isn't checking the scene a bit too much in my line of wo-" Bonnibel stopped in midspeak when she realized the way Peppermint was looking at her.
Bonnibel chuckled nervously and then smiled sheepishly.
"Princess, how many times have I said it to you that seeing the presence of the mayor is good for political image?"
"Well, it's not like they can change the mayor right? No one even wants to be a mayor these days."
Peppermint looked sharply again at her.
"I mean, I just prefer working in my office alone than walking around town or running-" she emphasizes the word. "in a different city and checking if magic man caused another scene. Augh. I wish this catastrophe would end already."
"Well, it's not like you have a say to that. It's like as you said before. The whole city - no the whole country - is a hostage under Magic Man's power as long as he walks freely in this surface. The only way to stop him is to bind him."
Bonnibel ate slowly her food. She was thinking about what Peppermint said and couldn't help but agree to it even though she hated the consequences she would face.
She sighed deeply. "I just hate his games. Hide and seek. Psh," she said with disdain. "He's even more childish than the Door Lord. I just feel like I can no longer survive another operation mission with the enforcement, I feel traumatized from the last runnings. Jeez."
Peppermint frowned. He knows that it was just an expression but he couldn't feel but be bothered by what Bonnibel had said. He looked more closely at his master. She was still not finish eating her food and was currently sipping water when he realized something he didn't recognized sooner.
"Hmmm. You're becoming paler," he said.
Bonnibel stopped eating and slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Yeah, I know Peps. I feel old now." She suddenly remembered something from last night. She smiled.
"No, I mean you look paler than usual this morning when you wake up. Plus you woke up late," cleared Peppermint.
Bonnibel shook the thoughts she was thinking instead she looked down at her food, trying to discern what Peppermint wanted to point out.
"What time did you sleep?" he continued to ask.
Bonnibel then looked up while playing her food with her fork on her plate. "Oh, so that's what you meant," she suddenly felt guilty. Peps cannot know what happened last night. About anything at all. He cannot know Marceline is in Central. She thought.
She suddenly had a flashback of what the two of them discussed last night and her plans to the vampire.
"Did you stay up all night doing laboratory again?" asked Peppermint.
That was the point when Bonnibel internally sighed in relief. She tried to look guilty so her butler wouldn't suspect a thing. "Sorry," she said, now looking at him, with a tone of guilt. "I just… missed doing labs."
Peppermint Butler only sighed as his reply.
"Anyway, after eating break- brunch and cleaning up yourself, I have something to discuss with you," he said after a while.
"Why not now?" Bonnibel already continued her eating.
"Because it's not something we have to discuss in front of the food, Princess."
"Hmm," she nodded, understanding the way her butler thinks. "Then I too have something to say to you, but maybe after this."
Suddenly, the door of the dining hall opened and there came out an official personnel from the Central Enforcement by the looks of it who is also followed by another one. They wore the same kind of uniform with the exception of medals and patches on their shoulders. They also both stood tall but it can be easily seen that the other one is much taller than the other. The taller one has a dark blond hair while the other has light blond hair.
"Bubblegum!" said the taller one of the two when he recognized who was sitting at the end of the table.
"Oh, hey Jake and Finn!" greeted back by Bonnibel, smiling a wide smile.
When Jake and Finn stood beside Peppermint Butler, they saluted them. Jake then saw all the cooked food Bonnibel was eating which easily made his mouth water.
"Oh look at that delicious food! Do you mind?" asked politely – and in an informal way - by Jake with a smile, who by now was inching to pick any food from the table.
Peppermint looked at Jake with malicious eyes but looked directly infront again with shaking head. He sighed. "General, it seems you've lost your respects to the current President of the country in which you serve."
"Huh?" Jake said with mouthful of food. He was already seated on the right side of Princess Bubblegum. He then swallowed all the food he was eating. "No. No, no, that isn't-"
Bonnibel cut Jake's word with a laugh. She looked at Peppermint. "You worry too much, Peps. It's okay, okay."
Peppermint only kept his poker face on but he was actually thankful for their presence.
Finn, which stood behind Jake's seat sighed a deep breath. He suddenly looked at Princess Bubblegum and then at Peppermint Butler and took a step towards them. "In behalf of what he is doing, I apologize to the both of you for what my brother and comrade in arms is doing," Finn said before bowing.
Jake looked at him. "Aw. Come on, Finn, my brother. There's nothing to be so stiff about. Right, Bubblegum?"
Bonnibel smiled and nodded towards the seat beside Jake's. "You should sit down, Finn."
"Have you guys eaten yet?" Bubblegum asked once they were seated. She signaled Peppermint to prepare another set of plates for their honored guests.
Finn raised his hand. "I'm alright," he said with a pleasing smile. He was trying so hard not to look at what Bonnibel was wearing.
Jake looked to his right, at Finn. "Huh? No we haven't eaten yet, Finn! Coffee is the only thing that runs in our vessels now ever since… I don't know!" He said while pointing the fact that they were both tired from their works. He suddenly looked at the food and bowed, "Thanks for the food!" before he started eating.
Finn shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the fancy utensils in front of him before offering his thanks to Bonnibel. "Thank you Bubblegum and Peppermint." He said with a slight bow.
"Then while all of you are eating, gentlemen, mind if I ask you what is the reason for the sudden intrusion you made while Princess Bubblegum is still eating her breakfast?"
"Oh, breakfast? Bubs must have woken up late," Jake smirked at Finn. "Finn, remember the bet we made? You owe me a dinner to that resto I want to go to."
Finn couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Oh! I can't believe you, Jake."
Bonnibel, on the other hand, was confused. "Wait, you guys were placing bets on me?"
Finn blushed at once while Jake just laughed it all up.
Peppermint Butler leaned towards Princess Bubblegum's ear. "May I just remind you, Princess that you have the direct control and power to bring this two down from the Central Enforcement? Just say the word. I'll handle all the paperwork."
It was intended to be a joke so he purposefully made his voice louder so that the two of them could hear him. He likes tormenting people for fun after all.
Automatically, Finn's face became paler and Jake laughed nervously.
"Hey, hey," Jake said with a shaky chuckle. "Come on, Bubs, Peps. Don't do that. We climb all this way to reach our positions in the enforcement. I assure you I'm being loyal to you, Mayor Becket," Jake said seriously but thought about something. "Actually, you're probably the second person I'm loyal to since I'm more loyal to Lady." He winked at Bonnibel, hinting her about their relationship.
Bonnibel shook her head and just laughed. "Don't worry, Jake and Finn, I know you all deserve those positions. You all earned those medals in the academy, after all." She then looked at Jake. "And Jake, I know. I'm glad Lady and you met," she smiled at him. "So, what was it again? The reason you two are here."
"Oh yeah, sorry, sorry," Jake looked at Finn. "We have something urgent to tell you," he said looking back at the mayor.
Bonnibel sighed deeply. "And here I am thinking you guys were just hanging out with me," she smiled sadly. "Okay, okay. What is it?" She asked, bringing back the topic, and sipped her water slowly. It seems she already lost her appetite due to them having conversation but she wanted to finish the rest of the food on her plate. She never liked it when there were leftover foods on her plate.
"Well those times were already buried in paperwork and in missions," Jake pointed out.
Bonnibel just smiled again. "I know right." She picked up her spoon again and tried to eat.
Jake, on the other hand, seemed to be finished already with his food. He wiped his face with a table napkin and sat up straight. At this point, Jake put on his work mode as his face changes into seriousness and business.
With a deep breath, he tells Bonnibel the reason of their intrusion. "Okay." He cleared his voice. "Mayor Becket, last night, Marceline was sighted in tapes-"
Jake suddenly cut off his talking. Because the moment Bonnibel heard Marceline's name, Bonnibel choked her food – which usually never happens to her. Peppermint, who also listens to their conversation, was surprised about the news. It was then that his angry contorted face was visibly shown on his face. He was thinking along the lines that the princess wouldn't be able to grasp the idea that Marceline Abadeer was in her town. That's why it's better to discuss this later. He was now frustrated at the Central Enforcement.
"What did you just say?" Bonnibel was still in the fit of coughing but Peppermint was already offering her a glass of water. She took a sip. After that, Peppermint called maids to clear the plates infront of them since it looks like everyone is finished with eating and were now in a formal discussion.
"Auhhm. Marceline, the trespasser, was sighted last night. Along with the tapes, several people were also saying they saw the wanted person in the city," Jake felt bad for what he did. He never imagined that Bonnibel would choked on her food at the mere sound of the demon's name. He internally sighed and focused at the task on hand. "Lieutenant Colonel, please pass the case files to the Mayor."
Bonnibel was fine already. She was just now thinking that after all the trouble she did last night to hide Marceline from CCTV cameras, the vampire was still caught in tapes and actual people saw her.
Bonnibel then suddenly looked at the folder in front of her. Case File: 451291041.
She closed her eyes, feeling a slight prick on her forehead. Oh glob.
A/N:
Okay. Hello everyone. I'm sorry that this story wasn't updated for how many months. I think this is by far the longest period of waiting that you all did, I'm actually not sure but don't worry, I'm still continuing this fic after all.
Last chapter was actually the chapter I enjoyed writing so far. Pretty much the chapter was all a flashback. I actually forgot to explain what the dreams were all about. Anyway, there are four dreams right? The first and second all happened in the past. I'm clearly not saying when the first one happened. Hahaha. But the second one, The Scream Queen dream, happened way before Marceline had the accident in Chapter one. The third dream with Hunson also happened in the past but it kind of changed and eventually the dream became a nightmare turning into a freaky Magic Man. The fourth dream now is the actual event that happened when Marceline and Magic Man met in the street (by the end of Chapter 10)
As for this chapter, you can see that there are new characters. Hurray! Jake and Finn. I still don't want to completely introduce them since I'm afraid the chapter will be too long now but maybe next chap. Plus I still don't know what will I name Jake's surname. Hahaha. I'll think about it now.
Anyway, thank you everyone. For the reviews, thank you Densei and to all the guests. :D There is a guest that said that there was a Hamilton reference last chapter I'm sorry but if you saw one, just as you said, that is not intentional. Hahaha.
Oh yeah, another thing. If you have a twitter account please follow the account with the username of "AT_Scenes". I make Adventure Time scenes there so a like and a retweet are very much appreciated. :D You can also DM me there if you have questions or just wanted to talk about AT.
Bye! Thank you again. XD
Update:
I'm sorry but there will be changes to the time when Pepbut returned back. (with Cinna) Instead of 11 am it will be 9:30am. I realized that it was too long, very long. Hahaha. He just checked the "message" anyway. So yep, sorry. I was reading the chapter when I realized that mistake. Peace.
04/24/17