Prince Furnius woke with a groan as the next day started. His eyes flickered open to take in his surroundings and his chest rose slightly from being constricted. It didn't take long for the prince to discover the cause until his sight focused on the slumbering pale raven-haired beauty from his left side. A warm smile crossed his face and before he knew it, he gently placed a kiss right on top of her head.

Marceline started to wake up on cue after the contact. As soon as she finished yawning, the vampire snuggled further into the elemental's chest until she decided look up and meet her lover's gaze. They stared at each other for a long minute, smiling contently with neither showing shame or regret from last night's events. They did however blush immensely over the recollection of how they were with each other when they became physically passionate.

"Morning handsome," Marceline greeted sultrily. "Sleep well?"

"I did, very much," Furnius replied as he captured her lips with his. Even though the kiss was tender, the vampire couldn't help but moan appreciatively from the overall intimacy.

"Did you really mean everything last night?" Marcy inquired softly.

The prince chuckled warmly and comforted, "Every bit, wouldn't have had it any other way." He placed another kiss on her lips.

She relaxed in response and drew out a blissful sigh. "You know," she began as she started to trace his chest absentmindedly, "I spent so much of my life running around, getting used to being alone. I always thought something like this would never happen to me, but I'm glad to settle down for once."

"What?" Furnius asked with his face contorted in confusion. "You're like one of the coolest people to be around. I honestly thought someone else would have earned a place by your side long beforehand."

"Yeah, well you'd be surprised," Marcy commented with a shrug. "Even before the bombs dropped, I had a hard time making friends or going to a place where I felt like I belonged."

Before Furnius could ask, Marceline was quick to continue.

"I was born with a mix of two species," she explained. "Half human and half demon. Most people wouldn't care if they saw me from far away, but up close they would freak out with my red eyes, my pale skin and pointy ears." She pointed at each one for emphasis.

"But why?" the elemental asked perplexed. "It doesn't seem to bother me. In fact, those are the things I like so much about you because it makes you unique!"

Marceline blushed at the compliment before becoming serious, "Times were very different long ago. Back then, people would only accept such things in movies and games but never in real life. They thought I was a freak and treated me as such. And even when the Mushroom War ended, I was still.. labeled as someone who would always be a monster or a villain." She frowned recalling her memories.

Furnius nodded and continued to stroke her hair along her back in comfort. "I'm so sorry to hear that," he said sincerely.

"It's not your fault," Marcy reassured. "I had way too many factors against me that I eventually learned to deal with it. By the time I got turned into a vampire and people became more aware of the Abadeer name, it almost didn't matter anymore. I was still hurt, but it didn't stop me from protecting those that I've cared about. Frankly if it weren't for the life lessons that Simon had taught me, I might have snapped and been a loose canon forever."

"You look up to him?" He asked rhetorically.

"My dad, Hudson was practically out of the picture because of his line of work in the Nightosphere," she answered dully. "My mom, Rebecca-" Her breath hitched in surprise over saying a name she hadn't said in ages, "did everything to raise me in the meantime, but that was obviously short-lived thanks to the war. Simon on the other hand, took on the role of being a father after he found me alone in the wasteland. Turns out he managed to survive because of the ice crown." She chuckled ironically. "So from then, he would teach me from right and wrong, have me fed, clothed, and pretty much provide everything else a child would or should have from their father." Her expression brightened briefly.

"That's neat," Furnius commented. "It wasn't a complete loss."

"Yeah," Marcy trailed with skepticism. "But unfortunately, it only delayed the hardships I would have to face alone. One day, Simon and I were running away from a horde of Goo Monsters and the only way we could survive is if he used the crown's powers. He lost most of his mind that day, and he had just enough-" she stopped to make a near pinching gesture. "Just to say goodbye and walk away... He said he had to leave because he wanted to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. But, I refused to listen even though it really was for the best. I plead with him over and over to stay and threw myself in denial until I eventually accepted it like a bitter pill... And I had to deal with that by just being only seven years old at the time."

Her eyes watered and a stray tear landed on the elemental's chest. It sizzled on contact, but surprisingly enough Furnius did not flinch or grimace in pain. Instead he used a thumb to brush each of her eyes carefully from corner to corner until he smiled in comfort. Needless to say, Marcy felt immense warmth from the act and she closed her eyes willingly when the prince finished off with a kiss on her forehead.

"He's back now," he soothed running a hand through her hair along her back again. "You went through the toughest journey I can only imagine just so you can finally break that dreadful cycle."

"It only took roughly a thousand years, plus change," she shrugged pretending to be nonchalant. "So much time has passed I can't even remember the exact numbers."

"You got me there," Furnius admitted. "But hey, at least the years have been kind to you!" He blushed at his own remark.

"You know I'd probably slap you if it wasn't a compliment," Marcy said with a half-lidded expression. "But thanks."

"So, was there any trick or strategy to go through the millennia?" He asked curiously. "I mean, I'll be lucky if I can make it a century!"

"My immortality from becoming a vampire was mainly the reason. It's what helped me maintain the mind of a late teen or young adult," she answered as her eyelids drooped in relaxation. "That, and for a fact that I always did something to pass the time. Obviously if I kept to myself entirely in isolation, I'd lose my mind."

"Of course," Furnius nodded as he continuously stroked her hair. "Any highlights worth mentioning?"

"I have so much to tell, but it may take too much of your time," she warned as she glanced at his bedside clock which read 10:00 am. "Don't you have to get going?"

"Nonsense," the prince waved dismissively before he reached for his crystal phone. After pressing a few buttons rapidly, he tossed it over his shoulder comically until landed on the floor with a distinct thud. "Now the whole day is ours," he smiled withholding a chuckle.

"Furnius," Marcy hesitantly began. "Are you sure?"

"I think with the way how things have gone last night, we should at least get to know each other more," he replied cheekily. "Seems fair, right?"

"Yeah, okay," she nodded. "Well like I said, it's a pretty long story."

"I'm all ears, love," Furnius said smoothly before sharing a soft kiss on her cheek and then her jawline.

Marceline smirked in response and teased, "Just try not to distract me..."


Meanwhile at a cafe five minutes from the UC headquarters building, Jake the dog sat by himself in isolation. Even though there were people all around him having lively conversations, the magical canine felt withdrawn as he stared at the menu in his hands. There was a mug to his right filled with coffee, but it eventually became cold the more his mind wandered. It had been fifteen minutes since he told the waitress he needed more time to order and yet his appetite offered no craving.

He sighed irritably to himself thinking, "This was a waste of time!" Ever since he woke up, Jake felt inclined to leave the house as a means to clear his mind. Although his wife Lady Rainicorn had an unspoken understanding with him, he still couldn't help but feel guilty that he left her alone.

"Do you still need more time, sir?" The waitress asked politely, breaking his thoughts. She was a yellow humanoid in her twenties with short brown hair, dressed in a white blouse and black formal skirt.

Jake blinked in response and answered clumsily, "Uh, no actually."

"Alright," she quipped cheerfully as she readied her pen and notepad. "What will it be?"

"I'll just have the breakfast croissant sandwich," he replied mustering the best smile to conceal his sour demeanor.

"With cheese?"

"Please," he nodded.

"Coming right up," she wrote rapidly in a second. "Would you like me to get you a fresh cup of coffee by the way?"

"Sure, thanks." He answered feeling regretful his cup was cold.

"It's no problem," she nodded in understanding. "I'll get you a new one right away." With that she left.

Jake looked downwards and placed both hands on his head as he returned to his thoughts. Over the months that transpired, Jake still had difficulties coming to terms with his late brother. He may have taken comfort with his wife and grown up children, but in the end the pain in his heart remained strong as ever. He was in torment, there was a guilt inside of him that he refused to let go. And for that reason alone, his mood had not been upbeat since.

Suddenly his head perked up when he heard a familiar voice call out for his name. When he did, he saw a flame elemental dressed in an orange track suit with twin white stripes running along the sleeves and pants legs.

"Flame Princess?!" He asked in shock.

"Hey Jake!" She greeted with a smile. "Alright if I join you?"

"No problem at all, princess," he motioned courteously to sit on the opposite side of the table booth.

She chuckled briefly as she sat down, "You know you could call me Phoebe, right?"

"I know," he nodded laughing in embarrassment. "I'm just not used to calling you anything else."

"Fair enough, just go what you're comfortable with then. I don't mind."

After a moment, Jake asked, "So what brings you here?"

"I just came back from my morning jog," she replied. "Ever since this place opened, I would always stop by here after a work out."

Jake looked himself over and chuckled, "Maybe I should start doing the same. I haven't exactly stayed in the best shape since-" His expression suddenly faltered and he bowed holding his head. Somehow at that moment, he imagined his mind running at full speed like a runaway train until it decided to slam the brakes.

"Jake," Phoebe asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I..." He struggled with his eyes squeezed shut. The memories that spiraled in his head involved his experiences from the Candy-Fire War, specifically his duel with Finn at the underground lab.

"It's alright," the elemental called out to him empathetically, recognizing his pain. "Whatever it is you're thinking about now, it's all in the past."

Jake's mind continued to spiral in despair as more memories surfaced. One was showing him being burned alive within Finn's grasp, another when he survived the firefight at the Candy Kingdom's outskirts, and another when the magical canine argued to Finn about staying away from the conflict itself.

"Don't do this if you think it will solve your personal biz," his own voice echoed in his head.

There was noise all around the diner itself, but even then it seemed like Jake could hear nothing but his own thoughts. Phoebe had tried calling for him repeatedly with a firm expression, but her words seemed to be met to deaf ears as well. When the magical canine slowly came to his senses after a long minute, his sight met the elemental's and began to hear his name once again.

Phoebe stopped once he finally became responsive. When he did, Jake reached for his coffee and drank it with a shaky grasp until he sat it back down in haste. Unfortunately for him, he had grabbed the one that was still cold and shuddered as the bitter taste met his taste buds.

"Flame Princess," he began somberly after . "There's something I believe you should know."

She nodded silently in agreement, hoping that whatever he had to say will ultimately bring him comfort. "I'm listening," she encouraged.

"I grew up with Finn since the very beginning," he recalled. "I knew his likes, dislikes, habits, you get the picture."

Phoebe nodded again.

Jake continued, "The thing is, after our parents died while we were still little, the only thing Finn had left was me. I mean our other brother Jermaine was there too, but he went on to do his own thing. Anyway, Finn and I would always look out for each other to get through the hard times, no matter what."

"Until you started a family with Lady Rainicorn," she commented.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Flame Princess," Jake admitted with a sad sigh. "Before everything went to heck before that flippin' war, Finn was already a mess." He looked out the window and observed the crowd of pedestrians that crossed the nearby intersection.

"I seem to remember you told me he was planning to move out the tree fort not long after," Phoebe recalled thoughtfully. "Was he really that bad?"

"No, not always," Jake frowned. "He usually acted like his old-self by being a hero and going out on dungeon crawls. I guess if I was to draw a timeframe, I'd say he started to change little by little when he became sixteen."

"What were these changes?"

"He began taking quests on his own," he replied. "It didn't seem like much because he knew I had my own thing. What actually made me catch on though was the fact he would push himself to work harder and harder. As far as I knew, he put himself in a role where supposedly money was tight when it really shouldn't be. Each time I saw him, he would look worn out, exhausted.. dead even."

Phoebe was shocked.

"His eyes were bloodshot," Jake continued. "His overall looks made it seem like somebody literally drained the color out of him! I told him to fess up about what was going on, but he kept on denying it saying it was nothing. And then," he looked away with a fist covering his mouth. "He started to ignore my calls, see me and my family for a short time only on holidays, and barely show himself to everyone else. I tried to confront him about it, but he simply decided to walk away and not have any of it."

She nodded solemnly.

"No one knew where he went or what he did on his spare time!" Jake blurted with frustration as he threw his paws. "The kid practically went off the grid and I have always wondered why he would put himself in so much pain!" He slammed a fist on the table and clenched his teeth, "He may not have admitted it, but I knew something was eating him from the very beginning."

"What are you saying?" Phoebe asked.

"I asked myself night after night what caused him to act like this," Jake explained. "To bring him down a path where his life had to end so soon." His tone became somber again as his anger subsided. His gaze remained fixated at the window to withhold any tears that started welling up in his eyes.

"Come on," he thought to himself. "Get it out."

"Jake..." Phoebe said lowly in comfort.

"I r-remember hearing this story," he resumed with his breath shaking. "That this guy had all these bad things happen to him because of a mistake he made as a kid decades ago. Even though he reformed and became a great person overall, the consequences of what he did caught up to him like an overdue curse."

"He basically lashed out at his dad," Jake frowned. "In front of all his teammates in the middle of a sports game because he showed up late. The dad tried to explain he had a good reason, but his son chose to turn his back on him and jump to conclusions. By the time the son realized his mistake, he was too late to fix things as his father died shortly after from a heart attack. The kid tried so hard to better himself from that moment on, and because of that he made a name for himself where people would actually vouch for him. He became a successful business man, then a family man with a lovely wife and two kids. But as fate would have it, he slowly lost everything one by one."

Jake raised one paw to start listing, "His job files for bankruptcy, his wife gets killed in a car crash, one kid dies from sickness, and the other falls into the wrong crowd with a string of bad habits. He asked himself in wonder what made him deserve something as cruel as this until he had an epiphany." He leaned forward, "That it was his last argument he had with his dad. Even though he tried so hard to make up for it, the point of it all was that issue was never truly resolved. And for that, he paid for it tenfold."

Phoebe wanted to protest at the extremity, but decided to let Jake continue.

"I brought that story up because I believe I did the same thing with Finn in my own way," the magical canine explained. "It took me so long to figure it out, but I feel like it all makes sense."

"And what... could you have possibly done that would honestly have me believe that?" Phoebe challenged, not liking this at all.

It took him a long minute before answering, "I told Finn to make his dream with the Cosmic Owl come true."

From that moment, Phoebe blinked in surprise and faintly uttered, "What?"

"He told me he was having dreams with you fighting the Ice King," Jake confessed. "And then when he mentioned the Cosmic Owl was in one of them, I quickly grew excited that he had to do whatever it took to make it come true because I didn't want the Cosmic Owl to be wrong."

"These are the same ones that Finn was trying to explain to me before we broke up!" Phoebe gasped in recollection. "I was so focused on the fact he wrote all those mean letters that I tuned him out! Ugh, I'm such an idiot!" She sharply looked out the window before shaking her head. "But something doesn't make sense," she thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" He asked anxiously.

"I met the Cosmic Owl before I woke up inside the last Sleeping Fire Giant," she explained. "He told me his purpose was to ensure the balance of life and to foresee possible outcomes of the future."

"Where are you going with this?" He frowned in confusion.

"He saw me because the safety of my entire race was on the brink of extinction," Phoebe stated. "But when he showed up in the ones you explained to me, what exactly was his purpose?"

"I.. have no clue," Jake bowed solemnly. "So now that you know, I wouldn't hold anything against you if you want to take your revenge against me." He closed his eyes in preparedness. Seconds would pass, but the elemental across him did not intensify her flames nor did she express any anger. Instead much to his surprise, she drew out a long sigh of disapproval.

"I may find myself a little skeptical of the Cosmic Owl's past intentions, but it doesn't excuse the fact you should pin all of this to yourself," Phoebe countered firmly. "I don't care if it sounds rational or not! Trust me Jake, I've been there. From the moment I discovered Finn was the one fighting with Bubblegum under a different identity, I thought for a long time that it was because of my past deeds that brought him into it. I may have accepted his apology when we broke off initially, but I didn't seek the cause as to why it happened. I may have given him permission to visit me during my time as ruler, but I never encouraged the idea for him to actually do so. But most of all," she stopped to harden her expression. "I may have called for his help to reclaim the throne from my dad and Don Jon, but I never sought for Finn ever again after the fact." She drew a breath, "I came to him knowing that he would strive to impress me back at every turn, and yet I acted like he would cast his feelings for me aside like the flick of a switch."

"He loved you," he commented dryly.

"I knew that!" She seethed. "I took my chances, made the call, and then things got worse between each other in the long run." She leaned forward, "I let Finn walk away without addressing his wrongs and how he needed to improve on himself. I chose the easy route to spare myself the trouble and assumed he would eventually get over it, figure it out on his own."

Jake couldn't think of anything else to say.

"That decision alone haunts me to this day," Phoebe raised a pointer finger for emphasis. "Aside from all the others that involved me sending hundreds of thousands of troops to their deaths. Justified or not, there are a whole bunch of families that are fractured or just gone completely. And part of me still believes that it could have been prevented had I done just one thing differently." She leaned back in resolve, "I may seem like I'm holding myself better than before, but I have to constantly remind myself everyday of all the facts."

"I know Finn wouldn't want us to blame ourselves," Phoebe asserted softening her tone. "He would tell us to move on and let it serve as an inspiration to make ourselves better, so that we would not repeat it! We're all imperfect at the end of the day. And knowing him, he would make the stubborn argument that he should take full responsibility even though you and I both know he doesn't deserve it."

Jake looked down and sighed. "Yeah," he admitted in a dry voice with his tears running loose. "That's sounds like something he would definitely say."

The two were silent for a moment as they settled down. "How do you feel?" She asked with a comforting smile.

"A bit better now," Jake sniffed as he used a napkin to dry his tears.

Just then, the waitress returned with the breakfast sandwich and a fresh cup of coffee. The magical canine accepted both of them with a gracious nod before mouthing, "thank you."

"And do you need anything?" She asked looking over to Phoebe.

"Pomegranate tea with a plate of coals please," the elemental replied.

"Coming right up," she nodded before leaving.

"I love it," Phoebe chuckled in amusement to change the subject. "This place has everything!" At that moment, she saw Jake smiling in agreement. When she noticed his mood improving she smiled tenderly and advised, "Promise me you'll see a therapist later down the road. Bring Lady with you too if need be." She amended quickly at that last part. "You gotta do this for yourself more so than anything."

"I'm not exactly keen on asking for help," he admitted a bit flustered.

"Neither am I," Phoebe mused. "At the end of the day though, you'll need to suck up your pride and just get on with it!"

Jake hummed out loud in thought, "Alright, I'll do it. Only because I know you'll have me smoked if I don't." He laughed.

"That's besides the point," she replied with sarcasm. "Now come on, let's eat."

Sometime later, the two finished their meals and shared a causal conversation. While Jake told Phoebe about a joke, the television screen behind the bar began to chime rhythmically before flashing with the words "Breaking News."

"Hey check it out," Jake remarked as he saw the screen showing last night's party at the UC headquarters. "I think we might see ourselves."

"There were a whole bunch of people during the event," she said skeptically. "And besides, I kind of left early because of the long flight home."

They continued to listen to the rest of the broadcast as it mainly retold the highlights of Simon's return and how the Grand Master Wizard opened his own borders to non magical users. So far Phoebe and Jake nodded at the prospect of hearing nothing but positive content until the screen transitioned to a screenshot of Marceline and Prince Furnius. Needless to say, they were both speechless at what they saw and heard next.


"It was the most unexpected shock of the century," a reporter from off screen announced. "The acting leader of the Fire Kingdom and United Civilizations romantically involved with the Vampire Queen. Not long after the celebration, the two were seen socializing together before moving over to a private lounge. After a while, the couple left the scene altogether while openly making public displays of affection with one another. One person described the spectacle to be something out of a fairy tale, while others had mixed opinions."

"I think they make a cute couple," the first witness nodded. "No doubt about it, they're obviously in love."

"I'm not sure what's happening," a second person said nervously. "I mean no one knew these two had something going on beforehand! How am I supposed to react?"

"They acted like they were alone the whole time!" A third person threw his hands in disgust. "No shame whatsoever."

"Ever since that night, the locals and UC officials have been uncertain to determine the overall case scenario. We asked the leading spokesperson, Cinnamon Bun to offer his insight."

"We are talking about two people who represent two powerful kingdoms," the pasty guardian said stoically on screen. "Even though the Nightosphere was not officially involved in the Fire-Candy War, Furnius and Marceline are two adversaries who fought together against a common enemy. Former Supreme General Flint may have nearly created an international incident with his poor misconduct and unprofessionalism towards the Vampire Queen, but the issue was resolved swiftly under the direct intervention of Flame Princess. That being said, it stands to believe relations between the two respective kingdoms have in fact improved since, and are currently being maintained through a series of private negotiations."

"Prince Furnius and Queen Abadeer have been unable to comment at this time." The news reporter concluded.


"Oooh, is he in for it now," Phoebe stated with a livid expression as she stood up cue.

"Geez, talk about a drama bomb," Jake commented nervously. "I feel like we're in the middle of one of those romantic comedies!"

"This is far from the movies," she shook her head as she hastily paid the bill on the table. "And besides, you should probably go if you know what's good for you." Her eyes were starting to shift completely into a fiery gaze.

"Yeah, ok, I'll see you around!" He said quickly as he got up and left.

As the two parted ways, the program began to draw to a close. This time however, it showed a picture of the Ice Kingdom at the same evening with one significant difference.

"In other news, a strange yet unique sighting was spotted last night from the polar peaks of the Ice Kingdom. Several witnesses say they saw a green beam of light firing off into the sky just-"

By then, the bartender switched the tv off.

"Hey!" A local customer protested. "I was watching that!"

"Eh, it's just the Northern Lights," he said dismissively before turning it back on. Unfortunately for the viewer however, the channel had already cut to commercial break.

"Oh, sorry about that," the bartender grimaced. "Care to take your mind off of things by ordering our steamed clams? They're on special!" He smiled superficially.


Meanwhile at Prismo's time room, the pink two-dimensional deity held an urgent phone conference with Death and the Cosmic Owl.

"Am I hearing this right?" Death asked midway in conversation. "Orgalorg is coming back?"

"I'm afraid so," Cosmic Owl said grimly. "Prismo's imaging confirms that it's from the same signature."

"Grob, Glob, Gob, and Grod had him imprisoned with the Earth's atmospheric pressure," Death recalled. "The only way he could have sent a signal is if-"

"The Catalyst Comet," the other deities answered simultaneously with bewildered expressions.

Death narrowed his eyes, "How soon can we expect its arrival in our solar system?"

"Uncertain," Prismo replied. "Can easily be soon as a week or late in a few months."

"We'll have to push forward with the deadline then," Death suggested in dismay. "The way I see it, we're already looking at catastrophic losses."

"And how much is that roughly?" CO hesitated.

"...Too much," he warned gravely.