It has been a successful week since Darren has come back, since that day things have been done, Darren got his arm reattached. After much kicking, screaming and having to knock Darren out, the Candy Kingdom apparently never heard of pain killers. But it was a success, Darren had his hand back, and able to move it, ever since that happened, Finn and Darren had been practicing. Well Darren was practicing, Finn had a test dummy for his attacks.
Finn came busting into the front door, arms swinging wildly, sword in hand, cheering for himself. "Yeah boooooyyy, who kicked who's butt." Finn yelled, while Darren dragged himself past the front door, his body bruised and scratched from the 'training'. So far it has been 2 wins for Darren, 16 wins for Finn.
"I gotta...stop fighting a guy...who can break boulders with his...bare hands." Darren grunted, stopping every few words to breathe. He made it past Finn who was still cheering for his win, while he got some of the cyclops tears underneath the sofa, and dragged himself up the ladder.
"Darren, where you going? I thought we were going another round." Finn asked.
"Gi hsm …..I'm going to take a shower, I smell like something died." Darren spoke after spitting the container out of his mouth. Finn smelled himself and he needed one too.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea, first one there ugh-" Finn said after getting hit with Darren's foot, Finn rubbed his face to see Darren already gone, Finn rushed upstairs to find the door locked.
"Survival of the fittest Finn. The best wins." Darren gloated.
"But I kicked your buns." Finn yelled.
"Yeah, but I got a factor that you lost a long time ago, or never had." Darren told the sound of running water was heard from the inside.
"And what's that." Finn asked.
"The I don't give a fuck factor. Where I can do something and simply not care." Darren told, Finn grumbled at the response, then his stomach grumbled.
"Well I'll be making breakfast, want anything." Finn asked.
"EVERYTHING BURRITO." Darren yelled Finn smiled at his response and went to go make some food.
Marceline was within the confines of her room, staring blankly at the ceiling. She had no idea when was the last time she had seen the moon light, two, tree weeks. She starred at her cursed hand, the mark still there. She killed Darren, she was promised Simon back. But he was still the Ice King as far as she knew. Ash still remained in her basement, she fed him, she wasn't that cruel to starve him. And that puff of smoke has not been seen. So she killed someone for no good reason. Today she decided to just go somewhere, probably hangout with Finn, and see what he was up to. Last she heard he was cutting down trees for something.
Marceline was now in front of the house of Finn, she entered through the top window, she heard running water, it must have been Jake, she'll scare him later. She floated down the ladder, she heard humming, and smelled something delicious been cooked. She took a peek to see Finn cooking. Then his humming suddenly stooped. "Marceline, are you spying on us." Finn asked causing Marceline to gasp in astonishment.
"How did you know I was here." Marceline questioned taking a seat nearby.
"Training." Finn simply answered while wrapping up an everything burrito.
"Well I see nothing has changed." Marceline said taking an apple that was nearby and sucking the red out of it.
"Yeah, me and Darren have been practicing." Finn told her. Marceline stopped her movements she realized Finn has lost it.
"Finn."
"Hmm."
"Finn sit down we need to talk." Marceline told him as Finn looked nervous but took a seat anyways, looking like he was on edge. "Finn, you gotta know that Darren is dead, and that he's never, ever, ever going to be brought-"
"Hey Marceline." Darren greeted walking past her.
"Hey, Darren. Going to be brought ba-" Marceline stopped mid-sentence starring wide eyed at Darren. Darren got his everything burrito and walked past the two and out the door. Finn sat there a wide smile on his face to prove Marceline wrong and for the fact her face looked priceless. Marceline floated towards the door and out the door. Darren was about to take a bite of his burrito till a shadow was over him, he looked over to see Marceline just starring. She grabbed a stick nearby and began to poke him with it.
"Hey, hey, stop that, hey, stop, no." Darren continue to say slapping away the stick and drop his burrito by accident into a small pool of Darren's blood after Darren and Finn's training.
"Hey guys what's *gasp *" Jake kneeled before the everything burrito, seeing it filthy and full of blood. "What monster did this, it was you Darren wasn't it. Don't worry baby I'll give you a proper burial."
Everyone stood there with a questionable face seeing a tombstone in the ground. "I'm going to make another burrito. Marceline if you're going to ask how I'm alive ask Finn." Darren told, Marceline turned towards Finn to see him with a wide smile.
"Wipe that smile off your face before I do it for you." Marceline threatened, for the next few moments Finn told her how Darren survived, after that they just hung out, like the old times. She was kinda glad Darren was alive, but now knew why she still didn't have Simon back. It was getting dark so she decided to head home she waved towards her friends. And made her way home, she opened the door and closed it behind her.
"About time." She heard she turned to see Ash sitting on the couch. Her rage going up the scale ready to rip him to shreds. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I got an offering."
"What in my Nightosphere could you have for me." Marceline hissed.
"Hey that's your cue." Ash yelled upstairs. The creaking of the ladder was heard and her rage melted away, Simon stepped down from the ladder wearing his attire of a suit and a bow tie on along with his glasses.
"Simon." Marceline asked.
"Yeah, Marceline it's me. Is it really you?" Simon asked to make sure this was real. His response was Marceline hugging his torso tightly, slightly sniffling. "It's good to see you again, also who the heck is that guy." Simon asked pointing at Ash.
"Simon, I'm only an illusion created by your mind. You'll never see me again. I'll be back in 24 hours." Ash spoke at first with an eerie tone then normally and left the house. Leaving the two old friends alone.
For the next hours Marceline has been filing Simon in on what has been happening since his...changing. And at the same time filing him up with food, he was really skinny, Simon listened intently somewhat astonished at how much things have changed. "So you have no idea where Betty may have gone to." Simon asked after hearing Marceline's stories and finishing the food she made.
"Sorry Simon, no, I haven't heard from her or seen her, sorry." Marceline apologized then feeling Simon's hand on her shoulder.
"Hey its okay, its not your fault. Let's just enjoy the time I have here. Also how am I, you know, free, and not dying?" Simon asked Marceline opened her mouth to respond then closed it for not knowing how.
"It doesn't matter. Come on let's go and see the new stuff outside and-"
"Hello, hello, Marceline is this you. I swear if this is another random guy, I'm going to-"
"Insanity?" Marceline asked inside her mind.
"Oh good it's you. Listen make sure Simon stays inside the house." Insanity told her.
"What, no I want to show him-"
"Show him later when he's fully free, I'm limited on power so make sure he stays in that house. Or he goes back into the Ice King." Insanity told her as there was a silence between them. "Good, now then when you- aaahhh, damn you woman, stop fucking hitting me. Ahhh, look just make sure he stays in that house or else, ahhh, fuck that's it you're dead."
"Marceline?" Simon yelled.
"What, what?" Marceline questioned randomly.
"Marceline you've been staring at the door for 2 minutes, is everything all right?" Simon asked concerned for his adoptive daughter.
"Yeah I'm fine, let's just sit down and watch a movie all right." Marceline asked trying to make sure he stays in doors, Simon smiled and shook his head.
"I'll go make some popcorn...those still exist right?" Simon asked making Marceline to giggle.
"Yes Simon they still exists, though the taste may be different." For some time the two watched movies, and when those were done, they had a jam session. Marceline was once again happy, she had her father back, nothing could ruin this-Knock, knock, knock.
"Marceline, good, he's still here." Ash said coming inside the house carrying a red box with an envelope on the top. "I need you to take this to where the directions ask you to put them."
"Hey, aren't you suppose to be my imagination?" Simon asked.
"No, Simon I'm-"
"SIMON." A woman yelled slamming the door open and pushing Ash to the ground, the woman jumped and landed in Simon's arms. "Thank goodness it's true you're back."
"Wait, Betty?" Simon asked, the woman lowered her hood to show she was Betty, a giant smile plastered on her face.
"Ugh, I though I told you to wait outside." Ash groaned.
"Wait, Betty do you know him." Simon asked again.
"No, he found me and told me you were free." Betty said glaring at Ash.
"Why did you find her?" Marceline questioned.
"Remember this." Ash said removing the glove from Marceline's hand to show the tattoo like mark on her hand. "This contract was to make sure you obey, but for me to make sure your family and friends benefit from it. Simon, you consider to be your father, and thus Betty being married to him still, I was bound to do find her. It took me 3 hours to find her, and 19 hours to convince her Simon was back, she pretty much kicked my ass."
"That's my girl." Simon said towards Betty. "Wait a minute. Contract? So Marceline has to do what specificly?" Simon asked.
"Help me kill a guy." Ash told simply.
"What no, I'm not letting her do this." Simon yelled.
"Oh I think you will. Cause if he dies, you are free from the crown forever. Right now, you're just in control thanks to me. Once he's dead you can finally enjoy the life you deserve Simon." Ash told him.
"Well why don't you kill him then." Simon barked back.
"Because I can't." Ash erupted. "If I could kill him, don't you think I would have done it by now. I can't kill him, one of the contracts I made with him can't let me kill him. Why do you think I need Marceline as a middle man, I need someone else with their own intentions and motives to kill him. If I wanted him dead I would have ordered her to kill him. But I can't, I can't be involved within the death, only influence it."
"Well I'm not allowing this, I'm not letting someone die for my freedom." Simon told Ash while pushing his finger to his chest.
"Simon, things die, look, look, look, wait for it." Ash said as everyone remained quiet 10 seconds have past. "Within that time, a good 349 people have died. Sadly Darren wasn't one of them. Besides Simon, what's one guy worth to you, hmm. Your happiness, your dreams, because things die Simon, that includes her." Ash said pointing towards Betty. "She isn't immortal like you, 50, 60 years top, she'll be dead. And one more thing, your sanity is this close to snapping, and once your psyche finds out 90 years have gone by, and realize Betty is dead, you'll forever be lost to the Ice King. So your choice, die happily, or live forever as a maniac." Ash spoke his words cutting deep into Simon, making fall to his knees.
"You're sure that Marceline won't be caught, or that she'll be the one to kill him." Simon whispered towards him.
"I'm bound to by a contract, yes." Ash told him.
"All right." Simon told him.
"Finally, we're getting somewhere." Ash told happily.
"Just one question, why do you want him dead." Simon asked.
"Why, well, my whole life, he was the one I feared. He actually was able to control me. But the main thing is, the fact he treated me more like his own son. Hehehe some saw it compassion, I saw it as pity, that's why I want him dead, I wasn't able to see him die the first time, so I want to see him die this time, so I can- ahh." Ash stopped grasping his shoulder he looked to see the floor he was standing on was caving in, he saw and looked the horrified faces of the people. "Sorry, well, excuse me for a bit." Ash said going out the corner, the sound of someone falling down some steps were heard and the slamming of a door and Insanity coming in in his real form.
"Well, I'll see you people later. Marceline deliver that package. Oh right and Simon, see you when the job is done." Insanity said snapping his fingers causing Simon to be unconscious, Betty and Marceline to his side. Marceline looked up too see Insanity gone.
"Go deliver that package." Betty told her. Marceline shook her head, she grabbed the package and flew out of her house. She followed the notes instructions directly after finding the spot she dropped the package. Time later someone else came to find the red box there, the person picked up the box and left. When Marceline arrived home, Simon and Betty were gone. She floated up to her room to find an old picture of her and Simon on the bed, she got the picture and hugged it as she fell to sleep.