Winter was coming over the land of Ooo quicker than I had expected - snow was beginning to cover the Candy Kingdom, cascading the homes and castle itself in a fine white blanket. Soon, again much quicker than I expected, the day that we exchange gifts will come. It's an old practice, dating back long before the Mushroom Wars, but it was lost for many years. That is until Finn and Jake, however, reinstated the practice a few years ago.

I rather like it to be honest. Making or purchasing gifts for my dearest friends turned out to be something that I actually looked forward to for the latter half of the year. This year, my presents had all been purchased less for one - I made Finn a crystal sword from scientifically engineered crystals, I made Jake a new violia that will never go out of tune, I purchased Lady Rainicorn a large stipened of Ooo's richest hay, and Peppermint Butler a brand new bow-tie. I even bought the Ice King new drumsticks, hoping that the gift will give him something to occupy himself with (other than kidnapping me biweekly, that is). The only person I haven't been able to find a gift for is Marceline. She is so unbelievably difficult to shop for; Her clothing style is obscure, difficult to locate in any stores, and impossible for me to even attempt to knit. Her music tastes are ecclectic to say the least, mostly musicians from before the Mushroom War whose albums are difficult to find on even the best days. I pondered finding something for her appartment, a new couch to be exact, but being that she chooses to float more often than not, it wouldn't be money well spent. And with all the tension that has been between the two of us lately, I want to be sure to give her the perfect gift.

Sitting at the desk in my lab, a pad of paper in front of me, I am quickly scrawling down gift ideas for the vampire and just as quickly crossing them out. All of my ideas are too vague of a conception to be made a reality - such as the clothes or the music - or things that she would just never be able to practically use - such as the couch. Or, more often than not, the ideas I have been coming up with are things that are just too inappropriate for our situation as of now - red roses, concert tickets... Glob! This is way more difficult than I thought it would be. In all reality, I put myself in this situation. I'm the one that told Marceline that we could be nothing more than friends, than continually flirt with her, only to pull away and leave her hanging. Literally. (Without giving too much away, let's just say that Marceline was danging herself upside down above me, her simple purple sweater slowly sliding down her firm stomach. And then let's just say that I was so memorized, her lips so close to mine, that I let my eyes shut and my hand reach up, lazily running my finger tips across the soft expanse of her abdomen. Let's say she let out a soft moan. Let's say my mind was clouded and I started to lean forward. Then let's just say that I opened my eyes and was instantly granted clarity, and this clarity demanded I get up and run as fast as I could out of my bedchambers. Like I said... left her hanging. Literally.) I let out a frustrated groan and put my head down on the desk.

"What's wrong with you, Bonnibel?"

Startled, I raise my head and meet the eyes of none other than Marceline the Vampire Queen, just inches a way from my desk. Quickly, I crumple the sheet of paper in front of me and toss it in the trash bin.

"Marceline! Glob, you need to make more noise when you enter my bedchambers."

Not moving from her spot a few inches away from my face, she simply offers me a grin before bringing a strawberry up to one fang and draining it of it's color.

"Sorry, Bonbon. I'll be sure to make more noise next time I sneak into your room."

I roll my eyes at the nickname before noticing what Marceline is wearing - tight leather pants, a grey shirt, a studded leather jacket, and her favorite red boots. Needless to say, she's all dolled up. And, as painful as it is for me to admit, she looks amazing.

"Going somewhere special tonight, Marceline? A date, perhaps?"

We both shift awkwardly at the mention of a date, me immediately regretting it, but more or less let the comment slide.

"Heck no. Just about to head to a concert. Was wondering if you'd like to tag along. I'm mad early so I figured we could walk there."

Not sure what to say at first, I simply gawk at her. After all the mixed signals I've been sending her over the past few weeks I'm surprised she continues to want to spend time with me at all. I can't turn down the opportunity, though - how am I to process my emotions if I deny myself of them? (Oh, the scientist in me truly does get me into trouble some times.)

"That sounds wonderful, Marceline", I say smiling. "Let me just change, I can be ready in a matter of minutes."

She looks me up and down before I push off of the desk chair and shakes her head.

"Nope."

Confused, I cock my head at her. "Nope?"

"I brought clothes for you. No offense, but that pink and yellow crap," she gestures to my pajamas, which as pale yellow with light pink clouds on them (I think they are adorable, by the way), "isn't going to fly this time."

She pulls a bag out from seemingly nowhere and chucks it across the desk at me, then floats over to the bed - but not before throwing a wink at me.

"I'll just be watching from the bed."

"Marceline," my cheeks red hot, "that is so distasteful."

She laughs, but ultimately turns around to face the window in the opposite direction and begins humming a soft tune. I rise from my desk chair, eyeing Marceline carefully to be sure she doesn't display any signs of sneaking a peak, and quickly peel off my pajamas. Opening the bag slowly, I groan when I see what she expects me to wear tonight. Oh, math...


"Lumpin' heck, Bonnibel, I've never seen you look so hot."

My cheeks the color of tomatoes, my eyes cast downward, I am shuffling my feet awkwardly as Marceline just giggles away. I feel so ridiculous - my hair down, crown discarded, skin tight jeans riddled with holes and a simple black tank top. To be honest, I feel dreadfully underdressed. This night is going to torture. Between Marceline oogling me and the fact that people are actually going to see me like this, I don't know if I'll make it to tomorrow with my pride intact.

"Please be quiet Marceline. Please."

Laughing, Marceline floats over and places her hand gently on my shoulder.

"Really, Bonnie, you look great. Now let's blow this candy stand. I think you'll like this band a lot."

I just groan and continue to hang my head as I slowly drudge over to the door of my bedchambers. A snickering Marceline casually floats behind me, her eyes drilling holes into me as I walk. With ease, we sneak out of the castle and being our walk through the woods. We don't talk much, simply walk and enjoy eachother's company – the weather is surprisingly nice for this time of year, cool but not too cold, the wings only offering up a very slight nip when they seldom blow. It doesn't take us long to reach our destination – ironically, we are in the same field in the grasslands that we have frequented for concerts in the years past. But, the crowd here is much different then the one I am accustomed to – no radical hair styles, no punk rock outfits, no misfits causing amok. Everyone seems calm and, surprisingly, normal. I look over to Marceline with my eyebrow raised, and without me saying a word she shrugs her shoulders.

"This band is different, Bonbon. You'll like them. I promise."

Trusting her, we make our way to the front of the crowd like we usually do and wait for the concert to start. When the band sets up, with no more than an acoustic guitar and a simple drum set, I immediately become interested what we are in for tonight. When the music starts, though, I see why the crown tonight is so different than the crowds we usually see at concerts. I am immediately memorized by the music in front of me - it is so calm, so soothing, not at all what I would have expected from Marceline, the self-proclaimed queen of rock. I can't look away, and I finally understand what Marceline is talking about when she says that she gets 'lost' in the music. Smiling so big my cheeks hurt, my eyes filled with laughter and my ears absolutely throbbing, I look over my left shoulder to catch a glimpse of the Vampire Queen. Much to my surprise, I meet her eyes immediately, and we both quickly blush and look away out of reflex. Suddenly shy, I focus my eyes on the stage once more. Marceline was... smiling. But this was not a smile I had ever seen before. This was a beautiful and soft smile, one that reached her eyes. The way she was looking at me... it was like there was no one else around, not a single other person in that crowd. And for that single moment that we locked eyes, a million things flew between us, though I couldn't explain to you what they were. I just know that something was there. Something... powerful. Something that I could have sworn was there many years ago. Something that I thought only I saw.

Suddenly, I knew exactly what to give Marceline for the holidays.

The perfect gift.