Would just like to say now that this happens some time after the end of the series-so things from the latest episodes will be referenced-but maybe in different ways since this IS an AU and shit. lol Anyway

I OWN NOTHING. ENJOY!

Two-The Old World

BMO sat on the couch, just enjoying the silence and the feeling of Bubble's presence all around the little robot. Electronic eyes "opened" when he heard the sounds of excitement from Finn and Jake outside.

'Huh?' He thought.

He looked at the clock, they couldn't be back from adventuring so soon. Usually his friends were gone all day, especially when they took that flame girl with them. But now it had barely been maybe three hours at most. And they weren't alone; he could hear two female voices following them. One of which he didn't recognize.

He sat up and watched as the company climbed the wooden stairs that lead to the main loft of the tree house. "…you climb the ladder to get to our living room here". BMO looked at the woman Finn was obviously giving a tour to and stared.

"Finn, who is that?" She looked like Finn.

The boy grinned, "BMO this is my just found sister Beth. Beth, this is BMO."

"Oh wow, what a cute little robot! Hello there little fellow."

She smiled and crouched to be eye-level, despite her time in this land she was always amazed to find technology. Not only did they have cell phones-something other parts of the world with humans did not- but also little automatons as well. It was like she was in a work of fiction or something.

BMO stared, "You are Finn's real sister? A human?"

"Yup" came the simple reply and then suddenly a photograph was put before the robot's face. It only took him a moment to analyze the picture and see the resemblance. He looked up and smiled.

"Oh! I see it, nice to meet you then Beth."

The young woman continued to smile right along with him, "Likewise little man."

Finn grinned, if BMO liked her, then it really was safe to like her.

"Come on I'll show you the rest of the house." Jake made his way to the kitchen area as the two humans began to move about the tree house, Flame Princess behind him.

"Uh Finn, you give the tour and I'll make some tea. "

It had started to cloud over on their way back, the clouds having that particularly weird sheen to them that promised a cold knife storm was soon to start. Also, the big conversation they were going to have felt like it deserved some hot drinks to go with it.

"Kay, give me some of your special tea."

So green tea with a lot of sugar for Finn, he always liked that one. BMO walked into the kitchen then and took a seat, not wanting to be left out. As he sat he gave a negative to any tea when asked. Jake then turned to Beth as she sat her pack and broad sword on the ground.

"Tea?" Jake waved the kettle about for unneeded emphasis.

"Yes, do you have green? I like it with a bit of sugar."

"You got it."

He blinked and watched her take off her gauntlets; her hands were as slim and strong looking as the rest of her. Jake turned to FP who was now sitting at the kitchen table; over the years she had gained enough control to not set the interior of their home aflame as she moved about, but all the same he was glad she didn't mind when they made a special foil covered spot for her. She turned from watching Finn to Jake.

"None for me thank you".

She gave a small smile and Jake smiled back. He liked her more now that she had mellowed out and acted a bit more….well more human. Jake put the kettle on and set out three mugs, he was going to have some jasmine tea that Lady Rainicorn had given him. He turned from the counter in time to see Finn and Beth leave up the ladder to the second floor.

He turned to Flame Princess, "So what do you think of her?"

The fiery girl looked contemplative for a few moments and said, "She seems good, like Finn. The air in her core is just as pure." Jake stared at her for a moment.

"Right…"

It was then the kettle started to whistle and he thankfully turned to attend to the tea, FP may act more like a person but she was still an elemental being on the inside.

Just as Jake was putting the steaming mugs on the table Finn and Beth headed back into the room, "And finally here is the kitchen where meals and conversations happen."

The woman laughed, Finn had made little comments like that the entire time.

"You have an awesome house Finn, I'm impressed." Finn grinned at the praise and gave a small hoot.

Jake took a seat at the table and grabbed his mug. "You guys are just in time, the blue is Finn's and the light green one is yours Beth. Now take a seat and let's have some explaining happen!" everyone chuckled at Jake's attempt to lighten the mood. When all were seated all attention was turned to Beth.

She took a sip of tea and asked "Where should I start?"

Finn thought for a moment, "How about from the very beginning? Where all the other humans? Why was I left here in Ooo and it took you so long to come find me?"

He bit his tongue to keep from talking, now that he had the chance all the questions wanted to spill out of his mouth but he knew asking them all in a rush would not help him to finding who he was and where he came from.

Beth gave a small nod, she could see how her brother felt, "Very well, from the start it is then; get comfy because this is a long story. All of you know of the "Great Mushroom War" correct?"

It was Jake who answered, "Yeah…wait, do you know what started it?"

Everyone's gaze intensified at that statement, that was knowledge no one knew or at least no one admitted to knowing. It was common knowledge that the world changed around a thousand years ago, but no one knew the why.

Or even the how.

Beth's expression turned a bit grim and she shook her head, "All real knowledge of the War and the World Before has long been lost, only bits and pieces remain. I don't know how the war began other than that a "Great Evil" began to spread around the earth. People and countries began to be distrustful of one another and looked to arm themselves with greater and greater powers of science. Natural disasters were becoming more frequent: freak winter storms like mini ice ages, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. The world didn't feel safe anymore and this caused the hearts of the people to darken more and more, feeding the intangible, destructive force that was covering the world."

She paused to take a sip of cooling tea; everyone was transfixed by her words and was silent. You could hear the knife storm beginning outside.

The deep *thunks* telling Jake they would find a good harvest of daggers later when it stopped.

"So then what happened?"

"Well there are several versions of the what, who, when, and how specifically, but it is all agreed that a great power had been discovered or developed in one of the more powerful countries to the West. They then threatened their equals that if they did not stop their doings and work for a peace the country would "police" the world and make them. Of course the other nations didn't like being threatened so they starting making or searching for their own great powers. Well, eventually a scientist for one of the threatened leading governments in the East managed to harness another great force: the malice that was currently flooding the world with the use of old, dark rituals."

Finn furrowed his brow, "Dark rituals? Like evil magic?"

He had barely touched his tea. He didn't know why but this particular bit reminded him of the Lich. A great mass of ancient evil, brought from the very planet to use against itself.

…hmmm.

Beth's own brows furrowed, "I don't know, no one knows if it was some deep, black magic or some evil science. My guess is a mix of both, considering he managed to harness the essence of the peoples' evil; the scientist managed to complete his project and now there were two great forces in the world. A great rift in society occurred; almost everyone joined one of two great sides, every-where the world was tense. But then a third much smaller fraction to the North joined in but waving the white flag of peace, these people claimed to have found something that would disable not only the other countries' powers but also any other great weapons around the earth. They would put it to use effective immediately if talks didn't begin."

She took another sip of tea, "But it's here things get muddy, although it is known that the various governments of the world agreed to talk they never did. No one knows who fired first or if it was purposeful or by accident, but one of the great two sides released their power upon the peaceful fraction. The other side followed suit and the final side had no choice but to try to save themselves, barely anyone survived. All of these energies mixed and exploded upon the world changing it forever. Barely any life remained; those people who survived did what they could to rebuild and live in peace, having learned their heavy handed lesson. But then some time later a great Ice Age covered the world and went on until about hundred years ago."

She made another pause to rest her throat and took another gulp of now lukewarm tea.

"So…what did the humans do? Where are they now? " This came from the flame girl on Beth's right side.

"Those who could do it, survived; people made livings whatever way was available, where ever it was available. The old connections were dead and gone. If you were a person then you mattered. Eventually little pockets of humanity were made around the world and started to grow. When the ice and snow finally began to thaw humans began exploring the world again, discovering old technology and the new world they lived in. The ice had changed everything, seas were now larger or smaller, deserts now tundra. Some old countries were still in ice and snow and are totally uninhabitable to this day. Many humans began to make a living of discovering this new world and its secrets, for no one knew why the world had changed anymore. No one knew why the people of old couldn't just stop. That's where you and I come in Finn."

The young man blinked at this, "How so?"

"Well, you see our parents were a part of these people, they were adventurers, heroes. They're the ones who discovered the records regarding the third peaceful country and their hand in the Mushroom War. It was their theory that if it wasn't for these brave people and their power no life at all would have persisted. Our planet would just be a dead ball of rock in space. Their pushing of listening to this tale as a warning solidified pacts with almost all the new countries on earth."

They all stared, "You're kidding." was Jake's flabbergasted reply.

"Not at all, I have their notes and newspaper clippings to prove it." Resisting the strong urge to ask for this evidence Finn asked "So what happened? Why was I l-left here and you had to find me? Why do you keep talking of them like they're…no longer living?"

Beth turned to her young brother and took his slightly shaking hand, "That's because they aren't alive anymore. Or at least that's what the human world thinks anyway. Finn, you and I come from the small community of Lupe of the nation of Leopoldine on practically the other side of the globe. It is what is left of those long-ago people from the North and some of the West."

"Dad had traveled very far in his time as an explorer and had managed to go farther than any other before him with the help of Mom at his side. Together they started to investigate this part of the world and that's when they heard of the land of Ooo from the small numbers of people who scrabbled to survive. This mythical place of beasts and magic seemed more like fairy tales to them. But Dad found evidence that there could be such a land and so he proposed to the leaders of his country to fund an expedition to go see it. But they didn't want to risk or waste Dad on what they considered to be a wild goose chase. So Dad, like the determined man he was, did all he could to convince them to let him and Mom go. He could never let go of an adventure once he got a taste of it. "

Her hands were trembling now and water pricked her eyes. Finn squeezed her hand in measly reassurance; he wasn't feeling so great either. Flame Princess, BMO and Jake just sat there, trying to absorb everything they had heard and trying not to interrupt with questions. Jake couldn't help but look at his brother in some awe, if this was all true Finn was truly meant to be a hero and adventurer.

Giving a watery smile to the group Beth continued, "Dad tried for years to go, but by the time he succeeded in getting permission and funding he had married his traveling companion- our mother- and had started a family. I was five and you had just been born. This didn't bother him a bit for our grandpa had taken our dad on many expeditions as a child- or so he told me. Mom didn't want to take us, thinking it would be too dangerous but Dad wouldn't hear of it. He didn't want his family torn apart."

The irony was not lost on anyone in the room. BMO made a small whimper and Jake placed a comforting hand on his head/body. Beth quickly dug in her pocket and took out her much abused picture and placed it on the table after unfolding it.

She pointed at it, "This is the first and last picture we had together as a family, it was taken the day we left. 'To commemorate the start of a fabulous adventure!' Dad had said. And up until we had reached the ocean that separates this land from the rest of the world it had been. When we got into the water it was a whole different story, raging storms, crazy sea monsters and whirlpools were everywhere. I don't know how we managed to survive or how Mom didn't make Dad turn around, I guess she had become as obsessed with finding Ooo as he had. But that wasn't the worst of it.

No that happened when we had almost reached this place, we were stuck in the middle of yet another storm. The boat we were in barely managing to stay afloat in the crazy waves all around us. Lightening flashed, winds raged and water was all around us.

I was holding you and huddled in the corner while our parents fought to survive when it happened. Lightening had struck our boat cutting it in half, our parents ran to us but in all of the confusion of the quickly breaking boat we separated again but this time with you and Dad on one part of the boat and Mom and I on the other. It was then that a large burst of water came between us and started pushing the two halves in separate directions, you and Dad toward land and Mom and I back toward the sea. There was nothing any of us could do, the last we saw of you two was Dad holding on to the boat and you for dear life while shouting out our names and saying he would meet us in Ooo.

You were screaming for dear life in his arms. Mom and I held on as we were practically pushed back the way we came, the storm seeming determined to take us away. The rest is a blur, nothing but water, and thirst and Mom going mad from sadness and worry for our family.

That storm was not normal, even after it had mostly ended the clouds and winds did not go away or weaken for days afterward, we could do nothing but wait it out for it to stop. When it finally did we found ourselves near this little coast line on the side of the sea. We drifted until some fishermen found us and dragged us to shore, Mom and I were half starved, dehydrated and she was nursing a nasty cut on her side. The first aid kit had been on your side of the boat. The people of the small village we were at did all they could but they couldn't save Mom. I was lucky that she had managed to keep her water proof backpack with her. Inside were all of their notes and identification of who I was and who they were. The villages knew Dad and where he had come from his last trip there so they managed to contact the authorities of our nation and I was picked up by an expedition party.

They brought us back, Mom was laid to rest and I was given over to our grandpa on our dad's side. I vowed that when I was old enough I would come back and find you guys, I knew you and Dad would survive. Dad would protect you and you would live. Seems I was half right."

She gave a small crooked grin at that. Finn could only stare, dumbfounded. "I have a grandpa?"

"Had, unfortunately; the man was so heartbroken over what happened he made me promise to not do any adventuring until he was dead, that was about a year ago. After it happened I closed up everything, told everyone important where I was going and left the country before any authorities could stop me. I had to know, or die trying. And I'm glad I did." She grabbed Finn's other hand then and squeezed both of his hands; he gave a small, sad smile back at her.

"I'm glad too sister." The two humans then had another quick embrace. Both Jake and BMO sniffled. Flame Princess looked on, watching the range of emotions flitter between everyone in the room and herself as well.

"What were their names?" Beth turned to Flame Princess, as if she didn't know what she was asking. But then realization spread across her face.

"My-our parents were Nadine and Abelard Mertens."