Finn and Marceline arrived at the Vampire Castle a few minutes late, and they were instantly met by a short, nervous man who introduced himself as their new butler, Thurston.
"There's so much to do before the ball, Queen Marceline, but you have some important visitors to attend to first. A Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich, from the Wizard Kingdom."
Marceline's grip on Finn's hand tightened and Finn looked over to see her face full of fear.
"Who is that, Marcy?" He asked.
"Ash's parents," she replied. "What the fuck do they want?"
"I-I don't know, Your Majesty, they just said they wanted to see you. Sir Malum approved the meeting."
Marceline nodded.
"Take me to them," she ordered.
She and Finn followed Thurston down the vast front hall, through a maze of corridors, and, finally, to a small, intimate meeting room.
"Introducing Queen Marceline Abadeer, ruler of the Vampire Kingdom," he said, opening the door.
Marceline made a mental note to stop the formalities when she was around, but her thoughts were interrupted when a thin, white-haired woman enveloped her in a hug. The Vampire was too surprised to do anything but return the hug and she felt the woman's bony fingers and large rings dig into her back.
"Hello, Portia," Marceline said when the woman released her. "How are you?"
"Oh, we've been absolutely distraught since we lost our son..." Portia glanced at her husband. "Cassius and I never even got the closure a funeral would provide, seeing that your father saw it fit to burn his body."
Marceline tensed and Finn's started to speak, but he was interrupted by Cassius.
"We've came here to offer you a wonderful opportunity, Marceline. May we sit?"
"Yes, of course," the queen said, taking her place at the head of the table. "You're dismissed for now, Thurston."
The servant bowed deeply and left the room, closing the door behind him. Finn sat down next to Marceline and the Aldrich's, sitting across the table, stared at him for a few moments before he realized that he hadn't been introduced.
"Excuse me," he apologized. "My name is Finn the Human. I'm Marceline's…" Finn trailed off, and he blushed when he realized who he was talking to.
"He's my fiancé," Marceline finished for him.
Portia raised her eyebrows. "You certainly move fast, don't you, Marceline?"
The queen smiled sweetly.
"Well, yes, now that I figured out all I was missing."
Finn's eyes widened. He had never seen Marceline act this cold before, and he wondered what kind of relationship she had with Ash's parents during their time together. Portia pursed her lips and folded her hands.
"Marceline, we didn't come here today for you to attack the good memory of our son. As Cassius said, we came to make you an offer."
"What would you possibly want to offer me, Portia?"
"The opportunity for your life to go back to normal," she said, leaning forward. "Cassius and I are prepared to adopt our grandchild once he or she is born."
Finn turned to Marceline, afraid of what her response might be. Although the baby she was carrying wasn't his, he still loved it simply because it was a part of Marceline, and he couldn't stand the thought of it being raised by Ash's parents. To his relief, the queen looked shocked and a little angry.
"Now, before you say no," Cassius said hurriedly, "you must consider a few things. First, Portia and I can provide full-time care for the child, and he or she would not be raised by nannies as I'm sure would be the case here. Additionally, we have kept a close watch on your behavior since you became involved with our son, and we believe that you are not quite capable of taking care of yourself, let alone a child. And to be quite honest Marceline," Cassius prepared himself to give the final blow of his obviously rehearsed speech, "Portia and I deserve something from you, considering you took so much from us."
Marceline tried to form the words she wanted to say, but she was so shocked that she stared at Portia and Cassius open-mouthed. Finn realized that her hands were shaking, and he unconsciously prepared himself for the screaming that was sure to start as soon as Marceline found her voice.
"What could ever make you think that I owe you something?" Marceline asked, struggling to keep herself in control.
"Ash was a good boy until you came alone!" Portia yelled. "You took him away from us and his child is the only thing we have left! You can't take it from us, too!"
"Portia, it would be in your best interest to refrain from raising your voice to me in my own kingdom," Marceline said, her voice full of ice. "And furthermore, I don't think that you have a globdamned clue what Ash did to me while we were together. If you did, you certainly wouldn't be calling him a 'good boy'."
"What are you talking about, Marceline?" Cassius asked, his voice softening.
"He was an abusive jerk," Marceline said, forcing herself to hold their gaze. "He made my life a living hell, and he would have killed me if I wasn't a Vampire."
"I don't believe you!" Portia screeched. "You're just a lying, worthless whore!"
Before Finn could stop her, Marceline had stood and pulled up her t-shirt, revealing her stomach and breasts. Finn's eyes grew wide when he realized that she was covered in scars, some long, deep slashes, other the perfectly round circles of cigarette burns.
"This is what he did to me, Portia! If I didn't have dinner ready on time, or get undressed fast enough, or if he'd had a shitty day, this is what happened! Is this enough proof for you, or do I need to take off my pants and show you those scars too?"
Finn gently took Marceline's hand and lowered her shirt. She started to pull away from him, but he was insistent and she felt very weak. She stumbled backwards and sat in her chair, her face pale. Finn placed his hand on her shoulder and turned to Portia and Cassius, who were still staring at the queen, eyes wide.
"I think you need to leave," Finn said. "Marceline and I will not be giving up our child. Thurston will show you to the door."
Finn turned back to Marceline and gently brushed her hair away from her face. She looked sick, and Finn realized what an emotional day it had been for her.
"Thurston will show you to the door," he repeated, this time forcefully.
"I can't leave my grandchild to be raised by someone as unstable as her! She's obviously insane!" Portia protested.
Cassius sighed and firmly took Portia's arm.
"Look at her," he whispered, gesturing to Marceline. "We've done enough. Come on." Cassius led Portia to the door, stopped, and looked back at the couple. "I apologize for upsetting you, Queen. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to call."
Finn watched Cassius close the door behind him, then sat down and pulled Marceline into his lap.
"You okay, Marcy?" He asked.
"I just want this to all be over. I wish I'd never met Ash."
Finn clumsily hugged Marceline with his remaining arm and tried to comfort her. She had finally relaxed a bit when Thurston knocked on the door, then entered without waiting for a reply.
"Queen Marceline, the ball is in half an hour. You and Sir Finn are needed upstairs to get dressed." Thurston squinted at Marceline and saw how shaken she looked. "Are you okay, my queen?"
"Fine," Marceline answered. "Please inform the guards that The Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich are not to be allowed back in the castle."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thurston led Marceline and Finn upstairs and pointed them to separate rooms to get dressed. Finn was somewhat reluctant to leave Marceline after all that she had been through over the day, and the queen could sense his discomfort.
"Finn, we're surrounded by guards. I'll be fine," she reassured him, kissing him on his forehead. "Anyway, if I were you, I'd be more worried about being in a room full of Vampires later tonight."
Marceline winked at Finn and tried to walk away sexily, but she settled instead for an awkward waddle. Finn giggled and his eyes followed his fiancé until she closed the door.
"She was joking, wasn't she, Thurston?" Finn asked.
The butler shrugged and left Finn alone to dress in the clothes laid out for him.
Forty-five minutes later, Marceline was dressed and ready to be announced to her subjects. She was wearing a floor-length chiffon gown in black with red accents. It had been designed to draw attention away from her belly, and it did its job well. One of Marceline's countless servants had twisted her hair into a bun, leaving two long strands loose to frame her face. A black tiara with red jewels rested on her head. She felt beautiful for the first time in a long time, and she couldn't wait for Finn to see her.
In the opposite entrance to the ballroom, Finn tapped his foot nervously and tried to calm down. He knew that Marceline had only been teasing his earlier, but he couldn't help but wonder how he would be received by the kingdom. He wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible, for Marceline's sake.
Both he and Marceline were jolted from their thoughts when the band stopped playing and Thurston's voice boomed throughout the hallway.
"Thank you all for gathering to celebrate this joyous engagement. Allow me to introduce our queen, Marceline, and our future king, Finn the Human!"
Marceline stepped forward into view of her subjects, and she was met with applause. Finn followed her a few seconds later, and they joined hands and descended the staircase together. The band started a slow song, and the couple made their way to the dance floor.
Finn wrapped his arm around Marceline's waist, and they swayed together in time to the music.
"Where'd you learn to dance, hero?" Marceline asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Jake taught me. He said that no lady can resist a man who can dance."
"I think he was right," Marceline giggled.
Finn blushed.
"You look beautiful, Marcy," he whispered.
As they glided around the dance floor effortlessly, Finn studied the faces of the Vampires around him. Most of them were enamored with their dates, but the few that weren't seemed happy for their queen. Finn was relieved, and he allowed himself to relax and enjoy dancing with Marceline.
When the song ended, Finn felt a light tap on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Jake, still confined to his wheelchair, behind him.
"Hey buddy!" Finn exclaimed. "I was wondering if you guys had made it."
"Aw, I wouldn't miss your engagement party for the world!" Jake said. "I was a little hurt that I had to find out about you getting married from some invitation, though. Me and Simon both."
Finn blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry Jake," he said. "I've been so wrapped up in everything lately, I just didn't think about telling anyone."
"It's cool," Jake replied. "But we do need to have a little chat. Man to man."
Finn looked from Jake to Marceline, and the queen smiled.
"You guys go on," she said. "I should go find Bonnie and Simon."
"Okay, Marcy." Finn pecked Marceline on the cheek and it was her turn to blush; the queen wasn't used to such chaste kisses.
Finn led Jake away from the crowded ballroom and down the hallway to the servants' quarters. They were empty, as everyone was busy tending to the needs of the guests. Jake looked around to be sure that they were alone, then turned back to Finn. He stared at his brother for a moment, and stretched his hands so that he could place them on Finn's shoulders.
"I didn't say anything when I found out that you and Marceline were dating, but marrying her is going too far. You can't do it." Jake said.
"Why not?" Finn asked, shrugging Jake's hands from his shoulders.
"You're eighteen years old, Finn. Getting married, especially to a woman who's having another man's kid, would ruin your life. Not to mention the fact that you'd have to be turned into a Vampire."
"I love her, Jake. And she's a part of my life now, whether you like it or not." Finn said. "I want you to be a part of my life too, but only if you can accept Marceline and our child."
"You need to understand something about that kid," Jake said, his anger obvious despite his low tone. "That kid is nothing but some wizard demon freak. Marceline fucked up, let herself get pregnant, and now she's looking for someone to dump her mistake on."
"What the hell, Jake? Where's all this coming from?" Finn asked.
"I just want to watch out for you, bro," Jake said. "You're too young to be involved with someone like her, and I don't think you really understand what you're getting yourself into. Do you have any clue how she made money when she was younger?"
"She told me everything earlier today," Finn said through clenched teeth. "And I couldn't care less. All I care is that she will never, ever have to do something like that again, because I'll be there to take care of her. Jake, you're my brother, and I know you want to watch out for me, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm going to be with Marceline, and that's final."
Jake studied the ground, then slowly met Finn's gaze.
"You're sure about this, Finn?"
"More than anything."
"Then I guess I can't stop you." Jake held out his fist, and asked hopefully "Still bros?"
"Still bros," Finn said, reluctantly bumping Jake's fist with his own.
While Finn and Jake talked in the servants' quarters, Marceline searched for Princess Bubblegum and Simon. She thought she caught a glimpse of pink hair across the dance floor and tried to follow it, but a tall, dark-haired Wizard stepped in her path.
"So this is the lovely Queen Marceline," the man said, his voice low and melodic. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cyrano, an ambassador from the Wizard Kingdom."
Cyrano took Marceline's hand and kissed it, studying her engagement ring as he did so.
"As you know, relations between our nations have been unsteady, to say the least. I was sent today to…smooth things over. Champagne?"
The Wizard plucked a glass from the passing waiter's tray and held it out to Marceline. She looked around for Finn, and when she didn't see him she accepted the glass and drained it one gulp. Although she knew that it was bad for the baby, the queen couldn't resist the bubbly alcohol.
"I see that they're keeping you on a tight leash," Cyrano smiled. "Would you like another?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, thank-you though. Finn wouldn't be happy if he saw me drinking," she explained.
"Ah yes, the young hero groom. Would he be unhappy if I asked for a dance from you, Queen Marceline?"
"I don't think he'd mind," Marceline replied, wishing that she could refuse without looking rude. For some reason, Cyrano made her very uncomfortable.
The wizard took Marceline's hand and led her in an expert tango. Marceline looked around for her friends, but she didn't see them. As Cyrano twirled and dipped the queen, she began to feel very light-headed, and she clung to the Wizard so that she wouldn't fall.
"I think I'm…Ugh. Need to sit down."
Marceline couldn't even form a correct sentence. She tried to lead Cyrano towards the rows of chairs lined up against one wall, but he gave no indication that he heard her. Black spots clouded her field of vision, and her body went limp in the Wizard's arms and he smiled as he swept the helpless queen towards the exit.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!