Finn sat next to Marceline, holding her hand. His eyes were closed, and his lips were moving in a silent prayer. The hero couldn't believe how quickly the joy of his wedding had been replaced with the fear and uncertainty that now hung over the Vampire Kingdom. With the Wizard army coming to attack the kingdom, and Marceline's collapse during the wedding reception and her subsequent unconsciousness, Finn wondered what he had done to deserve everything that had happened.

Finn replayed the events of the past few hours over and over in his head, trying to remember if he had done anything wrong. He had run to Marceline after finding out about the Wizard Kingdom's impending attack, and he had caught Marceline when she became too weak to stand. When he realized that she was bleeding, he had carried her to the castle's infirmary, running faster than he thought he could.

The first few minutes after coming to the infirmary were a blur of doctors, nurses, and shouted orders that Finn's terrified mind couldn't process. They had taken off Marceline's now ruined dress and, when they saw where the blood was coming from, they tried to usher Finn away. He had stood his ground and stayed in the corner, tears streaming down his face, while the doctors had examined the queen.

They had said that she was going into labor early. Finn had asked if she and the baby would be okay, but the Vampire doctors had ignored him. They had temporarily stopped the labor, as it was still too early for the queen to give birth, but they still refused to tell Finn anything more. The closest thing to a real answer had come from Doctor Princess, who had rushed into the infirmary from the reception as soon as she had heard what was going on. Finn had asked her point-blank if Marceline and her baby would live, and the doctor had simply told him that she had no experience with Demon and Vampire hybrid births.

Her words, as noncommittal as they were, had reverberated in his mind as he sat next to the queen, holding her hand and willing her to wake up. Finn felt a light hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Simon, his face set in a tight frown.

"Finn, can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked.

"Of course," Finn replied. "I don't wanna leave Marcy, though."

"That's fine," Simon replied, pulling a chair up next to Finn's. He sighed, folded his hands, and tried to decide how to word what he wanted to say. "Finn, Malum said that there was an explosion in the Wizard City, right?"

"Yeah," Finn replied, confused.

"And he said that a man came out of the crater. Now, am I crazy for thinking that sounds awfully similar to the way that a certain Demon we know travels?"

"What are you saying?" Finn asked cautiously.

"Marceline told me about seeing Ash in the Nightosphere, and I can't help but think that he has something to do with all this," Simon replied, adjusting his glasses.

Finn released Marceline's hand and stood.

"Have you seen Hunson?" He asked.

"He's out in the waiting room," Simon replied. "I'll stay with Marcy."

Finn nodded and stepped out of Marceline's room, down a short hallway, and into the waiting room. Jake and Lady were asleep in one corner, while BMO and Neptr recharged at their feet. Princess Bubblegum had changed out of her dress and was sitting with her legs curled under her, reading a book about Vampire medicine. Hunson was sitting off to himself, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine and, every so often, checking his watch.

When the princess saw Finn, she carefully placed her book down and rushed over to him.

"Is she awake?" She whispered anxiously.

"No," Finn replied. "She's still the same. Do you think she'll be all right, PB?"

"Oh Finn, I just don't know," she whispered. "I'm reading up on pregnancies for species hybrids, but I'm finding a very frustrating lack of information. You'll be the first to know if I find something, though, okay?"

Finn nodded and hugged the princess. He stood up, clenched his fist, and walked purposefully over to Hunson.

"I need to talk to you," he said, struggling to keep himself calm.

"What's this about, Finn?" Hunson asked, straightening up in the seat and adjusting his tie.

"We need to talk," Finn repeated. "Privately."

He led Hunson out of the waiting room and into a walk-in linen closet. Finn slammed the door behind him and turned to face the Demon.

"Have you made sure that everyone who is still in the Nightosphere?" Finn asked.

Simon sighed and sat down on a shelf, grossing his legs.

"If you're asking if Ash escaped, the answer is yes," he replied simply.

"How can you be so fucking calm about this? He's bringing his army here to kill your daughter!" Finn screamed.

"It's being taken care of, Finn. I recognize that I made a mistake by allowing Ash out of his cage, but I am working to correct it. You just have to trust me."

"Trust you? What made you hire him anyway?"

"He came to me in the Nightosphere after his death, asking that I force Marceline to see him. Of course, I refused, but I noticed how much power seemed to be emanating from him. Much more than I ever sensed before his death. I assumed that he'd met with the Lich, who gave him this power, and I-"

"The man with the ram's horns," Finn whispered. Hunson looked at him, eyebrows raised, and Finn shook his head to clear his thoughts. "The Lich gave him power? And you're just now telling me?"

"I thought making him my employee would allow me to keep a close eye on him," Hunson replied.

"Apparently you didn't watch him close enough, and now he's coming for your daughter and your grandson!"

Finn stared at Hunson, waiting for a reaction. When one didn't come, the hero's shoulders sagged in defeat and he sat down on the shelf opposite his father-in-law.

"You don't even care about them, do you?" He asked.

"I care about Marceline, of course," Hunson said, folding his hands. "But as for the child she's carrying…I know my daughter far better than you ever will, Finn. She's evil, despite what you think, and she cares for no one but herself. That baby would be better off dead than living with her until she gets bored of it."

Finn jumped up, knocking a stack of bed sheets to the floor.

"Just because you were a shitty parent doesn't mean Marceline will be too!" He screamed.

"Little boy, I think you may be forgetting who you're talking to." Hunson stood, looming over the hero. "I suggest you leave my parenting skills out of this. I don't take insults from food."

Finn swung at Hunson, and his fist slammed against the Demon's cheek. Hunson stumbled backwards, falling against a shelf and knocking it to the ground. He stood up and was coming towards Finn, his fists clenched, when the door flew open and Princess Bubblegum ran in.

"Stop!" She screamed. "What's going on?"

Finn didn't answer, and glared at Hunson. Princess Bubblegum looked back and forth between the two men, trying to decide what to do.

"I came to tell you that Marceline's awake," she said. "She's crying for you, Finn."

Finn pushed past the princess without a word and ran towards the infirmary. He burst through the doors and ran past the Vampire doctors to his new wife.

"Marcy, are you okay?" He asked, holding her hand.

"It hurts, Finn. They…they said that the baby's coming soon. It's too early, but they can't stop it."

"I know, Marcy," Finn whispered. "But everything's going to be okay. I promise."

Marceline smiled sadly and looked up at Finn.

"You don't know that," she whispered. "Bonnie said she's been researching hybrid births, but she doesn't know that I did a bit of research on my own. No Wizard and Vampire, or Wizard and Demon for that matter, hybrid child has ever lived through birth. There's a big scientific explanation about why, but I don't understand. The only thing I understand is that my baby isn't going to make it…and I might not either."

"Don't say that Marceline," Finn said, a littler sharper than he intended. "Besides, you're a Vampire. You can't die."

"Vampires aren't quite as strong as we make ourselves out to be, hero," Marceline said. "We can die in childbirth. Most of us choose to never have children, because it's too risky. I don't know why I thought I'd be any different…"

Marceline trailed off and her face twisted up in pain. She gripped Finn's hand tightly, almost tight enough to hurt him.

"What's going on?" Finn yelled.

"She's having a contraction," Doctor Princess answered. "She's been having them since you brought her in, but this is the first one she's been awake for. They've been about ten minutes apart so far."

"What does that mean? Is she going to have the baby soon?" Finn asked.

"Soon, but we have no way of knowing when. It could be anywhere from one hour to twelve, possibly longer."

Finn bit his lip, and held Marceline's hand close to his chest. Eventually, her face softened and a she wiped the light sweat from her brow.

"It's okay, Finn," she said reassuringly. "It'll be worth it if…well, if everything works out."

Finn nodded and hugged Marceline tightly. He laid his head on the bed next to her, using her hand to prop his head up. He closed his eyes, and remembered the life he had imagined with Marceline and the baby. He realized that the events of the next few hours would determine if his fantasy would come true, or remain just that, and the young hero resumed his near-frantic prayers.

As the night went on, a steady stream of visitors came into Marceline's room, all with hopeful words of encouragement. BMO, normally so hyper, had crawled up on the bed next to Marceline and snuggled up to her before falling into sleep mode. Finn had started pick him up and take him back to the waiting room, but Marceline had refused. She had held him, just as she would a baby, and Finn had turned around so that she wouldn't see his tears.

Over time, Marceline's contractions started coming closer and closer, and they got more intense. Finn felt helpless, despite Marceline's constant reassurances that she was okay. He spent his time going back and forth between worrying about his wife and their child, and worrying about the quickly advancing Wizard army. They were only a few hours away, and Finn was scared and uncertain. He hadn't told Marceline that it was Ash leading them, and he didn't think he would unless it became necessary.

If everything went according to plan, the troops would be stopped by the Vampire army roughly three miles away from the castle, but Finn couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they weren't stopped. Princess Bubblegum had packed a bag just in case they did, full of diapers, medicines, and clothes for the baby. She had then taken off to the Candy Kingdom on the Morrow, to make sure that he citizens were safe, and to retrieve something from her lab.

Finn had just dozed off when the princess came back, rushing into the infirmary.

"The Candy Kingdom is safe," she said. "I brought something for you Finn. In case…in case things go bad."

Princess Bubblegum sat her bag on the ground, and unzipped it. Smiling widely, she pulled out a mechanical arm and presented it to Finn.

"It makes it easier to fight," she explained. "It works by receiving electrical impulses from your muscles, and responds appropriately to the stimuli."

Finn stared blankly at the princess.

"It won't require surgery," she said. "I can hook it up right now."

Finn stared at Princess Bubblegum for another beat, then hugged her tightly.

"That's radical!" He exclaimed.

From her bed, Marceline stirred and she looked up at her husband and the princess.

"What's going on?" She asked weakly.

"Princess Bubblegum made me an arm!" Finn exclaimed.

"That's great," Marceline said, smiling.

The queen stretched, and was met by another painful contraction. Finn rushed over so she could hold his hand. Princess Bubblegum watched, biting her lips and wishing that Marceline would accept some medication to dull the pain. When the princess had offered earlier, the queen had said that she deserved to hurt, and, despite her obvious misery, had stood her ground.

Princess Bubblegum watched as Marceline's face relaxed, and Finn gently wiped her forehead with a cold cloth. He leaned down and kissed her, while gently brushing her hair away from her face.

"Try to rest, Marcy," he whispered.

The queen nodded and sunk back into her pillows, her face paler than usual. Finn turned to Marceline and she saw the worry and fear in his eyes.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand. "Let's attach this and calibrate it properly."

"Okay," Finn said.

Princess Bubblegum had just made the last adjustments to Finn's new mechanical arm when the infirmary door flew open, hitting the wall behind it. They both jumped, and Marceline was startled from her already troubled sleep. Malum stood at the door, his eyes wild with fright.

"They got through our army…They're on their way here!" He yelled.

The color drained from Princess Bubblegum's face.

"How long do we have?" She asked.

"Maybe half an hour," Malum replied. "We have to get her out of here!"

Princess Bubblegum looked at Finn, who was staring at Malum with wide eyes. She realized that whatever leadership skills the hero may have had were gone now, clouded by his worry for his wife, and she decided that she would have to take charge.

"Malum, go prepare the citizens to defend the castle. I'm going to talk to everyone in the waiting room."

"Yes, Princess," Malum said.

"Finn," Princess Bubblegum took the hero's face in her hands and made him look up at her. "This is important. I need you to gather up that bag I packed for you guys, and bring Marceline into the waiting room. We have to leave the castle. Do you understand?"

Finn nodded, and Princess Bubblegum turned to leave. Before she did, she turned back around and pulled Finn into a tight hug. Before he could react, she had scurried out the door and into the waiting room, where Simon, Hunson, Jake, and Lady Rainicorn were sitting in a circle, obviously waiting for her.

"They're too close, and-"

"Take Marceline and get her away," Simon said. "We'll stay here and defend the castle."

"Thank you so much, all of you. I-"

Princess Bubblegum was interrupted when a loud explosion shook the waiting room. Finn, cradling Marceline in his arms, burst out of her room.

"They're here," he said. "We have to go now!"

Marceline clung tightly to Finn's chest as she rode out a particularly painful contraction, and she was barely aware of anything going on around her. The pains were coming nearly every three minutes, and they were more and more intense with each one. She was primarily aware of the pain; it clouded her vision and made her feel weak and dizzy. Through its haze, she vaguely felt that she was being carried by Finn, and he was running. She felt the outside air hitting her skin, and wondered where Finn was going, but another pain ripped through her, stopping all rational thought.

"Stop," Princess Bubblegum ordered.

They had made it to a small clearing in the forest that bordered the Vampire Castle. Princess Bubblegum's plan had been to take one of the Vampire doctors or Doctor Princess with them, but there had been no time. She would have to guide Marceline through the birth by herself.

"We can't stop now!" Finn cried. "The Wizards are too close!"

"I said stop," Princess Bubblegum ordered. "We can't take her any further. The baby is coming."

"What do I do?" Finn asked.

"Put the bag on the ground and lay her head on it. Other than that, just hold her hand." Princess Bubblegum considered for a moment. "You don't have a weak stomach, do you?"

"No," he replied. "I'll be fine."

"Good."

She pulled her own bag off her shoulder and unzipped it. She pulled out a pair of gloves, scissors in a sterile package, a bottle of a sterilizing solution, and several things that Finn didn't recognize. Princess Bubblegum put on the gloves and examined Marceline. She nodded to herself and she stripped off the gloves before gently cupping the queen's face in her hands.

"Marceline, come on. It's time to push," she said.

"Hurts too much," Marceline mumbled. "Just make it go away."

"I offered you drugs two hours ago, Marceline. Now it's too late. You have to push!"

"Can't," Marceline whined.

Finn looked at Princess Bubblegum, panic clear on his face.

"What do we do?" He asked.

"You look away," Princess Bubblegum ordered.

When Finn didn't comply, the princess shrugged and slapped Marceline's face, just hard enough to bring her back to reality. Finn started to speak, but the princess looked at him with an expression of warning, almost as if she was daring him to say something. He fell silent.

"Marceline, your baby is going to die if you don't start pushing!" Princess Bubblegum said.

Finn felt his blood run cold and, despite his promise to Princess Bubblegum, he began to feel lightheaded. He concentrated on holding Marceline's hand, and everything else became a blur. He knew that Marceline was obeying Princess Bubblegum, because her grip on his hand tightened, and he could vaguely hear the princess' soft words of encouragement.

After only a few minutes, Finn heard a loud grunt from Marceline, and a triumphant cheer from Princess Bubblegum. Then, like music, he heard the soft, high-pitched cry of the baby, and he realized that tears were streaming down his own face.

"You did it, Marcy," he whispered.

Marceline smiled up at Finn brightly, despite her exhaustion. Princess Bubblegum cut the baby's umbilical cord and placed him, wrapped in a thin blanket, on Marceline's chest. The queen stared at the baby for a long moment before she opened her mouth to speak. At a loss for words, she closed her mouth again and felt emotion overwhelm her.

The baby had Marceline's skin tone, and her pointed ears. She noticed that his hair was snow white and very thick, just like Ash's, but that seemed to be the only physical characteristic he had inherited from his father. All that mattered to the queen, however, was that he was safe.

Princess Bubblegum gently helped Marceline slip her hospital gown off one shoulder, and the queen guided her baby's lips to her breast.

"He's the most perfect thing I've ever seen," Finn whispered, his voice full of awe. "What's his name?"

"I was thinking Liam," Marceline replied. "I was looking through some old books and it means 'unwavering protector' and that reminded me of you, and I wanted to name him after his daddy, so…Is that okay?"

"I think it's perfect," Finn replied. "Our Liam."

When Marceline didn't respond, Finn looked down and saw that the baby was sliding off her chest, and her eyes had taken on a glassy look.

"Marcy?" He said. "What's wrong?"

"Tired," Marceline mumbled. "Gonna sleep."

"PB, What's wrong with her?" Finn yelled.

Princess Bubblegum fumbled with her gloves, but threw them away when she couldn't put them on fast enough to suit herself. When she kneeled to examine Marceline, she saw that she was bleeding heavily, and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

"Take the baby," the princess ordered.

Finn gently picked Liam up and cradled him in his non-mechanical arm. The baby began to cry, and Finn clumsily tried to comfort him. He stared at Princess Bubblegum, as she frantically tried to stop the bleeding.

"Put him down and help me!" She exclaimed.

Finn, sensing the urgency in the princess' voice, placed Liam on the ground and adjusted his blanket so that it covered his tiny body. He then ran to Princess Bubblegum's side.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice rising to near-hysterical levels.

"She's hemorrhaging. Bad," the princess replied.

"How do we stop it?"

"I don't know, Finn. That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Princess Bubblegum snapped. "There are bottles of blood in my bag. Get her to drink them, but for Glob's sake don't let her choke."

As Finn gently poured the blood in Marceline's mouth, Princess Bubblegum frantically tried to remember what she had read about postpartum hemorrhaging, but she could recall very little. The princess used one trembling hand to check the queen's pulse, and she found that it was very weak. Frustrated tears sprung up at the corner of her eyes, and she was disgusted with herself. She was supposed to be one of the smartest women in all of Ooo, yet she couldn't even save her friend.

"Finn, do you think you can make it back into the castle undetected?" She asked, feeling defeated. "We need a doctor. I can't do this on my own."

"I'll try," Finn said.

He was already running in the direction of the castle before Princess Bubblegum could reply, and she watched him go, praying that he could make it on time. When Finn disappeared through the trees, the princess turned her attention back to Marceline, and stopping the blood that was pouring from her body at an alarming rate.

Princess Bubblegum was absorbed in the task at hand when she heard shouts, cracking twigs, and labored breathing. She looked up in time to see Finn, practically dragging Doctor Princess behind him.

"Take Marceline and run! I'll get Liam!" He screamed.

"What are you talking about, Finn? We can't move Marceline now!"

"Ash is on his way! He's following me!" Finn cried.

"Finn, she'll die if we try to move her," Princess Bubblegum said. "You'll just have to hold them off as long as you can. Do you have your sword?"

Finn nodded and pulled his sword from his backpack. He knelt down by Liam, who was whimpering softly.

"Hush, Liam," he whispered. "Daddy's gonna protect you."

As Finn cooed at the baby, Doctor Princess rushed to Marceline and did a quick examination.

"We have no choice but surgery," Doctor Princess whispered to Princess Bubblegum. "It's placenta accrete, meaning that the placenta has attached itself deeply within the uterus. I would recommend a hysterectomy, but of course that's up to Marceline…or Finn, considering her condition."

"Just do it," Princess Bubblegum ordered. "Finn doesn't need anything else distracting him."

Doctor Princess nodded and knelt down on the ground next to Marceline. She began sterilizing everything to the best of her ability, and Princess Bubblegum turned away. She had a stomach of iron, but seeing the doctor's blade on Marceline's skin was just too much for her. She found her bag and rummaged through it until she found the small handgun she had carried with her. After her last encounter with Ash, she had developed a formula that made any type of metal resistant to magic. She had used it on one of her guns, and hoped that it would be enough to help protect Marceline and Liam from Ash.

As she slipped the handgun into her waistband and pulled her shirt over it, Princess Bubblegum looked up to see Finn holding the baby close to his chest, staring down at him with love in his eyes. She walked over to the hero and put her arm around his shoulder, making sure that he didn't glance back to see what Doctor Princess was doing. She heard a rustling noise behind her, and whipped around, trying to find its source.

"Put him down, Finn. Somewhere safe," Princess Bubblegum ordered. "Doctor Princess, keep doing what you're doing, not matter what happens."

"Yes, ma'am," Doctor Princess said.

Finn hesitated, but he decided that it was best to just listen to the Princess Bubblegum. He wrapped Liam's blanket around him, kissed him on the forehead, and gently laid him at the base of a tall oak tree on the edge of the clearing. He remembered the stories Jake's mother had told him about the day they found him, all alone on a mountain, and a surge of guilt ran through him.

"I'll come back for you, Liam," Finn whispered.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Finn turned around slowly until he was face to face with the man who had changed everything about his life, Ash. Gripping his sword in his mechanical arm, he started towards the Wizard, his jaw set in anger, but Princess Bubblegum stopped him with a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Why are you doing this?" Finn asked. "Why do you want to hurt Marceline?"

"I don't want to hurt her," Ash replied. "And I won't, as long as you're willing to negotiate with me."

"We don't negotiate," Princess Bubblegum said through clenched teeth.

"I don't think you have a choice. Your precious Marceline is cut open, and if I were to do this," Ash flicked his wand, sending Doctor Princess flying into a tree, "well, that wouldn't be too good for her, would it?"

"Stop it!" Finn yelled, advancing towards the Wizard.

"I will," Ash said, a smile playing across his lips. "If you give me the baby."

"No!"

"Either give me the child, or I let Marceline bleed out. It's your choice."

Finn ran at Ash, his sword in front of him. Ash raised his hand, and Finn flew backwards just as Doctor Princess had. His Demon blood sword, a gift from his adoptive father, was torn from his hands and buried deep in the wood of a nearby tree. Finn screamed in surprise and tried to fight against Ash's spell, but it was too strong for him. He was forced to watch helplessly as Princess Bubblegum was met with same fate, pinned to a tree next to him

As looked back at Doctor Princess and moved his hand in her direction. She fell to the forest floor, and stared up at Ash.

"Fix her up," he said, roughly nudging Marceline with the toe of his boot. "And don't try anything. I'll kill you both."

Doctor Princess nodded fearfully and went back to her work. Ash turned and to Liam and scooped the newborn up in his arms.

"Daddy's here, it's okay," he said, bouncing the crying infant in his arms. He looked up at Finn and Princess Bubblegum and smiled widely. "Thanks for handing him over. Somebody will get you down eventually…maybe."

Ash turned around and walked into the forest, as Finn struggled to release himself from the magic that pinned him to the tree. Princess Bubblegum, using all her strength, forced her hand away from the tree and to the waistband of her pants. Grunting with effort, she pulled the handgun out and aimed it at Ash. Just before he disappeared into the maze of trees, the princess managed to squeeze the trigger. The bullet was only slightly off target, hitting Ash in the shoulder rather than his neck as Princess Bubblegum had hoped.

She and Finn watched in horror as Ash screamed in pain, and a green mist flew out of the bullet wound. The Wizard looked around, a look of vague confusion on his face, before clutching the baby tighter and continuing his descent into the darkness of the forest. Ash's magic suddenly disappeared, and Finn and Princess Bubblegum landed on the ground. Finn jumped up, and the green mist from Ash's wound seemed to settle around him. He stumbled backwards, and quickly regained his balance.

Finn thought about trying to run after Ash, but Marceline begun to scream and thrash as Doctor Princess desperately tried to hold her down.

"Help me!" The doctor yelled.

Finn gently restrained Marceline's hands while Princess Bubblegum took her legs. He stared as Doctor Princess used a needle and thread to sew up the incision on Marceline's stomach. Cringing, he used his body to hold the queen down, blocking her view of the doctor. He laid his head on her chest, and held her close to him.

"Just be still, Marcy," he cried. "Everything's okay."

Marceline's struggles weakened, and Doctor Princess clipped the end of the thread. She rubbed an alcohol swab down the length of the incision and sat down on the forest floor, exhausted.

"I think she'll be okay," Doctor Princess said.

Finn held Marceline, trying to block out the world around him. He couldn't help but feel that he had failed more than just Marceline and Liam. The dreams he had since traveling to the cabin with Marceline danced just outside of his conscious memory, and he allowed himself to cry for everything that he had lost.

AN: Thanks for reading. There will be an epilogue coming soon, followed by the third installment called "The Lost Prince". Please leave me a review to tell me what you liked, disliked, and what needs improvement!