MMH: edited 10/14/14. Please favorite and review!

When I arrived at the Candy Kingdom the next day, I was stopped by a candy guard. Though this time it was a large chocolate-covered banana instead of a candy cane. Not that it matters; All of them are kind of mean.

"I'm sorry Miss Fionna, but His Royal Highness isn't taking any visitors today," he said, as if he had it memorize. Oh hell no.

"But we have to come up with a way to find the Ice Queen."

"I believe Sir Gumball said something about Marshall Lee having everything under control."

What. a. dick.

I was thinking about marching up to his room anyways. After all, I could easily take a banana with chocolate on his head, but I knew that would make Gumball even more upset with me. I decided against it and bid farewell to the guard. He didn't even wave goodbye. Asshole.

It was around four o'clock when I closed the door to the tree house and slid down it in defeat. "Gumball hates me," I whined.

"He doesn't hate you. It's just that you're probably the first one in his life to stand up to him. Don't worry too much about it." Cake handed me a strip of bacon that she had been making and I took a bite.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't even let me see him. He had me blocked by some banana-douchebag."

Cake and I would have continued the conversation if there hadn't been a knock on the door. I stood up and opened it to find Marshall standing there under a black parasol. Instead of his usual ensemble, today he was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with green corduroy pants. He was also wearing suspenders. He's so adorable. Marshall brushed past me and immediately went to the shadiest part of the room.

"Close the curtains would you?" he asked. Cake and I quickly shut all the curtains and Marshall closed his parasol.

"So all you have to do is carry a parasol around and you'll be fine, eh?" Cake asked.

"It's not a parasol. It's an umbrella."

"What's the difference?" she said.

"Umbrellas are much manlier." Marshall handed me his umbrella and I rolled my eyes before putting it in the closet.

"Whatever. So have you found the Ice Queen yet?" I asked.

"Nope, not yet. I did, however, find out she isn't in the Crystal Dimension, the Shiny Isles, the Cloud Forest, the Evil Forest, anywhere in the Rock Candy Forest, or the Ice Kingdom." Marshall replied.

"So that only leaves the Fire Kingdom, the Desert Land, the Haunted Swamp, and the Unknown Lands. You're awesome!"

"I know." Marshall smiled. I rolled my eyes again. "Hey do you think Prince Gummy needs to know?"

"No. I tried talking to him today, but he's kind of pissed so I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Long story."

After a semi-awkward silence, an idea popped into my head. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure I haven't watched one in over a lifetime," Marshall said and plopped onto the couch. I wasn't sure if he was exaggerating or not.

"Cake you wanna join?" We turned to her and saw her stop dead in her tracks. I could tell she was torn between watching over us or getting the hell out of there.

"Uh… no. I'm meeting Mo-chro and we're going to have a picnic."

"Oh okay. Have fun."

After Cake left, I grabbed BMO, who was playing some electro music and twirling around and carried him to the couch.

"Marshall, meet BMO."

"Hey BMO."

The little computer stopped dancing to respond. "Hi."

"It's so…cute." I smiled at Marshall's response. I never thought I would hear him call something cute.

"BMO we want to watch a movie," I said.

"Okay."

I sat down next to Marshall on the couch watching BMO play "Casablanca". It seemed like a good movie, but I was too distracted to pay any attention to it. I couldn't stop thinking about what Gumball had said at the meeting. Why was Marshall Lee banned from the Candy Kingdom? Why did Gumball hate him so much? It wasn't like him to hate anything, even the Ice Queen.

I dunno, he must be pretty fuming if he wouldn't even let you see him…

"Hey Fi?" Marshall's voice thankfully pulled me out of my thoughts back onto the couch.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry I was a jerk to you when we first met. Vampires usually don't have hearts, so I tend to go overboard with the whole 'emotion' thing."

"It's fine." My eyes were still fixed on watching the movie. He must have noticed I was distracted.

"You okay?"

"Why are you banned from Candy Kingdom?" I felt him tense a little before relaxing almost immediately.

"It's kind of a long story."

"You'll tell me about it eventually, right?"

"Sure, if you want. Just not now."

"Okay."

Though the question was burning in my brain, if Marshall Lee wanted time I would try to give it to him. After all, he was being so helpful in my mission to stop the Ice Queen. He had already searched over half of Ooo looking for her in one day. I was starting to get sleepy, but I didn't want Marshall to leave so I ignored it. Instead I rested my head on his shoulder. My eyelids were getting heavy.

"You're great Fi, you know that?"

"Thanks I try." I snuggled a little closer and I felt Marshall's arm wrap around me.

"Fi?"

"Mhmm?" I waited for a moment and felt like I was going to fall asleep soon if he didn't respond.

"Never mind. I forgot."

"Mkay…" I smiled thinking of Gumball and Marshall as I dozed off.

Wait. Gumball and Marshall?

I woke up on the couch the next morning to find Marshall gone. I knew he was probably looking for the Ice Queen, but it made me sort of blue that he hadn't said goodbye. I tried to get that thought of my head and focus on what I had to do.

First of all, I had to talk to Gumball. I gave him a day to cool off, but now we had to talk about the Ice Queen.

"Fionna, thank goodness you're here! The Ice Queen has taken Breakfast Prince, Hot Dog Prince, and Raggedy Prince." I burst into Gumball's room to find him pacing again. It was becoming a horrible habit, both me bursting in and his pacing.

"Well if you hadn't totally ignored me yesterday I probably could have done something." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Now is not the time," he said. It really wasn't but I insisted anyways.

"Yes it is. If you hadn't been so moody yesterday, those princes wouldn't have been taken."

Perhaps I was being a bit harsh, but it might have been true for all I know. We might have found her yesterday and stopped her.

"I'm sorry. I just needed time by myself. After you hinted that you might have feelings for that mon..." I glared at him and he corrected himself, "…Marshall I just couldn't take it."

"Fine, whatever. But you have to tell me something." I sat down on his king-sized pink bed. It didn't matter to me anymore that Gumball had been horrible. Something else was burning in the back of my mind.

"What is it?" I hesitated for a little bit. I knew I was going into dangerous territory but I had to know.

I know I told Marshall just last night I'd wait to find out but I can't. So shoot me.

"Why is Marshall Lee banned from the Candy Kingdom?"

I saw him deeply consider answering before shooting down the question. "I told you, it isn't my place to say." I scrunched my eyebrows together and pursed my lips in thought.

Maybe if I keep prying.

"Tell me."

"You won't like it."

At this point, I was getting just a little angry. Why wasn't anyone telling me? What was the big secret? I had every right to know and it didn't really matter the source. I needed to know.

"Tell me!" I yelled.

"Fi, it isn't…"

"NOW!"

"He attacked your dad."

My anger almost made me miss Gumball's soft and sudden announcement. I swear I felt my heart explode.

"He…. He what?"

"He was the one to attack your dad."

I knew what he had said the first time, but I just needed to hear it again to believe it. The very person who almost tore my dad to shreds was now helping me. He was in my house. He was in my room. He could have killed me at any moment. How stupid was I to trust someone I had met barely more than a week ago?

I stood there frozen when Marshall himself walked through the bedroom door with a proud grin on his face.

"Marshall! You aren't supposed to be here!" Gumball was understandably surprised. Not even I knew where he had been. Marshall ignored Gumball and continued towards me.

"Fionna, great news! I found…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me turn around with tears in my eyes. I ignored the look of concern in his eyes.

"You were the one who almost killed my dad?" My voice cracked and tears were threatening to spill. Marshall stood staring at me fixed without saying anything. For the first time since I met him, Marshall looked ashamed. His look was all I needed. Finally I couldn't take anymore and ran past him out to the hallway. I had to get home, where everything was simple. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Fi…"

"Don't you dare call me that, you sick jerk!" I yelled as I continued my storming down the hall.

"Fionna, I'm sorry. Please listen to me."

"No."

"When I attacked your dad, I wasn't right. I didn't have a heart."

I was almost out the door, but I halted and turned towards him. He had almost ran into me but thankfully stopped just in time. "What?" I asked.

"You see, when you were younger I wasn't who I am now. Vampires aren't things known to have a heart. I was a monster." I gave him the 'you are a monster, jerk' look. "You know what I mean. The point is I was a heartless, cruel vampire. After I attacked your dad in the forest, I was arrested by the Royal Candy Guards. After months of me rotting in the dungeon, they decided to give me the harshest punishment a vampire could have. Prince Gumball made me a heart. Though he was only five he was still wicked smart. The first day I felt like my chest was going to explode. I couldn't stop thinking about all those people that I had killed and I couldn't take it. I finally realized how much of a monster I was. I was considered a scientific success. I was just some Frankenstein to them. But Gumball didn't realize that he gave me emotions other than guilt. I started to hate everyone and everything. When I escaped I left a path of destruction in my wake. The Candy Kingdom was nothing but rubble. From then on, I was banished to the far off parts of Ooo. If any of the candy citizens see me, I'll be killed. I'm kind laying my ass on the line right now. I was going to tell you yesterday, but I backed out because I wanted to protect you from what I was. You treat me like I'm still alive and I would never trade that for anything." I paused and tried to take in everything that he had said. What was there to say? It's not like he had lied to me, he just hid something from me.

Something huge.

Something that hurt.

A lot.

That wasn't that bad, right?

"Get out." I whispered. He looked at me startled and took a step back.

"What?"

"I don't want to see your face. I don't want to be around you. I don't even want to hear about you ever again. Get out of my life and stay there."

"Fi…" Marshall was getting desperate and I could see it in his eyes, but I didn't care. He was the thing that woke me up screaming when I was little and now he was in front of me about to cry.

"Don't call me 'Fi'."

"Wait! Please don't leave… I, I know where the Ice Queen is. I can help you."

By this time, Marshall was on his knees and a few tears slid down his cheeks. I, Fionna the Human, had made a vampire cry.

"I don't care. I don't need your help." I had to leave before my apathetic appearance broke. I had to leave before I started crying myself. As I left the castle I heard Marshall screaming, pleading for me to come back. I was tempted to, but I just wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had.

The last star had just come out as she walked up to the Candy Kingdom with ease. It was almost too easy. She was greeted by the townspeople, little candy children gave her flowers, but most importantly, no guards attacked her. She calmly walked up to Prince Gumball's room and opened the door. He turned around and ran towards her.

"Fionna. It's great to see you. I'm so sorry that I told you what Marshall did. I did it because I just wanted you away from him. I'm such a jerk."

"It's okay PG. I deserved to know." The woman cooed lovingly as the prince became wrapped up in her arms. She almost squealed at her good luck. If she came and Gumball and Fionna were fighting, things would have been a little more difficult. Both smiled at each other until they pulled away and Gumball looked down.

"Fionna, what happened to your arm?" Gumball took a hold of her forearm and looked at a long, curved gash.

"Oh, it's nothing. Cake and I just had a little fight." She said, trying to distract the prince.

"Well, let me get you…" He started to pull away. She couldn't have that.

"Gumball, wait. I want to tell you something." She pulled his arm and spun him around centimeters from her face. "Just close your eyes and I whisper it in your ear." Hesitantly Gumball closed his eyes and felt her grow closer. "You're going to marry me, Prince. You and I will live happily ever after."

Prince Gumball's eyes snapped his eyes open to see an evil smirk on the woman whom he thought to be Fionna's face just before he was struck in the head and blacked out.