Fandom: Adventure Time

Ship: Bubblegum/Marceline

A/N: Wrote this waaaay back when What Was Missing first aired. It's a fic where Princess Bubblegum gets curious about Marceline's family and goes to visit Marceline's dad on her own.

X

"You're sure he'll be cool with me?"

"Of course." Bubblegum had to resist giggling. It was strange to see Marceline worried about someone's approval- enough that she dressed a little nicer than she normally did. She had bought a new pair of jeans, unripped, and she was wearing an ironed beat red button down shirt. Bubblegum had a suspicion that by the end of the night the shirt would be white- a planned midnight snack.

Even her hair was a little neater, tied into a ponytail, the layers water falling all the way to her knees.

Bubblegum gently threatened that she would take pictures and spread it around Ooo.

"Oh, don't give me that look." The princess extended her hand. "I think I deserve a little revenge. Finn told me that it was your idea to release wolves in my bedroom."

Marceline raised an eyebrow and feigned knowledge of such a thing. "Oh he did? First time I've heard about it." For effect, the vampire casually strummed her axe bass.

A smile drifted on Bubblegum's lips and she grabbed Marceline's arm, leading them to the banquet room. Maybe she did mean to get back at the Vampire Queen, but the teasing's real purpose was to ease her girlfriend's nerves. To make her forget that they were having dinner with her Uncle Gumball.

As of yet, her relative hadn't arrived. Three plates were set around a medium sized taffy-square of table. The princess took a seat, while Marceline ignored the chair Peppermint Butler pulled out for her, preferring to hover over it. She was still playing her instrument and from the haggard, uncharacteristic twangs, she was becoming nervous again. Though she would never admit it.

Bubblegum gestured for Peppermint Butler, ten minutes later he faithfully arrived with a glass full of chocolate wine, and for Marceline, a Devil in a Red Dress cocktail, dosed with a little extra Cupcake Vodka.

They both took a sip, Bubblegum's eyes raised over her glass as she carefully drank. For as long as she could remember, there had been a definite personal question she wanted to ask the Vampire Queen. Something that had escaped her to ask before. She had come up with hypothesis on the answer to her question, but as all scientists know, you can only come up with the truth when you test your theories. In other words- ask. Since they were drinking she could use the Chocolate Wine as a front.

"Marceline. Um. . .I was wondering. . . " She played with the neck of the wineglass with her pinky. "I. . .I would like to meet your family-"

For a moment, she felt hot needles prick her neck. Marceline's glares bordered on physical sensations.

The heat of her girlfriend's glare calmed.

"My dad isn't worth seeing." The princess peered up, in time to catch the distant longing expression on her pale palor. The vampire drowned such sadness with the rest of her cocktail.

Bubblegum worried that she had ruined dinner when her Uncle Gumball arrived. As she expected, her Uncle's warmth eased Marceline's meeting parents anxiety better than the alcohol. Her and her uncle sang songs to Marceline's bass far into the night, none in the party realizing how late it was until the Princess stifled a yawn.

Politely they showed Uncle Gumball to the guest room before retiring to Bubblegum's chambers.

And though she was tired, the princess hardly slept, more curious about Marceline's parents.

X

Curiousity was a relentless creature. The next day, after failed attemps to do her daily meditation she went to the library, her research focused on the history and supernatural sections. Bubblegum decided to peruse the supernatural section first- undoubtedly Marceline would be easy to look up and surely her family would be mentioned in the texts.

Marceline, the Vampire Queen, daughter of. . .

Bubblegum squinted. "That's strange. . ."

Marceline's father's name was mentioned, the ink used for the paternal figure's name was made with the blackest ink and glimmered like malachite. It was written clearly, but whenever she tried to read it, the text warped, rippling like waves on the page.

"Aww nuts! How am I going to look up the indexes like this?!"

Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't look into this. . .

. . .Is what the Princess would probably think if she wasn't a scientist, a researcher at heart. The unreadable name far from dissuaded her, it only made her more stubborn. Most would mistake that as determination.

She looked at each name in the back indexes of books, keeping her eyes peeled for a name that sharply blurred on paper.

Finally, success. Her eyes widened at page 477 where the index led her.

Banished to the Nightospehere.

It bothered the princess that the book left it at that, omitting the why.

Why was he banished?

She knew nothing of Marceline's parents, save that they were absent. She imagined them to be the same as their daugther- a top layer of scary and evil with a hidden soft chocolate ganache center. And yet, commanding a respect one wouldn't give to a mere mortal.

She couldn't imagine Marceline being banished, though her morals loose. Perhaps her father was wrongly accused?

Bubblegum sighed, taking a long look at the books she knew she would be interrogating, she wished she could just ask Marceline.

She spent hours looking for Marceline's father's name. All descriptions were the same as the first: curt. Answerless. His name, unreadable taunted her.

Marceline reminded her of wild things; the cold earth, the smell of pine. Although his grip, taught and cold on her shoulder was the same as his daughter's it was a world's difference. His palm as clamy as his palor suggested and his eyes, large and bulbous- not buglike- somehow fish-like. Carniverous crocodile pupils. They glowed in the darkness he created around them. She thought of eels and angler fish, the way he smiled. Fitting, they were layers below Ooo. Surely beyond deep sea level.

Definitely.

"I thought I smelled something sweet."

X

"Yo, Bonnie I'm here. So, what's this suprise you were telling. . ."

Marceline stopped, realizing she was accidentally talking to herself. She slowly descended to the ground, though her feet hovered over it by an inch. She stared at the empty seat at the vanity. Bubblegum, when she wasn't floored by royal responsibilities, kept a predictable schedule. At this time, Marceline expected to see the princess' back turned to her, still in a bathrobe, patting food coloring to her cheeks and primping her hair.

And she couldn't be taking too long in the shower- the air didn't feel humid.

Not one to wait for others, Marceline floated to the one other place the princess could be. If she wasn't in her lab, she would have chalk it up to her girlfriend getting kidnapped. Again. But that's expected when you date princesses - or when your kingdom was next door to one ruled by a stalker.

The lab was her least favorite part of the castle. It wasn't that Marceline didn't like science, she wholly respected her girlfriend's passion.

She just. . .didn't like the smell.

Entering the lab she shielded her nose from the influx of chemicals bubbling idly. She stopped, midfloat and looked around. There was a soft buzz she never heard. It was mechanical, resembling a refrigerator on it's last legs. On her way to the source of the sound she passed by strewn notes and open books, expecting not to understand anything. However, she DID understand it- at least bits of it. These were books about the Night o Sphere.

Her eyes narrowed, slight anger passing over her, hating that Bubblegum had intruded on something so personal. Albeit her relationship with her dad was slightly better now thanks to Finn - she frowned agitatedly, remembering how her friend had went about that too.

She was furious, but still making her way to the machine Bubblegum had built. More loose-leaf papers decorated the room it was housed in, evidence that it was used. The portal itself, large and circular, like a compass sat dormant.

She didn't wonder why