So, I just recently heard that Bubbline is canon now! That's some pretty epic news, amirite? Heh, I always knew there was something there.

Anyway, enjoy this next chapter! I don't like fishing for reviews, but they really do help me out a lot. How am I to know if I'm doing something wrong or right otherwise? Please and thank you!

EDIT: I made a very rookie mistake when I posted this a few hours ago. Since I am literally up to nothing today, I decided to fix it while I had the time. The mistake: WHERE THE HELL DOES FINN LIVE NOW?

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5 years later…

Cosmic City hadn't been his first choice; at first, Finn had opted to live the rest of his days in the woods. It worked out for a while, but Finn found out swiftly that life in the forest wasn't the most easygoing way to do it. He still felt the need to help people, even while his mind was clouded with sorrow. So he moved into a small town that the locals called "The Wrangle".

It wasn't a pleasant experience. Not only was his time spent there uneventful, but the food they had there tasted…funky, in all the wrong ways. When he left The Wrangle, he did so with a mysterious itchiness in his pants that he later found out to be a rare species of tiny, blue ants that feasted on flesh.

Needless to say, Finn never wanted to return to The Wrangle ever again.

He tried a few more small towns, but quickly discovered that small towns weren't the best places for adventuring or hero work. So, after about a year of searching, he found a vague form of sanctuary in the large, bustling metropolis that was Cosmic City. It was several hundred miles away from Ooo, but that was one of the reasons why he loved it.

Although to any tourist the place was sunny and welcoming, the people who lived there were all in desperate need of help, and Finn found work very quickly. His first employer, a bipedal rat named Sheryll, had supplied him with his apartment. It was in a decent part of town with little criminal activity. Finn was slightly disappointed at that; waking up in the middle of the night to deal with a burglar or three was one of his favorite things to do back in Ooo.

As time went by, Sheryll had become pleased with his work and had referred him to a few of her friends, and by the end of his first year in the city Finn was making more than enough money to do as he pleased, although the only thing he did when not on the job was sit around on an ugly green mattress, stuff his face with pizza, and sleep his free time away.

For five years it had been that way. Work, eat pizza, sleep. A routine that kept his mind busy enough to not think about certain things that liked to hang around in his head while he dreamed. Then something broke the routine.

A piercing ring jarred Finn out of sleep. He snorted, wiped the grease and drool off of his face, and rolled over onto his side to face the phone. It was a rotary phone, one that Bubblegum had given him before he left so they could stay in touch. He couldn't remember a single time where he had used it for such a purpose.

He pushed himself up onto his elbow, staring with blurred vision at the ringing telephone. Since he had moved here it had only rung a total of four times; most of the calls had been from Bubblegum, and had occurred in the same month. She appeared to have learned quickly, because she never called again after that. The fourth call had been from a nearby pizza joint asking if he was all right because he hadn't placed an order in over a week. His employers had a different method for contacting him—it was to break into his home and drag him to their headquarters.

Now the phone was ringing again, for the fifth time. It was early in the morning—Finn quickly glanced at his clock—okay, it was the afternoon, but no one ever really called him because hardly anyone had his number. He sighed and got up from bed. There was a 50/50 chance that it was either Bubblegum or the pizza place. He had hoped it was the latter, but he had placed an order just last night and could think of no reason they would call him.

Approaching the phone, he answered it. "H-hello?" his voice was hoarse and cracked. Phlegm clogged his chest-not only did he love milk, but he loved to sleep with his mouth wide open—and it was difficult for him to speak properly. He coughed harshly and tried again, "Hello," That one didn't sound much better, but at least he could be understood. "Who's this?"

"Finn," Oh, Glob. It was Bubblegum. "Hey, it's good to hear from you again."

"You called me," said Finn, the fatigue clear in his voice. "Do you need something, Bubblegum?"

There was a short pause. Someone's voice on the other line urged the bubblegum woman to keep going. "It's…it's Joshua, Finn." There was a grimness to her tone, like she didn't want to continue. "I know you want to be alone, with all the things that's happened but—he's dying, Finn. He wants to talk to you before he, erm, goes…"

Finn's heart sank into his stomach, and he felt sick. He couldn't remember ever keeping in contact with his father, or even calling him once since Jake had—well, he hadn't called his father in five years. Guilt hit him like a punch in the gut, and the person who had punched him was a pro boxer with titanium biceps.

"I know this isn't the news you need right now," said Bubblegum, "and I know that you haven't gotten any better since our last encounter with Mr. Albatross. But it's been five years, Finn. Your father needs you. And being away clearly hasn't helped you any. Won't you please come back?"

How she was able to tell how he had or hadn't gotten any better was beyond Finn, and he was about to call her out on it when he heard the dial tone suddenly shriek in his ears. He set the phone back onto the receiver. It would appear that even if he hadn't wanted to return home after that, he had no choice in the matter anyway. She expected him to be there and that was that.

Finn sighed and returned to his bed, "Ah, geez," he groaned as he sat back down. The ugly, bright green mattress squealed beneath his weight. A few broken springs poked his rump, but he had learned to ignore the flaws of his beloved mattress.

A bird cawed somewhere outside. Finn tensed and turned toward the window; the day was sunny, bright, and happy, like always. It was an exact contrast to his mood, but then the weather around here always had been. A crow was perched on a branch just outside of his window. It pecked gently at the glass, peering inside at Finn. He glowered at the filthy, feathered thing. It crowed again, waving its wings at him as if in challenge, then flew off.

He didn't know why he picked Cosmic City of all places to hide away; this place was full of gross birds of all kinds, but mostly the aggressive, carnivorous ones. At least it was a decent enough place to live; even the slums had those annoyingly friendly neighbors to somewhat brighten his day. If only the place would experience more than one season.

Finn wiped his nose and stood back up; obviously, Bubblegum was expecting him, and if his father was as unwell as she said, then he was going to waste no time.

The way home was easy enough to plan. A train made rounds from here back to Ooo in twelve hours flat. All Finn had to worry about was what exactly he should pack for the trip, and even that much was easy; he had nothing but the rotary phone and the ugly mattress.

When he got on the train, the car he had boarded was mostly empty. A werewolf in a fedora sat on his haunches by one of the doors, appearing to be asleep. His fur was black, but was greying with age around his chest and tummy. His muzzle probably showed grey as well, but his face was covered by the down-turned fedora. Finn sat down, his bag placed between his feet, and leaned back, the back of his head against the window.

Deep rumbles shook him from beneath, and the train screeched to a stop again. Finn's eyes fluttered open, squinting against a dull glow. It was dark in the train car now. A full moon glowed inside, illuminating the inside of the train. Finn straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't remember going to sleep; how long had it been?

Something warm wriggled beneath his hand. Finn glanced down at his lap and his eyes grew wide, astonished at what he saw. "J-Jake…?"

The dog looked as young as he did when he had passed that fateful day inside Mr. Albatross' lair. Finn still had a very clear image in his head of burying his life-long companion behind his old family home, and yet here Jake was, cuddling against Finn's thigh as he would on cold weekend mornings. At the sound of his name, Jake's ear lifted up, then he looked up at Finn sleepily, "Uh? A-are we there yet?" The dog yawned, his mouth stretching out far.

Finn looked out the window; there was a wide stretch of forest lighted by the glow of the moon. The train wasn't moving, but this certainly didn't look like Ooo. "I don't think so, dude."

Shifting, Jake rolled over onto his back so Finn could scratch his belly, "Well, wake me up when we're there. Adventuring makes me mad tired, bro."

A frown curled Finn's lips downward; they hadn't adventured today, or any day since…he sighed sorrowfully as he realized he was stuck in another dream. These kinds of dreams happened far too frequently for his liking. He closed his eyes and tried to will Jake's image away.

"Hey, could you rub my belly? It helps me sleep."

"I know it does, buddy." Finn's voice was quiet and rough. His heart ached and he wanted to wake up, but the image of Jake was persistent. Tears began to sting his eyes, and he relented. Jake's fur felt so warm and real, and knowing he was just in another lucid dream made it hurt far more than it should have. Finn scratched his late brother's stomach for what seemed like hours until the train started up again. The wheels screeched as they came back to life, and the engine chugged and propelled the massive hunk of metal.

Finn stared down at Jake's apparition, still trying hard to force him out of him mind. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, and waited for the warmth beneath his hand to disappear. It never did, but when Finn opened his eyes again, frustrated with his grief, he noticed that the image of Jake had disappeared. Laying in his place was the head of the werewolf from earlier, quietly sleeping.

"Hey!" Finn stood up abruptly, causing the snoozing werewolf to topple over. "What the drizz, man? You can't do that to folks!"

The aging canine blinked up at him in surprise. His fedora had fallen off his head and landed far away from him at the other side of the car. Finn glowered at him, his teeth gritted, and the werewolf stood up slowly. "M-my apologies. I didn't mean to bother you, but you seemed upset." His voice was quiet, almost withdrawn, "I only did as my instincts told me to help you feel better. I'm a canine, you see."

"That's creepy, dude." Finn wasn't at all soothed by his words. "You don't go putting your face into strangers' laps. They'll think you're freaky!"

Whimpering, the werewolf's ears fell flat against his head, "Again, I-I'm sorry." He went over to pick up his fedora and placed it back over his ears. Ashamedly, he squatted back down with his gaze downcast. Finn continued to frown.

The train slowed to a complete stop minutes later. Finn glanced out to see the darkened view of Ooo Station—a gated, grassy area with more trees than should be necessary for a modern train station. The grey concrete slab that was the only platform wasn't a good contrast to the green nature that surrounded it. A single person stood under a broken, flickering platform light—it was Bonnibel Bubblegum.

Of course she would be there, although he had never told her whether or not he'd be coming back. She was standing next to what appeared to be…a car? She never rode in those, as she would call them, "steel deathtraps on wheels". Finn grabbed his back, slung it over his shoulder, and exited the train.

As he approached Bubblegum, he noticed a few things; the first thing being that she apparently hadn't aged a single day since he had left. She looked almost exactly the same. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail, but was just as long and neat (and gummy) as it had been five years ago. As for her face, it was as flawless as ever, as far as he could see in the dark. However, she had acquired a different sense of fashion. He had never known her to wear black leather jackets, although her usual pink flare was hidden beneath the tanned hide. Strange, he mused, how leather went really well with a pink shirt and white pants.

When she saw him approach, a happy smile stretched her lips. She met him halfway and threw her arms around him in a tight hug, "Hey, it's good to see you." Finn returned the hug earnestly. It'd been too long since he had last seen her. When he had last checked, she was much taller than he was. Finn was two feel taller than her now.

"Yeah," he chuckled nervously, breaking off the hug. "You too. When did you get a car?"

"Oh, it's not mine," She patted the top of the car. Finn glanced inside and saw someone sitting in the driver seat. He couldn't make out exactly who it was, but they were drumming their hands against the steering wheel as the dull thumps of a musical beat pulsed through the car. "Are you ready? Your father is waiting for you."

She opened the door for him and Finn climbed into the backseat. Bubblegum took his bag and went to put it in the trunk. The car door slammed shut, and Finn was immediately greeted by the noise of rock music. The person sitting in the driver seat, he realized, was another woman he hadn't met before. Her hair was long, thick and black, and it covered the side of her face like a curtain.

Her hands continued to drum against the steering wheel to the beat of the music, but she glanced back at him through the rearview mirror. "Wassap, dude. You're Finn?" Finn nodded silently, looking at her eyes through the mirror. They were a bright, piercing crimson that cut through the blackness in the car, and besides her hair they were the only discernable thing about her that he could see at the moment. "Huh," she hummed, "Thought you'd be taller."

The passenger door opened and Bubblegum slid into the seat. "All right, we're all set. Let's head out."

"Right on," The red-eyed woman shifted the car into gear, and the car lurched forward. Finn remained silent, hands resting on his lap, as the car drove down the dirt road.

For the first few minutes of driving, there was no talking. Trees passed them by on both sides, while the moon hung above them, following their every turn. When the tires jumped from dirt to concrete and they finally made it out of the woods, Bubblegum spoke up, "It's good that you're here, Finn," her voice was startlingly loud in the car, even with the low-volume music still playing, "Things have been…difficult since you left. On Joshua especially."

In all honesty, Finn wasn't looking forward to seeing his dad. Sick and dying in a hospital bed, probably weak and too tired to stand on his own. Fear clenched in his chest, and he mumbled to himself.

"Finn?"

"Yeah, I know."

Too soon, the car pulled up to a large building that Finn recognized as the hospital. He hadn't realized ever entering the city, but apparently they had. Small houses replaced the trees, asphalt instead of dirt, and only a few bushes speckled the ground.

The car's engine died and the woman pulled the keys from the ignition. "You ready, dude?"

No, he thought. After five years of avoiding his troubles, seeing his father about to die was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't have the option to run off again, though, and even if he did the thought of leaving his father to die was less appealing than the former choice. So, with a dreadful sigh, Finn opened his door and stepped out.

He only hoped Joshua wasn't still angry with him.