Chapter 17: Undying Love

Bubblegum lay in her too-big bed surrounded by her too-big covers in her too-big room with too much space. She was scared. No, she was terrified. The doors to her window rattled angrily against their hinging, and the wind blew fierce and angry. Her room was dark, and she cried, wishing someone would come in and keep her safe, because it was scary outside and cold inside. Whatever was going on with the weather she had never seen or felt or experienced before, and it was more than the most terrifying thing she had ever seen.

It was a blizzard.

She didn't know why it was happening, or how. In fact, she couldn't remember it ever happening in all her five and a three-quarter years (and that's a long time) and she wished it to never to happen again. But more than that, she wished for Marceline. She whimpered into her blankets. Marci is always here. She would make me feel better. She always makes me feel better.

Of course, these thoughts didn't do much to assuage her feelings. If anything, it made her unbridled and young fear worse, knowing that she was entirely alone. The storm pounded ferociously at the doors, and the little girl cried out helplessly. Breathing heavier and heavier, she sobbed out loud, "I. Want. My. Marci!" (Because even then, the vampire was hers.) She bawled and bawled, cursing Ooo and glob knows what else for whatever this terrifying thing was that was scaring her. She shivered, the blankets not enough to stave off the cold in the room.

When she thought it couldn't get any worse at all, the storm flung her balcony doors open, causing the snow and sleet and hail and wind to rush howling into her room and smash glass all over her floor. She let out a scream, and hoped with all her might that someone would save her from this monster that was the weather. "Marceli-i-i-ine!" She cried out, screaming with all her might. She curled up into herself, turning away from the blistering winds as much as she could.

She felt the side of her bed dip, and a voice cooed out to her. "Shh…it's okay, little one. I'm here." She turned over and saw Marceline looking at her with worried, caring eyes. She flung her arms around a pale neck and cried feverishly into the older girl. It was as though her thoughts and cries had called the vampire to her. In a way, it was true, as Marceline knew the girl was more than likely to be scared, and fought her way through the storm to reach her.

"I don't know what it is! And it's so cold! It's scary and I don't-I don't–!"

Marceline wrapped protective arms around the small pink girl. "It's okay, Bonni. It's okay. Oh you're freezing! Come on; let's get you out of here." And with that, the whimpering girl was carried away (floating, she knew) to some other room in the castle. She didn't look where, too absorbed in the comfort of her older companion.

Soon enough, she was set down on a chair, with a big blanket wrapped around her. She hadn't noticed Marceline even bring it. Still, the wind rattled the windows. The vampire hurried about in the dark room, tossing wood and logs into a large fireplace. With a snap of her fingers (a few times-it wasn't a candle) the flames in the fireplace sprung happily and warmly to life. Bubblegum sniffled and looked around.

"The-the library?" A small smile tried to pry its way onto frightened lips.

Marceline walked over to her and floated low to low at her in the eye. "Of course. I know it always makes you feel better, little one." She offered a kind, reassuring smile, fangs poking out just a bit more than usual.

The young princess was about to return it, when a sudden gust of wind rammed its way harshly into the windows. She grabbed again for Marceline. "Marci make it go away!"

Marceline pulled the blanket off the child and set them both down in the one chair, wrapping them both up. "Does she frighten you?" Marceline asked.

Bubblegum sniffled into the vampire again, completely soaking through her shirt. It seemed she had dried herself off from the storm before picking the girl up from her bed. She was a vampire, after all (and who knows how far her capabilities went). Bubblegum looked up at her friend. "Sh-she?"

Making eye contact with the candy girl, Marceline feigned surprise, though Bonni didn't notice. "You mean you don't know? Bonni! I thought you were such a brain lord that you knew everything!"

The little girl just shook her head and asked again, "She?"

"Of course!" Marceline began to explain. "Don't you know that all the weather is a woman in the sky?"

Bubblegum's brow furrowed. "That isn't true…"

The vampire gasped a little. "Of course it is! And the earth is her lover!" Bubblegum stared wide-eyed at the wiser of the two. "Don't you know when it rains, those are her tears. And when the thunder rumbles, those are her sobs. And when the lightning strikes the earth, those are her fingers, reaching out to touch the love of her life; who is separated from her so completely; her fingertips can barely reach him."

Bubblegum's little mouth had fallen open a little. Everything seemed to click into place. "But what's this? And the sun? And the clouds?"

Marceline laughed at the girl's enthusiasm for her story. "The sun is to show her happiness. She's alive and so is he, after all. The clouds she paints in the sky for him, to show all the wonderful things she feels for him. But this…well it's a blizzard. Did you know that?" Bubblegum shook her head and cuddled closer to Marceline, the blanket and fire warming not only her skin, but melting the fear in her heart.

The vampire put on a face of sadness. "She does this when she is in such despair, and is so alone, her tears turn into ice. Her angry and saddened howls turn into the violent winds. She misses her lover so much, she wishes on the entire world to feel how cold she feels without his touch. This is her angry at the forces that pulled the two apart. When it snows normally, she is so, so sad. So you see, we shouldn't be afraid of her. We should be sad with her, and offer apologies that the universe split the two apart."

Bubblegum's tears had completely stopped, but she was indeed saddened by the story. However, the harsh winds and piercing sleet no longer frightened her. "I understand Marci. But…it seems like she does all the work. What about him? Does he do things for her? How did they meet? What are their names?"

Unprepared for the sudden barrage of questions when it came to her made-up-on-the-spot story, Marceline froze for just a moment. She thought the girl would be pacified as soon as she was done being afraid. Of course, with Bonni's naturally scientific and answer-seeking nature, she shouldn't have expected anything different.

Marceline cleared her throat. "Well, he does do things. He tries to grow the trees to reach her and he hold life so she may look down upon all the beautiful things that life holds and creates." She saw bubblegum smile, and she smiled along.

"As for how they met and their names, well…Long ago the earth and sky touched. They held each other and loved each other more than anything. Their names are so old that they've been completely forgotten. They had forms, you see. Like…they could swim through the sky or run across the ground if they so chose. But the other beings in the universe were jealous." She was spinning the tale better than she thought possible, as Bonnibel was looking up at her, completely enraptured.

"They were so jealous that they kidnapped her and cast her permanently in the sky. And they took her lover and chained him forever to the earth so the two could never touch again. But it didn't matter, because no matter what, they always will love each other. And one day, they will break free of their chains, and that day is when they will be free to love each other again as they had done." She finished, and the pink girl smiled so brightly at the thought, that Marceline swore it warmed her up to the very core of her being. She didn't love the pink girl though. Never. (She did.)

The fire crackled and danced against the wind outside. "I want to have a love like that…" Bubblegum said quietly, sighing in contentment.

Marceline laughed. "A love that gets ripped apart by outside forces and to have a lover you can never touch? Sounds like a real paradise, pinkie!" she laughed again, turning completely out of caretaker mode. In fact, the story she told was quite appropriate. She was very old, and with that came wisdom and the ability to spin tales, or so all the stories say.

Bubblegum huffed, and crossed her arms stubbornly. "That's not what I meant, Marci, and you know it!"

"Oh I know it, do I? Tell me, what do you mean, then?" She teased.

"I want a love so absolute that nothing else matters; even what others might say or do to try and stop it."

Marceline laughed again and held the girl close to her. "Well you sure do dream big then, don't you? I've live over a thousand years and I've never seen that in all my life." She noticed the girl's face fall tremendously at the idea of it not being possible. "But-but I'm sure it'll happen for you, Bonnibel! If anyone deserves undying love, it's you." She amended. The small girl brightened visibly at the thought.

"Oh Marceline! Do you think so?"

The older girl laughed, as was her habit in the company of the candy princess. "Like, I know so! It'll be totally mathematical and epic and super awesome!" Bubblegum hugged her fiercely.

The two sat peacefully for a while, until Marceline capture Bonni's attention again. "Look," she said, jutting her jaw towards the windows, "She's calming down. Maybe it's something her lover said to her, huh?" Indeed, the storm had practically passed, and the moon was casting its rays through scattering clouds, the snow turned light and powdery.

Bubblegum nodded, and yawned. She hadn't slept at all when the storm had been raging, though apparently the rest of the house had slept right through it. "I think he told her how much he loves her…" She mumbled dreamily as she drifted off in the vampire's arms.

Marceline lifted her up and carried her back into her room, placing her gingerly onto the bed. She smiled as the girl curled up into herself, a half-smile gracing her features as she went into happy dreams. She looked at the balcony doors. Only one or two small frames of glass had splintered, so she figured there was no danger. She ran fingers through her hair, preparing to leave.

Leaning over the small girl in the bed, she wiped stray pieces of candy hair from Bubblegum's face. "Marci?" The girl mumbled through sleep.

"Yes, little one?"

"You are my favorite person in the whole entire universe."

The vampire laughed lightly. "And you're mine." She got up and exited the room, closing the doors softly behind her, making her way home before the first rays of sunlight made their way into the sky, beginning what would be a quick process of melting away the evening's snow.

Somewhere in the Ice Kingdom, the Ice King got over a temper-tantrum he'd been having about losing one of his kidnapped princesses.

A/N

This one is indeed from Monochrome Masquerade who said, 'it's cold and snowy out. Marceline and PB cuddling by the fire' Actually seconded by Toolazytosignupforanaccount who (among [many] other things) wanted 'Marceline comforting PB during a thunderstorm (or something) when she's a kid' Blam! Two-for-one!

REVIEW AND SUGGEST!

Bonus points to you if you caught that Maceline is undead, and therefore capable to give undying love. You get me...you get me? Winner. Toolazy I'll try to hit all of your suggestions eventually (even the tentacle one [filthy]) and thanks so much! Also, just realized most of this fic is what is considered 'fluff' which is hilarious because I thought I was (more than) terrible at writing it! Hahaha!

-JD