Chapter 33: Of Clocks and Ragdolls
Finn was just chilling playing a little BMO when the knock at the door came. It was formal, polite, yet urgent. He got up and crossed the room, only to find a Banana guard standing at the door. Before he even had time to murmur out a question, a letter was thrust into his hands, and the guard went off back to the Candy Kingdom. What the lump was that all about? He shrugged. "Yo Jake!" He yelled up the trunk. "Jake!" He yelled again, and when he heard sufficient shuffling going on upstairs, he went and sat on the couch.
The envelope was overtly royal-sealed with wax and all. There was no doubt it was from Bubblegum. But…why would she send a letter? Are we invited to something? He presented it to BMO. "What do you think BMO? Why'd Bubblegum send us the super royal letter, detective man?"
The little robot scratched his head, 'Hmm'ing in contemplation. "Perhaps…it is a summons!" He announced, very pleased with himself. At this point, Jake finally stretched down into the living room, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Having kids'll do that to ya, I suppose.
"What is it? Whadd'ya want?" The dog asked grumpily.
Finn snatched the letter up and showed it to Jake. "Check it out, meng. We got like, a royal letter or some junk!"
Jake sniffed it a bit. "Yeah it's from Bubblegum. What's it say?"
"Let's find out!" Finn said, and split the seal. He pulled out the letter and let the envelope flutter unceremoniously to the ground. He cleared his throat and began to read. "Dear Finn, Princess Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom is hereby formally requesting your presence on this day. It is also added that you arrive post-haste, as she greatly requires your assistance. Thank you." Finn turned the paper over to make sure there wasn't anything written on the back. He stared at Jake who was sitting at the table eating leftover pancakes. "What the junk was that all about?"
"Wemm, itshounderd 'ike ahm rogal shummphs 't mph." He said around his food.
Finn looked at him. "What?" he asked, walking over and sitting next to him, setting the note on the table.
Swallowing largely, the dog reiterated, "Well, it sounded like a royal summons to me."
Finn scrunched his head. "But like…we've never gotten one before." He stated.
This time, Jake swallowed before he spoke. "Well…maybe it's something ultra-mondo important. Maybe you're getting knighted. Or-or maybe the Princess needs your righteous human DNA to create some kind of super beast that will destroy all the evil in the world! Or maybe she needs a lock of your hair to feed to her secret pet that only eats hair!"
"Princess Bubblegum has a pet that eats hair?" Finn asked, clasping on firmly to his childish naivety (something he should have lost two years ago.)
Jake just chuckled. "Who knows, bro. I'm just saying…she could."
Finn mused again, and re-read the letter. "What does 'post-haste' mean anyway?"
Jake simply shrugged, when all of a sudden, BMO popped in with a new theory. "Perhaps it is because the floating lady has been gone so long!"
Finn turned to him. Floating lady…? His eyebrows leapt in realization. "Who, Marceline?" he asked, and the little robot nodded.
"Y'know come to think of it, I haven't seen her around in ages. And Bubblegum has been pretty weird lately." Jake jumped in.
Finn scowled. When was the last time I saw her? And Bubblegum has been like super royal busy and funky lately…But try as he might, he simply couldn't remember when he'd see the vampire last. Oh boy…I hope they're still cool with each other. He walked over to the door and sat down, putting on his shoes and putting off his plans of seeing Flame Princess later. "Okay well I don't know what 'post-haste' means but if this does have something to do with Marceline, I'd better go as fast as I can." He stood, shoes tied, backpack on, and hat firmly secured. "Okay. Jake, you coming?"
"The letter was for you, bro." Jake replied.
"But the pups'll be there, I'm sure." The boy egged on, knowing full well the dog was super beyond stoked to be a dad.
He laughed as Jake let out a good hearted groan. "Fatherhood is tough nuts, man." But the smile on his face was clear enough answer.
Riding on Jake's back, he got there was faster than he would have normally. Lady and the pups were just outside of the castle, and he waved the dog off. He walked in and Peppermint Butler, small face laced with concern, began to escort him to Bubblegum's room. "She hasn't been out in three days! She takes all her meals in there and just immerses herself in law and ruling. Revising and revisiting old laws. It's terrible!"
The hall led down to Bubblegum's personal chambers. Peppermint made a small gesture towards the door, before beginning to scuttle away. Finn stared after the movement in fear. "Peppermint…Peppermint!" He whispered fiercely. "Wait, what do I do?" But by then, the little candy man had gone. Probably left because he doesn't know what to do either. And if Peppermint, whose know PB for like, ever, doesn't know what to do, how am I supposed to know what to do? Oh glob, glob, glob!
He started to pace just outside her room. Okay Finn, focus. Make a plan! Isn't PB always saying make a plan? Don't just rush in there. But then…Jake says go with my gut…No! This is Princess Bubblegum! Planning is good! She likes planning! Okay so…option one: Knock. Okay knocking could be good. He raised his fist to rap on the wood door. She'd know I was here and…but no! What if she just decides to turn me away? People can do that when you knock. Okay then…option two: barge in, sword a-shining, bows a-blazing style! Yeah! Classic Finn! The door stared at him…and he wisely decided against that. Okay, no. I don't wanna be mean to the door. So…three. Option three. Wait for her to open the door on her own. Oh but then I'd never get in!
He continued pacing when a soft voice filtered its way through the door. "Finn I can hear you pacing." He gulped. So she knows I'm here. But she didn't say 'come in'. Do I go in? Do I stay out? A tired sigh from the room. "Just come in, Finn Human."
He shuffled his feet for a moment like a child in trouble, and opened the door. He didn't know what to expect but…everything seemed normal. The room was pink and well-kept. Her desk in the corner was stacked high and orderly with paperwork. Bright sun streamed proud through the widows. Everything looked normal. Princess Bubblegum sat on her bed, staring out her open balcony doors. She, unlike her room, looked very different. She was paler, and, in a stark contrast to the norm, unequivocally haggard. Strands of bubblegum hair sprang out at odd angles, the rest pulled back in a haphazard bun. There were clear bags under her eyes, which didn't seem to be in the room at all, and she was still wearing her pajamas. Finn's eyes flitted over her in concern. That's Marceline's shirt. They stayed in silence for a moment. He glanced around the room again for any sign of the vampire, but there was none. Not a bass or grey food, not a splash of black anywhere, save upon the princess herself. For once, the boy simply waited. No urgency, no explosion of heroism, just a boy waiting for a friend to speak.
"She's gone, Finn." The candy girl finally replied.
So it is about Marceline. I'll have to tell BMO later.
Bubblegum didn't move. "She's been gone for one month, three weeks, five days, six hours and…" she glanced at her clock, which hung on the far side of the room, "twenty-seven minutes." Silence fell again, only this time, Finn could hear distinctly the sound of the ticking clock. He gulped. The clock continued in its duty; its hard work pounding ominously, repetitively, and in finality through the space. A clock had ever been so loud, he was convinced.
"I know where she goes but…I don't know what she's doing. Not really. I mean…I can guess, but…if she told me, if she just told me I-I'd be better. I'd have a clear image. I'd know what she was up against." She was unraveling at the seams. Finn could see the princess now: a rag doll, with each tick, tick, tick of the clock pulling at the string that held her together. A clock always started upon Marceline's departure to…that place. The boy stepped forward cautiously, his foot falls falling in time with the tugging of seams. He sat.
The bed sank with him and Bubblegum shifted. She toyed with something small in her hands. He looked, and the clock was suddenly pulling at his strings too. Marceline needs to come back…she has to come back…The pieces fit into place, and Finn could see if she didn't return soon, Bubblegum might not be fixable.
"I was going to ask her…" she whispered. Finn stared out the balcony. "She's never been gone for more than a month, Finn! Never more than a month! Not even to the second! She's…she's…I don't know what but she isn't here and I don't know what she's doing or if she's…and it's been so much more than a month and-and…and I was going to ask her."
The rag doll clung desperately to its splitting seams, and fell into a fried weeping.
"Bubblegum…" the boy whispered, holding her in his arms as she sobbed, "It's…it's okay. It's going to be okay. Marceline is…a totes crazy chick and she…she's fine. You'll see." He said the words. He didn't believe them.
But then, speak of the devil, a noisy, red, terrifying portal opened from the Night-O-Sphere, and in flew Marceline, a shout of "I don't fucking care! Just take care of it! I did my part!" as parting words to her homeland. Finn sighed a breath of relief. He couldn't even hear the clock anymore. Marceline looked at him, eyes furrowed up in sadness and worry. The boy nodded once, and she flew out. I'll take care of her. Come back later.
Sniffles. "I hate her…" A muttered whisper. "She does this every time and…I hate her."
Finn, for all his composure, for all his support, leapt on the words. "Hate her? What the Glob, Bubblegum?" She looked up in shock as the boy stood furious, fierce. "You're a brainlord like for sure but how can you be so…so…grod, Peebles, how can you be so stupid?" she gasped in shock, a firm question of 'I beg your pardon?' on her lips, but he didn't let her interrupt. "You're super mega awesome genius about everything but when it comes to Marceline you just don't get it! Don't you think the clock was ticking for her too, Bubblegum? Don't you think she knows exactly how long it's been, to the second, just like you? I mean, come on PB!"
The candy girl stared out her balcony doors. "But she leaves. She always leaves."
Finn sighed in exasperation. "PB…how can you be so blind? Whatever that chick does…it's important. She's off saving something or killing something or overthrowing something because if she didn't someone worse would. And then where would your Candy Kingdom be? Because whatever dudes she's fighting, you just hafta know it's some terrible totes blooby insane Lich junk or something! And Jake and I sure as heck couldn't handle that! We'd stand a snowball's chance in the Fire Kingdom. But Marceline? Heck, she could take on ten Lich's…probably all on her own too! She's risking her well being for yours. She's about as righteous as a chick could get. 'Sides, she's immortal!"
"Immortal, not deathless. She could die just as easily as you." Bubblegum said in heat. "Immortal is the capability to have never ending life. Deathless is the guarantee to have one."
Finn's face leapt in surprise. "Oh um…Oh." He managed, having not thought about the difference. Suddenly, he furrowed his brow, confident and sure. "Doesn't matter. That girl would always come back to you, PB. Always."
Jake was playing with the pups when Marceline flew overhead. She floated through the sun before filching a parasol and floating off, axe bass strapped to her back. "You should go after her." Lady told him softly. "I can watch the pups."
Jake mulled it over. "I don't know, my Lady. What if she wants to drink my sweet dog blood? What if it's all a trap to lure me to her evil lair where she can drain me of my fluids and turn me into a zombie?"
Lady raised an eyebrow, the dog not understanding that she hadn't requested he go, she had commanded. "First, she eats red. Second, you've been to her so-called 'lair'. Third, Bubblegum made zombies and you still like her. And fourth, you're going because I said it so." She eyeballed him.
He huffed. "Fine. But I won't like it." He said goodbye to the pups and kissed Lady for good measure.
"Stupid vampire." He puffed, walking down the street and kicking rocks, his hands in his 'pockets'. "Bet she's just all broody and angry and hungry." He 'Hmmphed', following her sent, but not stretching to go any faster. He'd never quite taken to Marceline, no matter how much Bubblegum loved her or how harmless she always turned out to be. He left the Candy Kingdom and was walking across the fields, muttering to himself all the while.
When he came to her, her bass was thrown sloppily and crookedly into the ground. She wasn't playing, and she floated criss-cross, lazily swaying to and fro, as if she didn't really care. "What do you want, dog?" she growled.
Jake hitched. But there was no denying the sniffles that came from her even if her back was turned to him. "Well…uh…see Lady was down with me outside the castle, right? And I was having super cool times with my kids and all that…y'know…trying to be a good dad or whatever. Well…anyway Lady saw you float out and was all like 'Go after her, Jake' and I was like 'Naw, man, she'll eat me' and Lady was like 'Too bad' so here I am…" Silence. "Y'know…to check on you." More silence. "To see if you were okay." Silence still. "Cause lady told me." Still nothing. "Because you've been gone. And PB's been weird. And now you're weird. And Lady was worried. I think about Bubblegum, but I don't know." A pause and only the sound of the wind after ever sentence.
The dog finally shut up, and just stared at her.
"She wants me to tell her what I do there; but if I do, I know she'll just worry even more than she does now." The vampire paused. Jake sat back-to-back with her, just listening (for once). "What does she want me to say? 'Oh yeah, demons of every shape and size, deathless and all powerful being try constantly to tear my head off or burn me or whatever all at the same time? They try to poison my food and stake me at night and I end up bloodied and carnaged within each hour with hundreds upon hundreds of things trying to overthrow me? Death knocks at my door every day, lousy old skeleton, just to see if I want to give up life?' 'Hop on over to the underworld, Marceline, it'll be so much easier' he says. Is that what she wants to hear?"
"I spend every second of every day thinking about her. It rips me apart! I've been gone for one month, three weeks, five days, seven hours and two minutes! Does she think I can't feel the damn clock ticking away at me? Does she think I don't care, when every wind of the clock pulls away at my heart strings? It almost ruined me to be away so long! It felt like I was just…just lying there falling apart, insides all spilling out with no hope of being put back together." She sighed, and took a pause. Her tone shifted. "I'm not stupid. I know she worries about me dying or whatever. But…what am I supposed to do?" She spoke; quietly, reverently, sadly. Her voice caught.
"I know." Jake said, completely shattering the dower mood and sadness emanating from the vampire and into the air. "It's easy…you just gotta find a way to let Bubblegum know whether you're alive or dead when you're away."
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" she hissed. "Give her a call?"
Jake shrugged. "I don't know…aren't you the crazy all-powerful shape-shifting magic demon child Vampire Queen?"
A pause. "Yeah. I am." She said, and he heard her yank her bass from its precarious situation and fly quickly off to, what he assumed to be, Bubblegum.
"Dang…I'm awesome at problem solving." Jake said, and whistled a little tune as he walked leisurely back to the Candy Kingdom, arms behind his head, sun high in the sky, and not a cloud in sight.
A/N
Okay...Sorry for the wait. Here it is. I'll be going back to suggestions now, so feel free to input! In response to Matrixdude (and to my own untimeliness) I'd like to say that I hope to have a chapter up at least once a month. I'm also 100% positive the next chapter will be smut. Writing all this emotional junk is exhausting.
***CONTEST TIME!***
So there have been LOADS of requests for their babies. I am totally going to do this. HOWEVER, I suck at names. SO...I'm holding a small contest for names. I need one boy name and one girl name. I'll take suggestions in comments (or on Tumblr, if you tumbl) and we'll hold a little poll and take votes and everything! I'll take suggestions for one week, and keep you up-to-date from there. Thanks for sticking with me!
-JD