Chapter 17:

Seemingly by sheer miracle, Breakfast was able to regain control of the meeting long enough to dismiss the gathered Royals. As they rose and gathered their things to go, the breakfast treat admonished them all to provide her office with a list of activities for the following morning.

A grateful Finn rose himself in anticipation of escape. "Hey, babe," a voice announced. Finn turned to find Phoebe coming towards him. In one arm, she held the little surprise package she'd gifted him. Perched on her hip, little Spark watched the world with curious eyes. On either side, two additional little forms clung to Phoebe's skirt.

"Phoebes," Finn greeted his wife. As she approached, his eyes locked with the figure standing behind her. Jake Jr. stood aside to let the Flame King pass, though she almost balked at the addition.

"Torcho," Finn greeted the tall woman. Phoebe's cousin came dressed in an almost militaristic pantsuit, eerily mimicking Jake Jr.'s garb. Where Phoebe preferred to let her hair hang loose most of the time, Torcho kept hers almost mannishly short.

Seeing the expression that came over her husband's face, the Flame King announced, "meet my new head of security." Wrinkling her nose, she added, "though I guess you already met..."

Gathering up his son, the big man responded, "yeah. We've met before. Family's meeting in the private wing right now. You coming?" Phoebe rolled her eyes. As if she wanted to miss being with her hubby.

Beyond the door to the private wing, a meeting of a different sort was already underway. Finding Blargetha waiting in the passage behind the throne, Nadia demanded, "why did you do that?!"

She sounded as if she wanted to belt the younger slime princess. "Because I wanted to take it out of the realm of Finn's decision," Blargetha retorted. Turning to face the tall cyborg, she said, "do you not imagine that I see your influence on him? That you'd want to turn your back on our husband because of your own squeamishness?"

Nadia's fists clenched, and her teeth grit together as if she might grind them to nothing and have an empty mouth. "We can't harvest the reactors, Nadia," Blargetha murmured. "Martin was employed by somebody. We don't know who. We don't know where. Those people are still out there. They know the Devourer exists. They may even have some idea where it is."

The tall cyborg burst into tears. Blargetha hugged her, muttering, "I don't want to do this to you, but I have no choice."

The closing of the door announced that they were no longer alone. "I don't want to have this conversation right now," Finn muttered. The big man stood there with two of his kids in his arms, telling something of his frame of mind just now.

Turning to Finn, Blargetha said, "I'm sorry, babe, but we have to plan our way forward. I know it would make things easier building a homeland for the humans, if we could just strip the habitat, but a homeland does them no good at all if aliens blow Ooo up. We shouldn't even harvest the iron from the shell. It can serve as armor against whatever they have to dish out. That asteroid isn't just a rock or even a habitat. It's the closet thing we have to a battleship, and we need it to protect this world."

"This matter was tabled," Bonnie grated. While Nadia would never so much as slap someone, Bonnie was quite capable of violence.

Still, Blargetha pressed ahead, reminding Finn, "you don't even have money right now to finish the second big gun you'd proposed to build. Where would you find money to replace what dropped into our arms? Much of the infrastructure's already there..."

Bonnie stepped forward, fists raised. Blargetha responed, "I wouldn't be pressing this, if I didn't think it was critical. Look, maybe we'll find another of the missing habitats. The humans built thirty of the damned things. There's got to be at least a couple more floating around out there. I'm... I'm still working on the power project for the colony. We've got things we can do."

With a heavy-hearted sigh, Finn said, "do what you need to do, Princess." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

When Blargetha might have followed, her older sister stopped her, remarking, "he needs space, sister. Finn always comes to the right answer, when he has time and space enough to think."

Turning to the two brainiacs, she added, "and you two need to grow up. One thing I agree with Breezy on is that we all need a dose of reality. Our pretty morals mean nothing to those damned creatures. Given they've tried three times, we should assume this isn't over."

Bonnie glanced at her feet. When Billy put Martin Mertens in the Crystal Prison, she'd just assumed the whole thing was over and done with. A part of her wanted to dig him up and piss on him for ever letting Finn know where to find that bastard. Things had never been the same after that, with Finn becoming ever more distant from her.

"Are you ever going to not be an arrogant know-it-all," Phoebe demanded? The curvy elemental took Bonnie by the wrist and half-dragged her down the hall, breaking the dreary mood that the confrontation had caused.

Outside, the various Royal Visitors were emerging into the late evening sun. In spite of the longer days, the air was chill enough to discourage socializing, so there was a queue at the bottom of the stairs as the cars and carriages came to whisk their owners away.

As she watched the alien shape of the Crab Princess climb into one of the vehicles, Tania asked, "ok, so who's Martin? And what's a devourer?" "Long story," muttered Henrietta, as they made their way to the exit. "Short version," Tania responded. With a sigh, Henrietta declared, "Martin's human, like you. He is—or was—the King's father."

Tania glanced over her shoulder. Henrietta pulled her along out the door. As the pair descended the steps, the would-be Peanut-Princess declared, "Martin is believed to have come from a colony like yours... possibly even the same one. He joined with aliens from beyond our world."

Tania muttered, "he might have been a Seeker or maybe a Helper." When Henrietta glanced at her, the blonde explained, "they were the hidden folk who ran the Ark. They had access to all the machinery that kept the city functioning. My family knew about them because my father worked with them to hide their presence and keep the city running."

Nodding, Henrietta explained, "Martin came here three times searching for the Devourer. It's an ancient creature buried in our world's heart. According to things Bonnibel discovered, the aliens may have tempted your ancestors with terrible weapons and science, tricking them into wrecking the world..."

The pair had reached the bottom of the stairs. Now, Tania stopped stock still where she was and stared at Henrietta in horror. "The creature's valuable, Tania," Henrietta chuckled. "Blargetha's a blowhard and opportunist, but she's not lying. Those creatures, wherever they are, want the monster inside our world. They've tried three times to hatch it... four if you count tricking your ancestors."

"How is that fucker sitting on that throne, then," demanded Tania? "If his old man..." "His father abandoned him here," Henrietta responded. "Finn was raised by a family of dogs. That girl... That's Jake the Dog's daughter. I guess now he's retired, his kid's taken up his old life."

"Who's Jake the Dog," Tania asked? "Finn's adopted brother," Henrietta responded. "He and Finn spent their youth working for Bonnibel as her henchmen. Jake's the older brother. He's gone a bit to seed and now works as the Candy Kingdom's Postmaster."

Moving on, Henrietta explained, "as nearly as I can tell, Finn had only met his father once, when Martin returned here, scouting for his mysterious masters. They fought, and Martin escaped. The next time Finn saw him, he killed Martin... chopped off his arm and beat him to death with it."

Tania shuddered in horror. King Finn had seemed like a violent, brutal man when they first met him. Now, she had confirmation of their fears.

As Henrietta's hired car rolled up, Tania asked, "can they really take control of the Ark?" "Blargetha has the knowledge to build terrifying weapons like the ones that smashed the old world, Tania," responded Henrietta. "If anybody could gain control over the Ark, it would be her."

The chauffeur opened the door, and the pair climbed aboard. As the door shut, Tania rolled up the partition window, isolating them from their driver. "Could we bribe her," Tania asked? "Could she help us build a ship to get our people back up to the Ark?"

The fat peanut-woman chuckled, "Finn keeps her like a dog on a leash. Rumors are that he or one of his honeys inflicted a terrifying curse on her that keeps her in check. If she once crosses the line, he can kill her with a thought." "So much for that idea," sighed Tania. "Who do we have on our side again?"

The fat peanut grimaced at that very dangerous question. They hadn't been making a lot of progress these last months. News that the operation in the east to recover pieces of Nagumo's war machines had very nearly unraveled had sent several of their allies into hiding. It looked very much like Finn the Human was ascendant with few, if any, obstacles in his way.

"We have allies building a factory to help weaponize the materials from the east, Tania," Henrietta responded. "We have the primary item—the light-gun that Nagumo's soldiers were using. Gumbald believes it can be made bigger, possibly big enough to smash the Candy Capitol in one shot. Be patient. This isn't going to be a sprint. I think we all see that now."

Inside the palace's private wing, the Finn-family settled around the dinner-table as the Candy Palace's chefs wheeled out a feast. There were candied mussels, oceans of spaghetti in Finn's favorite 'spice' sauce with chopped sausage. Steak and chicken was provided in abundance, while a line of massive cakes in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla icing waited in the wings.

For some of the family, it was a reminder of better days before the troubles. For others, it was a chance to reconnect with folk they hadn't seen much of.

Of course, there was also a definite pecking order as well, with many of the gathering sitting at tables around the periphery of the big dining hall. Jake Junior was one such. She found herself in a shadowy corner with the Agent Princess of all people. It would've been a cozy table for two, if she'd been sharing it with the man at the head of the big table. Instead, she was sharing it with someone she didn't really like or trust.

Don't be an idiot, Jake, she told herself. She was ants-in-the-pants horny right now and fertile like a turtle. What she really needed was to get hosed off with a fire-hose or something after a long, long walk in the cold.

The sight of him there, bouncing those three kids on his lap, had her thinking dangerous thoughts. She could just do it. It was already fated. She was going to get pregnant by her uncle. She'd even caught herself pondering names for the three children she'd seen in her vision. Finn was such a good dad, a part of her believed he could change the fate of those children—make it so they lived a decent life, instead of repeating the ugliness of her youth.

Don't do this to him, Jake, she thought. The slim woman rose to go, startling the spy. Without a word, Jake glided to the door. It was a cinch that nobody at the three main tables was going to notice her—the sidechick—leaving.

He doesn't need you tonight, she told herself, as she made her way down the hall. He had them. More to the point, they were going to be inside the palace and away from backstabbing dicks, so he didn't need a barely-tamed murderess at his side.

Striding quickly, the shapechanger made her way down the hall and ran right into the chest of a much taller woman. Bouncing off the stranger's plump boobies, Jake would have cussed her if she hadn't got a glimpse of those red eyes. "Hey, kid," Marceline murmured. "I heard the party was this way..."

"Y-yeah," Jake Jr. burbled, as she took in the sight of Satan herself standing there in all her glory, looking natty in a sexy strapless dress. When Marceline moved to go around her, the shapechanger stepped back in the way. Puzzled, the arch-demon went to move around her again, only to get the same result. "E-heh," Jake giggled, though a dangerous idea had begun to form in her mind.

Marysia turned from the fire at the sound of the door opening, allowing the flames to die down. Odessa came striding in, looking the business in that sexy gown. Heels click-clacking on the floor, hips wig-wagging, the taller woman came striding towards her pet elemental.

"Not much," Masia announced, with a grimace. "There's... It's not like some of the other flesh-creature homes..." "No," Odessa agreed. "Bonnibel was never a lover of the poor, rustic ways of us mere mortals, child."

The younger woman glanced at the floor, her face a mask of fear. Striding up, the evil grandmother reached out and tipped Masia's face up. "Think, child," Odessa rumbled. "There's a lesson here, can you but see it..."

"I... my powers...," Marysia responded. Tapping the side of her head, Odessa responded, "your real power is in here, girl." Stepping around her, the tall woman queried, "are there not animals in your land? Beasts of the expanse outside of your civilization...?"

Nodding, Masia responded, "yes. Lava Moles and Flame-Fleas and Fire Wolves..." "And what sets you above those creatures," Odessa asked? Flushing to her hair, Marysia responded, "I'm sorry I'm failing you, my lady."

Turning towards her, Odessa responded, "you're a child, Masia, and your mother's been failing to teach you. Your sister does alright. She's focused and clever..."

Marysia couldn't help the look of utterest rage that came to her face, nor the way her body tensed. Glancing up into her patron's eyes, she realized she'd just been gamed. Even if she believed those things, Odessa only used them now as a way to provoke a reaction.

Forcing herself to calm down, she began to think. She had to save her position. "They can't be spied on in that structure," she rumbled. "The last time I really tried, I got sucked into that thing in the basement." "The great power-source Bonnibel built," chuckled Odessa.

Marysia's face snapped up. "I... somehow I have to learn of when they're not in the palace," she murmured, "when he's not in the palace..." "Closer," Odessa responded.

In response to Masia's frowned, Odessa chuckled, "he's a man, child. Perhaps the most manly of men to come along in centuries." Masia flushed at what the tall woman was implying. Her idiot sister was one of over half a dozen. The King kept nearly two dozen himself, according to rumors.

Rolling her eyes, Odessa chuckled, "your mother was horrid at raising a girl-child. Do you even know what pillow-talk is?" Marysia's face snapped up. Stepping around her, the tall woman reached around the girl and cupped those heavy knockers she sported, whispering, "do you even know what this is for?"

"You're a woman," said Odessa. "Men covet this." Marysia was a little startled that Odessa would touch her, and it took a moment to recover. "It's laughable, but when they get what they want, they typically drop their guard," Odessa declared.

Stepping around in front of Marysia once more, she said, "they tell their paramours things that they might not tell their closest advisors. That's going to be especially true of this particular man, since many of those wenches are his advisors."

The young girl stammered, "do you think they would tell their friends?" The idea seemed mad. "They might not tell their friends, girl, but they might discuss it somewhere that you can be placed to listen... a room with a fireplace... maybe a private dining room with candles..."

Marysia glanced down at her toes in embarrassment. Petting her on the cheek, Odessa chuckled, "I've been at this a while, dear child. Listen and learn."

Padding around her, the tall princess explained how they would create opportunities to spy by drawing the King of Ooo out of his palace and all its protections. They'd get him out into the wilds around the kingdom, where they could listen in on his plans. And failing that, they'd go after his various wives and lovers.

As Odessa instructed her pupil in treachery, one of their foe's paramours was in the middle of a very emotional conversation about the King himself. The shapechanger had convinced Marceline to come out on one of the balconies to chat. However, instead of the promised conversation about all that had gone on after she left the Glass Kingdom, Jake wanted to talk about her little problem.

"I can't give him cursed monsters for kids," the shapechanger howled! "I can't do that to him!" "You mean you don't want to," Marcie chuckled.

When the shapechanger glared at her, Marcie responded, "can't's got nothing to do with it. Unless you have yourself sterilized, babies are in the picture, kid. Messed-up as you are, they'll probably be some o'that messed up, too."

"But you could help," Jake pleaded! Now, the Lady of Darkness began to get an inkling of what this conversation was about. She'd assumed this was a pity-party. Having thrown enough of her own over the years, she'd been prepared to blow Jake's kid off and move on.

With a heavy-hearted sigh, Marceline said, "you think I can do something about this, kid, but I can't." "Can't you," Jake Jr. pleaded? "You have all kinds of power now. Your dad's guy made my aunt... just conjured her up."

The Lady of Darkness turned her demonic eyes on the younger woman. It was time for a lesson. The former undead rocker's eyes burned with a darkness so deep that it beggared the void between worlds. "What would you wish for, Ms. Rainicorn," the demon growled?

Jake felt her knees knocking together, and she shrank back from the abyss in those eyes. She desperately wished to hide from the Queen of Hell's terrifying gaze, but there was nowhere to run on that terrace.

"You had some idea," growled the demon. "What was it?" When Jake refused to answer, Marceline raised her hand. Her eyes glowed as she blew the strange girl a kiss. As she watched, a shudder went through the younger woman, starting at the top of her head going all the way down to those curvy hips she sported. Then, with no further word, Jake Jr. turned and strode back into the hallway. Marceline chuckled, wondering what the weenie was going to do with this.

Finn was standing over the high-chair occupied by Ember, when Jake Jr. re-entered the space. With nearly everyone focused on the antics of the little girl, no-one paid attention as Jake shrugged off the jacket she was wearing. The silk blouse she wore underneath was completely transparent—the sort of thing you were supposed to wear over a camisole. Jake had omitted the cami in favor of a lacy push-up bra in white that left her nips hangin' out.

The outfit and the bra made her feel sexy. Finn had bought both for her, and wearing them made her think of the time they'd spent tooling around on the train, when he would use her body to distract his opponents, then plow the shit out of her that night.

Hips wig-wagging sensually, the young woman strode towards where Finn was talking to Simone and Roselinen. Stopping before him, the shapechanger stood there hips cocked to the side, licking those red, red lips.

It was only the fact that pretty much everybody had stopped talking that alerted Finn. As he turned to face her, Jake threw herself on him, grinding that hot little body against his. She even tried to shove his hand down the front of her pants.

"Jake," Finn shouted, but the shapechanger kept right on trying to get naked with him. Thankfully, Simone grabbed Jake from behind and spun her around. At the same time, she chilled the air around the young woman to a fearsome degree. Immediately Jake snapped out of whatever had afflicted her.

Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms over her chest to cover herself. Grabbing her former niece, Simone pulled her close, nodding for Rosie to go grab the jacket that lay near the door.

"Phew," Finn breathed. Marceline burst out laughing. The Queen of Hell stood in the door Jake had just come through, looking the business in a strapless dress, her pale lips daubed in red to match her eyes. "I think she wanted to give you something," chuckled the former vampire queen.

Those words earned a glare from Simone, as she realized why Jake Jr. had just flipped out after basically heading out to go home. Knowing the things that were afflicting her once-and-former niece, Simone had some idea what was going on Jake's mind.

Scooping up the frazzled shapechanger, the Ice Queen announced, "Rosie and I are going to put her to bed. You all carry on." With no further word, the King's first and second wives left the space.

Heels thumping on the floor, Marceline strolled over and laid a scorcher of a kiss on Finn's lips. Though he had a pretty good idea what had just happened, the big man tried not to show irritation. Instead, he offered, "glad you could make it."

Frowning, Marcie burbled, "is that all I get, weenie?" "The dance was yesterday," Finn retorted. "You kinda' missed some of the fun."

The Lady of Darkness glanced away, her face flushing. Finn imagined she'd gotten caught up in terrorizing her minions or counting the damned in the soul-pits. Truth? He sometimes suspected that Hunsen found ways to occupy Marcie, so she didn't spend too much time with the family. It was his way of weaning his daughter off needing the companionship of her old life.

Taking her by the arm, the big man steered her into an empty space between the tables. "Beemo," he announced, as he began to sweep his wayward wife around.

The game-bot began to play a thumpin' tune as Finn danced with Marceline. Indeed, a lot of the occupants of the room began to tap their feet or clap along—all but one.

Bonnibel Bubblegum had spent much of the evening partaking liberally of the wine. She'd been in a snit since the end of the council session, and the sight of Finn kissing fucking Blargetha earlier had done little to help matters.

There was a part of her that sometimes wanted to wreck this whole business. She'd seen Finn first, after all. Of course, there was a corollary there that she sometimes strove not to think about because she'd also been the first of the women in this room to shit on him, ironically over the woman he was dancing with.

Across the room, the Lady of Darkness glanced up at Bonnie, her red eyes holding hints of humor. Bonnie found herself wanting to glance away, at the same time she wanted to kick Finn in the nuts and storm out.

Rising, she put down the glass she'd been drinking from, strode across the space, and cut in on the pair dancing in the middle of the room. Far from being annoyed, Finn stepped back and almost immediately returned to his little girl, which somewhat deflated Bonnie's defiant effort to stick a finger in his eye.

Shaking her head and chuckling, Marceline said, "hey. Take a walk with me." For a wonder, Bonnie went along, taking the pall she'd cast over the gathering with her. Mercifully, nobody clapped as the pair exited the room.

Minutes later, Bonnie Marceline led the way out onto the terrace she'd left not very long ago. Standing at the door, Bonnie stared at the city, the sky, and the towering castle walls—really anything but the woman who'd asked her to come out here.

"Talk to me, Bonnie," the Lady of Darkness murmured. "You're obviously pissed about something he's done or said." The tall princess grimaced in response. Marceline chuckled, "spending more time this evening talking to Finn's girls than talking to the man himself."

Bonnie flushed to her hair. Wrapping her arms around her ex-girlfriend, Marceline murmured, "do you think that anybody is perfectly happy in this little experiment, babe?" Bonnie stepped back from her, her blue eyes gone wide.

"I just got done talking to a girl who's desperately, madly in love with my husband, but she's nothing but a sidechick to him. She's terrified of getting preggers and desperate to have his babies all at the same time." "You mean Jr.," Bonnie murmured.

"What I mean is that we have to be more than girls, Bonnie," Marceline whispered. "I sit here and think of all the times he was crying out for me to love him back... all the times he went to the mat for me, risking every flippin' thing and I treated him like gum on my shoe. Because girl. I'm a girl and fickle as fuck, but I got no more time to be fickle."

Sitting down on the bench, the former vampire-queen pat the stone beside her. When Bonnie had sat herself, Marceline murmured, "in one hundred years, dad steps down as Lord of the Night-O-Sphere for good. I... go from being the anti-glob to being officially in charge. After, I can't ever come back, Bonnie. I got no more time for the games. I... have to grow up."

Bonnie muttered, "I guess we'll spend the next century with you telling me that because so far it's been failing to stick." Marceline took her hand and gave it a squeeze, offering, "girl, Bonnie. We have handicaps."

Glancing over, she said, "you came clean with him, Bonnie. That took guts. We're gonna' fix this, ok." With a sigh, Bonnie nodded.

"Ok," said Marcie. "What's eating you? The way you were walking says you've had more than a few tonight." "He's listening to fucking Blargetha," Bonnie blurted. "And not to you," Marcie chuckled.

The candy princess tensed for a moment. Blowing out a breath, she said, "people used to hang on my every word because..." "...you were the smartest in the room," Marcie agreed. Hugging her closest almost-sister, the tall brunette murmured, "you still are smartest, Bonnie, but have you ever thought that maybe you're not the wisest person in the room?"

Bonnibel Bubblegum's eyes got big, and she stared at Marceline. Stroking her long, sticky hair, Marcie crooned a tune for her—a song from a long, long time ago.

A disturbed Bonnie stared straight ahead into the gathering gloom. That had been 'their song'. We're not a couple anymore, she thought. So what are we?

"Wisdom isn't intelligence," Bonnie murmured. "I know that." Glancing at her ex, she murmured, "wisdom comes from experience..." "Sometimes," Marceline allowed, "but sometimes it's just being able to keep an open mind and listen to what others have to say..." Glancing at her ex, she added, "hard-won wisdom there."

When Bonnie glanced at her, the Lady of Darkness was staring straight ahead, as she admitted, "I didn't always listen..." Moments later, her face screwed up in a rictus of pain, the tall princess admitted, "I didn't listen very much. I... heard what I wanted to hear." "Me too," Marcie admitted. "Let's both start listening... for real." Glancing at Bonnie, she said, "and not just to each other, ok? We're... part of a family. It's kinda' messed up, but it's pretty wonderful anyway."

"Ok," Bonnie agreed. Marceline gathered herself to her feet. Said she, "need to square something away with Simone. We'll talk some more before I go back."

I think somebody asked for Marceline... :)