Chapter Text
Bonnibel, Marceline, Lydia, Lady, and Betty stared out the windows of the large van that was carrying them further and further from the safe house. Aria was suckling at Marceline’s breast, and had finally stopped crying after being given some medication for the pain. The van was silent, as the women were all tired and afraid. They’d been on the road for four hours now, and Bonnibel refused to tell them where they were going.
“Somewhere that should be safe,” was all the princess would say.
They had stopped once, in a tiny village six miles from the safe house, where Betty and Bonnibel had broken into a closed pharmacy and stolen pain medication for Aria and Lady, as well as antibiotics and assorted medications that could be useful in the coming weeks. Bonnibel would normally have felt guilty about the theft, but she was concentrated on nothing but survival at the moment. All she wanted was for her friends and family to be okay.
“Do you think Daddy and Simon and Finn are alive?” Marceline asked, startling Lady, who was beginning to doze.
“Of course they are,” Bonnibel replied, her hands tightening on the steering wheel. “I’m sure they're all fine. We can try to contact them when we get to…when we get where we’re going.”
“I’m scared,” Marceline whispered. “What if…what if they find us again?”
“They won’t, Marmalade,” Bonnibel said, reaching over to take the vampire’s hand.
Bonnibel took a sharp turn that seemed as if it would lead the van straight into the forest. The pavement stopped, and the road turned to dirt and gravel. Bonnibel drove up the steep mountain, expertly navigating the twists and turns. Finally, they arrived at the top, and a log cabin came into view.
The cabin was big, and surrounded on three sides by both the forest, and a wraparound porch. A light was one in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and the sound of a large dog barking startled Aria awake. Suddenly, the cabin’s door slammed open, and a short man with a large shotgun stepped outside.
“Don’t shoot, Peps, it’s me!” Bonnibel yelled.
The man stepped into the light, and Marceline breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Peppermint Butler.
“Heel, Cerberus,” the man commanded to the huge dog that was growling at the van.
The dog sat, and Bonnibel threw open the door. She climbed out and ran to her butler, pulling him into a tight hug.
“How are you, my Princess?” Peppermint Butler asked.
“I’m fine, but we…we were attacked at the safe house by the Children of Glob. We couldn’t stay there. Is it okay if we-”
“Absolutely, my dear,” Peppermint Butler interrupted the Princess. “My home is your home. Please, come inside.”
Bonnibel motioned for the women to get out of the van. Marceline, Lydia, Lady, and Betty followed Peppermint Butler and Bonnibel into the cabin, carrying their luggage with them.
“I have plenty of spare rooms, so you can take your pick,” the butler said as he helped Marceline with Aria’s bag. “Please, let me know if I can get anyone anything.”
“Oh, Peps, this is your home. You don’t need to serve us here,” the princess reminded him.
“Nonsense,” Peppermint Butler replied. “You are my princess, and I shall serve you and your family no matter where we are. Now, I’m sure you're all exhausted. Let’s get you to your rooms.”
Peppermint Butler carried Aria and Lady’s bags up the stairs, while Bonnibel helped the Rainicorn steady herself as the pain medication clouded her vision. Betty held on tightly to Lydia’s arm as the woman navigated the stairs with her injured ankle.
“This is my room, and if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to wake me,” Peppermint Butler gestured to the door at the top of the staircase. “Over here,” he continued, pointing next door, “is where I would like the Princess, Marceline, and the little one to stay. There are certain…ancient protections around the room, and I just think you’d be safer there.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Peps,” Bonnibel said, tears springing into her eyes.
The butler hugged the princess and smiled.
“Just get some rest, my Princess.”
Marceline, Bonnibel, and Aria opened the door and were met by the comforting smell of sandalwood. Crystals hung from the ceiling and strange runes were carved into the baseboards. Marceline smiled faintly, as a peace seemed to come over her.
“I feel safe here, Bonnie,” the queen said, nuzzling Aria’s head. “I feel good. Like we’re going to be okay.”
“We are going to be okay, my love,” Bonnibel replied, taking Marceline’s hand. “All three of us. I promise.”
Marceline shifted Aria in her arms, and gently kissed her wife. They lingered, their bodies touching for just a moment before Bonnibel pulled away and smoothed her hair.
“We have a big day tomorrow. A lot of things learn and do. We should get to sleep soon,” Bonnibel smiled and squeezed the queen’s hand.
Marceline smiled and kissed Bonnibel’s cheek. The two women were startled when a knock sounded at the door.
“It’s me, ladies,” Peppermint Butler called out. “I hope I’m not bothering you…”
“Not at all,” Bonnibel replied, gliding to the door.
Peppermint Butler was standing at the doorway, smiling, and holding a beautiful bassinet, made of cherry wood and polished to shine.
“This is for the baby. Aria, right?” The butler asked.
Bonnibel, tears in her eyes, nodded.
“Peps, did you make this?” Marceline asked, running her hand along the silk mattress in the bottom of the bassinet.
“I started as soon as I heard the news that you were expecting, my queen,” the butler replied. “I hope you like it.”
“We love it,” Bonnibel smiled.
“Yeah,” Marceline replied, “it’s so beautiful.”
“I’ll put it right next to the bed so you wont even have to get up when she wakes,” Peppermint Butler said.
He carried the bassinet to the side of the bed and placed it down gently.
“Goodnight, ladies. Sleep well,” he said, closing the door behind him.
Marceline kissed Aria on the top of her head and laid her in the bassinet. She kicked her little legs a bit, and then settled down. Marceline stared down at her, smiling. Bonnibel joined her wife next to the bassinet, and the two watched as their daughter fell asleep.
Just as Marceline turned around to find a pair of pajamas, a familiar ringtone sounded from Bonnibel’s phone.
“It’s Finn,” Bonnibel breathed, staring at the phone, her hands shaking. “Hello? Finn?”
Bonnibel and Marceline smiled brightly when Finn’s face filled the screen.
“Hello, Bonnie. Marcy,” Finn said. “How are my two favorite girls?”
Tears began to run down Marceline’s face.
“Oh, Finn, I’m so glad you're safe,” she whispered. “I’ve never been so scared. Where are you?”
Finn took a deep breath.
“I’m actually outside the Fire Kingdom. Tomorrow morning we’re storming the castle, and we’re…We’re going to extinguish Flame Princess. She can’t be negotiated with, so we have to stop her any way we can.”
“Please, be careful,” Bonnibel begged. “I understand you have to do it, but please, be careful.”
Finn smiled, and brushed his long blond hair away from his eyes.
“I wish I could hold you two,” Finn said, smiling his boyish smile into the camera. “And I would love to see how big you must be by now, Marcy. You're due soon, right?”
“Actually,” Marceline stammered, “that’s something we need to talk about. I already had the baby. She’s doing fine. Her name is Aria.”
Finn smiled.
“That’s amazing, Marcy. I’m so happy for you guys. Is she as beautiful as her mommies?”
“Finn,” Bonnibel began, rubbing her eyes, “when I was removing the DNA from your sperm, I guess I didn’t get it all. Aria technically has three parents.”
“You’re her father, Finn,” Marceline said, looking into the hero’s eyes hopefully. “You’re her daddy.”
“Oh, my Glob,” Finn whispered. “She’s mine too? My little girl?”
Bonnibel and Marceline nodded. Finn brushed his hair back again and looked away from the camera. Then, he broke into a wide grin.
“I can’t believe it. I have a little girl. Can I see her? Does she look like me at all?”
Marceline nodded.
“Of course,” the queen whispered, excited by Finn’s response.
Marceline grabbed the phone and panned it down to the bassinet where Aria lay.
“Glob, she has my hair,” Finn whispered, choking up. “Wait, what happened to her eye?”
“We were attacked,” Bonnibel replied. “Men, Children of Glob, came in trying to find out what we planned to do, what our next move was. I told them, but they…They cut her, Finn.”
Bonnibel broke down into tears, and turned away. Marceline rubbed the princess’ back and sighed.
“Bonnie had to remove the eye because they damaged it so bad,” Marceline said.
Finn clinched his fist.
“I hate them. Every last one of them. Fuck them and their cult!” The hero cried. “She’s so perfect, how could anyone hurt her?”
“I don’t know hero,” Marceline whispered.
Finn heard a noise behind him and looked back. One of his soldiers was motioning him over.
“Hold on,” Finn said, putting down the phone and going over to the soldier.
Marceline and Bonnibel heard the men talking in soft whispers. When Finn came back, a look of steely determination was on his face.
“Our plans have changed. We’re going ahead with, well, with what we’re doing, tonight. I have to go, my loves. I’m so sorry.”
“Please be safe,” Bonnibel begged.
“We love you, Finn,” Marceline cried. “All three of us. You gotta be safe. Aria needs her Daddy.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I can,” Finn promised.
The screen went blank and Marceline threw herself on the bed, sobbing. Whether it was from worry for Finn, or relief that he wasn’t upset about Aria, she didn’t know. Bonnibel joined the queen on the bed, and wrapped her arms around her.
“He’s going to be okay, Marmalade,” Bonnibel cried. “He has to be.”
Eventually, the two women cried themselves to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the Flame Kingdom, Finn and his soldiers were moving strategically through the castle. Two guards lay dead at the front entrance, their necks broken. Finn felt guilty as he walked down the familiar hall, headed towards Phoebe’s bedroom, but he was willing to do anything to protect the women he loved, as well as his daughter.
Finn came to Phoebe’s room, and hesitated for just a moment. He remembered Aria’s face, her eye bandaged, and burst into the room with a water bomb ready in hand. The hero threw the bomb, and it exploded in a fountain of water that soaked the empty bed. Fear clutching his heart, Finn realized that the princess was not where she was supposed to be. He turned to face his men, and the world around him suddenly went black.