A/U: Been getting myself back into the writing groove now that school has calmed down a bit, been focusing more on short stories recently before I take a crack at making a sequel to my first story. Figured I'd start this collection off with an idea that I couldn't get out of my head. I'm usually not a fan of 'gritty reboot' stuff, but this was persistent so I finally sat down and wrote it. I'm happy with it but I don't have any current plans of continuing, though that may always change. Let me know what you all think :)

Bubblegum hated going to the Grasslands Tavern on the best of nights, but it seemed like every lowlife in Ooo had come out for a drink this evening just to spite her. She pushed her way through the motley crowd, trusting her robes and hood to keep her face hidden well enough to avoid being recognized as she made her way towards the barkeep. These were the rogues and cutthroats of Ooo, and many of them had no love for her or the Candy Kingdom. A chill ran down her spine when she thought of what they might do to her if they discovered who she was, but she knew that the risk was necessary. She found the person she was looking for, a large blue-skinned man standing easily behind the bar cleaning a mug and keeping an eye on the scum and villainy crowding the establishment. She approached quickly, stealing an open seat near to him and lifted a gloved hand to get his attention. He made a show of putting the mug away before sallying over to her with his arms crossed.

"You look a might out of place here lady, best keep your wits about you." He grumbled, "What can I get you?"

"Just information thanks," Bubblegum replied, keeping her voice low, "Can you tell me where Finn is?"

Bubblegum shuddered as she felt the barkeep's gaze fall across her body, despite her robes concealing her. He gave her a lecherous grin and jerked his thumb towards an archway leading further inside.

"Same room as always, just through there, though if you're here to try and get a tumble out of him I'd forget about it, that lady of his isn't partial to sharing."

"I beg your pardon!" Bubblegum snapped back, immediately regretting raising her voice as several heads turned in their direction. She pulled herself a little further into her cloak and quieted, remembering that her pride wasn't worth getting caught by the people here. The barkeep raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst, and eyed her suspiciously for a long moment. He then broke into harsh laughter and thumped the bar a few times.

"Oh girl you are in for some trouble. Go on back, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

With that he turned his back on her, turning his attention to paying customers and leaving her to try and pick out a path through the mill of bodies. Crowded tables littered the tavern, all overflowing with loud and restless figures. She recognized a few from their scars or distinguishing features that she had personally exiled from the kingdom over the years. She took special care to give them wide berth as she made her way towards the second half of the tree. Walking through the archway brought her into a much smaller room, dimly lit and surprisingly quiet despite the cacophony behind her. She wandered a few steps in, peering through the shadows of the room to get her bearings. A large table sat in the middle of the room, and a lone candle flickered in the center of it, barely providing enough light to let her see the wooden surface. She also saw the outline of a large figure behind the table, seated easily in a chair with a mug dangling from its hand. The princess approached the table slowly, seeing a chair and moving towards it to sit, when she froze. A deep and resonating growl emanated from under the table, and Bubblegum backed off a few steps as a massive yellow dog emerged, baring its teeth in warning. She stared at it for a moment before recognizing the animal, and she swallowed slowly and waited.

"Easy Jake, she's not worth your time." The figure said, his voice gruff.

Bubblegum watched the dog hold her gaze for a moment longer before turning, padding back to sit at his owner's side. A glint of light reflected in the darkness as the figure reached a metallic arm out from the shadows to rub the dog's head. Content, Jake laid down and snuffed, keeping his eyes locked on Bubblegum at all times.

"Long time Bubblegum, can't say I expected to see you here." The man continued, "It's really not safe for a princess to be in a place like this you know..." He trailed off with a deep chuckle that unsettled Bubblegum to hear.

"There was a time when this wasn't your crowd either Finn." She returned, gathering up her pride and seating herself confidently at the table. It was mostly an act, but she couldn't let him get any advantage over her if this conversation was going to end well.

Finn's chuckle continued, and she watched him straighten in his seat and lean forward into the light. It had been a few years since Bubblegum had last seen him, and he had evidently gotten himself into a fair amount of danger in the interim. His long hair was short now, practically cut down to his skull leaving little more than golden fuzz atop his head. He bore a pair of grizzled scars down his left cheek, she could only assume the result of some battle or other, and his nose seemed crooked, likely from being broken at some point. Years ago, she would have been horrified to see him in such a state, but now it just made him seem all the more intimidating to her.

"But that was a long time ago, Princess," he put extra emphasis on the word, "and you'd never come this far to chit-chat, so let's have it."

The pair locked eyes, and Bubblegum considered trying to keep conversing with him, but she knew it would be a waste of time. She didn't need anything from him but his blade, and frankly she didn't have to talk to him directly to get it.

"Something terrible has happened-" she began, before Finn cut her off with a scoff.

"There's always something terrible happening in Ooo, a lot of the men here would say you're one of them."

Bubblegum felt her spine stiffen and she eyed him with a mixture of irritation and caution, but she did everything she could to keep her voice even. "So then you should understand the importance of me being here."

Finn closed his mouth pensively, watching her. She had a point, as there was no way she'd ever have come to the tavern unless it had been absolutely crucial. It was also impossible that she was here for any reason other than because she needed him to save her kingdom. He felt a little knot of anger flare up in his chest, a long-held resentment towards her for the years she spent throwing him at her problems and patting him on the head for a reward. He'd had his fill of that, and of her frankly; the past five years had been liberating, exciting, and fulfilling for him in ways his younger self would never have imagined. He shook his head and looked away from Bubblegum.

"Important enough that you have to come make me deal with it, what a surprise. You know you haven't changed a bit Bubblegum, still willing to let anybody else take the hit for you." Finn couldn't stop his bitterness from seeping into his words, but he didn't particularly care about her feelings anyways.

"I'm not really here for you at all Finn, I'm more interested in talking to Marceline." Bubblegum replied cooly, making a show of brushing some dust off of her cloak.

Finn let out an incredulous laugh, shaking his head at the pink princess. "Really? If you think I'm not happy to see you then should be glad she hasn't taken your head off already."

Bubblegum grit her teeth, becoming tired of Finn's carrying on. "Get over it Finn, you and Marceline were in my kingdom and subject to my laws. I don't care if you're a farmer, a vampire, or the 'great hero of Ooo'," she spoke the title with digust, "but in MY kingdom, you will answer for your crimes. Exiling the pair of you was what I had to do."

"Don't give me that, you did it because you needed to save face in front of your precious people instead of doing what you should have done and taken the blame with us."

"I don't have time to sit here and argue about this Finn, don't be a child. Everyone's actions have consequences." She tried to turn a fierce look to him but she was actually scared by the rage she saw in his eyes. Finn raised his left arm and smashed it down on the table, splintering some of the thick wood and rattling the candle there.

"A child? We almost DIED trying to stop those creatures, and you threw us to the wolves when we wouldn't help you cover it up!" He roared at her, rising from his seat to tower over her even from across the table. Jake flew to his feet at Finn's side but stayed where he was, waiting for an order before charging forward.

"You two almost blew up my castle and everyone in it, and you would have started a mass panic. I had to keep the kingdom safe."

"Your kingdom would be safer without you in it." Finn stated with finality, turning his back to her. "I'm done. Marceline, you can waste your time on her if you want."

A dead silence filled the room before Bubblegum felt a presence appear beside her. She rose and turned to look at Marceline face-to-face, trying to read the vampire's body language to know what to expect. It disturbed her that Marceline showed her nothing, standing impassively like a gargoyle before her. A long moment passed between the two before Marceline finally spoke.

"What do you want Bonnibel?" Marceline's voice was smooth and forceful, and Bubblegum recognized the tone of a person who was an inch away from snapping.

"There's a lot more at stake than just the Candy Kingdom this time and despite our grievances, I need your help." The princess said quietly.

"Choose Goose says you've got the Ice King and Abracadaniel doing your dirty work these days. Glob knows what you had to... offer them to get them to cooperate." The Vampire Queen sneered, "So why aren't they on this?"

Another moment of silence fell over the room, and even Finn turned back to look at Bubblegum. The princess met Marceline's gaze for a few moments before reaching into her robes and pulling out a small metal disc. With a flick, she tossed it onto the busted table, where it wobbled a few times before coming to rest. A half beat later, the disc flared to life and a holographic image sprung out of it, glowing faintly in the dim lighting. Finn and Marceline stared at it, taking a moment to recognize the image as the Ice Kingdom.

"Guess you two haven't been outside today." Bubblegum said disdainfully, as the pair looked on.

The image was clear, though fairly pink, and appeared to be a feed from some form of surveillance Bubblegum had set up looking at the mountain. The paths and mountain base looked the same, but it was impossible to miss the large crystalline structure that now dominated the top half of the mountain. Finn had to lean in closer to see well enough to identify it, but even his eyes widened when he saw what the ice sculpture was.

It was Lemongrab's face.

Marceline placed her hands on the side of the table and Bubblegum heard the wood creak under the force of her grip.

"What happened to Simon?" She asked, her voice almost faltering and her shoulders shaking with rage.

"I don't know, and that is why I'm here." Bubblegum explained, "The Ice King wouldn't do this willingly, he loves that mountain, so he's either a prisoner, or... well, or Lemongrab is the owner of the crown now."

The tension in the room held as Bubblegum's news was digested by Finn and Marceline. The pair exchanged looks, Finn recognizing the rage and determination in Marceline's eyes well enough by now to know what she was thinking.

"If this is some kind of trick, or an experiment, or a trap..." Marceline said ominously, not looking at Bubblegum's face, "then there will be nothing in Ooo that will save you from me." With that the vampire straightened and started heading for the door.

Finn sighed slightly and reached behind his chair, retrieving a large two-handed axe that sat behind it. He quickly strapped it to his back, fastening a leather harness across his broad chest and moving to follow Marceline. Bubblegum stayed quiet, knowing enough to keep her mouth shut for the moment as she walked out with the pair, feeling Jake's large body staying close to her.

The din of the tavern returned after passing through the archway to the main room, and Bubblegum watched Finn and Marceline walk straight through the crowd, even the drunkest of patrons getting out of their way. She followed close behind them, somewhat interested in what had occurred in the past for a room of selfish thugs to give them such wide berth. They had crossed about half of the room before Bubblegum felt a tug on her cloak, and she turned to see an angry pair of yellow eyes staring at her. She immediately tried to skip forward a step, reflexively getting herself closer to Finn, but the tug on her robe turned into a forceful grab, keeping her from advancing.

"Well well well, old Thomas was right after all." She heard a raspy voice hiss, close to her ear, "The princess of the Candy Kingdom really is here."

Bubblegum turned to face the rogue more slowly, not recognizing the voice or face but understanding his intent nonetheless. He had a strong grip on her robe with one hand, and was slowly drawing out a long dagger with his other. He had a lizardlike body, covered with hard red scales, and Bubblegum saw some form of blade affixed to his tail behind him.

"There are a handful of people who would reward me with a fortune for your head Bubblegum." He continued, waving his blade near her face, "Some of them you know quite well in fact..."

"That's enough from you Silus." Finn's strong voice cut in, his hand clenching the lizard's hard enough to cause the scaled bandit to release his grip. Bubblegum scooted back, watching as Silus turned his blade towards Finn.

"You don't like her either Finn, stay out of this. Ooo could use some change in leadership."

Finn let go of Silus' hand but remained standing in between him and Bubblegum. "It isn't going to happen today, until my business with her is done Bubblegum is under my protection."

"You don't always call the shots around here Finn. One of these days you're going to piss off the wrong people." As he spoke, two more red lizard-men rose up on his flanks, all three staring at Finn with an assortment of weapons drawn.

"Don't do something you're going to regret Silus," the blonde man warned in a quieter voice, "I'm already in the mood to hurt something."

Bubblegum noticed the noise in the tavern die down as the crowd naturally moved apart, forming a decent sized circle around Finn and the lizard-folk. She also noticed Marceline was gone, but likely hadn't gone far. The vampire queen wasn't about to stop them from hurting her, but Bubblegum figured she'd have Finn's back if anything happened.

Silus and Finn continued to face off, neither making a move for a few long moments. Finn breathed easily, making a quick note of what weapons they all held but keeping his focus on Silus. The lizard was quick, and Finn knew from experience that he was also a dirty fighter. He couldn't see Marceline, but he'd felt her brush her hand along his shoulder when she'd passed him invisibly, and he knew she would be in position to keep his friends out of the fight. The crowd stared on, willing the fight to start so they could see some bloodshed. Finn waited for another few moments, making absolutely sure Marceline had time to get behind the trio, before intentionally breaking eye contact with Silus and moving to turn. The lizard immediately took the bait, charging forward with an angry hiss and swinging his long knife clumsily at Finn's chest. Finn moved his metal arm to intercept, but he kept his eyes fixated on Silus' tail, not trusting the lizard to not have a trick up his sleeve. Sure enough, before the blade could connect with Finn's blocking arm the lizard twisted, using his momentum to help fling his muscled tail blade at Finn's head. The man reacted quickly, leaning back and bringing his other arm straight up, trusting his reflexes. He felt his hand encircle the tail, close to the blade but not on it, and he clenched it closed and held his arm steady. The lizard jerked, his turn cut off by his tensed tail stopping dead in the air, and Silus' eyes flew wildly to Finn's hand, which had neatly caught his tail mid-swipe. The action paused for the briefest moment, long enough for Finn and Silus to lock eyes before Finn's metal arm reached for a blade of his own at his side. In a flash, the dagger flew free and slashed upwards, and Silus roared out in pain as blood sprayed from his tail.

Bubblegum heard a wet thud and looked to the floor at Finn's side, where the top half of Silus' tail still twitched. She also noticed Jake, still at her side, bare his teeth at the tail in what almost seemed like a mocking manner. Her attention snapped back to the fight as Finn exploded forward, his metal arm dropping the knife in favor of fixing around the lizard's throat. With a grunt, Finn lifted him clear from the ground, exerting enough pressure on Silus' neck to make his drop his knife as well. The lizard's two allies started to move forward to help, but both came up short when Marceline appeared between them, a small thin blade held at each one's throat. The vampire turned her gaze slowly from one to the other, daring either to move. They both settled, standing tensely still as they watched their friend dangle in Finn's grasp.

"Don't say I didn't warn you Silus." Finn said coldly, loud enough for those nearby to hear, "Challenge me again and it will be your life." He drew his arm back and cast outwards, flinging the smaller lizard across the room where he smashed heavily into one of the thick wooden supports of the tavern. The wood creaked but held, and Silus collapsed in a heap on the ground, breathing shallowly. The crowd stayed silent for only a moment after the fight clearly concluded, before erupting into cheers and laughter. Marceline lowered her blades and the other lizards ran to Silus' side, scooping him up and carrying him into the crowd, disappearing from sight. The rest of the tavern fell back into their individual activities, though the space around Finn remained wide.

Marceline walked up to Finn and floated up hover rest face-to-face with the man. They exchanged grins before pressing their lips together, sharing a quick kiss before turning their attention back to Bubblegum. Finn's brief smile melted away when he looked at the princess, and he jerked his head toward to exit to the tavern before scooping up his knife heading that way himself. Bubblegum fell in behind them again, if nothing else confident that they wouldn't be interrupted again.

Night had settled during the time she'd spent in the tavern, and a cool wind blew across the hills of the Grasslands. In the distance, the Ice Kingdom loomed, with the crystalline face of Lemongrab sneering over the rest of Ooo. The sight unsettled Bubblegum every time she looked upon it. Marceline's concerns may lie with the welfare of the Ice King, but Bubblegum was far more scared of what the insane Lemongrab might try if he had somehow secured the power of the Ice Crown for himself. The pink princess spared a look at Finn and Marceline, noting that Marceline's rage returned the moment she laid eyes on the mountaintop. Bubblegum hoped they would be able to get to the bottom of what was going on, because despite their current grievances, Finn was still her best shot at keeping Ooo from falling to chaos.

"Flying or riding?" Finn asked Marceline, patting Jake's head.

The vampire queen was all but shaking in anger staring at the mountain, and she didn't break eye contact while responding. "Flying, and you'd better hustle, I'm not waiting for you. Lemongrab's mine."

She was a gone in a flash, soaring towards the Ice Kingdom before turning invisible. Bubblegum felt a small chill run up her spine thinking about the fate of anything that was about to get in the vampire's way. Finn spoke a few words quietly to Jake and then stood back as the dog changed shape, growing larger and more lupine. Finn hopped onto the large yellow wolf's back, getting comfortable.

"Hey Bubblegum," he called down, "I'd get moving if I were you. Everyone in that tavern is about to watch me leave you out here alone."

She nodded, watching as he kicked Jake's flanks and the pair took off, practically flying over the ground towards the mountain. Alone again, she breathed out a sigh of relief that everything went more or less as planned, and started heading back towards the Candy Kingdom. A familiar voice brought her up short.

"Awfully stupid of him to just leave you here," Silus said, his voice tinged with manic anger, "almost like he wants me to carve you up or something..."

Bubblegum turned to see the lizard making his way towards her, some loose cloth tied around his tail to stop the bleeding. His already angry eyes blazed and his knife was aloft once more, waving at her while he approached. She took a steadying breath, quickly checking behind the lizard and thanking Glob that he was facing her alone.

"You aren't in your little kingdom anymore princess, and nobody is coming to save you."

Silus surged forward, a twisted smile on his scaly face. Bubblegum let him get within a few paces before throwing her robes open, revealing a complex suit of armor she concealed beneath it. The lizard hardly paused, intent on getting his revenge for Finn's earlier interference. He thrust his blade forward, hissing as he watched his prey step away from the blade. Bubblegum extended her hand and clenched the side of his head, punching her other hand against the large green circle on the center of her armor. Silus hesitated when he heard a whirring sound, and saw the little disc in her armor light up. Then, all he felt was pain.

Bubblegum smiled grimly when her electrified armor surged to life, sending a powerful current of energy down her arm and through the special glove she'd made and into Silus' head. The lizard began to spasm, his muscles reacting to the jolts that ran through him. He fell to his knees, still twitching as the current turned off, leaving him incapacitated on the ground. He flicked his eyes to Bubblegum, confusion and fear in them now instead of anger. She took a step forward, stooping down to look at him pityingly.

"You're right," she said softly, "I'm not in my kingdom. So I don't have to obey its laws right now either."

She withdrew a dagger of her own, ornately inlaid with gold and a shining ping gem on the hilt. She met Silus' gaze with an impassive stare and drove her weapon into his throat, slicing deeply into his neck before pulling it free. The lizard gurgled a few times, his eyes frantically looking around for some form of salvation, before he collapsed unmoving on the ground. Bubblegum coldly wiped the blade off on Silus' robes before returning it to the hidden sheath behind her back. She stood confidently, her hand-crafted armor still on display for those looking out of the tavern's window, and turned away, returning to her castle.

Nobody else tried to follow her.