Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait everyone. Midterms kicked my ass and I spent a little more time on this chapter than usual. But excuses aside, here you go!

Once Bubblegum was past the outer line of hedges, the light and sound from the Ball was swallowed by the thick, well-cultivated brambles. She pressed deeper into the maze quickly, not looking back. Left, right, straight, left again… by her fifth turn, the Ball may as well have been a rumor carried by the wind. The cheering, raucous crowd was muted to a distant murmur of sound. Occasionally, a particularly persistent bubble of laughter wormed its way over the high hedges and made it to Bubblegum's ears. Each time that happened, Bubblegum's shoulders hunched further against the unwelcome intrusion and her jaw clenched, but she continued moving.

If Bubblegum had been in the mood to appreciate beauty, she would have found the gardens to be stunning. Her quick footsteps echoed off of broad peanut brittle pathways that were wide enough for four people to walk side-by-side. The scent of some unknown flower, sweet and subtle, threaded its way through the restless night air. And peanut-shell lamps hung from tall black lamp-posts spaced evenly along either side of the path. They didn't provide much light – they were spread too far apart to be really effective – but they cut through just enough of the gloom to cast the entire maze in a soft ethereal glow.

Still, it wasn't all twists and turns and dim lighting. Every so often, Bubblegum passed an alcove. Each one was a small circle of lamps and benches surrounding a fountain. Warm light and the gentle chuckle of flowing water spilled out of each nook, inviting Bubblegum to step inside and forget her worries. But she continued by each one, almost afraid of stopping.

For Bubblegum knew that when she stopped, her thoughts and her emotions would catch up with her. They hovered just out of reach, like a storm on the horizon. Now was calm before the storm. Without thought, without feeling, Bubblegum's passage through the semi-darkness was mechanical. Straight, right, straight, left, left. At each new fork and split, her feet decided which path to take without any conscious prompting. Bubblegum strode deeper into the gardens and let her mind remain blissfully blank.

Then suddenly, the peanut brittle path took one final turn and ended at the edge of a large expanse of grass. Bonnibel came to an abrupt halt and realized where her feet had been taking her all along.

In front of her was a glade, a perfect circle of grass enclosed on all sides by the hedge, except for the opening where Bubblegum was now standing. A ring of hazelnut trees grew inside the briar, each one thin enough for Bubblegum to wrap her arms around. The trees were shorter than the surrounding brambles and the branches of each mingled with their neighbors. Here, there were no lamps. Instead, a thousand tea lights, set in glass orbs shaped like walnut shells, hung on invisible gossamer threads from every branch of every tree. They bobbed gently with the eddies of the evening breeze, causing the light to swirl and shift in endless patterns.

And of course, at the very center of the glade was the Hazelnut Gazebo.

The Candy Lady stood frozen at the end of the pathway, unexpectedly ensnared by the beauty before her. Entranced, she kicked off her shoes and left them by the edge of the pathway, then stepped onto the grass. It was every bit as soft and lush as it looked.

Bonnibel walked slowly forward, another breeze picking up and swirling down inside the glade. The breeze tugged at her hair and dress, bringing the scent of grass and the rich, sweet smell of hazelnut oil, which was doubtlessly coming from the candles. She looked up as she passed underneath the branches of two trees. The lights floated above her, rocking gently on their swaying branches. She had been to the center of the maze on several occasions, but never at night. Was it always this breathtaking?

And then, from somewhere far away, the faint sounds of music came drifting in on the wind. It seemed as though Walter was done on stage, and the band was starting up again. Reluctantly, Bubblegum looked over her shoulder and gazed down the dark pathway, back towards the Ball. What had just happened back there? What was Walter doing? How could he have chosen her? Why did he seem so desperate to secure a wife? Why couldn't he just tell Bubblegum what was going on? Didn't he realize how painful it was to see all of that?

The anger and confusion and hurt swelled up inside her like a rising tide, threatening to overwhelm her. For a moment, Bonnibel almost let it. She was alone here, and sound didn't seem to carry well through the hedges. She could cry and scream and curse Walter and let it all out. She wouldn't even have this kind of privacy back at the castle. It was tempting. More than that, it felt necessary. Her raw feelings demanded some kind of release. But Bubblegum knew that giving in to such negative feelings would cloud her mind and her judgment. She needed answers more than she needed to indulge her emotions.

So Bonnibel took a deep, cleansing breath and pushed back her feelings. What she needed now was a moment to think and to collect herself. She turned away from the music and stepped out from underneath the trees, further into the glade. In front of her, the gazebo stood patiently, exactly the kind of quiet place she needed. And it was highly unlikely that she would be disturbed here.

Bubblegum walked up to the gazebo and placed her hand on the smooth wood of the railing as she climbed the three steps into the edifice. The Hazelnut Gazebo had always fascinated her. It was made entirely of wood, not from peanut brittle or rock candy like everything else in the Candy Kingdom. It was moderately sized, octagonal in shape, and it had a peaked, circular roof that ended just a bit below the hazelnut trees surrounding it.

Between the roof and the floor, the bottom half of the gazebo was slatted railing, while the top half was left open to the air. A bench ran the whole length of the inside, minus the entryway. It was a rather simple arrangement. Nothing was really extraordinary about it except for the fact that every inch of the pale wood had been sanded down until it was butter-soft to the touch. It was a rare and unusual design decision in the Candy Kingdom, and Bubblegum never tired of running her hands along the railing, or the bench, or the pillars. The feeling of soft wood-grain underneath her palms was oddly soothing.

She found it especially soothing now. The Candy Lady took a seat on the bench immediately to the right of the entrance and leaned back against the railing with a sigh. She idly began running her hands along the surface of the bench, reaching an almost meditative state from such simple, repetitive motions.

Looking around, she saw that the gazebo was also decorated for the night. The same walnut shaped candles that hung from the trees twisted around each pillar in spirals. The smell of hazelnut was thicker here, though not overpowering. It was more relaxing than anything else.

Bonnibel closed her eyes. She needed this calm. She needed to clear her head. She needed to readdress this situation with clinical detachment. She would examine all the sides, thoroughly investigate all the possibilities, and determine why Walter was doing all this crazy junk. She couldn't do that in the midst of emotional turmoil. She needed to put aside her anger, her pain, her wounded pride, her uncertainty, and her frustration. She would do it. She would push aside all of these confusing, inhibiting emotions that robbed her of her ability to think properly and…

"Hey."

Bubblegum stiffened and her eyes flew open, only to find the upside down face of Marceline the Vampire Queen looming mere inches above her own. Bonnibel let out a startled yelp, nearly falling over. As it was, she scrambled to the side quickly, her heart pounding rapidly from the sudden fright.

Marceline was casually stretched out in the air, floating – floating! – calmly on her stomach as she watched Bubblegum move away from her. She was clearly amused by Bubblegum's reaction, but she didn't laugh. However, her amusement did turn into a full-blown grin as Bubblegum continued to stare, at a complete loss for words.

"Come on, I'm not that scary, am I?" The vampire asked. "I wasn't even trying to freak you out." She paused to blow a strand of hair out of her face."Well, ok I was trying a little bit," she admitted, "But it was just for a laugh. You looked pretty stressed out so…" she shrugged.

Bubblegum was still trying to get her scrambled thoughts together to say something to the woman, but it was like her brain had shut down completely. Her heart was still pounding wildly and her mouth had gone dry. She swallowed with difficultly and forced herself to say something.

"You… you're Marceline," she managed faintly. The vampire's amused grin turned into a smirk. She glided around so that she was in front of Bubblegum and resting comfortably on nothing.

"That's right. I guess you've heard of me," she said boastfully, not-so-subtly striking a pose.

And just like that, Bubblegum's wits returned. She found herself fighting back laughter at the towering self-confidence of the musician in front of her. "To be honest, no, I didn't know about you before tonight," Bubblegum confessed, suppressing a giggle.

"Oh." the vampire visibly deflated, looking crestfallen.

"But you were very good!" Bubblegum assured her quickly, "I've never heard music like that before! It was so exciting and… and exhilarating!" The vampire perked up again, her easy grin sliding back into place.

"So you liked it?" She asked hopefully.

"I loved it!" She gushed, "All of those competing rhythms and strange harmonies, and your… your… what do you call it? Your lute-type-instrument?"

"My bass." the vampire supplied.

"Ah! Like in a string ensemble? Yes, I supposed that makes sense, it did produce a very low sound and seemed to fulfill a more supportive roll overall," Bonnibel mused. "But then what do you call those other lutes? The ones that played the melody?"

"Those are guitars," Marceline explained, her grin even wider now.

"Gui-tars." Bubblegum pronounced the new word slowly. "How interesting. And what about the set of drums that skeleton was playing?"

"A drum set." Marceline deadpanned.

Bubblegum looked at her for a moment then began to laugh. Marceline joined in and their laughter split the night, spilling out to fill the glade before getting swallowed by the surrounding brambles.

"Well, that seems rather obvious, now that I know," Bubblegum said as she calmed, still giggling a bit.

Marceline chuckled; "It was pretty funny…" she trailed off.

They both finally stopped laughing, and in the lull, faint strands of music reached Bonnibel's ears again.

"Wait, isn't that your band playing?" she inquired, looking back over her shoulder and leaning one arm on the railing.

"Yeah, that's them," the vampire agreed nonchalantly.

Bonnibel looked back to her in surprise. "Don't they… need you up there?" She questioned hesitantly. Perhaps she didn't understand this style of music as well as she thought, but she could have sworn that Marceline, being the vocalist AND the only bass player, was a fairly important player.

"Pfft, without a doubt!" Marceline laughed, looking over Bubblegum in the direction of the stage as well. "But they'll get along ok without me for a bit. The ghost is a decent bassist and the zombie has a surprisingly good singing voice. He sings backup for a couple of our songs, but I've been trying to get him to take a song or two for a while now." She fell silent for a moment, still staring past the Candy Lady. "What's your name?" She asked suddenly, focusing back on her companion.

"That's right, I completely forgot, how rude of me!" Bubblegum exclaimed, smacking herself lightly in the forehead. She stood and walked over to Marceline and held out her hand. The vampire shifted and put her feet under her, descending so that she was standing on the ground. Even without floating, she was still a few inches taller than Bubblegum was.

And now, standing so close to her, looking up into her eyes, that same heat came rushing back into Bubblegum's stomach and lit up her cheeks with a faint blush. Marceline kept their eyes locked as she reached up and took Bubblegum's hand in her own. Bubblegum felt a strange thrill as their hands touched, and her breath caught ever-so-slightly.

"My name is Bonnibel Bubblegum," she said breathlessly, hoping Marceline couldn't hear how odd she sounded.

"Bonnibel? I like that," the vampire murmured, a faint tinge of red in her cheeks as well.

"And you're Marceline…"

"Just Marceline."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They were still holding each others' hands. Somewhere along the line, they had stopped shaking, and now they were just standing there, hands clasped, looking at one another.

Bonnibel's heart was pounding again. Warmth was pooling in her stomach. Her cheeks were flushed. And then it clicked. She was attracted to the Vampire Queen.

"Well!" The Candy Heiress quickly let go of Marceline's hand and retreated back to her seat, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marceline," she said brightly, forcing her voice to sound normal and steady, and not like her insides were turning to jelly and her heart was threatening to hammer out of her chest.

"Yeah…" Marceline agreed, still looking at her speculatively. Bubblegum shifted nervously.

"So…" Bubblegum cast about desperately for something to say in the sudden awkward silence. "So why did you follow me here?"

For a moment, Bubblegum thought that Marceline hadn't heard her. The vampire looked at her for another few seconds, and then that tell-tale grin slid back into place. "You looked cute…"Bubblegum's heart leapt and her stomach twisted from a surge of anticipation and adrenaline, "…and I wanted to know why you were marching away from the stage," Marceline finished. And just like that, it all came crashing back down. The stage. Walter. The proposal. The song!

Bubblegum stood suddenly and turned away from Marceline, her anger rising again and displacing the feelings of attraction and amiability she had just had towards the vampire. Her hands clenched into fists.

"How could you not know?" She bit out, her tone suddenly harsh and accusatory. "You and Walter are close enough that he proposes to you, but he never bothered to explain that he had just gotten out of a two and a half year long relationship?" She turned back around to glare at the suddenly bewildered vampire.

"Hey, woah, I had no idea!" Marceline protested, holding up her hands, "I mean, the Duke mentioned that he'd just gotten out of a relationship, but I had no idea that you were…"

"And you knew each other, what, two months?" Bubblegum cut her off, "Why was he proposing to you after two months!"

"How should I know?" Marceline fired back, "I was just being friendly to a fan, I barely KNOW the guy and then he proposed to me out of the blue last week. I saw you in the crowd, you know I turned him down, what are you getting so mad at me for?" She demanded.

"I don't know!" Bubblegum shouted back at her, hot tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes. She turned around again so that Marceline wouldn't see them and tried to surreptitiously brush them away. This was just great. She… she was attracted to Marceline, and on top of that she genuinely liked her. And now because of this stupid stuff with Walter she was acting like an idiot and probably destroying any chance that Bubblegum had to…

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump.

"Are you ok?" Marceline asked softly behind her.

Bubblegum shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"Do you want to… you know, talk about it? Maybe without the yelling?"

Bubblegum didn't really want to face Marceline right now. Not after making such a complete fool out of herself. But she owed the vampire at least some kind of explanation for her behavior. So she nodded and sat back down on the bench, looking down at her hands. Marceline slid next to her, close enough that Bubblegum was hyper-aware of her presence, but not close enough that they were touching.

A stiff breeze picked up then, cutting through the gazebo and tugging at Bubblegum's hair. She shivered slightly, and glanced over at Marceline when she sensed the vampire twisting around. The wind was stirring the vampire's wealth of hair and dragging stray strands across her face, but the vampire ignored them as she shrugged out of her leather jacket.

"No, please don't…" Bubblegum objected, miserable at being treated so kindly after acting like a complete ass.

"Don't worry about it. Vampires don't get cold. It's just for show," Marceline said firmly, wrapping the jacket around Bubblegum's shoulders. The jacket was still warm inside, and it felt wonderful after the chill of the night air.

"Thank you," Bubblegum whispered.

"Whatever. It's not a big deal. Now. Talk."

"Well… First off, I'm sorry I yelled at you. You didn't do anything to deserve that," Bubblegum began.

"Nah, it's cool," Marceline assured her, "I get it. You got some bad news and you walked off, wanting some privacy. You probably weren't expecting to deal with anyone right now."

"No especially not…"

"Me."

"Yeah. I just found out that Walter proposed to you and I… well I didn't think very kindly of you," Bubblegum admitted.

"I get that," Marceline said easily, leaning back. "So why did you two break up?"

"Because Walter's father died, and he became the new Duke of Nuts." Bubblegum sighed. "My mother said it's because we're at 'two different points in our lives now.' I understand that reasoning, I just can't figure out why he's acting so strangely…"

"And asking random girls to marry him?" Marceline suggested.

"Exactly. Why would he ask you to marry him? No offense," Bubblegum added quickly.

"None taken," Marceline replied dryly.

"And… and why Agatha of Peanut?" She shuddered.

"The crazy girl?" Marceline asked.

"Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. Everyone else seemed perfectly ok with Walter proposing to her. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why he did it. It's like he's desperate to get a wife or something. I mean, I know he needs to marry someone eventually, but it's only been two months!" Bubblegum exclaimed, the ridiculousness of the situation beginning to pile up as she went over the facts again.

"Yeah that's pretty weird," Marceline paused then, as if choosing her next words. "I don't really know how it looked from the crowd," she said carefully, "But from where I was standing, the Duke didn't seem like he really wanted to propose to anybody. And he didn't seem like he was all that enthusiastic when he proposed to me either. When I turned him down, I thought I was doing him a favor."

Bubblegum considered that. "So then, there must be something compelling him to seek out a bride, is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah, that's basically it. I mean, how well do you know Candy Kingdom laws?"

Bonnibel almost laughed. "Pretty well. I am the heir to the throne, after all," she confessed.

"Woah, look at you!" Marceline grinned. "So you should know if there's any, like, mandatory matrimony laws or something, right?"

Bubblegum frowned in thought. "I don't think there are. At least, I've never encountered one. In fact, I'm sure there isn't one. My mother was single for quite a while before she married my father." Speaking of her mother… "But she did say something to me… what was it… when she was trying to cheer me up earlier, she told me that Walter might be getting older soon because he needs an heir…" She trailed off. The pieces were falling into place…

"Wait what? He might be getting older soon? What does that mean?" Marceline queried, breaking into her thoughts.

"It's how Candy People age," Bonnibel explained absently, still thinking about her mother's words."Our physical age is related to our Candy Biomass, and, for royalty at least, you must be a certain age to reach certain milestones in life. As an example, you must be eighteen to assume the throne, twenty-five to marry, and thirty to have children. There are other important ones, but those are the big ones."

"Cool. How old are you, then?"

"I'm seventeen, the proper age for an heir that is fully prepared to assume the throne at any moment. I'm closer to ninety in human years, but those don't really count as much." She paused. "Walter was only sixteen. He wasn't prepared, really... Lord Humphrey's death was so sudden…" she broke off. "I don't think that there's a mandatory matrimony law," Bubblegum decided finally. "But I have a feeling that there's a mandatory heir law."

"That sounds funny," Marceline pointed out.

"It makes sense though!" Bubblegum exclaimed, sitting up and turning to face Marceline. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that her hypothesis was correct. "There must be someone ready to assume the throne, or the duchy, or whatever in the event that the current Princess or Duke dies. Do you see? Walter is an only child. If he dies, then there are no immediate heirs for the throne to pass to. That's why he has to marry someone, so that he can produce an heir!" She was waving her arms about in her excitement, the thrill of solving a puzzle making her giddy.

"No I get it, it makes perfect sense," Marceline agreed from her relaxed position against the rail, "I just think 'mandatory heir law' sounds really funny."

"Oh." Bubblegum said, the rug suddenly pulled out from under her feet as she realized that she didn't need to convince her companion of anything. Marceline grinned and met her eye, and Bubblegum saw that she was kidding with her. The cool confidence in Marceline's grin, her posture, and the way she spoke was having its effect again. Bubblegum could feel her heart begin to beat a little faster.

"Well, it sounds just as funny as 'mandatory matrimony law,' and you came up with that one," Bubblegum teased back, smiling at the vampire.

Marceline tossed her head to get a stand of hair out of her eyes, "Yeah, whatever," she dismissed flippantly. But Bubblegum knew she wasn't serious.

"So… I guess Walter isn't acting as strange as I originally thought," Bubblegum conceded hesitantly, "But there's still something that's bothering me."

"Why go from proposing to the smoking hot, super talented Queen of the Vampires to the frumpy and creepy Queen of the Crazies?"

Bubblegum snorted. "Well, I wasn't going to put it like that…"

"You don't think I'm smoking hot?" Marceline asked innocently.

A brilliant red blush lit up Bonnibel's cheeks. "I didn't say that." she muttered, turning away from the vampire.

Marceline laughed, "Ok, ok, keep going," she said, still grinning as she watched Bubblegum squirm.

Bubblegum felt very self-conscious now. She cleared her throat, still not looking at Marceline. "Anyway… yes. We know he proposed to two wildly different people, but he also used two wildly different methods. There's no pattern. It's not even like he was proposing to every girl he met, because after failing with you, he specifically sought out Agatha from the crowd. Why would he do that?"

"Do you mean 'Why would he specifically pick someone out?' or 'Why would he pick crazy Nut Lady?'"

"Both. The second one more than the first, I guess," Bubblegum admitted.

"Yeah, she wouldn't be my second choice either," Marceline agreed. Bubblegum shuddered again. "Well Bonnibel, there's only one to find out what was going through the Duke's head when he was up on stage," Marceline asserted, getting to her feet and holding her hand out to Bubblegum.

"And that would be?" Bubblegum asked, taking Marceline's hand and letting the vampire pull her to her feet.

"We're gonna go ask him ourselves."