Author Note: This story is based on a picture I found while wandering /co/ on 4chan the other day (and by other day I mean forever ago). I take no credit for the picture and I thank the artist for inspiring this story. The picture can be found here: http: / img856 . imageshack . us / img856 / 7858 / 1302478005583 . jpg (Only without all those spaces, cause I'm stupid.)

Damn them. Damn them and their bombs and their guns. Damn them and their poison and their robots and their war. Damn them all.

In the cave under the park, his park, Benson waited. He could outlast humans. He didn't need food, though he missed it. He didn't need sleep, though he longed for it. All he needed was time. Soon they would kill themselves off and he could return to the surface. They could return to the surface.

Above his head he could hear another round of bombs, searching for something, anything, to kill.

Damn them.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew how long it had been. Ten years ago the war started. Up north where no one cared, where he didn't care. But it moved and soon they were opening their doors to orphans and widows. It moved and soon he was sending his boys to get supplies and barter with the guards for just a little more bread. It moved and…

And Muscleman was gone.

Of course he had jumped at the chance to fight in a war. His letters would be littered with misspellings and insults and good cheer. Rigby would joke about joining him until Mordecai hit him upside the head and forced him to get back to work. Skips would write letters for Highfive Ghost and Pops would color pictures of the old days and Benson would send them to Muscleman with instructions to keep safe. And for a little while it seemed like it would be okay.

But then the letters stopped.

That was five years ago.

No one knew just when the robots came. Skips said they had always been there, serving those who had created them. But as time passed they stopped appearing as planes and medics and became soldiers. Twice Benson came across enemy robots and twice he escaped. The first time had been luck. The second time had been Skips.

He didn't know what he'd do without Skips.

Brave Skips could fight off any robot enemy. He could carry at least fifteen kids on his back as he fled the bombs and artillery. Skips could do anything.

That was three years ago. Highfive ghost had disappeared by then. Mordecai said he had decided to move on, that he was tired of the world and the war. Benson didn't blame him, but he couldn't say that with Rigby watching him.

"It'll be okay Rigby. It'll be okay."

That was three years ago.

Skips was killed in the winter.

It took a month before they found out what happened to him. The news came from one of the orphans who had been collecting wood to burn. She had found his body, but she hadn't panicked. War had made her hard. She told Benson with a nod of condolence and afterwards was gone. Benson couldn't remember if he ever saw that little girl again. Perhaps she had just been sent to let them know. To keep them from worrying.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to hide away and cry but he couldn't. Not with Pops staring with those big eyes and Rigby wanting to know what happened and Mordecai and…

He had to be strong.

"Please don't worry. It'll be okay. I promise."

When spring came they had to move to a new cave. The older orphans took off to join the war, Mordecai among their numbers. Benson tried his hardest to reassure Rigby. He would keep an ear open for any information about Mordecai's unit but information was scarce.

War changed them, but no one changed as much as Rigby. He helped Benson as much as he could, running through the wastes of what was once their park to find food and supplies. When a rash of illness took most of their companions Rigby ran for two days just to find a doctor with medicine.

"You pushed yourself too hard." Benson sighed, covering the out of breath raccoon with his blanket.

"Or not hard enough." He chuckled and for a minute Benson could pretend they were arguing about unfinished chores. But only for a minute.

"Well, don't do anything stupid, okay?" Time seemed to be slipping away. It was too fast, too much to do and never, ever enough time. How would he get everything done? How would he protect everyone? How would he save everyone?

Rigby managed to keep one eye trained on his employer. "Benson."

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry. It'll be okay."

"Thanks, Rigby."

The fever was going to take all of them. The orphans who didn't run all died within a week. Pops barely lasted another two days. It was going to take them all.

Damn, damn, damn.

"Damn!"

"Dude, not so loud. I'm trying to sleep."

"I'm sorry, Rigby. Here, drink some more water." Benson lifted the cup to Rigby's mouth, careful not to splash it onto the blankets. There wasn't much clean water but it wasn't like he needed it.

Rigby needed it.

"Stop fretting. A good night's sleep and I'll be back on my feet. Just watch me." He grinned easily, slapping at the cup.

And Benson nodded, even though this bout of illness had taken everyone else. Rigby was a fighter. He would be fine. He was going to be fine. The lights lining their cave shock as another round of bombs exploded above them. "There can't possibly be this many bombs in the world."

"Tell me about it." Rigby chuckled, burrowing deeper into the mound of blankets. "Stupid war. Messed up all my plans."

Benson gave him a dull look. "You had plans?"

"Oh yeah. You know, work at the park for a while, meet a hot babe, get married and have kids. Probably while still working at the park. You know, plans." Rigby peeked his head out from under the blankets. "Did you have plans?"

His surprised expression morphed into a thoughtful one. "I…I wanted a house. For my daughter."

All of Rigby's head emerged from the blanket pile and even in his condition he managed a startled yell. "You have a daughter?"

"Will have." Carefully Benson pulled a single gumball from his hatch, cradling it carefully in his hands. "I'm too scared to have her right now. War is no place for a child. But when this is over…"

Benson moved slowly, as though afraid it would break. But with careful movements he lowered the gumball so Rigby could see. Under a thin, clear layer of shell was a tiny embryo. He could make out tiny hands, little fingers brushing against the shell. She looked like she was smiling.

"Holy crap."

"Yeah. She deserves better than this. So I'm going to wait and you can bet anything I'll give her the best life I can." Gently he returned her to his body, hiding her among the other gumballs. "She would have loved the park."

"Oh, oh! Can I name her, dude?"

And like that the somber mood was broken. Benson laughed, a rare sound for the cave. "Knowing you it'll be something like Bubblegum."

"Aw man. How'd you guess?" He probably had more to say but a violent fit of coughing cut him off. Benson forced him to drink more water until he was pushed away. "Don't worry about it, dude. Just let me sleep it off and soon I'll be teaching your little girl how to skip school and summon demons."

"Is that what happened to the left side of the house?"

"Like I said, don't worry about it."

But the flu took everyone.

That was a year ago.

And so he waited in his cave, surrounded by silence and his own thoughts. Thoughts of his boys, goofing around and annoying him and being happy and safe. Thoughts of Pops with his own whimsical humor and childish laugh. Thoughts of Skips, all business but still there when he really needed to rant. Thoughts of his park.

And when the sirens died off he would pull her out, holding her to him with a smile that no one would see. "It'll be okay. This war will end and we'll get out of here. We'll make a new park. And you will be the park's princess. You'll be a princess, my little Bubblegum."

And he waited.

"Daddy? Daddy?"

"In here."

The soft patter of her slippers against the marble floors announced her arrival. One of the maids must have tried their hand at braiding her gooey hair and Benson had to give whoever it was credit. Most couldn't get that mess into a ponytail without it oozing away.

"Daddy, Peppermint Butler says I have to go to bed!" Her sad pout seemed frozen on her face and experience told him it would stay there unless he gave into what she wanted. Unfortunately the sun was already down and the Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty was the next day. If she didn't get to sleep soon she would whine the whole day.

Heaving her onto his knee Benson allowed himself a chuckle. "We have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow, darling. How about a bed time story and then no more pouting?"

Her brow wrinkled but finally she gave in. His little Bubblegum was a clever girl and knew when she couldn't bargain anymore. "What about the story where the brave Mordecai and Rigby save the park from the evil video game monster? I like that one!"

"Okay, that one. But afterwards it's straight to bed."

"Daddy?" She interrupted, thumb jumping to her mouth in a habit he thought they had been working to get rid of, "Mordecai and Rigby were amazing, weren't they? And Skips and Pops and all of them. Do you think they would have liked me?"

Benson sighed and pulled his daughter close. "They would have loved you. You know why?"

"Because I'm the sweetest ever?"

"Yes you are. C'mon, let's get to the story or Peppermint Butler will yell at me for keeping you up."

But she was determined to interrupt him one last time. "I love you, Daddy. You know that, right?"

"I know. And I love you. Now, it was a warm day at the park and Mordecai and Rigby had been given a simple job…"