[New note: Hello. All that's really different is that I segmented the story and fixed the grammatical errors...mostly.]

Hello! This is my first and, most likely, last story I write here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. I also did not create the fan fiction Be My Escape. That was made by The MasterHama, whose permition I got to write this story. If you did not read Be My Escape I would strongly suggest you do before reading my story. Trust me, her story is really good. Sorry that my writing style is different from hers. This is not an alternate story to her's. It's more of an add-on.

Enjoy.

Be My Escape

What Was

Where's Marceline?

She's supposed to be here. She's supposed to take me away. I try to remember where she might be. A flicker pops into my hazy mind. In the flicker I see a crowd of candy people. They're circling around some spectacle. I look closer.

Regret overwhelms me.

I know what's going to happen!

I don't want to see it again!

It's too late. I'm pulled into the flicker.

There are so many people, but only three matter. I see Marceline. She is cloaked against the sun. And yet still so beautiful. I see the faceless peppermint man standing next to his master with his hand in his coat. And I see her. The one who kept me locked up for years. The one who put these scars on my back. The one who made me want to kill myself. The one who loves me. The one who I hate most in all of the land of Ooo.

The Ring Master to the Silver Lining Circus.

But that's not who she's known as in the Candy Kingdom. Here she is the great and kind Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum.

I see Marceline and the Ring Master arguing. I feel a horrible feeling of regret, that was once a twinge of joy, seeing Marceline lunge at the Ring Master.

You know what's going to happen, don't you? You know what's going to happen... every... single... time. Heh hehe heh hehe heh...

I see Marceline fall on her back.

I see Marceline covered in flames.

I see Marceline die a thousandth time.

The flicker disappears. Everything goes dark.

. . .

I wake up. Not truly wake up because of the drugs that are pumped into me twice a day for the last three years. I look around trying to remember where I am. I'm in a hospital room made of candy.

I remember why I'm here.

I can't feel anything because the drugs haven't worn off yet. But I know that there are tears streaking down my face.

A doctor walks into the room. It's a candy person. She's made of ice cream. She looks me over and pulls out a cloth of some kind. She wipes the tears off my face. "We have to make you look presentable for your guest," the ice cream cone person says to me even though I won't respond. Everyone in the hospital has quit trying to get me to talk or get any real reaction out of me at all.

I wonder if Jake is the one visiting me. Sometimes he brings Beemo along. But he hasn't been coming by as much lately. Also it seems like he's been coming in with more scars than usual. He's been telling me that he's trying to find a way to help me. Or maybe he's tired of talking to someone who won't talk back.

I get a queasy feeling in my stomach even though I'm not supposed to feel anything.

You know it's not your "friend." Why would they clean you up for a pathetic mutt?

I don't know who says these things to me. I can't remember when he showed up. Time is meaningless now.

I try to ignore his words.

And if he's not showing up, than that means you-know-who is coming. Heh hehe heh...

I hear footsteps growing louder.

Those drugs they pump into you every day must be messing with your memory if you actually forgot that SHE'S coming.

The truth is, I didn't forget who was coming. I could never forget HER. I was just hoping that she wouldn't visit me again. But she will. Just like yesterday and the day before that. And there's no doubt in my mind that she'll be here tomorrow and the day after that.

Oh Glob! Just one day! One day where she just leaves me alone.

Just.

One.

Day.

Hehe hehe heh. You know that she'll never leave you alone. And even in the very unlikely event that she didn't come, she'll still be there in your messed up, drug induced, head.

The foot falls are right around the door. I pray that it's Jake coming by to tell me that he found a way to bring back Marceline. Or that it's Marceline herself finally ready to take me away. I pray that it was anybody except HER.

But it is. It's always her.

My visitor comes around the corner. She's wearing a pink dress that matches her skin and hair that was formally black. The one thing she's wearing that doesn't match her flesh and clothes is the gold crown with the blue gem in it. But I don't pay much attention to her hair, clothes, and skin.

Her eyes.

Those black soulless orbs.

Those are the only things I look at when she's here. They're the only things I can look at when she's here. Because those are the only things she hasn't changed since she was the Ring Master.

Every. Single. Day. Ha ha ha ha ha...

…

I feel so happy right now.

I always feel better when I see my beloved Finn.

I would come more than once a day, but that might draw serious attention to him. And the last thing I want are the Rainicorns trying to eat the last human. Or in the least damage his face. Almost every part of his body has a scar on it except his face. But that's okay. Because that's really the only part I care about.

"Hello Finn," I say while I take my usual spot beside his bed. As usual he doesn't respond. I prefer it like that. I never allowed him to speak in the circus. And the only time he spoke was if he was going to spit insults at me. But maybe if he said something nice I would've let him speak.

I hold onto his hand. He isn't able to pull away as easily today because of the drugs. I try to visit early just for that reason.

"Your hair looks nice as always today, Finn." His hair does look nice. It looks beautiful when its long, but it would be in the way for the doctors. So it's been cut about to his ears.

Nothing

"It's going to warm up again soon," I inform Finn. "But you don't have to worry about that since you'll have air conditioning in here."

Nothing

"Also, you'll be able to go outside again," I tell him this in hopes that he'll smile or react in any way. Although when he's outside alone all he does is stand in the same spot for hours. He just watches the sun in its infinite cycle. Never even tries to run.

Nothing

I come in here every day and talk to him, usually, about nothing. And he's never really responded. He's tried pulling his hand away from me. And I can feel him shivering sometimes. And he's always staring me right in the eyes. Never anywhere else. Just my eyes. They are the only things I haven't changed since the circus.

I try to think of something that could get him to talk. Anything.

". . . Marceline was my friend you know."

Something

I look around, which seems like something I should've done before I said anything. I don't need to worry. Finn has his own room. And the only candy citizen around is Peppermint Butler who is outside the door. Everyone else has been ordered to stay away. Well, not ordered. Princess Bubblegum doesn't just order something. She asks kindly and her subjects love her so much that they don't ask questions.

"We weren't very close friends," I continue. "But she did save me from the Ice King once."

"But not when it counted."

I go quiet along with the rest of Ooo. It only felt like a moment. But when I look at the time it has almost been fifteen minutes. I'm late for a meeting. I have to leave.

"Well my Finn, it's been nice as always," I say as I rise from my seat. "I'll make sure my visit tomorrow will be longer and better spent," I inform him of what he already knows. I look at my presious Finn one last time before I go on my way. I look at the scars on his arms. I look at his thin frame from lack of movement. And I don't need to look on his back for scars since I know they are still there. I was the one who put them there.

"I'm sorry-"

Something

what?

WHAT!?

Why did I just apologize. I meant to say something else. I look at him again to see if he noticed. He did. I don't really see it on his face but I can feel it. I hurry out of the room. I need to get as far away as I can. Even though that won't make a difference. Those words are still fresh in my brain

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

. . .

"Oh good, she finally left," Jake whispered to himself, relieved. He's been waiting for Princess Bubblegum to leave for some time now. He didn't want to stick around and raise suspicion so he strolled outside for awhile. He knew that Finn would be safe with such a kind woman. But he had to be careful around her. If she found out that he was trying to bring Marceline the vampire queen back from the dead, then that might cause problems.

I heard that she died because she tried to kill Princess Bubblegum. I don't know what really happened. Finn saw what happened but since then he never spoke. Not even to me.

I enter his room. He's in the same spot as always. "Hey brother," I say to him. It hurts to say that now. Because it just brings back memories of Jermaine. Memories I try to push away. Even though it hurts to say it, I feel like I need to remind Finn that I still consider him family.

I noticed Finn was kinda shaking and sweating. This isn't the first time I've seen this. I don't know what causes it, but I do know that he always settles down when I visit him.

I begin are conversation as usual. "So, I saw this guy get turned into a giant foot. He just went up to this hobo and the hobo turned out to be some wizard, or something," I tell Finn the weirdest thing that I saw today. "But to be honest," I whisper "I was kinda jealous of the foot guy. It's too complicated to explain right now though," I say feeling a little embarrassed.

I look around before I say anything else. You'd have to be pretty dumb not to look around before you say something like this. "I think I finally know how to bring back Marceline."

I don't see any real reaction out of him. But that's alright since I've said stuff like this already. I've been searching around Ooo for the past three years trying to find a way to bring back Marceline. But every lead was a dead end.

"I mean it this time, dude," I try to reassure him.

He tilts his head to look at me.

"The good news is that we can do it tonight."

He doesn't really react, but I'm sure he's wondering about what I mean by "we."

"The bad news is that WE have to get out of here. Meaning you have to be able to move."

His eyes widen just slightly. I think.

"Now, we have to wait for tonight," I repeat.

I can feel that Finn might have some questions. Well, since he barely ever responds I kinda try to think of what he might be thinking. And I'm thinking that he's thinking what it is that we're going to do?

"Now, I'll be doing most of the work, but you are definitely needed in all of this," I tell him. "I'll do my part then I'll pick you up for the final part of the plan." I'm not sure why Finn is supposed to be their but that's what I was told to do.

I look through the window. Then at the clock. I should get going if I'm planning on doing this tonight. And I want this to be done as soon as possible, for Finn's sake.

"Sorry brother, I gotta get going if we want to do this tonight," I remind Finn one last time.

I get up to leave. But before I go, I gave Finn one last long look. I don't know why I did that. I just felt like I really needed to look at him.

I couldn't tell Finn who I got the info from because I don't want him to think I'm crazy. I don't want to think about how down he'd get if I told him that the whispers are telling me what to do.

. . .

I'm looking at a monster right now.

It's looking back at me.

I see its pink hair.

It sees my pink hair.

I see its pink skin.

It sees my pink skin.

I'm looking right into its black eyes.

And its looking back into mine.

I hate this monster.

And it hates me back.

I think this every time I look in the mirror. I say the mirror because its the only mirror left in the castle. I had all the mirrors in the castle removed except this one. Because I can't stand to look at the disgusting monster that appears in them. But I still need at least one so I can become presentable to the citizens of the candy kingdom. I only trust myself for this task. An old habit from the circus.

I loved the mirror back at the circus. When I looked at it there was a human looking back at me. A human with real looking skin and black hair. A human almost exactly like Finn.

Mentioning Finn makes me think about what I said at the hospital earlier today.

I'm sorry.

I still don't know why I said that. I know that I didn't do very good things to Finn when we were at the circus. But I would have been more gentle with him if he wasn't trying to escape from me. Besides, I gave him his freedom. After I caught him and Marceline, after he escaped, I gave him his freedom. And then I went back to my kingdom to try and regain my old life.

But then Marceline showed up.

It wasn't my choice to kill her. It was Peppermint Butler's decision. He hated vampires for sucking most of the red from his face. So when he had a chance to kill the vampire queen, he took it. To be honest, I could've stopped it. But something inside of me, or is it what's not inside me, wanted to see Marceline die. For taking away my Finn.

I look at the monster without thinking. Just waiting for another thought to come to my mind.

Why did he love her?

I've read the books from before the Mushroom War. I know that in children books people with candy flesh were loved.

So why? Why did he love a vampire?

In many of the old books, vampires are one of the most feared of all the monsters that the humans wrote about. So why is it that Finn would fall in love with something that has no pulse, sharp teeth, and has even killed his own kind before? And why is it that he didn't love me? I wasn't human, but I tried to look like one.

I wait for another thought to come.

It's all HIS fault.

He came from nowhere. He was smart and charming. And before I knew it he had my heart.

Literally.

He carved it out of my chest and ran away with it. I survived somehow. A perk of being a freak. I took Peppermint butler with me and we left quietly. Couldn't have word of this spreading out and causing problems. We cornered him. He lit my heart and himself on fire. It was destroyed.

I couldn't go back to my citizens. I was unable to love them anymore. I couldn't love anything anymore.

Except Finn. The day I found him I knew I could never let him go. Ever.

Was it really love that I felt?

What?

I've never thought that before. I look back at the monster in the mirror. There's something wrong. I see the pink monster. But now there's another one. This one is covered in a dark cloak, has shredded skin covering the skull under it, and has eyeless sockets that seem to put despair into a soul I don't have any more.

I practically jump out of my seat and turn to see the greatest monster in all of Ooo.

"...The Lich." I say breathlessly.

. . .

Moments earlier

There's a man sneaking through the Candy Kingdom. A very sour man. He has a plan to take back what he thinks is his.

He tried to take the kingdom when Princess Bubblegum disappeared. But those imposters wouldn't let him. He was planning on trying again when the kingdom went into chaos. But then Bubblegum came back without any warning. With her back, there's no why he can take control.

Or so he thought.

While sneaking through the castle one night, he heard whispers. More whispers then he usually hears. They told him how to gain control of the kingdom.

So he followed the directions to the letter. He hated being told what to do. But it was the only way to get what he wanted.

He finally found were the whispers came from. A dark form encased in amber. He had all that he needed. He hit the amber with his sound sword. He's surprised that it only took one hit, since the dark form oozed out of the small crack and reformed. He tossed the extremely large jar, filled with green toxin, at the dark form. It was not easy to contain the toxin, as it kept eating through all the containers he used. The dark form started to drain the jar.

"Now listen to my demands," the Sour Man orders. "I am the one who freed you," he points towards the dark form, who does not acknowledge his existence. "And since I am the one who freed you that means you must follow my every command," the dark form moves towards him, done with his task. "failure to comply will be UNACCEPTABLEEEEEEEEE-" the sour man was not able to finish.

The dark form wrapped his huge skeletal hand around the Sour man's head and buried his digits into the back of his neck. A burst of green flames followed. Burning on the outside and boiling on the inside, He could only thrash wildly. The only noise he made was a muffled scream that was overpowered by the hissing sound his boiling fluids made.

He stopped thrashing. The dark form released him. All that was left of his head was a shriveled, black, thing. No one would be able to tell that it was the face of the Earl of Lemongrab.

The dark form feels joy. He hasn't felt that way in a long time. He can't wait to distinguish another life. But, he has things to do. He looks over at the sour man's things. He picks up what he's sure he needs. A book wrapped in a cloth. He unwraps the book. He smiles.

The Enchiridion.