[Author's Note: I claim no rights to Adventure Time, as it was created by the fabulous Pendleton Ward. I also make no profit whatsoever from publishing this work of fanficition.]

The last chapter. Something I wasn't sure I'd ever make it to. But here we are, at the end. And I'm glad to be here with those who have come all the way with me. This is such a bittersweet moment for me. I love Bubbline, and I've grown quite attached to the iteration of it that I've created. It started out as some crummy little fic I wanted to write and then it evolved into something much grander than I had thought possible. What made me continue to write, even when I became stuck for ideas, was the thought that the readers who had been so kind as to comment would be left wanting. As tough as it was sometimes, I could never have let that happen. I want to thank you all for reading up to now. It's touched my heart to think that something I wrote is important enough for you all to want to keep reading. You are all the reasons that this fic became what it did, and I thank you for that as well. I love you all, and I hope that you will continue to read my works as I move on to new projects in the future. Well, now that I'm almost crying, please read on to see what the future is like for Bonnibel Buchman and the girl closest to her heart—our dear Marceline. Enjoy it.

Bonnibel sealed the last box with clear tape and scribbled a label on it with a permanent marker. Wiping her head of the little bit of sweat she had, Bonnibel stood and looked around the very empty room. The place in Minton that she and Marceline had been sharing looked nothing like its former self. There wasn't really anything left to suggest that the two of them had made it their home, except perhaps the television still sitting next to the wall. She felt a little pang in her heart knowing that this would be the last night they spent in this house. The emotion was about to run away with her when she felt familiar arms encircle her waist and two soft lips peck her on the cheek.

"You gonna miss this place as much as I am, Bon?"

"Yes. This house holds a lot of good memories for us, doesn't it?" She let her head fall back and tilt so that she could look at Marceline as she was held tight by the embrace.

"It sure does. But it can't be helped, right? I mean, we've both graduated now. So have Jake and Rainy. There's no reason for us to stay, is there?"

"You're right. There isn't. But it's sad all the same. And I find myself reminiscing about all the things that happened here."

"Like our first night? When we held each other I don't think I'd ever been that happy."

"And our first Valentine's Day? You remember that, don't you, Marcy?"

"Heh heh. Do I ever." The paler girl gave Bonnie a tight squeeze. "You went out of your way to make it special for me."

"Well, you know me..." Bonnie said, thinking back on that time when she had nearly forgotten and had to pull it together at the last second. She didn't know if she'd ever tell Marceline exactly how much of a disaster it had nearly been, but she was glad to know that it had been special enough that her girlfriend hadn't forgotten. "So? Shall we shuffle these boxes out to the cars, then?"

"Yeah. Probably a good idea." The two girls propped their door open and began hauling their belongings out to their two cars. Jake and Rainy had lent them one of the two they had, and would be helping them drive tomorrow. At the moment they were probably also packing the last of their things into Rainy's car, though since theirs came from a dorm room there was far less to take care of. As the two were carrying boxes and sweating slightly in the late spring evening, Bonnibel dropped one of her boxes of clothing unceremoniously onto the pile starting by the trunk.

"What do you want to do for dinner, Marcy? It is the last time we'll eat here." Marceline turned to her lover and smirked her trademark smirk. The smirk that always made Bonnibel's heart skip just a little.

"Well, what do you say we close it up all nice with the same Chinese place we ordered the first night?"

"That sounds wonderful. Would you order it? You know what I like." She smiled sweetly at the taller girl and started loading the car again. Marceline placed their order, and ten minutes later was squishing everything as tightly as she could into the vehicle so as to hopefully cram even more inside. They had just finished the first car full when the delivery girl arrived with their food. She received a pretty generous tip from Bonnie, who brought the food inside.

"Why is the delivery girl skipping down the driveway?"

"I tipped her nicely. It is our last order from them, after all." Marceline chuckled a bit.

"You're too sweet for your own good, you know that?"

"But not for yours?" Bonnie taunted, bumping her hips into her girlfriend's.

"Nah. You know I've always had a serious sweet tooth." This was followed by a wink and a peck on the cheek. "Now open the food—I'm starving."

"Alright, alright." Bonnibel opened and sorted their orders, putting their shared dishes on some paper plates and moving everything to the living room. She sat down on the old couch and grimaced. "This thing never did get any more comfortable, did it?"

"Nope. Still harder than a rock." Marceline smiled broadly. "Good thing we're leaving it behind then?"

"My thoughts exactly. Let the next tenants deal with tenderizing it, if they dare." The pink-haired girl rubbed her hands over the surface. "I think I'm still going to miss it though. Even if only to complain about it." Marceline was busy shoveling in rice with her chopsticks and wasn't paying a lot of attention. Bonnie shook her head and started in on her own food. After dinner it was right back to work. They still had a whole second car's worth of things to pack.

"You know, I don't recall moving in with this much stuff. Just how much did you bring when we shacked up, huh?"

"Marcy, don't call it shacking up. It's distasteful, and not nearly reflective of what it's been like."

"Ok, ok. Fair enough." The rocker held up her hands in defeat. "You'll straighten me out one of these days, right?"

"Is that supposed to be another joke?"

"Not unless you want to take it that way," Marcy poked her girlfriend in the nose. The pale girl wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and dipped her as if they were going to dance. For the second time in two hours Bonnibel had to shake her head.

"Goodness, whatever am I going to do with a crude girl like you? We'll be living like cave people before you know it." She was pulled upright again and subsequently poked in the chest.

"Hey. Don't be knocking caves. They're totally my vibe. I am a Vampire Queen." This elicited a giggle from Bonnibel, who kissed the 'vampire's lips.

"If you say so." She pulled away. "Now help me with these boxes. We're only half done with this load." Another hour later they had finished stuffing everything they could manage into the available space. The only things remaining were their personal bags and a few pillows and blankets they had to use that night.

"Say Bonbon? Wanna watch one more movie here on that old couch we hate?"

"I didn't know vampires could read minds," she teased.

"Oh I can read all kinds of things from your mind. Like the first thing you wanna do when we move to our new apartment," she stated suggestively. An eye roll from Bonnibel told her she was correct.

"You're just projecting. That's what you want to do." Marceline shrugged.

"Eh. Guilty. But I can tell you do too, even if you won't admit it." She sauntered over to the pink girl and pulled her down onto her lap as they crashed onto the unfortunately hard couch. "All that repression of your desires ain't good, you know?" She pressed a kiss into her lover's neck.

"Ehehe. Would you stop that and just pick a movie, already?" Bonnie flipped open her laptop on the table to get the other girl to take notice.

"Hmm...what to watch..? A comedy? Maybe a rom-com?"

"Ugh. You know I can't stand 90% of all rom-coms, Marcy. Pick something else."

"Horror, then?"

"I thought we actually wanted to sleep tonight."

"Ok. No to the horror flicks then."

"What about a fantasy? I don't think we ever finished that fantasy trilogy we started that first night, did we?"

"Too perfect. A fantasy flick for my precious bubblegum-colored princess?" Marceline's smirk stretched across her lips. "Of course, your highness. Anything for you." She even went to the trouble of kissing Bonnibel's hand for this one.

"Oh, quit being a jokester and press play." She did and then slid back onto the couch to embrace her lover again.

"But you love my jokes," she insisted. The pink-haired girl felt long, supple fingers trace her cheeks. She looked incredulously at their owner.

"Do I? You sure?"

"Yes. You do," Marceline replied with certainty. That was that, and she kissed Bonnie on the lips to prove it. The movie's opening was starting in any case, and the two of them turned their attention to Bonnie's laptop screen. It was everything Bonnibel expected it to be. Marceline, who had of course seen the film before, busied herself by looking at and lavishing subtle other attentions on her girlfriend intermittently throughout the course of the movie. Two and a half hours later, as the credits came to an end, Marcy and Bonnie began to stir from their (sort of) comfortable positions on the couch.

"Mm. Nnnnnn..." Bonnie made soft noises as she stretched. The older girl smiled inwardly at how cute she thought those sounds were.

"So Bon, anything else you wanna do one last time with me in this old place?" The pink-haired girl simply had to turn and quirk an eyebrow.

"Is that a proposition?" Marceline had realized as soon as she said it that it came across in a different way than she meant it, but she went along with it, not minding where this might go.

"I dunno. What do you think? You are the genius." Bonnibel said nothing. She smiled in a special way that Marceline rarely got to see. The smile that said she was thinking something that Marceline herself might have cooked up. Gripping tightly to her pale lover, she pulled the taller girl into their bedroom.

Sex between Bonnibel and Marceline was as glorious and intense as it ever was, maybe more so given the significance of tonight. Holding nothing back, the couple let their desire for each other drive them both into exhaustion. At the end of it they rolled off of each other, sweaty, panting, and supremely satisfied. After moments of recuperation, each held to the other naked woman sharing her blanket-bed on the floor. Bonnibel gingerly kissed Marceline for the umpteenth time that night, her lips sore from kissing by Marceline and biting by the both of them.

"I love these moments, you know?" She breathed. A satisfied sigh precursed Marcy's reply.

"Uh-huh. The afterglow. And sweetheart you glow more than anyone I've ever met."

"Really now, love? A little cheesy tonight, aren't we?"

"Maybe. But I think it's how it should be tonight. This moment we're sharing right now...it's the last of its kind in a way. We'll never experience another like it in this house...this college student house where so much has changed about us..." Marcy felt the peachy-pink woman in her arms squeeze her tighter and bury a face in her neck. "Hey now, don't get me going agai—Bonnie? Are you...crying?"

"...yes," came the soft reply after a breath. Her shoulders began to shake slightly as light little sobs traveled in waves across her frame.

"Bonnie, look at me," the vampire implored, a hand going to cup her love's cheek. The younger girl raised her head, tears already streaking down those cheeks. She looked again into the reddish-brown eyes that held concern and the promise of comfort.

"I don't think I'm ready, Marcy. I don't want it to end." She shook her head, more tears and sobs escaping. "I don't want this chapter of our lives to be over."

"I don't either. I can't remember any other time that was as happy as our time together here. So many times I wished for a moment, a day even, to last forever. But that's not how it works."

"Maybe it should, though..."

"Every second I've been with you, Bonnie, I've wanted to feel for eternity." She kissed the tear-stained cheeks of her girlfriend, as she too began to lose control. "But then I would have missed all of the wonderful moments that came afterward. And the lifetime of happiness I see with you, I wouldn't trade for anything." By the time she finished her statement, Marceline was also crying, barely able to speak properly. And so she pulled the one she loved back into her, as tightly as she could.

"...sentimental idiot," Bonnie whispered into the pale neck.

"Uptight nerd." Marcy stroked the girl's pink locks. They quietly clung to each other and cried. When the tears dried up, they pulled up a large blanket and fell asleep with their fingers entwined, staring at that ceiling painted in darkness for the final time in their lives.

It was to that same ceiling they awoke, stained as it was with the colors of early morning. The newly-graduated couple sat up amidst their blankets and looked at each other. It was time. Tiredly pulling on their clothes and not even bothering to hide their love bites. Breakfast was toaster pastries and bottled water. Everything was packed snugly into the cars out front. Shortly thereafter Jake and Rainy arrived. They finally had enough drivers to take all of the cars back to Ooo. Bonnibel and Marceline spent a moment saying their goodbyes.

"I think I'm always gonna remember my first place. Especially because it became our first place." Marceline scanned the rooms, now bare of anything that belonged to her. It was a sad and lonely sight. It was just an empty house now, with not even the warmth of the history of two girls living their lives together.

"This place is special. It sheltered us and allowed our love to grow beneath its roof. Our time here is always going to be a part of us. But in the end, it's just a house, Marceline." The pink-haired graduate gripped her lover's hand, fingers laced. "Our new home will be just as special to us, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Marceline muttered, squeezing the hand in her grip. "It will."

"It's time to go." Bonnie pulled the taller woman out the door, and they took one last look in the darkened and shut-up house as they locked the door and left the keys for the landlady. Marcy started her bike, and Bonnie turned the key to her car. Off the convoy drove, leaving the vampire's first lair and the small town of their college days far behind them, a spec behind them down the freeway.

Nearly two hours later all four vehicles arrived at an apartment building in a young neighborhood in Lampberrii. Bonnie and Marcy parked and went into the lobby to pick up their keys, finding Sarah, Larissa, and Finn waiting for them.

"Hi everyone! What are you doing here?" Bonnibel enthusiastically wondered.

"We're here to help you and Marce move in, Peebles. Duh." Finn gave them a confident thumbs-up.

"Yes, we're going to try to make life easier on you today. We know how hard it is making a new place home, don't we?" Sarah looked to her girlfriend, whose hand she had been holding.

"You said it, girlfriend," Larissa sweetly replied, stressing the last word. She smiled knowingly up at Sarah.

"Take your keys up. We'll get the first load of boxes." Sarah gave the girls each their own set of keys and ushered them into the elevator. Their apartment was on the third floor, so it wasn't much of a ride, but it would sure beat taking the stairs when returning home with groceries. With the turn of a key, the two women stepped into the residence that would house them for the foreseeable future. It was bright with natural lighting from a sliding door leading to a balcony looking out to the streets, and a window on the adjacent wall. Off to one side was the bedroom, which also had windows on two walls. On the third was the door to the bathroom that surprisingly had a slightly larger than average bathtub. Near the front door was the kitchenette, rounding out the place and making it nearly a fully-functioning house. The laundry though was down the hall.

"It's just as nice as the one we toured, don't you think?" Marceline posited.

"Yes, but it's unfurnished and a bit old. I think we have plenty of work to do to make this place feel like a genuine home." There came a knock at the door. Bonnibel turned the knob and let in their five friends, all of them burdened with two or three boxes each.

"Thanks everyone. If you'll put the boxes in the rooms they're labeled with, Bonnie and I will go and get the rest."

"Wait for me, Marcy." The door was shut behind them. Minutes later the couple was back carrying the remainder of their belongings.

"Y'all have a lot of junk. It's like twenty boxes worth." Finn grumbled.

"Nearly, Finn. But not quite. Plus there's the TV." Bonnie pointed out.

"I say we order pizza. Does four of them sound about right? Soda and bread too," Rainy assured.

"Sounds good to me, babe." Jake nudged his girlfriend.

"If you'd put in the order, Rainy, I'd be grateful," Bonnie requested.

"Of course."

"In the meantime, I suggest we make this place a tad more hospitable for the day," suggested Sarah, peeking around at the labels on the boxes.

"So, basically, blankets on the floor." Larissa said flatly.

"They're in the boxes in the bedroom, Sarah," Bonnie indicated.

"Roger that." Rustling and tape ripping could be heard before an echoed "Found them!" Rejoining the group, Sarah spread the two largest blankets Bonnie and Marcy had (which were considerably large) across the living room floor.

"Great timing." Marceline scooted herself over from the area she was planning to be the entertainment center. "I just got the TV set up." She looked up at her partner. "Movie?"

"Movie." Bonnie sat down and leaned into her tall lover. She was just preparing to steal a kiss when the buzzer for the entrance went off. "Ugh. What timing."

"I'll get it, P-Bubs." Jake hopped up off of his space on the floor and pressed the speaker button. "Yeah, hang on a second." He went off downstairs to fetch the pizza.

"So Bonnie, are you and Marceline expecting your parents tonight?" Rainy curiously asked.

"No, we're having breakfast with them tomorrow morning," Bonnie reported. "Speaking of parents, have you heard from your father, Sarah?" She saw her friend's face sour.

"No, I haven't. Not since the board voted him out. That was almost a year ago." Sarah took the hand of the purple-wearing girl beside her. "But to be honest we haven't been concerned with him. We've had bigger problems."

"My parents threw me out," Larissa bitterly whined. "They want me to go be an investment banker or something stupid. So I told them I gonna be a writer, and they had to like it or lump it."

"They had a fit. Threw her stuff out of her room and told her to get out until she came to her senses." Sarah's thumb rubbed the back of Larissa's hand in a comforting manner. "They don't want her depending on me too much in case it doesn't work out. They didn't want her to take on a creative career because of the risks."

"Pssh. Look at me. I'm doing pretty well for my age, and I'm a musician." Marceline scoffed at the distaste for creativity that parents seemed to have.

"Hey hey! Pizza!" Jake announced, strolling back through the door. He noticed the serious faces. "Somebody die while I was gone?"

"Larissa's parents threw her out because she wants to be an author," Bonnibel explained.

"What? Lame."

"Yes, it's aggravating, but I can sort of see their point," Sarah reasoned. "I mean I know that Larissa's work will sell well enough someday. But they're worried that if she loses me as a support that she won't be able to survive on her own. They're just worried about her, that's all. It's what parents do."

"That was very level-headed, Sarah."

"Thank you, Bonnibel."

"Well it's not gonna matter." Larissa pulled the businesswoman closer to her, draping her arms protectively about her. "Sarah and I have been together, like, forever. I don't know what I'd do without her. Yeah, I was scared at first of the romantic feelings between us. But I'm so happy. And I won't be with anyone else."

"Larissa..."

"I think that's wonderful. You two are practically inseparable. A lot like another couple I know," Rainy said, shooting her glance over at her best friend who blushed and shook her head while the rocker behind her snickered. "And with the way you handled the situation, Sarah, I'd say you and Larissa might make wonderful parents yourself someday."

"P-parents?!" Sarah choked on the word in her mouth. "We just moved in together! It's hardly the time for that..."

"True. We're all a little young for it. But I was just making an honest assertion." Rainy shrugged.

"Hey, are we gonna get some pizza or what?" Finn interjected. "It's gonna get cold."

"Ok, ok. I'll get some plates," Marceline offered. "Let me up, Bonbon?"

"If you insist..." she mocked, feigning a pout. Marceline stood up and fetched the cheap set of plates she and Bonnie were planning on replacing soon. The boxes were all opened within reach of the blanket, and soda was poured for all.

"A toast, everyone. To Bonnie and Marcy's new home. To Larissa and Sarah living together finally. And to a new story ahead for us all."

"Here, here," Finn added. And with that, pizza was eaten. Jake and Finn practically ate a whole pizza each, and a little of the cheese bread. The others were more than content with a few slices of each. Unsurprisingly, there was none left when they were through with it. They were just relaxing and letting digestion take its course when Jake remembered something.

"Hey, weren't we gonna watch a movie or something...?"

"Oh, that's right. We should pop one in, right Bonnie?" Marceline said slyly. Bonnie could just tell that Marceline wanted to watch a horror movie.

"Well, I'm sure that'd be great. But what about everyone else?" She turned to their assembled company. "Do you all have someplace to be?"

"No," they unanimously chimed.

"Then I say we tackle a trilogy tonight. Suggestions?" Marceline asked.

"Oh! I just got these in the mail!" Finn said excitedly, digging in his green bag. He withdrew a box set of three movies. "They're foreign action/adventure movies! First it was a comic, then it was a show, now it's a live-action trilogy. Super classic." Everyone looked at Finn incredulously. "What? They're good, you'll see! The main character dude is an awesome swordsman, and the guy who plays him does all his own stunts and sword stuffs."

"And there it is," Marceline observed, shaking her head.

"I say we watch them. It won't kill us to try something new," Rainy reminded the group.

"Alright, Finn. Set it up." Finn beamed at Marceline giving the go-ahead. Everyone settled in for the long haul. For the rest of the evening they watched the quest of a kindhearted man who was not suited to the life of a killer as he strove to keep his vow never to take another life. And to the group's great surprise, Finn had picked some fantastic movies. It wasn't until the end of the films that everyone realized just how late it was. It was nearly the next day.

"Well, Finn, I must admit that I was a little concerned. But I quite enjoyed those. In fact, I might want to purchase them myself," Bonnibel's admission left her feeling a little sheepish.

"I'll send you the link," he replied, smiling brightly. Then he yawned. "I'm tired, yo."

"Yeah, man." Jake yawned too. "Time for bed."

"You're all welcome to stay here, if you want. We've got lots of spare blankets and pillows," Bonnie offered.

"I think we'll do just that," Sarah responded tiredly. She yawned just after accepting, and pulled Larissa down with her onto the blankets. Bonnie and Marcy in fact had so many blankets that people had been using folded ones as pillows. Just as they hit the floor they were out, Sarah holding Larissa close to her. Marceline got up to grab her and Bonnibel's pillows, then opened the sliding door to step out onto the balcony. Bonnibel watched her go, then followed in curiosity, the rest of their friends also simply creating their beds where they were. When she stepped outside, Bonnie saw Marcy leaning against the railing, staring out at Lampberrii as the bustling streets were now calm and empty.

"The movies were really fantastic, weren't they?"

"Yeah...hate to admit it, but Finn outdid himself." Bonnie slid her arms about the tall girl's waist and leaned against her, looking over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Feels a little weird, you know? Our new home..." Marcy trailed off. "Heh. Can't believe I say that. Our home. Like, we lived together before but...but this is the first place that we're moving into together. I almost have to wonder if this is some elaborate dream. Are we back asleep in Minton right now...? Just imagining all of this...?"

Bonnie didn't respond to her. Instead she used a hand to turn Marcy's chin toward her. And then she pressed her lips against the lips of her pale girlfriend, lovingly assuring her that she was absolutely not dreaming.

"...I don't think a dream can kiss me like that."

"Thought so," insisted Bonnibel confidently. "...sorry we didn't get to break in our new apartment in quite the way you wanted tonight, hun."

"Nah. We have great friends. I'm glad they stayed. Feels like we have a second family, you know?"

"They are our second family. We go to them with everything. We see them more than we see our parents. And if tonight is anything to go by, we'll have plenty more full houses to look forward to." Suddenly there was a pale light shining on them. They both turned their heads skyward. A full and beautiful moon shone brightly from behind a departing cloud. Marceline turned to Bonnibel, resting her arms around Bonnibel's neck and shoulders.

The silvery light of the moon struck Marceline's eyes reddish-brown eyes from a strong angle, illuminating her irises. Bonnie stood in awe with mouth open of the beautiful woman she had chosen to be her partner. In this moment, as the paleness of Marcy's skin was brought out, her eyes appeared to actually glow a heart-stopping crimson red. A genuine vampire stood before her, the Marceline of another life. As she froze in disbelief, the creature who has stolen her heart and her breath was drawing closer, stealing her lips as well. A shiver shook her whole being, they kissed while they bathed in moonlight, and the kiss didn't end until another cloud hid the moon from view and returned them to the dull lights of the city. Bonnie opened her eyes and found her familiar Marcy once again.

"What? What is it, Bonnie?"

"...nothing. I just..I was reminded how beautiful you are."

"Me? I'm pretty sure you're the beautiful one," Marcy argued. She craned her neck down to plant needful kisses against her partner's neck. "You're more gorgeous than any princess in any storybook," she whispered.

"Vampire..." Bonnie moaned softly. She almost lost herself in her girlfriend's charms before she remembered they weren't alone. "We need to get to bed."

"Aw, alright," pouted the pale woman. "But tomorrow night I'm going to live up to my nickname, if you know what I mean," she teased in a hushed tone. Fighting another shiver of anticipation, Bonnibel led her lover back inside. After taking a spot next to the sliding door, they slept facing each other. And as the couple drifted off to sleep, Marceline opened her eyes for a minute. The moon had peeked out again for a short time to grace Bonnie's face with its light. Looking at her in this light, I really could see her wearing a crown. Well, maybe a tiara. Smirking to herself she shuffled closer and fell peacefully to sleep next to the girl with the bubblegum-colored hair.

Morning came sooner than anyone would have liked. The sun's bright rays came through the door and woke everyone shortly after sunrise. It wasn't an overly beautiful morning for anyone, except perhaps the women who were renting the apartment. The first thing they saw was the other's face, and they forgot for the precious early minutes of their day how sore they were after spending two nights on the floor.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Bonbon."

The restaurant was not only filled with people, but with the sounds of food service. Silverware clanking against ceramic, ceramics in turn clanking against each other, and the continuous din of conversations being heaped on other conversations. Despite this, or perhaps even because of it, the establishment had a warm and welcoming ambiance. Walking in through the front door and having the atmosphere wash over her, Marceline thought that this was actually a very nice place to meet their parents. She was about to mention so to Bonnie when they were approached by a young blonde about Finn's age.

"How many?" she asked in a polite tone.

"Five. We'll be expecting three more," Bonnibel informed her.

"This way, please." They were led between tables to a booth on the end of a row with a wide window that let them view the traffic driving past on the one-way street outside. "Your server will be with you in just a moment."

"Thank you." Bonnie turned back to Marcy. "This place seems really nice, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, and it's only 10 minutes' walk from our apartment. I wonder what the food is like," Marceline mused. It wasn't long before they were joined by Marcy's father.

"Hello girls. I told the office I would be busy for breakfast. Where did you find this place?" Hunson sat down across from the couple as he studied his surroundings.

"Marcy found it on the internet this morning. It has rave reviews, so we're hoping the food is at least as good as the vibe," Bonnibel explained. She was about to explain that it had been featured in a local paper when she saw her parents approaching down the aisle with the blonde from earlier escorting them.

"Your server will be just another minute."

"Here early as usual, Hunson," noted Mr. Buchman.

"Hi honey. Hello Marceline." Mrs. Buchman was her usual, cheery self as she and her husband shuffled in next to Marcy's dad.

"I think she's coming back..." Marcy muttered to Bonnie, pointing toward the kitchen where the girl who seated them was hurrying toward them. She arrived at the table with a slightly flustered expression on her face.

"I am so sorry for the mix-up, but the person who was supposed to be your server is uh...not here. So I'll be taking care of you today. My name is Fionna." She slipped a notepad out of her pocket. "Can I get you anything to start with?"

"Uhm...we don't have menus yet..." Mrs. Buchman pointed out.

"Augh. I'm really, really sorry! The truth is your server just up and quit about ten minutes ago. I'll go get your menus!" Fionna raced off and the table shared a look amongst themselves. Seconds later she had returned and began doling out the menus. "Again, I am so sorry for this. Let me comp your beverages. Anything you order to drink will be free."

"Oh. Thank you very much," Bonnie replied. "Really though, don't worry about it too much." Fionna looked at her with a thankful smile and then went off to get their water.

"Well, it may have started off poorly, but she certainly knows how to take care of her customers. Taking care of our drinks just for a minor wait? That's service," Mr. Buchman asserted. "She's getting a generous tip." Fionna came and went again, returned for their orders, and left once more.

"I think we have something to tell you girls, don't we?" Mrs. Buchman looked to her husband, and then in turn to Hunson.

"Yes, we do." Mr. Buchman cleared his throat. "Bonnibel, Marceline...the two of you are moving into your the first place that you share as a couple. That is a significant moment the life of a young person. So in addition to some support for the rent, the three of us have decided to work together to buy you a housewarming present."

"We're going to help you furnish your apartment." Mrs. Buchman explained. "Next weekend we've all taken off of work to take you both to buy some furniture."

"Mom, Dad...this is...I mean-"

"What she means is it's totally great. We really appreciate you helping us out, right Bonbon?" Marceline smiled at the girl in pink beside her.

"Yes. Yes, that is what I meant to say."

"You two are starting a new stage of your lives. Things are only going to get harder. We want to help you while we still can." Hunson's serious expression told his daughter that his thoughts were going elsewhere, so she changed the subject.

"Speaking of new stages, did you hear that Sarah and Larissa are living together?" Marceline asked. "We saw them last night. They seem really happy to be doing it after dating for a year."

"I'm glad for them," Mrs. Buchman said. "They seem like they'd be such a happy couple. And I know how hard it can be to fall in love with your best friend." Mr. Buchman smiled and put an arm around his wife.

"I also have news regarding Sarah. The Board of Directors at Turtle Publishing have been considering the possibility of appointing her to be her father's replacement," Hunson informed them, swirling the ice in his drink.

"That's...amazing. Wouldn't she be a groundbreaking choice? She'd be the youngest woman, and definitely youngest lesbian to hold such a position. In fact probably the only lesbian in the publishing business, at least currently..." Bonnibel was thinking about the social implications of such a choice when Hunson resumed his story.

"That's the point, I think. Not only had her father been grooming her for the job to begin with, the company agrees with her that going in a new direction would do wonders for the company's image. And given the media coverage on her father's dismissal, they can take advantage of it by appointing someone who's so very different. The sun rising again, a new generation taking over...things like that." Just then Fionna returned with their food. It was all very much breakfast-type food, albeit with some interesting touches. All too quickly it was time for goodbyes.

"Bye Dad, bye Mom," Bonnie said farewell to her parents as she hugged them.

"Goodbye, Daddy." Marceline too was relinquished from her parent's grip. Just as the parents made their way to the door, Marceline's phone sounded. "Uh, Bonnie? I guess we're staying a bit. Sarah just told me we shouldn't go home yet—they're putting together some kind of surprise for us."

"Oh. Well...I mean another hour or so won't hurt. How long did she say it'd take?"

"We'll get a text when they've finished." The both of them sat back down. A few minutes later, Fionna was at the table again.

"Where did everyone else go?"

"They went home. We will be staying a little longer, though," informed Bonnie.

"Oh. Uh...do you girls want something else? I mean, I know I took the menus..."

"What do you recommend? Something not breakfast food would be good," Marceline suggested.

"Well, Cake is always complaining about how nobody orders her fish and chips recipe. You could try that. And uh..."

"Two strawberry smoothies," Marceline stated. Fionna smiled and nodded, going back to the kitchen to place their order. Moments later a 'woo' could be heard, likely the woman referred to as Cake celebrating the fish and chips.

"I think I like this place. The menu is really varied and the food is amazing," Bonnie said, reaching over for her partner's hand. "We should come here again."

"Totally. The people seem good too. Fionna knows what she's doing, and if this Cake person is the chef then they're pretty awesome."

"It's not too far from the apartment either."

"Yeah. Huh. I can sorta picture us being regulars. Like, stopping in all the time and the staff getting to know us by name..."

"Sounds good to me, girls!" They turned their attention to the speaker following Fionna to their table. She had a stained apron and was wearing her dyed, sandy blonde hair in a bun on her head. As they both reached the table, the woman in the apron set down two plates of fish and chips. "My name is Cake. I'm the head chef here, and I love it when people order the recipes I've added to the menu."

"That's cool. My name's Marceline, and this is my girlfriend Bonnibel." Marceline put her arm around the pink-haired girl as she introduced them.

"Nice to meet you ladies! I hope you like your fish and chips with a little spice and a lot of flavor, 'cause that's what I do best. Go on—give it a try!" Cake seemed to be waiting with bated breath for them to sample her dish. Bonnie used her fork to cut two bite-sized pieces off of fish, and when both girls had eaten it their eyes lit up.

"It's fantastic! I think this is the best—no, I know this is the best fish and chips recipe I've ever had," Bonnibel raved. She then took one of the potatoes to eat and had much a similar expression as she did.

"This is some rocking fish you've got here," Marcy said.

"Thank you very much," Cake replied, performing a small bow and a flourish. "I worked real hard to figure out the perfect balance of herbs and spices."

"Cake is always experimenting with new recipes at home, which means I end up doing a lot of dishes," Fionna explained. "And if anybody in this city knows fish and chips, it's her."

"So you two live together, then?" Bonnie asked.

"Yup. This one here is my sister. We share a place not too far from here," Cake in formed them.

"You seem pretty close. I think that's nice," commented Marcy.

"Thank you, hun. You two seem pretty nice too. Anyway, I gotta get back to work, and so does Fionna. I hope we see you girls around here again." Cake and Fionna turned to leave. "Oh, by the way, that second plate is on the house. Bye ladies."

"Huh. You know they remind me of two boys we know..." Bonnie commented.

"You think so too, Bonbon?"

"I do. But it's not like they're gender-swapped clones. I think the personalities and the relationship is what does it. In any case, why don't we set to work clearing our plates?"

Bonnibel and Marceline ended up staying nearly two hours longer, slowly but surely polishing off their food. When they finally received clearance to go back to the apartment, they paid their check and began leisurely making their way back up the street.

Upon entering their apartment, the girls found that their friends were clustered in front of the bedroom door.

"Well, are you ready to see what we all pulled together to buy as your girls' housewarming gift?" Sarah asked with her hand on the doorknob.

"I don't know. What do you think, Marcy? Is the suspense killing you yet?"

"I dunno, babe. I'm a vampire, so it's pretty hard for anything to kill me. We can wait a bit, right?"

"Oh, hush, the both of you. Let's just go into your bedroom, shall we?" Rainy pretended to scold the two, and gestured for the girls to follow the group as Sarah opened the door.

"Oh!"

"My Glob, you guys. Wow!"

The previously empty room now had furniture. Two small tables stood in the corners, one on either side of queen-sized bed with a lovely wood frame. The bed already had sheets, pillows, and a comforter on it. Black and pink ones, to be precise.

"We all bought pieces of it. Even Finn managed to chip in with money from his part-time job," Sarah explained.

"I picked the bed sheets. They're super awesome, right?" Larissa commented, smirking confidently.

"Jake, Finn and I bought the matching bedside tables." Rainy pointed to them as she spoke.

"And of course that means I bought the bed. I wanted to get you something that looked nice but wasn't so fancy that it seemed out of place." Sarah folded her arms. "Not too bad if I do say so myself."

"This is so generous. You're all such great friends to us and this is just...over-the-top wonderful," Bonnie said, looking almost as if she were about to cry.

"This is totally great, you guys. So amazing." Marcy put a hand on her chest, indicating just how touched she felt.

The group of close friends spent another few hours together, munching on some snacks and chit-chatting while they all unpacked Marceline and Bonnibel's belongings. The apartment was nearly finished being assembled by the time people had to be on their way.

"Ah." Sarah looked at her watch. "Larissa, honey, we have to get going. We both have work in the morning."

"Augh. You're right..." whined Larissa.

"Actually, we best be going too." Jake motioned to Rainy and Finn.

"You're probably right. After all, we still have all of our unpacking to do as well." Rainy picked up her bag while Finn slung his over both shoulders.

"Thanks for letting us stay the night P-Bubs, Mar-Mar. It was math," Finn said, showing a thumbs-up.

"It was no problem, Finn. Thank you for helping us unpack." Bonnie and Marcy met their friends at the door to say their goodbyes. Everyone exchanged rounds of hugs, tightly squeezing each other as if it would make them feel less lonely now that their day together was done.

"Goodbye, everyone," Bonnie slipped her arm around Marcy's waist. "We're going to miss you."

"We'll come visit soon," Rainy promised.

"Us too. We'll be in touch," Sarah assured them. With a small wave the door was shut and Bonnie and Marcy were alone in their new place.

"So...what do you want to do for dinner, Bonbon?"

"Should we break in our new kitchen? It's only late afternoon, so we still have plenty of time to cook. I feel like curry tonight, how about you?"

"That's actually just what I was thinking, babe. Do you want me to run and do the shopping or would you like to?"

"Could you, actually? I wanna unpack the last of our boxes. I think our crock pot is in it."

"Ok, hun." Marcy pecked Bonnie quickly on the lips and grabbed the keys to the car. "I'll be back as fast as I can manage."

"Drive safe, Marcy." The door closing behind the rocker, the pink-haired princess ripped open the last box. She was right: the crock pot was inside. In fact a few other kitchen items they would need were in the box as well. But when she finally collapsed the cardboard and sat down on the blankets that were still spread across the living room floor, she had time to think. What is this feeling? I mean I feel so...is this loneliness? But I have Marcy, and I've never felt alone when she's around. Surely a trip to the grocery store isn't enough to make this happen. She tried to puzzle it out logically, but the answer just wasn't coming to her. As she tried even harder to process, Marceline opened the door. Bonnibel had lost track of time, so she was surprised to see her back.

"I'm home. I forgot to ask what else we wanted in the curry, or if we were doing it with rice or naan or chutney...I just guessed and went with naan. Hope that's ok."

"Hm? Oh, yes it's fine. I think I'd rather have the naan anyway in most cases."

"You seem kinda out of it. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am. Don't worry. We should get started," Bonnie instructed. Pulling out the ingredients Bonnie started preparing the curry sauce while Marcy was cutting and prepping the meat and vegetables. As she was doing so, Bonnibel began to realize what was she was feeling. It's not loneliness exactly. What I'm feeling is the anticipated loss of our friends.

"Bonbon are you sure you're alright? You've been shaking that same empty jar into the pot for five minutes now."

"Sorry, Marcy. I was just feeling...not lonely. But a little sad about our friends." Marceline stopped what she was doing.

"What about our friends?"

"I'm so happy we're living here together. But now that we're out of school and living in different cities we're not going to see our friends as much anymore. I mean it's not like we're going to go to the same cafeteria, run into each other in the halls, or even take a class together." Marcy stepped behind her girlfriend in their tiny, cramped kitchenette, and hugged her.

"And you're sad about losing that everyday connection?" Bonnie nodded. "I understand, Bonnie. I do. But things can't go on the same forever. And I know it's not much consolation, but," she spun Bonnie in her arms to face her. "You'll always have me."

"Oh Marcy..." Bonnie kissed the taller girl on the nose. "You're much more consoling that you think, my love."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Now let's finish this curry and get it in the slow cooker."

Many fresh ingredients and spices later, the curry was in the crock pot. The naan was store bought, so it wasn't the greatest, but it was easy. All they had to do was warm it. By nightfall the smell of the curry was too delicious to bear any longer, not that they needed to. It was a rather nice curry considering the ingredients at their disposal.

"I'll get the naan and the curry ready," Bonnibel offered.

"I've got a surprise for you, too." Marceline gestured to their spot on the floor, where two plastic wine glasses filled with strawberry soda stood waiting.

"For someone who claims to be a creature with no heartbeat, you're awfully romantic," Bonnibel mocked sweetly.

"What can I say? I like to woo my prey."

"Am I your prey tonight, Marceline?"

"Maybe if we play our cards right." She winked. She took her bowl of curry and plate of naan from Bonnie and settled down on the blankets. It didn't take long to finish their first plates, and they both went back for more. Over the course of about an hour they ate almost all of the food they'd prepared. Afterward they packed the leftovers into the fridge. Returning to their spots with the soda, they turned on the TV.

"A toast, Bonnie. To our new life, and everything it has in store for us."

"Agreed."

They clanked their cheap, plastic wine glasses together. They sipped some more of their sodas, and held each other close as they watched some cable. But soon enough Marceline couldn't resist and began slowly teasing her partner. Light caresses and soft kisses began to elicit small sounds of excitement from Bonnie. Soon they were making out with fervor and just barely keeping their clothes on.

"I know it's a day late, but what do you say we spread one of these blankets on our bed and break in Larissa's sheets tonight too?"

"Ehehe. I say what are we waiting for?" Bonnie smooched her love quickly one more time.

They spared nothing in their lovemaking that night. Every part of their body that they felt pleasure from was given attentions. The oddly intense session came to a halt when Bonnie could no longer contain herself and let out a loud and long moan during a climax. Just after the sound ceased she realized what she'd done, and that since they now lived in an apartment it was possible that their neighbors had heard. In fact there was a heavy thud from the floor, and Bonnie froze. She had this shocked and embarrassed look on her face, and Marcy couldn't help but laugh at the expression. Despite the sudden embarrassment, Bonnie too found herself laughing wholeheartedly as Marcy's arms wrapped firmly around her. It was a good thing they had turned the lights off before they started because after their little laughing fit, neither wanted to leave the bed. Instead they shoved the blanket off of the bed and pulled the sheets up over them.

"Whew. We haven't done it like that since..."

"Since two nights ago," Bonnie reminded.

"Yeah, true." Marceline adjusted herself a bit to hold Bonnibel closer. Just as she was kissing her lover's neck once more the moonlight began streaming in through the window. She slowed down, lavishing steadily this one particular spot on Bonnie's neck. Finally releasing the skin and realizing she'd left a mark again she whispered breathily next to her partner's ear, "I love you, Bonnibel. With all of my heart and soul."

"I love you too, Marcy," she replied, holding the taller woman's hand and stroking her long fingers. "I've never been so happy as I am with you." Bonnie sighed in her bliss.

"We're really adults now, huh Bonbon? We're still getting help from our parents so we can afford this place, but for the most part we're what anyone else would call independent."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it? You'll be pursuing your music career, I'll be going for my master's degree while I look for a job." She kissed a pale arm encircling her. "We may not have many more opportunities for nights this intense."

"That makes me worried, Bonnie. I don't want to spend less time with you."

"And if I could be with you every moment I would. But we are supposed to be adults, which means we're responsible. And responsibility demands sacrifice."

"Ugh. You're right." Marceline pulled on the pink-haired woman's shoulders and rotated her so they could look each other in the eyes. "But you know there's no one I'd rather struggle beside, or fight with, or celebrate success with than you."

"And even my worst day with you is better than any happy moment apart." Bonnibel smiled. "So for the next chapter, and every page afterward, we'll be together." Bonnie tenderly kissed Marcy's lips, and sleepily rested her head in the crook of her lover's neck.

"Goodnight, Bonnie."

"Goodnight, Marcy."

I love you.

It is so hard to say goodbye. I have loved publishing every chapter for you all to read. In the short term, though I know not how short, I will be bidding farewell to writing Bubbline. My next project is a Rurouni Kenshin fic. However, I feel strongly that Bubbline is the thing that I will always enjoy writing the most. I will undoubtedly return to it much sooner than I'm expecting. And I admit, but do not commit to an idea that I have for my next Bubbline fanfic. Could it possibly be...a sequel to this fic?! I don't know yet either. But keep your eye on me, because you can count on one thing: I will write another Bubbline fic. I look forward to our reunion. So until then, dear readers, I bid you all a very, very fond farewell. Goodbye.

THE END (?)