Um... well. It's a Powerpuff Girls fanfiction. :p

P! P! G! Doesn't belong to me!

***

It was so… so… strange, floating around in nothingness.

At first I didn't really mind. I mean, I didn't think I was going to be there for very long. My sisters were sure to rescue me from this place in the very immediate future. We were sisters, so they had to come get me. That's what sisters are supposed to do, right? They loved me... well, I thought they did. I refused to believe that they didn't. So, while I waited for their arrival, I focussed on keeping myself busy. I flew in circles, millions and millions of times, but I remained as alone as ever. Not that I thought much about it. I was so sure that they would come and save me from this horrible place sooner or later.

But they didn't.

I came to that conclusion after a while. And when I say a while, I mean a long while. Who knew how much time passed while I was trapped there? I didn't seem to age or grow old. My body remained just like it had been when I had first appeared there.

Disheartened and hurt, I made out to myself that I didn't care I was all alone. Why would I need my uncaring sisters? They were useless. I imagined my own family, one that actually liked me. My sisters, my father and I went to the shops... we went to school and we went to the beach… We went to so many places that I began to see through the game. I realised that it wasn't real; I realised that I couldn't lie to myself anymore. So I stopped imagining them, deciding to wait for the real them to come. What else could I have done?

They weren't coming… they weren't coming… they weren't coming…

I gave up hoping that they were going to retrieve me once more. Surely, if they were going to, they would have saved me by now. I sometimes dreamed that a giant hand would reach out of the emptiness, picking me up before taking me out of this plane of nonexistence. They would hold me in their arms like a baby, telling me that they loved me and they were never going to let me go. They would take me home with them and they would read me bedtime stories. I would go to school, get a job and have children. I would be able to live a proper life like my sisters.

It wasn't fair!

I took my own initiative, trying to find a way out by myself. My patience had worn thin and I figured that I didn't need any help. Desperate, I flew upwards, higher and higher, but I didn't reach any sort of door or exit. I didn't even know if I was moving because the background didn't appear to change. It was white. Never-ending white that went on and on until my head hurt.

Changing tactic slightly, I tried going forward: zooming at the fastest speed I could go. Unfortunately, much like before, I didn't seem to be making any sort of progress.

I gave up, frustrated, taking out my anger on the only thing there- myself. I punched myself, I kicked myself and I ripped out my hair. Then I became distressed because I had resulted to mindless violence. After doing that, I would fly off in the hope I would find a way to escape. It never worked, of course. The circle went on and on and on and on and on and-

It was their fault!

My sorrow turned into anger. It wasn't fair. I didn't deserve to be there. It wasn't like I had asked to be taken to that terrible location. I had been whisked away without consent, without an argument on my behalf. My sisters should have rescued me, seeing as it was their fault I was there. Now, whenever I thought about my family, I only saw rage and hate. I was being punished for something I didn't do. I was existing in nonexistence, the worst punishment anyone could ever dream of experiencing. There was no laughter or joy or any kind of foreseeable future; there was only isolation and pain and a future that contained nothing for me. Whenever I imagined my family, they were all distorted and blurred. I found that I couldn't imagine them; I couldn't imagine anything now. They had stolen the thing a child holds closest to their heart.

Their imagination.

I thought I would be there forever when fate decided to come across the horizon. By then I had seen the harsh truth that had danced around me. No one loved me. No one pitied me. I had been a speck of dirt on the world and had been brushed away. Brushed away with no regret and consequently forgotten. I had been a novelty, a toy for them to play with until they grew bored.

That is why when I was moping around, as usual, I jumped when a voice moaned, "Hello?"

There was no way I could have made it up, yet I was the only being there. It made no sense. I strained my ears until they nearly exploded, yearning to hear the voice once more. Spoken language had become alien to me and I was craved to hear it.

After a few minutes, I decided that it must have been me being paranoid and desperate. I continued drifting along, sinking back into my everlasting routine of doing absolutely nothing.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

There was definitely a voice, I was certain of it. I couldn't have imagined it twice. The first time had been unbelievable. I raised my head silently, not daring to move. It seemed to have gone once more. Had the voice's owner given up? Should I have called out to it? Had this been my final chance?

I floated away, thinking to myself how that voice had been the highlight of my time there. Though to be honest, that wasn't really saying much. It wasn't as if anything interesting ever happened there.

"Are you deaf? I said hello!" the voice snapped, its politeness suddenly turning into anger.

A head materialized in front of me. I gasped, leaping back. It was scarlet red: as red as blood, with piercing lime coloured eyes. Beneath them were two rosy pink cheeks, as big as satellites on the large bodiless cranium. On the end of its pointed chin, which was as sharp as its long elflike ears, was a small black goatee. It poked out of its red skin like a small plant shoot, curling at the end. The back of its head looked like it was glued to a large lump of pink candyfloss.

The head bared its teeth, revealing pearly white daggers.

I squeaked, backing away and holding out my arms.

It furrowed its thin eyebrows in frustration. "Can you hear me, or are you just stupid?"

I nodded my head furiously, my voice box withered and dry from lack of use. Even if it had been healthy, I wasn't sure whether I remembered how to talk. I hoped that the floating head would understand that I could hear it perfectly well.

"Oh, so you can hear me." The head smirked. "Please allow me to… uh, get comfortable. We have a lot to discuss."

I watched in horror and awe as tentacles shot out of the bottom of the head, twisting and turning. They clumped together to form a pair of arms, a stomach… soon there was an entire body beneath it. Black boots emerged from the bottom of its legs, creeping upwards and ending just below its torso, where there was now a ring of candyfloss-like material, not unlike the fluffy substance behind its head. The creature was wearing a red dress that was a deeper shade than its skin, fastened with a coal black belt. It shrunk so it no longer towered over me, but it didn't really make me feel any braver. I just stared at it, wondering whether it wanted to hurt me.

It snapped its pincers, which it bore instead of hands. I struggled to determine the creature's gender. Sometimes its voice was feminine, like it had just been, but when it had become angry it had sounded male. I decided that for now, I would simply think of the red individual as an 'it'.

"There, now we can get… ah, personal," it said, admiring its body. Its claws slid down it. "You're one of the Powerpuff Girls, aren't you?"

Was I one after what had happened? I wasn't sure but I nodded anyway.

"Ah, yes. My, hasn't it been ages?" The red person laughed, each note sending a chill down my spine. "We sure did have fun, didn't we? It's a shame that my fun had to be ruined every single time."

The last part oozed with hate and the same emotion washed over its red face. It was only for a second, however; soon its expression relaxed. The creature smiled at me, holding out a pincer. I didn't know what to do, or even if I was expected to do anything, so I just acknowledged it with a smile.

"Don't just stand there looking gormless." The red person shook its pincer furiously. "Do you want to get out of here or not?"

I started, grabbing hold of its pincer promptly. I held on tightly, not wanting to let go. This was perhaps my only chance of getting the freedom I so badly yearned for. The red person grinned at my eagerness to follow. It flew upwards, me still attached to its pincer, before going through a swirling pool of colour that just suddenly appeared. I closed my eyes, thinking that I would get wet, but I was on the other side in a matter of moments, completely dry.

It was hard to take in so quickly. I blinked rapidly, not used to the many colours I could now see. My body trembled uncontrollably, not used to the many people I could now see. The red person either didn't see my nervousness or just didn't care. It giggled, finding my fear amusing. I smiled back, not wanting it to think that it had offended me. I wanted to be on good terms with my rescuer, seeing as it had saved me from that… that place.

"You don't need to be so cowardly, Powerpuff, they can't see you," it said, jerking its head towards a collection of people. To prove this, the red person swung its arm at a nearby man's head. I thought that it would slice it in two and flinched, but the red person's arm went through his head without leaving a single mark.

The man didn't react, walking at the same steady pace as before. I looked at the red person questioningly.

It rolled its eyes before explaining, "We're not really here, silly. Let me see… how can I phrase this so an incompetent child like you can understand…? Hm... All right." It nodded to itself. "We're here spiritually. We're like a pair of ghosts. You can do whatever you want, but none of your actions will affect the living world."

I nodded, bitterly disappointed. Being on Earth was a nice change, but it made me long for a life even more than before. It was like watching a football match when you could be in it scoring goals. I didn't really want to be on this planet anymore, but I didn't want to go back to where I had been before…

"I bet you're wondering what your sisters have been up to," said the red person, studying my face interestedly.

I nodded, wondering wherever we were going to go see them. Not that I wanted to see them or anything. Not after they had neglected me and left it to someone else to collect me… but I supposed it wouldn't hurt, and I wasn't going to say no to a visit.

It nodded before spiralling into the air. I went after it, seeing that I could still fly.

"Your sisters continued life without you… beating up villains before returning home in time for dinner," it said with a hint of bitterness. "They never gave you a second thought. They thought that you had disgraced them and what they stood for; they didn't want to think of you as their sister. They didn't want to think about you because it reminded them how they had failed you and caused your death. For a group of superheroes, they really didn't live up to my expectations in regards to you…

So they grew up, went to school… they had their fair share of crushes too. Just like normal, filthy human girls. They went out with those good-for-nothing Rowdyruffs for a year, before growing sick of them and dumping them. I watched it happen… it was hilarious. The boys acted like they didn't care but as soon as they got home they cried like little babies. Tee hee hee… where was I? Oh yes, I remember.

The monsters began to take the hint; they weren't wanted in Townsville. Their population had dropped to a critical point and the increased power of the girls meant that they were going to die out in a matter of weeks. So they gave up, going to other places and trying to build up their population there. By the time they had reached a safe number, they had forgotten all about this strange little city. I always knew those monsters had a very short attention span.

After that, us super villains began to take more of a beating. There were fewer emergencies so the girls put more power into the fights they did have. So we gave up on crime, tired of the pain they inflicted upon us every time. That left the normal criminals to do all the law-breaking. The Police were able to contain it eventually, believe it or not. This meant that the girls had nothing to do, so they focused on their education and getting good jobs."

I nodded, a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. School? Crushes? Jobs? Surely my sisters were too young to have these sorts of things. They were only five when we had been a team. Adults had those sorts of things, and my sisters would have rescued me long before they had reached such an age… right? RIGHT?

"How old are they now?" said the red person, like it had read my mind. I wouldn't have been surprised if it had. It pulled a face, though I was sure it knew how old my sisters were now. I think it was just playing with me. "Ah yes… they're thirty, if my mind isn't playing tricks on me."

"NO!" I shouted, the exclamation escaping my damaged throat. I shook my head, not believing it… not wanting to believe it… They couldn't be that age… they loved me… I was their sister! They couldn't have forgotten about me and moved on in life… could they? Tears filled my eyes as realization dawned onto me. I sniffled, too upset to wipe the tears away.

My sisters… had really, truly cast me aside like trash.

"You can talk after all," the red person remarked, sounding satisfied. "Yes… your goody-goody sisters never tried to find you in twenty-five years. Pathetic, isn't it? I wouldn't allow them to get away with that if I was you. What a cruel, heartless thing they did… I would want revenge. Do you want revenge?"

I didn't move.

"That's why I brought you here," said the red person, its voice sickly sweet. "To make a little deal. I can pull a few strings and bring you back to life. Of course, I would age you so that you were the same age as them. We don't want you to be at a disadvantage. A small girl fighting fully grown women really wouldn't be fair… and I know what condition you were in before your death... I would fix that too, as I'm so nice. I only ask for one thing."

It held out its pincer.

"Help me destroy the Powerpuff Girls."

They were my sisters and I loved them.

They were my sisters and I hated them.

They cared for me, they hurt me, they loved me, they forgot me.

Call it a deal with the devil, but it was the deal of a lifetime.

I beamed at it, holding out my hand. It laughed, taking it in its own, tossing back its head.

"I am Him, and soon the Powerpuff Girls will be no more!"

I didn't find His laugh scary anymore. Now… it was reassuring.

_________________

Next chapter.

***

The City Of Townsville…

Is under attack!

We flew upwards, the wind whistling in our ears. The scaly red monster reared its head towards us, hearing our heavy panting. I heard Bubbles gasp quietly as it headed towards us, opening its mouth wide. Fire escaped its lips and ripped through the cloudless sky, racing towards us at an alarming speed. Fortunately, my sisters and I managed to roll out of the way in time. I felt its breath heat up the air near me, missing my body by inches. Safe, I glanced at my sisters and saw that they were unharmed as well. I exhaled in relief before zooming over to them.

"Okay, girls, we need to come up with a plan," I said, brushing my hair out of my eyes. The monster closed its mouth prior to turning its head towards us. We flew up higher so we were out of its breath's range.

"I have an idea. We go up to it and blow its head off," replied Buttercup, punching the palm of her hand. It was so typical of her, resorting to violence straight away. I bit back the retort I had in mind, knowing that it wouldn't help matters if I started an argument. It was my duty as their leader to maintain a positive attitude; it wouldn't do to start a fight amongst ourselves with a monster nearby. It was hard though, because Buttercup's ideas weren't exactly the best.

I carefully chose my words. "No, Buttercup, that won't work. We tried doing that and it breathed fire before we could reach it. Also, its fire destroys our heat vision before it can touch it. We need to use our heads to defeat this monster."

"What, are you saying that I don't use my head?" growled Buttercup, distorting my words as usual.

"No, I never said that. I meant we should stop and think of a plan that we haven't tried yet."

"Then why didn't you just say that in the first place?" asked Buttercup, refusing to admit she was in the wrong. She was far too stubborn for my liking, questioning and picking at everything I did and said. Buttercup always wanted things done her way, disliking it when we stopped to think things through. That was probably why we clashed so much.

"Why don't we try asking it to leave?" suggested Bubbles. I knew she was trying to be helpful but Buttercup had irritated me, and I wasn't in the mood to put her idea down gently.

"Bubbles, we have to be serious. It's not going to go away if we ask it to. The monsters don't come here only to be sent back to where they came from. Their sole purpose is to destroy Townsville. If monsters went away when asked then they wouldn't bother coming here in the first place."

"Yeah, Bubbles, why don't you use that small brain of yours for once?" Buttercup sneered, more annoyed than I was. I was aware that Buttercup was agreeing with me, but she had upset Bubbles and I could see that our lovable sister was on the verge of tears. She always phrased things so they caused other people to feel bad. It was like she did it on purpose.

My face reddened so it was the same colour as my bow, and I rounded on my green-eyed sister. "Hey, she was only trying to help, unlike some people."

"Shut up," said Buttercup, unable to come up with a better argument.

"No, you shut up," I shouted, flying in front of her so that we were face-to-face. It didn't look as though a rational conversation was going to get through to her.

"No, you shut up!"

"Um…" Bubbles eyed the monster, which had climbed up a tall building without us noticing. However, my sister and I were too distracted to take notice of it.

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"GUYS!" screamed Bubbles as the monster let out multiple balls of fire. She zoomed towards us, racing against the monster's fiery orbs. Buttercup and I turned at the last moment, seeing Bubbles go towards us, the fiery path of destruction right behind her. My naturally level head allowed me to dart out of the way, but Buttercup was still hovering, staring into the flame. She must have been in shock. Bubbles went towards her and reached out a hand before…

"Ms Utonium, there is someone here wishing to see you."

Blossom Utonium looked up from her desk, putting her pen down to rest on her notepad. She gazed seriously at the young redhead who was standing at the door of her office, a scowl on her lips. Blossom hated being disturbed and even though she knew it wasn't her secretary's fault, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at her.

The two women, although they had matching hair colour, were not similar in many other ways. The woman at the door had small brown eyes that were heavily outlined with mascara. Blossom, who didn't wear makeup, had large circular pink eyes. The woman at the door's hair was poufy and went everywhere, while Blossom's was scraped back into a tight bun. The woman at the door wore a vibrant red suit, while Blossom was wearing a dull grey skirt with a white blouse over the top. They locked eyes for a moment, only for Blossom to look away shortly afterwards. Instead, she stared at the necklace around the woman's neck. Blossom was aware that her assistant lacked confidence and preferred not making direct eye contact for too long

"Send her in, Lara." Blossom sighed, having a good idea who it was. These days it tended to be the same person each time. She reckoned that it was best to confront the problem head on rather than send it away… even if the issue wasn't hers.

Lara nodded and stood to one side. As soon as she did so, another redhead stormed in. This one wobbled slightly in her insanely high heels, her black beady eyes firmly placed on Blossom. Blossom groaned inwardly, wondering what she wanted this time. She hoped that the new arrival had a valid reason for disrupting her, but Blossom wouldn't wager any money on this being correct. The reason was always the same, but a little bit of optimism never hurt anyone.

"Hey Blossom," the woman slurred, leaning heavily on Blossom's desk. Blossom leaned back a bit, hiding her disgust. "I need… I need some cash."

"Princess, for the last time I will not lend you any money," Blossom stated, pinching the skin between her eyes in frustration. "I can't just go around giving money out to everyone. We're not a charity. Now, please leave or else I will have to call security on you like last time."

"But you're the Mayor!" Princess exclaimed, standing up straight but resting her hands on the desk as she nearly lost her balance in her precarious footwear. Blossom pulled out her wad of paper from beneath Princess' hands, far more interested in the papers than the conversation she was being forced to take part in. "You have like tonnes of money you could give me."

Blossom frowned, trying not to lose her temper. It wouldn't have bothered her so much if Princess' attempts were far and in between. This was not the case, however. Recently, it had become a near daily occurrence and Blossom wasn't going to encourage it.

"You spent all of your father's wealth within a year of his death, Princess. It is your fault that you have no money, not mine. Now leave; I am in the process of writing my autobiography."

"Hey, you're writing an autobiothingy?" remarked Princess, either ignoring the first thing Blossom had said or not remembering what she had said due to her short attention span. "Wow, I always knew you were nerdy but writing a boring book about your life? That's so… so…" She blinked before grinning widely. "Hey, that means I'm going to be in it, right?"

She toppled over, hitting the corner of the desk with her chin.

Blossom jumped to her feet, peering down at Princess. She hoped that there wasn't a mark. Blossom had only had that carpet put down that week.

Princess got to her feet slowly, unharmed. She continued talking as if nothing had happened. "If I'm going to be in it, you have to like pay me or else I'll sue you. And you don't have your silly sisters to help you anymore, do you? Not since you quit the Power-"

"Lara." Blossom raised her voice angrily. Princess gasped, not used to seeing Blossom so furious. She was used to her being calm and patient. She wasn't used to her being irate and answering back to the personal comments Princess made about her. It looked like she had touched a nerve. "Inform security that Princess is here once more."

Lara nodded, leaving the room.

"You're kicking me out?" cried out Princess, turning around as Blossom's three security guards came in, Lara in tow. "Shows what kind of friend you are! No wonder your sisters hate you."

The three security guards exchanged excited looks, smirking. The one on the far left had messy black hair and piercing green eyes, and he was vibrating slightly as though he wasn't able to keep still. The one in the middle had spiky orange hair that looked like it had been put into a blender, mostly hidden beneath a red baseball cap that was the same colour as his eyes. The last security guard, who was on the far right, had wavy blonde hair and innocent sky blue eyes, though it was hard to tell whether this innocence was naivety or stupidity. They chuckled at the tatty looking Princess, whose clothes were so short and revealing that she looked as though she was only half-dressed.

Upon seeing them, she took a step back. Her face was pale and her freckles were very obvious.

"Gently this time," said Blossom sternly, returning to her work.

"Hey, you want her out or not?" Brick Jojo smirked, grabbing hold of Princess' arm. She shrieked but was nowhere near powerful enough to break free. The Rowdyruff Boys were as strong as Blossom and her sisters. "Anyway, Butch beat my record and I need to get it back."

"Yeah, right." Butch rolled his eyes, doubting that his brother could throw Princess as far as he could.

Boomer looked indignant. "But it's my turn. We agreed, remember?"

"I lied." Brick shrugged. Princess, muttering loudly but incoherently, flailed her legs as she was dragged out of the room. Lara chased after them, walking at the same pace as them when she caught up. Blossom saw her take hold of Brick's arm and put her head near his, most likely whispering something. Brick turned his head and Blossom took in the seriousness his eyes portrayed. Having more important things to do, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Blossom tried to get back to work, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept writing down the wrong words, and jumbling up sentences to the extent that she couldn't remember what they were supposed to be in the first place. Blossom groaned, pushing her notepad to the side. She would continue it tomorrow when her mind was relaxed and settled. The woman stood up and crossed the room, taking her handbag and grey blazer from the coat peg. She glanced at the untouched black hat hanging on the peg next to her one. The previous Mayor had given her permission to wear it just before he died, but she couldn't bring herself to put it on.

If you had asked Blossom when she was a child what career she aspired to have, she would have said a doctor instantly. This proved to be true as she was a doctor for a few years. She had been the most intelligent person in her high school; she soon went to university and qualified as a doctor. Within three months of landing a job, murmurs and rumours spread through Townsville's hospital, promising her promotions and salaries she had never thought of having.

It was there where she was asked to talk to one of the hospital's newest patients; the Mayor.

He had been diagnosed with an incurable cancer. She began to look after him, much like Ms Bellum had done before she had quit her job ten years prior so she could spend more time with her new love- her baby daughter, Lara. The doctor and patient became closer than ever before, sharing secrets and joking with one another. It was towards the end of his life that he asked her to take over as Mayor. She hadn't considered this as a career; however, she was willing to at least stand for election. For him. Blossom had been surprised at the amount of encouragement given to her by everyone, and she was even more surprised when most of the city voted for her. She gave up being a doctor and became Mayor.

Blossom tore her eyes away from the memory and left her office. She could hear Lara talking on the phone behind her desk, telling someone (most likely Princess) that Blossom was too busy to talk to her at this moment in time. Giving her a grateful smile, she slipped out of the building and entered the enormous city of Townsville.

The sun had crawled to its peak hours ago and was now falling back down in a westwards direction. Its premium temperature had been reached and the air was beginning to cool. The citizens were running past her, greeting their Mayor politely before returning to their lives. Blossom acknowledged every passer-by with a 'hello', never missing anyone out. She was known as courteous and respectful, and she wanted it to be kept that way.

As soon as Blossom caught sight of the city's gym, she quickened her pace, ducking her head slightly at the same time. She was fully aware of who worked there and was in no rush to meet them. The pink eyed woman didn't slow down until the gym was far behind her: a tiny speck on the horizon. Then, she relaxed and continued the rest of her journey at a slower, steady pace.

She reached her mansion, pausing in front of her oak door so she could find her keys. While her hand was buried in her handbag, she heard her cell phone begin to ring. Wondering who was calling her, Blossom took it out of her bag and peered at the screen. She didn't recognize who was calling her, but nonetheless she answered it and placed the phone against the side of her head.

"Hey, Blossom, it's me. Mitch."

"Oh. Hello, Mitch," she replied brightly, taking out her keys and walking into her large home. Blossom's butler took her blazer as she stepped out of her polished black shoes, slipping into a pair of comfortable pink slippers. She walked into the dining room, where she knew a dinner was waiting for her. "What have I done to deserve your attention? It's been ages since we last conversed."

"Buttercup's been ignoring me recently," answered Mitch. He was straight to the point, as usual.

"Oh?" said Blossom, all cheeriness leaving her voice.

"Yeah, I was wondering whether you could ask her to call me back. I need to talk to her."

Blossom sat down at her dinner table. It was very long, starting at one end of the room and finishing on the other. Her meal was in front of her: delicious Spaghetti Bolognese with a glass of milk tea. She knew it was rude to talk on the phone while at the table, but she thought it was even ruder to hang up without formally saying goodbye. She listened as Mitch complained, growing more bored by the second.

"Look, Mitch," she piped when he paused for breath, "you know we haven't spoken since late December. If Buttercup isn't talking to you, then you're in the same club as me." Mitch protested but the pink eyed woman couldn't be asked to continue the conversation. "I know she's my sister; you don't have to remind me. Go ask Harry or Mike to talk to her because there's no way I am. Goodbye."

She switched off her phone, looking down at her food without the faintest trace of hunger on her face. The day's events had stolen the urge to eat out of her stomach, and she yearned for something to distract her. Blossom couldn't bring herself to eat in silence. Alone… as usual.

Her hands came forward, pushing the untouched meal away. She examined the room with a critical eye, wondering what she should do now. Nothing inspired her: the walls were bland and uncreative, the carpet plain and spotless. The more she looked at the elegant yet simple furniture surrounding her, the more she sunk into her own thoughts.

A painting on a nearby wall caught her eye. It was perhaps ten years old, displaying a young girl. She grinned at Blossom innocently, her dark hair falling over her ears and ending at her shoulders. Her near black eyes stood out against her pale skin, wide and unblinking. She was wearing a pink frilly dress, which was far more dazzling than her small smile. A smile that told Blossom that she was willing to pose for the picture, but hating the clothes she had been forced to wear. Blossom giggled at the picture before realising what she could do.

She went to her home phone and dialled a number, pressing the receiver against the side of her head. She waited patiently before hearing a male voice reply, "You have reached the Utonium household. This is John Utonium speaking."

"Hello, Professor," said Blossom, suddenly feeling shy. A part of her urged the rest of her body to hang up.

"Blossom!" He sounded so pleased to hear her voice that 'desperate' may have been a more suitable word. "Sweetie, how are you? I haven't seen you since-" he stopped just in time, "I haven't seen you in ages."

"I'm fine," answered Blossom, pretending that he had said nothing that should worry her. "Absolutely fine. How's Ms Keane- I mean, how is Mrs Utonium and Brunnera?"

"They're fine," the Professor told her warmly. "Brunnera's been up to her usual tricks. She got into a bit of trouble at school recently because someone had offended her and she punched them. She's taken after Buttercup, which I'm not sure is a good thing. She really could do with a better role model."

Blossom ignored the suggestive tone in his voice.

"You and Mrs Utonium really have your hands full with her, don't you?" commented Blossom, trying to sound interested.

"Buttercup was worse." The Professor laughed. Blossom gulped, her heart pinging. "I had you three all at once, so I think I can deal with one normal daughter… hey, speaking of which, when am I going to get a granddaughter?"

"Professor…" Blossom blushed, remembering the past. "I told you, I'm waiting for the right man to come along. And trust me; I'm not looking insanely hard."

"Oh, darling," the Professor tried to sound serious, but she could tell he was forcing himself not to laugh, "the speed dating incident was a one-off. I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Hey baby," said a sleazy looking man from the other side of the table, his hands inching towards Blossom's chest, "what's your sign?"

"Keep out," retorted Blossom coldly, doing up her top button before going to the next table.

"Hey Bloss-" started Brick, but Blossom had already skipped him and was sitting at the next table.

"It is I, Mojo Jojo. I have come to this strange human dating ritual to find a suitable partner, which I do not have, or else I wouldn't be here to find one. My demands are very simple. I require two sponge baths per day. Not one, not three, two. It is very easy to understand, my demands. I also wish for my partner to enjoy long yellow fruit, which are bananas, for they are yellow and they are fruit. Also they are long. Pineapples are acceptable, but they are not very yellow, like bananas, and- hey, where are you going?"

Blossom sat down at the next table.

"Duh…" said Slim, drooling slightly. "Why are we here again?"

"We're going to trick her into giving us the key to the city," explained Junior, the smallest member of the gang.

"You idiot, now she knows our plan," snapped Bossman, whacking Junior on the head.

"Hey, it's not like she can hear us. She don't have no ears or nothing!"

"Thanks, Professor, but I'm just going to focus on my career for now," said Blossom. "Well, while I'm speaking to you… could you please contact Bubbles and tell her that I'm sorry for... that I'm sorry. I would call her myself, but I don't think she would like to acquaint herself with me right now."

"I'm sure she would. Bubbles could never hate you, no matter what you do. She loves you."

"Sorry, Professor, I can't hear you," Blossom lied, feeling a pang in her stomach. "Pzzt… I think… We're losing connection for some reason… Please tell Bubbles I am sorry… pzzt… Bye, love you lots!"

She hung up, looking out of the window. Blossom didn't know if her relationship with her family was a normal side effect of growing up. They had been very close years ago, but age had split them up. It had untied the bonds they had owned as youngsters before dropping them onto the ground and treading on them.

Blossom shook her head, telling herself to stop being so daft.

It was normal for this to happen…

Right?

_________________

Here is the chapter no one's been waiting for!

***

"Shut up," said Buttercup, unable to come up with a better argument.

"No, you shut up," I shouted, flying in front of her so that we were face-to-face. It didn't look as though a rational conversation was going to get through to her.

"No, you shut up!"

"Um…" Bubbles eyed the monster, which had climbed up a tall building without us noticing. However, my sister and I were too distracted to take notice of it.

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"GUYS!" screamed Bubbles as the monster let out multiple balls of fire. She zoomed towards us, racing against the monster's fiery orbs. Buttercup and I turned at the last moment, seeing Bubbles go towards us, as well as the fiery path of destruction. My naturally level head allowed me to dart out of the way, but Buttercup was still hovering, staring into the flame. She must have been in shock. Bubbles went towards her and reached out her hand before…

… pushing her out of the way in the nick of time. I gasped, feeling the flames in the air next to my right arm. Buttercup had been so close to getting burnt alive… too close for my liking. I gave Bubbles a grateful smile while Buttercup ignored her, like she hadn't saved her life. It was very typical of her to not show any emotions other than anger.

I looked at the monster, which was sniffing the air and shaking its head maddeningly. Then, I turned to the others. "We need to come up with a plan. It has to have some form of weakness… but what?"

"But nothing!" Buttercup shouted. "All we have to do is hit it 'til it explodes!"

"Buttercup, we need to come up with a plan," I snapped. I couldn't think properly with her making stupid comments all the time.

"I think Blossom has a point," Bubbles piped up. "I mean, it keeps breathing fire on us every time we get close to it."

Buttercup narrowed her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Bubbles. You're not helping. I bet we would have defeated it by now if you weren't blabbering all the time!"

"Buttercup!" I shouted over Bubbles's wailing. "Say sorry!"

"Make me!" retorted Buttercup, crossing her arms. "You ain't the boss of me."

Bubbles pushed past me and flew away, heading towards the monster. I don't think she knew where she was going; her sadness had blocked out all common sense. The monster turned its head in her direction, aiming its next attack at her.

"Bubbles!" we shouted as the fire came out of its mouth. I zoomed forward and-

Falling to their knees, the men feebly wiped the sweat off their foreheads. The room was blazing hot, their skin feeling like it was covered in painful blisters. They looked up at their instructor pleadingly, hoping that she would find it in her heart to let them take a small break. Their limbs felt like they weren't attached to the rest of their bodies, and they thought that if they were driven any harder they would collapse.

Their instructor looked down at them, disgusted and disappointed. Her hair was black and spiky, not quite reaching her shoulders while at the same time not looking too girly. She was quite slim and looked far weaker than she actually was. Fuming, she glared at the men with narrowed green eyes, daring them to beg for mercy. When they remained silent, she chose one of them and lifted him off the ground. Icily, she asked, "Did I say that you could stop?"

He bit his tongue, gazing at her in fear. He didn't know what to say. He had the feeling that she would get mad no matter what he said. Going by this logic, he decided that he may as well voice his thoughts. "No, but… I'm exhausted. Please… can't I rest for… a few minutes?"

His answer was a kick in the face. He hit the wall opposite, groaning as he slivered down it slowly. The men's fitness instructor was still standing in front of him, having moved without anyone noticing. She sneered, "I didn't say stop," before going back to the others, lighting a cigarette and sticking it into her mouth.

Buttercup Utonium was not in a good mood.

Then again, she was rarely in a good mood.

She looked at them, thinking about how pathetic they looked. Buttercup hadn't even broken a sweat, yet they gave the impression that they had just trekked through the Sahara Desert wearing a suit made out of fire. She held out one arm to the side, shaking her cigarette, before turning away from them and saying, "I will let you go home if you defeat me in a fight."

The men looked at each other in fear, glancing at the man who was sitting against the wall, groaning in pain.

"All of you against me." She faced them again, jabbing her hand against her chest.

This seemed more promising and the men got to their feet. One by one, they began running at her, aiming their fist at her face. She smirked, dodging their attacks easily. The men who had been members of the club for a long time stayed where they were, for they knew better than to try and fight her. Just as they had expected, the men who tried to hurt her joined her first victim on the floor in a matter of seconds.

Buttercup closed her eyes. She longed for a day when someone defeated her in battle. "What the hell, you're all dismissed."

She reopened her eyes only to find that they had gone. The door leading out of the gym slammed shut, leaving her by herself. She smirked, grabbing a towel from the pile in the corner and departing from the room. Buttercup went down the short corridor, stopping outside the girl's shower room. She checked to see whether it was empty, and seeing that it was, went inside and undressed quickly. Buttercup wasn't ashamed of her body in the slightest. She knew she had a good figure, but she felt uncomfortable being naked around people she didn't trust. It made her feel vulnerable. On the other hand, she didn't want to go home smelling of sweat. She cared at least that much about her appearance.

Buttercup stepped into one of the stalls and began washing herself, humming quietly. The tiles were freezing against her feet, but they were like lava compared to the rain coming out of the showerhead. She groaned, but it wasn't in pain. The icy water was soothing on her hot skin. She squirted shampoo onto her hair and rubbed it in, relaxed. This was one of the only times when she was calm and stress-free.

She was out of the shower in ten minutes. Buttercup dried herself quickly with her towel, wrapping a smaller green towel (that had been her blanket as a child) around her head. By the time she was dry and dressed, no one had come into the shower room. She wasn't surprised; her gym was considered too 'tough' for the females of the city.

Refreshed, Buttercup stuffed her sweaty gym suit into her duffel bag and left, now wearing a bright green tracksuit. She let the door close loudly behind her, walking down the corridor. She signed out at reception prior to leaving the building, breathing in the afternoon air. Buttercup was tempted to fly home, but the weather was so pleasant that she decided to walk. She liked the exercise, anyway.

Townsville had hardly changed from when she was five years old. The buildings had obviously been rebuilt since then, having been destroyed by a monster at some point in time. However, the attitudes of the citizens were exactly the same. They walked along, moving their arms excitedly and beaming at everyone they passed. They even smiled at Buttercup, despite the fact that she didn't smile back.

"Hey, hey, excuse me?" a voice sang out. It made Buttercup's eye twitch, it was so high and sickly sweet. She didn't know the exclamation was directed at her until she felt a tap on her back.

"What?" asked Buttercup, turning her head irritably.

A woman was standing behind her, smiling. She had milk tea brown hair, which had been messily put into a ponytail. Buttercup couldn't see what colour her eyes were as the woman was wearing ridiculously large sunglasses. She had a plaster placed on her nose and was wearing thick white gloves, even though it was summer. Buttercup cast her eyes down her body, pulling a face at the tie-dyed t-shirt the woman was wearing like a dress, and the baggy jean she was wearing on her legs.

Buttercup narrowed her eyes. She hated hippies.

"You're Buttercup, aren't you?" the woman exclaimed, beaming at her. "You're one of the Powerpuff Girls."

"I was a Powerpuff Girl," corrected Buttercup coldly, "but not anymore."

She made to go away, but the woman was persistent. She took hold of a handful of Buttercup's sleeve. Pleasantly, the stranger said, "I was good friends with someone who knew you. They said such amazing things about you and your sisters, I'm not sure whether they're true or not. I would love it if you could tell me about some stuff from your childhood."

"Go find your friend and ask her. I don't care." Buttercup removed her sleeve from the woman's hand and started to go away.

"I could, but you were always my favourite Powerpuff Girl," the woman replied, tilting her head to one side beseechingly. "I would love to hear it all from you. You were far better than the pink one… Brandy, was it?"

"No, but you're close," Buttercup told her, smirking. She stopped walking. "Okay, I'll answer your questions, just 'cos you put me in a good mood."

The woman punched the air. "Great! How about we go to that little café over there? I'll pay." She pointed at a small building. It had a shabby brown roof and the outside walls were a dark green. It wasn't the kind of place Buttercup would ever go to, but she decided that she had nothing better to do. Besides, the woman said she would pay.

They walked in. Buttercup had hoped that the inside would be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it wasn't. There were a few tables scattered across the room, most of them occupied by elderly women. She pulled a horrified face as they sat down at the table next to the window. Buttercup hoped no one who knew her walked by… especially any of her colleagues. She had a reputation to keep and it wasn't 'tea drinking loser'.

"What would you like?" an old woman asked them. Buttercup nearly jumped out of her skin. It took her a moment to remind herself that she was just looking at a very old lady and not Death.

"I would like some green tea please," the woman said loudly, assuming the old woman had bad hearing.

The old woman nodded and turned to Buttercup. Her voice scratchy, she asked good-naturedly, "And what would you like, little boy?"

"I'm a thirty year old woman." Buttercup growled, reddening. She told herself to keep cool. "I would like some Coke."

"Coke?" The old woman looked confused. "What is… coke?"

"Oh." Buttercup frowned. In all fairness, the old woman didn't look like she had been out much… or at all. "Don't have that, huh? Okay… I'll have some soda."

The old woman blinked, not understanding what she was talking about.

"A milkshake?"

"A… milkshake?"

"Orange juice? Water? Coffee? You gotta have some coffee."

"Is that one of those hip tea brands you kids like?"

The woman held up her hand before Buttercup could retort back. "She'll have some black tea."

Satisfied, the old woman slowly walked away. Buttercup was not satisfied in the slightest, but she chose not to mention this. As soon as she left, the woman leaned forwards and smiled at Buttercup. "So… you used to be a Powerpuff Girl?"

"Yeah," Buttercup nodded, "but not anymore. We split when we became teenagers."

The woman tilted her head to one side. "Why?"

"Just did." Buttercup shrugged. "We grew up and Pinkie got it into her head that Townsville didn't need us. She'd insist that she was too busy and that the Police could handle all the crime. Then, by the time I managed to persuade her to come with me and Bubbles, the offence had already ended. After a while, Bubbles began to not want to fight crime either. She wanted to become a vet or a doctor so she stayed at home, studying with Pinkie. Bubbles never got to be either of those things, 'cos all the work was too hard for her, so she started work at an animal shelter. Pinkie was a doctor for a bit, but then she became Mayor."

She made no attempt to hide the venom in her voice.

"And where did that leave you?"

Buttercup sighed, gazing out of the window. "I hated high school. Pinkie made friends with all the nerds and Bubbles was friends with everyone. I didn't have no one. I was the sportiest girl at school but I kept fighting with my classmates. I never tried in class so everyone thought that I was thick. No one wanted to be friends with the thick kid. Not that I cared or nothing… it's just before that when we were crime fighters, we were really popular. I was really popular. People worshiped us when we were superheroes. Disbanding… it made me nothing."

"Poor you!" The woman gasped. "So what do you do these days if you don't fight crime anymore?"

"I own a gym."

"No special someone?"

Buttercup suddenly blushed.

"Ooh." The woman grinned, the ends of her mouth nearly escaping from her face. "The toughest Powerpuff Girl… getting all worked up thinking about their boyfriend?"

Buttercup shrugged her shoulders, grinning slightly.

"Who is he then?"

She shuffled in her seat, looking uncomfortable. "This… this is from me to a fan, 'kay? You have to promise that you won't tell anyone. I haven't told anyone about it yet."

"I promise. So… who is he?"

"… Ace."

"I haven't heard of him," the woman leaned back in her chair, "but he sounds like a nice person."

"He is, once you get to know him. He lives in Citysville with his gang, but he says he's gonna move back here soon." Buttercup smiled dreamily. "He gave up crime a few years back and we've been writing to one another for ages. As soon as I dump Mitch, I'm planning on making it official with him."

"So you're going out with Mitch too? What about Ace? Does he know this?"

The woman was incredibly nosy. Buttercup decided to change the subject so it was at her advantage. "Why don't you tell me about your life?"

"Oh, but it's nowhere as interesting as yours," replied the woman hurriedly. "If you aren't Powerpuff Girls anymore, does that mean you don't see your family much?"

"Nah. I see 'em at Christmas but last year didn't go so good." She clenched her fists. "I had a massive fight with Pinkie and Bubbles got all upset… I was so nervous I couldn't visit the Professor's house for weeks afterwards. I thought they hated me. Luckily, Brunnera came round to my place and told me that they weren't cross."

"Excuse me," the woman stared at her, "but who is this… Brunnera you speak of?"

"She's my kid sister, though she ain't really my sister." Buttercup shrugged her shoulders. "She's the daughter of the Professor and Mrs Utonium. Although we ain't sisters by blood, she may as well-"

"I have to go." The woman suddenly stood up, pushing her chair over in her haste.

"What? Now?" Not that Buttercup was complaining, but they had ordered drinks. If the woman left, then Buttercup would have to pay for them. She had been assured that she wouldn't have to.

"I only just noticed the time. I have… I have a piano lesson in five minutes," explained the woman hastily, leaving the table and running straight into the old woman. There was an almighty crash as china shattered on the ground. The two women hit the ground.

"Oh my…" the old woman murmured, sitting up and looking around. "What a mess."

The woman stood up and made for the door, only to slip on a puddle of Buttercup's tea and hit the ground once more. Her sunglasses skidded across the floor in two pieces. The woman gasped, covering her eyes with her arm while using the other to feel the ground. Buttercup got off her seat and picked them up, pressing them into the woman's hands.

"They broke," Buttercup told her, although it was plainly obvious. What was not obvious was the reason why she was covering her face like that. The only reason Buttercup could think of was if she was Cyclops, but the woman was clearly not a member of the X-Men. Or a man, for that matter.

The woman jumped to her feet and shot out of the café, her eyes still covered. Buttercup was rooted to the spot for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. She shook her head and went after her.

"Hey lady, what's the big-?"

She reached the door and opened it. The woman had already gone. Buttercup stuck out her head, looking both ways. It was like the woman had just vanished into thin air. She scratched her head, puzzled, before going back into the café and closing the door behind her.

Everyone was staring at her. Buttercup snarled, causing them all to look away. The old woman got to her feet and handed her a piece of paper. She read it, furrowing her brow.

"Your bill," the old woman said stiffly, dripping green tea onto the ground. "You noisy little lad."

Buttercup widened her eyes, but not at the fact the old woman still didn't know she was a fully matured female. It was the bill. She didn't know tea was this expensive. Worst of all, she didn't even like tea. It was like paying someone to give you an overhead wedgie. She stared at the woman, holding onto the piece of paper so tightly that she was making holes in it. The old woman raised her eyebrows impatiently.

Buttercup flew out of the building via the ceiling, leaving a green ribbon of light behind her. This soon disappeared, and the only trace of her ever existing was a hole in the ceiling and two broken cups.

_________________

dude i bet that first chapter is bunny.

_________________
Bleedcomics Staff Writer/Editor, , and Keeper of the Jar Brain of Secret President. RIP Ku Ku Ku \(-^.^-)/ U Wuz A REAL N***A!!!!!!!
"We're quite aware of this. BR is no happy rainbow face man. He is simply our neighborhood best fucking poster." ~ Warbear
Puff Most Epic.

You ruined the entire story!

... Hehe. She's in the third chapter too.

_________________

Btw, there won't be any PPG/RRB. I dun liek dat.

***

"Buttercup!" I shouted over Bubbles's wailing. "Say sorry!"

"Make me!" retorted Buttercup, crossing her arms. "You aren't the boss of me."

Bubbles pushed past me and flew away, heading towards the monster. I don't think she knew where she was going; her sadness had blocked out all common sense. The monster turned its head in her direction, aiming its next attack at her.

"Bubbles!" we shouted as the fire came out of its mouth. I zoomed forwards and-

pulled her out of the way.

"Guys, we have to stay focused," I declared, letting go of a very shocked Bubbles. I gazed at the two of them, crossing my arms. "All this shouting and arguing isn't helping anyone."

Buttercup pointed at me, her face scrunched up. "You're the one that's not helping. Screw you, Blossom. I'm going to kill that monster."

She flew towards it. Bubbles tried to call her back, but I touched her arm and shook my head. My blue eyed sister's eyes flickered and she looked down, sighing softly. We both knew that once Buttercup got an idea into her head, it was very hard to get it out.

"RAAAAAARGH!" yelled Buttercup, holding out her fist. The monster jerked its head in her direction, its snout crinkling.

Then, without any warning, it opened its mouth and ate her.

"Buttercup!" screeched Bubbles, flying to the monster's belly. "Are you still alive?" She began to cry. "I'm sorry… you're right! I'm not helping."

"Bubbles, if we defeat it quickly then we can save Buttercup before she's digested," I said, my heart thudding. I hoped that I was right. The monster's head, which had been aimed at Bubbles, flicked upwards so it was looking at me.

"Wait…" I flew to the other side of the monster, a light bulb flashing above my head. "Bubbles! I think I know its weakness! It keeps looking towards where it can hear sound! I… I think it's blind."

Bubbles blinked, flying over to me. "So it can't see?"

"Yeah!"

"How will that help us though?" she asked sadly. "It can still hear us."

"You fly over to its other ear silently and when I say go, we'll both scream as loudly as possible. Its hearing will be so sensitive that it will damage its ears; then we can attack it." I raised my voice. "Buttercup, if you can hear me, when I say 'go', ram your body against the monster's stomach lining as hard as you can."

A small lump temporarily appeared in the monster's stomach, telling me that Buttercup was willing to comply. I smiled, glad that Buttercup was actually listening to me. I looked at Bubbles. "Ready?"

She nodded and noiselessly went over to the monster's other ear. We crept towards it slowly, me arriving at the ear Bubbles wasn't located next to. The monster remained perfectly still, most likely wondering where we had gone. I looked at Bubbles, who nodded at me.

"Go!"

We both shrieked into the monster's ears. It twitched, and roaring for all it was worth, the monster covered the sides of its head. Bubbles and I drew closer so that there was no way it could block us out.

"Heat vision! Go!"

Bubbles's eyes let out a strip of red light. I dropped down to the bottom of its stomach and zoomed up, finishing at its chin, where I punched it ferociously. I landed a few more blows on its face, before kicking off it and flipping in midair. I pushed my body forwards and rammed the monster's stomach with my head. It exploded, and monster guts rained down from the sky.

I could see Buttercup hovering several feet away. She was covered in a thick lumpy yellow mixture. Buttercup shivered before using her heat vision to clear her eyes. I grinned, flying down to her.

Bubbles got there before me and hugged Buttercup, not caring that she was filthy. "You're okay! Oh, I was so worried."

"You would be," mumbled Buttercup, eyeing me warily. And for good reason too. There was a tickle in my throat that was desperate to get out.

I put my hands on my hips. "Buttercup, yet again your anger led you to nearly killing yourself. Why can't you just listen to what I have to say? You would never have been eaten if you had just used your mind for-"

"Blossom, Buttercup is all right and the monster's been destroyed," interrupted Bubbles, letting go of our sister. "We don't need to fight about what's already happened. Now, come on; who wants to be play Superheroes?"

"Yeah!" Buttercup grinned. "Last one back has to be Big Billy!"

I watched the pair of them fly home. I stayed where I was, floating above the monster covered city. A siren went off beneath me as I mumbled, "You're welcome."

"Aw… he's so cute!" Bubbles Utonium giggled, hugging the creature so tightly its eyes nearly popped out of its sockets. "I can't imagine why he doesn't have a home yet."

"Neither can I…" replied Robin, gazing at the foaming bulldog warily.

Sometimes, Robin didn't understand the blonde woman. She had known her since they were young children, when she had moved next-door to the ex-superhero. Now, Bubbles had lost her childlike pigtails, having grown her hair until it reached her elbows and had done them up into two plaits. She was wearing a scruffy white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, because she often got dirty looking after the animals in the animal shelter. On the other hand, she had kept her brilliant blue eyes and her upbeat attitude and these were the things that Robin liked best about her.

Still, she didn't understand how her friend could think that that dog was even remotely cute.

"Hey, Bubbles, I'm heading home. Are you coming?" asked Robin, closing the rabbit pen and heading over to the sink to wash her hands.

"I'll only be a minute," Bubbles answered, putting down the dog and leaving the pen. She locked it after herself and joined Robin by the sink. The pair washed their hands happily, before drying them on a towel and leaving the shelter for the night.

When they were outside, they began to walk towards the bus stop. Bubbles shivered. It was the middle of summer, but it was unusually cold. She regretted leaving her jacket at home. Robin was perfectly content in her fluffy white cardigan, humming peacefully under the darkening sky. They reached their destination in a few minutes, the only two people there.

"It's quite cold tonight," remarked Bubbles, blowing on her hands. She could see her breath and was reminded of her sister. Bubbles lowered her hands, averting her gaze.

"Yeah… weird, isn't it?" said Robin, looking upwards. The intensity of her smile had lessened. "Who knew it could be so deathly cold in the summer?"

Bubbles flinched at the word 'deathly', remembering what day it was today. Up until that moment, it had slipped her mind. She sniffed sadly, looking at the road and trying not to cry.

"Bubbles?" Robin noticed her reaction and put a hand on her shoulder. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No… I just remembered something." She looked at Robin out of the corner of her eyes. She was her closest friend, but there were certain things she had kept secret from her. Bubbles tried to think of a way of telling her friend her problem without telling it to her at the same time. She exhaled slowly before saying as casually as she could manage, "What do you think happens to someone when they die?"

Robin blinked. She guessed that it was part of Bubbles's problem, but tactfully chose not to mention this. "Oh. Um… They go to Heaven if they've been good, and they go to Hell if they've been bad."

"What if someone who didn't have a very long life dies? Where do they go?"

"Man… Bubbles…" Robin scratched her head. "Did someone die? Oh, God…" She widened her eyes in fear. "Did one of your sisters die?"

Bubbles shook her head slowly, as though she wasn't completely sure. "No… it was... a friend. Today's the anniversary of their death."

"Oh…" Robin frowned at her sympathetically. "Well, I'm sure your friend has gone to Heaven. If they didn't have a very long life, then they can't have done enough bad things to not deserve a place there."

Bubbles smiled at her miserably. "Really?"

"Really," Robin told her, choosing to not tell her that she was actually an atheist. "Hey look, it's our bus!"

Relieved, Bubbles reached into her jeans pocket to find the money for her fare. To her horror, she couldn't feel it. She stuck her hand deeper in, only to watch the tip of her hand poke out of her pocket via a money sized hole. Bubbles groaned, realizing what had happened.

"Did you lose your money again?" Robin laughed. "No sweat, I'll pay for you and you can give me back the money tomorrow."

Bubbles's face reddened. "No, thank you. I already owe you three dollars for lunch. I'll go home on foot. I could do with some nice warm tomato soup to warm me up. I only live fifteen minutes away from here."

It was only a small lie, but she hated how easily it came out of her mouth. It would her take at least an hour to get home.

Robin sighed. "Okay. At least you can fly home, right?"

"Right…" replied Bubbles.

Robin was about to question the uncertainty in her voice when the bus driver honked his horn impatiently. Robin went onto the bus and sat by the window, beaming at her friend. She waved. "See you tomorrow! Bye!"

"Bye!" Bubbles responded, waving so hard she thought her arm would fall off. She kept moving her hand until the bus was out of sight, before dropping it to her side and sighing sadly.

She would have to walk home in the cold. She was fully capable of flying, but Bubbles didn't like to do that anymore. It was silly and sounded completely daft in her mind and out loud, but flying reminded her of the past. It reminded her of what she and her sisters used to be, and how much it contrasted with what they were now. Bubbles breathed out, watching her white breath escape her mouth and disappear into thin air.

If only everything could go away like that.

With a small sob, she felt the door of her memories unlock, opening a chest containing the past that she had wanted to hide away and never think about again.

PPGGPP

"We could put some here," piped up Bubbles, flying over to the door that led into the hall, a piece of mistletoe in her hand. "Or… maybe here!" She zoomed over to the door that led into the kitchen. "Or maybe…"

"Put it somewhere and sit down," snapped Buttercup, who was sitting on the sofa. She took her cigarette out of her mouth and stubbed it against an ashtray. "You're burning my eyes with all your flying around."

"If I could fly, I would do it all the time," a dark haired fourteen year old girl in the corner commented. She was counting the presents that were around the small plastic tree carefully, making sure no one had forgotten to get her one.

"You would until I shot you down, Brunnera." Buttercup smirked. She picked up the remote that was on the end table next to her and pointed it at the television, checking what time it was. "It's way past noon. Hey Professor, when are we gonna have something to eat?"

"Soon," the Professor called from the kitchen, "when Blossom gets here."

Buttercup scowled, placing the remote onto the end table with such force that it collapsed and was instead a pile of splinters. She coughed, looking the other way and crossing one leg over the other, pretending that she hadn't been the one who had just broken it. Brunnera giggled, tossing her head over her shoulder and looking at the mess.

"It would be so cool if I could do that as well," she remarked.

"You wouldn't be saying that when I grounded you," Mrs Utonium said, entering the room from the hall. She eyed the broken end table, the least bit surprised. "Buttercup, dear, I really wish you wouldn't do that."

"You make it sound like I do it regularly."

"That's the third one this month."

Buttercup remained silent, tapping her hand against the armrest impatiently. Bubbles felt uncomfortable, having listened to what had been said, so she continued trying to find a suitable place to hang the mistletoe. Brunnera, however, was not so easily put off by the small argument.

"She can't help it if she's annoyed that Blossom isn't here yet," she retorted, picking up one of the presents and shaking. She returned it hastily after her mother glared at her. "We all agreed to be here straight after lunch. It's nearly five and she's still not here."

Buttercup frowned. "As usual."

"As usual," agreed Brunnera automatically.

Mrs Utonium shook her head fondly, finding herself unable to stay cross at them. There was something endearing about how much her daughter adored Buttercup. Her third word had been 'Butt-cup', after 'mine' and 'it'd-yet'. When she was eight, Brunnera had run away from home three times, but each time Buttercup had called her parents to say that Brunnera had come to visit her. She was a difficult child, getting into trouble at school and questioning the rules whenever they didn't suit her. Buttercup had been similar as a child, which would certainly explain why the pair got on so well.

However, that wasn't the only reason why she couldn't stay cross at them. Mrs Utonium was a very caring and patient person, but even she couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed at Blossom. It was like this practically every year; something held her up at work (even though it was Christmas) and caused her to be a few hours late. She didn't think Blossom should have been working at all, Mayor or not.

It was irritating that Blossom was always late, and it was a bit unnerving when she did arrive. Mrs Utonium loved her like a real daughter. Blossom had been perfectly behaved for as long as she could remember and she felt no hate towards her. It was just… when she arrived, her and Buttercup were always at each other's throats.

Mrs Utonium groaned, facing the door of the kitchen. "Would you like some help with the dinner, dear?"

"No!" the Professor barked, before she could take even one step in his direction. He modified his tone so it wasn't as stressed out. "I'm fine. You cooked it last year. You just relax and-"

The fire alarm went off. Mrs Utonium bit her lip, edging towards the closed door.

"I can hear you moving, darling!" he shouted over the shrill ringing. "Sit down and watch a bit of TV. Everything is a-okay."

As soon as he finished his sentence, there was a loud explosion. Smoke began to creep out from under the crack in the door.

"… I'm okay!"

Mrs Utonium shook her head affectionately and sat on the sofa next to Buttercup. They stayed there in silence, the only noises being the short, sharp blasts Bubbles made as she flew about, and the rustling Brunnera created as she held various presents against her ear, trying to guess what she was receiving that year. The family opened their gifts after they had dinner. Brunnera growled, wishing that Blossom would just arrive.

After a while, the Professor stumbled out of the kitchen and crossed the room. He paused, grinning at them wildly. "I'm just going to have a little wash before Blossom arrives."

The Professor departed from the room, still smoking. His family giggled at the man's blackened appearance. Bubbles sighed, grinning, returning to the ground with the mistletoe still in her hands. Brunnera's eyes glittered and she got to her feet, tiptoeing up to Bubbles, whispering in her ear. The blue eyed woman nodded, sharing the same glimmer in her eyes. Buttercup ignored them, changing the channel on the TV so that it was showing a soppy movie about reindeers. It wasn't her kind of film, but Mrs Utonium insisted that it was good so they watched it anyway.

The Professor re-entered the room, infinitely cleaner than before. Mrs Utonium smiled at him, going over and standing in front of him. She pointed at the mistletoe hanging above them, raising her eyebrows. The Professor saw it and grinned, and the two kissed each other on the lips.

When they broke apart, the Professor chuckled. "Come on, let's go watch some TV. I bet Blossom will be here any second now."

They walked towards the sofa, purposing going past the window so that they could look out of it. They secretly hoped that they would see Blossom's limo drive down the street and stop outside their house.

The street was lifeless. Everyone was inside their houses, celebrating the holiday with their families.

"Mistletoe," Buttercup declared, pointing at the window.

The Professor grinned, looking up and kissing his wife once more. They went away from the window and sat on the sofa. The movie was nearly over, but they had seen it so many times before that it didn't matter.

"Mistletoe," repeated Buttercup, a mischievous expression on her face.

"Bubbles, I only remember giving you one to put up." He looked up and nudged his wife. Mrs Utonium followed his gaze and laughed. Bubbles was flying directly above them, carrying Brunnera, who was holding out the mistletoe so it was between them. Upon being caught, they quickly landed on the ground and smiled innocently.

"Oh, you!" Mrs Utonium spluttered, swatting their heads playfully. "I wondered why it seemed to be following us around like that."

A sudden knock on the door distracted everyone. The Professor got up and went to answer it. Bubbles grinned, running after him. Buttercup's face remained calm. Brunnera looked away, gripping her knees tightly.

This wasn't going to end well.

"I apologize for being so late: I had a lot of paper work to do," explained a voice that made one of Buttercup's eyes twitch. "I'm really, really sorry."

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're here, it's fine."

The Professor and Bubbles entered the room with Blossom. She was still wearing her work clothes, having come there straight from the Town Hall. She put down a large bag, which was filled with presents.

Buttercup pulled a face. Knowing Blossom, the presents had been wrapped in gold and sprinkled with jewels. She always brought what Buttercup hated to admit were nice presents. The latest cell phones, necklaces… things that Buttercup couldn't afford on her salary. It made her feel inferior in comparison. It made her presents look less impressive. It made it seem like Blossom was better than her.

Brunnera couldn't help but grin and hug her pink eyed sister tightly. She knew that she had been mean about her earlier, but she was very excited to see her again. To be honest, Brunnera didn't really hate her. It was just a show so that Buttercup would be happy. Brunnera really didn't see what was so bad about Blossom. She was a bit distant, but she was kind and always brought good presents.

"I missed you too," Blossom told her, hugging her back stiffly. She hadn't been hugged in a long time and the action was alien to her.

Brunnera couldn't see Buttercup shooting daggers at the back of her head with her eyes. She gazed up at Blossom with a dazzling smile. "Of course I missed you… Can I open my presents now, Mom?"

Mrs Utonium rolled her eyes as she greeted Blossom with a hug. "After we have our dinner."

They quickly sat down to eat, chatting as they consumed their food. It was rather burnt and crispy, but the girls ate it without a word of complaint. They didn't ask for seconds, instead drinking as much wine and sparkling water as they could before they got a stomach ache. Brunnera had tried to pour herself some wine but Mrs Utonium had stopped her, telling her that she wasn't old enough. Brunnera had crossed her arms and muttered something about not wanting some anyway.

As soon as the Professor said the word 'present', Brunnera shot out of her seat and went to the tree. She picked up the presents, throwing them behind her if they weren't addressed to her. Bubbles yelped, flying upwards and catching one of the presents. Another one sailed towards her, but before she could get to it another hand shot out and yanked it out of her reach.

Buttercup smirked, showing her the present before going to catch the next one.

Bubbles narrowed her eyes playfully. "It's on."

The two women darted around the room, trying to catch more presents than their sister. Mrs Utonium and the Professor clapped, cheering them on. Blossom observed them distastefully, her hands on her hips.

"They're not kids anymore," she muttered to herself.

"Lighten up, it's only a bit of fun," the Professor told her warmly. Blossom ignored him.

They soon landed, Buttercup looking very smug. "Thirteen. I win."

"Yeah, only because you knocked some out of my hands," argued Bubbles.

"That's loser talk."

"No, it's not!"

"I'm opening my presents now!" Brunnera ripped open a shiny green one, letting the material slide between her fingers. She giggled evilly, holding up a pair of boxing gloves. "Whoever got me these is awesome!"

"That was me," Buttercup told her, feeling proud. "I knew you'd like them."

"I do, ever so much. Now open mine," Brunnera demanded.

Buttercup found Brunnera's present easily. It was obvious that she had taken the most time wrapping it, and she didn't doubt that she had taken the most time choosing it as well. She took off the wrapping paper and found a book. Not expecting anything interesting, Buttercup opened it.

It wasn't just a book. It was a photo album full of photos of their family. She closed it, deciding to look through it later. To show Brunnera that she liked it, Buttercup ruffled her hair playfully.

"How about you open mine next," Blossom said, emptying her sack of gifts carefully and giving one of the boxes to her kid sister. The others began opening their presents, starting with the ones from Blossom. Buttercup remained still, glaring at them.

"Ooh…" Brunnera held up a sparkling necklace. Its silver chain was flawless, and the purple gemstone in it shone radiantly. She held it in front of her face, her mouth agape as she examined it. "Wow… it's so beautiful."

It's totally better than the boxing gloves Buttercup bought me. Wow, she must have got them at a dump or something.

"Blossom got you a present too, Buttercup," said Bubbles, pushing the present into her hands. Buttercup peered down at it, a sneer distorting her mouth. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she forced herself to open it.

It was a lot like Brunnera's present, except that the chain was gold and the gemstone was green. Admittedly it was very pretty, but she wasn't going to say this any time soon. Buttercup yawned, scrunching it up and stuffing it into her pocket.

"Why don't you give Blossom her present?" Mrs Utonium piped up, before an awkward silence could fall on them.

Buttercup frowned.

"You did get her a present this year, didn't you?"

Buttercup groaned and got out a small present, which was wrapped with yellowing newspaper. She threw it at Blossom's face, who caught it with her left hand. The pink eyed woman unwrapped it cautiously, unsure what she was going to uncover.

"Oh…" Blossom held up a bottle of head lice lotion. "How… thoughtful of you."

"Blossom has nits?" Bubbles squeaked, edging away from her. Brunnera snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. Buttercup was watching Blossom for a reaction and was clearly enjoying what she was seeing.

Blossom reddened, holding it at an arm's length. "No, I don't. Buttercup, you're not meant to base your present on what you require."

"I know, that's why I got you that," Buttercup retaliated.

"We meet for the first time in a year and you get me this?" She shook the bottle furiously, barely stopping herself from stuffing it down her sister's throat. "What's the matter with you?"

"Me? What the hell are you talking about? You're the one who has problems. You were the one who was six hours late. You think you can walk in here and we won't give a damn."

"I apologized for being so late, even though it wasn't my fault. I didn't think, 'Hey, won't it be funny if I don't turn up on time?' In case you forgot, I have a very important job that requires me to work during the holidays. I can't help it if-"

"You can help it. You think your job's more important than us."

"When did I say that?"

"You implied it."

"You always try and make me sound like a cold heartless jerk."

"Well, maybe if you quit being one then I couldn't make you sound like one."

"Burn…" Brunnera remarked. Everyone ignored her.

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy here? You're the one who got me… me… stupid head lice lotion from your medicine cabinet."

"Stupid? That stings so much. What's the matter, don't want to taint your mouth with some naughty words?"

"I don't need to because I don't have a limited vocabulary and therefore do not need to resort to swearing. I also don't fly around the house like a preschooler high on sugar. Do you know how stupid you looked? I can't believe I'm related to you."

Bubbles flinched.

"Shut up," said Buttercup, unable to come up with a better argument.

"No, you shut up." She didn't think that a rational conversation was going to get through to her.

"No, you shut up."

"No, you shut up."

"No, you shut up."

"No, you-"

The front door slammed, interrupting their conversation. Through the window they could see Bubbles running out of the house, crying into her coat's sleeve. Her presents were dumped on the ground, gazing up at them abandoned.

Blossom looked guilty, but her face resumed being angry when Buttercup sneered, "This is all your fault. Why couldn't you just come on time like the rest of us? You think you're so special. You think you can ruin things like you always do. You're an excuse of a sister."

"Buttercup!" Mrs Utonium gasped, shock and fury on her face. "Don't say such things about your sister." She turned towards Blossom. "Take no notice of what she said. She doesn't mean it. She's just angry."

"Please don't try and sugar-coat the situation," Blossom retorted, trying to hide the wobble that was in her voice. "She is perfectly aware of what she said and I… I hate her! I hate you, Buttercup."

She left the house with her presents, dropping Buttercup's in the trash can on her way out. Buttercup's face darkened and she started to move towards the door. "Yeah, well… I… I…"

"Please, Buttercup." The Professor put a hand on her shoulder, his appeal nearly getting stuck in his throat. "Please…"

Buttercup jerked her shoulder away, refusing to let tears prick the corners of her eyes. "Come back here! I ain't done with you, Pinkie!"

She stopped in her tracks when she heard Brunnera's quiet voice.

"Leave it, Buttercup. She's gone."

PPGGPP

Bubbles didn't know she was down the alleyway until she bumped into something. It was pitch black, so she couldn't see very well. She was about to use her night vision when a purple ball of fire appeared, making her forget about her powers temporarily. She transferred her gaze from the ball to the hand that it was floating above.

"Who-?" she started, but a hand picked her up and lifted her off her feet. Bubbles kicked at whoever was holding her. Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through her body. Bubbles gasped, drawing her legs to her throbbing chest. The water that escaped her eyes burned her cheeks and she emitted a series of short gasps.

"Kick me again and I'll kick you back," her assailant hissed.

Bubbles nodded dumbly, feebly raising her head so she could get a good look at the person… assuming it was a person.

She could see a female face gazing at her, mostly obscured by a pair of sunglasses. An evil smile spread across the woman's face. "Hello."

Bubbles didn't say hello back. Her throat was too dry. Whoever the attacker was, she was stronger than her… than a normal human… or any human for that matter.

The person laughed, each note making the hairs on Bubbles's body stand to attention. "This is too easy. Now to take y-"

"Hey," a voice from above shouted. "Get your dirty hands off her."

_________________

"Buttercup!" exclaimed Bubbles, feeling her attacker let go of the front of her t-shirt. She peered upwards, making out her sister's silhouette on the roof of a nearby building. Her eyes were glowing green and Bubbles knew that her sister wasn't happy in a heartbeat. It didn't matter though... Bubbles knew she was safe. "Is that really you?"

The purple ball of light went out, and Bubbles heard the rapid footsteps of her attacker as she ran away. Buttercup landed next to her sister, clenching her fists and holding them out in front of her.

"Come back here, you coward!" Buttercup yelled after her. Bubbles stuck her arm out before her sister could go after her escaping attacker. Buttercup growled, pushing Bubbles's arm down so it was against her body. "Bubbles, are you mad? She's getting away!"

"Buttercup..." Bubbles gulped. Buttercup had hurt her but she didn't want to show this. "I… that person who was with me, she-"

"She?"

"Yes, she… she was really strong."

Buttercup frowned irritably. "What'd you expect? You don't train enough. It's quite sad that a human could overpower you like that. It's a good thing I was in the neighbourhood."

Bubbles shook her head, though she knew that her sister was right about being in the right place at the right time. "No… she was really strong. Inhumanly strong… and… and she made this ball of light appear. Didn't you see it?"

"I think I did. Are you sure she didn't make it with a lighter or a torch?"

"I'm very sure," Bubbles replied. "She made it with her hand. I saw it floating above it and she wasn't holding anything."

Buttercup nodded slowly, thinking. Then, her eyes lit up and she pointed her hand upwards. "It was Pinkie!"

"Blossom?" exclaimed Bubbles, widening her eyes.

"Yeah! Who else can make a ball of light like that?" Buttercup glared at her, Bubbles's reaction not being the one she wanted. "There's the Rowdy Ruff Boys, sure, but you said your attacker was a woman."

Buttercup began to pace. In the blackness, Bubbles could see the anger and excitement in her sister's eyes. She didn't like it.

Bubbles still wasn't convinced. It wasn't uncommon for Buttercup to pin the blame on their other sister. "But the light was purple… If it had somehow been Blossom, wouldn't it have been pink?"

"You probably weren't looking at it right," Buttercup told her. "I bet it was pink. They're kind of similar. It had to be her. It makes sense. Remember last Christmas?"

"Unfortunately." Bubbles sighed, her eyes glazing over at the memory.

Buttercup rubbed her hands together. "You were putting up some mistletoe and-"

"We just had a flashback about it, Buttercup."

"Really?" She rolled her eyes, scowling. "Okay, geez. Don't get your panties in a twist. So like I was saying, you ran out crying. I bet Pinkie's ticked off because it was her fault that you cried in the first place, so she's taking her anger out on you."

"How would killing me help her?"

"It will make her feel better. You made her look like a complete jerk so she wants to get revenge," said Buttercup impatiently. She didn't understand why Bubbles wasn't agreeing with her. In her mind, it made absolute sense. Why wasn't Bubbles nodding her head enthusiastically, asking her when they should pay Blossom a visit? Why was she shaking her head with fear in her eyes?

"Blossom wouldn't try and kill me." Bubbles's voice was firm. "She knows that killing people is wrong, most of all her sister."

Buttercup snarled, throwing her arms into the air. "Okay, Ms Smarty-pants, you can tell me who attacked you then."

Bubbles bit her tongue.

"Exactly. There ain't anyone else it could be. Now, come on; you can come to my apartment for a bit. It's freaking freezing out here and we have a lot to talk about."

Buttercup shot off the ground, flying upwards. Bubbles gazed at the twirling green light enviously, reaching out her hand to touch it. Before she could though, it faded away into the darkness. She lowered her hand disappointedly. Then she looked up and saw that Buttercup was staying still in the air, waiting for her to follow her into the sky.

Bubbles shook slightly. She didn't want to fly.

"Hurry up," Buttercup shouted down to her. "I ain't got all day, you know!"

"I'll… I'll just take the bus." Bubbles walked off. Suddenly, she felt something grab her from under her armpits and pull her up and into the sky. She gasped, twisting her head around. Buttercup was taking her into the air, the distance between them and the ground increasing rapidly. Bubbles covered her eyes, kicking her legs as she desperately tried to find something solid to put her feet on.

"Don't tell me you're scared of heights," remarked Buttercup, stopping when they were very high up. She sounded disgusted yet amused.

"I'm not," Bubbles tried to snap, but it came out as a squeak. She forced her eyes open and gazed down, her mouth falling open at the sight.

It was like the sky above their heads, only it was beneath them. The buildings and roads were camouflaged in the blackness, and the lamp posts littered around the city glowed like stars. When Bubbles moved her head back and held it at an angle, she could see the buildings' windows beam magnificently, for it was the time when nearly everyone had gone home but were not asleep. Bubbles's head spun slightly as she felt disorientated, but she couldn't take her eyes off the city below her. It was beautiful.

She hadn't flown outside for a very long time, partly because she was worried that people would think that she had taken up crime fighting again. She didn't want to disappoint them; she didn't want to see their hopes soar as high as they were now, only for her to have to crush them. Anyway, she could never fight crime by herself. She wasn't even sure if she could do it with her family. Just thinking about flying brought unpleasant memories to the surface of her mind. It reminded her of what had been and could have been, which she just wanted to forget.

"Come on, Buttercup," said Bubbles desperately, her heart beating loudly. She was freezing cold and her stomach kept churning. "I thought we were going to your apartment."

"I ain't carrying you the whole way!" her sister exclaimed.

Bubbles narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you calling me fat?"

"No! It ain't that."

"So are you going to put me down?" asked Bubbles, confused. Why couldn't Buttercup just SAY what she meant?

"Walking there would take a while. No, you're going to find your wings," Buttercup told her, releasing her grip of her.

"Eeeeeeeee!" screamed Bubbles as she plummeted downwards. When she had wanted Buttercup to state what she meant, she hadn't wanted to be shown as well. Bubbles squinted her eyes as the wind made impact with them, her mouth so big that she expected it to rip off her face. She could barely hear Buttercup over the sounds of her yelling and the wind smacking her face, rushing into her ears and rattling the inside of her head.

"Stop falling and fly!" Buttercup bellowed, peering down at her. "Do you want to die?"

"I… I… Ah!"

"Come on! Just fly upwards! Quit messing about."

"Think of happy things…"screamed Bubbles, tears escaping out of the corners of her eyes, "That will make me feel happy and not down, so I will go up and fly…"

"What the hell are you talking about? That's not how flying works!" Buttercup retorted. Her face creased with worry. Was Bubbles playing around? Did she really not want to fly? She was beginning to feel guilty, much to her dismay. Should Buttercup have put her sister in such a situation? Had it been right to drop her from such a height? She doubted the fall would kill her sister, but it would definitely hurt her.

Could she allow her sister to be harmed by her… by anyone… by anything?

Buttercup clenched her fists.

"I'm coming, Bubbles!" she bellowed, dropping her head and zooming after her. "Don't you worry; I won't let anything hurt you. You're my sister and if you were to get hurt… I would… I would… I would be very sad."

Bubbles suddenly stopped falling and looked up at Buttercup. That was one of the nicest things she had heard her sister say and Bubbles wondered whether she had heard her correctly. She smiled at her and said, "Really?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I- hey! You ain't falling!" Buttercup had reached her sister by then. She hovered next to her, more than slightly bewildered. "I thought you couldn't fly?"

Bubbles shrugged, a large grin on her face. She was doing it. She was flying! She hadn't flown for half a year, but it seemed like it had only been for a few minutes. She recognized the thrill of being able to go where humans could not naturally- the power it made her feel was unbelievable. The thought of Buttercup getting upset because of her not flying had been more than enough to give her the will to do so.

"Whatever. Come on." Buttercup slapped her on the back, nearly knocking the breath out of Bubbles. "Follow me."

They flew through the black sky, two ribbons of light. In the city below, the young and the old went to their windows and watched the strips of colour in the sky. They pointed and laughed, tracing the coloured lines with their fingers. The curious children asked their parents what it meant, and all of them received the same answer.

The Powerpuff Girls are back in town.

PPGGPP

The two women landed outside a tall block of flats. Buttercup went into the building first, leading her sister up a long flight of stairs. There was an elevator, but Buttercup had commented that it smelt of urine and often housed a group of drug addicts. Bubbles had thought that they would fly up the stairs, but Buttercup told her that if they did, they would probably crash into an unsuspecting resident. The building was busy with activity at late hours, people going in and out, to and from parties.

After a few minutes, they reached their designated area. Buttercup groaned at the wad of paper sticking out of her letterbox. She took it out and unlocked her door. The pair of them walked in and Buttercup turned on the lights. The hallway wasn't particularly clean, but that wasn't to say it was dirty. Buttercup gestured vaguely towards one of the doors.

"That's the living room. Make yourself at home while I fetch us something to drink."

Bubbles nodded, walking into the room while Buttercup continued down the hallway and entered the kitchen.

Bubbles sniffed, breathing in the smell of alcohol and cigarettes. The sofa was a dull royal purple and was covered with rips and scuffs; however, when she sat down on it, she felt comfortable. She kicked her sneakers off her feet and sighed, putting her hands behind her head. She felt at home, despite not having been here before.

She wondered why this was so. It wasn't the... nicest place in the world. There were dark stains on the carpet and the wallpaper was peeling a bit, revealing a mysterious green substance. The TV was dented here and there, and hanging on the wall was a dartboard that had Blossom's face on it, only she couldn't remember her sister having devil horns and a curly moustache.

Perhaps it was homely because of the photos on top of the television, displaying the beaming faces of her family. Or was it the painting that Brunnera had made in kindergarten, which was positioned above the sofa on the wall? Maybe it was the green dressing gown that was lying on the top of the nearly empty bookcase. She didn't know, but she suspected it was the fact that she was with Buttercup that made her feel so at home.

"What drink do you want?" called Buttercup. Her voice was so loud that Bubbles initially thought she was in the room with her. "I have some beer, but I don't think you're into that kind of drink."

"Um… water would be nice," Bubbles replied, squeezing her kneecaps. She didn't want Buttercup to get drunk. Buttercup was a sad drunk and cried and always said things that made Bubbles become as upset as her.

Bubbles leaned back, hitting her head against an exposed bit of wood on the sofa. Rubbing her head, she picked up the single cushion off the sofa and put it behind her head. To her surprise, she caught sight of a large thick book, which had been beneath the aged cushion. Intrigued because she knew Buttercup wasn't into books, she picked it up and opened it on the first page.

It wasn't a book. It was the photo album Buttercup had received last Christmas. The first few pages displayed the sisters as young girls, fooling around and laughing with each other. As she progressed through the album, she saw them gradually grow older. She saw how few hugs there were and how Blossom's eyes were unfocussed, like she was thinking about being somewhere else. She saw how many times Buttercup crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders. She saw the smile on her own face shrink until even she would have to admit that it was forced.

They perked up when Brunnera appeared in the photos. She was often with her parents, wrapping her arms around the Professor's leg or holding her mother's hand. In a lot of them, she was standing next to Buttercup proudly. Blossom didn't appear in any of the later ones, and Bubbles's face was very occasional.

"I thought that it was rude to look through other people's stuff," said Buttercup, walking in with two glasses of drink. Her tone of voice was cold.

"Oops!" Bubbles dropped the book onto her knees, blushing. One of its corners hit her thigh and made her wince. "I'm sorry. I noticed it and I… I was curious, and I…"

Buttercup chuckled, sitting next to her and passing her a glass of water. Bubbles sighed in relief, realizing her sister had just been playing with her. She missed those days.

"Don't sweat it, sis." Buttercup took a swig of what Bubbles was glad to say was water. Bubbles sipped her drink, watching her sister. Buttercup bared her teeth into a grin. "I won't bite you… this time. Here, how about we look through it together?"

And they did.

"That's the time we made that cake, remember?"

"Yeah, we thought it'd be clever to put some Chemical X in it, thinking it would taste better or something... Only it turned into a monster with heat vision."

"Tee hee, yeah… We weren't allowed to make dessert for a month!"

"Hey Bubbles, that was when the Professor got married."

"Who would have thought that our Kindergarten teacher would marry him?"

"I did, as soon as that cat of hers got ran over. Then, the Professor got sick and she offered to help look after us. They fell in love, right there and then."

"The wedding was wonderful. I loved the giant cake… the dresses… You caught the bouquet and got all annoyed. Oh, and I remember you getting your hand stuck in Blossom's tiara during the reception. You snapped it in half."

"Yeah, she was so ticked off."

"Look how scruffy you are in these ones. It's like you didn't bathe… ever!"

"That's back when I hung out with those bikers. Bad times… Hey, look at that picture of Brunnera. Ain't she cute?"

Bubbles ignored how quickly Buttercup had changed the subject. She smiled as she remarked, "We barely made it to the hospital in time. The Professor thought she was going to give birth in the car!"

"She nearly did."

They were silent for a bit as they reminisced, thinking about the times when they had been truly happy. Buttercup finished first and got out the wad of papers from before. She narrowed her eyes at them, shooting out eye lasers and reducing them to a pile of ash.

Bubbles broke out of her daydream and stared at her sister. "Buttercup, what are you doing?"

"Wazz it look like?" she snapped, blowing on the ashes. They flew out of her hands and landed neatly in the trash can on the other side of the room. Her eyes brightened at the accuracy of her breath. "I'm getting rid of some mail."

"Those were the papers that were in your letterbox," Bubbles piped up. She nibbled the inside of her mouth while she found the courage to express what was on her mind. "... If you don't mind me asking… Who were they from?"

"Mitch."

"Oh! How is it going with you two?"

"We broke up."

Bubbles was taken aback but curiosity overrode politeness at that moment. "Who dumped who?"

"I left him, but he's sent me this saying that he dumped me."

"I'm so sorry," Bubbles squeezed her kneecaps before saying, "but why would he do that?"

Buttercup frowned. She knew that Bubbles wasn't being nosy on purpose. It was her way of showing that she really wanted to know about you and be close to you. It was her way of showing that she was genuinely interested in what you were talking about. However, it did lead to the person being interrogated having to sometimes answer awkward questions. They didn't have to, of course, but when the questioner was Bubbles, it was hard to not say anything and hurt her feelings. No one liked it when Bubbles was sad.

"He said I didn't deserve him," answered Buttercup, sneering. She was uncomfortable. "I didn't want anything to do with him after he came out with that. He just realized this and dumped me."

"That's awful!" Bubbles gasped, her heart raging loyally for her sister. "He doesn't know what he's missing out on. Don't worry, I bet you'll find a REAL man soon. Mitch is just a loser."

Buttercup lowered her gaze, Ace coming to the front of her mind. Could she tell Bubbles what he meant to her? She and him had been sworn enemies for years. It was when crime began to drop that Buttercup made friends with him. She had argued with a fifteen year old Blossom, a very frequent occurrence, and had stormed out of the house. She had been in the junkyard, where she knew her family wouldn't look for her, when Ace discovered her. He had used his smooth talking to uncover what had happened.

"Go ahead! Laugh!" Buttercup shouted, holding the green man by the front of his jacket. Her face was wet and probably snotty but she didn't care. Nothing mattered to her. "Go on; laugh at how stupid I was. Laugh at how stupid I am."

"Nah." Ace, who had been avoiding her gaze, looking into her eyes over the top of his sunglasses. "Dere ain't nothin' ta laugh about."

"What'd you mean?" asked Buttercup, slackening her grip of him very slightly. He... didn't care, did he? No... he had never cared about her... so why did she calm down? "Didn't you hear what I just told you? I got an F and I have to have extra help and-"

"It ain't funny," he interrupted, putting his hands onto hers and removing it gently. She flinched, unbelieving of how serious he was being. "Look, I don' want no fight wit' yous. I don't wanna be in five pieces. 'Sides, I can't make fun of yous… I didn't even get through one day of kindergarten."

"I don't know why I'm still at school. I'm an idiot," Buttercup told him, too distressed to hide her watery eyes. Ace blinked at her, not used to seeing her like this... and not wanting to see her like this. She had always been his favourite Powerpuff Girl.

He scolded himself. He didn't like ANY Powerpuff Girl... even if she was crying her eyes out to him and made something inside of him squeeze.

"They should have kicked me out years ago. The kids at school are right..." Buttercup averted her gaze, bowing her head. "I am retarded."

"Whoa! Hold it." He took hold of her shoulders with his oil soaked green hands, squeezing them tightly. Buttercup couldn't help but stare at him, slightly afraid. Later she would kick herself for being so pathetic. "If dere's one thin' yous ain't, it's stupid. Dey think yer stupid, dey can say it to ma face, all right? All right?"

She nodded wordlessly. He let go of her, smirking.

"Yous beddah fly back home before yer family start gettin' worried. And… if yous ever need an ear to whine into, yous can always come here. It ain't like I gots somethin' else to do these days. Yous ain't half bad, kid."

Buttercup smiled, a small light igniting inside of her. Then, she disappeared into the night sky.

After that, they were able to have civil conversations and mess around with each other. The rest of the Gangreen Gang didn't really trust her, but they had to with Ace around. As her relationship with Blossom fell to pieces, she found herself going to the dump after dinner… after school… at the weekend… It became a second home to her, and she knew she would always be welcome there. She found herself telling Ace things her family didn't know, while he told her stuff that he had never shared with the rest of gang... insecurities he felt as their leader, regrets he had bottled up inside of him…

Then, when Ace told her they were heading over to Citysville, the night before he left they shared their first kiss. It had been a secret between the two of them.

Could she trust Bubbles to not tell anyone? She wasn't ashamed of liking him… but she didn't want people knowing about their feelings towards each other. Not until he came back to Townsville with a bouquet of wilting flowers and cheap chocolate. Not until she could feel his breath on her skin. Not until he whispered that she was his babe and kissed her. Not until…

"Buttercup? You've gone ever so red," commented Bubbles, nudging her. Buttercup started, having forgotten that she was there. Bubbles leaned her head against Buttercup's shoulder, beaming up ar her. Buttercup could feel herself blushing. "Ooh… You're seeing someone new, aren't you?"

Was it that obvious?

"Who is it?" asked Bubbles, giggling. She blinked up at Buttercup a few times. "You can tell me. I won't tell."

"Nah, I was just remembering something random," Buttercup replied, barely stopping herself from stammering. If Bubbles had seen what she had been imagining... well, it was enough to make a prostitute hurl.

Bubbles wasn't the best at keeping secrets. She didn't mean to, but she had a bad habit of telling people them 'as long as they promised that they wouldn't say anything'. She trusted far too many people for her own good- the price caring people like her had to pay. Buttercup would tell her another time, when she was ready.

"Those were good times…" Bubbles said, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. "Sometimes, I wish that life could be a photo album. Then, you could choose what period of your life you live in, and you could stay in it forever."

"I don't," Buttercup told her quickly, even though she couldn't be further from the truth. "What's the point of living in the past? We have the future to focus on. Now, come on; lezz get some sleep. I'm beat and we have things to do tomorrow. You wanna sleep in my bed? I can sleep on the couch."

"I should be getting home…" Bubbles mumbled, getting to her feet and rubbing her eyes. She hadn't noticed herself grow tired.

"What, and let you get killed by Pinkie? Having that on my conscious will stink. 'Sides, you look tired." Buttercup stood up and grabbed Bubbles by the shoulders, forcing her out of the living room and into another: Buttercup's sleeping quarters. "You stay here for the night. You can go back when it's light."

Bubbles gave in, but she wasn't angry. She was really pleased that she could stay at Buttercup's place, even if it was only for the night. It made her feel safe, being near the toughest person she knew.

The room was quite small; it was barely big enough to contain a bed and a closet, but Bubbles thought that it was rather cosy. She went under the greying covers and curled up into a little ball. It made her grow even more sleepy.

She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard the room's door open. She ignored it, pretending that she wasn't awake. It was probably just Buttercup checking up on her or getting her pyjamas.

So it was a surprise when Bubbles heard Buttercup slip into bed with her, mattress creaking, her familiar scent entering Bubbles's body and making her relax. Buttercup's hair tickled her face as the green eyed woman hugged Bubbles, whispering, "You're an idiot… but you're my idiot. No one's gonna hurt you when I'm around. That's a promise."

PPGGPP

Blossom woke up early that morning and went into her dining room. Waiting for her, as usual, was a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. She was halfway through her meal when one of her butlers approached her with the morning's newspaper. Blossom took it and read the title of the front page, nearly spitting out her food.

The Powerpuff Girls are back in town!

Under the headline was a photograph of the night sky, lit up by a blue and green light.

Blossom clenched her fists, scrunching up the paper. "Buttercup…"

_________________

Bubbles regained consciousness and opened her eyes slowly. Rays of light were entering the room from a nearby window, where the blinds had been roughly shut. She yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking around. The duvet covers slid across her bare arm, its feel alien. In fact, the bed didn't feel like hers... too hard.

She froze.

She was definitely not in her house.

It took Bubbles a moment to remember where she was and what had occurred the previous night. She blinked, sitting up. Buttercup was asleep next to her on the mattress, mumbling something. Bubbles smiled at how calm Buttercup appeared to be and got out of bed, stretching her arms as she crossed the room. She had no idea what time it was, but she was due at work at about...

Bubbles stopped in her tracks halfway across the room, catching sight of her sister's alarm clock.

... Two hours ago.

"Ah!" She began to madly slap her head in an attempt to make her hair flatter, licking her lips in case there were any traces of food around it. Breakfast would have to be given a miss. Heart thudding, Bubbles rushed to the side of the bed, trying to find where she'd kicked her shoes off the night before. She stuck her hands into the piles of clothes that seemed to live under Buttercup's bed. When was the last time Buttercup had tidied her clothes away? Had she ever?

The entire room was messy as Buttercup had never bothered putting her things away most of the time. She dumped them wherever there was a clear space, and when she had guests over, she kicked her stuff under her bed. A few items were in her closet: things she used frequently or would need straight away, such as her favourite t-shirt, a tub of pens and some sports gear.

Now, Bubbles's apartment wasn't the cleanest in the world, but it was much tidier than this place. For one thing, she could easily tell what colour her carpet was.

Concluding that she must have left them somewhere else, Bubbles retreated and rested her face against the floor. She coughed.

"Looking for these?"

Bubbles raised her head. Buttercup was awake, dangling Bubbles's sneakers in front of her face. She was smirking, legs hanging over the side of the bed.

Bubbles grinned feebly as she got to her feet. "Thank you. I was looking for them."

"Where are you planning on going?" Buttercup asked casually, her hand swaying faintly.

"To work," answered Bubbles reaching out to take her sneakers back. Buttercup moved them out of her reach. "Hey, I need them!"

"Not for work, you don't." Buttercup was wearing a triumphant expression on her face that Bubbles did not like. "I called in earlier and said you were feeling sick."

"You lied?" Bubbles's mouth fell open. "How... how...?"

Buttercup rubbed where her nose would have been if she had one. "They're so gullible. They don't think that their wittle Bubbles-kins would skip work willingly, so they believed me."

"What am I going to do instead, huh? Oh, Buttercup. You know my salary isn't the best and I love my job and all the cute animals there and I talk to Robin. I really need to go to-"

"Oh, shut the hell up." Buttercup threw the sneakers at the wall near the door, standing up. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a dark green cardigan, as well as black jeans and scruffy greying sneakers. Bubbles frowned at her, realizing that Buttercup must have gotten up earlier and planned this out thoroughly. She was sort of impressed.

Buttercup walked past her and opened the door.

"Go have some breakfast and then I'll explain what we're doing today."

She left the bedroom.

Bubbles couldn't see what else she could do and obeyed. She didn't think it would be wise to leave Buttercup to her own devices and felt that it was her duty to make sure Buttercup didn't do anything reckless. That had used to be Blossom's job, but now... the photo album's page had turned. This was what life was like now.

She entered the kitchen. After rooting through the cupboards, her stomach growling, Bubbles found a loaf of bread and used her heat vision on two of the slices. She placed the toast onto a plate before leaning against the kitchen counter and sighing. Why oh why had she decided to stay the night? She loved Buttercup; she really did. It was just... she had a bad feeling about Buttercup's plan for the day.

Coming out of her worried thoughts, Bubbles opened the fridge. She found a small carton of margarine at the back of it, between an out-of-date yogurt carton and a block of cheese. Putting it on the kitchen counter, she scratched her head. If she was Buttercup, where would the knives be...?

Buttercup walked in, going to a cupboard and taking out a box of cornflakes. She plunged her hand into the box and stuffed some into her mouth, crunching loudly. Her hair was wet and droplets of water pattered onto her shoulders.

"Where do you keep your cutlery?" asked Bubbles.

"Wife deh ya neff there?" Buttercup asked, swallowing.

Bubbles tilted her head to one side.

"Why do you need them?" she reiterated, grabbing hold of some more cornflakes.

Bubbles showed her the toast. Buttercup opened the margarine, dipped her hand into it and spread it over one of the slices. She nodded at a disgruntled Bubbles.

"Ew, that has your spit on it AND I don't know where your hand has been," Bubbles commented, tossing them onto the kitchen counter disgustedly. She scrunched up her face.

"My hand has always been on the end of my arm and anyways, we're sisters." Buttercup put her arm around Bubbles's shoulders. "My spit is your spit, right?"

She curled her lips into what was meant to be a smile.

"Right? Come on, I just had a shower."

"Right," Bubbles agreed, picking up a piece of toast and forcing herself to put it into her mouth. She needed to stay on her sister's good side. "So... What have you got in store for us?"

"We're going to confront Pinkie about last night," Buttercup said casually, not taking any notice of Bubbles widening her eyes and dropping her food on the floor.

Bubbles grabbed Buttercup's arm, horrified. "We can't just go in there. You know Blossom isn't in the best of moods with you..."

"When is she ever in the best of moods with me?" retorted Buttercup. "Look, Pinkie attacked you and I wanna find out why."

"It wasn't her," Bubbles tried to argue, but Buttercup wasn't listening. She was looking at the back of a spoon, gazing at her reflection and picking at something stuck in her teeth. Bubbles moaned, pulling on her sleeve. "You know it wasn't her. You just want an excuse to go there and argue."

Buttercup snarled, yanking her arm away. "What do you know? You know nothing about me."

"I know a lot about you." She sighed. She was going to regret this. "Okay, we'll go see Blossom if it makes you happy."

Buttercup laughed, picking her sister up from under her armpits and spinning in a circle.

"I knew you'd see sense! I'll make sure Pinkie gets what's coming. I'll give her an extra punch just for you, 'right?"

"I'd love that," said Bubbles weakly as Buttercup put her down. "So... let's get this over with, okay?"

Bubbles went to the bathroom to wash herself. She showered quickly because Buttercup was waiting outside the room, complaining constantly. Bubbles had to make do with the clothes she had gone to bed in as they left the apartment. Once they were outside the building, Buttercup zoomed into the air. Bubbles followed her, and in a matter of minutes they were outside the town hall.

Buttercup landed first and started towards the building's gate. "Okay, so we bust in there and-"

"Hello!" sang a voice that made Buttercup's left eye twitch. Bubbles whipped her head around at the sound of the familiar voice.

It was Princess. She ran towards them, waving her right hand. The woman's red hair was unkempt and her blouse had been done up incorrectly.

Bubbles smiled at her pleasantly. "Hello. It's been ages since we last saw you."

"I've been busy with stuff, you know?" Princess laughed. No one did know. "I've got a place now. I have a boyfriend."

"Ooh, congrats," Bubbles replied, delaying her sister's plan for as long as possible. Buttercup scowled. "Who is he?"

"He used to be in our class. Mitch. Remember him?"

There was an awkward silence.

"... Lovely," said Bubbles, her smile forced. She put an arm in front of Buttercup, whose face was unnaturally red. "We should meet up sometime. Have some coffee and have a nice, long chat."

"That's your cue to go away," Buttercup stated coldly.

"Ah, about that. My social calendar is surprisingly empty so I haven't anything to do, so I might as well tag along," said Princess. "We are friends after all."

The other two stared at her.

"Oh, come on!" Princess rolled her eyes. "We've known each other since we were kids!"

"You were our worst enemy and wanted to kill us," Buttercup pointed out. "Get lost."

"Actually," Bubbles piped up, "you can stay with us. We were going to beat up Blossom."

"Really?" Princess gasped, just audible over Buttercup snarling, "shut up," at Bubbles. Princess' eyes shone. "How perfect! I wanted to go see her too. She has such a nerve, kicking me out of her office all the time. I only go there to make friends! She's nowhere near as nice as you two."

Buttercup's eyes glowed red and she aimed at Princess.

Bubbles cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered to Buttercup, "She can distract the Rowdyruffs."

"I could take them down easily," hissed Buttercup. "We don't need her."

"You're really strong but so are they. There's two of us and four of them. Besides, you don't want them getting in the way while we're talking to Blossom, do you? She'll talk, but those three will ruin everything."

Buttercup frowned but relented.

"All right."

She turned to Princess, who had been discreetly (though as this was Princess, it had been quite obvious) trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. She jumped back and pretended to be studying her chipped nails.

"All right, you can come."

Princess squealed, hopping up and down. "I knew you would say that! BBFs, yeah?"

"No." Buttercup pointed into the distance. "You go in the front way, while Bubbles and I go in through the side and back entrances. We'll meet up outside Pinkie's office, a'ight?"

"Okay!" Princess ran off, her high heels clacking on the pavement. "See you inside!"

"Is there a back and side entrance?" Bubbles asked once she was gone.

"Doesn't matter. We're going in a different way," replied Buttercup, eyeing the top of the town hall with a sneer on her lips. "Come on."

PPGPP

Blossom groaned, pushing a mound of papers to one side and replacing it with a new one. When she had been younger, she had never thought that being the mayor would be so tedious. She had assumed that if the old Mayor could do all the required work then so could she. Other than eating pickles and calling them on the hotline, begging them to fight crime, he didn't seem to do much else.

There was a knock on the door. It opened enough for Lara to poke her head through the gap. "Y-You have a visitor, ma'am."

"If it's Princess, get security on her," Blossom said, bowing her head and massaging the sides of it. The mere thought of that woman gave her a headache. "I'm really not in the mood."

Lara nodded, closing the door. As soon as her footsteps faded away, the pink eyed woman looked back at her papers and started to fill them out.

'Better now than never,' she thought bitterly.

Suddenly, a loud crash tore through her head. It lasted only a second; however, the dust that had tainted the air took slightly longer to clear away. Blossom spluttered, getting to her feet and staring forward. She narrowed her eyes, already knowing who was there. What surprised her was the fact that there were two people, as opposed to one.

"Bubbles?" she exclaimed, the air no longer translucent. "What are you doing... is she putting you up to this?"

"She?" Buttercup snarled.

"Oh, sorry, are you a 'he' now?" Blossom placed a hand onto her mouth and laughed.

Buttercup growled but didn't move. Bubbles took a step towards her, gazing at Blossom.

"We're here to discuss something with you," she said.

Blossom studied the seriousness on her sister's face and nodded, indicating that she could continue.

"Last night, while I was walking home... I was attacked." Bubbles felt a chill run up her body, which she ignored as she pressed on. "It wasn't an ordinary person. She was stronger than me, and she made a ball of energy appear. This person managed to escape before we could identify them, but we think..."

Buttercup pointed at her accusingly. "You attacked Bubbles! What's she ever done to you? And she's your sister!"

Blossom blinked. She processed the information quickly and frowned, her eyes narrowed. "Me? Are you serious? I would never harm Bubbles for no reason. Though it is strange, because we're the only super powered women who can make balls of energy..."

"Meaning it had to be you!" Buttercup shouted. "You did it!"

"Oh, so it had to be me?" She tore her attention off her and put it on Bubbles.

Bubbles coughed and traced a circle on the floor with her foot. "Well... uh, Buttercup and I were there... so it couldn't have been one of us." She prodded her hands against each other, eyes on the ground. "Maybe it wasn't you, but... the light looked a bit pink... and..."

"So you're saying it could have been me?" Blossom finished coldly. She crossed her arms. "I can't believe you, of all people, would think so badly of me. I thought you were my sister."

Bubbles bowed her head, ashamed.

Before Blossom could even open her mouth to continue, Buttercup lurched forward and punched her in the face. Blossom's body was thrown into the wall behind her and debris rolled off her body a bit after impact.

She slowly got to her feet, breathing loudly.

"Don't try me, Buttercup," warned Blossom, her eyes barely visible beneath her lowered eyelids. Her hair bun was off centre so she removed the net from her auburn locks. She shook her head and her hair shimmied, running down her back and stopping at the top of her legs.

Buttercup smiled, gesturing with her hand for Blossom to get closer.

They flew towards each other at the same time. When they collided, their distance from the ground increased as they attacked each other. Bubbles watched, horrified.

"Stop!" she screamed, flying upwards and hovering a few feet away from them. She tried to find an opening.

"Help your sister then!" Blossom spat, using her eye lasers to get Buttercup off her. "She hasn't attacked you, has she? She's the good sister, right?"

"No one's gonna pity you!" Buttercup yelled, clapping her hands and sending a wave of air at her. "You think you're so innocent and everyone else is wrong. And leave Bubbles out of this."

"You're the one that made her believe I tried to kill her, you hypocrite!"

"I didn't make her think nothing."

"Why can't you both just shut up?" Bubbles shrieked, something inside her suddenly snapping. She hated being used as a topic for them to argue about. She didn't want them to fight. She never asked them to. "I'm sick of being treated like a dead weight. I have powers too and I'm just as tough as the both of you, you know!"

Bubbles screamed, her voice immobilizing the other two temporarily. Her leg swept across their legs, knocking them sideways. The air whistled in their heads as they were blown away and towards the other side of the room. They kicked off the wall they'd been sent towards and returned to Bubbles, their fists behind their heads.

It became a mad tangle of limbs. Half the time, they didn't know whose arm they were singeing or whose leg they were stamping on. After a minute or so of this, Blossom drew her legs up to her chest and kicked the other two away.

They were now several feet away from each other. The sisters' gazes flickered, their bodies pleading for air. Buttercup had a gash above her right eye and was holding her left arm. Bubbles was wincing, rubbing the top of her head, her left leg a lot more bent than the other one. Blossom's lip was bleeding and she was doubled over.

"I'm... I'm not done..." Buttercup panted, raising her fists. She moaned, lowering her left arm and scrunching up her face. Her green eyes shone from behind her sweat coated fringe. "I... can take you on..."

Blossom glared at her. "You're injured."

"So are you."

"You couldn't take the Amoeba Boys down."

"You couldn't take the Talking Dog down."

Bubbles winced, landing. "I'm taking myself down. I don't know about you two, but I'm not going to fight anymore. I shouldn't have joined in."

"I won't either," Blossom declared, lowering herself and standing on the ground once more. "I can't believe I was so foolish."

"I can," Buttercup retorted, but she landed as well.

"Oh, do be quiet. You're the one who started all this."

"Because-"

"No!" Blossom shouted, stamping her foot. "What do I have to say to get it through your thick skull? I did not attack Bubbles. You can say I did, but it won't make it any more true."

Buttercup didn't say anything, clenching her fists and averting her gaze. Blossom sighed, walking to her desk and ducking. She stood up again a few seconds later.

"I've called security. Go now or find yourself against the Rowdyruffs."

No sooner had she finished speaking, the door burst open and the Rowdyruff Boys swaggered in, accompanied by Lara. Buttercup's attention landed on Princess, who was being held by Brick. His hand tightened around the back of the collar of her blouse, shaking it slightly.

"Lookee what we found," Brick said, his eyes on Blossom. His brothers were looking at their counterparts. Butch was cracking his knuckles while Boomer was frowning slightly. "She said something about the other Powerpoops coming in as well, so we figured we'd bring her here."

"Thank you," Blossom said, gazing at her sisters out of the corner of her eyes. "Would one of you care to explain?"

Princess took into account the numbers on each side, as well as the one that had the biggest upper-hand. "I wanted to warn you, Blossom! But they," she jerked her head towards the men, "didn't let me."

"You no good..." started Buttercup, but Blossom had began speaking.

"You three will leave the premises. If you wish to talk to me, book an appointment. Then I don't have to go to it. Boys," she pointed, "get them out of here."

"Finally, some action!" Butch said excitedly, but Bubbles and Buttercup had already made another hole in the ceiling and escaped.

"Shall we go after them?" asked Boomer, bending his legs. The other two were already halfway towards the roof.

"No." The three men stared at her. Blossom's eyes were narrowed and her head was tilted upwards. "Leave them be."

"But I wanna beat them up!" Butch sulked. "I haven't kicked Butt-face's butt for ages!"

Blossom glowered at him for a moment and then turned away. "My word is final. If they come back, feel free to. But as long as they're not here, you have no right to. You'll be arrested and you know how close you are to ending up in jail."

Butch gritted his teeth but didn't say anything. Brick rolled his eyes at him. Clearly, he didn't like his counterpart's decision either, but he had enough sense to know that there wasn't anything they could do about it. There was one of her and three of them, but hot damn... there was something intimidating about Blossom that he didn't want to tick off.

He and Butch landed, disappointed and irritated.

"Now remove Princess," Blossom commanded.

They cheered up slightly at that. Brick, who had dropped Princess when he had taken flight, picked her up again. Butch snatched her out of his hands, snarling. "It's my turn."

"Okay." Brick shrugged. "Be quick though. I..." Lara was staring at him. "... need to go somewhere."

"What about me?" Boomer said.

"What about you, dweeb?"

Blossom listened to them as they left. She sat back down behind her desk, picking up her phone. She would need to get someone to repair the ceiling before the end of the day.

As she waited, she glanced at the holes in the ceiling. She felt troubled. If her sisters had been telling the truth, that meant there was someone in Townsville with strength that rivalled hers and her sisters'. Bubbles wasn't weak. She was well aware of that. If she had struggled with someone, it was serious. She would have to alert the police department.

Blossom leaned forward, praying her sisters would be okay.

_________________

"Ow!" Princess shrieked, her face slamming into the ground. She stood up, wobbling and clutching her head. Her legs tried to stick out at odd angles as she toddled away from the nearby town hall, not really paying attention to which direction she was going in. Behind her, Butch and Brick were having a heated discussion over whether Butch had beaten his record or not. Not that Princess could make out what words they were saying. The banging in her head was more than enough to block out the noise.

The people of Townsville didn't pay the bruised woman any attention. It happened on such a regular basis, they were more likely to notice something if she wasn't there. Unfortunately, even that situation wouldn't put the redhead in the spotlight.

She was a nobody now.

Princess recovered from her daze and tore down the street as fast as her stilettos would allow her. How she longed for her childhood! How she yearned to be the child she used to be. The spoilt brat that got whatever she wanted. The girl at high school everyone wanted to be friends with. Her eyes shone as she reminisced, seeing with hungry eyes what she had been.

But... she wasn't that person any more. She used to be, with her lush red hair and black eyes. That is, until she learned something.

Money isn't a good way to make friends.

Princess didn't know who her mother was. Her father had kicked her out shortly after Princess' birth. She had been replaced with an even prettier woman who, when she had gotten too old, was tossed aside for an even younger one. How long these women stayed varied. Sometimes it was a few years. Once, a woman had been there for three days. They were always extremely pretty and young, but there was something else they had in common.

None of them cared for Princess.

They didn't really care for her father- only his money. In all fairness, he had never been much of a looker. He had been rather tubby and bald, with big feet and bushy eyebrows. His breath stunk and his teeth were fake. In any case, Princess' father never cared for these replacement wives either. They weren't people to him. They were simply trophies he could show off to his peers and acquaintances with.

It wasn't really much of a surprise that they didn't look after Princess very well.

Princess could vaguely remember spending many nights in her cot, standing on her tubby legs and crying for someone to come. The maids and nannies didn't go to her. Her parents certainly didn't. Children should be seen and not heard. That was what her father often said. Princess spent a lot of her younger years in her room, playing with her toys. She would talk to herself, make up friends that all begged her to play with them.

Then school started. She met the Powerpuff Girls. With their large eyes and fingerless hands, they were abnormal. Freaks. Yet they were the most popular kids in their class. That was obvious. Princess could remember staring at them greedily, wanting their popularity. Their attention. She wanted to be a part of their gang. She wanted people to take notice of her.

It hadn't worked. Princess failed. The Powerpuff Girls refused to let her be part of their group. It had torn her apart. Every time she saw them, jealousy would bubble inside of her. How dare they have more friends than her! How dare people like them more than her. Princess decided that if she couldn't join them, she would destroy the competition. She would make them pay for what they had done to her. What stung the most was that she couldn't use her money to change things.

... Or could she?

She practically gave her father's fortune away. She gave it to her classmates, who were all too happy to join her gang. Soon, she had the friends she had craved for since she had been able to think. She had boyfriends as well. She took them to football games. Bowling. Movies. Whatever made them happy.

Life was good again. The Powerpuffs sank into the far depths of her mind. She couldn't care less about them.

And then her father died.

She was nineteen. She had been watching television with a group of giggling girls when the message came through. The cigars had left their mark on his lungs.

Princess wasn't upset. She felt nothing for his death, even saying so at his funeral. There was no emotional bond between them. She had been left his fortune, had been assured that it would last a lifetime if she was careful with it.

Oh, stupid Princess.

She was as careless as ever. It was as though she was possessed. Spend, spend, spend. She gave money to her 'friends' that they never paid back. She went on holidays. She discovered gambling and surgery. Anything she liked the look of, she bought. Several lost notes didn't bother her. She had plenty in her account... or so she thought.

She became bankrupt.

Money had been stolen from her. She had been so ignorant that she hadn't noticed until it was too late. Princess was kicked out of her home, forced to share a cramped apartment with her only real friend (who Princess couldn't remember the name of, even now). The others had deserted her long ago. Now, Princess' opinion on friends had warped radically. She didn't trust her room mate with her money. Princess was kicked out within weeks due to her not paying any bills.

She was homeless.

Princess went wherever she could. She stayed in hostels. She slept on the street. She stayed with sympathetic home owners. She was no longer the snooty infant with lots of peers. She was a broken woman with dirty fingernails and a few sets of clothes.

When she had discovered that Blossom was the new Mayor, a small fire relit inside of her. Long ago, she had had that position. The extra wealth and power it had brought her... she wanted it. She made it her priority to try and get money off Blossom. It never worked, but it gave her a purpose.

But she had a home now. She had Mitch's place. He often complained about the Powerpuff Girls, not having the relationship with Buttercup he thought he had. It made her feel better, listening to him swear about Buttercup's lack of anything. She contributed to his rants, agreeing with everything he said. The two found a sort of happiness that they hadn't experienced for a long time. Mitch didn't care Princess had originally dated him so she wasn't on the streets. Princess didn't care Mitch had originally dated her to get back at Buttercup. What mattered is that they really did like each other now.

It was all the attention Princess ever wanted. Well... so she thought.

She learned something. She didn't need money to get attention. It was startling but unbelievably true.

Princess rounded the corner, a spring in her step. Life was beginning to look up for her. The clouds of poverty had cleared and the Sun was shining again. Nothing could go wrong now. She would go back to her wonderful home and wait for her wonderful boyfriend to return. Yeah. That sounded like a great idea.

Going down a short cut in the local park, Princess felt like she had stepped into a pool of icy water. She hesitated, but after deliberation, she chose to ignore it. It had just gotten colder. Global warming or something had caused it.

That was all.

She clomped down the path in her ridiculous shoes. She was surrounded by trees that all seemed to glare at her with twisted faces. Princess wasn't scared though. She had been taken this route plenty of times and nothing had happened to her before. Why should this be any different? She decided to think about Mitch to calm herself down.

Mitch was probably at work. He was a builder and he had once wolf whistled at her when she had passed the construction site he had been currently working at. That's when they had first got talking. His job didn't pay brilliantly, but Princess didn't mind.

Because that's the best you can do.

She blinked. She could have sworn she had heard a voice. Shaking her head, Princess continued down the path.

What have you become, Princess? A skanky housewife?

Princess stopped. There was the voice again. But whose was it? As far as she could tell, she was alone.

It's pathetic. You're pathetic. Remember when you were younger? You would draw a picture of yourself marrying a prince and living in a palace.

Princess flushed. She had told no one about this. It had been a childish secret that she had kept to herself. She shook her head, pretending not to care. She had Mitch. He was good enough.

He obviously isn't. Why else would you try and befriend the Powerpuff Girls even now? You want more attention. He doesn't satisfy your need for people to notice you... to like you.

She was beginning to get scared. Princess crossed her arms, gazing around anxiously. She wanted to call out, demand this person to reveal themselves... but her voice was gone.

Princess. What an ironic name for a tramp like you.

A strangled cry escaped her mouth. How dare this person insult her! She was Princess. Princess Morbucks!

More like Princess Nobucks. It's only a matter of time before Mitch dumps you.

No. They loved each other. Mitch wouldn't just kick her out.

He couldn't.

Oh, he could. What's to like about you? You're a whiny, attention seeking loser. You lost your looks when you lost your money.

Princess was terrified. Widening her eyes, she broke into a run. Sweat flew off her face as she blindly made her way forward, head bent forward.

You can't run from me, tramp.

It was true. Princess skidded to a stop. She was no longer in the park. She was somewhere dark and cold. Trying to see anything in the blackness, Princess tossed her head this way and that.

A faint red light caught her eye. She walked towards it slowly, her arms extended in front of her. When she got near it, it suddenly exploded.

Princess screamed, closing her eyes and bracing herself. Then, aware that she was still alive, she opened her eyes once more.

She was standing in a large patch of red light. Princess watched as smaller, different coloured lights erupted out of it. They merged together, creating a scene in front of her.

The sound of a bell ringing came out of the nothingness. It boomed five times.

Five years.

Princess couldn't believe what she was seeing. An older version of herself, her face slightly lined, was in front of her. She was sitting on a scruffy chair, rocking a crying baby. Two young children were tugging at her sleeves, complaining. Mitch was on the other side of the room, smoking.

The sound of a bell ringing came out of the nothingness. It boomed ten times.

Ten years.

The colours in the scene swirled before her eyes. When they came to a rest, Princess saw that the scene had changed.

The lines in the other Princess' face were more defined, and the brightness in her hair had faded. A toddler was in front of her, fighting with a slightly older child. A kindergartener was shouting words that blended in with the rest of the noise that filled the air. Two children who resembled the pair from the previous vision were complaining, rolling their eyes and pointing at their loud siblings. The older Princess was saying something to Mitch, who was lazing around on a sofa. He had a pot-belly and was going bald. He ignored his wife's cries, watching television.

The sound of a bell ringing came out of the nothingness. It boomed fifteen times.

Fifteen years.

The colours mixed and settled down like before. Princess stepped forward, a hand on her mouth.

The older Princess' hair was whiter. Her lips were cracked and her eyelids drooped heavily over her eyes. She was a lot fatter than before. Her legs were propped up in front of her, and she was holding a cigarette. Her oldest children each had the youngest two children on their laps, rocking them gently. The middle child was huddled between them, sucking her thumb. The children were dirty and their clothes were stained. Occasionally, they would glance at their mother; however, their gaze more often that not was on the empty armchair next to them.

The sound of a bell ringing came out of the nothingness. It boomed twenty times.

Twenty years.

Princess didn't want to watch. She closed her eyes, sobbing, but something invisible forced her to open her eyes.

The children were gone. All of them. The room, which had gotten crummier as time had passed, was filthy. The wallpaper was scratched and peeling, while the floor was infested with cockroaches and dirt. The older Princess was hunched over, yellow and thin. Her hair was white and her clothes were grey. Princess couldn't see her face, but the dry sobs coming from her dying body was enough to tell her what her facial expression was.

The sound of a bell ringing came out of the nothingness. It boomed thirty times.

Thirty years.

Princess screamed when she saw what was in front of her.

An empty body was sitting on the sofa, her aged face creased and broken. Flies were buzzing around her skeletal body. Princess screamed again, backing away. She refused to accept that this was her future. She covered her eyes, her body shaking uncontrollably.

There's no use in doing that. You can't make it go away. Fate has chosen this path for you.

Princess gulped, shuddering, shaking her head. She could still see her life playing out in her mind.

Don't deny it. It's pointless. And quite sad, really. Look at what you've become, and what you will become. Sad. How very sad.

"Who are you?" Princess howled, throwing back her head. Everything was fading away. She closed her eyes, tears staining her cheeks.

Ha ha ha ha-

She spun around, running away from the insane laughter. Princess ducked her head and shielded it with her arms. The laughter was still there, mocking her existence.

"Who are you?" she repeated, distressed. As if answering her, Princess suddenly tripped. Her face hit the ground. She choked on her tears, raising her head and opening her eyes.

She was surrounded by trees, but she was no longer on the path... or any path. Princess looked down and saw a pond...

Her reflection was staring back at her. While the human woman frowned, her reflection grinned devilishly back.

Hello, me.

Princess stared at it, gagging. Her reflection winked at her, hands on its hips.

Don't look so surprised.

Her mouth quivered. This had to be a nightmare. A concussion from being thrown so far.

Oh, you're not dreaming. This is all very real.

She bowed her head, squinting. Salty water leaked out of the slits that were her eyes, tumbling down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground.

Stay the way you are, and life will be exactly like you know it will. But...

Princess lifted her head, staring at the reflection.

I can help you.

Her reflection's eyes glowed red. Its hand reached towards the surface. Princess shakily drew her hand out from beneath her, touching the surface of the murky pool of water.

Let us destroy the ones who created our future.

Her reflection was no longer alone. Him was standing behind it, His arms wrapped around its body and His chin resting on its shoulder. Princess broke eye contact so she could look behind her.

Nothing.

She turned back. Him was still holding her reflection.

Join me, and I will make your name significant.

Princess nodded slowly, her tears gone. Incredulity was etched onto her face.

Suddenly, something hot rushed up her arm. She gasped, but she couldn't take her hand away from the pond's surface. It was stuck. The heat filled her body, overwhelming her so much that she couldn't think.

It stopped. She turned away from the water, her eyes scarlet.

We will get on well, Princess.

_________________

Buttercup and Bubbles landed outside a tall white building. The journey there had been one of complete silence and no eye contact. Bubbles wasn't even sure if she was supposed to have accompanied her. Buttercup hadn't uttered a single word for the entire flight. Not even about how awful she thought Blossom was.

Bubbles watched her anxiously. Buttercup was standing rigidly, her face emotionless. Her left arm hung limply by her side while her other one wrapped itself around her chest. Bubbles longed to know what she was thinking, but she didn't have the nerve to ask her. Even though her sister's expression wasn't revealing how she was feeling, there was an air to her that made the blue eyed woman tremble slightly.

Taking her eyes off her, Bubbles examined the area they were in. She recognized it immediately and asked quietly, "Do you think the Professor's in?"

"Probably," said Buttercup. "It ain't like he goes out to work."

"Yeah." Bubbles looked at the grass. It was freshly mown. "Do..." She peeked at her. Buttercup didn't acknowledge her. "... Do you really think Blossom did it?"

That morning, Buttercup had been so sure of herself. It had been the piece of evidence she had been seeking for since she was a teenager: she would have finally been able to prove to everyone that her opinion of Blossom was correct. Now, Buttercup shrugged her shoulders.

Bubbles looked away.

"And Princess...?"

Buttercup clenched her fists and growled. "Don't gemme started on her. Little suck up. She swaps sides like a coin. Coward, that's what she is. The next time I see her..." The threat didn't leave her lips. "Come on, let's go inside. I'm in the mood to spend time with family I actually like."

Bubbles walked over to the front door and rapped her knuckles against it. She waited politely for someone to answer, humming quietly under her breath. Buttercup shuffled after Bubbles, standing behind her. They were exactly the same height so she shifted her head to one side so she had a better view.

After a few minutes, the door swung open. The Professor was standing there, mopping his brow with an oil stained handkerchief. He caught sight of them and laughed, the ends of his mouth nearly as high as his nose. "Bubbles!" His pupils flicked to the side. "Buttercup! What a pleasant surprise."

It was certainly a surprise.

"Hi, Professor," Bubbles greeted, her voice muffled because the Professor had embraced her tightly. She returned the gesture, burying her face into his familiar scent and smiling. He lifted his head, grinning at his other daughter. Bubbles let go of him and stepped to the side, gazing at Buttercup.

"Are you too tough to give your father a hug?" he asked his green-eyed daughter.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and came forward, arms outstretched.

He hugged her as well. The Professor knew Buttercup adored hugs nearly as much as her sister, only preferring not to voice this. Buttercup forgot her own strength and tightened her grip. The Professor exhaled sharply but didn't complain, patting her back with watering eyes. Buttercup retreated and averted her gaze, embarrassed. Bubbles looked down and noticed that she had a black strain down the front of her clothes. Her gaze wavered and she caught a glimpse of Buttercup's equally stained top.

The Professor brushed his hand over his chest, smearing the oil on it further. "Sorry, I didn't know I was going to have guests. Come on in!"

They did so. While the Professor took off his dirty lab coat, his daughters both settled themselves on the sofa. Bubbles's knees touched as she slumped forward, grinning feebly at the Professor. Buttercup had her hands behind her head and was leaning as far back as possible, one leg crossed over the other. She was frowning slightly, also staring at the Professor.

Underneath his lab coat was a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. When he walked over to the girls and sat on the armchair opposite them, their gaze followed him.

Silence ensued.

The Professor's eyes darted between the two of them, the smile on his face fading. "What happened?"

Bubbles and Buttercup didn't say anything. They avoided eye contact, their throats dry. Bubbles covered her mouth with her hands.

His eyebrows drooped and he stated, "It's Blossom."

They nodded meekly.

The Professor sighed, shaking his head. His fingers combed through his hair and he leaned forward. "I just don't know where it all went wrong with you three."

"Me neither," Bubbles admitted miserably, bowing her head.

"Blossom is where it all went wrong," Buttercup told him scathingly. "We were fine fighting crime, and she had to go and spoil things like she always does. She's such a-"

The front door opened and Buttercup faltered out, her brow relaxing a fraction. Mrs Utonium walked into the living room, laden down with groceries. Bubbles, desperate for any excuse to depart from the conversation, immediately got to her feet and took some of them. Mrs Utonium's face could have only displayed shock for a moment as when Bubbles made eye contact with her, she was beaming. The blond woman reached over the plastic bags and wrapped her arms around her neck, lifting one foot off the ground. Mrs Utonium tilted her head to one side slightly.

"I didn't know you girls were coming over!" Mrs Utonium exclaimed, though she wasn't annoyed in the slightest. She looked Bubbles up and down. "Have you been eating enough? You look awfully peaky."

"I have. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"That shelter you work at really should pay you better, dear," Mrs Utonium remarked as they walked into the kitchen. The smell of washing up liquid crept "It's a wonder you can feed yourself! You do so much for them, not even going into what you did for them as a child."

Bubbles blushed. "They pay me very well!"

The Professor waited until the door closed behind them before saying seriously, "Buttercup, what happened between you and your sister this time?"

"Nothing."

"Buttercup." The Professor put on his 'I'm your father and you will obey me' voice, along with a matching expression. "I can see a wound on your face. Don't tell me you've been in a fight with Blossom."

Buttercup's temple twitched and she tilted her head upwards. She didn't like it when the Professor was irritated with her. "So what if I have?"

"Buttercup..."

"We had a little tiff," she confessed, spitting a bit. The Professor held in a groan. Her voice rose slightly. "It's a long story, Professor."

"I have the time."

Bitterly, she gave a description of the past twenty-four hours. She mentioned the attack on Bubbles, which the Professor demanded to know about in detail. When that was finally over, she went on to talk about the night at her place. The Professor listened intently, recoiling in horror when Buttercup got to the part where they had fought each other at the Town Hall. At that point, he called for Bubbles to come in.

Buttercup's cheeks reddened as the other two returned. Bubbles saw Buttercup's face and knew straight away why the Professor had requested her presence. She froze and Mrs Utonium took a few steps before noticing this. The Professor locked eyes with his daughter and Bubbles forced herself to sit down.

Mrs Utonium perched on the armrest next to Bubbles, confused and worried. She didn't like the grave expression on her husband's face.

"Bubbles, what happened when you met Blossom earlier?"

She had seen it coming, yet it was still a blow Bubbles had not prepared herself for.

"Um... well..." She squeaked. "There was a tiny fight. No one got hurt."

The Professor crossed his arms, his pupils flickering towards the cut above Buttercup's eye and her left arm. "What about Blossom?"

"She's got a lip bleed," Buttercup told him. "Bubbles gave her that. Look, it ain't a big deal, we ain't gonna die or anything."

"Bubbles?" The Professor blinked. Mrs Utonium gasped, whipping her head around. "You were in this fight?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Bubbles asked, her eyes suddenly darkening. "Is it because I'm the sweet, ickle sister who wouldn't stand a chance against her big bad sisters?"

The Professor patted thin air in an attempt to calm her down. "Not at all, sweetie. It's just... you used to get on with your sisters so well."

Bubbles crossed her arms and scowled. "Yeah, well, things have changed, Professor. I'm sick of being treated like-"

She was interrupted by a loud thud coming from the front door. Everyone's head turned towards the noise.

"Is it Brunnera?" asked Buttercup.

Mrs Utonium got to her feet. "I shouldn't think so. She shouldn't be back for at least four hours."

She left the room.

"It's probably a door-to-door salesman," remarked Buttercup as they waited for Mrs Utonium to return. "I used to get them all the time. That is, before I gave one a black eye. Never had any since."

The Professor smiled weakly. "As, uh, creative as that idea is, we don't get them very often. Then again, I can't think who else it could be."

A blood-curdling scream rushed into the room. Buttercup and Bubbles shot into the air.

"Mom's in trouble, come on!" Buttercup barked, soaring towards her. Bubbles stuck to her side, pushing away the worst images that attempted to sneak into her mind.

The Professor was the last to get to the scene. He stopped when he reached the doorway and flinched.

Mrs Utonium was standing unusually still, gazing down at the person leaning heavily against her side. Bubbles was hovering in the air, hands planted onto her cheeks. Buttercup's mouth was slightly ajar, but it was her reaction that was the worst one of all.

She closed her mouth and opened it again. Her voice was hoarse. "... Ace?"

He was just like she remembered him. He was wearing the same clothes, the same sunglasses... yet when she drew nearer, she could see he was a lot thinner than before, and there were hints of white in his otherwise jet black hair. Her eyes travelled down his body, and she caught sight of something that made her want to shriek.

The front of his jacket was stained with blood. It was on his hands as well. It dripped down his face like sweat.

Bubbles carefully prised Ace's arm off Mrs Utonium and draped it over her own shoulders, flying back into the living room and gently laying him to rest on the sofa. Buttercup recovered from her shock and sprung into action, chasing after them and landing next to Ace. She crouched, staring into his eyes. His sunglasses were skewed.

The Professor ran into the kitchen, retrieving a first aid kit. Mrs Utonium was standing near the armrest, talking quietly.

"What happened? Where are the rest of your gang?"

"Dead," Ace croaked. His voice was broken. His eyes swept over them before continuing. "All dead."

"Dead?" Bubbles repeated. Tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. Bad guy or not, the vibes his body was expelling still affected her. "But... how?"

Ace coughed, his whole body shuddering. Mrs Utonium went to fetch a blanket from upstairs as the Professor re-entered the room. Buttercup twitched, her face paling.

"It... happened dis mornin'," Ace explained weakly. Everyone hung onto every word he spoke, barely breathing. "We returned to Townsville last night. I... I was sick o' waitin', Buttercup."

She mouthed something. Ace kept his attention on her.

"We was restin' after our trip in the junkyard when someone came swaggerin' in like dey owned the place."

"Who?" asked Buttercup, reaching towards him. His fingers enveloped her hands and she could feel how weak he was growing."Who was it?"

Ace's shoulders shunted back and he winced. "I dunno... It was a lady. I thought she was a bit like yous, but she was wearin' glasses and had a plaster on her nose... She asked me and my gang if we wanted ta work for 'er. I asked 'er what she needed us fer."

"Then what?" asked the Professor, reaching out to unzip Ace's jacket. Ace brushed his hand away, spluttering. When he stopped, he continued, his voice a lot quieter and rougher.

"She wanted ta take over da world." He laughed for a moment but pulled a face when a pain ran up his chest. "She needed henchmen and said dat we'd be of great 'elp to 'er. She said we would 'elp 'er destroy da Powerpuff Girls. I said nah..." His head shifted forward marginally. "... We was retired. We didn't want ta start no trouble. She got pissed at dat and..."

He gazed at Buttercup. She nodded.

"She killed 'em, Buddercup. One by one. I stood dere and watched as my gang... my family got the life blasted outta dem. She... She has powers like yous guys. Lasers and stuff, only she didn't stop when yous guys would. I asks her, "yous gonna kill me next?' She said 'no'. She whooped my ass and... I escaped. She let me... dunno why... and dat's why I'm 'ere. I came as fast as I could."

"Wait." Bubbles widened her eyes, voice high pitched. She choked. "Buttercup, that woman we met last night... it must have been her! She did it after she met us!"

Buttercup didn't say anything, her fringe concealing her eyes.

"Ace, I need to treat you now," the Professor said. "You are very injured."

Ace shook his head. He was more white than green now. "Dere ain't no point. My gang are dead. What else 'ave I got?"

Buttercup snapped out of her trance and stared at him. She whispered, "You have me."

"And dat's why I came 'ere," he said, lifting a hand so he could stroke her cheek. Buttercup's lips quivered. "I wanted ta see... yous one last time."

Mrs Utonium stayed in the doorway, blanket under her arm.

"What do you mean, one last time? You ain't gonna die."

"These... ain't some wounds dat will heal," Ace explained. He scrunched up his face, undoing his jacket. Buttercup helped him, her heartstrings twisting as their skin made contact. The jacket was pushed to one side and he revealed his chest.

Bubbles and Mrs Utonium screamed.

There was a giant hole in his stomach.

Ace grimaced. "I ain't gonna make it whether... whether yous... try or not... I'm... sorry... Buddercup... We 'ad... so many plans... and so little time... bury me wid dem... the guys..."

Buttercup trembled. He gasped, coughing again. A droplet of blood slid down his cheek. She leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the lips. Buttercup moved back an inch.

"Goodbye, Ace. You..." She choked. "You were a good guy."

"And yous weren't half bad."

And he said no more.

PPGPP

Brunnera stood next to Bubbles, shivering. They were in the local junkyard. At first, when she had been told that they were going there, Brunnera had wondered whether her parents had lost their minds. Once the Gangreen Gang had left Townsville, the junkyard had become a gathering point for junkies. Brunnera had been made to recite to her parents multiple times that she would never go there ever. Heck, even Buttercup had warned her not to.

In the distance, Buttercup was digging a hole. Brunnera had wanted to help her, but her parents had insisted that Buttercup had to do it by herself. All they could do was watch Buttercup's back bob up and down as she used her shovel to toss mounds of soil to the side.

"Who is Ace though?" Brunnera asked. "I know you used to beat him up, but why is Buttercup so worked up about it?"

"I think she blames herself," explained Bubbles. "She thinks it's her fault."

Brunnera looked at her. "It's not though. She didn't know that lady was going to kill them afterwards."

"I know, Brunnera. But that doesn't make it any easier."

Buttercup heard and gritted her teeth. None of them could truly understand how she felt. They reckoned they had her all sussed out but they didn't know squat. They had seen the kiss, sure, but they had thought that it was just a remainder of the crush she'd had on him as a young child. That wasn't the whole story. She dug a little deeper than before. The whole story hadn't gotten to finish and she was the one responsible for this.

The woman she had dined with at that café: she was the woman from the night before. It explained so much. That was how she had left so quickly. She had flown away. And Buttercup... she had been stupid enough to tell her about how she felt towards Ace. It was her fault he was dead. The woman had realised that she wouldn't be able to defeat the Powerpuff Girls, so she had aimed for someone weaker but just as important.

Ace's body was obscured by a tatty sheet next to her. It pained her to look at him. It was one the worst pains she had experienced. It was something she couldn't punch back. Buttercup ducked her head and rubbed her eyes with her brown knuckles.

Eventually, she stepped back, scrutinizing the hole. It appeared deep enough.

Bubbles and Brunnera approached her. Buttercup didn't look up. Bubbles raised her hand. "If it hurts, I'll put him in for you."

Buttercup forced it out. "No."

Bubbles nodded. Buttercup slowly picked up Ace's body. Then, she dropped into the hole, reappearing a few seconds later. Buttercup began to refill it, shovelling a lot faster than before. Within a minute, it was difficult to tell the ground had ever been touched.

She reached into her pocket and took out a handful of buttercups. Buttercup released them and watched them fall to the ground.

"Maybe we should say some words," Brunnera piped up. "Not me, though. I don't know him."

"It's fine," Buttercup muttered.

"What about the other Gangreen gang members?" asked Bubbles. "Shouldn't we bury them as well?"

Buttercup walked away. "Yeah... he wanted that. I'll catch up."

Bubbles turned to Brunnera. "Do you want a ride home?"

Brunnera's eyes glittered. "Are we flying? Please say we're flying."

"We're flying!" Bubbles announced, smiling sadly. It hurt her that the Gangreen Gang had died, and she had shed many tears. But she had made herself get over it quickly for Buttercup, who hadn't shown much emotion. Bubbles knew Buttercup was the most upset and hadn't wanted to set her off. Brunnera climbed onto Bubbles back and the pair left the ground, disappearing from sight.

When they had gone, Buttercup fell to her knees and burst into tears.

"Buttercup will be okay, won't she?"

"Oh yes. She's very tough."

Brunnera was quiet as she contemplated the situation. She hadn't been told much about what had happened. She knew that someone had murdered the Gangreen Gang and Ace had arrived at their house, but that was it. Brunnera had the feeling that she didn't know the whole story and felt bitter. Was it because she wasn't an adult? Or because she didn't have super cool powers? She wasn't that young. She heard about murders in the news and played violent video games at her friends' houses all the time. What made them think she couldn't handle it? She hadn't even been allowed to see Ace's corpse.

"Bubbles, do you think I'm still a kid?"

She frowned.

"Hey, Bubbles? I asked... hey, why aren't we moving?"

Bubbles pointed.

Brunnera followed her hand and looked into the distance. "Hey, I... I thought you and your sisters were the only ones who could fly... well, apart from those deadbeats Blossom hired."

"... I thought that too."

_________________

The other being occupying the air turned towards them, head tilting to one side. Bubbles flinched, positioning her hands in front of her. Brunnera gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around Bubbles's neck, resting her chin on her sister's shoulder. She felt Bubbles's body become rigid and growled. Brunnera recognised the sky dweller vaguely, having seen her face around the city every once in a while. But she had never seen her fly, let alone give the impression that she was someone her sister should become worked up about. Bubbles could defeat anyone with her hands tied behind her back... well, maybe except Buttercup. Buttercup could take down anyone.

Bubbles eyed the woman cautiously. Clearly, this was something she didn't see on a regular basis either. The wind climbed in intensity and Bubbles shivered. She had a bad feeling about this... a very bad one.

"Princess?" the blue eyed blond asked, the name sounding even stranger out loud. "How...? You can't fly."

Princess didn't answer, gazing at her with a pout on her lips. Bubbles drew closer, worried. Usually, no one could shut the woman up. She could go on for ages about herself, how pretty she was and how everyone didn't point this out enough. The pitch of her voice was enough to give anyone a headache, regardless of whether they were hard of hearing or not.

Her not talking at a thousand miles a minute was... wrong. Princess wasn't even begging for forgiveness in regards to the incident that occurred with Blossom earlier that day. Not a single plea for Bubbles to persuade Buttercup to spare her and not kill her the next time they met greeted the air. No: other than the whistling of the wind and the dull flapping of the women's clothing, it was eerily quiet.

Bubbles repeated her question in case Princess hadn't heard her the first time. She still didn't get an answer: just the same stare as before. Bubbles bit her lip, wondering whether it would be best if they just left and let Princess get on with whatever she was doing. She wasn't ignorant enough to believe that all was well, but Bubbles didn't want to get Brunnera involved in anything dangerous. Bubbles had superpowers to protect herself with. Brunnera didn't.

"You think she's up to something?" asked Brunnera.

"I... I don't know," said Bubbles. "She doesn't seem to be doing anything, especially something wrong. Maybe we should help her."

"Ignore her," demanded Brunnera. The temperature was dropping as time went by, and she was wearing a baggy green t-shirt with khaki shorts. Her legs dug into Bubbles's side as she tried to transfer some of her sister's heat into her. "I-It's freezing. Anyway, if she wanted us, she'd have done something about it."

Bubbles nodded slowly and shot ten feet north-east.

Coward.

Bubbles froze and Brunnera's face rammed into the back of her head. Brunnera cried out, removing one arm so she could hold her aching face. She wrinkled her forehead, refusing to let any tears escape. Bubbles felt nothing.

"What's your problem?" Brunnera asked, her voice muffled.

"Who said that?" asked Bubbles.

"I said, 'what's your problem?'" Brunnera answered grumpily.

"No. The other thing."

"What other thing? No one said anything 'cept me."

Bubbles blinked. Brunnera wasn't serious, was she? How could she have not heard that voice? It had been so loud and dark like a mysterious voice from her bedroom closet. Only Bubbles had found out that the voice hadn't belonged to a monster but her imagination years ago.

That must have been the cause. Her imagination. Princess was creeping her out and her mind was playing on this, trying to freak her out.

"Never mind," said Bubbles. "Come on."

She turned around and shrieked, jumping back. Princess was right in front of her. Bubbles yelped, looking over her shoulder and back at her again. She and Brunnera did this a few times, ending the movement by gawping at her.

"How did you move so quickly?"

Princess didn't say anything. Bubbles narrowed her eyes and studied her. There was something different about Princess, even when one didn't take into account her new-found ability to fly. For one thing, her skin was as white as the chalk Bubbles used to draw with as a child, making her hair appear a lot brighter than it actually was. Her face was expressionless: no trace of a smile or a frown could be found. The most startling difference though was her eyes. They were black but... empty. There was no light being reflected off it, no twinkle... just emptiness.

She wasn't wearing a rocket nor was she standing on a floating platform. Princess was flying and there was no doubt about it. Bubbles circled her a few times, trying to discover the logical cause for this happening. Nothing. She backed away.

Bubbles felt Brunnera's grip of her stiffen. She was scared. Bubbles was as well, but she kept a brave face. If Princess meant to impose any threat, she would have done something by now. It wasn't like her to be patient and not rush into things. Princess wasn't going to try and harm her.

Anyone could hurt you.

Bubbles cringed. Princess's lips hadn't parted and it didn't sound anything like her. It didn't sound like Brunnera either. It was the voice from a minute ago: the one that made her feel like cold, thin fingers were running down her thigh. Brunnera was saying something but Bubbles was paying her no attention.

"Come on!" Brunnera said urgently, tugging at Bubbles's sleeve. Her sister didn't respond, watching Princess in a trance-like state. "Let's beat it. How far is the junkyard from here? If I scream, will Buttercup hear me? I can scream really loudly. Come on, Bubbles!"

She shoved her feet into Bubbles's ribs.

"Move!"

Listen to your little friend. Run away.

"From what?" asked Bubbles.

"From here!" Brunnera snapped. She had no idea what was going on, but she disliked it.

"Someone's talking to me..." murmured Bubbles, looking around.

"Yes, me!"

"No... not you."

Brunnera was positively alarmed now. "Bubbles; it's really cold, there's a freaky lady floating in front of us and you're hearing voices that don't exist. We have to go!"

I do exist. Go on, Bubbles. You're no match for Princess. Run away.

"No match for-?"

Princess's fist shot out and slammed into Bubbles's face. Bubbles was thrown backwards, Brunnera holding on for dear life. She screamed as the force of it all threatened to unravel her arms, but she managed to keep hold of her sister. Bubbles regained her balance and became upright, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She glanced at Brunnera anxiously. Bubbles had to make sure she was okay and stayed that way. Seeing that Brunnera was, apart from being slightly shaken, Bubbles descended towards Earth head first. She ignored the urge to return and confront Princess, who must have been the one making that voice exist. Who else could it have been?

Bubbles shook her head. It didn't matter. Just because Princess wanted a fight, it didn't mean that Bubbles should oblige.

She stopped abruptly, nearly crashing into Princess again. How had Princess managed to block her path without her noticing?

Bubbles stood to attention as Princess drifted upwards and in front of her. Princess locked eyes with the blue Powerpuff. As soon as she did so, her black eyes became red. Bubbles shrieked, recoiling. Brunnera shifted slightly so she could see. She couldn't hear the voice, if there even was one, but she could see Princess's change of eye colour.

"Bubbles, we really should go." Brunnera nudged Bubbles's sides with her feet. She was all for a fight, but she wanted to spectate from a place where she could feel the ground beneath her feet. Brunnera wouldn't even have minded fighting with her sister if it meant that there wasn't a chance she would fall to her doom.

Bubbles averted her gaze. Brunnera was right. Princess wasn't being herself. It wouldn't be right to attack Princess if she was in the wrong state of mind.

Or is it because you're the sweet, ickle, weak sister who wouldn't stand a chance like her big tough sisters would?

Princess smiled. It was such a large one that Bubbles didn't think it was natural.

"Brunnera..." Bubbles turned to her. "Am I... am I weak?"

So unsure of yourself? Or is it because you want to hear someone lie to you? Does it make you feel better, believing lies?

"No," Brunnera assured her. "You're one of the toughest people I know. You have superpowers, for crying out loud. But you gotta run sometimes!"

Bubbles ignored her, searching frantically for the person who was talking to her. But there was nobody else there. Just wispy clouds as far as the eye could see.

"Come out!" Bubbles shouted, spinning in a circle. "You call me a coward, yet you're too scared to face me!"

I am here, Bubbles. I'm inside of you.

"Inside of me?" Bubbles automatically looked at her tummy. "How can you be inside of me?"

You can't deny it, dear. I know every single thing about you.

"Really?" Bubbles scratched her chin. "All right, wise guy. How old was I when I started going out with-?"

Boomer? You were thirteen. You dumped him when you were fourteen- the same time your sisters dumped their counterparts. You didn't want to though, did you? You wanted to give them a chance... but you thought your sisters wouldn't like you if you didn't, so you followed them like a sheep.

Bubbles gulped. As crazy as it sounded, maybe it was her. The voice. It would explain why Brunnera couldn't hear it. Yet... it sounded nothing like her. It was too dark and evil to be her.

Dark and evil... Don't make such a common mistake like the rest of the planet. It is the truth. You are puny, Bubbles. You held back the rest of your sisters. Your incompetence made your sisters argue and split. You broke your family!

"No!"

Yes, don't deny it. It's not helping anyone. You know it's true. You couldn't put up a fight against last night's attacker... You made your sisters argue earlier... You ruined last Christmas... You resent yourself for this.

"It's not true!"

"Bubbles, ignore it!" begged Brunnera.

Bubbles bowed her head and clutched it, shaking her head. "No, no. I didn't do it... I didn't mean to... I wanted us to stay as a team..."

Brunnera glared at Princess. "Hey, what's the big deal? What did you do to her?"

Princess went on grinning.

Brunnera climbed onto Bubbles's shoulders, wobbling. She pointed at Princess and shouted, "Get lost or you'll wish you had never been born. Bubbles didn't do anything to you!"

Having a normal human child protect you now, are we? Oh, Bubbles, sweetie. Do you really have to go that low?

"I don't need her to!" Bubbles turned around, making Brunnera lose her balance. "Brunnera, stop it."

Brunnera flipped over and would have fallen off completely if she hadn't grabbed onto Bubbles's forearm. Brunnera yelled as her arms unbent, legs squabbling uselessly for something solid. Bubbles gazed down at her.

Drop her.

Bubbles widened her eyes.

You know you want to. Get rid of her. Prove you can do it.

"A little help here?" Brunnera squeaked, bringing her legs to her chest. She closed her eyes and tried to kid herself that this wasn't happening.

What's the matter, Bubbles? Too weak? She isn't family. She's just a mortal that has stolen your family's love and attention. They love a human more than you. Or do you need her to defeat weak old Princess?

"A human..." muttered Bubbles, her eyes glowing red.

Yes, Bubbles. Give into your deepest desires. Eradicate her.

Bubbles revealed her pearly white teeth, her eyes brightening.

Give in and the world will be yours...

Bubbles's pupils flicked upwards and the redness went out like a light bulb.

"What's my middle name?"

What?

"I said 'what's my middle name?'"

It's... oh, shut up.

"You don't know, do you?" Bubbles laughed. "Ha! I knew you weren't me!"

You don't have a middle name!

"Yes, I do," sang Bubbles, preening. Brunnera was probably as confused as anything, but Bubbles could feel herself getting warmer. She was becoming less frightened. Brunnera crawled across Bubbles's arm and reached over to Bubbles's far shoulder. Accomplishing that, she released Bubbles's arm with her other hand and clutched Bubbles's second shoulder with it. Hugging Bubbles with her legs, Brunnera buried her nose into her sister's back.

Bubbles smelled of sweat and Brunnera grimaced. What had she been doing all day? Running a marathon?

I am your mind. You do not have a middle name. I would know.

"If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen," Bubbles said, rolling in the air. Brunnera shrieked.

Bubbles wouldn't budge before and now she chose to dance around when Brunnera just wanted the world to stop spinning? She confused her sometimes.

You can lie all you want, but it won't... shut up!

Bubbles ignored it. She gazed at Princess, who was clutching her head. The insane smile on her face was gone. Now she looked like she was in pain. Bubbles pretended not to notice. The coldness had intensified when she had looked at her. Bubbles would help her when this evil voice was gone. Besides, if it disappeared, then there was a good chance Princess would get better.

The voice spoke again, but it was a lot quieter and weaker than before.

Princess...

Bubbles barely had time to defend herself as Princess began throwing punch after punch at her. An inhuman snarl escaped the redhead's mouth as she sweep kicked her opponent, knocking her off balance. Brunnera's hands were ripped off Bubbles's body and her legs nearly became untangled. Bubbles gasped, leaning forward so Brunnera could hold onto her again.

Princess clapped her hands, making a fist, and slammed them into the top of Bubbles's head. The blond spiralled downwards, the wind in her ears not quite concealing Brunnera's screams.

Bubbles jerked backwards, avoiding Princess's next attack. Brunnera had gone past the stage of screaming and was eerily silent. Bubble got a glimpse of her face as they dodged another attack- petrified. Her usually pale face had had all of its colour drained out of it, and her mouth was clamped shut. It broke Bubbles's heart, but Princess didn't seem willing to let her escape.

There is no hope for you, Bubbles... You were always the least superior of your sisters...

She ignored the voice, breathing heavily. Slowly, Bubbles raised her fists. Her hair had escaped her plaits and was blowing sideways in the wind. She growled, spreading out her legs and lowering her head slightly. Brunnera was gasping for breath, her grip on the Powerpuff near unbreakable.

"I am not," Bubbles whispered. "If you were me, you would know that what you say is a lie."

Bubbles lunged forward, punching Princess in the face furiously. Princess managed to block her onslaught of fists after a couple of punches and flew underneath her. Bubbles twisted her head around instantly, her eye lasers lighting up the sky and consuming her enemy. Princess didn't make a single sound as the energy blast enveloped her body.

Panting, Bubbles relented. Smoke was tainting the air surrounding Princess, but it cleared up after several seconds. Princess raised her hand and put it in front of her, her scarlet eyes luminous. Apart from a darkened appearance, she was otherwise uninjured.

"You never let me be a Powerpuff Girl," Princess said angrily. It sounded like her voice, but it also sounded like someone else was speaking simultaneously. Someone who had a girlish but sinister voice. "You ruined my future, so I will return the favour."

Bubbles, still gasping for breath, watched her guardedly. She managed to say, "You won't win, Princess."

"Oh, sweet, dumb Bubbles, I will win." Princess breathed. She teleported in front of her but didn't attack. Instead, she went to Bubbles's side and put an arm around her back. Bubbles was too shocked to move. Princess's icy body pressed against her, squeezing her tightly. "You don't even know who you're up against."

"I do," Bubbles told her, unsuccessfully trying to break free of her grasp. "It's you..." She widened her eyes. "You killed Ace! You attacked me... and you framed Blossom!"

Princess giggled. "Oh, you! That was a pitiful guess. No... that wasn't me."

"What do you want?" asked Bubbles. "Princess, this isn't like you at all! Someone's controlling you!"

"I know! Great, isn't it?"

The next bit happened so swiftly, Bubbles wasn't sure what had happened at first. What she did know was that Brunnera was screaming and falling towards Earth.

"No!" Bubbles zoomed downwards, her arms reaching out in front of her. Princess was laughing, chasing after her and zapping her with a orange energy beam.

Bubbles gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain that stung the entirety of her body. All that mattered to her was that her dear little sister was plummeting to her death, her frail hands trying to grab onto something. Princess intensified her attack, the ends of her smile drooping.

"Why aren't you giving up?" Princess shrieked. Her energy beam became larger, yet Bubbles still didn't react to it. She began firing dozens of balls of energy, snarling.

"Because..." Bubbles grabbed hold of Brunnera. She moved downwards for a bit before coming to a stop. Her eyes were firmly on Brunnera, who was hugging her. Bubbles cradled her, rocking her from side to side gently.

"Because...?" Princess spat.

"I'm not weak," she said. "I really don't know where you got that strange notion from. Is it because I'm not tough like Buttercup? Not smart like Blossom? Does it make you wonder what's so special about me?"

"Yes!" Princess told her, throwing up her arms. "You were always so weak! You cried all the time and... and..."

Bubbles looked up at her, the tiniest of smiles on her lips. "That's not being weak. That's called being brave enough to show how I feel."

"Oh yeah!" Princess shouted, pointing at her. "Well... What... what about giving into what everyone said? You were too weak to stand up for yourself."

Bubbles shook her head. "No. That's called trusting other people's decisions and being brave enough to go along with it. You're the weak one."

"Me?" Princess scoffed, putting her hands onto her hips and guffawing. "I'm not weak. Did you see my attacks? I could kill you if I wanted to! You're too weak to kill me."

"Nope. It doesn't require power to kill. Preserving life... that needs true strength."

Princess clenched her fists and an orange gas began forming on them. "You don't know anything! You're the stupid Powerpuff Girl. You never got to be a vet. When you were younger, you were jealous of your sister's good grades."

"I do wish I could be as smart as Blossom," admitted Bubbles, "and sometimes I wish I was as tough as Buttercup. But, see, I'm not jealous. I'm pleased for them. Princess, how long is this going to take?"

"I'm not done with you!" Princess bellowed. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, I'm not. I'm done."

Princess widened her eyes, a mad expression on her face. "I don't understand. Why aren't you cracking? Why can't I kill you? I thought I would be stronger... but I'm not. He lied to me!"

"You're not winning because I'm not weak," Bubbles said. She floated upwards so they were face-to-face. "Face it; you failed."

"I'll kill you!" Princess grabbed the front of Bubbles' t-shirt. She growled, her fiery fist just inches from Bubbles's face. The two locked eyes and Bubbles could see the pain and anger present in Princess's facial expression. Princess shook her roughly, her eyes bulging out of her head. "Did you hear me? I'm going to kill you!"

"No, you're not. You're better than that. Fight it."

"I will destroy you!" she insisted. She looked a lot older and weaker than ever. Her grip on Bubbles was slackening, and this time she shook because she was sobbing. Then, in a whisper that was barely audible, she said, "I can't."

Princess shook her head. Her eyes were back to normal, but she still looked like she was in immense pain. She trembled, unable to look the blue Powerpuff Girl in the eye. Bubbles remained silent, watching her with wide eyes. She longed to help her, but she couldn't. She didn't know what was wrong and it hurt her, seeing Princess suffer and not being able to do a single thing about it.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a flash of orange light. It blew Bubbles backwards, making her spiral through the air. Brunnera screamed, pressing her face into Bubbles back as hard as she could. Bubbles raised her arms in front of her, trying to defend herself.

After being thrown back a few dozen yards, Bubbles felt herself come to a stop. She blinked, trying to get rid of the orange blur that was obscuring her sight. When it faded, she rubbed her eyes and looked around.

Princess was gone.

"Princess?" called Bubbles uncertainly. She hoped this wasn't a surprise attack. "Where are you?"

She felt someone tugging at her arm. Bubbles twisted her head around and saw Brunnera.

Her hair was standing on end, and Brunnera's pale face was a sickly green. Her pupils were practically dots and she was breathing loudly.

"Can... can we go home now?"

"Oh... sure." Bubbles gave the area one last look before flying away.

PPGPP

Princess howled, wrapping her arms around her chest. She didn't know where she was but it was freezing. Everywhere was black except from the throne in front of her, as well as the person perched on it and the woman next to Him.

Him glared down at her. Princess was on her knees, unable to retain eye contact. The woman next to Him was also glaring down at her, sitting on the throne's armrest. She jerked back her head, fluttering her eyelids at her master as she waited for Him to speak.

You failed me. Not only that, you nearly destroyed my plan.

"I'm... I'm sorry!" Princess moaned, raw pain spreading to every part of her body. "Please forgive me."

The other woman laughed coldly. Him turned and smiled at her.

I wanted Bubbles weakened, not dead. But you could barely put a dent in her.

"She's strong!" Princess raised her head, her eyes full of tears. "I thought she was the weakest... but she wasn't. It was an easy mistake to make."

I can't afford mistakes. They must not realise who they are up against until the time is right.

"But she," Princess pointed at the woman, "was meant to get Bubbles before. That's what you told me earlier. Did you punish her, huh?"

The woman snarled, raising her fist to hit her. Him caught it as it came forward, encasing it with His claw.

Ah, that wasn't a mistake. She would have if that pesky Buttercup didn't come. That, dear, was an unforeseen-

Princess was on her feet now, spit flying from her mouth as she shouted, "Two Powerpuffs? She can't beat up two? I thought she was really powerful... two?"

The woman glanced at Him, but He shook His head at her. She sighed, disappointed.

My friend here escaped because I summoned her. She is far more powerful than you can imagine, but two Powerpuffs... she has not yet mastered her powers and I didn't want to risk-

"Risk?" Princess snorted. "You're both scared of them. I thought you were meant to be the most powerful being in the universe, but no... but even you were useless. If you're so powerful, why didn't you break Bubbles when I was fighting her, huh?"

The woman hissed and Him's eyes glowed menacingly.

I have no use for you any more.

"Then... what are you going to do to me? asked Princess, dreading the answer.

Leave.

The darkness vanished and she was back in the sky. Princess felt the pain leave her body instantly. She sighed in relief, mopping her brow.

Then she realized she couldn't fly.

And poor Princess fell to her doom.

She hit the ground. Her body exploded into thirteen red bats, all bearing grinning, devilish faces. They flew off in different directions, leaving no trace of anyone ever being there.

_________________

"... And then she just disappeared. Poof. Just like that."

The Professor nodded slowly. Bubbles had arrived at his home an hour or so ago with Brunnera in her arms, who looked like she was about to be sick. He had listened silently to her tale, with Brunnera commenting every now and again. The colour had returned to the teenager's face, and she had decided that the experience had been amazing and well worth having again.

Bubbles concluded her story with a little shake of her wrists, her eyes shining as she concluded the tale of Princess's disappearance. It had been so strange, though she was sure that Princess was all right. She had probably gone away to hide after being defeated. Princess wasn't exactly a good sport when it came to losing.

Buttercup was standing next to the armrest where Brunnera's head was positioned on. She had come roughly halfway through, resulting in Bubbles starting from the beginning. She had also not said anything during the retelling; however, she had pulled expressions displaying her thoughts on it at various parts. The only person to talk was Brunnera, who emphasized how dangerous it was and how awesome it had all been.

"There was an orange flash and she just vanished?" commented the Professor, lowering his eyebrows.

"Yeah. It sounds weird, but that's seriously what happened." Bubbles, who was sitting on the sofa with Brunnera's feet resting on her knees, leaned back her head and groaned. She looked sideways at the wall. "I hope she's okay. She was acting so weirdly."

"So were you," Brunnera reminded her, "unless talking to yourself counts as sane?"

Bubbles slouched, squeezing her kneecaps tightly. She had made sure to mention that part very briefly, making out it was not important when it worried her more than Princess's behaviour.

The Professor frowned more heavily at her silence but chose not to pursue it. He glanced at Buttercup, wanting to see what she made of the situation.

"Something real weird is happening," she quietly remarked.

"Do you think we should tell Blossom?" asked Bubbles.

"She made it clear that she doesn't want to see us."

Buttercup's eyes remained glazed over. Bubbles raised a hand.

"What if I go by myself, maybe then-?"

"No. She's not happy with you either."

Bubbles's cheeks reddened. "And whose fault is that, huh? It was your idea to see her in the first place. I'm sure if I explain that this is about..."

"She doesn't like you either, okay?" Buttercup replied, but she didn't sound angry. She sounded distant, like she was only half-listening to what she was saying. "It doesn't matter if it's because of me. She'll still be mad about earlier."

Bubbles put her head in her hands, obscuring her distressed face. "So much has happened in one day. We need to see Blossom before something else-"

"Bubbles, Buttercup has a point," the Professor said gently. "Why don't you give her a few days to calm down?"

"You don't understand." Bubbles got to her feet and held her hands against her chest, turning around to face them. "If we don't do something soon, one of us might get really hurt. Blossom will help when she finds out that people are getting injured."

"You know what she's like," Buttercup said. "If she thinks she's right, she'll refuse to hear otherwise."

Bubbles sighed, admitting defeat. She didn't like sitting in her house while a super-powered being went about murdering people, but she didn't see what else she could do. She knew, or at least thought, that Blossom would be very concerned about the day's events. She didn't know if Blossom knew about the Gangreen's demise, but she was certain that she didn't know about what had happened between her and Princess. Yet... she also knew that her sister wouldn't want to listen to her. Not after the fight they had.

She felt Brunnera lift her feet off her and sit up. Brunnera had that look on her face that Bubbles had come to know as 'I have an ill-thought out plan.' The Professor noticed it as well as drew in breath, preparing to gently tell her why it wouldn't work. Buttercup watched her blankly.

"What if I go?" Brunnera asked as casually as she could manage. She looked at them all in turn, resting her gaze on Buttercup. The Professor crossed his arms. "She's not mad at me."

"She'll think we made you go," Bubbles told her sadly.

Brunnera sighed before grinning. "We should try and tell her now."

Buttercup's face became mildly irritated. "Weren't you listening? She doesn't-"

"I know! I heard!" Brunnera exhaled before continuing. "But then at least we can say we tried. If Blossom finds out we've been holding out on her, she'll blame us. If we try and tell her, we know we've done all you can."

No one said anything as they considered it.

"Well..." the Professor finally said. "Yes. Brunnera has a point. I think the pair of you should go see her."

"We best be going then," Bubbles told them, giving them a small wave. Buttercup didn't say anything as she followed Bubbles out of the room. "We'll see you tomorrow so we can tell you how it went."

Brunnera beamed until she went back through what her father had just stated. "Wait... 'pair'? I'm not going?"

"I'm sorry," he said as the other two left. He watched them fly out of sight, a sad expression on his face. "It's too dangerous."

"What, you think I'll get hurt?" she asked angrily. "Dad, they would never... how could you think such a thing? Don't you trust me? Trust them?"

"The Rowdyruff Boys will be there," he explained, his eyes lingering on the empty garden beyond the window. "And... I really don't know anymore. They've changed so much." He looked back at her. "Come on. I want to show you something."

The Professor led Brunnera up the stairs. They passed her room and her parents' room. She looked around, trying to work out where they were going. Very soon, the Professor came to a stop. It happened so suddenly that she nearly walked into him. Regaining her balance, Brunnera watched him open a door and followed him in.

She had known this room as the junk room, where various things were kept when they were no longer needed but too precious to be thrown away. She had never been there, mostly because she had no interest in a room full of junk, and in any case it was always locked. She turned her head in all directions as she soaked in what was inside.

There were piles of never before seen items that towered over her small frame. She felt slightly uneasy as she glanced at precariously stacked possessions, expecting them to topple over her and bury her alive as she passed by. Taking her eyes off them and staring at the Professor's back, Brunnera jumped slightly when he turned around and showed her something.

It looked like a toy phone. It had a cartoony face with a large black smile and big blue eyes, which were each highlighted by three small eyelashes. Its face consisted of a yellow circle, though only the bottom half of its eyes was located in the circle. The main body of the phone was a flawless white, while the receiver was the brightest shade of scarlet Brunnera had ever seen before. Its most distinguishing feature, however, was the large brown nose in the centre of the circle.

Brunnera stared at it but didn't touch.

"I've told you many times about your sisters," he said, stroking the object in his hand. "About how they used to fight crime and save the day."

She nodded. When she had been a small child, she had spent many an evening listening to her parents retell her siblings' childhoods. She had listened intently to every word, sucking her thumb as she imagined their adventures. She had thought the monkey with the funny hat on his head silly, but the devil had always made her feel uneasy. It was difficult to apprehend that the heroines in the stories were her sisters and that all those adventures had actually happened. She couldn't remember them beating up crooks or saving the world.

"And as you know, they were a team. They worked together and always managed to protect us..." He shook the phone slightly, though her attention was already on it fully. "This used to be connected to the Mayor's office. There was another one at the girls' school as well. Anyway, the Mayor used to call the girls on it and they would answer and go sort out whatever dilemma was going on. After a while, though, it began to be used less. Soon there was no need for it."

"Why?" Brunnera asked curiously. "There's still robberies and stuff going on."

"The villains the police couldn't handle had given up," he replied. "You see, your sisters became very busy. They had left the undemanding period of childhood. They now had school work, revision, friends... they became too busy. The monsters left because the girls had nearly wiped them all out and when they had re-cooperated their numbers, they had moved onto Cityville. The girls are not allowed to use their powers there and so did nothing."

"What about Mojo and Fuzzy and all the others?"

They had never discussed why the girls had given up in much detail, other than the fact that they weren't needed. Brunnera had been far too interested in what they had done, and the Professor had always felt uncomfortable talking about his daughters' problems. Now though, he figured it was time to tell her everything he knew. He couldn't pretend they weren't there any longer.

"The girls were frustrated. I wish I could say why, but they never told me. All I know is that it made them more vicious with their attacks. It took longer for the villains to recover and I think they just got tired of it all."

He looked sad and much older than he actually was.

"I kept this phone though. I know it's silly because they most likely will never use it, but I can't bear to part with it. I clean it every week. It's been such an important part in everyone's lives..."

"Yeah, I understand."

Brunnera began to search through everything and the Professor didn't object. He stood there patiently, explaining what things were when Brunnera showed him an interesting piece of their past. He seemed at peace being in there, being reminded of the past and shown that it had all happened.

After an hour or so, Mrs Utonium came in with a tray of refreshments. She had wondered where they all were, and seeing the door open, had correctly come to the conclusion they were located within it. She stood next to the Professor, resting her head on his shoulder as Brunnera began to delve deeper.

They could only see Brunnera's legs, for she had dived into a pile of junk after spotting something golden. Her eyes were narrow slits as she avoided getting too much dust in them, her arms clawing in front of her as she searched for the twinkle that had caught her eye. She opened her mouth to cough, inhaling what was probably a spider's web. She spluttered, withdrawing and sitting on the floor, her legs tucked up against her chest.

"We should really be wearing goggles," said Mrs Utonium anxiously. Brunnera ignored her and stuck her arm into the hole she had made. She pulled out a box, blinking at it.

It looked really old, but that might have been because it had been in there for so long. It was encased in faded gems. Everything about it was faded, from the tainted gold to the brown wood. She blew on it, sending a breath of dust into the air. Brunnera coughed.

"What's this?" she asked for the dozenth time that day.

The Professor frowned. "I... don't know."

"You don't know?" she exclaimed, shaking it slightly. She tilted her head to one side. "It looks so old and valuable."

He chuckled. "I doubt it's worth anything, dear. Hm..." He became serious. "One of the girls must have bought it."

"Maybe they stole it?" Brunnera suggested, widening her eyes at the thought. "Buttercup probably stole it. She's the kind of person that would."

"Oh, you would be surprised... it was Blossom that was the little thief back in the day."

"Blossom? The Mayor?" Brunnera was sceptical. "Yeah right."

"No, I'm telling the truth. She stole some golf clubs for me." Guilt washed over his face. "It taught her a lesson I'm sure she has never forgotten. Anyway, back to the matter in hand."

"What? Oh, the box." Brunnera shook it. "It sounds empty."

Mrs Utonium took it out of her hands and opened it. She tried to hide the disappointment on her face as she revealed what the contents was.

It was a small scrap of material. The Professor picked up the purple piece of cloth carefully, rubbing it with two of his fingers.

"What is it?" asked Brunnera, getting to her feet and peering at it. "Does it give you superpowers if you wrap it around your finger?"

The Professor let her eager hands take it. He looked unsure but not particularly bothered. "I think it's just a normal bit of material. Bubbles probably found it when she was younger, thought it was pretty and kept it. She did that a lot."

Brunnera put it back in the box, a bored expression on her face. The box looked so valuable, yet it contained something so... worthless. Angry, she snatched the box from her mother's hands and threw it on top of a pile of old clothes. Her parents didn't complain.

"So why did you bring me in here?" asked Brunnera. The room had seemed so exciting at first, but it had lost its novelty very quickly. "Was it just to show me their phone?"

The Professor nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"That's boring." Brunnera turned away from them and went to her room. She had the feeling that her parents were talking about her, but for once she couldn't be bothered to turn around and scream, "I'm here, ya know!"

She lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It used to belong to her sisters, but she had gained possession of it when she had turned five. By then, her sisters had moved out. It was strange, thinking about a time when her sisters had lived with her. It was odd, thinking about her sisters coexisting under the same roof. It was peculiar, thinking that at one point, the three sisters had been inseparable.

It was... it was... she drifted off to sleep.

PPGPP

So the days passed.

Bubbles's and Buttercup's first attempt to visit Blossom was just as bad as all the others that followed it. They couldn't even get near the city hall without clashing with a Rowdyruff. As much as the women hated to admit it, the men were a big obstacle that they couldn't get past.

Butch patrolled the sky, circling the roof of the building. Even when they weren't trying to break in, Butch took it upon himself to spit on their heads as they went by. Very soon, it became a second habit to bring an umbrella with them whenever they needed to go to the city's centre.

At the entrance of the building was Boomer. Bubbles in particular hated this, because he often whispered vile things as they went past. It didn't seem like the Rowdyruffs had matured. Ever. Mojo Jojo had set out to create disgusting boys, and disgusting boys they were. That, or they thought themselves highly amusing or had something to prove. If they were trying to prove they were idiots, the women thought they had done so most successfully.

Brick was positioned outside Blossom's office's door, presumably. The women had never been able to reach him and find out. Whenever they tried to get past one of the brothers situated outside the building, the other would quickly come and help him. Occasionally, Brick would join them, accompanied by Lara, and the women would have to make a hasty retreat.

An obvious change had come over Buttercup that everyone noticed. She only spoke when spoken to and avoided spending time with the rest of her family. Sometimes, Brunnera had skipped school so she could visit her at the gym. Her parents had found out soon after and were not amused, putting an end to her little trips.

To Brunnera, it didn't seem like anyone but her actually cared. Bubbles met with Buttercup on their expeditions but other than that, the blond was at the Utonium's house. Buttercup rarely visited and Brunnera couldn't stand it.

"Buttercup needs us," Brunnera often complained, "and none of you care."

"She'll be fine," her mother always assured her. "She just needs time."

Time that they didn't have, Brunnera bitterly thought. No other murders and attacks had been reported, but it was only a matter of time. The person behind this had broken the family even more, weakening it. The person was obviously preparing themselves for a massive attack. Brunnera's parents thought her theory silly and told her not to worry. Or so Brunnera thought. It hadn't occurred to her that her parents didn't want her to panic.

Mrs Utonium had come up with the idea of phoning Blossom. This came to no success as Blossom never answered. Bubbles had tried to contact her on Robin's cell phone but Blossom had changed her number. Contacting the city hall had gotten them into a conversation with Lara, who alerted them that Blossom had told her not to let them speak to her.

A visit to her mansion had proved a terrible mistake when the Rowdyruffs revealed themselves. It became obvious that Blossom was never alone.

One night, roughly two weeks after the Powerpuff Girls reunited, a plan formulated in Brunnera's mind. And that very night, she decided to act upon it.

_________________

The door opened just enough for half her face to peek through the gap. Then, seeing that the landing was deserted, Brunnera edged her door more open until she was able to slip out.

A loud creak made her body freeze. She waited, a million well-prepared excuses ready to explode out of her mouth. However, neither parent left their room. Brunnera suppressed a sigh and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Her other hand gently guided the door back to its frame and her fingertips drifted away once it closed.

Brunnera willed herself to move and scurried to the top of the stairs, her heart thumping loudly. It was really dark and she could barely see, but she was a teenager on a mission. Besides, she wasn't a coward. There was nothing scary about descending the stairs she had known since she could crawl.

She slid down the banister, stopping herself from flying off at the bottom like she usually did. She breathed in slowly, looking over her shoulder at the living room. Bubbles was on the sofa, snoring gently. Brunnera grinned before unlocking the front door and escaping into the outside world.

Her plan seemed flawless. Brunnera would say that she really missed Blossom and was so desperate to see her, she had sneaked out. Blossom couldn't send her home when it was so late at night. She would at least make her stay the night or call her parents. Which wouldn't work, because the phone had become 'mysteriously' disconnected.

Brunnera held her torch out in front of her as she sprinted down the side walk. Blossom lived a fair way away, but she was certain she knew the correct route. Everyone knew where she lived. She wasn't very scared of the Rowdyruff Boys. They were stupid but she was so sure that she could slip past them. There wasn't nothing for her to fret about.

It didn't explain why her grip on the torch was so powerful.

She was jogging past a street full of shops when she bumped into a short, cloaked man. Brunnera didn't apologize as she ran off.

"Do you know who you are running from?" the person shouted after her, shaking his fist. "If you knew who you were going away from so quickly, you would leave even faster! Yes! You would sprint much faster if you knew my identity. My name strikes fear into many people's souls. It has singed many, many souls. That is how powerful my name is, so be grateful you are running at that speed and do not know it."

Brunnera didn't hear the rest of his rant. She had slowed to a walk for the first time in her journey far away from him. Everything seemed so different in the dark. Certain signs shone and certain features were indistinguishable in the blackness of the night. Twice, she had to backtrack and find out where she actually was. An old woman had approached her, asking if she was all right, but Brunnera had swiftly departed from the area. The woman was probably just concerned for her well-being, but she wasn't prepared to take any chances.

Not that Brunnera couldn't take any chances. She could take on any mysterious thing that decided to emerge from the shadows. She just didn't have the time.

Finally, Brunnera wiped the sweat from her forehead and beamed. She had no idea what time it was or how long it had taken her to get there. She didn't care. All that mattered was that she was outside the fence that separated her from Blossom's garden.

Brunnera found the gate and tried to open it. It was locked. It seemed so obvious now, but it had never crossed her mind. Angry at it and her own stupidity, she rattled it loudly.

"Look who it is."

She backed away as all three Rowdyruff Boys landed in front of her. She had heard that their powers rivalled her sisters', but it was only when she saw them that she became perhaps a tiny bit frightened.

Brick took a step towards her, a smug expression on his face. Brunnera stepped back, causing them to laugh. Brick jerked his head and said, "It's a bit late for someone like you to be out, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Boomer chimed in. "The rest of the sissies went to bed hours ago."

"So why aren't you in bed?" asked Brunnera. If she couldn't fight with her fists, she would fight with her mouth.

The other two brothers guffawed. Boomer grabbed her by the front of her coat, his eyes narrow slits. "I'm not a sissy, sissy!"

"Can we throw her out?" asked Butch, cracking his knuckles. "Your girlfriend said we could throw out anyone that-"

Brick's fist slammed into his face before he could finish his sentence. He stood over Butch, who had been forced into the ground a couple of yards away. His red eyes flashed. "She is not my girlfriend, a'ight?"

Butch raised his head, spitting out dirt and blood. "So why do you always flirt with her? I've seen ya wink at her and smile and stuff."

"Shut up!"

"Lara won't be very happy," Butch carried on, looking proud of himself. "I've seen ya go off together and sometimes when we come along, and yer chattin', ya both shut up."

"I..." Brick averted his gaze. "She loaned me money and the hag won't give it back. I hate both of them."

"So why do you make googoo eyes with Blossom? She don't owe us no money."

"I want a pay rise!" snarled Brick, stamping on his head. "Why would I like a freak like her? She's ugly and fat like-"

"Like what?" asked Blossom.

Brick jumped but his foot stayed on the back of Butch's head. Blossom was standing at the entrance of the mansion, clutching the front of her pale pink dressing gown. Her hair was down and looked like a curtain. She was wearing slippers with a picture of a bunny on the toes. She looked so different that Brunnera thought she was one of the other security guards at first.

Brick smirked, twitching his head and glancing at his brothers. "Your mom."

They laughed at the unfunny remark.

Blossom's eyes drifted across the scene. She did a double take when she saw Brunnera, who was still being held by Boomer. She ran to them. "What are you-? Let go of her!"

Boomer released her immediately, backing away and joining his brothers. Butch was on his feet now, not affected by Brick's attack. Brick punched Boomer's arm, fuming too much to look anyone in the eye.

Blossom patted Brunnera briefly and turned to her bodyguards. She was frowning heavily. Now she was behaving like the Blossom Brunnera was used to. "Get back to your posts, boys. I can deal with this."

Brunnera didn't like how she used the word 'deal'.

"One day..." started Brick, but Blossom held up her hand.

"One day isn't the same day as today," she replied, grabbing hold of Brunnera's wrist with her other hand. "Just relax... and maybe if you woo me some more, I'll give you a bonus."

Butch and Boomer chuckled but shut up when Brick rounded on them. He growled savagely, his murderous gaze on a calm Blossom.

"If it wasn't for me, you would be in the highest security prison," she responded coolly. "I'm keeping you out and you have a job. Do you want to throw that all away? You owe me."

Brick turned away from her. In a much quieter voice, he grumbled, "Come on. Let's get back in position."

They flew off. Blossom sighed as she marched towards her mansion with Brunnera in tow. The teenager was silent, unable to look at any part of her sister's body. This wasn't how she had planned to meet her. Nor was it how she had wished to meet her. Blossom didn't speak, also not able to make eye contact.

The front door opened and they walked in. Brunnera, who had never been there before, couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the interior of the building. Everything was so clean and decorated with complicated patterns. She kicked off her shoes when Blossom did, wiggling her slightly grimy feet. She wished she had bothered to put socks on.

Blossom led her into the dining room. Blossom murmured something to an old butler and sat down at her long table. She motioned to the seat opposite her and Brunnera settled herself there.

"Tea? Coffee?" asked Blossom.

"Hot chocolate," Brunnera said, resting her feet on the seat. She didn't want to touch the floor with them. Blossom nodded, calling to the out of sight butler for some.

After a moment, Blossom leaned forward and peered at her suspiciously. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"No," she admitted to the table. She could feel Blossom's inquisitive gaze burning into her forehead. "I ran all the way here."

Blossom wasn't impressed and made no attempt to hide this. "You could have gotten yourself injured! What were you thinking, coming here by yourself? Worst of all, no one would know where to start looking for you should something bad fall upon you."

"Like you would care!" Brunnera snapped, slamming the palms of her hands onto the table. Now it was all too easy to fix her eyes on the Mayor. "We've all been trying to talk to you for weeks but you won't let us."

"Talk?" Blossom laughed. "Oh, so you wanted to talk. I was under the impression my sisters wanted to kill me."

"They don't!" she replied angrily. "They love you! They wouldn't ever kill you."

"Sure, sure." Blossom was inclined to agree, but she didn't want to back down. Not even if it was to a person roughly half her age. "I thought that when they attacked me."

"Stop acting like the victim. No one wants to hurt you. We need to tell you something."

"What then?"

Brunnera's fury decreased significantly. "The Gangreen Gang are dead."

Blossom tried not to look surprised, but she struggled to conceal the emotion in her voice. "They... How?"

"A woman killed them. The same one that nearly killed Bubbles." Brunnera calmed down, relieved they were getting somewhere. "The leader came to our house a couple of weeks ago and told us. We all took it badly, but Buttercup took it the worst. She hasn't gotten over it. Then Bubbles and I were attacked by Princess."

"And I?" repeated Blossom, horrified. "You were there?"

"She fought Bubbles in the air and I was holding onto her. Princess pulled me off her and dropped me. I was scared Bubbles would lose and die. I was scared I would die. We only got away because Princess disappeared."

Blossom took it in, her face pale and slightly scared. "Princess was in the air?"

"She could fly, I don't know how," answered Brunnera impatiently. "The point is, we've been trying to tell you this but you haven't given a-"

"I do!" Blossom interrupted irritably. "I mean, I would have if you told me. I know it's not your fault I haven't been talking to you, but I couldn't risk it. There was a possibility that your sisters would come back and-"

"Your?" repeated Brunnera, her voice raised. "They're your sisters too, whether you like it or not. Stop acting like you're in the right and we're all in the wrong."

"I'm not." Blossom began massaging her temples, gritting her teeth. The butler lay a tray of drinks in between them and left the room hurriedly. "They think I tried to kill Bubbles. Do you understand how hurtful it is to be accused of such a thing? Buttercup's said terrible things about me, but this is one of the worst... and the fact that Bubbles agreed with her..."

"Who else could they blame?" asked Brunnera. "They were scared. They still are. I'm scared. They didn't know who else it could be."

"They attacked me," Blossom hissed. "They broke into my workplace and assaulted me. They didn't try having a calm discussion. They attacked me when I didn't do anything to provoke them. They're lucky I didn't call the police."

Brunnera suddenly stood up. She glared at Blossom, fighting back tears. "I thought Buttercup was being mean and lying when she said all those things about you. I thought you were a nice person... looks like I was wrong." She gulped. She had to be tough like Buttercup. Crying was for wimps. "I hate you!"

The journey from the table to the door was blurry.

Blossom chased her to the door but didn't touch her. Brunnera was halfway across the garden when Blossom yelled, "No! Please come back! I wasn't thinking. I love them really! I love them both! It's just-"

Brunnera tuned her out, sobbing as she opened the gate and left. Blossom didn't go after her, staying unusually still. Finally, the woman mouthed a few words and returned to the house. She screamed, punching the wall and making a hole in it.

"Stupid, stupid Blossom," she cried, sinking to her knees. "What have you become? Arguing with a child..." Her body shook. "I wish I could turn back time... I... I..."

Her words dissolved into tears.

PPGPP

Brunnera wiped her wet face with her sleeve, trembling. How could Blossom be such a horrible person? She didn't care about anyone but herself. The only comfort she had was that she had told Blossom about what was happening. It was what she had sought out to do... so why was she so disappointed? Why did it seem like a failure?

It was beginning to rain. Brunnera put her hood up and continued through the downpour. She stamped in a puddle, not caring that her pyjama bottoms were sprayed with wet mud. She was in no mood to care about anything.

"Cow," she muttered, walking through another dirty pool of water. "Why did anyone vote for her?"

She walked into the city park. It was a dodgy place to be in at night, but it would make her journey home a lot shorter. Brunnera didn't want her parents to confront her. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, gazing angrily at the ground.

"If I was a superhero, I would beat her up." Brunnera smiled slightly. "I would give her the biggest wedgie in the whole world. No- two!"

Happier than before, she walked with a spring in her step as she imagined.

"Help... me..."

Brunnera frowned, turning towards the source of the voice. Someone was on the ground nearby, curled up into a ball. She approached the dark shape cautiously, her hand extended in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The person showed her recognizable face.

"Princess?" Brunnera ran the rest of the way, dropping to her knees. Even in the darkness, she could see the pain and sadness on her face. She forgot how Princess had tried to kill her and held her hand. It was ice cold. "What happened?"

"My... my master... my wonderful master... he... he fired me..." explained Princess weakly.

"Fired you?" Brunnera widened her eyes. "Did he hurt you? Is that why you're like that? Come on, we'll get my sisters to help you."

"No..." Princess shook her head. Brunnera stared at her. "It's too late for me."

"It's not," Brunnera told her. She pulled her arm in an attempt to get her to her feet. "You're not going to die."

"Oh... I know that."

"That's the spirit!"

"Oh, no."

Brunnera's forehead crinkled. "What?"

"You see," Princess smirked, "I'm already dead."

She exploded into tiny red bats. Brunnera screamed, standing up properly and running backwards. She tripped on a tree root and fell onto her bottom. She made to get up, but two dark figures were looming over her. Brunnera remained where she was, shaking.

"What do you want with me?" whispered Brunnera, squinting up at them.

"I want to kill you!" a woman's voice declared. A purple ball of light appeared in the woman's hand. She was tall and slim with thick brown hair and piercing purple eyes. Underneath her sleeveless purple dress were white tights and black shoes with buckles on them.

Brunnera, too intimidated to look her in the eye, stared at the black belt she was wearing.

"Not yet, my dear," another voice whispered. She turned to look at Him but could only manage to briefly before looking away. He wasn't human. He was bright red with claws and yellow eyes that filled her with a sense of death. He had to be the Devil. She didn't know who else He could be.

Brunnera's breathing hitched.

The woman stared at Him, her face distorted. She licked her lips hungrily. "You don't know how long I've yearned to kill her."

"Ever since Buttercup mentioned her to you?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well... yes," the woman admitted. "But... you don't understand. They replaced me. I died and they replaced me with... with her!" She pointed at Brunnera. "No one can replace me. It's... it's not fair!"

"Bunny-kins, you forget who I am..." The Devil put an arm around her waist, speaking gently. "I understand everyone far better than they do themselves. I know you want to destroy her, but you can't. I need her still."

"Need her?" Bunny shrieked. She looked offended. "You have me! You don't need her."

"Hush," the Devil soothed. "She's just a pawn. She'll be used then tossed aside. And rest assured... you will do the tossing."

Bunny beamed, hugging Him. The Devil giggled. Brunnera stared, frozen to the spot. She told her legs to budge but they wouldn't. Fear and curiosity was forcing her to remain.

The Devil looked at Brunnera, tilting His head to one side. "You don't have any powers, do you?"

"N-N-No," Brunnera spluttered. The woman laughed.

"Your father must be sad that you are not living up to his expectations. A normal mortal... so weak and puny..."

"He loves me, actually. So does my mom. And my sisters. They will kill you if you hurt me."

"Oh, you humans are so hilarious. I cannot be killed. But no, I will not kill you. That isn't my plan."

Brunnera blinked. "What's your plan?"

"I want you to join me," He murmured, reaching down and cupping her chin with His claw. "I can give you powers far beyond your sisters'. I can get you whatever you want, whenever you want. I am striving for paradise. You can help me make everything... perfect."

"What about my family?" asked Brunnera.

"They would be with you," He replied, but she wasn't buying it.

"No thanks," she said. "If something's too good to be true, it usually is. Go find someone stupid like your girlfriend to trick."

The woman lurched towards her only to be stopped by the Devil. He gazed down at Brunnera coldly, with a hint of admiration on His face.

"You would allow death to consume you first rather than your family?"

Brunnera nodded slowly, realizing what was going to happen.

"Such strength will be useful," He noted. "But alas... you didn't agree. Do not kill her yet, but feast on pain as close to it as possible."

Brunnera didn't have enough time to do anything as the woman pounced on her, her eyes shining purple as the teenager screamed in vain, screaming screams that no one else would hear.

Soon, her small limp body fell to the ground. The woman stood beside Him, satisfaction oozing out of her face. It was a victory for her, seeing the crumpled teenager's body on the ground. Breathing heavily and soaking wet, she turned to Him.

"I did it," she whispered. "I... I nearly killed her. Please, Him... let me murder her. I will do whatever task you had in mind for her."

He giggled. "I knew when I first saw you that you were perfect."

She beamed.

"Him, I-"

"Brunnera? Are you okay?"

Bunny and Him looked at each other before disappearing in a burst of red smoke. A few seconds later, Blossom stumbled into the clearing. Her gaze was jumping from one thing to another rapidly, a distressed expression on her face.

"I thought I heard you shouting. I'm sorry," she said urgently. "I love you, Brunnera. I really do. I've been so-"

She caught sight of Brunnera's body.

_________________

Blossom was seated next to Brunnera's bed, one of the younger sister's hands sandwiched between her own. Various tubes connected to various machines were attached to Brunnera's body. Blossom could name each and every one, but her mind was on more serious matters than what she had learned at medical school.

The incident was so vivid in her mind, it was as though she was there again. She could hear the wind blowing, carrying echoes of her baby sister's cries for help. She could feel the rain land heavily on her body, each drop as cold as the one before it. She could smell blood, teasing her with its familiarity but not revealing who it belonged to. She could taste her own salty tears as she caught sight of the person lying in front of her, her knees bouncing off the ground as she gathered Brunnera's broken body in her arms.

She could remember holding her, her cries for help more useless than Brunnera's had been. Blossom had forced herself to ignore her emotions for now and had flown to the hospital, clutching the girl as if keeping the life inside of her.

The sight of the Mayor carrying a dying girl, covered in dirt and blood, drenched in tears and rain, must have given the staff a heart attack. They were professional, taking it all in their stride as they tended to her and questioned the woman. Blossom couldn't remember too much of what had happened next, other than repeating that it was her fault.

Everyone in the city was awake. It was hard not to be with everyone shouting about the Mayor flying. Buttercup had been groggy and displeased at being woken up, especially when it was Mitch that was calling her. But the man had good intentions. He explained that he had seen a pink light in the sky. Buttercup immediately forgot her resentment towards him and told the rest of her family.

Blossom did not fly outside. It wasn't like her to. Therefore, if she had, it meant something was seriously wrong. And when the police arrived at their house moments later to explain the situation, their worst fears were confirmed.

Now, Blossom leaned forward and gently stroked Brunnera's face. Her pink eyes were glazed over.

"Where was she?" the Professor asked quietly. He hadn't spoken since he had entered the room, after having requested to see Blossom privately. She had been largely uncooperative, according to the hospital staff, staying by Brunnera's side and barely elaborating on what had happened.

"The park," she said at the same volume as him. Blossom removed her hands and sat on her seat properly, her face towards the ground. "I heard her and came running. But... I was too late."

She stood up and shouted.

"I was too late!"

The Professor was by her side nearly instantly, his arm around her shoulder. Blossom pressed her body against his, fresh tears falling freely.

"Don't blame yourself, sweetie."

Blossom broke away from him and turned away.

"You don't understand!" she moaned. "She came to see me because I wasn't speaking to any of you. She left home to see me. Then I argued with her and she stormed out. I didn't go after her. Professor, I was irresponsible and stupid. I can't believe... I was such a... a... You must hate me..."

She didn't dare to look at him. Finally, Blossom felt his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed.

"Blossom, please. Calm down. If anyone should be angry, it's me. That's my daughter, my own flesh and blood, that was beaten so horrifically. But am I cross with you?"

She blinked.

"No, I'm not. I'm disappointed, sure, but not angry. I don't hate you."

She shook. Being angry at her was much more preferable than him being disappointed. She wanted him to shout at her. She wanted to be punished for what she did. What she hadn't prevented. Blossom's lips quivered.

"You didn't do what you did to hurt her. You didn't plan for someone to attack her in the park. Please don't cry." Unashamed, he didn't hide the thin rivers of water running down his cheeks. "Please." He clenched his eyes shut for a few moments before continuing. "I think you need to tell all of us what happened."

Blossom gulped. She gazed at the door. "Where are the others?"

"Outside. I wanted to speak with you alone."

She sighed, sitting back down. "Send them in. I haven't got anything to hide from them."

The Professor opened the door and poked his head outside, wordlessly beckoning them to come in.

Mrs Utonium was heartbroken. Her shoulders were pushing against her chin, jerking uncontrollably with each sob that escaped her body. Her face was obscured by her hands. Bubbles embraced her in a one-armed hug, letting Mrs Utonium cry into her chest. Bubbles rested her face on the top of her head, shuddering.

But Blossom did not pay them heed for very long. Her eyes were almost immediately on Buttercup.

"Buttercup." She tried to sound calm, but there was no mistaking how shaky and weak her voice was. "I-"

"No." Buttercup's eyes were slightly puffy. Her voice was stronger than her sister's and had an edge of bitterness to it. "I heard what you said from outside."

Blossom prepared herself for what she guessed was coming.

"You... You..." Buttercup's eyes gleamed with anger. "It's all your fault!"

"No. Please, not now," Mrs Utonium managed to murmur, but she did nothing else.

"You should have called us as soon as she arrived! Or at least made sure she got a lift home. Don't you have a dozen limos or something? And don't get me started on why she went there... You should have listened to us. If you'd gotten off your high horse, she wouldn't have needed to go to you in the first place."

"I know."

Buttercup restarted talking but faltered after a few syllables. Clearly, she had not expected her sister to respond that.

"It's... It's your fault, you know that?"

Blossom nodded, her eyes shining with tears. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I'm perfectly aware of that fact. It's my fault she's dying. I admitted it... Happy?"

Buttercup looked awkward. She sat on the spare chair next to Blossom, trying to think what to say next. Then, feeling even more uncomfortable, she stood up so she felt more powerful and bigger than her.

"If she dies, I'll never forgive you."

Blossom bowed her head. "Even if she lives, I'll never forgive myself."

Buttercup didn't understand. Blossom was agreeing with her, yet she was the one that was winning the argument. Though... it wasn't really an argument. Not if Blossom wasn't arguing back.

Buttercup hesitated.

"Do... you know who did it?"

"No," murmured Blossom. She had replayed the scene, trying to find a hint that would reveal who the attacker was. But infuriatingly, she remained as blank as before. There were no clues. "All I found was her."

"It must have been that woman," Buttercup said. She gritted her teeth and forced her eyes to remain dry. "First she nearly murdered Bubbles, then she killed Ace and now she tried to kill Brunnera."

"But why... why didn't she?" asked Bubbles, sniffing. She had stopped crying, and her distraught expression had been replaced with an anxious one.

"Maybe she heard me coming," Blossom suggested, "and caught sight of me? I might have frightened her away."

Buttercup muttered darkly, "I can believe that."

Blossom stared at her, outraged and hurt. "How can you sit there, while our sister is dying in the same room as us, and say that? Now isn't the time for your petty insults."

"What, you want me to open my arms and say, 'I forgive you for getting my sister nearly killed and being a jerk for all my life'?" Buttercup spat, glaring at her.

Blossom resisted the urge to groan. She counted to five in her head before speaking again, her hands on Buttercup's shoulders. Buttercup didn't object out loud. "Don't you see? If we want to stop this villain, we have to work as a team. We have to work with each other, not against each other."

Buttercup threw her head back and laughed scornfully. "Oh, you want to work WITH us. Hm, whose idea was it to disband? It wasn't mine, that's for sure." She narrowed her eyes. "I've seen the way you flinch whenever someone says Powerpuff Girls."

Involuntarily, Blossom did so. She looked irritated at herself.

"And now you think we're gonna work together? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink it. It ain't gonna work and it's all your fault."

"I didn't want us to work together?" asked Blossom fiercely. "I was the one that caused us to be no more?"

"Well... yeah."

Blossom's anger began to seep out of her slowly. She surveyed her family's faces, hoping to find disagreement. She wanted Bubbles to shake her head, to stick up for her with sisterly love. She wanted the Professor to scold Buttercup for saying such things. She wanted Mrs Utonium to be startled out of crying, to protest that Blossom had had no part in this. Finding none, she cast Buttercup a sad look.

"I didn't mean to."

Buttercup blinked, the anger on her face coated with incredulity. "What?"

Blossom stared at her knees, her elbows digging into her sides. "Why do you think I gave up fighting crime?"

"So you could study," Buttercup said. "You wanted to become a doctor. A fancy, smancy, rich doctor. You didn't care about no one else and-"

"No." Blossom raised her hand. She laughed quietly, her head inclined forwards so the top half of her face was in shadow. "That's where you're completely wrong."

"I'm wrong, huh?" Buttercup exclaimed. Mrs Utonium squeaked, her eyes flickering towards Brunnera's unconscious form. "If you're so smart, why don't you tell us how you're so perfect and innocent?"

"I didn't want us to split up," Blossom whispered. Buttercup opened her mouth to interrupt, but the Professor had clasped his hand onto her mouth before she could say a single word. He glared at her reproachfully. After a few seconds, he removed his hand. Buttercup remained silent and crossed her arms, scowling.

Bubbles gulped, nodding at her pink eyed sister. "Go on."

Blossom obliged, wanting to reveal her motives before she lost her nerve. "We couldn't continue fighting crime. I wanted to protect Townsville more than anyone. I wanted to circle the skies day and night, stopping every crime that occurred... but it couldn't go on. We might be superheroes, but I am certain that we will grow old and die. And who would look after Townsville when we were gone? Who would be able to? Everyone would have grown accustom to us being there and watching over them. They would all die."

"But they needed us," Buttercup piped up.

"Because we did all their work," countered Blossom. "Not every city has three superhumans at their beck and call. They needed us because we were there." She sniffed, a tear rolling down her right cheek. "Don't you see? We weren't saving Townsville: we were destroying it. We had to move on if we wanted to keep them all alive. We had to make them self-sufficient."

"Are you saying that we should never have fought crime?" accused Buttercup.

"No. Townsville needed us when we were younger. It was impossible for them to protect themselves against all the monsters and supervillains. But they left. There is only normal crime, albeit the strange going ons recently. I wanted to help Townsville in a way that didn't hinder it. That's why I became a doctor and then the Mayor."

Blossom's chest felt lighter.

"What about all the people who died that we could have saved? We should have always been there, watching over them... just in case something-"

"No, we shouldn't have. Death's good motivation to improve."

Blossom was lying on her back before she knew it. Buttercup had pinned her down, her eyes murderous.

"What the Hell?" Buttercup slapped Blossom's face. "Innocent people should never die. How could you even think such a thing?"

"What? It's a sad truth. I don't like it but what can I do about it? What can you do about it? What can anyone do about it? You can never prosper if you never make mistakes."

"I don't need any of your stupid proverbs," snarled Buttercup as Bubbles pulled her to her feet. The blue eyed woman kept her grip on her sister's arms.

Blossom sighed, standing up and brushing the front of her clothes. "You think about the short term effects of our actions; I think about the long term. What's preferable: ten lost lives now or a thousand later?

Buttercup didn't respond.

"I'm sorry that we had such a bad relationship. Our ways of thinking just clashed with the other."

"So you're saying that you're sorry for me being wrong?" asked Buttercup coldly, crossing her arms.

"No. I've been so stubborn, refusing to believe that I was in the wrong. I wanted to believe I was completely right, so I wouldn't regret the things I've done. It's only now that I realize that... we've all made mistakes. Including me."

Blossom and Buttercup locked eyes.

"I'm sorry for being a stuck up twit."

She held out her hand. Buttercup put her hands behind her head and turned away, trying to look bored.

"You said it, sis."

"Buttercup!" everyone in the room snapped.

"Okay!" She faced her sister once more and took her hand in hers. "I was joking anyway." She shook it. "I'm not gonna like it, but this is for Ace and Brunnera."

Blossom nodded fiercely. Then, she shot forwards, wrapping her arms around her sister and embracing her in a rib-crushing hug. Buttercup was only stiff for a few seconds before she hugged her back, lowering her head so no one could see the tears building up at the ends. "I'm sorry for being so narrow-minded... if you're a twit, then I'm one too."

A small voice called out.

"Can- Can I join in your apology hug?"

Bubbles watched them uneasily.

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Blossom said, shocked.

"I should have told you both you were twits ages ago!" she said, joining the hug as well. The three women giggled, their hair tickling each other's faces. The walls between them collapsed and the girls could feel their sisters' warmth.

From behind them, the Professor got out a handkerchief and blew his nose. Mrs Utonium's eyes were still brimming with tears, but she was smiling.

They broke apart. Blossom looked at her sisters seriously. "We need to come up with a plan. What do you suggest we do?"

"Um..." All eyes turned to Bubbles. "She seems to be targeting people we know, which might mean we know her. If it's someone we know, they must have lived in Townsville, right? Maybe there are some clues in the town hall?"

"Great idea!" Blossom said, making her sister blush and mumble, "It's nothing, really."

"Let's go now" Buttercup piped up, on her toes.

"It's for the best," replied the Professor. "Good luck, girls. I believe in you."

Bubbles and Blossom shot out of the open window. Buttercup approached Brunnera and stroked her head tenderly.

"See ya."

And then she went after her sisters, three ribbons of light twirling and fading into the distance.

PPGPP

Blossom reached the town hall first and went through the hole in her office's ceiling, breaking through the canvas that had been lazily slung over it. The ceiling had been repaired after her sisters' last visit to the room, but Butch had tried to use his heat vision on Buttercup during one of her attempts to break into the town hall and had missed.

Bubbles and Buttercup started to go after her, only to be stopped by Butch.

Boomer, who had been scratching his butt nearby, saw the confrontation and joined Butch by his side.

"Look who it is!" Boomer cracked his knuckles. "The Powderpoop Buckets."

"Move it," Buttercup said curtly. "Blossom said we can come with her."

"Yeah right," Butch yelled, pointing at her. "You tried that one already. You tried that like three days ago."

"No, really!" said Bubbles. "You can ask her if you want."

Boomer guffawed. "You'll sneak in while we're gone. What do you think I am, stupid?"

"No." Buttercup smirked. "I know you're stupid."

Buttercup blocked Boomer's foot, grabbing it and throwing him at the ground. Butch aimed his head, about to use his heat vision on his counterpart, only to be shoved sideways by Bubbles. She growled, raising her fists and throwing a series of punches at him.

"Stop!" Blossom flew out of her office. "Boys, they're with me!"

Boomer and Butch stopped in their tracks, not because she told them to but due to surprise.

"I thought you hated them," Boomer remarked suspiciously.

"Don't be ridiculous. You stay at your posts and leave us be," she snapped, and the three sisters went through the hole together.

Neither of them said anything, staring at the space that had contained the women just moments ago.

"They're gone," stated Boomer.

Butch punched him in the arm. "No duh."

"Hey! I was just sayin'."

"Don't, then."

PPGPP

Blossom led them out of her office and down the corridor. Halfway along, Lara came out of a door with a large pile of papers. She caught sight of them and dropped them instantly, her mouth flinging open.

"We've made up. Do you want some help?" Bubbles said kindly, crouching and reaching for a piece of paper. Lara ripped it out of her hands, stuffing it under her arm.

"No!" Lara's face reddened. "I'm- I'm fine. Really. Don't mind me."

"Come on!" called Buttercup, who had followed an indifferent Blossom to the end of the corridor. "We have better things to do like catching a villain."

Bubbles stood up, gazing at Lara worriedly. "Are you sure you'll manage? We gave you quite a fright."

"Yes, yes you did," mumbled Lara. She added, "I do this all the time. I'm so jumpy. Go on."

Bubbles gave her a little wave before going after her sisters. They went through one of the doors, and Lara waited for it to close firmly behind them. Grumbling, she picked up the rest of the papers.

A shadow fell on her. She narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to acknowledge the person in front of her with a small grunt.

"I've considered your offer," Brick said.

"And?"

"The answer's no."

Lara got to her feet, glaring at him. She wasn't nervous in the slightest. "Why not? He would be very happy to have you under His rule once more."

"I don't take orders from no one, Lara. Especially Him."

She pouted. "Wouldn't you do it for me? I've seen how you act towards her. You're teasing me and trying to make me make a move. I know you like me."

Brick rolled his eyes. "You're crazy, you know that? Look, I said no and I ain't changing my mind."

"What about your brothers?"

"I didn't tell them about your stinky deals. It ain't their business. I'm in charge and what I say goes."

"He will be disappointed," she said coldly, "and He doesn't like being let down."

"Good." Brick left. Lara glowered after him, marching through one of the doors and going into the room. The door shut silently and the building was quiet once more.

_________________

It only took one step into the room to render Blossom's sisters speechless.

Buttercup and Bubbles had never been inside it, even when they had been kindergärtners. They hadn't even considered that the Town Hall embodied such a room. The possibility of its existence had never entered their minds, let alone inspired them to search for it. Blossom waited patiently for them to take in their surroundings, almost smug that it had not been a surprise for her.

The room was large with starch white walls and a maroon carpet that took up every inch of the floor, leaving nothing beneath their feet bare. There were locked, silver cabinets that towered over them, surprising them all with their ability to not topple over and smother the women as they passed by. They were lined up neatly, side by side, rows and rows of them dominating the area, each with labels stating various letters on their doors. A few feet away from the wall opposite the entrance was a desk with two stiff chairs: one behind it and one to the side of it.

Blossom motioned for the other two to sit down, who were still astounded by the sheer amount of cabinets residing in the close proximity. Blossom turned her head away from them and her hair swayed smoothly with the movement. She announced, "I'm going to get as many of the villains' records as I can. Gosh, it's been ages since we fought them, hasn't it?"

"Don't bother getting the Gangreen Gang's," muttered Buttercup, sitting down on the chair that was to the side of the desk. She crossed her arms on its top and stared into space intensely.

Blossom nodded, disappearing down an aisle as she started her search. Her footsteps pattered out and they could hear unlocking the cabinets.

Bubbles dragged the other chair so it was closer to Buttercup's and looked at her sister expectantly. Not receiving a response, Bubbles sat down and kept her gaze on her sister. Buttercup didn't meet her eyes. Bubbles put her hand on top of Buttercup's and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Buttercup bit her lip. Bubbles silently pressed her to elaborate.

"Just life in general," Buttercup finally replied, zoning out afterwards. Bubbles removed her hand and placed it onto her lap. It felt like Buttercup hadn't finished her sentence and it thickened the air.

Bubbles smiled. "At least Blossom's helping us now and we're reunited as a team." Buttercup's frown became more pronounced. Bubbles's voice softened even more. "Doesn't that cheer you up even a tiny bit?"

Buttercup exhaled loudly and finally met her eyes. "No. Not really. Only the world being in peril could bring us together when we so easily fell apart. What's gonna happen if this is all sorted out?" She hesitated. "Life will go back to normal."

"Not if, when," corrected Bubbles, though she was uncertain. "We work best as a team, and our best is the best!"

Buttercup smiled wanly. "What lame kids' show have you been watching?"

"I was just trying to make you feel better!" Bubbles told her, irritated. She averted her gaze. "Or maybe I'm trying to make myself feel better. I don't know anymore."

She would have continued if the person next to her hadn't been Buttercup. Bubbles doubted her sister would get emotional now and tell her to cheer up as everything would be all right in the end, just like the other times. Buttercup's attention lingered on her before she returned to her own thoughts.

They were silent until Blossom returned, brown folders messily heaped in her arms. She dropped them onto the desk, catching a few that attempted to dive onto the floor. Her voice echoed. "I might have forgotten some, but you only have to say the word and I'll go fetch some more straight away."

She noticed that there weren't any spare chairs.

"I'll-" she started, but Bubbles had shifted to the side and made room for her. Blossom beamed, sharing the chair with Bubbles. She grinned and rubbed her hands together before slapping the desk with the palm of her hands. "Okay then. Let's get to work, girls!"

Each of them picked up a random folder and opened it.

"The Amoeba Boys?" Buttercup snorted, throwing the folder back into the pile. Blossom wasn't a fan of the level of eagerness her sister exhibited but kept an upbeat attitute.

"Ooh, what happened to them? I haven't heard of the Amoeba Boys for ages. Did they give up crime?"

Buttercup reluctantly retrieved the folder and opened it. She turned the only page and saw that the back of it was blank. Momentary confused, Buttercup flicked back and rolled her eyes. "Doubt it. They only have three crimes recorded and they're crap, remember? What about you?"

"Femme Fatale," read Bubbles. "Ooh, I remember her. It says she broke out of prison a few times after 'persuading' the guards that she had reformed and that 'a pretty little kitty cat like me won't survive here for very long.'"

"I can believe that," muttered Blossom darkly. "She was quite the talker."

"Oh, no, it says she flicked her hair and winked at them before knocking them out while they were distracted. She used that line in her autobiography." Bubbles skipped to the last page and squealed, pointing at the last paragraph. "It says that she eventually gave up crime and became an astronaut. She's currently in space."

Blossom sighed, disappointed. "Then it can't be her, can it? I mean, it couldn't have been her as she's an ordinary human, but still..."

Bubbles tilted her head to one side. "I get you. Whose do you have?"

"Princess."

"It could be her," remarked Bubbles. "I mean, she was a bit... weird when I met her. And she had powers too."

"She didn't seem to possess them before then," Blossom pointed out sadly, "and Princess wouldn't keep her powers secret for an overly long period. I think she was given them by the people behind all this."

Buttercup put down another folder. "Fuzzy Lumpkins."

"What-?" Before Bubbles could finish her sentence, Buttercup answered her.

"Dead."

"Huh?" Bubbles was horrified. "How?"

"He activated one of his traps and killed himself. Fuzzy wanted to be left alone and he got his wish."

No one said anything as they continued reading the other records, apart from occasionally commenting and sharing trivial pieces of information. Blossom and Bubbles were sitting on the edge of their chair, and their backsides began to ache because of this. Soon, their eyes started to hurt with a dull pain. The room didn't have any windows and even though the lights were on, it didn't shed much light and time didn't brighten it.

Lara arrived at a bit past noon, laden with a tray homing various foods and drinks. She stood next to the desk, quaking, trying to find a clear space on the untidy desk. Buttercup noticed first and pushed some of the folders aside. Bubbles looked up and waved while Blossom, engrossed in Mojo Jojo's hefty folder, ignored her.

"Y-You've been in here for quite a while... Brick wondered where... what you were doing," Lara stuttered. "What shall I report to him?"

"It ain't none of his business," stated Buttercup, trying to focus on a document about a crook she couldn't remember. "Tell him to stick it up his-"

Lara muttered something about double negatives before piping up feebly, "May... May I ask you w-what you're doing? You have a lot of paperwork that... that needs filling in, Ms Utonium... and you have a meeting with the city council in an hour."

"Cancel it," said Blossom.

Bubbles nodded. "Yeah, cancel the council meeting."

Lara raised her eyebrows. "Is... Is this important, ma'am? Could I be of assistance, perhaps?"

Her eyes flickered towards the top of the desk.

"Yes," Blossom answered, licking her hand and turning the page. "Could you cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day and bring us some dinner later? We might be here a while."

"Doing what?" asked Lara, accidentally letting a bit of anger into her voice.

Blossom tore her eyes away from the small font to look at her closely. Lara examined her feet, her face paling. She began to sweat.

"S-S-Sorry, M-Mayor, you d-don't need to t-t-tell me. It's none of my concern. I'll... I'll do so immediately and attend to your paperwork and make you dinner."

"Thank you," Blossom replied, replacing her attention onto the folder. Buttercup scowled, picking up Harold Smith's folder and skimming through it. Bubbles watched Lara leave and didn't move until the door closed behind her.

"There's something sad about her," she noted, her hand resting on Him's folder.

"Lara just has low self-esteem," explained Blossom, narrowing her eyes and rereading a line. "She's been like that since she started working here."

Bubbles shook her head and resumed reading. Her eyes widened. "Him! He creeped me out the most."

"Does it say what happened to Him?" asked Buttercup, a feeling of dread washing over her.

"No. He just... stopped. I'll read through it and see if there are any clues."

Buttercup, bored out of her skull, opened Sedusa's folder and began flicking through it after reading a couple of sentences.

Within ten minutes, they had started to eat. Now, the only sounds were the clatter of cutlery and the clacking of crockery. Their lunch consisted of sandwiches containing cheese and ham, and these were accompanied by: salad, rice, cake, fruit juice and half a dozen packets of chips.

"Has anyone got any leads?" asked Bubbles, chewing on some lettuce.

"Mmm..." Blossom mumbled, her sandwich-holding arm sagging. "No. Not really."

"This is stupid!" Buttercup declared, slamming Mister Mime's folder against the desk. "We've been here for ages and we're as clueless as before."

Bubbles rubbed her eyes before turning to Blossom anxiously. "Buttercup's right. No one's profile fits."

"Mmm..." repeated Blossom, her eyes unfocussed. She blinked, coming back to reality. "Have we checked all of them?"

"It ain't none of them, okay?" snarled Buttercup. She scrunched up her face. "We've wasted our time and if someone else died..."

Bubbles held up her hands, composing her face into what she hoped was a comforting expression. "I'm sure everyone's okay. What do we do now, Blossom?"

The door of the room burst open and Lara ran in. She shook as she approached, the piece of paper in her hand nearly ripping down the middle in her deadly grip. Blossom stood up, staring at her in horror. "Lara?"

"A- A woman came in and delivered this letter..." Lara informed them, nearly tripping over her own two feet in her haste to get to them. Blossom had to press her hand against Lara's forehead, which was boiling hot, and pull the letter with her other hand to wretch it free.

The message was written on pastel pink paper in vivid red ink. The handwriting was very neat and curly, and each corner of the piece of paper had a drawing of a different Powerpuff Girl in it. The fourth corner contained a girl with brown hair done up in a ponytail. Her eyes were obscured by sunglasses.

Buttercup left her seat and jumped into the air, landing behind Blossom's left shoulder. Bubbles stood up and read the letter over her other shoulder.

Dear Powerpuff Girls

I hope you've enjoyed these past few weeks because I certainly have. Watching you squirm as the minutes flutter away is such a pleasant pass time. My friend and I are having a lot of fun watching every fruitless after fruitless attempt you make.

Has dear Buttercup gotten over giving away all so important information to a stranger? Has darling Blossom forgiven herself for choosing not to go after her little sister? Has sweet Bubbles come to know that by living, she caused Princess to die?

Yes. We killed the Gangreen Gang. We killed Princess. I pitied you and let your sister live. There will be more to come if you don't comply.

I was thinking about playing a little game of Hide and Seek. I'll hide and you seek. You have to discover my location; then, when you have done so, I will face off against you in a duel. If you fail and never find me... well. I will reform the world into paradise.

Yours sincerely,

The evil villain behind all this

Blossom finished reading first and watched the other two's expressions. Bubbles's complexion was sickly green and Buttercup's face twisted as she read on, her mind slowing down with every word.

"Buttercup, what does it mean when it says you told a stranger important information?"

"I met a fan," Buttercup reported, her fists shaking at the memory. "At least, I thought she was a fan. I told her the answers to whatever she asked. She's the person behind all this. Her and her friend. She killed Ace."

Blossom opened her mouth, about to scold her, but a look from Bubbles made her change her mind. She patted Buttercup's shoulder gingerly and spoke carefully. "Don't worry, anyone could have fallen for it. We just have to learn from our mistakes."

Buttercup jerked her shoulder away and gritted her teeth. "So anyone could have fallen for it and it's a mistake?"

"A mistake everyone pr- would make." Blossom didn't think her sister would appreciate it if she had added 'probably'. Buttercup opened mouth to retort.

"Lara, what did the woman look like?" Bubbles interrupted.

Lara, whose trembling had ceased, murmured, "She was wearing a big coat and sunglasses. I didn't get a good look at her... I couldn't. She was here and gone so quickly... I wish I had done something but I didn't..."

"SHE WAS IN THIS BUILDING?" roared Buttercup, stamping her foot and making a hole in the floor. "And... And we didn't..."

Buttercup stopped, unable to continue, panting heavily as her eyes bulged. Blossom, more sincere than the previous time she had tried to comfort her, consoled, "We didn't know anything about it. You need to calm down. You can't react so badly over every little thing that we couldn't have prevented."

"Shut up."

Blossom decided to be the good sister and ignore her. She spoke gravely. "We don't have much time, so we better get started now."

"Now? Started? Time?" Bubbles scratched her head. "What are you- hey! Where are you going?"

Blossom had made it halfway towards the door when she heard her question. She turned her head and looked at Bubbles over her shoulder, grimacing. "Didn't you read the letter?"

"Uh, yeah. Duh. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! We have to find the person who's doing all this as soon as possible, and we're wasting our time speculating."

"But you said that we don't have any leads," Bubbles reminded her. "What's the point of searching everywhere when we don't know who it is we're looking for?"

Blossom glared at her and snapped, "Maybe one of the villains know or... or maybe they could help? They have been out of business for years, after all, and if it's villains that are being killed off, I have the feeling that they'll want to dispose of whoever is doing it as soon as possible."

"What do you suggest we do? Look around and hope we get lucky?" asked Buttercup coldly.

"We'll split up and each find someone who could be of help to us," Blossom responded briskly. She picked up one of the folders and tucked it under her arm. "I'm going after Mojo Jojo. What about you guys?"

Buttercup and Bubbles just stared at her. Blossom groaned, wiping her forehead with her hand and pacing back and forth.

"We don't have time to stand around and accomplish nothing. If we don't find them soon, the world will be turned into 'paradise'. Our perception of paradise will vary greatly from this maniac's. We need to get to work right away."

Neither Bubbles nor Buttercup reacted.

"What's wrong with you?" demanded Blossom exasperatedly, her face slowly reddening. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Bubbles murmured, "Who's going to protect the Professor, Mrs Utonium and Brunnera while we're looking?"

Blossom hesitated, her pause too long as Buttercup was able to pursue the matter before she could say anything else.

"Suppose none of us get back in time, or they come for them while we're gone? Did that ever occur to you?"

"No. Yes. I mean," Blossom exhaled, "I'm sure they'll be okay. The person who wrote the letter said..."

"They didn't say anything about not killing anyone! But that's okay with you, isn't it? What's a few lives when you're saving billions?"

Blossom took her gaze off her sisters and gritted her teeth. She tried to formulate a reply but her mind was empty of any valid excuses. Trembling, she answered, "You're right. I didn't think, but what else can we do? We know who it can't be, but we don't know who it could be. We need to go after the prime suspects..."

"I'll stay."

Bubbles's gaze washed over the other two. Her face was ghostly white and she looked scared and small like a child confronting a large spider, but deep within her eyes shone the brightest determination ever witnessed by mortals.

"But... But you'll be the most at risk!" argued Blossom.

"I know, but so what? Are you suggesting that one of you stay?" Bubbles laughed shallowly. "I'll be fine."

Buttercup stared at her. "But-"

"No buts!" Bubbles shrieked, raising a fist and shaking it. "Someone has to do it and it's gonna be me, all right? I'm not a baby; I'm thirty years old and I can look after myself."

"We know you're not weak," Blossom assured her. "Fine, you stay here and try and make sure nothing bad happens in our absence. I'm going to be paying Mojo a visit. It's perfectly possible for him to have created a superhuman. I mean, he did make the Rowdyruff Boys. Buttercup, who are you going after?"

"Sedusa," she responded after a couple of seconds thought. "She could be working for Him and he gave her powers in return."

"So it's settled then. We'll get whatever we need and go. The sooner the better, right girls?"

She brought her hand in front of her. Buttercup and Bubbles nodded simultaneously, the latter putting her hand on top of Blossom's and Buttercup resting hers at the top. They bobbed their hands up and down before lifting them above their heads.

Lara tapped Blossom on the shoulder, making her jump in surprise. The assistant withdrew her hand and mumbled, "Who will cover for you while you're gone?"

Blossom waved her hand dismissively, already heading towards the door. "You will, of course."

Her sisters followed her, none of them seeing the look of glee on Lara's face. Lara ran to the door and held it open for them, nodding politely as two of the sisters thanked her and departed. Buttercup, however, stopped when she reached her. She turned her head and the pair scrutinized each other, the room bursting with tension.

Then, without a word, Buttercup forced herself to leave the room and not look back. The door slammed shut, the loud bang it emitted echoing throughout the room. Lara giggled, feeling something icy cold run over her body and drip onto the floor. She spun around, face to face with Him.

"Well? What did the Rowdyruff Boys say? Tell me," He demanded, His voice sickly sweet. His claw played with Lara's chin.

"Brick said no."

"What?" Him hissed, the desk at the back of the room setting alight at the word. He sighed, calming down. Lara gulped, a thin trail of blood running off her chin and down her neck. "Oh, well, it's just another three people to dispose of."

"I'm Mayor until Blossom returns," Lara told him, licking her lips. "Hear that, I'm in charge!"

"I heard the whole thing. I'm so proud of you." He put His arm around her shoulders, His eyes gleaming with tears. He brushed them away with His claw. "You've already got an entire civilisation under your control."

Lara bit her lip, truly nervous for once. Egging herself on mentally, she peered at His blissful face. "What... What about-?"

"Hush," Him placed a claw onto her lips, "no one else could be as important to me as you are."

She scowled. "I still don't like her."

"Don't be like that, Lara. She's all right once you get to know her."

Something in His voice made her change the subject, but only slightly.

"Where is she?"

"Oh, she's preparing for a trip. She's got a few locations to visit."

Lara nodded, feeling Him get off her. Him looked at His bare wrist.

"It's that time already? I have to go."

He clicked His claw and disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

PPGGPP

Brick removed his head from the keyhole and walked away silently.

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