Time

Part 1: Long Enough

Chapter 1


Five years.

It's been five years since the phone call.

5 Years Ago

Boomer was still recovering from what was the battle of a lifetime when he got the call from his friend's frantic mother. He was lying in bed on the warm night of one of the first days of summer when his cell phone rang loudly. Boomer turned to his side and picked it up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before answering.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice thick and low.

"Hello, is this Boomer Cromwell?" The quivering voice of a woman sounded from the receiver. Boomer sat up confused. Why was this random woman calling him at eleven o'clock at night?

"Yes? Who's calling?" The woman breathed out in relief.

"This…this is Mrs. Murdock. Jessie's mother." Boomer was fully awake now. Why would she be calling him in the middle of the night?

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Murdock. What can I do for you? Is…everything alright?" The woman sniffed before continuing.

"…Jessie is missing."

Boomer couldn't feel anything. The color in his face completely vanished. His hands turned white and clammy with perspiration. He could feel his heart stop for that split second. Did he hear her correctly? No, it couldn't be true.

"Jessie's what?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Jessie is missing!" Mrs. Murdock said again frantically. "I mean, I can't blame him. Today was a terrible day. And we just got into the summer! Anyway, he got into it with his father again, and Mr. Murdock…hit him in the eye. I screamed at him and told him I would kill him if he ever put his hands on Jessie like that again. I told Jessie to go to his room so that I could take care of his eye. But when I went up, his room was completely empty! And what's strange about it all is that he didn't take anything with him. No bag, no clothing, no jacket, not even his phone. It was all just sitting there. We called the police, but they just filed a missing person's report. They told us that we should contact any of his friends to see if they knew something, so that's why I called you. Jessie talked pretty highly of you when he first met you." Boomer pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he hadn't been a very good friend to Jessie. He was so worried about himself and his own sanity that he didn't stop to consider how Jessie felt. He even used Jessie to get off. Jessie was too sweet of a person to just be used like that. He wished he could tell the brunette he was sorry to his face.

I didn't even call him after it was all over. God…maybe you still are evil, Boomer.

"Yeah, I'm sure he did," he said with a sigh. "Well, I'm sorry, Mrs. Murdock, but I have no idea where he could be. He didn't call me or anything. We haven't really spoken in a while." Mrs. Murdock sniffed once more. Boomer could tell that the woman tried her best to hold back a waterfall of emotions at the disappointing news.

"Oh…okay. Thank you anyway, Boomer. I, uh…I hope we find him. I don't know how I could live without my little boy…" The wave of undeniable guilt hit Boomer once more. She sounded so broken. Her life was shifted in a complete 180.

"I hope you find him too. And please let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"I will. Well…goodnight, Boomer."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Murdock." The silence of the ended call seemed so loud in Boomer's ear. He clicked his phone off and set it on the bedside table. He lay back down in his disheveled blankets and pulled them up to his chest.

How could Jessie just leave like that? Well, Boomer knew why. Jessie even told him how hard life was getting for him. Boomer couldn't blame Jessie for wanting to get away. But even though Jessie hated being in his home, Boomer never got the feeling that he would actually run away! And what about all of his friends? Then again, Jessie was never a social person. The only friend he seemed to ever get close to was Boomer.

And he fucked it up.

Boomer sighed and rubbed his face. He cursed himself for being such an asshole. He should've said something different, done something different, been there for him more no matter what. He was a shitty friend!

Oh Jessie, wherever you are I just want you to know that I am sorry.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

All he could do then was to pull up the covers, close his eyes, and let sleep try to ease his mind.

That was five whole years ago.

Now twenty-three years old, the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys were grown up and out of university.

Blossom attended the highest school she could find and majored in Advanced Astrophysics. She graduated Valedictorian with the highest GPA and overall grades in her school in history. Buttercup majored in Sociology and had better grades than she did in her high school years. She, surprisingly, was the most successful in her class. Bubbles found her calling through the Arts. She double majored in Theater and Sculpting. She was the star of almost every school show, and her sculptures won several awards. They were even placed in different parts of the campus.

The boys had successful college lives also. Butch spent his major in Communications. He flip-flopped between several majors before setting his sights on Communications. Something about social situations captivated the man. Boomer majored in Languages. Being very adaptable to the different tongues around the world allowed his classes to run by very smoothly. Both graduated with high marks anyone else would be jealous of.

Brick, however, signed up for a military based school. He thought it would be a great way to let go of his criminal past and to build character. He even caught the attention of the U.S military force during his third year of college. He graduated a year early and enlisted without hesitation. He mostly stayed on home grounds, but, occasionally, he got to travel the world. His family (and Blossom) missed him dearly. It would be a treat just to get a card from him in the mail. Brick longed to see them again, but he had no idea when he would be able to.

After college life ended, Blossom moved in with her sweetheart: a tall brunette named Vincent. He was smart, creative, and had a pretty good sense of humor. Not as good as Brick's, she did admit, but it was pretty good nonetheless. She loved the idea of moving in with him ever since she met him in class. He was charming and treated her like a lady instead of a piece of superhero meat like so many of the others. They went out almost immediately after meeting each other and automatically clicked. Vincent planned the most romantic dates he could think of, and they all went very well for the both of them.

Of course, with great power comes great media attention. Every single tabloid and celebrity gossip column kept tabs on them whenever they would go out. They even got a hold of when and where they were going to move in together. Blossom thought it was a complete invasion of privacy, but Vincent told her to just let them have their fun.

As all of these romantic happenings took place, however, Blossom couldn't help but think about Brick almost 24/7. Every time she would crawl into bed with her supposed beloved, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to Brick. She wanted to know how everything was going for him in the military. The postcards she would get ceased arriving every weekend in her tiny apartment mailbox, and she couldn't help but be worried about him. She knew he was never in the field, but she still couldn't help but be a bit worried. She knew he could take care of himself, but still…

She just wanted, needed to see him again.


It was a bright Saturday afternoon in the middle of October. Blossom just came home from her job at the lab. She leaned against the door and sighed. She kicked off her red heels and removed her pink jacket. She set it on the coat rack before sitting her large bag down onto the floor.

"Babe, I'm home!" she called. No answer. She moved to the small kitchen and saw a bright pink sticky note on the bare refrigerator. She walked up to it and read the note.

"Blossom, won't be home until later tonight. Had to go to a dinner for one of my co-workers. I made some spaghetti and put it in the fridge. Just heat it up when you get hungry. Love you, Vinnie."

Blossom sighed and opened the fridge to pull out the large bowl of spaghetti.

After heating her meal up in the microwave, Blossom grabbed a soda out of the fridge and made her way to the living room. It was small like everything else in the apartment. The TV was the only large thing in it. The couch was sitting just in front of it with a small table on each side. The coffee table sat in the middle of the room with a rug under it, and the soft carpet nestled underneath that. The window looked over a handsome park that was across the street from the apartment. Blossom could see children playing in it all of the time.

She plopped down on the sofa and grabbed the remote to switch on the television. She ate her food in peace, happy that Vincent was such a good cook, as she watched her favorite shows. Suddenly, her cell phone rang in the pocket of her pencil skirt. She reached in and brought it to her face. It was Bubbles. She tapped the speak button and held the receiver to her ear.

"Hey, Bub—"

"AHHHHHHHHHH! HE'S COMING BACK! HE'S COMING BACK!" Blossom moved the phone away from her ear, wincing at the loud shrieking. She placed it back at her ear.

"Bubbles, what are you on about? Who's coming back?" Blossom thought her sister was just talking about some stupid actor from one of her favorite TV shows, but the answer she got almost made her choke on her dinner.

"BRICK! BRICK'S COMING BACK!" Blossom set down the fork that she lifted to her mouth.

"What?" she asked, wondering if she heard wrong.

"Brick is coming back! Boomer just got word from him! He said he would be on the next flight to Townsville tomorrow morning. He's due back here around six-ish. I thought it would be a great idea to throw him a little welcome back dinner! Get those old party clothes out girl, 'cause I am going to throw one hell of a get-together!" Blossom couldn't speak. Brick, the infamous Brick Cromwell, was coming back home to Townsville. Well, there goes all of her worries about him. But why didn't he contact her?

"Blossom, you still there?" Bubbles asked, the smile still etched onto her face.

"I'm here," Blossom finally answered.

"Weeeell, how do you feel? I mean, Brick is coming back. How awesome is that? You totally missed him, didn't you, Blossom?" The smirk was so obvious that Blossom could hear it.

"He wishes I missed him." Bubbles snorted.

"Oh come on! You totally missed him! And you still like him, don't you?" It was Blossom's turn to scoff.

"I have never said I liked him!"

"Oh yeah? What about the summer after junior year? You came into my room and completely poured your heart out about how much Brick meant to you."

"I was just a stupid teenager, Bubbles! I didn't know what I wanted. Brick isn't good for me. Vincent is a great guy, and I can actually see us getting married and having children." Bubbles huffed. She, out of all people, was probably the biggest Blossom and Brick shipper around. She couldn't get enough about fantasizing what kind of life they would have together. Blossom knew she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it at least a little bit.

"Right. Sure you were, Blossom. Look, just be ready for the dinner tomorrow. Oh, and I guess Vincent is invited." Blossom chuckled.

"He better be. He's a part of this family now, too, you know."

"Unfortunately…" Bubbles groaned back. Blossom smiled.

"No matter how much you don't like it, he is. Now, I will see you tomorrow then."

"Fine. See you tomorrow. Oh, and before I forget, you are coming with us to pick him up from the airport, BYE!" Bubbles quickly ended the call with a shaken Blossom on the other end.

"Wait, what? Bubbles? Bubbles?" She glanced down at the screen of her phone."Huh…love you too, sis." Blossom rolled her eyes and set down her phone on the coffee table.

Brick's coming home. Oh. Shit.


She was such a wreck. She couldn't think straight at all! Brick would be in Townsville within the next hour! She currently stood in front of the full body mirror in the bedroom. She smoothed out the loose-fitting red dress that hugged her fairly large chest and slim waist. The bottom flowed out in graceful ruffles and the black sash that was tied around her waist fit snug on her body. She messed with her bangs a bit before adjusting the bun her long hair was in. The ruby necklace that Vincent bought her sat on her exposed upper chest.

Oh, why was she so nervous? It was just Brick! The Brick that fought her almost every other day when they were kids, the Brick that she ended up going to school with, and even the Brick she crushed on most of her junior and all of her senior years. Seeing him again after five years, five years

Her heart jumped. Five years was such a long time. What if he wasn't the same old Brick? What if the military changed him into some stiff, humorless board?

Nothing can change that boy, she reassured herself. She smiled and continued to twist and turn in the mirror.

Vincent moved out of the bathroom in his well-fitted tux. His dark brunette waves cascaded down his neck into a wavy flip at the back. His large brown eyes glanced at Blossom with a smirk. He came up behind her in the mirror and grabbed her waist.

"Look at you, babe." He chuckled deeply. "Are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?" Blossom smiled.

"The last thing I wanna do is seduce you right before I leave." Vincent lowered his head and planted light kisses on her neck.

Blossom couldn't help but lean against him. He continued to kiss all of the right places on her tender neck. She gasped not wanting him to stop. The only thing that pulled her out of her own bliss was the flash of Brick's face in her mind. Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled herself away from his grip.

"I really have to go, Vinnie. The last thing I want is an angry Bubbles calling me." Vincent chuckled and moved away. "I'll text you before I come to pick you up for dinner. Try to be ready by then." Vincent called back in agreement. Blossom grabbed her phone from the desk and her purse from the chair. She called out a goodbye to Vincent before jogging out of the room toward the front door.

She grabbed her black stilettos and slipped them on before grabbing a black leather jacket from the coat rack. She slipped it on, zipped it up, and headed out the door. Blossom jogged to the elevator and pressed the 'B' button. She was so excited! The nervousness she had been feeling was slightly replaced by the feeling of excited anticipation at seeing her high school crush again. It had been way too long.

Blossom slipped into the sleek black car and started it up. She backed out of her spot before driving to the garage door and opening it up with the press of a button. She turned on the Bluetooth that was connected to her phone and started up her playlist. All the while as she was driving, Blossom realized that she either played love songs or all out sex songs. She was even surprised that she played Bang Bang multiple times and sang along more than once.

She pulled up to Bubbles' place and parked her car on the street. She spotted her green sister's, Butch's, and Boomer's cars all lined up right outside the house. So much for being the first one there. She shut the car off and grabbed her purse before stepping out of the vehicle. She walked up to the small suburban home and pressed the doorbell. She waited on the porch until Bubbles opened the door with a large grin plastered on her face. Her curly hair and done up face told Blossom that her sister took hours to get ready.

"Hey, Blossom! Come in, come in!" she exclaimed. Blossom giggled and moved into the house. Bubbles closed the door behind her and whistled at her sister. "Damn, Bloss! You look hella good!" Blossom giggled once more.

"Did you just say 'hella'?" she asked. Bubbles laughed.

"Yeah, adventures in the underworld can really change a person," she joked. Blossom grinned and looked around the house.

"The place looks nice."

"Just wait until you see the dining room. I made everything extra fancy for our Guest of Honor tonight." Blossom rolled her eyes before sniffing the air.

"Wow, whatever it is you're cooking, it smells great." Bubbles nodded.

"Baked chicken. It's still in the oven. It'll be done by the time we get back. Well, come in! Don't just stand by the door like a loser." Blossom's jaw dropped playfully.

"Hey, this loser has the highest ranking degree, may I remind you." Bubbles brushed her off and started back toward the kitchen, her baby blue dress bouncing along with her. Blossom removed her shoes and set down her purse on the light blue bench next to the door. She moved down the hall and peeked into the living room.

"Hey, there she is! What's up, Leader Girl?" Buttercup exclaimed. She moved from the couch and ran up to her redheaded sister. Blossom welcomed her with open arms.

"Buttercup, you look amazing! I'm loving the hair." Buttercup grinned as she patted the sides of her head. Her hair was in a sort of mohawk style, with the strands at each side of her head braided down to create a shaven look. The mohawk was spiky and shot out in different directions in the front and back. The tips were even dyed a light green. A color that only the toughest fighter could pull off.

"Bubbles and I went to the salon before this and got it done. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, to be honest."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun."

"Hey, what about us?" The sisters turned and looked at the two boys—men— that sat in front of the TV. Blossom smiled at them both.

"Of course, you two always look good." Butch nodded in approval with a smirk. His hair wasn't as long as it had been, but it was still spiky to the max. Blossom always wondered how he could just wake up in the morning with awesome hair. Maybe he was secretly an anime character. At least, that's what Bubbles said when the girls were on the subject. It was like morning after hair but with class.

Boomer couldn't go wrong with his blonde waves. His dirty blonde hair always was stylish. After high school, however, the blonde decided to get his neck length locks cut down to size. They now fit perfectly on his head and stop right on the top of his neck. The few strands that fell on his forehead said he wanted to seduce the panties off of every woman in the world with just his hair.

Before Blossom could sit and watch TV with the others, Bubbles rushed out of the kitchen, grinning.

"It's five thirty! We should go. We don't want to get stuck in traffic." The rest of them agreed, and Boomer shut off the TV. Blossom took a deep breath before following the group to the front door. They all made it to their respective cars outside.

Buttercup decided she would ride with Butch and Boomer in the green Rowdyruff's car. Bubbles turned to her sister and grabbed her hand.

"You wanna ride with me, Bloss? I'm sure you're going to need some emotional support before and after we get there." Blossom snorted humorlessly. She knew her sister was right.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." Bubbles nodded and tugged Blossom along to her truck. The two got in, and Bubbles led them all towards the airport.

Luckily, the group didn't get stuck in traffic. It was five forty-five when they all arrived at the airport. The parked right where Brick was supposed to come out from. They hopped out of their cars and headed inside. Blossom's heart beat faster with every single step.

Once they made it to the gate, Rachel, Professor, and Mojo could be seen sitting in the rows chatting away. Professor spotted them first and waved them over with a smile. The young adults sat down with them and proceeded to wait for the plane to land. Blossom was the only one who didn't speak at all while the others were talking. She was just too anxious to speak to anyone.

Just in the middle of one of Rachel's stories, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her face brightened.

"It's a text from Brick. He says that they should be landing any minute now." The group grinned at each other excitedly.

That minute came a lot faster than Blossom anticipated. They all watched as the plane pulled up to the docking station outside of the large windows. The setting sun glowed on the all white plane mystically. The group all stood up and smoothed out their clothing. Blossom took a heavy breath and stood up with them. Soon, passengers began to swarm out of the docking station. Blossom's anxiety kicked up every time a passenger would pass. At least she wasn't as bad as Rachel. The poor woman began to cry as soon as the first person appeared. Mojo offered one of his spare handkerchiefs, and she clutched it in her hands like her life depended on it.

"Oh my god…there he is…" Rachel cried. Everyone grinned happily as the large body clad in camouflage exited the dock. Blossom's heart skipped a beat, and her whole body clamped up. There he was. There he was indeed.

He seemed so much bigger. Blossom didn't know if it was the camo or the muscle mass he gained. His feet were in large boots that seemed to be for someone twice a normal man's size. His ever-present red snapback sat like a great crown atop his head. His face was covered in slight stubble that made him even more like the man he grew to be. His large, military bag sat up on his back and the two rolling suitcases were clutched in his large hands. His red eyes scanned the rows of people and instantly caught sight of the large, teary family that awaited him.

Brick smiled instantly and let go of one of his bags to clutch his mouth. He set them both down and shimmied out of his military bag. He stood there for a while before the two bodies of his brothers began to sprint towards him. Brick grinned and ran right at them in turn. The brothers embraced for the first time in five years.

Boomer couldn't help but let his tears flow. He cried into Brick's shoulder, his whole body racked in shivers. Butch tried to hold back, but the hot liquid from his eyes cascaded down his cheeks as well. Even Brick couldn't help but be caught up in his emotions. The brothers held each other for a long while before pulling away. Butch sniffed and wiped at his eyes before smiling.

"Look at you. Ya got fuckin' old, big brother." Brick let out a hearty laugh throwing his head back.

"Don't worry. It's gonna happen to you too someday." He quipped scuffing Butch's hair. "You finally got that haircut, I see." Butch chuckled.

"We're so happy you're back," Boomer added. Brick turned to him and grinned.

"I'm happy to be back, Baby Blue." Butch frowned slightly, glancing up at Brick's hat. Brick stared at him and smirked playfully. "You alright, bro?" He asked chuckling.

"Brick…take off your hat." Butch commanded. Brick's smirk broke out into a smile as he reached up for his red hat. He grabbed the bill and tugged it off his head. Boomer gasped, and Butch became wide eyed.

"Like it?" Brick asked. His hair wasn't in the famous, shoulder length ponytail his brother's were used to but was now cut close. The short, dark red locks sat in waves upon his head. His bangs were pushed back in flips on each side of his head, which he combed back from his forehead. The ends of the locks sat perfectly against his head, coming to a point right above the back of his neck.

"Holy shit, they made you chop it off?" Butch asked still staring at Brick's new hairdo.

"Yup, it's all gone. Well, sort of. But I kind of like it short," Brick stated. Boomer smiled in agreement.

"Oh yeah, you look great! We're practically twins!" The blonde chuckled patting his own hair. Brick chuckled as Butch and Boomer moved to pick up his luggage. They then led him to the rest of the family, who were waiting in anticipation.

"Hello," he said shyly once they arrived. A sudden blow to the arm by his teary, red-eyed mother made him flinch. "Ow!"

"Don't you ever run off like that again! You scared us all half to death when you left! Damn you…" She sniffed before collapsing into her son's arms. Brick chuckled and hugged her close.

"I promise I won't ever run off like that again, Rach. Promise." Rachel pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Good. Or else I will come after you. And…I love the hair…" she stated. Bubbles squealed when Brick turned to her and literally jumped into his arms. He spun her around a few times before setting her back down.

"I missed you, big bro! Don't leave ever again!" Brick chuckled and grabbed her hands.

"Count on it, little sister." He let go of Bubbles' hands and moved to Buttercup. The two embraced warmly, smiles planted on their faces. He planted and long, wet kiss on her forehead to Buttercup's displeasure.

"EW! Knock it off, dickhole!" She shoved him away with a small smile tugging on her lips.

"Oh, how I've missed you, sweet Buttercup!" he exclaimed dramatically. He then moved to Professor and Mojo. He warmly embraced each one before turning towards the one he really wanted to see. Bubbles looked from Brick to Blossom and back again. A devious smile tugging on her lips as she stared at the two. Brick played with his hat as he stared at the Powerpuff in front of him. Blossom blushed massively as she stared back, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hey, uh, we'll meet you two back out at the cars." Bubbles motioned for everyone to follow. Once they were gone, the two leaders were left all alone.


Well, well, well, look who's back. I don't even know what to say. I couldn't wait. I was missing this storyline too much. Don't worry. Overworld is still my priority right now. I am determined to finish. I've planned out where I want it to end up so all I have to do is get there. But you guys can fan-squeal over this for a good minute, lol.

So I hope you all like! See ya later!

Bye Guys

~TheRedWolf