Author's Note: When I get the rest of the story done, I may move this. For now, this is the prologue.
It was late. Very late. Blossom stood silently in the dimly lit room. Bubbles and the professor had already gone to bed. Originally, Blossom had too, but she had a bout of insomnia that night. She couldn't sleep. She felt guilty.
Slowly, Blossom began to walk forward. She was almost afraid to get close. She didn't want to look. She couldn't. But she felt like it was her fault this happened. In reality, it wasn't and she knew it, but she didn't feel it. If she hadn't started yelling, if that stupid fight hadn't happened, if she hadn't said what she did...
But it was too late for remorse. No amount of regretful emotions could fix this. Only time could.
Blossom closed her eyes just as she reached the cot. "I can't look," she thought. "I can't! I never wanted this to happen! If I could turn back time..."
Blossom tossed the thoughts out of her head almost as soon as they entered. She slowly opened one eye and peeked at the sleeping figure on the cot. She opened her other eye and tried not to reveal the tears that had begun threatening to break through at the sight of the figure. She looked back and forth at the figure and the machines connected, allowing that sleeping figure to remain sleeping.
"How did this happen?" Blossom screamed in her head. "It was just one fight! Why did I say that? It's all my fault! If I hadn't said all those things! I didn't mean them! What was I thinking? I...I..."
Carefully, Blossom crawled onto the cot, where she could look the sleeping figure directly in the eyes. The second she did, all of the tears she'd been trying to contain were revealed, but she fought not to let them fall. She cuddled the green blanket that was meant to keep the figure warm. She then leaned over and very gently kissed the sleeping figure on the forehead.
"Buttercup," she whispered, struggling against the break in her voice, "if you wake up, I promise I will never fight with you again. I never meant for this happen. Just wake up so this can all be over and I will tell you everyday that I love you. I'll let you be leader. I'll never yell at you again. Please. Don't leave us." Her tears started to slide down her cheeks and her pink eyes grew large.
"Just...wake...up."
"Blossom?" a voice called from the doorway of the lab. It was Bubbles. "Blossom, are you okay?"
Blossom quickly dried her eyes, not wanting Bubbles to realize she'd been crying. She jumped off the cot and went over to Bubbles, but didn't take her eyes off Buttercup.
"Bubbles," she said softly, "why did this have to happen? I...I didn't mean it. I wish I could take it all back."
"It'll be okay," Bubbles tried to assure her sister. Usually, Bubbles was the hysterical one and Blossom was the one who gave comfort, but recent events had reversed the girls' roles. "Come on. Let's just go back to bed."
Bubbles began to lead Blossom back upstairs when Blossom suddenly cried for her to stop. She raced back in the lab and to Buttercup's cot. She took off her iconic red bow and tucked it underneath the blanket, near Buttercup's head. She then returned to Bubbles, who'd waited patiently on the stairs, and the two returned to bed.
"Bubbles?"
"Yes, Blossom?"
"Do you think I'm a bad person?"
"No, Blossom. Buttercup will be okay."
"How can you be so sure?"
"You know Buttercup. She's the toughest fighter. She'll pull through." Bubbles paused for a moment before speaking again. "And I'm sure she'll forgive you. She'd feel bad if she knew you did."
With that, Bubbles closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Blossom decided Bubbles was right. There was no use dwelling on it anyway. She just had to believe Buttercup was as strong as she'd always been.
Finally, Blossom fell asleep.