Thanks to Parity Air for clearing up the AU/Post-Canon for me, this story is most definitely a Post-Canon. I also have a silly habit of putting Marvel and DC in my stories, I have equal love for both of them and my character Imogen was inspired by Zephyr, The Goddess/Mistress of the wind in Marvel's Thor comics.

Anyway, onto the story.


Disclaimer: I do not own any ppg or series related character mentioned in this story.

Part 2: The Inner Battles We Face


"Dear?" Barbara's voice reached her ears.

Not realizing she had been staring aimlessly at the metal doors, Blossom blinked repeatedly as her mind resurfaced to the physical world.

"Are you alright?"

She cleared her throat. "Yes, uh...I'm fine Ms. Barbara but…" Blossom paused, meeting the woman's eyes. "By chance, do you know if there's anything going on with Boomer?"

Barbara closed her eyes, head tilting a bit backward. "Mr. Boomer has been under a bit of stress for quite some time now. There are days when it is disguised to a fault and others where he is prone to outbursts."

"Outbursts?" she muttered in curiosity.

"Yes, Mr. Boomer usually means no harm. He either submits himself into art projects or smokes every now and then."

Blossom put a palm of frustration over her face. Boomer had attempted to make peace with her and at the time she was only thinking about herself.

Had she known this prior, she would have never yelled at him.

This partially my fault….I was only concerned about myself…..he tried to talk to me and I-.

Blossom balled a fist. Those saddened pools of blue kept projecting in her mind.

Darn it….I'll fix this...

On that note, Blossom sped off to the kitchen and made a peanut butter sandwich just so Brick would see her eat something decent. Not only did Barbara reveal that Boomer indulged in his art for relief, but from setting foot in his office, Blossom could tell it was much, much more than that. Boomer was an incredible artist, why hadn't he made a career out of it, she understood not.

Scurrying into Brick's office holding the napkin-secured sandwich, Blossom went straight for the filing cabinet for a sheet of printing paper.

"Brick, do you have any colored pens by chance?" she asked her boss, who didn't look too concerned by her request.

"I got colored pencils," was his Brick's simple answer. He pulled his desk draw open then held up Bonnie's spare pack of colored pencils. They were meant to keep his daughter occupied whenever she spent time with him at work, but Brick didn't mind Blossom using them.

"That's great!" the pink puff had exclaimed, accepting the pencils. Brick watched as Blossom, who nibbled on that mediocre excuse for a proper sandwich, hastily drew on the sheet of paper. Given her selection of colors, it was apparent the puff felt guilty for lashing out at Boomer and this was her subtle means of making amends to consider his feelings.

Brick couldn't help but roll his eyes in partial annoyance. Honestly, Blossom's selfless trait always found some way to poke at his nerves while at the same time, he admired just how much of her personal desire the puff surrendered to 'save the day' even if those ideas were frowned upon by many during adolescent years. A goodie two shoes to the core, she was.

At least in her snobby, uptight, state, Blossom said what she meant and meant what she said. Boomer is the one that's supposed to apologize to her, not the other way around.

Brick faced his laptop again, fingers clicking on the keyboard.

Typical Blossom.

"Humph."

….

Ten minutes later, Boomer had re-entered the building, strolling down the hallway. Emotions much more stable than earlier, the blue ruff returned to his office with a soft smile, stowing away the cigarettes for the next occasion.

He cracked his knuckles. "Alright, time to get shit done," he spoke to himself and activated his laptop. There was a folded white piece of paper next to it. Curious, Boomer reached for it, opening the folds to reveal a frightening sketch of what he assumed to be himself and the pink Powerpuff hugging. There was a chat bubble that said: "I accept your apology. Let's be friends."

Boomer shook his head, a chuckle fleeing his lips. "Even Bonnie draws better than this," he humored. He set the paper down, gently smiling as he took in his tasks of the day.


10:00 am Pokey Oaks Kindergarten

The class of children sat at their miniature tables in groups of three, coloring with crayons. Towards the end of the week, Bubbles found creative ways to entertain the children and get them all excited for the weekend as Miss Keane would do back in her Kindergarten years. Today, the kids would sing and dance their little hearts out during recess and lunch and tomorrow, she would spin the wheel of tv-shows, for the kids to watch an episode from their selection of favorite shows. Last week it was The Little Einsteins, they were so cute singing along to the theme song.

"Teehehehehe.." Bubbles lightly giggled to herself, resuming her observation of the students. The newly formed trio of Bonnie, Imogen and Sara sat at the center table, chatting as their fingers colored the sheets of paper. It was good to see Bonnie opening up and engaging with her classmates. Not once, had she used her cell-phone this morning.

Bubbles bore a pleasant smile on her face. So cute.

She peered around at her other students, all having fun with the activity. Over at the furthest table to the left of the class, Tommy was reunited with his best friend Frank. Frank's father had a rather unique parenting style, keeping the boy home and working their family's garden as a form of discipline for his misbehavior. While the thought of a five-year-old doing manual labor instead of being at school unsettled Bubbles, the man did explain it was to teach a lesson on the essence of hard work to become rich. Eh….it was still better than a physical lashing and Frank was compensated for his work. At his age, Bubbles was fighting crime for $0.99, before, during or even after school hours and was lucky enough to receive a cruddy piece of candy on occasions. Funny how life worked.

Now as for his partner in crime, Tommy was surprisingly very well behaved today as per his usual standards. Though, the mischievous boy's outfit might have had something to do with that.

Pffft.

Bubbles found herself bursting into fits of giggles. It was just so funny.

At the table, Tommy Kelly, her student whose sense of style contained all the edge, was wearing a purple polo shirt with a white cardigan tied around his neck, three-quarter khaki's, white calf-high socks and matching purple vans. His hair pulled the entire outfit together, the once fluffy spikes were now neatly gelled back with a side part to the right. Oh, that ensemble screamed Lauren Kelly's son. She wondered how the lady did it.

Pfft. Bubbles cracked herself up, resuming the monitoring of her other students.

Poor Tommy.

The frowning Tommy colored quietly at his seat, turning around only to glare at those who made comments about his attire of the day.

Tch.

If his older brother and elder sister had been born more competent human beings, this wouldn't be happening right now. Why must he be the child of prosperity?! He never asked for this pedestal!

"Stupid clothes...stupid mom…," Tommy grumbled to himself, tightly gripping his crayon.

Frank snickered. "You know, you look like one of those rich golfer guys on tv," he lightheartedly joked.

"Ugh, shut up!" Tommy growled. "My mom's still mad at me and said she would cancel my martial arts training if I didn't wear this today!" he whined, vexed that his favorite activity became an ultimatum for extortion.

"Sounds rough," laughed Frank but still expressed his sentiments in the form of a supportive pat on the back.

"Urgh!" Tommy huffed and threw his crayon across the classroom. It's not fair….why can't I have normal parents like everyone else?

"Tommy!" Bubbles scolded him. "Go pick up that crayon right now!"

He folded his arms. "No!"

"Tommy!" Bubbles warned him, placing her hands on her hips.

The boy turned his head away from her. Frank nervously swallowed and barred his mouth with a hand, reminding Tommy of all the trouble he's already in at home to not make things any worse.

"Tommy, I said to go pick up the crayon now!" Bubbles rose her voice, locking the attention of all her students, especially Bonnie and friends.

"No!" Tommy sneered, flaring his nostrils. "You can't make me!"

Bubbles marched up to his table. "Tom-!"

"NO!" he blurted, cutting his teacher off.

Sara shook her head, visibly wincing. Tommy was brave to try Miss Bubbles.

"Thomas….." a low but unsettling voice spoke his unofficial name.

Wha?

He snuck a glance.

Gulp.

As Tommy gazed into the narrowing eyes of Miss Bubbles, the poor kid saw the reflection of his tiny little body go up in scorching hot flames. "Go. Pick. Up. That. Crayon!"

Vibrations of fright shot down Tommy's spine, body trembling as he rose from the seat to retrieve the accursed crayon.

"And sit in the naughty corner while you're at it! Don't you move until I say so!" Bubbles reprimanded him, startling her class in the process. Only when Tommy sat down on the naughty bench, Bubbles took a calming breath then faced her eerily quiet students.

"Now class," Bubbles said with a smile, resuming her bubbly demeanor. "Who's ready for a fun-filled recess?!"

That seemed to have done the trick.

"MEEE!" many cute little voices yelled at once.

Bonnie turned to her friends. "Miss Bubbles is kind of scary," she admitted.

Sara and Imogen nodded their heads.

"Yup, she sure is," said Sara.

"I wouldn't want to get on her bad side," Imogen added her two cents.

Bubbles cutely giggled at the children's eagerness. "I have a special surprise today…."

"Ooouuu!"

"Tell us Miss Bubbles!"

"Yeah!"

"This recess we'll all be dancing to….." Bubbles whipped out a cd from her pocket. "Baby Shark!"

"Yaaaaaaaay!" the kids, including Bonnie's friends cheered.

"Um..," Bonnie awkwardly started. "What's Baby Shark?"

Sara gasped dramatically. "Only the greatest song ever!"

"Come on Miss Bubbles is gonna play the cd!" Imogen said, rushing out of her seat. Giggling at her excitement, the two girls followed behind, standing at the side of the classroom while Miss Bubbles moved the tables and chairs for extra space.

When the music started playing, the kids flooded onto the open area, dancing away. Sara and Imogen took Bonnie's hands, singing and dancing in a circle.

On the flip side...

Frank quietly stood at the lunch bag rank, holding a bag of cheese puffs his mom had packed for him. He stared at Tommy's back over in the naughty corner, frowning. His best friend was wrong for what he did but it sucked that Miss Bubbles was gonna leave him there with no recess.

The bag of cheese puffs crinkled in his hold.

Frank took a look at the newly formed dancefloor where Miss Bubbles danced with some of his classmates and cautiously made his way over at Tommy to share some of his snacks.

"Hey, you want some cheese puffs?!" Frank said loud enough to be heard over the music.

Tommy looked at Frank then turned his head. "No, it's yours. I'm good."

Frank frowned. "But your mom didn't pack you any right? Have some!" he pleaded.

Tommy shook his head. "You should leave before Miss Bubbles notices. You'll get in trouble."

"But-"

"I'm fine Frank!" Tommy spat at his best friend, immediately lowering his voice afterward. "Just go..."

The icy frown on Tommy's face impaled Frank's mood in the form of an entrenched counter-frown. Sparing his best friend one last look, Frank walked away from Tommy and went outside all by himself to sit on the grass. He never liked that stupid baby shark song anyway, even if it was catchy.

…..

Bonnie excused herself a from hyperactive Imogen and Sara who seemed irremovable from the dancefloor, for a drink of water and bite to eat. She took the contents from her lunch box and head for the sweet outdoors for a small break.

It was very quiet and empty compared to inside, no loud music and the cooling chills of the wind blew through the exposed section of her hair. Only one person was out there, the other guy who bullied her on the first day, Frank. Hmmph.

However he did apologize to her this morning and she had already forgiven Tommy so, Bonnie Frank may be alright too.

"Hey Frank," she greeted him, sitting down under the shady tree.

"Hey," he said.

Bonnie opened up her bowl to reveal some yummy chicken nuggets. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Frank gave her a weird look. "You're already sitting."

"I just wanted to ask," she politely replied.

"Ok." He went back to staring into an empty space in the schoolyard.

Bonnie ate her nuggets in silence, mildly watching as Frank opened his snack only to lazily eat it as if something was bothering him. Hmmm.

"Do you miss Tommy?" Bonnie asked him, speaking her mind.

"Huh?" Frank met her eyes again.

"I asked if you Miss Tommy?" said Bonnie. "You look a bit lonely."

His reddened up a tad bit. "Tch! What are you even talking about?!"

"Yesterday Tommy came and sat with my friends and I. He seemed pretty lonely without you so I thought you would feel the same way," Bonnie clearly spoke, not bothered by Frank's sudden aggressive tone.

If anything Frank seemed more somber than angry.

"I guess…" he softly admitted.

Bonnie bit into another nugget. "Do you know why he was so rude to Miss Bubbles?"

"Its none of your business."

Bonnie shook her head. "You two are so much alike."

His eyes narrowed at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What I just said," Bonnie sassed him. "How are people supposed to help if you won't say anything?"

"Help how? Why do you care?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Were boys her age so naturally defensive?

She covered her bowl of nuggets and put her hands on her hips. "Look if it will make you feel better, my friends and I could try to get Miss Bubbles to let Tommy out of the naughty corner."

That seemed to have gotten through his barrier of defense. Frank's eyes lit up, meeting Bonnie's confident gaze. "I'm listening."

"Good. Follow me," Bonnie said. She guessed this was her good deed of the day, her dad would be proud.

Bonnie met up with Sara and Imogen who were standing at the side of the classroom with water and their snacks.

"Hey Bonnie, where did you go?" Sara was the first to ask her.

"I got hungry but right now I need you guys to help," she said to her friends.

"What's going on?" Imogen asked, eyeing Franks presence.

"Yeah, and why is he with you?" Sara followed up, still baring a minor grudge on the kid.

"I'm doing him a favor. We're gonna get Tommy out of naughty time."

"What?!" they exclaimed.

"Why should we? He was mean to Miss Bubbles!" Sara professed but Frank defended his friend.

"Miss Bubbles was mean to him too!" Frank shot back.

"But she's the teacher! And he threw a crayon across the class!" Sara said to refresh Frank's memory.

"Yeah, that was rude," Imogen added in defense of Sara's argument.

Frank clenched his fists, determined to stick up for Tommy no matter what. "Then why didn't Miss Bubbles ask why he threw it before she yelled at him?! He wasn't ok!" Frank shouted at them, now hyperventilating. Tommy would be mad at him for telling them but his recess was on the line.

Frank looked over his shoulder at Miss Bubbles before continuing. "His mom can be really mean…..and when she's mad at him, he won't get any snacks for school," Frank confessed with a frown on that baby face of his. "Sometimes it gets really bad…." his pitch rose again. "So don't call Tommy a bad person, you don't know him!"

A feeling of unhappiness settled in the air around them. Neither of them knew that Tommy had problems at home.

"Oh…"

Sara felt kind of bad now though she still thought Tommy was a jerk."That's sad."

"So what's the plan, Bonnie?" Imogen asked her, watching as Bonnie put a hand under her chin to think. The only non-self incriminating option they had was to just ask Miss Bubbles and quite frankly, Tommy wasn't worth getting in trouble for a second time.

"Everyone put their snacks under the tree outside! Then come with me!" Bonnie announced to the group.

"Ok!"

Sara and Imogen quickly went out to put their snacks down then shortly returned.

"Now what do we do?" Sara asked Bonnie.

"Nicely ask Miss Bubbles to let Tommy out," she answered all nonchalant.

Frank's jaw fell open in a small o."That's the craziest plan I've ever heard!" he complained.

"But what if she's still upset?" Sara feared, Imogen's scrapbook section on Bubblevicious was absolutely terrifying.

"Only one way to find out," Bonnie confidently spoke. The kids sucked in a breath of encouragement and walked up to Miss Bubbles.

Bonnie lightly patted on Bubbles leg to get her attention. "Miss Bubbles can we talk you for a sec?"

"Sure!" Bubbles said, leading the group of children over to the doorframe where it was quieter.

She squatted down to their level. "What's up?"

They looked at each other.

"Well," Bonnie spoke first. "We were wondering if you would let Tommy dance with us to baby shark."

"What?"

"Yeah," Sara backed her up. "Tommy really loves that song."

"No, he doesn-!"

Imogen elbowed Frank in the side.

Holding in a wince, Frank nodded. "Yeah, he really loves that song Miss Bubbles."

"We know he was bad but recess is almost over," Imogen pleaded.

"And he's our new friend," Sara added.

"So please let Tommy dance with us," their cute little voices all asked unison.

Bubbles studied the faces of them all, ultimately sighing. She couldn't punish Tommy forever and for whatever reason, these four were willing to bargain for his freedom.

"Alright. You can all tell Tommy that he's now free to enjoy recess," Bubbles gave in, making a mental note to keep an extra eye on this bunch.

They all smiled. "Thanks, Miss Bubbles!" they said, running off inside the classroom.

Bubbles watched as they ran up to Tommy, eagerly pulling the boy out of the naughty zone to dance.

She shook her head and went back to supervising the other dancing and mingling students.

"Hey!" Tommy protested, fighting their hold. "What gives?!"

"Come on doofus, we got Miss Bubbles to let you off the hook!" Sara blurted, dragging him along.

"What?" he uttered in disbelief.

"It's true!" Frank said. "We all worked together, but you should thank Bonnie. It was her idea."

Tommy looked at Bonnie then to Frank again, glaring. "What did you tell her?!"

Imogen rolled her eyes. "Oh stop and pretend to dance already! Miss Bubbles is watching us!" she head gestured to the supervising teacher.

"I promise it wasn't much! Just enough to bust you out!" Frank reassured his friend in the moment.

There were still many questions Tommy wanted to ask but chose to let it go since they went this far to break him out. "Grrr! Fine!" he whined, dancing to the stupid song.

"You too!" Imogen said to Frank, using her wind powers to gently move him from side to side, just enough to look like his feet was still touching the ground.

"Hey!" Frank complained, not knowing Imogen was a super person too. "Dancing wasn't part of the deal!"

"Well, it is now, so fake your way to the door!" Bonnie told him, herself pretending to dance.

"Ugh!" Frank complained, moving his arms and legs to the beat, secretly having fun.

They inched closer and closer to the doorway, making sure Miss Bubbles was distracted then made a run for it.

They went under the tree and sat down. The kids opened their snacks and offered some to Tommy who sighed in defeat.

"You guys are weird," he meekly commented, reaching for Bonnie's chicken nuggets first. The skin on the outside was really nice and crispy when he bit in.

Sara watched as Tommy quietly indulged in the snacks they offered him and scoffed. "A thank you would be nice!"

"And a better attitude," said Imogen.

Tommy huffed, folding his arms. "Take it or leave it toots….but…"

He turned away from them, hiding his flushing face. "Thanks."

Weirdly enough, it made the girls and Frank smile.

"Soooo," Imogen started. "Since we're all practically friendlier now, can you tell us what was bothering you Tommy?" she pried for details.

He went silent before answering as if debating what to say. "It's a long story."

"Shorten it then. We'll listen, right guys?" Imogen encouraged Tommy to speak.

"Yeah!" the kids said.

Tommy finished another chicken nugget, peering up at them. "You have to promise not to tell anyone, ok?'

They all nodded their heads.

Tommy steepled his fingers, hesitating to share his truth."My family….is .different."

"How different?" Bonnie queried, watching as his eyes wandered.

"My mom works a lot and she's a really fussy person. My dad gets busy often but he's kinder than my mom is and I have two older siblings," Tommy spoke, tone melancholic.

Tommy's fingers moved to fumble with the fabric of his cardigan. "My brother's eight, he goes to elementary school." "He's not very good at a lot of things and doesn't like outdoorsy stuff. My parents made him join sports clubs but he couldn't play very well and complained all the time. So they stopped bothering and now he tries very hard just to make them happy."

"Oh…"

"My sister's a teenager in high school, she's the oldest. She fails a lot and my dad gets disappointed so my mom says she's not that smart and that it embarrasses her. It hurts my sister's feelings, so they argue a lot..." Tommy revealed.

The kids looked visibly sad. "That's really mean."

"And me….I ." he paused to suck in a breath. "I play soccer, baseball and swim on the weekends, I do martial arts three times a week. I've always been smart, in schoolwork I can already pass the third-grade basics. To my mom, I'm the only one that matters and..." his voice broke.

"Oh man…." Frank awkwardly commented, not knowing what to do with his hands.

"And it's really not that great to be me," Tommy rasped, his eyes began watering and naturally he just blinked the tears away.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tommy," Bonnie offered her sympathy but Tommy just shook his head.

"Don't be. It has nothing to do with you."

"But-"

"No buts. Just don't go around telling anyone, I have a reputation ya know?" Tommy's pride entered the conversation.

Sara folded her arms. Tommy was taking this way too lightly. "Don't you think Miss Bubbles could help you? I mean she is our teacher."

Tommy glared at Sara. "No!" he defensively spat.

"Why not?" Bonnie dared to question, taking on Tommy's malicious gaze.

"I said no! And she's always mean to Miss Bubbles anyway, so it won't work!"

"But-"

Tommy grabbed her by the shirt, forcing Bonnie to look into his eyes. "NO! Promise me you won't say anything!" he shouted at her.

"Hey, let her go!" Sara snapped.

"Tommy…chillout.." Frank started, nervously motioning over to them.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone!" he yelled at Bonnie. He felt a weird a breeze slipping through his fingers, loosening his hold on the red-eyed girl.

"Stop it, Tommy!" Imogen spoke up. This isn't how you treat people that care."

He frowned but didn't let Bonnie go. She didn't fight him either, he was no form of an immediate threat to her kind. But Bonnie had her own reason for not shoving Tommy away, just like yesterday, his eyes matched the words he spoke. Tommy was really hurting on the inside and the thought of it all made her sad.

"Ok," Bonnie softly said. "I won't tell."

"Do you promise?" Tommy asked, struggling to maintain his hold on her.

"..."

"I promise…..," she whispered, frowning as he finally let her go.

Sara huffed, tossing her arms into a fold.

"Are you ok, Bonnie?" Imogen asked her friend.

"...Yeah," she softly said. "I'm fine."

The surrounding air became tediously quiet, the sounds of the wind and vehicles whooshing past the schoolyard creating an awkward atmosphere for all five of them.

Ill at ease, Tommy set a hand behind his head. "So um… thanks for all the snacks," he said to no-one in particular.

"Your welcome…." Imogen answered on behalf of them all.

Frank gawkily played with his fingers. "So...are we good now?" he couldn't help but ask. Geez, all this tension.

"It's whatever."

"Ditto."

"Mhmm."

Imogen sighed, her friends were all caught up in their feelings. "Anyway, we should-"

"Children!"

They jumped, that was Miss Bubbles' voice.

"Recess is over. When did you all go outside?" Miss Bubbles skeptically asked them through the classroom window.

"Umm…" they all looked around at each other to come up with something.

"We..uh…" Sara started. "W-We got tired, Miss Bubbles! So we came out here!" she lied through the skin of her teeth.

Bubbles quirked a brow. She only remembered seeing them dance for about 30 seconds. "Alright, well come inside, the class is starting!"

"Ok!"


Mechanix

Over at the car filled wash bay arena, Buttercup had just finished hosing a truck with water from the top down, being sure to get the dirt out of the hidden areas. She took the high-pressure foam wash gun and coated the car with the white foamy bubbles and used a microfiber cloth to give the base a thorough cleaning. There were ten large truck orders from a company due for detailing. These often took more manual labor, and since the company paid for an interior to exterior cleaning and polish, everyone that assigned to this area for the day worked in pairs of two for quicker service. Although Buttercup didn't need the extra hands, her co-worker Todd assisted with the washing of the rims and tires. It saved her all the bending down anyway, she much preferred floating upright.

When they were equally finished, Buttercup hosed down the truck again, thoroughly washing away all the dirty, foamy water. Once clean, Todd held his cloth ready as Buttercup sucked in a deep breath and blew the vehicle generously but slowly enough for the guy to pass the cloth around. Where Todd couldn't reach, Buttercup took over, dominating over the other teams who used leaf blowers.

Now the only thing left was that polish job. Todd went over to machinery section, to retrieve the buffing machines, its pads and a bottle of the polish compound. Together, they dabbed small sections of the truck and buffed out the polish, passing over the microfiber cloths for shine element. The coat glistened under the fluorescent lights.

Another job well done.

Todd agreed to move the truck over to the garage so Buttercup dropped the cloth on her shoulder, picked the machinery up, returned the tools to its rightful section and carried the dirty pads and the two cloths for washing at the sink. She added soap powder to one bucket and the other cleaner compound, allowing the items to soak. The last person to finish in the area usually got stuck with cleaning duty, she just gave them a head-start. They're welcome.

!

Was that a yell?

!

By the second yell, curiosity had already killed the cat. The workers in the wash bay, Buttercup included, ventured out to locate the source of the noise, the shrills of a foul-mouthed lady booming on the activation of her ultrasonic hearing.

"I don't care if he's in a meeting! I want to see the manager, NOW!" a feminine voice boomed from the receptionist area.

"Ma'am please-"

"DON'T YOU MA'AM ME! GET HIS ASS DOWN HERE!" the woman protested, only when you acted out it seems, people paid you more respect. When asked nicely earlier, she received a snobby attitude.

The group of workers snickered, propping against the wall as the commotion continued. The ones from the garage also came out to observe the scenario, themselves also in sought of entertainment. Buttercup used her x-ray vision for an added bonus, watching as the skeleton of the receptionist nervously prompted for Mr. Davis, failing to get at his cell. The very last thing she wanted to do was contact Prince because then things would get messy. But did she really have a choice right now?

Swallowing down lumpy bile, the receptionist called for Prince.

"Hello, sorry to bother you Mr. Morbucks but may you please send Mr. Davis down here it's a bit of a problem-"

The lady took the phone from her. "IT'S A VERY LARGE PROBLEM, COME DOWN HERE IF YOU WOULD SO KINDLY!"

"Yikes," Buttercup visibly winced.

Concentrating her ultrasonic hearing, Buttercup pried into the conversation for the juicy drama.

"Miss, I would appreciate if you didn't yell in my ear," the snobbish tone of Prince's voice answered.

Oh boy….

"Oh yeah?! Well, I'd appreciate if you frauds didn't charge my credit card without my permission So unless you want the cops swarming this building you better get your ass down here!"

"First off, I'm not obliged to answer a person that dares to address me in such manner," Prince had sneered.

"I CAN TALK TO YOU HOWEVER THE F**K I WANT, THE F**K?!"

Prince hung up the phone.

Slam!

She almost broke the telephone. "If he's not down here in five minutes, I'm calling the cops!" the woman announced to the entire building.

Her co-workers cracked themselves up, wondering whose job was on the line today. Buttercup herself snickered at the moment but knew Prince well enough to know the man absolutely hated screw-ups and even worse, screw-ups that affected his public image.

Ding!

Speaking of your highness….

The sound of rushed footsteps scampered on the floor. The wash bay staff stealthy hid out of seeing range when Prince followed by Mr. Davis entered the waiting room.

"What seems to be the problem, miss?" the voice of Mr. Davis addressed the woman.

"Who spoke to me on the phone?" she snapped.

The skeleton with Prince's voice stepped forward. "That would be me."

"You sir," the woman started, pointing a finger of accusation. "Are a disrespectful prick!"

"Ohhhhhhh!" the wash bay workers laughed among themselves.

"You think I don't know who you are Mr. Morbucks?! Is this what you do to your customers? Store their credit card information and run charges like it's nobody's business?!" she chastised him.

Prince disconcertingly rolled his eyes, a mild tone of condescent evading his lips. "Miss, if you would hold that tongue of yours for few seconds and hear me out. I can assure that the storing of credit information is not a thing. I do however acknowledge the fact that an incident among within my staffing occurred. So please, let's calmly sort this out, shall we?"

She took a deep breath, calming her inner rage to finally get some damn answers. "My name is Charlotte Meyers. My husband Isen used my credit card to purchase an oil change from your company which I was made aware of. However, the bank called me recently and there was a second purchase in which I nor my husband was made aware of."

Ohh...that vehicle again….

"Yes, yes, your husband's vehicle also had a faulty radiator. Him being a loyal customer, we took the liberty to fix the problem-."

She cut Prince off. "But who's paying for that cost? Surely it came not, from the bottom of your hearts. He paid for ONE service. You don't get to make those decisions!"

"Miss," Prince emphasized his annoyance with the matter. "I had not been aware that my staff carelessly made a fraudulent charge to your card. I can assure you the culprit will be dealt with immediately and your money will be reissued cost-free for the inconvenience. On behalf of Mechanix, I duly apologize for your bad experience."

Buttercup arched a brow. Did he mean that Cassidy was going take the heat for this? If she remembered correctly, Prince was the one who instructed her as such. That wasn't fair.

They continued to civilly discuss the matter and the workers walked off bit by bit, now bored as the drama subdued. Others stayed behind for a little off the record break but when footsteps were heard coming around the corner, every man and woman dashed for their workstations like rampant children. Buttercup, of course, had no real reason to run. Her task was finished and ready for pick up and besides, if she tried to dodge Prince at this point, her green streak would've given her away.

"Buttercup?" said Prince, surprised to see her around the corner, about to walk away.

She turned around with a gentle smile. "Yes, sir?" was her polite greeting.

He quirked a brow. "What are you up to?" he prompted.

"Heading for the lockers, sir. Todd and I finished a truck for delivery," she spoke, acting as if she had witnessed nothing a moment ago.

Prince's facial expression nullified, tone shifting to a casual manner. " I see, good job as always.

"Is everything ok, sir?"

"For now, I have disappointing news to break over at marketing," Prince said, tucking his thumbs into his waistcoat.

"Um…," Buttercup stammered, "may I ask why?" His bodily stance was one of uncertainty.

"I gave one simple instruction but clearly common sense isn't common anymore and it almost cost the company negative publicity," Prince spoke, chin lifted high.

"...I see..." Buttercup half understood. Cass may have interpreted his words a touch too literally...but she hoped Prince wouldn't severely punish her for it.

Should I say something?

"Mhmm, carry on. I was just curious," he dismissed her.

"Ok, sir," she replied, opting to walk off. It's probably none of my business anyway.

"Wait, Buttercup!" he called for her again, just before she could get far enough away. Prince approached her again, much easier going than earlier.

"I've been thoroughly enjoying our lunch sessions as of recently," said Prince, offering her a friendly smile. "Would you mind accompanying me once more?"

"Oh um..," she nervously started. "Sorry sir, I already made plans with a friend of mine."

His brows furrowed. "I see, so do I know this friend of yours?" he questioned.

"I believe so," Buttercup chose her words wisely, recalling a certain ruff's dislike of the Morbucks.

"Very well then," Prince sharpened his tone, turning to walk away. "Enjoy your lunch, Miss Utonium," he added, then left for the elevator.

Dismissing the latter, Buttercup continued on her journey to the change rooms for her lunch outing. Yeah, lunch with Prince was enjoyable and of course, free, but he was still her boss. People would get the wrong impression and besides, a 'gentleman' had already made his reservations for the lunch hour.


-Flashback-

Buttercup and Butch sat near the lower right of the restaurant, chatting over their meal next to a beautiful window view. The restaurant wasn't as over the top as Buttercup expected it to be. The furnishings were visually appealing but nothing jaw-dropping to fawn over. The food was excellent though and of course, she just had to order herself a juicy slab of steak.

"So what's the next phase in life?" Buttercup asked Butch, cutting into her steak.

"My next phase.." Butch repeated, thinking over the question before answering.

"Yeah, I mean," she paused to take a bite and chew. " You have a good job, a car, a home, what's next on your agenda?"

Butch watched as Buttercup attempted to cut into her steak with the wrong side of the knife. He snickered. "Travel the world I guess, I'm not ready for the whole family part," he answered, thinking of Brick's responsibilities with Bonnie. He only liked kids if he could give them back after a few hours, and although he loved her, his niece was of no exemption. Then settling down meant serious commitment and women these days were quick to push the marriage ultimatum after a year or so. That's just too much too soon.

"I'm surprised you haven't done that already," Buttercup teased his inner baller with elevated eyebrows, but to her surprise, Butch shook his head.

"I couldn't back then, financially that is," he was sure to verify the context. Flying broke across the world was no fun the legal way.

"Really?" Buttercup commented in some shock. Didn't he make like, thousands of dollars a day?

Butch sipped his wine before responding. "It's true that I received a head start, but I'm far from rich...for now. I had to put in the work for everything I own and pay Mojo back for the school expenses. Had I not found enjoyment doing what I do, I would have gone nuts over the past few years of hustling. It's much easier to watch from the outside and think its an all-inclusive, luxurious lifestyle."

"So….what's stopping you now?," Buttercup pried for more details. Guess he wasn't spoon fed at life either.

"Time and cheapness to an extent," he confessed.

She snorted. "You? Cheap?"

"The car doesn't count," Butch made sure to say. "That's my baby."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "And this restaurant?"

"The prices are worth the food portions, don't you agree?" he rationalized, taking a bite of his leg of lamb.

"That's true," she had to admit. This establishment was now on her radar for dining out purposes.

"Besides….," he murmured to himself, breaking eye contact. "I wanted to take you somewhere nice…."

Overhearing this, Buttercup blushed. "Y-You did?"

"S-So um...w-what about you?" he prompted for a change of subject, reaching for his wine again.

"Well…" Buttercup sipped hers. "I'm comfortable where I am right now. I'd put in the work for a manager position though, the money's great."

"That's painfully average," he playfully poked at her desire for normalism.

"Hey, the glory days are over. I just want to work like everyone else, that means finding my own means to the top."

"Under the Morbucks?" Butch scoffed. "Might as well keep dreaming."

Buttercup crossed her arms on instinct. "I wouldn't call them my favorite people, but they aren't as bad as I originally thought. My boss is actually pretty cool. "

Butch cocked his head. "You're right, they aren't as bad as you think. It's beyond worse," triggering Buttercup's defense mechanism.

Her body tensed, shoulders stiff as she opened her mouth to speak. "No I mean it, they're money grubbers, yeah, but the treatment is pretty good and employees get tons of benefits. It's a win-win."

"Until they dispose of you," Butch commented despite her words. Why she of all people wanted to defend the Morbucks, he understood not.

"Huh?"

"The Morbucks family is a privilege at its best. It runs on generations of using people to get what they want and emptying their pockets with every scheme in the book. They're smart and manipulative with a good team of lawyers to defend their crooked asses," Butch explained but still failed to convince Buttercup.

"Aren't all big corporations like that?"

"There is an extent and a difference between hiring pawns versus hiring employees. Pawns are easy to spot, they're usually the ones better off compared to the others, like you. But once that pawn's value deteriorates or makes a refusal, everything goes downhill from there."

"Excuse me, what?!" Buttercup spat.

Butch held up a palm as the significance of no ill intent. "It's nothing personal. I'm just saying once that pawn's value deteriorates in any way, everything goes downhill from there."

Too bad Buttercup wasn't a fucking mime. "What do you mean it's not personal?!" she dismissed his explanation. "You called me a disposal pawn after I just told you how self-motivated I am to reach my goals as any regular person. I don't care what kind of twisted rivalry you have with the Morbucks, but don't put me on some type of corrupt pedestal!"

Butch leaned in closer to his puff counterpart across the table, so close, the smell of lamb in her face made Buttercup's stomach churn for the meat. "Do you really think the Morbucks hired you for ambition alone? Newsflash! You puffs have been placed on a pedestal from the day you were born. Your powers are beneficial to them in every way, they're scamming you and you're too blinded by some f**king hundreds to see it!"

"Oh, so that's what you think huh?!" Buttercup blurted, fists tightened as she stood up from her seat.

"Sit down."

"Answer me first!"

"Sit down, you're causing a scene."

"No!"

"Butterc-"

"Tell the truth, Butch! Is that what you really of me?!" her voice croaked, eyes fierce, not even attempting to understand him.

"Dammit, woman!" Butch slammed a fist on the table. "All I'm saying is you're worth more!" he successfully gathered the attention of many patrons in the establishment.

Her gaze fell soft. "I….I am?"

"Yes," he said, exhaling a sigh of exasperation. "The Buttercup I've known all my life always puts 1000% into the things she fights for and personally, I think it's wasted on those crooks. Start your own business, you would be a great entrepreneur and I'm willing to push you in that direction if no one else can see what I do!" he unintentionally ranted.

Blushing, partially from all the attention she was getting from random people, Buttercup shyly retook her seat, embarrassed at her overreaction. "Sorry," she meekly apologized.

"It's whatever, don't beat up about it," Butch said, dismissing the built up emotion and resumed his eating.

Only six seconds had passed before Buttercup had cracked from the silence. "S-So, you really think I can be my own boss someday?" she started a conversation again, reaching for her glass of wine.

Butch nodded, not really looking at her either. "You'd be perfect."

In response, Buttercup found herself toying with her meal."Well I-I've thought about it before."

"And?"

"I..Its...well…" she paused to gather the right words. "It's Scary to just...start over...ya know? You said I was born on a pedestal, that's true but that only means I'm expected to fall twice as hard as the average person for powers I happened to be born with," Buttercup confessed.

"You and I both know that I've spent the majority of my existence making life easier for others at the extent of sacrificing my own. Superhumans are people too and we have to survive in this world just like everyone else does!" she sighed, sucking in a sharp breath. "It's soooo hard when the same people you've busted your ass for, the same people that smiled and waved in your faces, the same ones that heedlessly relied on you for support, turn around and view you as this ultimate antagonist for wanting to pay your bills. Heroism is a one-sided privilege and I don't give a damn what anyone else says!"

So that's why she's so loyal to the Morbucks…..

"I see," Butch said. Come to think of it, if that's Buttercup's reality then the same went for her sisters. But she said the blonde got lucky with a teaching gig and the goodie-goodie served coffee up till now.

"Can I ask you something?"

Buttercup nodded.

"What do you think of this city?"

She hesitated not one bit. "It's a constant slap in the face but that's never stopped me before so...its whatever," she shrugged her shoulders. "Life goes on and things have turned around for the better, I can't bear grudges for the past."

It's just as I thought….

Butch cracked a smile. "Let's toast to that."

We're one and the same.

They clinked glasses, each finishing their wine. Butch had signaled the waiter for a refill, sure they might have been nearing the borders of tipsy, but to hell with it.

"So about being your own boss….." Butch started saying.

"Mhmm?"

"You willing to give it a try?"

"Why not? Since you believe in me so much and all," Buttercup teased him, watching that delinquent grin of his expand to its fullest capacity.

"Great!" he beamed. "So the first thing you want to do is create some custom business cards made. I have a great graphics designer so I can have options ready for you by next week."

"People still use business cards?" she expressed her skepticism.

Butch nodded, quite eager to speak on the topic. "It's old school but for you, it's great for building a fan base. Familiarize the money grubbers clientele with your advanced services and they'll get attached to you real quick. Auto mechanics make a lot of money from call-in jobs. Of course, you might have to give up a weekend or few, but it's worth the hustle."

"You had me at making a lot of money."

He laughed.

From there on out, they continued to speak business. Buttercup took notes on her phone's app as Butch ran through the basic startup moves. On the inside, however, Buttercup still felt high loyalty to the Morbucks or at least Prince for the opportunity at normalism. She would follow the instructions for extra money but unless the Morbucks gave her an immediate reason to leave, Buttercup was a loyal, hardworking employee gunning for that manager's position and that was that. As for their love lives, well, they decided on just being friends.

-End of Flashback-


Outside, Buttercup approached the shiny, black Jaguar parked in front of the building. "Sorry for the wait, there was some drama on work," Buttercup said as she hopped in, quickly securing her seatbelt.

A spiky-haired Butch decked in office wear, casually shrugged. "Oh, you good?" he queried her innocence.

She met his gaze. "Yeah, it didn't have anything to do with me."

"Good, wouldn't want you getting into trouble now," Butch teased.

A scoff left her lips. "Oh please, compared to most, I'm the goodie two shoes of the building."

"Mhm sure," Butch snickered. "Plant one right here," he gestured, leaning over to accept her lip-locking.

Friends that do that.


Work

12:30 pm

With a freshly sliced salad and coffee in hand, Blossom left the kitchen area on her way back to the office. She added some grapes for a burst of sweetness. The fatigue was still there but that couldn't be helped after running on low energy three days in a row. She could sleep it off on the weekend, which thankfully was near. If Brick caught her dozing off on the job, she really might get this time around.

Sigh.

On her return to a now empty office, but an opened laptop, Blossom took her seat, dismissing the occurrence as a short return. Brick mentioned nothing about leaving the office nor did his schedule cater for that. He probably went to see Mojo or something.

Oh well...

Savoring the peace and quiet, the pink puff aided her bodily cravings, until a knock was heard at the door, followed by its creak open.

"Hey Brick I brought the-!" Boomer immediately cut himself off at the lack thereof his brother's presence.

Blossom, neutrally addressed him. "Brick might have stepped out for a short moment. You can put it on his desk, I'll inform him when he returns."

"Ok," Boomer said, placing the documents on the table. By his flow of ease, he could tell that Blossom wasn't staring at him, she was just quietly eating her bowl of grass.

"Hey Blossom," he said, facing the puff. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I was wrong to snap at you. You didn't deserve that," he properly apologized.

"Thank you," was her simple yet polite response. It pleased her to see Boomer have the courage to convey a face to face apology.

Seeing that Blossom didn't pry for more detail, Boomer nodded and made his way to the door when she spoke again. "I meant what I said about starting a friendship, Boomer."

Pink eyes locked on the frozen rowdyruff's back. "But if that's not what you want, then that's ok too," Blossom was sure to add, resuming the eating of her salad and took a sip of coffee.

Boomer turned to look at her again. Was she doing this out of pity or did Brick put her up to this? Either way, the puff was lacking her standard authoritative presence and it showed in more ways than one. "Are you ok, Blossom?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" she politely asked of him.

"..You're….different now," Boomer muttered in the sudden awkwardness of his question. Maybe he should've left it alone.

Blossom arched a brow, curious but not trying to pressure him either. "Is that a good thing?"

Boomer put an awkward hand behind his head, rubbing on his short fluffy hair. "I don't know….f-forget I brought it up," he dismissed the question and went for the door but paused just under the frame, daring to eye her once again. "And by the way, your drawing gave me a fright," he taunted and left the room.

Blossom put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in a snare. "Your welcome!" she shouted after him. How dare he insult her craft? Yeah sure, his was much better but she had won a prize for her drawings back in the fourth grade.

Hmmph!

She munched on a piece of lettuce, checking her emails since Brick seemed to be taking a while. Lo and behold, there was an email from his address.

On my laptop, there's a word document in a folder titled x-classified project nine, fax it to Mojo ASAP.

"Aye aye, Bossman," Blossom said to herself, postponing her salad eating for said task. Temporarily accessing Brick's laptop, she found the folder and sent the file to print. Once printed, the document went into the feeder, she put in Mojo's code and waited as it scanned to send off.

"There we go," she commented, securing the original to place on Brick's desk. It wasn't any of her business to peek so she put it in a folder for some privacy.

She went to his laptop again to close off the applications upon numerous open tabs. Clicking on each just to avoid accidentally exiting something important, that was until she came across a certain excel spreadsheet.

"Wait just a second….."

Blossom went over to her assigned desk, reaching for the folder copy of their tasks this week and compared the three. The same schedule she was assigned for the week and the very much detailed one on his laptop was exactly the same! And it contained tasks of previous weeks and a few in place for next week. Her copy of Brick's current "schedule of the week" was actually subtracted from last month's!

Blossom tightly clenched her fists, scowling at the red laptop before her. Brick, you lying dog!

The pink puff huffed with every step back to her seat, taking the irritation out on her bowl of salad with lethal bites. In some twisted way, she felt content that Brick believed in her abilities enough to ensure the completion of executive tasks. She'd still put less sugar in his coffee tomorrow though, serves him right.


2:30 pm Pokey Oaks Kindergarten

Bubbles stood at the door bidding her various students a goodbye as their parents picked them up. The newly formed group of friends had sat together under the shady tree awaiting their parents to pick them up one by one. Sara's mom came super early today so Bonnie got to meet her for the first time. She was a really pretty lady. She and Sara could be twins.

Imogen's mom was really pretty too. She was darker skinned and had really curly, black hair just like Imogen but much longer and her eyes weren't green, they were brown.

Frank's dad was next. He was really tall and buff with scruffy brown hair wearing red plaid, causing him to easily be mistaken for a Lumberjack. He seemed pretty nice and Frank said he looked up to his dad a lot.

Bonnie and Tommy were the only ones left so they sat closer to where Miss Bubbles stood. They didn't speak much to one another but the company was nice.

A really pretty blonde lady in bright orange and khaki strolled down the walkway. "Thomas!"

Both Tommy and Miss Bubbles released a weary sigh.

"Mrs. Kelly," Miss Bubbles formally greeted the woman.

"Utonium," she just barely greeted Miss Bubbles, immediately turning to Tommy. Bonnie observed as Tommy's mother fawned over her son's outfit.

"Oh Thomas, you stayed all neat and tidy today. You look so adorable!" Lauren beamed to the frown-faced boy.

"Can we please go home now?" he pleaded, not wanting to be embarrassed any further for the day.

"Yes, yes, let's go, son!" Lauren cheerfully said, offering her hand.

"Goodbye, Miss Bubbles."

"Goodbye, Tommy!"

"Hey, Bon Bon!"

Bonnie loudly gasped, seeing her dad casually appear down the walkway. She ran over and jumped into his arms. "DAD!" she burst with excitement. "I thought you said you couldn't pick me up today?!"

Brick kissed her cheek, snuggling his precious baby girl in his hold. "I did, but I finished work early, so we could watch Peppa Pig and eat lots of popcorn."

"Yay!" Bonnie exclaimed, giggling in joy.

"B-Brick...Brick Jojo?" the voice of Tommy's mother called her dad. Bonnie did her best to not frown to be respectful.

Brick faced brightly dressed blonde woman. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Lauren Kelly, corporate lawyer, it is so good to finally meet you!" she approached him with Tommy in tow.

Lauren Kelly?

Brick heard that name thrown around the grapevine before but this was their first legitimate encounter.

"Ah, so this is your daughter. She looks just like you!" she beamed. "Hello, dear! Are you friends with Thomas?"

"Hi, yes Tommy is my friend," Bonnie returned her greeting, looking down at the scowling Tommy.

"Hello," Brick greeted the overly ecstatic woman. Her son didn't seem so eager to chat with them but Bonnie acknowledged the boy as her friend, so for that reason, Brick would spare her a moment.

"That's great!" she burst with joy, now glancing at her peeved looking son. "Geez, Tommy you really ought to introduce Mommy to your friends more!"

"Because you never ask….." the boy muttered bitterly.

"Brick I had no idea our kids were this acquainted. What do you say to a Quik Koffee break? Our kids can play at the park just outside."

Brick looked at Bonnie to get her thoughts on the matter. "What do you think, Bon? Sounds fun?"

She frowned but quickly followed up with a smile. "Um...ok, dad."

"You sure?" Brick asked for reassurance. "We'll still watch your favorite show and eat popcorn."

"Ok!"

Brick nodded, facing Lauren again. "Alright, we can join you for a few."

"Great! See you there, let's go, Thomas," Lauren said, walking off with her son.

She never asked the boy if he wanted to participate and quite frankly the child seemed more annoyed than anything else.

Hmm.

Brick walked over to Bubbles so Bonnie could bid her goodbye.

"Hi, Brick," she greeted him.

"Miss Utonium."

"You can call me Bubbles ya know," she biasedly teased, after encountering Lauren Kelly not once, but twice in one week.

"It's how I pay my respect," he replied, watching as Bonnie turned to her teacher.

"Of course it is," she giggled, Brick was Brick after all. "I'm just hoping Lauren won't rub off on you."

"Oh?" Brick inquisitively scrunched his forehead.

"Goodbye, Miss Bubbles."

"Goodbye, Bonnie. See you tomorrow!"

"She can be a handful is all, good luck!" Bubbles told him, clearly, had been eavesdropping on their conversation. She was a Powerpuff, why was he not surprised?

Nodding, Brick left the schoolyard with his daughter, securing her in the front seat before he got in and drove down the street. "How was school today, Bon?"

Bonnie idly looked out the window. "It was ok, dad."

"Just ok?" asked Brick, knowing that was uncommon for her.

"Mhm."

"Why, did something happen?"

"Kind of."

"What was it? Did you get in trouble?"

"Umm…," she paused, thinking her words through. "It wasn't me who got in trouble."

"Oh, was it one of your friends?"

"Yes."

"What did they do to get in trouble?"

"Umm..h-he threw a crayon across the classroom," Bonnie confessed.

"I see. He was wrong, Bon. He could've hit someone and get himself into even more trouble."

"I-I know, dad."

"Is this friend by chance that Thomas boy?"

"His name is Tommy, dad," she followed way too quickly, raising Brick's suspicion.

"Oh ok. How did you become friends with him?"

Fidgeting with her fingers, Bonnie explained to her father that Tommy was the boy that bullied her on her first day of school and told him how the boy apologized to her.

"I see…" Brick commented as he drove. That young lad sounded problematic but Bonnie had to learn how to deal with different types of people in the real world. For a five-year-old, that kid had a lot of anger built up, he couldn't help but question Tommy's broughtupcy.

"Dad?" his daughter's innocent voice reached his ears, softer than it's usual pitch.

"Yes, Bonnie?"

"W-What d-do you want me to be when I grow up?" she fought off the butterflies in her stomach to ask her father.

Brick glanced at her sideways, taken aback at that question."That's not up for me to decide, Bon," he kept a casual tone. "You can be whatever you want."

Bonnie was fidgeting with seams of her clothing, avoiding his eye contact. "But w-what i-if you really wanted me to be something and I-I c-couldn't do it. W-Would you h-hate m-me?" her voice broke.

"Why would I do that, Bon?" Brick queried. " Where is this coming from?"

"I….I um… I," she stammered, unable to think of anything else.

"Bon?"

But promises weren't meant to be broken even if she and Tommy weren't that close.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

"Bonnie?"

*Sniff*

"Bon Bon?"

*Sounds of soft crying*

Brick looked over to see tears streaming down his daughters face. "Bonnie, what's wrong?"

"I-I c-can't tell y-you, d-dad!" she cried. "I-I'll b-break t-the p-promise!"

Brick pulled over at the side of the street. He undid Bonnie's seatbelt and pulled her over to sit in his lap, comforting the crying girl. "Bonnie, it's okay. Please don't cry."

"I-I I'm s-sorry, d-dad," she hiccuped. "B-B-But, I-I f-feel so s-sad f-for T-Tommy!"

Brick's mouth thinned into a fine line, assembling the pieces of the problem together. "I understand."

"Y-You d-do?"

"Mhm. It's ok to feel sad for a friend, Bonnie, but if that friend is seriously hurting on the inside, then it's not ok to keep secrets about it. Because if something really bad were to happen, no one would know to save your friend in time. How would you feel if you got hurt and none of your friends got Miss Bubbles to help, just because you told them not to, even if you're whimpering in pain?" his fatherly instincts kicked in.

Bonnie sniffled. "I would be sad...and angry."

"See? So imagine how Tommy must feel? What if he's so mean because he doesn't know how to ask for help without getting in trouble?" he said, watching his daughter frown.

Bonnie buried her face in her dad's shirt.

"But what can I do, dad?" she begged him for advice.

"You've done enough by bringing it to my attention," Brick said, gently rubbing her back. "Daddy will take it from here, ok?"

"Ok, dad," Bonnie replied in a sounder tone, looking up at him.

"Good," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. He secured back in Bonnie seat and resumed route to the Quik Koffee. There was a bone to be picked with Mrs. Lauren Kelly.


Somewhere within the depths of Townsville…..

In a dark, hellish realm of a room, an androgynous, powerful, flamboyant lobster demon slouched in his soft, cushiony red chair as he took in the contents of various television screens. The pink tulle at the collar of his lady's red jacket brushed along the sides of his face, leather belt sinking into the lines of his stomach at the extension of a black, thigh-high boot.

"UGH!" He complained, waving his foot around.

"ITS SOOOOO BORINGGGGG!"

"What's a demon to do when this city is all, joy, and peace and happiness….ITS MAKES ME SICKKKK!"

"Oh…..," HIM pulled his feet in, clutching them together in a fetal position. "But I promised to be good from now on...what was I thinking?"

"Meh…." HIM turned over in his seat, allowing the televisions to appear one by one before him. After the birth of his granddaughter Bonnie, it was only natural for HIM to wish no harm to come to the child. So he acted accordingly, no summoning of monsters for the heck of it...in Townsville that is….when he felt like, he gave the police tips on the latest wrongdoings or aided the crooks in their escape depending on his mood of the day.

Essentially, HIM was trying to be a good role model. One he never had, nor asked for in his hundred years of life. Unlike his half-sons, Bonnie was born pure to the bone. When he met her, she contained zero traces of evil, no opinions, no flaws, she was just….a baby...that slept and cried when in need of attention or food. He summoned toys for her to play with, watching Bonnie giggle and gurgle happily. Only when she got older, he taught her to use the powers she was born within combat range, nothing deathly but for self-defense. To imagine such a lifeforce grew from two vile vessels, too innocent to harm a fly.

HIM wasn't used to that sort of thing.

"The feeling of love….BLEH!"

"I AM EVIL!" HIM reminded himself, pouting like a naughty toddler.

The television screens, one after the other bored him, each on display of substance he cared nothing of. So while his granddaughter was on the mind, HIM switched the channel to check on her. Brick was long overdue for a visit, sure HIM was an evil demon, but he possessed feelings too!

"Oh?" HIM sprang up from his favorite chair, staring at the screen. "What have we here?" he maliciously grinned, rubbing his claws together in anticipation.


Brick and Lauren bickered under the patio of Quik Koffee while Bonnie and Tommy sat by the sandbox, pretending to play.

Tommy's feet repeatedly stomped on the sand and Bonnie shifted uncomfortably as the grains slipped through her fingers. Tommy's mother taunted her dad about being born better off and of course, made her dad really mad. When an argument started the people inside of the shop on bystanders kept looking around at the source of the commotion, adding to the children's discomfort.

The words that flew out of Lauren's mouth, saddened Bonnie. Now she understood, why the boy assumed she was rich.

How disheartening…

"Someone like you would never understand the complexities of my childhood!" Lauren spat at Brick. "Destroying buildings, beating people up, stealing with no repercussions! How you haven't been imprisoned for life is beyond me!"

"Complexities of your childhood?! I was born in the cesspool of a prison's toilet, a talking monkey with an overly large brain claimed to be my father and sent me out to perform evil tasks to then be later adopted by a demon lobster! Is that your interpretation of a rich kid's origins?! Your mother was a fucking narcissist and you were too jealous of your sister to stand up to your mother!" Brick threw back in her face, shoving back his seat. "So congratulations! You turned out just like her!"

"DON'T. YOU. DARE!" she marched over to Brick's face, "COMPARE. ME. TO. THAT. WOMAN!"

"My children have faced nothing close, NOTHING! Compared to what my mother did to me, Brick! If only they were more-"

"YOUR. KIDS. AREN'T. YOU!" Brick roared, eyes glowering a menacing red, chest in a high heave. The entire environment went silent, only the flow of the wind dancing graced their ears.

"I've had enough of this," Brick muttered and walked away from the foul woman. He scooped his daughter up from the sandbox. "Bonnie, we're leaving."

"Bye, Tommy" she sadly waved him.

"S-S-SO ARE WE!" Lauren stammered. "THOMAS, LET'S GO!" she then commanded her son.

"Bye…" Tommy briefly returned her wave before his mother dragged him off in the opposite direction.

Brick lifted his car door, placing Bonnie inside."Bonnie never let anyone convince you that you can't do something, ok? Not even me!"

"Ok, dad," she softly said to him.

"Do you promise?" Brick pressed for a secured answer. He knew Bonnie got sad when people argued around her but this was important.

"I promise, dad," she said with more confidence this time.

"Good." Brick kissed her forehead and shut the car door. He hopped inside and started a new conversation to rid the air of unwanted grief and sadness. "So Bon Bon, what episode of Peppa Pig do you think will show today?"

"The one with the treasure hunt," Bonnie swiftly replied. "It's my favorite!"

On the flip side….

Tommy sat quietly in the front seat on the way home. For the first time in some months, his mother didn't force him to have a conversation concerning things he cared nothing about. So he guessed Bonnie's dad blowing up at her was somewhat of a good thing but he would apologize to the girl tomorrow and make her promise to keep this between them.

Lauren, on the other hand, stared straight ahead at the road in front, doing her best to keep a cool head. Brick knew nothing about her, in fact, he was a teen dad! What did he know about good parenting?! She was too well off to allow the hauntings of her past to resurface again, she was better now.

"So much better now…." the idle mumble left her lips, memories flooding her brain again.

On their family's vacation to Hawaii, Lauren, her older sister Paige, and her parents visited a nearby beach for some fun in the sun. Her father planned to do a cookout for a more 'tropical' experience, starting a cooking station of wood surrounded by rocks and set a grill rack on top of it to heat up and cook the meat.

Lauren and Paige spread the large beach blanket and Mom opened up the beach chairs. Lauren set the bags on the blanket so it wouldn't blow away then her and Dad set up the large beach umbrella.

"Girls, put on your sunscreen!"

"Okay!"

"I can't wait to go in the water, it looks so refreshing!"

"All water is refreshing, stupid," her sister sneered.

"Hey! I'm not stupid!"

"Oh Lauren stop," her mom scoffed. "Get out the camera so we can take some pictures."

"Fine."

But she couldn't find it in her bag. So she tried her sister's bag and saw nothing either.

"I think I left it back at the cabin."

"No you didn't, I looked for it yesterday," her sister pompously said. "You forgot to pack it for the trip."

Her mother exasperatedly sighed. "Honestly Lauren, you're good for nothing."

"MOM!" Tommy's voice broke through her train of thought, hitting the breaks just before she could collide with another vehicle. Threw back into their seats, Lauren panted heavily, looking over at her son to make sure he was ok.

He was startled but seemed fine otherwise. "I'm sorry, Thomas. It won't happen again."

"Never ever again….." she whispered to herself, sharpshooting her thoughts to the route home. When they arrived, she and Tommy left the vehicle and went inside.

"Thomas."

He rolled his eyes and took off his shoes. "Yeah, yeah, homework first. I know," he said, walking straight up the stairs.

Shaking her head, Lauren went to the kitchen to see her sixteen-year-old daughter Clarissa taking down a number of snacks from the cupboards above on a step ladder. She was home earlier than usual today, though it wasn't surprising if the girl had ditched a class again.

"Why are you taking down so many snacks?"

"The band has a gig this weekend, remember? So I'm staying over to Julie's," said Clarissa.

"Oh, alright then," Lauren dismissed the action, took a bottle of water and left the kitchen.

Clarissa shook her head and continued taking as many items as she needed, stuffing them into a backpack.

Lauren went upstairs and immediately took a shower to rinse off yet another long, hard day at work. She loved her job, it brought her many difficulties but she got to solve them with her own vocal opinions and words. She met and married a loving husband, one that kissed the very ground she walked on and was a Police Lieutenant, together, a high income generating couple.

Her mother may not have foreseen Lauren a bright future, but her father surely did and in the end, when he died, she was still the one forced to financially accommodate her mom's retirement home fees...that her sister placed the woman in. After all that favoritism, Paige still turned around and treat her mom like crap. Like mother, like daughter.

Drying her hair with a mini towel, Lauren waltzed into her bedroom and selected a simple legging and top from the Chester draws. When she turned around, however, there was a small white envelope on the bed.

Curious, she opened and skimmed through it:

The Runaway

By Clarissa xxxxx

I've been harboring these old meaningless words

Just let me convey...I owe you that much.

I'm tired of caring what you think anymore

Let me live for just this one moment in time.

Your ship has sailed, yet you still hold me to undesirable standards...

I'm not you..I've never been...not at birth..and most certainly not now.

So that's why it's goodbye. I can't say you were worst mom in the world, I mean at least you still took care of me, I wasn't hungry, you paid for the stuff I needed. In a sense, this only made it more difficult for me to accept your disappointment. Dad's no better, he plays favorites' tons of things that I would've liked you to be around for, to share with you as my mom...and hoped that somehow I could make you proud, that maybe you would love me more. Guess I'll never know.

Tell the boys I'm sorry. This is the last I will ever disappoint either of you.

I hope this does you for the better.

Lauren crumpled the paper and tossed it in her mini bin. This wasn't the first time Clarissa had left her little poems around the house. Why that girl couldn't pick up after herself, she understood not.

After moisturizing her hair and skin, Lauren slipped on her clothes and made her way down the staircase, passing Clarissa on the way down.

Clarissa went into her room and put in a few more clothes in her bag just in case and other products she might need. This decision was a scary one but from the looks of it, her mother either didn't see the letter or ignored it so there was no stopping her now.

Zipping her bag up, Clarissa laid down on her soft bed for the last time, savoring its comfort. She reached for her golden, childhood bear and pet it softly on the head.

"It's been nice, Mr. Roosevelt, but this is goodbye," she said, returning the bear to its spot.

"Clarissaaaaa," the bear said her name and was flung straight out of the window in return. Breathing heavily, Clarissa looked through the window for the bear but it was gone.

What the hell?

"Now that wasn't very nice," a dark voice behind her spoke. Clarissa turned around to see her childhood bear, partially dripping with water, standing up on her bed with hands on its hips.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"


AN- Thanks for reading. There will be a part 3. Clarissa's letter to her mom was inspired by the song Seishun Kyousoukyoku, popularly known as the opening song for Naruto (Not Shippuden), season 5, where they went out on a suicidal mission to bring Sasuke back to the village. The PowerPunks will be in the next chapter.