The first rays of the rising sun were casting their soft red glow over the streets of Townsville. The blonde girl carrying the envelope smiled as she watched the warm colors spread over the streets, turning the formerly dark surroundings into something ethereal, if only for a while.

Bubbles smiled as she glided over the streets and down to the front of the post office, watching the streets began to come alive, if slowly. One of the locals, an overweight, gray haired woman was jogging down the sidewalk, beads of sweat popping out on her forehead. A young man, a hard partier by the look of it, was stumbling clumsily back to his apartment, obviously in the thrall of a hangover. Talking Dog, who had managed to stick around for the past eleven years for reasons unknown to everyone except Talking Dog, was nosing around in the garbage.

Just thinking about the reply the Mayor had sent her brought a smile to Bubbles's face. She could still recall her trip to the post office on Sunday, how she'd fed the clerk at the front desk a very clumsy, probably unnecessary story about how she was a go-between, how she'd sped back to the house , and ripped the envelope open with trembling hands.

It'd been written in Ms. Bellum's elegant cursive (she transcribed all his letters, she remembered), but the words had belonged completely to the Mayor.

She was ashamed to have such thoughts, but Bubbles had to admit it to herself: the letter was much more affectionate and heartfelt than any of the messages her boyfriends sent her. Nothing special: just rambling on about how it felt to be the most important man in Townsville, questions about her personal life of the most innocuous nature (mainly about how much of a pickle connoisseur she was), things like that.

Good old Mayor!, Bubbles thought. I always could count on him to cheer me up when things went bad. Of course, he probably doesn't know who was writing him...yet. I wonder when I should tell him?

He'd probably laugh it off when she did have to reveal it, the blonde mused as she floated down to the front of the post office. For some reason it saddened her to think of the truth: the Mayor would always see her as one of the cute little Powerpuffs, nothing more. Why did that bother her? Bubbles didn't know, to be honest.

She gazed at the letter she held in her hand now. She'd poured out her feelings in this one; kept vague of course. Troubles, stress, worries. She told him about her pick-me-up when she was sad: she'd hum to herself or sing songs under her breath. She answered his questions, thankful that none of them were personal (yes, she did like pickles.) As she deposited the letter in the mailbox and flew off, she smiled, happier than she'd been in a while, because-

She had no idea, to be honest. It 's probably just a friendly thing, she told herself. I'm doing it to be nice, that's all.

Bubbles flew the rest of the way to school. She ended up being a half-hour early: she didn't care a bit. Better early than late, besides, standing out in front by the flagpole watching the school come to life was just as fun as watching Townsville itself wake up. She planned on surprising her sisters and ambushing them when they came off the bus, moreover, she wanted to outdo Buttercup. The tomboy had surprised everyone out of their minds by how stable she'd been on Sunday. It was like nothing had ever went wrong.

Maybe she had a new crush to make things better, the blue Puff thought. Maybe this one would work out and Buttercup would be happy. It was only a matter of time, wasn't it? Then Buttercup could tell everyone, she'd realize how okay with it they'd be, and everything would be solved!

If only she knew how complicated it really was.

---

She ran as slowly as she could, letting the bespectacled boy keep pace with her. It was a first: usually she just took off ahead all of the other runners, Elmer or no Elmer. She felt generous today though, and kept her activity on the track this morning down to a slow jog.

"Did you see Robyn?" Elmer asked her. He was panting a little: it was difficult for him to keep up any sort of physical exercise for too long. "What's been going on with her?"

Buttercup shrugged. Robyn had come to school tarted up in a miniskirt, fishnet hose, a green top that didn't leave much to the imagination, and heavy makeup. Guess she really was going all out to impress Butch.

"Who knows?" the black haired girl said. "New boyfriend, probably."

"Then he's a delinquent." her friend asserted. "He has to be, with the way she's dressing up for him. I bet it's Mitch. He seems like that type."

The green eyed girl frowned deeply. Sheesh, there he goes again. Only Elmer Sglue could hold a grudge for seven years or so towards a guy who hadn't laid a finger on him since he was about five or so.

"It's not Mitch, Elmer." she stated. "He's not that bad of a seed, trust me."

"So you say." Elmer said darkly. He looked at Buttercup in puzzlement. "Wait, how do you know it it's not Mitch? He could be, I mean just because a guy looks or acts a certain way..."

Buttercup looked away and began to increase her running speed a little bit. Elmer was blushing again, and she didn't want this to turn into another awkward situation. Besides, she already had someone.

Wait a second!, her conscience admonished her. You do not! You and Robyn are over, in fact, you never started. Who else did you have in mind, Buttercup?

Who indeed. She honestly had no idea, seeing as the only girl outside her family that she'd interacted with before the depression went away was Princess Morbucks, and she'd sooner be eaten alive with spoons than date that whining little brat. Unless this was another stupid crush of hers, and it was on Princess...alright, they'd had some stuff in common and the redhead was kind of cute when she wasn't opening her mouth to whine. That was it. Other than that, Buttercup hated her. Villains were villains, there was always something about them to dislike.

So why am I so damn happy all of a sudden, and why do I keep making plans about what I'm going to say to Princess the next time I visit?, she wondered There probably would never be a next time, and the green Puff wasn't supposed to want one either...

"Buttercup, if it's not Mitch, who do you propose it is?" Elmer was asking her. The bespectacled boy was panting hard as he tried to catch up. "How many delinquents do you know, anyway? Is it one of those villains you fight?" He laughed hoarsely, between gasps for breath. "That'd be a hoot, seeing Robyn try to romance one of those guys. It'd never work, someone good like her and a villain, right?"

But Buttercup had sped off down the track, leaving Elmer to stare forlornly after her.

---

"What's eating you, Bloss?"

Blossom had to resist flinching at the sound of her nickname. She couldn't stand it, to be honest, and she'd asked Katie repeatedly, in the nicest way possible, to just call her by her full name. It didn't work, and the nickname persisted. What was the big deal anyway? Just a nickname, that was a small priority here. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls had bigger things on her plate anyway.

The red haired girl turned to face her friend. Both girls were heading to the locker room after their game of volleyball, and then to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. Volleyball was definitely Blossom's game, though she made a point of never using her powers when playing. She enjoyed a level playing field, otherwise the whole point of PE seemed wasted.

"Don't worry about me." she told Katie, trying to put her best smile on. "I'm just concerned about that grade I got on my Biology exam, that's all."

"You got a 95." Katie said, her tone puzzled.

Blossom giggled weakly. "Um, well I could've gotten even higher if I'd studied more. You know me, Katie, always reaching for the stars. If it was possible to get anything above a 100..."

"Oh, I know you, Bloss." her friend agreed, as they both entered the locker room. "You'd try to get straight 200's if it was possible." She put her head to one side thoughtfully, as the two made their way to their lockers. "I've got great news, by the way."

"What is it?" the pink Puff inquired. Anything to take her mind away from...that.

Katie broke out into a grin. "I've got a boyfriend! You know that one guy who keeps beating me at trig during those Academic team meetings, Bud Farley? He asked me to go out with him!"

Immediately, Blossom felt as if someone had forced her demented train of thought back onto the tracks . She hoped the colors hadn't visibly drained from her face, even as the thoughts started back up. Such filthy, unheroic things to think! Why was it her who was having them? Why?

Her friend hadn't noticed, that or she was just too excited about her good news. "Blossom, this is amazing! I mean, I've never had a real boyfriend before, and I never dreamed it would be him. You know what the other people on the team were saying."

She'd been eyeing Bud for weeks, Blossom knew that, but everyone was sure that guy was more into numbers than girls. Guess he'd just proved them wrong.

"That's great news." the pink eyed girl said, trying to disguise the tremors in her voice. Just hearing Katie's talk of having someone she'd thought she couldn't have was making everything come up to haunt her.

Blossom wasn't supposed to be thinking about him, she wasn't! It was wrong, not only that, but it was sick. Not only was he a completely different species than her, he was evil! The Powerpuff Girls' worst enemy, that was Mojo Jojo: moreover, he was Blossom's worst enemy. He'd taken advantage of her over and over again in the past, knew how she admired his intelligence and used that to his advantage. She hated him, was supposed to hate him, would always hate him. So why couldn't she stop thinking of him, daydreaming about what he might be doing at the moment, imagining conversations they might have, genius to genius? Her heart was not supposed to make sickening little sideways leaps at thoughts of the megalomanical chimp, it wasn't!

Blossom turned on her heel and began to stride purposefully towards the showers. Katie took off after her.

"Bloss, what's going on? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I'm happy for you.', the red haired girl assured her, smiling. "Trust me, I really am. I just sweated up a storm and I need a shower."

"But we barely-" Katie began, only to witness Blossom duck into one of the stalls, toss her clothes over the curtain and begin to run warm water. When it rained, it poured with Blossom, didn't it? First her sister Buttercup was acting mopey, then it was the leader of the Puffs, and one of her best friends to boot! It must not be easy, being a superhero.

Something felt different about the air around the shower, Katie noticed. She looked up to see steam billowing up from the stall. Blossom really was trying to wash something, or someone out of her hair.

---

"Would Buttercup Utonium please report to the front office? Buttercup Utonium to the front office, please."

Buttercup looked up from the math problem she'd been working on, and up towards the intercom on the ceiling. What could the principal want with her anyway? She hadn't done anything that disruptive recently, right?

"Buttercup, you may be excused." the math instructor said. "I'll let you make the test up after school if you're late."

The black haired girl nodded, rising from her seat. She tried to resist wheeling around and telling that cluster of girls in the back of the room that were giggling at her to shut up. It was the same thing every time with that group: Oh, Buttercup's in trouble again, she just can't watch her temper. I wonder what kind of mess she's gotten into this time. Do you think she finally snapped and attacked a teacher for once? She'd done no such thing, honestly, she had no idea what she was needed for up there. It was probably something really stupid.

She made her way out of her classroom and into the hall, gritting her teeth a little. Idiots, how could they know what she was going through? And what did the principal need her for anyway?

Only one way to find out, the green Puff decided, as she began to half-jog down the hallway and towards the front office. Her best plan of action was to get this over with, then she could get back to class, finish her math test, and daydream...about Princess?

Yuck, no way!, Buttercup thought. Where did that stupid idea come from?

She finally arrived at the front office doors. It was now or never, wasn't it? That considered, she pushed the door open, to reveal the school principal and someone else. The newcomer looked every inch of a stereotypical butler: snobbish, well-groomed, put together. The black haired girl swallowed. She knew exactly who sent him.

"Oh, there you are, Buttercup." the Principal said. He checked his watch. "Early too. Funny, usually you do everything in your power to avoid coming here."

Buttercup wasn't listening. She was too busy eyeing the butler: yes, he'd definitely been sent courtesy of one Princess Morbucks. There was only one thing she could've wanted that would involve the front office.

"Look" the green Puff said, fixing the butler with an icy stare, "whatever she claims I did to her on Saturday is a lie. We just yelled at each other a lot, then I left. That's all. I'm already in enough trouble with that brat as it is. I'm sure you got to hear her whole pity party about her rib- and if it's about the rib, it was a hairline fracture, not a full-out break. She'll heal, so don't come after me about it!"

"Miss Morbucks sent me to retrieve you." the butler responded. "If it has anything to do with your quarrels, she has said nothing about it in the least."

Buttercup was perplexed. "Retrieve me? She's starting that game up already?"

"Game? I have no idea what you mean by this. Miss Morbucks simply wanted your company this afternoon."

"I've signed you out for the day, don't worry about it." the principal said. Buttercup noticed the stack of dollar bills poking out of his pocket. It figured.

"Fine." the black haired girl told the butler. "But I mean it, if this is another excuse for her to whine in my ear, I'm leaving."

The butler gave no indication of having heard her. Instead he made his way out of the office silently. Buttercup followed him out, wondering why she was a little excited about seeing Princess again.

---

There she sat in the back of the limousine, waiting for her when Buttercup arrived, none other than Princess Morbucks. The redhead was dolled up in a gold blazer/skirt combo, and her hair was tied back instead of pulled into pigtails like usual. She looked like a young business woman, to a point. If it wasn't for the sling one of her arms still sat in, one would have thought that nothing was wrong with her at all.

"Hello, Buttercup." she said, a thin smile on her face. "I didn't expect you to come so quickly. Did Alfred make you come, or-"

The green Puff was idling by the open door of the limo. "I wanted to come, okay?" she said. "I do have a free will, you know."

Princess motioned towards the seat next to her. "Well sit down, I don't have all day." As Buttercup took a seat, the redhead cleared her throat. "Well, what do you say?" She paused, waiting for a response. "Excuse me, but you're supposed to thank me, Buttercup."

"For what, letting me bask in your glory?" the black haired girl drawled sarcastically.

Princess looked miffed. "No, for the limo ride. I don't have to let you sit next to me. I could've just made you fly behind." She observed the butler taking a seat at the front. "Roll the window up, Alfred, Buttercup and I need to talk." the rich teen said. The butler obliged her, and the divider between the backseat and front went up without a sound.

"What happened to 'don't come back'?" Buttercup inquired. "Have you decided you can't live without me or something?"

The redhead flushed a little. That Buttercup, every time she thought of her in that light recently- "No, I...I'm not done chastising you." Princess said curtly, trying to disguise how her voice wavered a bit. "That's all."

"Oh, what now?" Buttercup asked. "I think you emptied the book of things to call me on Saturday, if I remember right. Did you invent some more things to tell me while you were lying around feeling sorry for yourself yesterday?"

"I can have you thrown out." the rich teen responded. "Don't forget that."

"It's the same to me." the green Puff said. She turned away and stared out the window, watching the streets of Townsville go by. Princess did nothing to stop her, at least not for several moments.

"We're going out to eat." she heard the redhead say after a few moments. "You can't act out in a restaurant, and I can tell you whatever I want, since I don't throw myself around like an animal when I'm upset." She laughed quietly. "We're on my home turf: the other people around there are on my side, not yours. They can't stand you three any more than I can."

"So, if you hate the Powerpuffs, why is one riding next to you?" Buttercup asked.

Princess frowned. "Because, that's why! Because I'm the Princess, and I said so!"

Buttercup shook her head. "Maybe that logic works on your father, but it doesn't work on me. Don't even try it."

"Oh really?" Princess inquired. "So tell me, Buttercup, why are you here? I'm evil, you're good, you're supposed to hate me as much as I hate you, yet you came right out when I told you to. Don't get hypocritical on me." She motioned to a shopping bag sitting by her feet. "Your clothes are in there."

"My clothes?"

"Well, of course." the redhead responded, as if this were an extremely stupid question. "Do you really think I'd take you anywhere dressed the way you dress? Go ahead, take them."

Buttercup retrieved the bag, an incredulous look on her face. "You bought me clothes." she muttered.

"Of course not! One of the maids did. I'm not wasting my money on you." Princess said. "Go ahead and change: I won't look, Alfred can't see, and this is one-way glass. Go on, we have fifteen minutes before we get there. I wasn't sure about your sizes, so I told Henrietta to guess. She's a smart lady...for a maid."

Buttercup extracted the outfit from the bag: green silk button down with gold cufflinks, dark green dress pants, dark green suit jacket, very dark green, almost black flats. "This is something a boy would wear." the black haired girl said, looking the clothes over, a frown on her face. "Just because I'm-"

"Oh, what's it to you? You dress like a boy anyway." the redhead snapped. She closed her eyes. "Now for the last time, put them on."

"I'll do it when I feel like it." Buttercup responded. Even so, she began to change, peeling off her T-shirt and exchanging it for the button-down. In a few moments, she'd put everything on. The jacket was a little long around the sleeves, and the shoes were a size too tight, but other than that, it fit her fairly well. It wasn't half-bad in the looks department either.

Princess seemed to know instinctively when she had finished. The rich teen opened her eyes and whirled around, regarding Buttercup. "Perfect." she said. "Now you don't look completely like a savage."

"I can leave whenever I want." Buttercup informed her.

"Not wearing those clothes, you can't. Technically, they're mine, so you'd be stealing."

"How can you prove that, Princess?"

"I have my ways. Besides, everyone knows you can't afford an outfit like that. You're too poor."

"How do you know?"

"Please, Buttercup, it's obvious. Come back when you have a private jet of your own, then we'll talk."

"I can fly on my own: I don't need a jet."

That made Princess fall silent. The redhead stared out the window the rest of the way there.

---

The sound of her cell phone vibrating jolted Blossom out of her boredom-induced daydream. It wasn't that she didn't care about Romeo and Juliet, she'd just heard it all before: she'd read the play for fun numerous times. Besides, forbidden love was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now.

She withdrew the phone and flipped it open. "What seems to be the trouble, Mayor?" she asked. A frown creased her face as she heard the answer. "Mojo Jojo? Again? What...no, no, Mayor, we're on it!"

Bubbles could be heard on the line now as well. "Yeah, what Blossom said!" the blue Puff could be heard saying.

Well, this was just peachy, Blossom thought, as she raised her hand and waited to be called on to be excused. In all likelihood, Mojo simply wanted those philosophy books back. Maybe she should've asked before she'd taken...no, borrowed them.

"You may go, Blossom." the literature teacher said without looking up from the copy of the play she held. "Have fun saving the world."

"I will..." the pink Puff said half-heartedly as she made her way to the window. If this was what was going to come out of her curiosity...

---

Buttercup's cell started vibrating moments after she and Princess had left the limousine and made their way into the restaurant. Unfortunately, she'd left it in her jeans pocket, and Alfred, who still had the driver's seat window up, was beyond hearing it. The call for the toughest fighter fell on deaf ears, actually, no ears at all.

---

Buttercup didn't think of herself as an animal, not in the least, but that changed a little when she entered the Chateau de L'Argent with Princess. The rich teen was right: these were her people, dressed up in the most expensive ways possible, making sure that everyone knew how rich they were via their jewelry and gadgets. This was definitely the snobbish quadrant of Townsville.

"Hello, table for two, please." Princess told the maitre d. The man nodded, and wordlessly escorted the two girls to a small table by a large window. The view outside was lovely: you could see how carefully the gardens around her had been kept, down to the last petal.

Princess sat down delicately, smirking at the trapped look Buttercup had on her face as the green Puff sat down in the most awkward fashion possible. Oh, she'd taunted her back in the hospital, but now Princess was fighting on her own turf, today and on Saturday. Any way the perfect little Powerpuff went, she couldn't win. The rich teen would see to that.

"Should I help you with that napkin?" she asked Buttercup, who was struggling to figure out how to unfold the cloth. Before the black haired girl could respond, Princess reached over, snatched it, and unfolded it, and passed it back without a word.

Oh dear, if she didn't know how to unfold one of their napkins, seeing her eat would be a disaster. Everyone the Morbucks estate knew would make fun of her, that was nearly a guarantee! She knew it was a bad idea, of all the Powerpuffs to take along, it had to be the least cultured one! Where did she ever get the idea Buttercup was anything like her anyway?

"I set it like this, right?"

Princess looked up from her fit of peevishness, her eyes widening in surprise. Buttercup had everything perfectly arranged, down to the last salad fork.

"How did you-" the redhead began, only to pause. Buttercup was gawking again, her face a pale white color. "What now?" Princess asked in annoyance.

Buttercup didn't answer, not out loud. Inside, however was a different story. She had just realized that call it what you want: creative punishment or a pointless outing, this was a date and Princess didn't even know it. She, one of the heroic Powerpuff Girls, was sitting in a five-star restaurant across from a Townsvillain.

A loud "thud" echoed far off, near Townsville Hall. The green Puff didn't hear it: she was too busy listening to the thudding of her own heart.