Chapter Seven: Sweet Dreams and Living Nightmares

Buttercup's POV

I was alone in my room when I heard a knock on my window. Confused, I went to open it. I couldn't believe it. It was Butch. I looked down and saw no latter.

"How did you...?" I started to asked but was cut off.

"Shhhhh... Don't speak," he whispered to me. I had a stunned look on my face, but he simply kissed me as he entered my room.

I melted in his arms as he picked me up and laid me gently on the bed. I thought I should have been nervous, but I wasn't. He joined me on the bed still kissing me as he continued to undress me. I breathed in deeply as he started to kiss my neck. I began to remove his clothes, seeing his finely chiseled chest.

I felt my whole body tingle as he lay on top of me. I felt his hand reach for my underwear. I felt his fingers reach into them and pull them down. Suddenly I felt the need to have him inside me.

"I want you so much," I whispered in his ear. I looked down and saw him beginning to unzip his pants. He took them off quickly and lowered his boxer shorts. For some reason I could only look in his eyes. I saw his hungry for me as he lay on top of me again, and as he began to enter me...

"Buttercup!" I could hear my sister's voice screaming down the hall. I was jostled out of my sleep and sat up in bed as my door swung open.

"Blossom, what do you want?" I snapped. "I was sleeping, you know."

"Dad wants to talk to you," she said and raced down the hall.

I didn't have to guess what it was about. I changed my clothes and ran a comb through my hair. I ran downstairs and saw my dad waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The bruises on my body were still visible.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked, but I already knew what he was going to say.

"Buttercup, I'm worried about you," he said. "That boy could have..."

"I know, but he didn't," I said. "Butch protected me, Dad."

"I know, but I think we need to go down to the police station and press charges against him."

"Dad, I don't think that's necessary," I said. I didn't want him making a big deal out of this, even though deep down I was scared about what Mitch would do.

"Yes, it is necessary," Dad said. "He could have killed you."

"Oh, alright, if it will make you happy," I said, getting frustrated with the whole situation. I sat down in the living room. Bubbles came out still wearing her kitchen apron.

"Buttercup," she said, almost singing my name. "Breakfast is ready."

"I'm not hungry," I snapped at her. I slumped back in my chair and crossed my arms. God, I wished they would all stop. I just wanted my life back the way it was before. Before Mitch and all the drama, with one exception, meeting Butch. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

"Buttercup, you need to eat," Dad said, being insistent.

"Fine," I said and got out of my chair and stomped into the kitchen.

Butch's POV

I woke with a start that morning. I couldn't believe the dream I had. I dreamed about Buttercup before, but never like this. I didn't know how, but somehow I flew up to her window. I tapped lightly on it, startling her a bit, but she came to the window and opened. As I stepped in, she tried to speak, but that's not what I wanted. Instead I silenced her with a kiss.

I proceeded to pick her up and laid her gently on the bed. My lips never left hers as I joined her. I started to undress her. I could feel her hot breath as I started to kiss her neck. Then she started to undress me. I was so hot for her, that I reached down for her underwear. I quickly pulled them off. I so desperately wanted to be inside her.

"I want you so much," I heard her whisper in my ear. I unzipped my pants and took them off, then removed my boxer shorts. I lay on top of her and began to enter her.

That's when that damned alarm went off. I had no choice but to get out of bed. I wondered if she would be at school that day, but with the injuries she endured the night before I wasn't sure. It didn't matter, because somehow I was going to see her, even if I had to go through the whole day at school without her.

Brick came in to make sure I was up. By the time I came out, Boomer was in the kitchen cooking breakfast as usual, while Brick was primping in front of the mirror. I went over to him and messed up his hair.

"Hey, Brick, trying to pretty up for the hot little red-head."

"You would know," Brick said, fixing his hair back, like you don't jump every time that green eyed, raven haired girl calls your name."

"Leave Buttercup out of this," I said. "Besides, she not just a girl."

"I know, and neither is Blossom."

"I guess we're just hopeless."

"Hey, you guys want breakfast?" Boomer called from the kitchen. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" he said.

Boomer opened the door, and to my surprise it was two police officers. I looked over at the door realizing this was not going to be good.

"Is there a Butch Jojo here?"

"I'm Butch Jojo," I said, stepping forward. "What's this about?"

"You're under arrest for assault," one of the officers said.

"What?" Brick shouted. "That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, who the hell did he beat the crap out of?" Boomer asked in casual manner. This was a bad time to be making a joke.

"Mitch Mitchelson," the officer said. He proceeded to read me my rights. I was handcuffed and escorted down to a police car.

Damn, this was going to be one lousy day.

Buttercup's POV

"Okay, Dad, we're here," I said as I stopped the car near the police station. "Let's just get this over with."

We got out of the car and walked over to the entrance of the police station. The place looked pretty bare, so I hoped we wouldn't have to be there for very long.

Dad went up to the front desk and asked for help. I stayed seated in one of the chairs. I felt so uncomfortable being there. Suddenly there was a commotion, and I heard a voice I recognized.

It was Butch. What was he doing here? I looked up and saw him in handcuffs. I got up from my seat and ran over to him. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Sorry, Ma'am," the police officer said as he was leading Butch away. "Wait. Why are you locking him up?"

"Assault, Ma'am," the officer said.

Butch looked straight at me. "Don't worry, BC. It's no big deal."

I ran over to my dad, who was talking to a detective. "Hey, why is Butch Jojo being arrested?"

"It's an assault charge filed by a Mitchelson."

"No, that's wrong!" I shouted. "If you're talking about Mitch. He's the one who assaulted me."

"You have information on the Mitchelson case?"

"There is no case," I said. "That asshole tried to rape me, and Butch stopped him."

"Is that true?" the officer looked over to my father. That pissed me off. Did he think I was lying?

"That's why we're here," Dad said. "To press charges and to get a restraining order."

"According to Mitchelson's grandmother, Butch Jojo attacked Mitch. He has bruises to prove it."

"Butch was just protecting me," I pleaded. "This bruise on my face, Mitch did that."

The detective came around and led me into a room in the back. He opened the door and had me sit down. "Alright, Miss Utonium, do you want to start at the beginning?"

"Well, Mitch used to be my boyfriend, but things were working out, so I broke up with him. He didn't like that, and when he found out I was having lunch with Butch the other day, he got mad. We got into an argument, and he slammed me against a wall. I had to stay home from school the next day, and he called me on phone. The whole situation started to get to me, so I took off. Butch found me in the park yesterday evening. Mitch saw us, and when Butch went to get us some food, he attacked me."

"What exactly did he do?" the detective asked.

I hesitated for a moment not really wanting to relive the memory. "He put his arm around my neck and held my arms so I couldn't move," I said hesitantly. My voice was shaky, but had to do this... for Butch. "I stumped on his foot to make him let go, but he caught me before I could get away. Then he backed me up against a tree and forced me to kiss him. I tried to get away, but he slapped me across the face. He put hands around my neck and tried to choke me, but Butch showed up. He got him off me."

"So you're saying Mister Jojo actions were in defending you?"

"Yeah, if he wasn't there last night, Mitch might have..." I stopped. I couldn't go on. Damn you, Mitch. Now, here I was crying in front of a stranger. This is your fault.

"Would you be willing to testify in court?"

"Of course," I said. "I just wanted Mitch to stay away from me."

"Don't worry about him," the detective said.

"What about Butch?" I asked. "You have to let him go. He's innocent."

"With your statement, I'm sure we can get the charges dropped."

"Thank you," I said.

I spent another hour at the police station giving my statement of what happened. By the time I was finished I was exhausted. I came out to see my dad waiting, but Butch was there, too. My eyes lit up when I saw him. He came over and embraced me.

He looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," I said. At that moment, I saw Mitch being forced into the police station. He was yelling profanities. Then he spotted me.

"You funkin' bitch, I'll get you for this!" he shouted as the police officers took him away.

I started to shake. My hands touched me neck where he had choked me. I wondered how much worse this would get. Once Mitch was gone, I thought I would feel better, but somehow I felt worse.

"Sweetie," Dad said. "It'll be okay." Butch held my hand tight, and I so desperately wanted to believe it. I had a feeling that it just started.

"I should call my brothers and let them know I'm okay," he said. I looked at the clock. It was well after three, and school was just letting out.

"Hey, Brick," I heard Butch say over the phone. "Hey, I'm fine. I got me a guardian angel." He looked over at me and smiled. "Where are you?" He paused for a moment. "Well, I think I can get a ride." He looked over at me again. "Okay, bye." He ended call and placed the phone in his pocket.

"So, you need a ride?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "My brothers are at your house."

Dad gave him a strange look. He was so overprotective. "Let's get out of here." I said. The three of us walked out to my car, and I drove us to my house. Dad was nice enough to sit in the back seat, but the ride was pretty quiet, except for dad asking a few questions.

"So, Butch, how old are you?" he asked.

"Seventeen," he answered.

"And where do you live?" I felt like Butch was being interrogated.

"With my brothers," Butch answered. "We have an apartment in town."

"And your parents?" Dad questioned.

"We're orphans," Butch said.

"So all three of you live on your own," Dad clarified.

"Dad, that's enough with the questions," I said frustrated.

"Alright," Dad said, as we drove up to the house.

We got out of the car as my sisters and Butch's brothers came out. Bubbles and Blossom came up to me with concern in their eyes. "We heard what happened," Blossom said.

"Don't worry," I said. "Mitch got arrested."

"Well, thank goddess," Bubbles said. "I hope you guys don't mind, but Boomer and I are taking off."

"And where are you taking my little sister?" I looked over at Boomer and demanded to know.

"It's just to the movies, Buttercup," Bubbles said, but I noticed she had on her blue mini dress and ice blue pearled heels. She looked like she was ready for a night out on the town and not a casual movie date.

Dad came over to Bubbles and Boomer. "Just remember your curfew."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Bubbles said sweetly. "I won't be late."

"And what about you two?" I asked, looking at Blossom and Brick.

"We have studying to do," Blossom said. "Come on, Brick." She took his hand and led him into the house.

Dad approached us and looked over at me. "Buttercup, I think you should go in and rest now. You had a stressful day."

"Dad, I'm fine, besides I think Butch needs a ride home."

"Well, alright. Drive careful and be home before curfew."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of her." Butch took my hand which made me smile. Dad walked back in the house, leaving us alone.

"So, your old man, he's not so bad," Butch said.

"I guess not," I said. "Sorry about the interrogation. He's a little overprotective."

"You're lucky," he simply said.

I was about to get back into the car when Butch put his hand on the door. "Why don't you let me drive?"

"No way, I don't let anyone drive my car." He looked at me like he didn't believe me. "Well, not usually."

"Make an exception," he said. He came so close to me that it made me nervous. "Come on, don't you trust me with your car."

"Alright, but just this once," I said. I handed him the keys and got in the passenger's side. I guess giving someone control of my car is like giving them control over me, but with him I didn't mind so much. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

I closed my eyes, feeling the breeze coming through the cracks in the window. I felt myself drifting to sleep until the car suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes to see one of the old buildings in downtown Townsville.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My place," he said. I became suddenly nervous. He looked over at me. "We could go somewhere else if you want?"

"No, it's fine," I said. "I'd like to see where you live."

"Good," he said. He smirked at me playfully. "Then let's go up."

I took that as a challenge and got out of the car and followed him. When we entered the building, it actually looked kind of nice. The walls were all wood paneled and there was emerald green carpeting on the floor. It was the elevator that intrigued me the most. It was one of these old world style elevators with a wooden door and an iron gate.

Butch looked over at me. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," I said. "But is that thing safe?"

"Sure it is," he said, coming closer to me. He put his hands on either side of my waist. "Don't worry, little Buttercup. I'll protect you."

He leaned down and when he was just about to kiss me the elevator door opened. "We should go," I said, breathing in nervously.

He led me into the elevator. I actually kind of liked it. It looked much more artistic than modern elevators. Suddenly I was excited to see what Butch's place looked like, but I was also nervous knowing that neither of his brothers was home, because they were hanging out with my sisters.

When we got out of the elevator, I walked slower than usual. My knees felt weak like they were about to buckle. Finally we reached his door and he unlocked it. He led me inside.

"Sorry about the mess," he said as I looked around. He led me into the living room where I sat down on the couch. It was a solid gray color, a little worn but not too bad. He had a wooden coffee table and a small mattress on the floor. There was no television, but he did have nice stereo sitting on the bookshelf. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little," I said. "I didn't have lunch."

He went into the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator. "How about some leftover pizza?"

"Sounds great," I called from the living room.

A few minutes later he came back in. He had some sodas in his hand and plate of Pepperoni and sausage pizza. He turned on the studio and played some soft music. He sat down next to me and took a bite out of his slice of pizza.

After he swallowed, he looked over at me. "So, I should thank you," he said. His stare became more intense.

"For what?" I asked, finishing off my slice. I took a drink of the soda to wash it down. "I just told the truth. You're the one that saved me."

"That was my pleasure," he said, caressing my face. He was gliding over the bruise that was still visible. I flinched a little moving away from him. "Yeah, you're not afraid to be alone with me, are you?" I couldn't answer him. I tried to look away, but he wouldn't let me. "You don't have to be afraid. I would never hurt you."

"I know, I just..." I couldn't go on.

He took me into his arms and embraced me. I felt the warmth of his body heat, and at that moment I didn't want to be anywhere else. I sighed softly as the next song started.

I looked playfully at him and said, "I love this song."

"Me too," he said. "You want to dance?"

"Okay," I said.

It was a slow song, but one of my favorites. He led me over to a clear part of the living room and took me in his arms. I rested my hand on his shoulder and rapped my arms around him. We swayed slowly to the music, and I forgot about all the bad things that happened in the last few days.

As the song ended he looked deeply into my eyes. I breathed deeply, knowing he was about to kiss me. I closed my eyes at the very second his lips touched mine. He pulled me close to him, and I felt his hands on my back. I felt so light as he lifted me off the floor. He felt my foot gently hit the floor again.

He led my back over to couch where we sat down together. He went for my lips again. God, he tasted so good, but it scared me too, especially when his tongue started to travel down my neck. I quickly pulled away from him.

I saw the hurt look on his face. "I'm sorry," I said and was about to get up, but he stopped me.

"Hey, it's okay," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. You're just so beautiful."

"I'm just not ready," I said.

"For sex, that's okay," he said. "I didn't invite you over here for that."

"Yeah, right," I said and looked away from him. I felt him touch my hand.

"I'm not Mitch," he said. "I'd never treat you that way." I half smiled at him as he reached over to kiss me again. I put my arms around his neck as our kiss deepened. I fell back on the couch, as I felt his hands travel down my back.

I remembered the dream I had the night before and how I wanted him to make love to me. I breathed deeply as his hands made their way up my T-shirt. Oh god, this was really going to happen, and I wanted it.

At that moment I heard a noise from outside the door. Butch abruptly stopped as Boomer came through the door.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked. Oh god, I hope he didn't see me blushing.

"Nothing," I said. "Nothing at all." I looked at my watch and saw it was eleven thirty. I got up from the couch and looked over at Butch. "Look, I have to go. If I don't make curfew my dad will kill me."

"Sure," he said and walked me over to the door. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I said and smiled at him. I walked over to the elevator with a flutter in my stomach. It was official. I think I'm falling in love with him. I just hoped he felt the same way.

That's the end of this chapter. Sorry for that teaser, but I'm just plain mean sometimes. It looks like things are going great for Butch and Buttercup, but don't get too excited. Something is going to happen in the next chapter that will threaten their budding relationship. Be here next time to see what happens. Remember to review and see you next chapter.