Time
Part 4: All For You
Chapter 10
A chilling wind blew against his back as he stared up at the small house in front of him. Boomer's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he stood with his hands deep within his jean pockets. He had to confront him. Downtown Townsville's devastated state fueled his desire to get to the bottom of what was going on for the past few months. There was too much destruction going on for it to all be some sort of string of bad luck. He didn't want to admit it, but Boomer was starting to see how everything went to shit as soon as his high school friend returned to the town. Everything that his siblings had gone through all seemed to trace back to the brunette man. Now, as he stood outside in the evening light, he wanted a clear answer. And, no matter what, he was going to get it.
Boomer walked up the stairs on the hill towards Jessie's front door. He stepped onto the porch and raised his hand to ring the doorbell. It wasn't long before Jessie opened the door with a strained grin on his lips. Boomer studied Jessie's face and took notice of the dark circles under his now dim and lifeless blue-hazel eyes. The frame of his body was thinner than usual and the dyed color that usually stood on the tips of his bangs was now faded away. Even his hair fell limp on his forehead. His curls were nowhere to be found anymore.
"Oh, hello Boomer. Come in." Jessie moved away from the door to let the blonde man enter the house. Boomer kept his face serious as he entered and removed his shoes. Jessie eyed him, and his smile slightly faltered. "What's the matter?"
"I just have a lot on my mind, and I wanted to come and talk to you about it." Jessie's smile came back in full force once more.
"Well, you came to the right place! Here, let's go into the living room. I was just about to make some hot cocoa if you wanted some." Boomer followed the brunette into the small room and shook his head.
"No, I'm fine. But thanks." Boomer sat down on the couch and leaned over onto his knees, clasping his hands out in front of him. Jessie took one of the plushy chairs that sat next to the couch and tucked one of his legs comfortably under the other.
"So, what's up? Are you stressed out because of what happened on Sunday? That was crazy what Blossom did! It's still all over the news even though it happened a week ago. Is she at least helping you rebuild Downtown?" Boomer shook his head.
"No, she's getting some… psychiatric help. Losing Vincent was bad enough. Now this shit happened, and… she's at an all time low. I even think she's lower than how I was during high school. She's just… empty. It's like when you look in her eyes, there's nothing left inside of her. Professor and Rachel took a look at her, and they said that she was mind controlled. Again, kind of how I was. But the only person I know who can do that is HIM. And he's gone. He's been gone ever since that day we paid him a visit in his own plane of existence. There is no way he could be back." Jessie nodded his head, hoping to look as innocent as he was playing all this time.
"Well, he is a demon. Maybe he could've come back to mess with Blossom. You never know." Boomer's eyes squinted as he stared at Jessie. There was something so off about him. Not only was his appearance concerning, but the way he carried himself while he talked. It was like he was hiding something.
"Yeah… I guess you're right. But that's not the only thing that worries me. Everything has been going wrong. I don't even know when it started. It's like we've been having nothing but bad luck! I just don't understand it. It's like this is someone's way of getting back at us. But for what? What have any of us done?" Boomer asked as he kept his eyes on Jessie's face. He wanted to see how much of a reaction the brunette had. He hoped he was wrong about him, but something deep within his gut didn't let him think that Jessie had no part in what was happening to his family. The brunette began to falter under Boomer's questions. He could feel his skin prickle as it became hot. He had to try his hardest not to give away his intentions. Even if it was from Boomer, the only person he ever really cared about.
"I-I don't know. Maybe someone has it out for you for some reason… Uh, do you have any idea who it might be?" Jessie's eyes were cast down at the carpeted flooring as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. He soon noticed that Boomer had become uncharacteristically silent. He slowly glanced up at the blonde man and felt his heart skip a beat once he saw his face. Boomer's brows were knitted deeply, and his lips were set in a hard line. His electric blue eyes seemed to glow with unadulterated rage as he stared at Jessie. Jessie knew that the usually cool and collected blonde was about to explode. After a long moment of silence, Boomer finally spoke.
"Cut the shit, Jessie." His voice was deep and guttural, like the growl of a wild, untamed beast. "You and I both know that this shit has been going on ever since you showed up in Townsville again. Where have you been all these years, huh?" Jessie leaned back in his chair like a guilty child. He tried to shrink away from the blonde as he shook his head, his hazel eyes widening greatly.
"I… I… No- nowhere…" Boomer scoffed and scooted closer to Jessie.
"Bullshit! Tell me, have you been working with HIM? He's back, isn't he? Did he take you that summer when you went missing? Is that where you've been? With HIM?!" Jessie's breath quickened, and he suddenly shot out of his chair, rubbing at his head.
"I don't have to take this interrogation shit from you! You of all people should know that I would never do something like that to you!" The brunette hurried out of the room and took off up the stairs. Boomer growled and followed after him.
"There is a day where I would've agreed with you, Jessie. Today is not that day! You need to tell me where you've been!" Boomer caught up to Jessie and roughly gripped at his arm. Boomer spun the brunette around and shook him a bit while staring into his eyes. "Vincent, when he had the seizure, was that you?"
"No! No, it-"
"The memorial, the fire, was that you?"
"No! No, it was-"
"Buttercup! My nephew dying! Was that you?!" Boomer's eyes began to water. The tears threatened to spill over onto his cheeks. It was too much, it was too much to think about. Jessie violently shook his head. He was becoming more aggravated and heartbroken with each passing second that Boomer questioned him, looking deep within his eyes, searching.
"No! No, no, no, no, it wasn't me Boo-"
"Blossom's mind! Her destroying almost the entire city! Was. That. You?!"
"NO!" With a sudden burst of energy, Jessie threw Boomer's body back several feet with an eruption of reddish-magenta light. Jessie could feel an anger inside of him like never before as he stared down at the wincing Rowdyruff Boy. His breath was as rapid as his heartbeat, and his eyes changed into their reddish-pink hue. Boomer groaned as he slowly flipped over onto his back. His side was throbbing from the impact he had with the hardwood floor. He sat up and looked at the now furious (and slightly glowing) Jessie.
"... Jess…" The brunette smirked.
"Was this what you wanted? You wanted to push me to see if I had power? Well, here you go. You've finally figured me out. And it only took you almost an entire year. Boy, how gullible are you, Boomer? Bubbles had me all figured out a long time ago. She even tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. How stupid can you get?" Boomer shook his head before he stood up. He eyed Jessie in disbelief. How could his best friend be so easily tempted by that loathsome demon from the very pits of Hell? He knew Jessie didn't have the most stable life, but to go on and team up with HIM was something no one should ever do, no matter how shitty their lives were.
"Jessie, why… why would you do something like this? HIM doesn't care about you. He's only going to use you until he gets what he wants, then he'll just throw you away like the piece of trash he already thinks you are!"
"Ohohoho, don't say things like that, dearest Boomer!" Boomer took a step back when a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere next to Jessie. HIM. The demon smirked, showing off his razor sharp teeth as he put an arm around his pawn. "Jessie knows better than to listen to you anymore. Now he listens to me because I don't use him or lie to him. I have taught him everything I know, and he has turned out to be one of my most accomplished apprentices!" Boomer snarled in disgust.
"You corrupted his mind just like how you corrupted mine and Blossom's! You're a monster! We will defeat you again! We'll just keep killing you over and over again no matter how many times it takes to get you to stay gone! That's a promise." HIM chuckled.
"Do you want to know what my promise is? I promise that you will never get Jessie back, no matter how hard you try. He's been mine for a very long time, and he will stay mine." The demon glanced down at Jessie and lifted a hand to his hair. He pushed back the dark brown strands and whispered in his ear. Boomer tried his hardest to make out what he was saying, but the demon was whispering in some sort of language that Boomer had never heard before. All he knew was that, whatever it was, it was corrupting Jessie even more. The brunette's eyes completely glassed over, and his eyelids drooped slightly. His mouth was set in a thin line, and his stare was hard and lifeless.
"Now, do me proud, Jessie." He turned to Boomer with a sinister grin and took a couple of steps back. "Kill him." Jessie lifelessly obeyed and kicked off the ground, shooting right for a stunned Boomer.
"It's okay, Buttercup. It's alright. It'll get better, I promise." Bubbles sat on her sister's bed as Buttercup sobbed into her shoulder. Bubbles hugged the raven headed woman close and stroked her hair comfortingly. Buttercup sniffed wetly and pulled herself away from her sister to wipe at her face with the several tissues that were in her hand.
"It's just been getting s-so bad between us. I thought that o-once we m-moved it would get better… He's barely home, we barely speak, and now he's moved himself to sleeping on the couch. The couch! Pretty soon he'll be breaking up with me and moving out! I just… I don't know what to do…" Bubbles sighed and rubbed her hand on her sister's shoulder. She knew losing a baby was hard on them. Ever since that day, Butch had been putting the blame of their son's death on Buttercup. Bubbles chalked it up to it being his own way of coping with the grief of it all. She had no clear idea of what it really felt like, but she could only guess as to how heartbreaking and soul shattering it was by just listening to her usually strong and hard headed sister.
"Buttercup, Butch is deeply in love with you. He won't leave you for this. He just needs time; you both do. It's going to take time for this type of wound to heal. Have you tried talking to a marriage counselor? I know that you two aren't married, but it could help with the process. If you want, I could give Mitch a call. His dad works over at the counseling center. I could see if he would recommend anyone for you." Buttercup wiped at her face once more before looking up at her sister.
"Y-you would do that?" Bubbles nodded with a bright smile.
"Of course I would! You're my sister." Buttercup gave a small smile back before glancing back down at the floor, thinking. After a few moments of her going over it in her head, she nodded.
"Yeah… yeah, that's a good idea. Thank you, Bubs." Bubbles giggled and wrapped her arms around Buttercup, hugging her close. Buttercup did the same.
"No need to thank me. It's what sisters are for!" She pulled away and stood up from the bed. "Now, you crawl up there, and you rest. This must be so exhausting for you. I'll stay for as long as you want me to. And if Butch comes home while I'm still here, I'll talk to him about it, okay?" Buttercup nodded, suddenly feeling more tired that she already was. She pulled back the dark covers and snuggled deep within the pillows. Bubbles walked over to the single lamp that was still lit and clicked it off. She wished Buttercup sweet dreams before exiting the dark room, closing the door behind her.
Bubbles jogged down the stairs and entered the living room, plopping down on the couch. She could feel her own exhaustion creeping over her as she leaned back on the cushions. She had to take on the role of the rock in the group after Blossom's accident. She was the one that set up Blossom with her therapist, and she was the one that convinced the redhead not to press charges on Brick. Of course, after she came to in the hospital, all she wanted to do was to be with the ones that cared about her. Including Brick. Bubbles felt like that along with Buttercup and Butch's fallout, she was the one trying to keep everyone sane and together. Boomer wasn't much help, either. He'd been too busy being locked up in his home saying that he was always too busy to even acknowledge what she was going through. It was madness.
The blonde sighed deeply once more before leaning over to pick up the remote. She clicked on the TV and flipped through the channels.
"No."
Flip.
"No."
Flip.
"No."
Flip.
"... Rowdyruff Boys is battling some new, unknown enemy! I'm standing-"
"No… wait, what was that?" Bubbles flipped back to the news channel and leaned over on her knees to watch.
"... No one seems to know who this man is or where he came from, but as you can see up behind me, this battle is far from over! Let's just hope Boomer can drive this man out of our fair city while reconstruction is underway!" The screen flipped back to the bronze skinned woman in the news studio.
"Boomer Cromwell has been battling this man for almost a hour now, and it looks as if this unknown enemy is not giving up anytime soon. What we have been able to gather from this is that he has some of the same powers as the Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs, but if he comes from the infamous Chemical X is still quite unknown. Now, we are going to show you all a close up of this man, and if you see him know to stay far away from him until this battle subsides." Bubbles gasped and covered her mouth as a blurry picture of Jessie filled the TV screen. She couldn't believe it! Jessie had powers! She knew he was bad news! But she never imagined he had those types of powers. She had to call one of the others. Boomer might be in some very real danger.
She picked up her phone and quickly unlocked it. Just as she was about to click on Blossom's name, she suddenly stopped. Blossom was at her therapy session. Ugh, that means Brick is with her! And who the hell knows where Butch is! She huffed in frustration, clicking her phone back off.
"Looks like I'm going it alone, then." Bubbles huffed and slipped her phone in her pocket, but not before she made sure the setting for her distress signal was at the ready. Never know when things might get too hairy. She pulled herself from the couch and left the TV on the news channel just in case Buttercup came down the stairs. The broadcasters would surely catch her on screen once she got there. Finally, Bubbles pulled a hair tie from her wrist and quickly pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail, slapping on her game face.
The blonde ran outside and quickly took off high into the slightly cloud filled sky. Her blue streak followed at her feet behind her as she flew up above the city. Once she was high enough, she stopped and scanned around Townsville for Boomer and Jessie's exact position. Her pupils contracted as she used her supervision to get a close up look at every nook and cranny of the city. She swiveled her head to the right and suddenly saw a streak of dark blue light with a magenta light following close behind. Boomer was driving Jessie out of the city and closer to the forest. Good job, Boomer. Bubbles' eyes returned to normal, and the young woman shot off towards the two men.
BOOM!
Another flash of pinkish light bombarded towards Boomer, catching him off guard. The blonde went flying towards the ground in a cloud of color and crashed into the dirt and grass of the clearing. Boomer had successfully coaxed Jessie into following him closer to the forest where he wouldn't be able to hurt any civilians or their property. There was already too much destruction in the Downtown area.
Boomer groaned and glanced up at Jessie who was floating in the dimming sky with his glowing fists out, ready for another attack. Just then, Boomer could feel trembling under his hands in the grass. It was rhythmic and growing stronger. Jessie landed on the ground and slowly began to make his way towards Boomer. The blonde suddenly realized what was coming and smirked a bit as he looked back up at Jessie. All of a sudden, a blob of white fur jumped over Boomer's head and tackled Jessie to the ground roughly. Sasha snarled and quickly bit down on Jessie's arm and squeezed her jaw closed. Jessie's blank expression started to slightly waver as the dog continued to place pressure on his arm. Boomer quickly got up from the ground and yelled to his companion.
"Good girl, Sasha! Keep him distracted!" Boomer charged up a blazing blue energy in both of his hands and moved back into a ready stance. Sasha growled deeply and glanced at Boomer, knowing exactly what to do. She pulled on Jessie's arm and brought him to his knees. She let Jessie stand up as she continued to hold on to his arm and steadied herself against the ground.
Jessie's blank face broke out into a smirk as a stream of hot energy traveled down the arm the canine was holding and shot through her entire body. The crackling sounded like an electric current as it spread throughout every muscle in her body. Sasha whined and whimpered as the pain blazed through her before she was eventually thrown feet away from him, knocking her out cold. Boomer gasped and glanced over to Sasha, taking his focus off of his target.
"Sasha!" A sudden pain shot through his body just as her name exited his mouth, and Boomer was knocked to the ground once more.
Jessie shot towards Boomer with the same blank expression and wrapped his hands around Boomer's neck. Boomer gasped and lifted up his hands, trying to shove Jessie's face away to distract him enough to let go. Jessie kept an iron grip around his neck and continued to squeeze, never faltering. Boomer's vision began to become hazy, and the air in his lungs was dwindling. Just before he passed out completely, Jessie was suddenly shoved off of him. Boomer gasped in a harsh breath and coughed a few times before he slowly sat up. He looked to his left and saw that Bubbles was standing in front of him in a ready stance, staring at the limp Jessie in the grass.
"You okay, Boomer?" Bubbles asked, keeping her eyes on the brunette. Boomer cleared his throat and stood up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Sasha?" Bubbles glanced back behind her and pointed to his dog. She was being protected by one of Bubbles' bubble shields. The bright blue light emitted a glow and cast a single light in the darkening clearing. Boomer sighed in relief and turned back to Bubbles. "Good. How did you know I was here?" Bubbles glanced up at him with a small smile.
"The news. They were reporting your whole fight. I doubt they would be interested now since you're this far out of the city." Boomer nodded and sighed, suddenly feeling guilty. He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head and cast his eyes down at his feet.
"Look, Bubbles… I'm sorry that I… You were… I just-" Bubbles placed a finger over his lips before he could say anymore.
"I don't want to hear it. I know, and I forgive you. But we have- OH!" Bubbles' body was pushed away with a ping of energy. Boomer glanced over and saw Jessie on his feet smirking at Bubbles.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah. No one wants to hear your shit, Bubblehead!" Boomer could feel a shiver crawl up and down his spine once he heard Jessie's voice. Multiple demonic and unnerving voices were mingling with his own as he taunted her. Boomer looked at his eyes and saw that even the whites of his eyes were now a ruby red color. His body moved in a very robotic yet loose way. He stumbled over his own feet as if he was intoxicated yet his balance was still stable and unwavering. He twitched with every step of his feet. There was something inhuman about the way he moved, and Boomer couldn't help but to feel intimidated. He had to do something before it was too late to bring Jessie, the real Jessie, back.
"Jessie, why are you doing this? Forget about Bubbles, focus on me, focus on only me. Why did you run off with HIM?" The brunette scoffed and rolled his rage filled eyes.
"You don't fucking deserve to know why I left! It was the best fucking decision I have ever made in my entire shitty life! Now look at me. I have power, I manipulate people into doing what I fucking want them to do, and if they get in my goddamn way or if I just want to, I can kill anyone without fucking mercy!" Boomer's eyes widened slightly. It was true. It was all true.
"You killed them. You started the fire. You put Buttercup through that. You fucked up Blossom. All this time… you were playing us." Jessie chuckled darkly with another roll of his eyes.
"Of COURSE it was, you dumb oaf! Took you this long to figure it the fuck out? You're superhuman. You should have the fucking brain of one! Now, since that little bit of obvious as fuck information is out of the goddamn way, it's time to wipe you off the face of this shit stained planet. Then, your little bitch will fucking get hers!" Jessie suddenly stopped and tapped his chin in thought. "Huh, maybe I should fuck her, just to spite you. I'll let you watch too. Let you watch as she gets fucked like how a woman wants to fucked. Let you watch her moan out my name as I give it to her like how she would want it." Boomer growled and shook his head, frowning deeply.
"Stop. I'll never let that happen." Jessie took a few wobbly steps towards him before stopping, tilting his head curiously.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I love her. And I would never let anything happen to her." Bubbles sat up once she heard his declaration for her and looked on with wide eyes. She struggled to stand up, but hissed once she felt the sudden sting in her right leg. She looked down and saw the gaping cut running down the side of her thigh. She lifted her hand to it and carefully prodded it. She pulled her hand back and hissed again. There was no way she would be able to use it.
"Boomer!" The Rowdyruff spun around and saw his counterpart sitting on the ground with her bloody leg outstretched in front of her. Boomer ran over to her and kneeled down on the ground.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked frantically. Bubbles nodded and smiled up at him.
"Boomer… I-I love you, too. I always have." The Rowdyruff's face broke out into a deep blush. But seeing Bubbles smiling face looking up at him made his embarrassment quickly vanish.
"Bubbles… I'm going to do better this time. I promise you." Bubbles gasped in happiness as her eyes watered. She brought up her hand and pulled Boomer's head down towards hers, planting a deep kiss on his slightly bloody lips.
He couldn't take it. He couldn't take it anymore! Flashes of high school ran through his mind. He hated that Powerpuff Girl! He hated her!
But she never directly did anything to you…
She stole him away!
They were getting closer before you came into the picture…
She's to blame for everything! Her and her stupid sisters!
What about Spring Break?
Spring Break? Jessie tried his hardest to remember that time. It was one of his fondest memories. Why couldn't he remember it? All he could see were flashes of every negative memory he had stored up inside him. He had to remember! But part of him didn't want to. He wanted to stay angry and hurt. He wanted to wallow in his own self-hatred! Why did he want to? Why was he doing this? Was Bubbles really to blame? Jessie groaned and clutched at his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Something was stirring inside of him, and it wanted out! He wanted out!
Fight this!
Stay this way!
Get better!
To Hell with them all!
I'm not this type of person!
The power!
I don't want this!
Kill them all!
I want to go home!
KILL. THEM. ALL!
Jessie let out a monstrous scream. The voices became too much. His roar carried into the wind and shook the ground underneath his feet. He subconsciously lifted himself off the ground, and the ground cracked and hissed as he floated higher. Smoke and a crimson red light seeped out of the cracks in the ground, and clouds began to gather overhead. Thunder rumbled deeply, and lightning began to strike through the dark clouds. Boomer shielded Bubbles from the heavy wind that was picking up and glanced up at Jessie. No. He was going to lose Jessie forever if he did nothing!
"Jessie!" Boomer screamed over the howling winds. The brunette's screams stopped all together, and he lowered his head slowly to stare down at Boomer. His eyes were completely tar black. His stare sent chills down the blonde man's spine. "Jessie, please I want to help you!" Boomer motioned for Bubbles to stay where she was as he stood up and slowly made his way towards his friend. The ground continued to shake and crack underneath his feet, and he could even see the planes of the underworld deep down underneath the crust of the Earth.
"You…" Jessie lifted a finger and pointed at the blonde man. Before Boomer knew it, the ground under his feet began to give way. Boomer shook on the spot before he dropped down into the glowing red abyss with a scream. Bubbles gasped, and a rush of adrenaline caused her to forget about the wound on her leg. She stood up and charged at full speed at the large hole in the ground.
"BOOMER!" Jessie turned his attention back to her and gave one swift flick of his wrist. Bubbles was pushed back all the way to where she was seated before. She landed on her wounded leg and yelled out in pain. The ground under Jessie gave way, and the man slowly descended into it. Once he was gone from view, the ground began to reform. Bubbles growled audibly and stood up once more running back to the closing hole in the ground. But before she could reach it, the ground closed up with a quiet hiss.
Bubbles' breath quickened as she stared at the small crack in the ground where Boomer and Jessie disappeared. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Bubbles fell to the ground and began clawing vigorously at the grass and dirt, letting the grime invade under her nails and stain her soft palms. Her voice came out in strained and desperate pants as she clawed away, letting the grass fly in every direction around her. Just then, Bubbles could pick up a very distinct sound behind her as she continued to claw at the ground. It sounded as if someone was scratching at a balloon. She suddenly remembered that Boomer's beloved canine was locked away in a force field that she created. Bubbles forced herself to cease her frantic pawing at the ground and slowly stood up on shaky legs, trying not to put too much pressure on her injured one. She turned around and limped over to Sasha who was pacing in circles within the glowing bubble with her tail between her legs.
"It's okay, girl. I'll let you out." Bubbles lifted her hand once she was standing in front of the force field and focused her energy on the bubble. The glowing light dimmed as the bubble dissipated into thin air around the white dog. As soon as it was gone, Sasha began to frantically trot around the clearing. Her ears were flat on her head, and she made various painful howls and mournful cries as she glanced at the crack where her lifelong friend was taken. Bubbles held out her arms and leaned down to catch the dog, shushing comfortingly.
"Shh, shh, Sasha." Bubbles wrapped her arms around her as Sasha continued to whine, plopping down on the ground. "We'll get him back, I promise. But right now, we have to tell the others, okay?" Bubbles gave the canine one final squeeze before standing. Sasha lifted herself off the ground reluctantly and glanced over to Bubbles. The Powerpuff Girl was still amazed at how she could basically look Sasha in the eyes without having to look down like she would a normal sized dog. It was bizarre. But the Powerpuff could clearly see the distress in Sasha's blue eyes. It was enough to give her the strength to get Boomer back.
Bubbles led the way out of the forest's edge and towards the suburban road where press and police were all waiting for her, along with concerned citizens. The press quickly rushed up to her and shoved their microphones and recorders in her face while their indistinct questions were paired by the constant flash of cameras. Sasha lowered her head solemnly and cowered behind Bubbles, the loud voices and camera flashes were a sensory overload for her. Bubbles saw the torment on the superdog's face and scrunched up her face in agitation. She turned back to the reporters and decided to put an end to their chatter.
"Will everyone SHUT UP?!" Her voice boomed throughout the city street. Her famous Sonic Scream was the prominent factor in her powerful command. The flashes of the cameras stopped, and the multitude of voices instantly ceased. Bubbles sighed and turned around to Sasha. She gave her a comforting rub behind the ears before shoving her way past the stunned reporters. They all parted like the Red Sea to let her and the superdog pass. Bubbles kept her head up as she limped through the silent crowd and pushed her way past the civilians and police. When the two were well away, Bubbles let out a shaky sigh and lifted herself into the air.
"Follow me, Sasha. We're going to get Blossom and Brick." She glanced down at the clock on her phone. "They should be done by now. Come on!" Bubbles took off into a bright blue streak of light. Sasha, unable to fly, sprinted along the sidewalk with her own colorful streak blazing behind her.
"We'll meet back up again same time next week, okay?" Blossom nodded, wiping the last of her tears with the cluster of tissues in her fevered hand. Brick was comfortingly grasping the other with his, rubbing the back of her knuckles with his thumb. The two thanked the doctor once more before standing up from the large couch and moving into the hallway. Brick wrapped his arm around his counterpart and pulled her closer to his side. Blossom fell into step with him and laid her head down on his broad shoulder.
"You think these are helping, Red?" the large male asked. Blossom sighed and shook her head.
"I don't really know… I mean, it's great to have someone listen to me and give their opinion, but… I don't know. Everything that's happened… It's so much to deal with." Brick nodded and led the Powerpuff to the elevators, pressing the down button.
"It'll get better. I promise." The elevator door dinged, and the two entered the softly lit lift. Brick pressed the number one button and the doors closed slowly. After a moment of silence, Blossom spoke up again.
"Hey, Brick?" The Rowdyruff glanced down at her, feeling slightly disquieted for her next words.
"Yeah?" he asked back. Blossom sniffed, feeling tears prickle at the corners of her eyes.
"I… I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I blamed you f-for everything t-that… i-it wasn't… I'm s-sorry…" Brick quickly pulled Blossom into his chest and let her sob. He shushed her as he rubbed her back soothingly. Her muffled sobs filled the entirety of the lift as they continued down to the ground level.
"It's alright. I forgave you months ago, Red." Blossom sniffed once more before gently pulling away from Brick's hold, wiping her red eyes with her fingers. The elevator finally reached the lobby, and Brick grabbed Blossom's hand, leading her out. Dark clouds were occupied by the deep rumbles of thunder as the two walked to the front door of the building. Once they were outside, Blossom glanced up at the sky and could see a familiar streak making its way towards them. Brick looked out to the other side of the street and also caught sight of a familiar white streak headed their way.
"Bubbles?" The blonde Powerpuff landed gracefully on the ground and wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. Blossom gasped once she saw the state her younger sister was in. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" Blossom rushed over to Bubbles and gently grabbed the blonde's arms, studying every scratch and bruise that plagued Bubbles' body. Brick was greeted with a dirty Sasha who yipped and licked at his face as he leaned down slightly.
"Hey girl. What's wrong? Bubbles, what happened?" Bubbles frowned and shook her head.
"He's gone…" Blossom and Brick exchanged glances before Blossom questioned her sister.
"Who?" Bubbles gulped and her breath came out frantic and shallow.
"Boomer! He's gone! Jessie took him!" Brick scoffed in disbelief.
"Jessie what?" Bubbles sniffed and clutched at her forehead with both of her hands.
"He took him! Oh god, I should've told you all earlier! This never would… would've happened if it wasn't for me! Jessie was behind it all! Vincent, the fire, Buttercup's son, Blossom's mind, our families falling apart, it was all him! He did EVERYTHING!" Blossom's face scrunched up. No, no there's no way I blamed Brick for something else someone else did…
"Bubbles, are you sure?" Bubbles clutched at her hair and stared up at her sister with wide eyes.
"YES! He just took Boomer! The fucking ground broke apart, and Boomer fell through and Jessie went inside, too! I have no idea how he got those powers, but… Oh god, oh, god, what have I done?!" Blossom could see her sister unraveling quickly and glanced to Brick. The Rowdyruff was at a loss just the same. Blossom stared back at Bubbles and frowned, hating to see her sister in such a state. She brought Bubbles closer and patted her back.
"It's okay. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Let's-" Suddenly, Blossom's phone rang frantically in her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and saw that her father was trying to call her. She put the phone up to her ear quickly. "Hello?"
"Blossom! Thank goodness… I'm so scared! Are you alright? Are you safe?" Blossom could hear loud crashes and yelling in the background.
"Professor? What- yeah, I just got out of therapy. What's going on?"
"It's Butch! He's gone crazy!" Blossom quickly put the phone on speaker so the other two could hear. "Buttercup came over to my house just a few minutes ago, said that she needed to talk. Then Butch burst into the house and started attacking her out of nowhere!" Blossom glanced over to Brick who walked closer to the phone, anxiety laced onto his face.
"Professor, where are you? Where are they?"
"I'm down in the basement. I wanted to help, but Buttercup locked me in here. I knew I should've installed that other exit a long time ago… They're upstairs, I'm sure you can hear them as clearly as I can." Blossom frowned and placed a hand over her mouth before speaking again.
"Okay, don't worry, dad. We're on our way over!"
"Wait, before you go, you should know that Butch doesn't exactly seem like Butch right now. When he came in his eyes were red and pink, like a mixture between yours and Brick's. He seemed to be completely out of it." Bubbles gasped.
"Jessie… he's not done yet. Boomer isn't the only one he wants to destroy. He wants us all to suffer." Blossom became more worried as the images of a mind controlled Butch brutally attacking her sister without even being able to stop it. She knew that feeling all too well.
"It's okay, Professor we'll-" The wind around her kicked up as she looked up and saw the red streak of Brick flash into the sky. He darted into the direction of Professor's house without even a word. "Brick's on his way, and so are we. Hang tight, dad!" Blossom hung up the phone and placed the phone back in her pocket. "Can you still make it, Bubs?" The blonde Powerpuff took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before giving a single nod.
"For dad? Yeah." Blossom nodded and took off into the sky after Brick. Bubbles glanced over at Sasha and gave the large canine a pat on her head.
"We'll get Boomer back, girl. Now come on." Bubbles pinged off into the air, and Sasha began to sprint down the streets once more after them.
Brick landed at the old Powerpuff household and saw the state it was in. The large house was broken down with all of the destruction the greens were causing. There was a gaping hole where the front door should've been. The windows were smashed open on the ground floor. Plaster from the walls littered the cleanly mowed grass and even some of the furniture from the living room stuck out of the large holes in the walls. One half of the building looked close to collapsing in on itself, only being held up by a few pieces of charred wall. Brick wasted no time in rushing over to the house. He entered the dark building and glanced around, seeing no sign of Buttercup nor Butch.
Just then, a figure crashed from the ceiling to the floor in front of him and saw that it was Buttercup. Her limp body was bloody and bruised from the beating his brother was giving her. Brick rushed over to her and turned her on her back to get a better look at her.
"Buttercup? Hey. Hey! Buttercup, open your eyes." Brick patted her cheek firmly. As he was trying to wake her up, Butch's voice boomed from the top of the hole in the ceiling.
"YOU KILLED HIM! YOU NEVER WANTED HIM!" Brick could hear the whoosh of air as Butch charged down after them but paid no mind. As soon as Butch was close enough, Brick waved his hand, and a blast of red energy slammed into his brother, sending him off towards the destroyed living room. Butch smacked face first onto the wall and limply fell to the ground. Brick glanced over to his brother and shook his head.
"Even mind controlled, he's still dumb as fuck." Buttercup suddenly took a deep shaky breath as she came to. Brick cradled her head and placed a hand on her cheek. She coughed a few times before blinking up at the red-eyed male.
"My hero," she snorted dryly. Brick smirked with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, shut up. If it weren't for me, you'd be the thickness of a flapjack by now." Buttercup sighed and struggled to sit up. She grimaced and clutched at her midsection as she pulled herself up.
"Where is he?" she asked. Brick pointed over to the unmoving mass in the living room. "He looked like Blossom. Something is going on, Brick. Someone is messing with us."
"I know. According to Bubbles, it's Jessie." Buttercup scrunched up her face in doubt. "I know. I had the same reaction when she told me and Blossom. Apparently, Jessie took Boomer to what I'm guessing is the Underworld. She was pretty frantic about the whole thing and said that the ground opened up a swallowed Boomer and Jessie." Buttercup scoffed humorlessly.
"Huh, looks like we have to go on another rescue mission. What is it with your brother and being the damsel in distress?" Brick snorted.
"When we get him back, you can ask him. But, for now, we have to get there. Hopefully Mojo still has that portal hooked up and ready to go." Just then, a loud banging came from down the hallway.
"Hello? Buttercup? Is that you?" Buttercup gasped slightly.
"Oh shit, I forgot about Professor!" When she tried to bring herself to her feet, she winced sharply with a hiss and plopped back down on the floor.
"I got him," Brick said. He stood up from the floor and jogged down the hallway to let the Professor out of his lab. John stumbled out of the basement and jumped once he saw Brick standing next to the doorway. He clutched his chest and placed a hand to his head.
"Shit, boy, don't startle an old timer like that." They both chuckled, and Brick closed the lab back up. "Buttercup!" The professor rushed over to his daughter just as Blossom, Bubbles, and Sasha entered the house. Brick slowly waltzed over to join them.
"Our house! Buttercup!" Blossom jogged over to her black haired sister and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing tightly.
"Blossom! Ow, ow! Not so tight, sis!" Blossom quickly retracted.
"Sorry! Goodness, are you okay? Did he hurt you bad? Jesus, I was so fucking scared on my way here!" Buttercup rolled her eyes, thinking Blossom was taking it to heart way too much.
"It was nothing I couldn't handle… But, uh, you should be thanking Brick. He basically saved my life, knocked Butch clean out." The three looked over to the still knocked out Butch then back to Brick. Blossom stood up and rushed over to him, pulling him in for a hug.
"Thank you!" Brick chuckled and patted his counterpart on the back.
"It was nothing. Butch was never the most observant of fighters. One hit and he was out cold."
"John?" The group glanced over to the front door (now hole) and saw a stunned Rachel standing. The cup of coffee that was in her hand slipped from her grasp and spilled on the dusty floor as she eyed the Utonium home. The Professor stood up and dusted off his lab coat the best he could.
"Rachel! Uh… it's a long story." Rachel moved into the house and glanced around the half destroyed building.
"I was out for a few hours, and I come back to this?" John smiled and clasped his hands together.
"Like I said, it's a long story." Rachel gasped once she saw the limp body of Butch in the living room.
"Oh my god, Butch!" The blonde woman ran over to her son and patted his cheek softly. "What happened to him? Someone tell me what happened to my baby?! Where's Boomer? What is going on?!" Brick sighed and walked over to her, kneeling beside her.
"Rachel, mom, Boomer's been taken. Jessie took him to the Underworld. HIM's plane. We have to get him back. Jessie was the one behind everything, Rachel. Vincent, the fire, everything." Rachel frowned.
"What? Jessie? Boomer's high school friend? But he doesn't have powers…does he?" Bubbles hugged herself tightly.
"It's all my fault. Jessie contacted me months ago and told me that he was coming back." Buttercup glanced up at her, slight anger in her eyes.
"What? Why didn't you tell anyone? This shit could've all been avoided. The hell, Bubbles?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from anyone! He just started threatening people that I love, all of you, and said that if I told anyone bad things would happen. But he was going to do them anyway, whether I told anyone or not." Blossom shook her head.
"Why us? Why now? He's been gone for almost six years. We looked for him. Why would he want us to suffer like this?" Brick suddenly realized something. That wasn't it! They had it all wrong.
"Unless it's not that simple." The group all turned to him. "That's it. That's it!"
"What's it, honey?" Rachel asked. Brick stood up and paced slightly from side to side, the realization overpowering his mind. His thoughts were moving a mile a minute.
"It's not that simple! Jessie isn't doing this! He was gone that summer in high school after that stuff with Bubbles and him went down. Boomer told me that he had a shitty home life, so think about it. If he had a shitty home life and his feelings for Bubbles and the rest of us were kind of shaky, who would be a better target for someone like HIM? HIM literally lives off of miserable feelings in the world. Jessie was the perfect target. HIM took Jessie, manipulated his mind, and used his bad memories against him! HIM is controlling Jessie, guys!" Bubbles gasped slightly. She had it all wrong. They all did!
"That's why he wanted to hurt us. HIM basically amplified his already bad memories, and Jessie saw them as real." Blossom chimed in, suddenly coming to the same conclusion.
"This entire time it wasn't really Jessie at all. It was HIM! Jessie was already close to someone in the group, so HIM used that to his advantage. Jessie really was the perfect target. HIM used Jessie to get to us!" Brick nodded.
"Revenge. We destroyed him and his plane of the Underworld. If there is an opportunity for revenge, HIM would be the first one to take it. All this time, Jessie was tortured by his awful memories. That's what fueled him to keep going. Out of all of us, Jessie might need the saving more than anyone." The group fell into silence as the horrible thought of being tortured for over five years straight swam through their minds. What pain Jessie might be going through just to please someone who he thought he could trust. HIM was a master manipulator.
"I can't believe I treated him like I did," Bubbles said, breaking the silence. "I treated him like the 'bad guy' rather than seeing him as someone who might need help. As someone who has no way of escaping. I'm a superhero for fuck's sake! I should know better than to jump to conclusions like that!" Professor walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's not your fault, sweetie." Bubbles shoved his hand off angrily and stormed over to one of the dusty chairs, plopping down in it.
"No! I let my own feelings towards him get the better of me! I was petty and selfish, and I couldn't get over my high school feelings! I'm an awful person! Him and Boomer will never be the same way again because of me. This is all my fault! None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me! None of it! I caused all of this!" Brick walked over to Bubbles and kneeled down next to her, placing a hand on her back.
"We're all at fault, Bubs-"
"We were dicks to him, too." Rachel gasped joyfully and helped Butch sit up on the floor. He clutched at his bruised head and winced slightly. "This is everyone's fault." Rachel glanced at everyone. They were all defeated and broken in some way. She couldn't stand seeing her family like that. She stood up and firmly placed her hands on her hips.
"Knock it off, all of you!" Everyone turned to her, not familiar with the sternness in the small woman's voice. "Feeling sorry for yourselves isn't going to solve the problem. Boomer and Jessie need our help and standing around like a bunch of losers isn't going to bring them back to us! Yeah, you might have all screwed up in the past, but that's just it! It's in the past! No one can change it. And I quote, from the most badass baboon in an animated kids movie, 'you can either run from it, or, learn from it!'" The group snickered as they recognized who she was quoting.
"Really, ma? The Lion King?" Butch chuckled. Rachel stuck her nose up in the air with a smile.
"Don't question me, hon! So, what are we going to do?" Blossom stood up with Buttercup in her arms.
"We're going to get Boomer and Jessie back, safe and sound. But, first, we need a plan. And a portal."
Hello everyone and welcome back to Time! I know it's been awhile since the last update, but I have just started my first year of College! So, I've been frazzled to no end for the past week and it's constricted my time to write so greatly. I've been wanting to write this for a while now, but I'm glad I got around to this eventually.
So, I feel Time is coming to an end soon. I'm not sure if I want next chapter to be the last or to do another two. I'm leaning more towards another chapter and an epilogue just to show a little bit into the future after the last chapter. I don't believe I'm going to be doing a third installation of the whole Coming Down/ Time arch. I feel that this arch has run its course and it's time to make a new universe with new rules and maybe some new characters, stuff like that. I do, however, want to get back into doing Overworld, which has gotten a lot of praise from people who have PM'd me wanting to continue. I think taking on two stories at once was kind of a bad idea. Especially for stories that are in the same character universe.
But, I am doing another story for all of you video gamers out there. It's part of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim universe and follows my own character in her quest to becoming the Dragonborn. It's already, I think three or four chapters in and I've been taking my time with it since The Elder Scrolls has such a lush lore and background to it. I like to keep the chapters a bit on the long side for that story so I try to keep the minimum words as 10,000. So if you like Skyrim and long chapters, then I would recommend checking it out. I can't wait for the remastered for next gen that's coming out next month!
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and kinda long update by me and I will see you all in the next one.
Bye guys!
~TheRedWolf