Disclaimer: The Powerpuff Girls belongs to... Well, I'm not entirely sure about all that copyright information, but I know for a fact, it's not mine. So don't sue me.

Author's Note: This was supposed to be done earlier but some of it got deleted. Sad face :C

I'm not really sure why, but I was flipping through my old fic, Too Many Strings Attached and I got kinda emotional. Like, I was just reading it and I could see such an improvement in my writing since I began and I put a lot into it and to risk sounding arrogant, I love how it turned out. I'm really proud of it. And going back through the review pages. Aw, gosh, y'all. That got to me. So many people had so many nice things to say. Y'all warm my heart C:

Anyways, I just thought I'd share that with you. If you're bored, have some time and need a Reds fix, I'd be tickled if you checked it out.

Well, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing last chapter! I hope you like this one.

...

"With the brats out of the way, now is the perfect time," HIM cackled as he spun around in his chair to face his companion.

Mojo turned in his chair as well and chuckled evilly, "Yes," he responded as he interlaced his fingers smugly. "Now is the time to enact our evil plan and take over the city that we plan to have control of through our ingenious plan that is also evil. It is the most opportune time because the boys we call children are not here nor are the Powerpuff Girls who are the bane of our existences and neither will have the opportunity to stop our evil scheme if we put it into place at this very moment."

"Brick's not here yet," a shrill voice trilled from the other side of Brick's expansive office. Both Mojo and HIM frowned and slowly turned from the windows to face the woman.

Slapping on a fake smile, HIM replied, "Must we really wait for him, Princess, darling?"

Princess narrowed her amber eyes, "That was part of the plan, Hubert. I wanted revenge. And that's what I'm getting," she demanded.

HIM sighed, knowing he had no choice than to listen to the brat's requirements. Mojo and HIM didn't have the monetary means to fund this plan and were forced to do the very last thing they wanted to- turn to Princess Morbucks for help. Of course, the spoiled heiress jumped on the opportunity to get back at her her ex for besmirching her reputation, but the two businessmen were starting to regret inviting her.

"Alright, alright," HIM forced a smile, earning an annoyed glare from Mojo, "There's no rush. We can wait."

...

As soon as Blossom pulled away from kiss in realization, she had spun around, unable to face Brick (and Red, she thought bitterly). On one hand, she had grown to care for her boss and she had loved seeing his softer side, underneath his sarcasm, salacious remarks and frightening anger. He was a really great guy and Blossom thought that maybe they could have a chance together after all. But Brick wasn't just Brick... He was Red too. He was that corrupt mercenary that aided the smuggling, attacked innocent people and murdered those aspiring criminals.

But that wasn't what bothered the petite redhead the most. She wasn't angry at Brick; she was mad at herself. She let her emotions color the way she saw her boss and as a result, she never expected that he was one and the same with Red. Blossom was the intelligent one, the logical one, the one who was always two steps ahead of the rest. Yet she didn't connect the dots. And she might never have if she hadn't kissed Red.

She tried to hold back tears, trying to forget everything she had been through in the past week. Her sisters freaked out when they lost their powers, so it fell on Blossom's shoulders to console them and in the process, she had bottled up her own sadness and frustrations. And if almost being attacked by a gang of criminals wasn't enough, she had discovered that her boss and crush, Brick Johnson, doubled as a mercenary and murderer. The redhead bit her lip and hugged her arms closer to her, feeling extra vulnerable without the confidence of her abilities.

Brick, standing behind her, wasn't thinking dissimilar thoughts. His hood had been pulled down during the kiss and his piercing eyes and strong features were illuminated in the darkness. He had crossed his arms, glaring a hole through Blossom's back.

But the glare wasn't meant for her. He wasn't upset at her. She hadn't done anything by trying to protect her (and her sisters') identities. As easy as it would be to blame his assistant for stealing his heart and deceiving him, he knew he had lied to her as well. Rather, Brick was incensed with himself.

He had always prided himself on being the smartest, the wisest, the man with the plan. He knew what other people were thinking before they knew it themselves and he had credited his success to these characteristics. But as soon as that gorgeous redhead came along, (as cliched as it sounded) it was as if his entire world flipped around.

Brick had developed feelings for her and those emotions had clouded his vision. Three encounters with Rose -three- and he had no clue of her identity. Hell, he couldn't sleep at night because of that infernal recurring dream that practically spelled it out for him! How dense could he be? He castigated himself. He couldn't help but defeatedly smirk at the irony. He had harbored feelings for two girls in the entire city of Townsville and turns out, they're the same person.

A few months ago, he hated the Powerpuff Girls, but he didn't now. He couldn't. What kind of heartless person could? (Him a while ago). He loathed to admit it, but he was a different guy then, only concerned with making more money and nailing the hottest chicks. But hiring Blossom had signaled a new turn to his life and her consistently kind, intelligent and beautiful demeanor had wheedled into his heart.

Brick was furious at himself for letting these foreign feelings affect his sharp mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of them. His heart sank when he remembered her turning down his offer last week. She probably didn't feel the same way.

Blossom too was struggling with mixed emotions. She really, really liked Brick, but she couldn't be with a murderer. She couldn't love a person evil enough to do those horrible deeds. But then she remembered the events that had just transpired. Biting her lip, she questioned why such a evil superhuman would save her from that untimely fate. Chewing her plump lower lip, she racked her brain for crimes she thought Brick had committed and surprisingly found herself short. ...Maybe it was possible that he just might not have been such a bad guy. Blossom sighed, knowing there was only one way to find out.

The petite finally broke the cold silence, slowly turning around to face the fellow superhuman. She still couldn't make eye contact with him and her eyes remained downcast. "Brick, did you kill those people?" she whispered. Her sisters had told her that they didn't think the boys had done it after some disembodied voice insinuated it had instead. Blossom wondered if the voice that took away her powers was the same as the aforementioned one. But she wasn't convinced. and she still couldn't look at Brick.

The red-eyed superhuman's neck snapped up to face her and he narrowed his eyes, "Out of everything you could say right now, that's what you ask?" He didn't mean for his question to come out as cutting as it did.

"P-Please," she finally ripped her eyes from the cement roofing of the dilapidated building to face his, "I have to know," she pleaded, trying to hide the desperation in her welling eyes.

"No, I didn't," Brick finally answered, his voice steady and emotionless. He couldn't let her know his true feelings.

While the analytical woman normally needed hard evidence to back up what she heard, Brick's answer was enough to satiate and allay her concerns. Blossom burst into a smile and in a Bubbles-like fashion, ran up to him and engulfed him in a warm hug.

"Brick," she whispered, burying her head in his shoulder as she ran one hand through his silky locks. She knew he wasn't a bad guy. She knew it. The other redhead was utterly shocked at her action, expecting it to be the very last thing she would do in light of this new information. He grinned, pulling her closer as he soothingly rubbed her lower back.

The red-eyed superhuman had never seen his assistant this vulnerable and this raised a few questions. He pulled away from the hug to face Blossom directly as he studied her for an answer, "What happened to you?" he asked. He knew something wrong because even before he saved her earlier this evening, she had been acting differently all day.

He started to regret asking the question when her wide eyes welled with sadness, but she answered anyways.

"We lost our powers," she murmured, suddenly becoming more distant as she straightened her posture and removed her hands from him.

"What?" Brick exclaimed, not sure if he had heard her correctly. "How?" his eyebrows furrowed.

"There was this voice... And this black gas..." Her voice almost shook as she remembered the traumatic event. "And when it was gone, so were our abilities," she whispered, pain evident in her choking words.

Brick grabbed tenderly, unable to bear seeing the hurt in her. After everything that's happened, the mighty Powerpuff Girls have lost their powers? He should've relished, basked in that knowledge, but his heart sank instead. Her broken spirit killed him and swallowing, Brick said something he never thought he could.

"I'm helping you," he told her, resolute.

Blossom looked up at him quizzically, a smile gracing her lips now, "That's sweet of you, but you can't. We-"

"I've got access to one of the best research facilities in the country," Brick interrupted her and her eyes widened when she heard what he had to say. "And I think I know how I can your powers back."

"Brick..." Blossom started, unable to verbalize her sentiments at his generous offer. She realized they were ineffable and deciding it was the only way to convey them, kissed the redhead once again.

Brick enjoyed her 'thank-you', but in the back of his mind, an ominous thought loomed. Who could've created such a concoction? And why would they? The only logical reason was that somebody needed the girls out of the way so they could commit some horrendous crime.

But who? And what exactly were they planning?

...

After the two redheads had finally pulled apart, they had decided it best to call their siblings before heading towards the J&M Laboratory. Neither had disclosed much over the phone, instead insisting that they'd all meet in the lab and discuss it all in person.

Oddly enough, the two blonds were out a fancy restaurant together and the two brunets were both at the precinct, making the redheads' job a little easier. Bubbles, Boomer, Buttercup and Butch were rather confused on why their older siblings urged them all to the converge at the industrial research center, but the weak protests gave way and they soon acquiesced to the redheads' demand.

It wasn't long until a little beep indicated that someone with the necessary clearance had arrived as Butch and Buttercup walked in. Butch raised an eyebrow at his brother while Buttercup just gazed around the lab, letting out a low whistle.

"What's the deal, Bloss?" she asked as she found her redheaded sister sitting on a table top beside a standing Brick. The brunette smirked, "Is this your boyfriend?" she asked playfully as her gaze traveled from Brick to Blossom. Both the redheads turned a funny shade of red, unsure how to answer her question. For media and public purposes, they were still dating, but after tonight's events, was their true relationship still platonic?

The petite redhead, instead of answering, just sent her sister a glare before changing the topic, "We aren't here to talk about that."

"Then what are we here for?" Butch stepped in, curiously looking at his brother. "It's not everyday you have us bring babes into your classified lab, bro."

"Yeah, he's right," Buttercup crossed her arms, "This is really random. What gives?" The apprehensive look on her sister's face made the green-eyed brunette frown.

Blossom didn't want to say anything yet because the youngest siblings had yet to arrive, but the redhead couldn't help but wonder how the brunets would react to the news. She and Brick had taken it rather well, thought Blossom, blushing as she remembered their kiss. But the redhead knew Buttercup didn't like Butch very much and after the run-in with Blue and Green her sisters had told her about, she bit her lip harder. This wasn't going to be easy.

"This better be important," another voice said, causing the four to turn around.

Standing in the entrance were the two blonds and seeing Bubbles in her stylish cerulean dress in and Boomer in his crisp blue dress shirt and black tie, Blossom felt a little guilty for interrupting their date. She sucked in a breath, suddenly much more nervous. How was she supposed to break the news to her siblings? The last thing she wanted to do was destroy Bubbles' happy relationship. Her heart sank, but she hoped for the best.

"Omigosh, are we finally going out on that double date you promised?" the perky blonde grinned as she looked around, "Triple date?" she corrected slyly.

"Um, no, actually," Blossom started, causing her younger sister to pout. Looking at Bubbles, then Buttercup, then Brick, she continued, "Brick thinks he can bring back our powers. I looked over the chemical structure of the compound and I think it might work," she announced.

Bubbles and Buttercup's eyes were the size of dinner plates, both for different reasons.

"Blossom, you can't go around telling people we have powers!" Buttercup hissed, becoming angrier with each passing second.

"We're getting our powers back?" Bubbles exclaimed, grinning.

"I mean, come on," Buttercup ranted, "You're like the one who's always telling us to keep it a secret! Why don't you just tell the whole world we're the frickin' Powerpuffs?" she cried.

"Wait... You're the Powerpuff Girls?" Butch said incredulously, his green eyes widening.

"No shit, sherlock," Buttercup mumbled, clearly frustrated.

Boomer just gazed at Bubbles as he tried to understand how he felt about this new-found information. Bubbles was... a Powerpuff Girl. She had powers, just like him except she used them to save people. Boomer couldn't help but smile, thinking that the world was a better place because of his girlfriend. His beautiful, amazing girlfriend. Then he frowned, hurt that she had kept such a secret from him. But it soon faltered when Boomer realized he had done the same to deceive her.

Personally, Boomer never held much against the town's heroes, but he was confused to say the least. After everything Brick told him about the Powerpuffs Girls, his brother was helping them? Didn't Brick want the girls dead a few months ago?

And then another thought occurred to Boomer. Did the girls know about their alter egos?

"And yes, they know we're Blue, Green and Red," Brick stated firmly, answering Boomer's unspoken question.

Buttercup turned a bright red when she realized that meant she had kissed Butch that morning too. She turned even redder, finding the idea of doing it again not so repulsive. But her eyebrows furrowed as she looked to her sister. Didn't Blossom say that Green and the others were horrible criminals? If that was true, why was she so eager to work with them?

The blonde, on the other hand, reacted a little differently. Bubbles' eyes widened and she slowly turned to her boyfriend, her lip quivering and tears starting to well in her eyes. Blue was a bad person. How could she have fallen for his ruse? Did that mean everything she and Boomer had been through the past month was a lie? Boomer wasn't really Boomer. He was Blue, a mean man who killed those poor people. She couldn't hold the tears back as they started to fall down her porcelain face.

Boomer's heart sank as he saw the hurt in her eyes. Bubbles was an angel, so why would she want him? Especially now since she knows the truth. Why had he fooled himself into thinking a girl like her would ever love a guy like him? He couldn't face her. His eyes soon found the prosaic floor tiles quite interesting and turned his attention away from her.

"I know this raises a lot of questions," Blossom started, seeing the variegated expressions on their faces, "And..." she faltered, trying to find the words. "I know I can't answer them all, but I'm going to try anyway."

...

"Okay, take off your shirt."

"What?" Blossom exclaimed.

Brick sighed, rolling his eyes, "Blossy, after all we've been through?" he asked with mock hurt. "I thought you wanted your powers back," he added, a little more seriously. He turned around to the lab table for a split second to grab a syringe filled with a black, tar-like liquid.

"I do," Blossom muttered childishly as she began undoing the buttons on her salmon chiffon chemise enough so that her shoulder was exposed for him to prick her. As he smirked at her bare skin, she sighed, her mind elsewhere. "Do you think they've found anything?" she asked aloud.

Blossom was referring to their brunet and blond siblings who had returned to the alley the girls were poisoned in. After Blossom had explained the situation briefly to her sisters, Bubbles smile soon returned and Buttercup's blush started to subside. Brick had suggested that the others check the scene of the crime for clues as to who was behind the attack.

The girls didn't have their powers back yet, so Bubbles happily left in Boomer's arms and Buttercup grudgingly went in Butch's. The redhead wasn't exactly sure why Brick had sent all of them there to look for remnants of their silent attacker, but Blossom found herself not uncomfortable being alone with the redhead. Plus, it was important the girls found their attacker. What if that villain was planning something sinister for the town? And if she had to spend a few moments with Brick, alone, she couldn't complain.

Neither had confessed their feelings yet, but butterflies flew into Blossom's stomach every time Brick looked at her. Instead of the self-confident, smug gaze he characteristically had, now he looked at her with a soft tenderness, whether he was aware of it or not. And Brick, who was completely lost in the foreign territory of helping people, felt this warm feeling (not unlike the one in his dream) whenever Blossom looked back at him with admiration and gratitude.

"Okay, let's see if this works," Brick sucked in a deep breath as he aligned his needle with the vein underneath Blossom's skin. If he could get the substance in her blood stream, it would spread quickly, hopefully restoring power to the places that needed it. Blossom's let out a whimper as she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, but the pang soon turned into a tingle as she felt strength coursing through every cell in her body. Brick had stepped away from her, carefully examining the woman for any sign of change when Blossom's big eyes flashed pink and remained the salmon color.

Brick couldn't suppress a grin at seeing how beautiful she looked with her natural eye color. He had never seen it up-close before, only in a few dreams, and she looked magnificent.

"W-What was that stuff?" Blossom asked as she opened her palm to test out her newly returned powers. Sure enough, a neon pink ball of energy began to materialize and her eyes sparkled with excitement. Quickly extinguishing it as she closed her fist, she looked expectantly to Brick for an answer.

"Chemical X," he answered. "Actually, not really. The real Chemical X was created by one of the scientists who worked here a long time ago and after Mojo took an overdose of it and became a supergenius, he gave me and my brothers some too. But then he destroyed the rest of the compound and had the scientist killed so no one else would have superpowers. Or something like that... Anyways... Long story short, a few weeks ago I found this serum that resembled Chemical X from that Sedusa. She had no idea what she had created, so I bought it all. And after tinkering around with it for a little while, I had changed the chemical composition of it to make Chemical X."

"W-Wow," Blossom wasn't sure how to respond to that information.

"Hey, I figured you were ask a bunch of questions about it, so why not tell you the whole thing before you got the chance?" Brick shrugged, smirking. Blossom smiled at him, impressed at how well he knew her. "And not that I don't love the view, but you can button up your shirt now."

She flushed and quickly redid the pink buttons before looking back up at the redhead. "Brick," she whispered, floating over to him with a gentle smile. "You didn't have to do this for me and my sisters. I don't how to thank you."

"I've got an idea," he smirked at her, causing the petite redhead to blush again. But his smirk fell to be replaced with a genuine, sincere smile. "Blossom, about that date..." he trailed.

"If the offer still stands, I'd love to go out with you after we figure out who poisoned us," Blossom replied, looking down at his hands as she interlaced them with her own.

Brick smirked at her reply as he rubbed his thumb gingerly against the top of her delicate hand, "Great."

She couldn't look away from his crimson eyes and he couldn't tear himself from gazing her rose-colored orbs either. The silence that engulfed them wasn't awkward or forced; it was paradisiac, allowing them to convey their emotions without having to put insufficient words to their feelings. That moment was perfect.

But as always, all perfect moments must come to halting end.

"Brick, you aren't going to believe what we found!" a deep voice exclaimed as a clamor brought the two redheads back to reality. Slowly pulling apart, they turned to face their siblings, curious as to what they had discovered.

"What is it?" Brick asked, narrowing his eyes in interest.

"Check it out," Butch pulled out a vial of a black residue, most likely the substance that had poisoned the girls. Blossom subconsciously took a step back.

"Don't worry, it's harmless now," Boomer told the redhead who replied with a small smile.

"It's..." Brick examined the small contained, scrutinizing it with his heightened abilities. "It's a variation of Chemical X. There's only a few people who have access to this substance..."

"Exactly," Buttercup stated, narrowing her eyes. "And that's not all." Brick and Blossom turned towards her in anticipation, but it was Bubbles who continued.

"We found this at the scene," the blonde slowly opened her fist to reveal a red ruby broach with diamond encrusted initials. Blossom took the pin from her sister with wide eyes before passing it to Brick.

"That doesn't mean what I think it means... Does it?" Blossom asked uneasily.

"Oh, this means that exactly," Brick growled, his voice ferocious with acrimony. He took in a deep breath to release some of his anger and let a smirk find its way to his lips, "I think it's time we paid a visit to who's really behind all this."

...

"Well, if it isn't Monroe Johnson and Hubert Ingrid Morrison," a dark chuckle reverberated in Brick Johnson's expansive office.

Slowly, two chairs turned around to reveal the two corrupted ex-business tycoons with evil smirks plastered on their faces. They looked to the entrance of the office to see three men clad entirely in black, only their piercing eyes visible to the world.

"Welcome boys. We've been expecting you," HIM said darkly and he grinned at his progeny.

Suddenly an amber-eyed woman stepped into the light and Red's eyes widened almost inconspicuously. Her harpy, whiny demeanor soon became evident in her voice, "Where's my Brickie?" she growled ferociously. "You promised he'd be here," she snapped as she spun around to face HIM and Mojo.

"Oh, he's here," Mojo snickered evilly, put Princess Morebucks didn't pick up on his subtle hint.

"Oh, really?" she asked in a cloyingly sweet manner, "Where?" her voice turned belligerently acerbic.

"Right here," HIM answered in a sing-song manner as he casually placed his claw-like hands behind his head.

Princess was about to burst into an angry fit when a loud crash and flying shards of glass turned everyone's attention to the now-shattered windows. A tall lamp right beside the window went flying in the upset and fell at an angle so that it knocked Princess out cold with it.

"Oops," a flippant voice said offhandedly.

The simian supergenius and the ruddy transvestite slowly turned to see the cause of the blast and what they saw sucked the color right out of their faces.

Floating where a large glass window once stood proudly, were three girls dressed in leather, a menacing look on each of their faces.

"It's the Powerpuff Girls."

...

And that's the end of this time's installment. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review on the way out! C: