I want to thank Henryka for being a totally loyal reader. She's got some PPG fics that you should all check out. :)


The door opened just enough for half her face to peek through the gap. Then, seeing that the landing was deserted, Brunnera edged her door more open until she was able to slip out.

A loud creak made her body freeze. She waited, a million well-prepared excuses ready to explode out of her mouth. However, neither parent left their room. Brunnera suppressed a sigh and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Her other hand gently guided the door back to its frame and her fingertips drifted away once it closed.

Brunnera willed herself to move and scurried to the top of the stairs, her heart thumping loudly. It was really dark and she could barely see, but she was a teenager on a mission. Besides, she wasn't a coward. There was nothing scary about descending the stairs she had known since she could crawl.

She slid down the banister, stopping herself from flying off at the bottom like she usually did. She breathed in slowly, looking over her shoulder at the living room. Bubbles was on the sofa, snoring gently. Brunnera grinned before unlocking the front door and escaping into the outside world.

Her plan seemed flawless. Brunnera would say that she really missed Blossom and was so desperate to see her, she had sneaked out. Blossom couldn't send her home when it was so late at night. She would at least make her stay the night or call her parents. Which wouldn't work, because the phone had become 'mysteriously' disconnected.

Brunnera held her torch out in front of her as she sprinted down the side walk. Blossom lived a fair way away, but she was certain she knew the correct route. Everyone knew where she lived. She wasn't very scared of the Rowdyruff Boys. They were stupid but she was so sure that she could slip past them. There wasn't nothing for her to fret about.

It didn't explain why her grip on the torch was so powerful.

She was jogging past a street full of shops when she bumped into a short, cloaked man. Brunnera didn't apologize as she ran off.

"Do you know who you are running from?" the person shouted after her, shaking his fist. "If you knew who you were going away from so quickly, you would leave even faster! Yes! You would sprint much faster if you knew my identity. My name strikes fear into many people's souls. It has singed many, many souls. That is how powerful my name is, so be grateful you are running at that speed and do not know it."

Brunnera didn't hear the rest of his rant. She had slowed to a walk for the first time in her journey far away from him. Everything seemed so different in the dark. Certain signs shone and certain features were indistinguishable in the blackness of the night. Twice, she had to backtrack and find out where she actually was. An old woman had approached her, asking if she was all right, but Brunnera had swiftly departed from the area. The woman was probably just concerned for her well-being, but she wasn't prepared to take any chances.

Not that Brunnera couldn't take any chances. She could take on any mysterious thing that decided to emerge from the shadows. She just didn't have the time.

Finally, Brunnera wiped the sweat from her forehead and beamed. She had no idea what time it was or how long it had taken her to get there. She didn't care. All that mattered was that she was outside the fence that separated her from Blossom's garden.

Brunnera found the gate and tried to open it. It was locked. It seemed so obvious now, but it had never crossed her mind. Angry at it and her own stupidity, she rattled it loudly.

"Look who it is."

She backed away as all three Rowdyruff Boys landed in front of her. She had heard that their powers rivalled her sisters', but it was only when she saw them that she became perhaps a tiny bit frightened.

Brick took a step towards her, a smug expression on his face. Brunnera stepped back, causing them to laugh. Brick jerked his head and said, "It's a bit late for someone like you to be out, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Boomer chimed in. "The rest of the sissies went to bed hours ago."

"So why aren't you in bed?" asked Brunnera. If she couldn't fight with her fists, she would fight with her mouth.

The other two brothers guffawed. Boomer grabbed her by the front of her coat, his eyes narrow slits. "I'm not a sissy, sissy!"

"Can we throw her out?" asked Butch, cracking his knuckles. "Your girlfriend said we could throw out anyone that-"

Brick's fist slammed into his face before he could finish his sentence. He stood over Butch, who had been forced into the ground a couple of yards away. His red eyes flashed. "She is not my girlfriend, a'ight?"

Butch raised his head, spitting out dirt and blood. "So why do you always flirt with her? I've seen ya wink at her and smile and stuff."

"Shut up!"

"Lara won't be very happy," Butch carried on, looking proud of himself. "I've seen ya go off together and sometimes when we come along, and yer chattin', ya both shut up."

"I..." Brick averted his gaze. "She loaned me money and the hag won't give it back. I hate both of them."

"So why do you make googoo eyes with Blossom? She don't owe us no money."

"I want a pay rise!" snarled Brick, stamping on his head. "Why would I like a freak like her? She's ugly and fat like-"

"Like what?" asked Blossom.

Brick jumped but his foot stayed on the back of Butch's head. Blossom was standing at the entrance of the mansion, clutching the front of her pale pink dressing gown. Her hair was down and looked like a curtain. She was wearing slippers with a picture of a bunny on the toes. She looked so different that Brunnera thought she was one of the other security guards at first.

Brick smirked, twitching his head and glancing at his brothers. "Your mom."

They laughed at the unfunny remark.

Blossom's eyes drifted across the scene. She did a double take when she saw Brunnera, who was still being held by Boomer. She ran to them. "What are you-? Let go of her!"

Boomer released her immediately, backing away and joining his brothers. Butch was on his feet now, not affected by Brick's attack. Brick punched Boomer's arm, fuming too much to look anyone in the eye.

Blossom patted Brunnera briefly and turned to her bodyguards. She was frowning heavily. Now she was behaving like the Blossom Brunnera was used to. "Get back to your posts, boys. I can deal with this."

Brunnera didn't like how she used the word 'deal'.

"One day..." started Brick, but Blossom held up her hand.

"One day isn't the same day as today," she replied, grabbing hold of Brunnera's wrist with her other hand. "Just relax... and maybe if you woo me some more, I'll give you a bonus."

Butch and Boomer chuckled but shut up when Brick rounded on them. He growled savagely, his murderous gaze on a calm Blossom.

"If it wasn't for me, you would be in the highest security prison," she responded coolly. "I'm keeping you out and you have a job. Do you want to throw that all away? You owe me."

Brick turned away from her. In a much quieter voice, he grumbled, "Come on. Let's get back in position."

They flew off. Blossom sighed as she marched towards her mansion with Brunnera in tow. The teenager was silent, unable to look at any part of her sister's body. This wasn't how she had planned to meet her. Nor was it how she had wished to meet her. Blossom didn't speak, also not able to make eye contact.

The front door opened and they walked in. Brunnera, who had never been there before, couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the interior of the building. Everything was so clean and decorated with complicated patterns. She kicked off her shoes when Blossom did, wiggling her slightly grimy feet. She wished she had bothered to put socks on.

Blossom led her into the dining room. Blossom murmured something to an old butler and sat down at her long table. She motioned to the seat opposite her and Brunnera settled herself there.

"Tea? Coffee?" asked Blossom.

"Hot chocolate," Brunnera said, resting her feet on the seat. She didn't want to touch the floor with them. Blossom nodded, calling to the out of sight butler for some.

After a moment, Blossom leaned forward and peered at her suspiciously. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"No," she admitted to the table. She could feel Blossom's inquisitive gaze burning into her forehead. "I ran all the way here."

Blossom wasn't impressed and made no attempt to hide this. "You could have gotten yourself injured! What were you thinking, coming here by yourself? Worst of all, no one would know where to start looking for you should something bad fall upon you."

"Like you would care!" Brunnera snapped, slamming the palms of her hands onto the table. Now it was all too easy to fix her eyes on the Mayor. "We've all been trying to talk to you for weeks but you won't let us."

"Talk?" Blossom laughed. "Oh, so you wanted to talk. I was under the impression my sisters wanted to kill me."

"They don't!" she replied angrily. "They love you! They wouldn't ever kill you."

"Sure, sure." Blossom was inclined to agree, but she didn't want to back down. Not even if it was to a person roughly half her age. "I thought that when they attacked me."

"Stop acting like the victim. No one wants to hurt you. We need to tell you something."

"What then?"

Brunnera's fury decreased significantly. "The Gangreen Gang are dead."

Blossom tried not to look surprised, but she struggled to conceal the emotion in her voice. "They... How?"

"A woman killed them. The same one that nearly killed Bubbles." Brunnera calmed down, relieved they were getting somewhere. "The leader came to our house a couple of weeks ago and told us. We all took it badly, but Buttercup took it the worst. She hasn't gotten over it. Then Bubbles and I were attacked by Princess."

"And I?" repeated Blossom, horrified. "You were there?"

"She fought Bubbles in the air and I was holding onto her. Princess pulled me off her and dropped me. I was scared Bubbles would lose and die. I was scared I would die. We only got away because Princess disappeared."

Blossom took it in, her face pale and slightly scared. "Princess was in the air?"

"She could fly, I don't know how," answered Brunnera impatiently. "The point is, we've been trying to tell you this but you haven't given a-"

"I do!" Blossom interrupted irritably. "I mean, I would have if you told me. I know it's not your fault I haven't been talking to you, but I couldn't risk it. There was a possibility that your sisters would come back and-"

"Your?" repeated Brunnera, her voice raised. "They're your sisters too, whether you like it or not. Stop acting like you're in the right and we're all in the wrong."

"I'm not." Blossom began massaging her temples, gritting her teeth. The butler lay a tray of drinks in between them and left the room hurriedly. "They think I tried to kill Bubbles. Do you understand how hurtful it is to be accused of such a thing? Buttercup's said terrible things about me, but this is one of the worst... and the fact that Bubbles agreed with her..."

"Who else could they blame?" asked Brunnera. "They were scared. They still are. I'm scared. They didn't know who else it could be."

"They attacked me," Blossom hissed. "They broke into my workplace and assaulted me. They didn't try having a calm discussion. They attacked me when I didn't do anything to provoke them. They're lucky I didn't call the police."

Brunnera suddenly stood up. She glared at Blossom, fighting back tears. "I thought Buttercup was being mean and lying when she said all those things about you. I thought you were a nice person... looks like I was wrong." She gulped. She had to be tough like Buttercup. Crying was for wimps. "I hate you!"

The journey from the table to the door was blurry.

Blossom chased her to the door but didn't touch her. Brunnera was halfway across the garden when Blossom yelled, "No! Please come back! I wasn't thinking. I love them really! I love them both! It's just-"

Brunnera tuned her out, sobbing as she opened the gate and left. Blossom didn't go after her, staying unusually still. Finally, the woman mouthed a few words and returned to the house. She screamed, punching the wall and making a hole in it.

"Stupid, stupid Blossom," she cried, sinking to her knees. "What have you become? Arguing with a child..." Her body shook. "I wish I could turn back time... I... I..."

Her words dissolved into tears.

PPGPP

Brunnera wiped her wet face with her sleeve, trembling. How could Blossom be such a horrible person? She didn't care about anyone but herself. The only comfort she had was that she had told Blossom about what was happening. It was what she had sought out to do... so why was she so disappointed? Why did it seem like a failure?

It was beginning to rain. Brunnera put her hood up and continued through the downpour. She stamped in a puddle, not caring that her pyjama bottoms were sprayed with wet mud. She was in no mood to care about anything.

"Cow," she muttered, walking through another dirty pool of water. "Why did anyone vote for her?"

She walked into the city park. It was a dodgy place to be in at night, but it would make her journey home a lot shorter. Brunnera didn't want her parents to confront her. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, gazing angrily at the ground.

"If I was a superhero, I would beat her up." Brunnera smiled slightly. "I would give her the biggest wedgie in the whole world. No- two!"

Happier than before, she walked with a spring in her step as she imagined.

"Help... me..."

Brunnera frowned, turning towards the source of the voice. Someone was on the ground nearby, curled up into a ball. She approached the dark shape cautiously, her hand extended in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The person showed her recognizable face.

"Princess?" Brunnera ran the rest of the way, dropping to her knees. Even in the darkness, she could see the pain and sadness on her face. She forgot how Princess had tried to kill her and held her hand. It was ice cold. "What happened?"

"My... my master... my wonderful master... he... he fired me..." explained Princess weakly.

"Fired you?" Brunnera widened her eyes. "Did he hurt you? Is that why you're like that? Come on, we'll get my sisters to help you."

"No..." Princess shook her head. Brunnera stared at her. "It's too late for me."

"It's not," Brunnera told her. She pulled her arm in an attempt to get her to her feet. "You're not going to die."

"Oh... I know that."

"That's the spirit!"

"Oh, no."

Brunnera's forehead crinkled. "What?"

"You see," Princess smirked, "I'm already dead."

She exploded into tiny red bats. Brunnera screamed, standing up properly and running backwards. She tripped on a tree root and fell onto her bottom. She made to get up, but two dark figures were looming over her. Brunnera remained where she was, shaking.

"What do you want with me?" whispered Brunnera, squinting up at them.

"I want to kill you!" a woman's voice declared. A purple ball of light appeared in the woman's hand. She was tall and slim with thick brown hair and piercing purple eyes. Underneath her sleeveless purple dress were white tights and black shoes with buckles on them.

Brunnera, too intimidated to look her in the eye, stared at the black belt she was wearing.

"Not yet, my dear," another voice whispered. She turned to look at Him but could only manage to briefly before looking away. He wasn't human. He was bright red with claws and yellow eyes that filled her with a sense of death. He had to be the Devil. She didn't know who else He could be.

Brunnera's breathing hitched.

The woman stared at Him, her face distorted. She licked her lips hungrily. "You don't know how long I've yearned to kill her."

"Ever since Buttercup mentioned her to you?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well... yes," the woman admitted. "But... you don't understand. They replaced me. I died and they replaced me with... with her!" She pointed at Brunnera. "No one can replace me. It's... it's not fair!"

"Bunny-kins, you forget who I am..." The Devil put an arm around her waist, speaking gently. "I understand everyone far better than they do themselves. I know you want to destroy her, but you can't. I need her still."

"Need her?" Bunny shrieked. She looked offended. "You have me! You don't need her."

"Hush," the Devil soothed. "She's just a pawn. She'll be used then tossed aside. And rest assured... you will do the tossing."

Bunny beamed, hugging Him. The Devil giggled. Brunnera stared, frozen to the spot. She told her legs to budge but they wouldn't. Fear and curiosity was forcing her to remain.

The Devil looked at Brunnera, tilting His head to one side. "You don't have any powers, do you?"

"N-N-No," Brunnera spluttered. The woman laughed.

"Your father must be sad that you are not living up to his expectations. A normal mortal... so weak and puny..."

"He loves me, actually. So does my mom. And my sisters. They will kill you if you hurt me."

"Oh, you humans are so hilarious. I cannot be killed. But no, I will not kill you. That isn't my plan."

Brunnera blinked. "What's your plan?"

"I want you to join me," He murmured, reaching down and cupping her chin with His claw. "I can give you powers far beyond your sisters'. I can get you whatever you want, whenever you want. I am striving for paradise. You can help me make everything... perfect."

"What about my family?" asked Brunnera.

"They would be with you," He replied, but she wasn't buying it.

"No thanks," she said. "If something's too good to be true, it usually is. Go find someone stupid like your girlfriend to trick."

The woman lurched towards her only to be stopped by the Devil. He gazed down at Brunnera coldly, with a hint of admiration on His face.

"You would allow death to consume you first rather than your family?"

Brunnera nodded slowly, realizing what was going to happen.

"Such strength will be useful," He noted. "But alas... you didn't agree. Do not kill her yet, but feast on pain as close to it as possible."

Brunnera didn't have enough time to do anything as the woman pounced on her, her eyes shining purple as the teenager screamed in vain, screaming screams that no one else would hear.

Soon, her small limp body fell to the ground. The woman stood beside Him, satisfaction oozing out of her face. It was a victory for her, seeing the crumpled teenager's body on the ground. Breathing heavily and soaking wet, she turned to Him.

"I did it," she whispered. "I... I nearly killed her. Please, Him... let me murder her. I will do whatever task you had in mind for her."

He giggled. "I knew when I first saw you that you were perfect."

She beamed.

"Him, I-"

"Brunnera? Are you okay?"

Bunny and Him looked at each other before disappearing in a burst of red smoke. A few seconds later, Blossom stumbled into the clearing. Her gaze was jumping from one thing to another rapidly, a distressed expression on her face.

"I thought I heard you shouting. I'm sorry," she said urgently. "I love you, Brunnera. I really do. I've been so-"

She caught sight of Brunnera's body.