A/N: And then, Brick slowly caressed his younger brother's cheek, Boomer just staring in awe. The leader smiled softly while leaning forward, both hearts beating at a lightning pace. "Boomer…" he whispered softly and Boomer shuddered. Finally, he can be close to his brother like never before. They slowly got closer and closer, lips grazing each other lightly until… I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa cccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! Got you, didn't I? This is what you get for never reading my authors notes! I still have people asking me when I'll update Friends or foes! Listen, when someone doesn't update, that means you should probably look at their profile. They could discontinue it for all you know! Anyways, enough of my ranting. I've just been really busy lately. I recently had to move and I also have *gasp* a crush! I keep staring at him. ._." Well, I hope you enjoy! :D

The air was still, not a sound was to be heard. Everything had just… frozen. The teens all just stood in the dark cell like room, no one believing what they just saw. The scene was horrific, especially to poor innocent Bubbles. Neither of them dared to move, in fear that something would happen and that devil would return. The boy that had to undergo such torture sat on the stone cold ground, his wounds becoming more apparent. He was still chained to the pole, now having the stain of fresh blood running down its edge. The atmosphere was intoxicating, silently choking those inside.

"Boomer…" Bubbles whispered to herself, the current situation finally sinking in. Her body began to shake and tremble, tears building up in her body, all her control slipping away at each second of this sight.

Why was this happening? What did Boomer do to deserve such a fate?

Bubbles flinched when she felt a cool hand on her shoulder, immediately relaxing when she noticed it was her sister, Blossom.

"Oh, Blossom, why…" She choked out, letting a few stray tears roll down her cheeks. She then tackled her sister into a hug and cried silently. Recovering from her shock, Blossom rested her chin on Bubbles' head and rubbed circles on her back.

Buttercup just stared, dumbfounded. Never in her life, had she expected the transgender tranny to be an actual threat, but this… this was just downright cruel! She glared at the ground, the incident just moments ago replaying over and over. She looked over to Brick and Butch, and to her surprise, looked oddly calm.

"Hey, what is wrong with you? Didn't you just see that? Your little brother was just tortured right in front of you! How come you look so calm?!" She snarled and Butch glared in her direction.

"We saw what happened, Butterbut! You don't need to point it out! "He retorted, using her old nickname just adding gasoline to the fire.

"Why you! Have some emotions then! Do you not care about what happened, Bitch?!" She yelled, and the Professor grabbed her shoulder.

"Buttercup, you're only making things worse. You know they care about Boomer, alright? Don't accuse them of such things, and remember your language." He said calmly, but it was obvious he was troubled. Buttercup huffed and crossed her arms and looked away. He sighed and shook his head.

"Now what, professor? How do we get out of here?"Blossom asked, Bubbles finally calming down at looking at her father. Professor looked over at Butch and Brick, both boys staring at the ground solemnly. Then, he turned back to his daughters.

"I honestly don't know, Blossom. I suppose we'll just have to-"he was cut off as a deep rumbling started shaking the room. Wind erupted all around them, instantly sending all of them into a frenzy. Boomer, however, remained still, his head low, as if not noticing the events around him.

"What's going on?!" Bubbles shouted over the wind. Lightning spark all around them, as they seemed to feel weightless. Soon, the sound felt as if the whole room was about to implode on itself, as the noise of wind and rumbling got louder. Suddenly, a high pitched screech followed, putting Bubbles sonic scream to shame. They all clutched their ears (well, the professor did) and they fell to their knees. Everything seemed out of a nightmare, Bubbles was about to start crying again, but then… it all stopped. The noise had grown quiet and the wind had disappeared. Slowly letting her hands drop to her sides, she opened her eyes and looked around.

They were back inside their living room. Everyone soon looked around as well, confusion etched across each of their faces. Boomer sat on the couch, looking down. His hands were clutching his jeans tightly and his hair covered his eyes. Everything was back to normal, like the scene that unfolded before them just minutes ago never happened.

"Bubbles stood up, the tears welling up again. She sniffled several times as she stared at her counterpart. Refusing to meet her gaze, Boomer spoke with unusual calmness.

"Well, now you know. That was only the tip of the iceberg. I'm so, so sorry, and I don't know if you could forgive me, and-"he couldn't finish because soon he was enveloped into a group hug. Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles, Butch, and the professor all found a way and hugged him tightly. Bubbles was now crying harder than before.

"Oh, Boomer! Why didn't you tell us?! We could have helped you! No one deserves to go through something like that!"She yelled, her voice muffled as she leaned into his chest. Boomer was now shocked and a bit scared.

"W-what? You're not mad? I thought you would be furious!" He choked out, tears now rolling down his cheeks. Everyone soon separated and Bubbles smiled and wiped her cheeks. She sniffled once more and shook her head.

"Why would we be mad? You did nothing wrong! I wish we could have done something to help…"She trailed off, and looked over to Brick. He stood there and just stared, emotionless.

"Brick…" Boomer murmured. Brick's eyes then went blurry as he ran over to Boomer and squeezed the life out of him.

"I'll never let anyone hurt like that again! I'm sorry, Boomer, for everything. If I had just looked back that day, maybe I could have done something…" He cried, along with Boomer who sniffled many times, trying not to show his happiness. He was afraid that they wouldn't forgive him for hurting them, but he was wrong. Maybe now, he could finally have a family…

Brick soon pulled away and stood up. Then, he asked the dreaded question Boomer hoped to avoid."Boomer… what made you freak out like that earlier?"

Boomer froze, his pupils probably shrunk, and his breathing caught in his throat. He couldn't run away this time. Eventually, they would find out the truth. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"I… I don't really know exactly. It's happened ever since I was little. I would have a moment where I would just… snap, I guess. I have no memory of what happens when I black out, but it never ends well. HIM," he spoke the word like it was venom," always told me that someday I would learn to control it. It like some weird bloodlust state where all I want to do is kill…"

Everyone looked at him sympathetically. Boomer closed his eyes for moment to think. He opened them again and sighed.

"He drove me to the brink of insanity. I barely ever ate, I trained every day, and if I made a mistake, I would be punished. One time it was so bad that I begged HIM to kill me. He said that if I died, then my brothers would be left with you girls, so I always dealt with it. What you saw earlier was a side of me I'd rather not show… I usually call it…" he looked up at everyone, an unknown emotion in his eyes.

"My berserker mode"

The air stilled again, letting Boomer's words sink in. Everyone remained silent, analyzing what they were just told. Boomer braced himself for a screaming match.

"Boomer," the professor said, looking sternly at him.

"Y-yes?" Boomer stuttered, fear clenching his heart.

This is it. He thought.

The professor neared him, raised his hand.

Here it comes.

Boomer closed his eyes, expecting pain, but instead felt a hand pat his head. He looked up in shock. The professor smiled at him warmly. 'I'm proud of you, Boomer. No matter what you went through, you still kept going. All to save your brothers, too. That just shows you love them dearly."

Boomer couldn't believe his ears. He was being… praised? Why? None of this made sense, but… he didn't care. All that mattered to him was that they still loved him. He was being praised for living. Usually, he's always being insulted and told to die, but no… This time, he has an actual family, and despite what they all just saw and heard, they still refused to leave him.

Boomer was trembling now, his hands clenching and unclenching. The professor looked at him oddly, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Boomer, are you ok?" He asked, worry in his voice. Suddenly, Boomer grinned and jumped into his arms, suffocating him.

"Th-thank you! You have no idea how happy I am! No one has ever said that to me before!" Boomer let tears run down his cheeks, not in pain or sadness, but happy tears. He's never cried from happiness before. It felt nice. The professor hugged him back, smiling.

Once he let go, he looked to his brothers and the girls. For the first time ever, he looked happy. He smiled to them, letting out a soft chuckle.

'Well, I don't want to be a party-pooper, so why don't we continue Christmas the way it's supposed to go?" Everyone stared at him. Never had Boomer seemed so… giddy. He grabbed Bubbles' hand and fell on the couch with her. He turned the TV onto some Christmas movies, his eyes seeming innocent and childish. He seemed like a child would act on Christmas day, excited to get presents and watch movies. True innocence, like he had never undergone the past they had all just witnessed.

Butch laughed and sat on the couch as well, and everyone soon followed and cuddled up together, with the fire going next to them. They spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Soon, though, Boomer had fallen into a peaceful sleep, his head resting on Bubbles shoulder. She giggled and picked him up.

"I guess we should get to bed." She yawned and walked over to the stairs. Everyone silently agreed and got ready for bed. After a quick goodnight, they all went into their respective rooms.

Bubbles lie in her bad, staring at the ceiling. This morning's incidents were still fresh in her mind. Would they still be able to help Boomer? What if he freaked out again? What… what if HIM came back? The last thought made her shudder. She mentally scolded herself.

I can't be thinking like that! She thought. Though, her mind kept wondering over to the crystal ball. She wanted to know more. Without thinking, she kicked over the covers, got out of bed and left to the living room. The ball was sitting on the coffee table in the living room. She walked over and it instantly lit up when she touched it. She sorted through everything, randomly touching different pictures and words. Soon, she made it to the memory bank. She lightly tapped the ball, and she was suddenly surrounded in wind and lightning, the high pitched sound coming back. This, however frightened Bubbles less, and it seemed to only affect her, as no one woke up from the noise.

Then, she disappeared.

Her last thoughts were of what she would possibly see.

A/N: Hope you like it everyone! Yay, for fluff! :D I hope to update more, just please be patient with me! Summer is almost here, so I'll be on here more often! Thanks, and please R&R! :)