Brick's P.O.V.

I stood up, flipping the table over and grabbing the steak knife out of my unfolded napkin.

I pressed it against Ace's throat without a second thought as I spat out in a voice that was too cold yet furious to be my own;

"Let her go!"

Ace gulped but then grinned, putting his finger on the trigger.

"You kill me, I kill your girl friend, red."

I growled, "Hurt her, I dismember you... slowly."

He chuckled, "Guns are faster than blades, kid."

"Not the way I use 'em." I laughed, no humor in my tone.

There was a young man a few years older than me sitting next to the Professor with a twisted smirk on his face. He sat back in his chair, smirk broadening.

"This is fun. Dinner and a show."

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, echoing slightly in my ears, but I ignored it, returning my attention to the man with the gun.

"Just back off, man. Since when do you protect skanks?" Ace laughed uncontrollably, "She really is your bitch, ain't she? Well let's take a look at her."

He pulled her hair again, so hard that her face whipped back, contorted in pain and staring up at the ceiling.

"Oooh, pretty. My kinda pretty." Ace said in the same tone from yesterday afternoon, "You don't mind sharin', do ya?"

He quickly rearranged the gun so that it was under her chin, then dipped his head down and trailed a slow lick up the side of her neck, his free hand traveling down to squeeze her hip.

"ENOUGH!" I roared as a terrified whimper escaped her.

Without any other thought in my mind other than Kill, I snatched the gun from his hand and bashed his head in with it four times.

A nearby laugh snapped me out of it as I turned to glare at the smirking man.

I opened my mouth to snarl at him, but was stopped by Bubbles hurling herself into my arms.

"Brick!" She said like my name was a prayer.

And then she punched my chest, burying her head in my shoulder, "You idiot! What are you doing here?! You could've gotten hurt! You idiot!"

She gave me another tight squeeze and pulled away, her arms still reaching up to wrap around my neck.

Bubbles giggled, "Dang, that's twice now? I'm gonna have to making I.O.U.s."

Then she turned serious again.

"Dumby! He had a gun! You could've been shot, you dumb- dumb dumby!" She whined, punching me again, tears filling her eyes.

Despite this, I laughed. Laughed.

I don't remember how long it had been since I'd actually laughed.

"Your bipolar." I wheezed, holding my sides.

She attempted to look angry, failed, and then giggled, wiping at her eyes.

"You're such a wierdo." She sighed fondly, before blushing a bright red.

I examined her for the first time that night and guessed why. She was dressed... like an adult. Black dress, a tight black dress that made her skin look like porcelain and light freckles I didn't know were there stood out on her nose and cheeks. She would've looked... sexy if she didn't have that spacey look and giggly attitude.

I glanced at the table behind her and realized her outfit wasn't the cause of her embarrassment.

"What the fuck?" Blossom questioned in a tense whisper.

Bubbles P.O.V.

"Indeed." Alexei chuckled, after Blossom's rather lewd demand.

My cheeks were rosy and I was growing very aware of how intimate Brick and I's embrace looked, but- it wasn't like that!

"Blossom-" I began, but Brick cut me off.

"You selfish bitch!" He hissed, slamming his fist on the table in front of her.

I gasped, "Brick-!"

Apparently I was only allowed to speak in names, because Blossom interrupted me this time.

"Shut up, Bubbles. Where the hell do you get off calling me a bitch, Jojo?"

He glared at her, his anger more controlled than before, but still slightly terrifying.

"You didn't do anything. You just sat back and watched her get attacked!"

She crossed her arms, staying cool and collected in front of the potential buyer. Who was laughing behind the claw that covered his mouth.

"He makes a good point." He chimed in, wearing a wicked grin.

Blossom didn't spare him a glance, all of her attention was on the ruff in front of her.

"I was waiting for a moment to get the upper hand. Bubbles is... She can't take a bullet at the moment and you rushing Ace with a tiny knife wasn't going to change that. You were the one risking her life, not me."

Her point of view on the account was causing his control to visibly fray as his fists shook.

"So were you going to wait until he was fucking her on the table to make a move, or sometime after that?!" He snarled, flushed with rage.

I stared at my feet in shame as I vigorously wiped away the wet trail on my throat. Alexei saw and smoldered at me.

"Brick stop." I whispered, biting my lip and attempting to brush off the lingering feeling af Ace's hand on my hip.

Alexei's laugh was absolutely sinful as he stood up.

"Oh, this has been a delight. I'm afraid I must run, sadly. Bubbles... Later."

The word was more of a promise than a farewell and I knew then and there I wouldn't be getting a wink of sleep tonight.

He left, the reds still to locked up in their own forms of anger as they glared/stared coolly at each other.

"If you hadn't of shown up he wouldn't of even thought of touching her like that. Your a disease to the mind Brick. And your tainting Bubbles."

His eyes widened and for an awful, heart breaking moment I saw the vulnerability in his ruby eyes, the fear, the agony, and, above all, the utter self loathing that had made him the way he is today.

It was my turn to get mad.

I grabbed Brick's arm and stared down at Blossom, tears in my eyes.

"How dare you?!" I gaped, actually hating her in this moment, "You are a shallow, homophobic, narcissist who has no room to call anyone as sweet as Brick names! If anyone's the bad influence here, it's you! Your the one who's plotting all these stupid, judgy words in my head! Your the monster! And I- I hate you!"

I saw Blossom's iciness melt as she stared up at me with sad eyes, "Y-you don't mean that, Bubs."

I spoke between clenched teeth, a few tears streaking my red painted cheeks, "I do. C'mon Brick."

I dragged him out of the door, into the crisp night air, pulling him along with me down the side walk.

I barely noticed him moving almost zombie-like and until my fear washed away and a crashing sadness hit me.

"Don't listen to her Brick." I sobbed, covering my flooding eyes with a hand, holding onto Brick's for dear life.

I wanted so much suddenly to just run home and apologize, hug Blossom and just cry and cry and cry. But at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to leave Brick alone. Not after seeing that look.

"She's right." He said in a numb and raspy voice.

I turned around and rested my head against his chest, tip-toeing, "Don't... Just don't."

I was usually pretty good with words. But tonight, when I was totally consumed with despair... I never wanted to see him look so upset again and I would do anything to prevent it.

I just didn't know how to tell him that.

So I took in a shuddering breath and kissed him. I kissed him right in the middle of the crowded side walk, not caring who walked by or stared. I kissed him so hard my lips felt bruised and when he didn't react, I pulled away feeling humiliated.

"I-I'm so sorry." I blurted, feeling my stuttering kick in, "I-I-I... I just didn't think, and- I- Your nice and- Not tainted and... I'm sorry."

I pulled away, turning to run down the street, when he grabbed my wrist.

I froze and the world seemed to stop with me.

And then Brick yanked me roughly against him, his lips crashing down on mine in a wave of heat, desperation, and franticness.

I knotted my fingers through his hair once I got over my initial shock and he put one arm around my waist, pulling me so closely against him that I was turning all the shades of red in the color spectrum, and one hand under my chin, tipping my head back.

I was getting dizzy, rather it was from the sheer feeling and taste of all that was Brick Jojo, or the lack of oxygen, I didn't know. But I did know that, in this moment, I was the happiest and saddest I'd ever been.

Happiest, because my first kiss now belonged to the perfect man. Because I couldn't help but let let the prospect of being wanted make me feel... light and... bright. Because I knew that I was taking some of his pain away, and mine.

Saddest, because I didn't know what I was doing, and he was so... um, skillful. Because I was also inflicting some pain on him that I wasn't totally aware of. Because I knew that, no matter how wonderful this fleeting second was, this was a Goodbye.

AN; Yay, Bubbles first kiss! So cute, yet tragic. Goodbye?! Why goodbye?! Waah, I hate my sick mind sometimes! Review is you don't want this to be the last goodbye!