Chapter Twenty: Don't Go

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Hi All! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving! It's snowing so much out here, it's great! I have excuses not to go places so I can stay inside and write and watch Australian shows on Youtube :D

I'm sorry this chapter took so long, a lot has been happening. Firstly, I finished UNI! Well, hopefully I did. Unless I totally flunked out on my final exams, I should have passed. Which means I get to graduate! YAY! Only three years in the making studying aboard! *Faints* Secondly, my best friend came to see me! It's only about an 8,000 mile journey, but she made it! I had a blast with her, missing her more everyday though. Thirdly, I was invited to read my work at a local writer's club in town- in front of actual (gasp) authors. It was awesome! I'm hoping to get more involved in the local writing community around here... that should be a great motivation to cotiinue my favourite hobby (:

Anyway, here I am- another chapter! The chapter. I figured I built this up so much I should deliver. And I hope I do! However, this chapter comes with a warning-

Character Death.

I apologise in advance if anyone is really upset by it, but I assure you- it has been my plan all along. Some twists and turns are coming the Puffs' way and it was necessary. I found it hard to do it, I really did. But anyway, I look forward to reading what you think!

*Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes, I tend to miss them until the third/fourth read

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...

If I let you in, you'd just want out.
If I tell you the truth, you'd vie for a lie.
If I spill my guts, it would make a mess we can't clean up.
If you follow me, you will only get lost.
If you try to get closer, we'll only lose touch.
But you already know too much, and you're not going anywhere.

'Don't Go'- Bring me the Horizon (feat. Lights)

...

Blossom.

.

My head was spinning, but I had to keep moving. The hallway slipped and faded around me. It was a struggle to keep my feet straight, my body upright. My name, with that voice, kept echoing in my head like I was waking up from some nightmare. I started running.

Bloss?

Bloss.

The world was a blur and my ears were ringing, but somehow I slapped my hands against Bubbles' door and stumbled forward, scrambling for it to shut behind me. It felt as though a ghost had been chasing me. My fingernails scraped against the wood of the door, heart frantically catapulting in my chest. I tried to swallow, my throat rubbed raw from all my sudden panting.

It took a few sharp, pained gasps, but my chest finally swelled, the warmth spreading to my fingers. I grabbed for my stomach, checking my babies, my security, was still with me, before I could focus again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I made out Bubbles' body shifting in bed and her blonde hair appearing from the pile of pillows. I tried to move, but my legs were numb.

"B-Blossom?" Her groggy voice felt faint against my ringing ears. "What happened? Are you okay?"

All I could do was shake my head, hair swishing around me. I sniffed and gasped again but could only stumble, suddenly breathless once more.

"I…I…"

How do I do this? What do I even say? Those familiar apple green eyes flashed before me- just like Blayze's- and I knew I couldn't hold back. With a painful, twisting ache in my chest I blurted it out.

"I s-saw her! I saw Buttercup!"

My chest and stomach heaved and tears burst from my eyes like a faucet. I tried to focus on her, get to her, but my shoulders shook with every step and I couldn't hold it in.

"I swear, it was her! She was with Blayze!"

"B…" Bubbles' face crumpled at the name, and I even saw her recoil from me. I stopped at the sight, heart pounding painfully in my throat. "Buttercup?"

The very name brought back so much, it was hard to take. I could barely stop to breathe. Instead I let the words flow, trying not to think too much on what they meant. My sister. My green sister. My fighter.

"It was dark, but I saw her eyes. Th-they were so bright. She looked so different! But, like, it had to be her! I-I didn't know what to do! I just- I just came here, I thought-"

Bubbles shook her head, holding up her hand. For a brief moment I was stunned into silence, but then I noticed a familiar pair of icy blue eyes behind her- peeking out drowsily from beneath the covers.

"Blissy…" Her voice softened and she reached out for her daughter. "Get to bed, sweetie. I'll be there in a second."

Bliss shifted in bed before rising slowly into the air, hugging a pillow to her chest. She sullenly made her way to the door, pouting, before closing it behind her. I turned back in a sudden flurry.

"Look, I-I- she was there! Don't go thinking I'm crazy! I wasn't seeing things, but- but I swear she was there, with Blayze, I-"

Bubbles turned away from me and again, I froze. I felt a sharp pang of pain somewhere in my chest, near my heart, as my sister shook her head in disbelief. I could feel myself deflating on the spot. Beneath all of the disbelief, shock and fear… those bright green orbs brought back so much of the past back to me- the memories of hope and victory, sisterhood and laughter…

The sight of my younger sister turning from me, that look of disappointment clouding her baby blue eyes, was enough to erase any joy blossoming within me and tear my heart into two.

"Don't be stupid, Blossom…" Her words were icy. She didn't look my way. "Buttercup isn't here."

"N…no, but-" I had to make her understand, and I rushed forward to plead with her. "No, I'll- I'll show you. Come back with me… I was- I was scared, but I'm sure-"

She pulled away, and I was left grabbing at the cold air. My heart lurched, twisting with pain. I saw her dimples cave into a sneer.

"She's not there, Blossom!" She flung back the sheets and swept by me, still with her face turned. Her high pitched squeal had darkened into something I hadn't heard before- a raspy snarl. I made out the tense muscles of her back when she brushed by me, shoulders stiff. "Just stop, already. You're seeing things. Get some rest."

I felt my lip twitch at that and the tone lingered against my ear. The words were foreign to me- an order that I was supposed to give, maybe. I wasn't used to taking orders from my own sister…

"Bubbles!" I tried to follow her, all breath leaving me in a desperate scoff. "Look, just see, I swear she's there- I don't know how, I really don't, but I saw her-"

"You didn't see anything!"

The bite of the words hit me hard in the chest, but it was the iciness of her glare that stung me right in the face, leaving me numb and frostbitten. I took a step back as my sister advanced on me, her shoulders heaving and hands curled into fists. My little sister, always so quiet and still, was suddenly swelling with such anger I could feel it radiating off of her. She was suddenly so much bigger and taller than me, taking charge. Just like I used to. A sudden fear gripped me, one I never felt before, as her whisper raised to a scream.

"You don't fucking get it! You didn't see anything! You never do! You don't see what's right in front of you! I thought you would get it- I thought you were smarter than this!" She shook her long hair, her face screwing up and her hands flailing. They snatched at her hair, and her head sunk. She looked completely fed up and ready to burst. "I can't deal with this anymore, I really can't!"

"Bubbles-" My voice came out a lot weaker than usual, mouse-like from what it used to be. I winced, trying to sum up my old commander tone, but those icy eyes hit me again and I froze up.

"No, I'm done listening to you. You don't know shit."

I reached out to her, shaking. "But I saw her! You have to come see, you have to listen-"

She swatted my hand away.

"Blossom, she's not there." Her jaw was set and her lips were trembling, but she looked determined. Something flashed in her eyes, like a glimpse of fear, before she closed them on me. She breathed hard, through her nose, before she gave me a final sigh.

"Buttercup's dead."

"I'd- I-" The words hit me, but they didn't make sense. It wasn't right, not with those familiar green eyes burning into my mind, illuminating in the darkness. "But I saw her-"

"Oh, stop being so naïve!" She screeched at me, face reddening. I tried not to wince. "Don't you fucking see? Don't you fucking get it? Buttercup's dead!"

A sudden drop in my heart caused pain to radiate through my chest, but she didn't stop. She took a long, strangled gasp for air before spitting out-

"Butch killed her!"

"Wh-"

"He killed her!" Her voice was booming, echoing in my head, ringing in my ears. "He left her like she was nothing, he left her lying there- dead!"

The image of Butch was flashing in my head, behind my eyes, and I couldn't shake him off. I'd sat beside him, like a brother, I'd leaned on him, relied on him, trusted him…

And the thought of him standing over my limp, lost sister- her lifeless body on the ground, her blood splattered over his hands…

It was painful, twisting and agonising in me…

I couldn't take it. My heart lurched in rejection and I felt my throat tighten, like I could feel the sick rising in my stomach. I forced myself to speak.

"N… NO!" It didn't make any sense, and I gave a firm stomp of my foot. "Bubbles, it's-"

"It's true!" Her screeches cut back into me and she was suddenly before me, shouting in my face. "You're so blind, all you cared about was yourself! You didn't even realise, she's been dead for so long-"

"Shutup!" The words were spewing forth before I could stop them, and my throat was suddenly on fire. I spat out at her, shaking the lifeless image from my head. "You don't know that! STOP SAYING THAT!"

"I'm telling you, she's dead!"

Still, the desperate heat kept burning within me. I willed her to stop, but all I could do was shout.

"SHUT! UP!"

"Why can't you just accept it?!" She hissed at me, her glare cold and hard. "I have! And we're no better! We're trapped in here, while everyone else dies around us!"

Her words cut like glass, every hiss and every snarl was burning and itching into my brain, my stomach lurching in a hot sickness. I slapped my hands to my ears, over my face, but the pain wouldn't stop. She didn't stop.

"Is this what you planned, Blossom?!" She spat at me, her words like poison. "You're the one that always had a plan!"

"I didn't plan anything!" The words fell out of me thickly and the sobs escaped me with no way to hold them back. Everything flooded from me- the emotion, the fear, the determination that was disappearing from the second... The image of Buttercup in that room, the image of her bleeding on the ground, alone, with Butch standing beside me, beside Brick-

"No, you DIDN'T!" Bubbles growled at me, so much like Brick. "You just gave up!"

Her screams were ringing in my ears, the pressure and heat was building and I couldn't take it. I felt like I wanted to scream too, with all the fury and the sadness burning and blinding me. My hope was fading faster than I could catch it, those bright green eyes still burning into me, judging me. Like a ghost over my shoulder. I just scrunched my face, desperate for it all to stop, but it wasn't enough.

"Don't, Bubbles! Just stop!"

"Why?!" She screamed in my face, her eyes gleaming and her face a bright red. "Do you not CARE that our sister's dead!? I'm the one that has to carry this family around, I'm the one that has to deal with it! And all you care about is Brick, and your kids, and you don't even realise what's-"

I broke, and let the fire burst within me. With a scream I didn't know I had, I threw my hands forward, just to get her away. Just to keep her back from the blast. But her shouts were cut short, a loud bang followed, and I was left gasping for breath, my heart racing in my temples and my eyes screwed tightly shut. I was afraid to open them.

"Bubbles?" I whispered desperately to the silent air. I peeled an eye open. "Bubs?"

I saw her, crumpled in the corner and her hair over her face. She was stumbling to her feet, lip open and bright red. My heard lurched into my throat and I sprinted over, numb with shock and my hands still tingling.

"Bubbles! I-I-"

She threw her hands out and into my chest. I staggered back, mouth agape as I watched my world fall apart around me. She threw me a hateful glare, her eyes cutting into me like ice and blood dripping from her chin.

"Don't touch me."

"I didn't mean to! I just-"

Her lip curled at me with disgust, before her face broke into a pained wince. Her right shoulder was bent at an odd angle. She reached over with her left hand to cradle it, agony breaking out all over her face. I could feel my heart crumple and sink, all hot anger within me freezing into nothing.

I'd hurt her. My baby sister.

"Bubbles..." I whispered, voice cracking and dying completely. "I'm so, so sorry- I would never- I... I mean, the b-babies must have-"

She backed away from me, cupping her broken shoulder and her hard glass eyes narrowing on me. Hate was clear on her broken face. I could see her eyes crinkle like she was about to break, but she gritted her teeth. Just like Buttercup, she didn't let go of her snarl- even when the tears started dripping down her cheeks.

"It wasn't the baby..." She rasped, lips twisting with pain and anger. "It was you!"

My own hands dropped onto my stomach, my fingers twisting in my dress. All I could do was stare- frozen to the spot- as my sister stormed out and slammed the door closed behind her.

.

.

Blayze stared out at his aunt disappearing down the hallway, hunched over and sniffing. His wide eyes watched her go, her screams still echoing in his ears.

From beside him, Bliss gazed up nervously at her little cousin. At first she thought it would be fun, to be like one of the boys and listen in on the grown-ups talking… but now she didn't know what to say. She was stuck to the floor, her heart thumping in her chest, gazing up at her cousin's white face with sudden fear.

"B…Blayze?" She tried to sound normal, but her voice came like a croak. She reached out for his still arm. "You… you okay?"

"No." Blayze's voice was broken too, and Bliss could see tears suddenly slipping down her cousin's cheek. "I'm not…"

.

Brat.

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Brat was never the girl to stand around waiting.

The blue punk had taken off hours after Butch left, keen for a drink. No goodbye, but she was used to that. After all, Butch could get so messed up he would be out for days. She learned a long time ago never to wait around for anyone- especially a male.

She set off across the city, already mulling over the options of booze in her head, before landing gracefully on the roof of her sister's club and unlocking the top entranceway. The blonde Punk didn't appear to notice anything wrong until she reached the top floor. She stopped and hesitated at the stillness around her- the absence of vibrations at her feet. Usually, the DJ played so loud the bass thumped through the walls and floorboards... but there was an eerie, displaced silence that rang in the Punk's ears.

It was not right.

"'Zerk?!" Brat's voice rang up the empty halls. She frowned at the silence. "Brute?!"

A small scratching and a few thumps reached her ears, sending sudden jolts of panic into her chest. She threw out her fists. A shadow appeared at the end of the hall, a lot taller than she was used to- and the Punk could just make out the dark eyes and the shadow of a face.

"No." A low, inhuman growl sounded at the end of the hall. "It's just one of the whores. The blonde one."

The shadow flickered and moved from the light, down the hall and away from sight.

"W…" Brat was left gaping after the stranger. The Hell was he up here for, anyway? She glanced around again hopefully, looking for any sign of her sisters. "What the hell?"

Pushing any fear to the back of her mind, she jumped up and flew after him. She reached the end of the hall where her hand slammed against the wall and she peered down the hallway where he'd disappeared to.

"Hey! Wait!"

There was nobody there. Alarm bells suddenly seized the back of her mind and her temples began to pound with oncoming panic. Total silence again claimed the hallway and the Punk glanced around, desperate to find any sign of life. She was left alone.

"Hello?! Anyone?!"

The Blue Punk hovered again and moved quietly after the strange shadow, her lined eyes peeling and her skin tingling with readiness. Her heart now humming in her chest, she steeled herself enough to quicken her pace down the hallway. Chills coated her skin, a cold setting into her the closer she crept. While she was used to her sisters flanking her, she had no doubt that she could take on any demon that came her way. After all, she was a Punk- with the power of a Puff but with none of the drawbacks. She could fight, she could-

A pair of black eyes jumped out at her from the wall and she staggered back in the air, choking on her own scream.

"AHHHH! WHA-! WHAT THE- WHAT THE FUCK!"

She stared up at the slim figure- which towered over her like a ghoul. His sharp eyes narrowed in on her and his clawed hands snapped down on her in a vice-like grip. She pulled and pushed, but his long white fingers were like a hardened marble.

"Let me go!" A gasp burst in her throat and she kicked out. He was a solid wall. She struggled and pulled, her screams stinging in her chest as his grip bit into her. His arm wrapped around her torso, securing her arms to her side. She couldn't get away and that thought alone raced in her aching head, sending her into a fretful panic. She yelled out the only ones she knew could help. "'ZERK! BRUTE!"

The thing holding her chuckled, a dark laugh that thudded against her back.

"They're gone, girly."

"Wh..." She gasped for air. Her legs dangled weakly against the ground as the demon dragged her down the hall. "Wai... what? Where are they?!"

"You must be the sister..." The gruff growl sounded above her again, and he pulled her around the corner, into the opening of the club on the second balcony. She looked down, heart sinking with dread as she took in the darkness beneath.

Her eyes scanned the large room, filled with mingling dark bodies- she couldn't recognise any faces. They hardly seemed human at all, more like ghouls- with sickly coloured skin and black, empty eyes. Most were tall, towering over her, and all breathed loudly- their strangled groans and low cackles filling the room. She recoiled back, against the demon's chest, and all other thoughts slipped from her consciousness, with that dark voice filling her ears.

"You've never been around Wrath Demons..." He purred at her, dropping his hand to run through her sweaty hair. "Have you?"

"N..." She frowned at the stroking, suddenly numb. "No." She craned her neck to look from the ghoulish army back up, taking in his white face and empty eyes. She tried her best to keep her voice steady, but it shook in her mouth. "Where are my sisters?"

"Surely you know by now..." The demon cooed, tilting his head. He had long, stringy black hair that hung around his limp shoulders. "They must have told you."

"N...No?" Brat's heart was racing now and her skin was growing cold in the ghostly breaths of the demons around her. "What's-what happened to them?"

"Dead." The demon said, emotionlessly. Brat could swear something in his dead eyes shifted. "Both of them..." He crept closer, so his cold breath coated her face. "Rumours say it was a... how do you say it?" His cheek twitched in a manic green. "A Puff that took their lives."

"That's..." She shook back the cold that wrapped around her chest, fingers curling into fists. "That's impossible! They're... they're all locked up-"

"Except one, if the rumours are true..." Those dark eyes bore into her, endless and empty. "Correct?"

"Sh...She's-"

Brat's lip drooped and her eyes narrowed into the demon's face. Her fists suddenly shook, she grit her teeth and twisted her lips as colour began to fill her face.

"She's alive?!"

"Not for long..." The demon cooed to her, his long fingers flexing out to the crowd before him. "That's why we're here."

Brat's narrowed glare crossed again over to the sea of black. Suddenly, she didn't see emptiness or despair... the room was suddenly spinning, heating up around her. Her blood began to race, life jumping into her nerves, her mind reeling and teeth grounding. Every bit of her body was suddenly pulsing as a new life, a new anger, began to fill her.

"Why don't you join us, Brat?" The demon's growl buzzed by her ear. "We can use somebody like you... with us..."

Something wet, hot, slid against her ear. She didn't respond. She only gritted her teeth, and let the anger, the fury, ebb through her. Without another word, she stepped up to the railing in front of her. She climbed on top. Her darkening navy eyes looked over the demons beneath her. Her face twisted, another twitch of anger flickering beneath the surface, before she let go.

And fell into the army underneath.

.

Buttercup.

.

I woke up the next morning with Emmy cuddled up into my side and her fingers wrapped firmly in my shirt. She was determined not to let go, even when I tried to shuffle out of her grip as gently as I could. Eventually, after prying her fingers off one by one, I finally managed to slip a pillow into her grip to take my place. I stretched out my tired muscles, standing tall and hovering off the floor. I was getting much better at flying, and almost did it subconsciously now. With that encouraging flutter in my heart, I glided out into the morning light before I could fully blink myself awake.

I landed in the tall grass and stared around at the still campsite, bathed in the glow of sunrise. It was strange, to be surrounded by silence again. After growing up in the suburbs beside a metropolis, the buzz of the city became the norm. Silence in the forest, after running for so long, always meant danger... after being in my old home, the silence stood for death and destruction.

I ran my eyes along the deserted campground, unsure of how to take this newfound quiet. I wasn't sure, just yet... if it meant safety or danger.

I wandered out into the cover of the nearby forest, seeking shelter in the pine trees. It was chilly, shaded from the sunrise, but it felt better to be covered, rather than out in the open. I cast a suspicious once-over across our surroundings. I tried to stay focused on the task at hand, to always be on guard, just like I drilled into Emmy at a young age.

But my mind continued to wander, trailing back to the vivid warmth of Brute's blood, her determined snarls and forbidding warnings. The Ruffs, my sisters... what if it was all true? What if they had settled with them, without me? What if I was nothing but a distant memory to them?

My stomach churned at the thought, along with the thought of my hands around her neck. It was as if a whole new person had taken over, that I was no longer in control. And I liked it. That was probably the worst of it all. I had let it take over me... And it had given me a new strength, a new drive and a new bloodlust, one like I'd never felt before.

Would I have even defeated Brute, if I hadn't had that? I couldn't help but think, dragging my boot in the dirt. If I hadn't let my demon side take over... would I have beaten her- with Chemical X alone?

I gazed wistfully up toward the trees, knowing I could fly and touch the canopy if I wanted to. It may take a lot more strength than it used to, and it may take a lot of thinking and preparing, but I could still do it. It was no longer natural to me, but it was still a part of me... I had fought back, and gained that much.

Was it even enough anymore?

I'm still me. I told myself that, firmly, and rolled it around in my skull. I'm still Buttercup. The Powerpuff Girl. Not Buttercup the demon.

The very thought rolled in my head, the memory of the same heat, the same fury and determination, taking over last night. It had swept through me so easily that I was taken before I could even think. I was swept up so easily, I was taken so quickly...

Straight to Blayze...

And Bloss...

I couldn't hold back a chill at that, bracing myself against the trunk of the tree. Just a taste of that power, that strength. It had been exhilarating. The wood sliced at my fingertips and held me steady as my mind began to reel at the thought.

I'd actually done it. I'd seen her- there was no mistaking those wide, bright pink eyes. My stomach churned at the memory- the pale face and wide, frightened eyes framed by long, vibrant red hair. My sister- I'd really gotten to her!

I bit my lip and shot a look back towards the cabins, where I was sure Rome was resting with Cass.

What would they say? I could see Rome's disapproving glare in my head, ready to lecture me on getting too close to Butch, building the demonic connection... but wasn't he the one who told me to embrace my demonic strength, that it would protect me?

My head was reeling and throbbing now and I tilted it against the bark of a tree, feeling tired already. It was too much to think about and take in.

I drummed my fingers in front of my face, against the rough bark of the tree trunk. I couldn't help but think what would happen if I just grabbed my baby, right in front of me, and if he saw me. If he really knew it was me, what would happen? Would he follow me? Would he think about me, like I think of him? Would he transport to me, would he connect like I can?

The grass before me blurred at the thought, tears itching at the backs of my eyes.

He'd gotten so big... I thought back to seeing him in the darkness. He used to fit in my arms. When I first saw him, he could barely wrap his hand around my finger. Emmy just grew faster everyday and I struggled to keep up... But Blayze...

My baby...

A whole lifetime had passed without me there. When I last saw him, he was a baby. He was crying and whimpering, barely saying my name. Now he was sitting up, he was talking. I still heard, if I really focused, his voice in my ear.

"Mum's dead..."

Heaving my shoulders in a sigh, I knew I had to try again. I had to get to him, just to let him know I was here...it wasn't a dream, and that I was coming back for him.

The grass rustled behind me and I was jolted from my thoughts.

I jumped around, fists bared and heart leaping at the ready, only to find Cain standing before me lazily. He was blinking very slowly, and quickly dismissed my raised fists. A slow, sly smirk appeared on his face.

"You're up early."

I reluctantly lowered my fists and shot him a look.

"I'm always up early."

Cain eyed me suspiciously, his glare darting around the trees before tilting his head, his smirk still in place.

"Didn't sleep good, huh?"

"...No." I admitted, sighing at the words. "I was... thinking. But, at the same time... I'm trying not to."

Cain nodded. "I understand. I do that all the time."

I had no doubts about that, but I kept my mouth shut. I glanced back up at the demon with consideration, thinking back to last night's 'trip' and twisting my lips. A new dangerous thought was burning in my brain and I couldn't let it go.

"Cain... I have a question."

"Okaaaay..." He hesitated at that, his hand going to the back of his head. "But I'm not great at that, just so you know."

"Noted." I cocked an eyebrow before frowning in contemplation. It was a strange thing to ask- and Cain, of all demons- but it seemed right. After his heart-to-heart with me in the shower (as awkward as that sounds) he had proven to have enough human emotions to be classified as empathetic. He was probably my best shot at getting a straight answer.

"How do you... connect with Jayden? Like, how do you get to him and... Feel what he feels? How long did it take for you, to like... I don't know..." I gave a sheepish shrug, my head already pounding in pain. "Bond with Jayden, enough for your demon side to recognise him as... a part of you?"

Cain frowned at me, and I stood there like an idiot while those dopey bright blue eyes examined me. Eventually, he lifted his shoulder and gave a light scoff.

"I dunno, I just knew. Like, from the moment I saw him." He piped up at that, brightening immediately. "I saw his eyes, and my brain, like, fired up all of a sudden. Usually I don't think too much, but suddenly I just thought a lot, like all these feelings and stuff. Then I could hear it, in my chest, you know? And I could feel it. And I knew."

"Feel what?"

"His heart beating." Cain scoffed at me, as if it was obvious. "I could hear it over everything, like it was suddenly mine, and mine was his. We were connected, then, and I knew there was no turning back. Not like I wanted to." He tilted his head, that dopey grin back on his face. "Even if he is annoyed at me most of the time..."

I was ready to smirk at him, I really was. Maybe even joke around with how pathetic that all sounded... but it hit deep within me and I could feel it echo somewhere deep in my chest. The feeling of knowing someone, feeling their presence within you... it had to be that hot demon blood, magnifying every feeling.

...And I had lost that with my only son.

I felt tears bubble behind my eyes at that very thought. It had felt like a lifetime since I had held him, felt his heart beat against mine, that I'd felt his skin and his hair and kissed his cheek... he only knew me through a dream, he thought I was dead-

The only way we'd ever been close was when we were sleeping. When I lost control.

I shook my head, firmly, and sucked back what I could of my tears. I narrowed my blurred glare and focused instead on Cain's chains, gleaming down at me - a reminder of the battle ahead. Cain still had that faraway look in his eyes, so I doubted he noticed my internal trauma. Instead, he rolled his gaze back to me, lips twisting thoughtfully.

"You think I'd be a good dad, right?"

"Oh, yeah..." I chuckled and sniffed, thankful for his obliviousness. "You would be the best."

"I thought so!" Cain lifted his lip cockily and nodded his head back to the cabins. "Come on, we better let Rome see us patrolling. He's probably been up for hours now and is dying to give us a lecture."

.

Brick.

.

The journey back to the bar was a blur.

Those dripping, bloodied words were burned in my brain and I wanted nothing more than to rip the culprit to pieces, but Bane only shot me a grave growl.

I know it's her. My head thumped steadily with pain, the memory of those bright green eyes glimmering in the darkness. She's alive. It's her.

Brute's lifeless body was only the beginning. I knew, in the shadows, she was lurking and ready to strike again. She wasn't just a Puff. Not anymore. She was an enemy- a threat- and she needed to be taken down. She, and whoever she's with, needed to be stopped.

Boomer and I touched down on the roof and immediately- after he scraped to a halt beside me- I let him have it.

"This is fucked." I hissed, stomping my foot. The heat within me was overwhelming. I gnawed at my tongue to ease the tension, but it did nothing. I eyed the door to the bar instead, feeling my skin growing hotter by the second. I took a strong, steady breath and tried to focus. "We have to let Butch know, we have to find these fuckers."

"We need a plan." Boomer growled at me, eyes hardening. "You know this, Brick."

"Fuck planning!" I hissed at him, my brain in a scramble. All I could think of was that dripping blood and a pair of wide, trusting pink eyes. "We have to find them and get back some order!"

"You're going to struggle without an army."

I whirled around to see Bane perched on the edge of the rooftop, his deep red eyes glowing brightly. His black hair was caught in the breeze, but other than that he stood eerily still, looking down on us. At that superior tone, the burning within me burst and I let out a low growl.

"You took our army!" I spat at him, throwing my arms out. "There's nobody here to help us with this fucking mess, thanks to you!"

"Thanks to me?!" Bane's eyes narrowed dangerously and I caught Boomer taking a cautious step back. I threw him a glare. Pussy. I kept up my glare, but in seconds Bane was on me- inches from my face, teeth bared and eyes flashing. I tried to match it, but the heat flowing off him flooded my own. My fingers trembled and a lump rose in my throat.

"We- I-"

"I left this Earth for you, son. To save your worthless hide." Bane spat at me, teeth flashing and sharpening. I tried not to stare and again I attempted to hold my ground. "You were supposed to resurrect me in due time, I thought it would only be a year before I was back with you!"

"We didn't know that's what you wanted!" Boomer stammered out. I winced at how high his voice was. Bane's glare snapped onto him, lip curling in disgust.

"Then you let me down. You've brought shame to your kind!"

"You left us with nothing." Again, a shame crept over me and I couldn't let it go. I tried to stay heated, stay focused, but that same sadness and desperation rushed into me, like a cold reminder of failure. "We thought you were dead, we killed for the first time and I-I thought you wanted us to make a family, make an army!"

"How did you expect to do that with nothing to guide you? Did you not learn about your blood?" His eyes snapped back onto me, teeth gritted. He hissed in a low growl. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, son."

I curled my fingers into fists, again holding strong, but fuck- that hurt. I flinched like he'd hit me and I caught my lip twitching under that fiery glare. All that work, all that blood, sweat, tears, ripping away from our old life- guiding my brothers into a new damned existence where we thought we were kings... all of it was nothing. For nothing. It stung, and fuck- I couldn't let it go. The pain of failure tore through me and my eyes found the ground, my shoulders sunk and all of a sudden I wanted nothing more than to melt into nothing.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could force out of my mouth, over that cursed lump swelling in my throat.

His hand slammed down on me, onto my arm. He squeezed and I felt so small under that crushing grip.

"What's done is done." His chest rumbled with a deep sigh. "And you have come this far, I will help you the rest of the way."

"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Boomer again spoke up with a slight squeak in his voice. "We...we've secured Townsville, and more demons are rising to the surface-"

"Good." Bane's lips lifted into a smug smirk. "Let them. Let Earth be the new sanctuary."

"But... won't that-" Boomer's navy eyes snapped to me for help. "Upset the balance?"

"The boundaries between Hell on Earth have become weak." Bane's eyes shone at the words. "But that only shows how powerful we are becoming, with more flocking to join us."

I glanced up, my cheek twitching at the grim memory.

"Is that why Unforgiven are after us?"

Bane drew back, his eyes narrowing and lip curling unpleasantly. He flashed his fangs at us, eyes darting between our faces.

"Who told you about that?"

"Everyone." I frowned, gritting my teeth, as Bane glanced away, something flashing in his eyes. Fear? No... "What is going on with that?"

"It's not true." Bane shook his head, his eyes darkening at the very though. He added in a hurried hiss to himself, "It's not possible."

"That's the word with the army." I kept it up, more determined than ever, and gestured down to my shoulder. "And why I'm fucking being stabbed by some psycho demon, that-"

I balked at the memory. Before the rush of pain, the searing heat and the darkness of unconsciousness...

I've waited for this moment for so long...

There was the throbbing in my head from lack of air, a pair of hands locked around my neck. I swallowed, that lump in my throat rising again.

Finally suffer like I've suffered, brother.

His dark voice was like a rush of icy water, chilling me to the bone. I bit back a shiver and turned back to Bane again- eyeing his suspicious glare and set jaw.

"There will be some that will try and take our place." Bane growled darkly in warning, turning to take in Boomer, too. "We are rightful rulers of this Earth, but it is a seductive position to be in... there will be some that will want that power all to themselves."

His lip curled, exposing his sharpened teeth. He flexed his thick hands, cracking his knuckles.

"As more circles rise to the surface, it becomes more important to form a strong, loyal army. We have to lead here, boys. There is a battle for power ahead..." Eyes narrowing, he ground his teeth together. "And we must win."

The image of Blossom, alone and frightened in her room with Bruiser, flourished in my head and caused my heart to race. One glance at Boomer told me he was thinking the same thing. His eyes were wide, face pale.

"The girls will be safe..." I eyed him closely. "Right?"

"There will be no risk to them, as long as we keep a strong guard." Bane's lip lifted. "And we secure this new... threat."

Powerpuff Lives... The very words sent another shiver through me. I shook my head stubbornly and bit down on my lip- hard. Another throb of pain surged from my shoulder.

Buttercup was out there, and she was fighting back.

"So what do you propose we do?" Boomer heaved a sigh and squared his shoulders. "About...her?"

Bane tilted his head, eyes shimmering mischievously. "What else to do?" He reached behind him and yanked open the door that led downstairs, to the club. His lips split into a wide grin. "We hunt."

.

Cass.

.

It took me a while to work out where I was. With so many beds in so little time, it was hard to gather one's surroundings. The first thing I noticed, however, was it was quiet here. Almost too quiet. I could hear the branches of the trees rustling outside and the faint whistle of morning air seeping through the windows. I blinked awake, cringing against the bright sunlight.

The second thing I noted was a warm, heavy, burly arm weighing against my chest. Familiar warm breaths of air frosted my ear, and I glanced over to see that it was Rome grabbing me in a tight hug, pulling me against his bare chest. He had a firm grip on me and was snoring into my hair.

I breathed out, fluttering his hair and taking him in. My husband. It still sounded so strange. He frowned at my scoff and peeled open an eye. His lips twitched and he tugged me closer into the warmth.

"Morning…" His voice, thick and deep with sleep, growled into my hair. "You sleep okay?"

I gave a nod, warm but still numb at the sensation, the closeness. It was still like a hazy dream. I nudged at his arm, still draped over my chest. "I did…" I had to chuckle and his arm jolted. "It's still so weird, I'm not used to you sleeping."

"Me neither…" He closed his eyes again and only moved to shift even closer. "It's nice though."

My eyes rolled to the ceiling. "I never thought you'd be the type to actually sleep." He grinned into my hair and it sent jolts down my neck. "But you're actually sleeping in..."

"If Cain asks, I was patrolling." He grumbled. "Gotta keep up appearances, after all."

I really laughed then, rolling over to giggle and poke at him. "You faker."

He cracked open an eye again, and this time he grinned so hard his cheeks pushed up into his eyes. They were shining so bright I could make out those gold specks I loved so much.

"Only for you."

"It means a lot." I felt my face flush with heat when I realised what I'd said, and quickly blurted out more. "You know, like… like we're normal, like we're a regular couple." My chest jolted again in an awkward laugh and my face was on fire. "I know that's stupid, but-"

"No… I get it." His eyes scanned my face, slowly, and his shoulders lifted in a sigh. "I used to wonder what it would be like to be human… have a normal life, and all that shit. Like I…like what would it be like if I wasn't born who I was." His eyes trailed down and he gave a sheepish smirk. "Wishful thinking."

"I guess being human isn't so bad." I wrinkled my nose at him. "Huh?"

He scoffed in my face again, throwing his arm around me again. "Yeah, yeah."

He tightened his hold on me and I shuffled closer. The slick gold cross around my neck brushed up against his chest and he ran a finger along the chain, hanging loosely around my neck. Feeling that symbol, that sign, brought it all back to me. Nerves began to build in the base of my throat, tense and hot, and I had to let out a sigh.

"So… does this mean that… I'm your mate?" I rolled my eyes up, suddenly nervous at the thought. "I'll be like Jayden, sick when I'm away from you, and all that?"

His cheek twitched and something flickered in his eyes. It was as though he was going for an automatic eye roll and thought better of it. Instead, he lifted his lip.

"Kind of…" He rolled his shoulder awkwardly. "Well, yeah. I'm kind of attached to you."

"Does that mean you'll…" I cringed at the very thought while my heart foolishly fluttered. "Mark me?"

He glanced back down to hide it, I didn't miss the sudden burst of colour in his eyes, like a flash of fire. "I don't have to…" He said softly.

"But you want to."

"It's demon nature." He muttered offhandedly, still avoiding my gaze and eyeing my neck instead. "But that's precisely why I was aiming to avoid it."

"You don't have to repress who you are just because of me."

Rome cocked an eyebrow and sheepishly glanced back up.

"You know who I am. I'm not exactly proud of it."

"You know what I mean…" I held his fiery eyes and tried to be serious. "I don't want you to feel ashamed at something you can't control."

"I can control anything."

"I don't doubt it." I shot him a knowing look. "I trust you, I just want you to be… you, around me. I don't want you to feel afraid of who you are."

His brow furrowed at that, and he even tilted his lips in a strange look of confusion- which was rare to see. "I think demons are made to be feared."

"Whatever." I shook this tiny detail off. "I just want you to know if you want to mark me, it's okay."

He lidded his eyes at me, tilting his head back to lick his lips. It was mesmerising, I admit, and I had to shake myself to hear what was being said.

"You want me to mark you?"

My face flared with a newfound heat at that. "I'm saying I wouldn't mind-"

"So that's a yes." His eyes were twinkling now, with those shining gold flecks glimmering in the light. There was no denying how happy he was under the surface. "You want the mark of a demon on you."

"It may come in handy." I let my grin go, despite how goofy I probably looked. "You know, so other demons know what's up."

I caught a tick to his jaw and he shot me a glare, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Like a demon would ever get close enough to you to notice."

"I'm not going to spend my time hiding!" I huffed at him. "I want to fight, I want to be a part of it."

"I don't see why you have to put yourself in danger all the time..." He grunted at me darkly. He glanced away and I shuffled closer to catch his eyes again.

"I'm not, I'm just doing what I need to, I need to save my city-"

"You don't need to do anything when you're with me." He easily slipped into his lecturing tone and it was hard not to roll my eyes. "The only thing you need to do is stay safe."

"I promise I will..." I made to trail off, but a thought still stuck with me stubbornly. I trailed my finger up his arm, into the grooves of his bicep muscle. "I'm just thinking... if we had that connection, then maybe-"

Jolting at my tickling, his fingers wrapped around my arm and he held my gaze.

"We still have that connection without the mark, Cass." He told me. "I've always been able to feel your pain, I get to you faster than I do with anyone else... I never want to leave your side."

My lips twitched at that and I had to scoff, despite heat flooding to my face again.

"Well, that's good to know."

"A mark, though..." Rome actually looked awkward and his eyes jumped away before trailing back to me. I caught the twitch in his lips. "It means something physical, not emotional... it's..." He gave a sly smirk. "It's a mark of ownership, almost like you're forbidden to be with anyone else." His shoulder lifted in a half-hearted shrug. "It's more a limit for you, than for me."

"So... if I'm marked..." I tried to lighten my tone, but my voice cracked under the pressure. "I can't... be with anyone else? Not that I'd want to, but-"

Rome was nodding gravely. "Unless I'm challenged, or I die."

That thought was enough to clench at my chest and twist at my heart. My fingers twitched and my nails dug into his arm.

"Well..." I tried not to think about that, instead I stole another sly glance. "I'm game if you are."

His face twitched and his eyes actually widened at me. "Really?"

"Yeah!" I forced out an awkward scoff. "I mean, we're married, Rome. Like, Jeez-"

Without warning, he threw his arms around me and rolled on top of me. It was an awkward angle, with his hands pushing my chest up and my head back in the pillow- gazing up at him. All breath suddenly left me and I had to squeak. He completely overshadowed me, more than double my size, and those red eyes were now glowing at me, sparking with a newfound heat. Before I shuffled into comfort, he buried his face into my shoulder and warmth tickled my neck.

"I still think I'm dreaming, though..." he hummed into my skin. "Having you all to myself..."

I was frozen to the mattress, steady vibrations of heat pulsing all the way to my toes. Spellbound and lost for words, all I could do was grab at his arms and hold myself to Earth. I faintly felt his teeth graze over my veins, over my jugular and my pulse, before they set into my skin. He paused only for a second, before-

A faint moan burbled in the back of my throat, before my heavy lids closed and I set into the bliss. A new warmth, like the heat of a bath, enveloped me and I fell into it. His teeth crashed into me, with his tongue, and the slick sensation wracked through me, a new burn that sent my heart into pulses of heat.

My chest slammed against his, fingernails dug into his skin. I was only aware of how hard I was panting when his lips covered mine, warm and wet. When we kissed, the Earth floated back to me and I felt heavy again. My eyes fluttered open to see him licking his lips, giving me a lazy grin.

"Ready to have fun?" All I could matter was a numb nod, my skin still blazing.

"Oh, yeah."

.

Boomer.

.

We followed Bane into the club, down into the depths of darkness and silence. It was strange, a place that was usually vibrating with light and sound had become so dark and desolate. I glance over to Brick for support, but he kept his head firmly straight at Bane's back. We stayed behind him, reduced to mere followers.

I kept my head bowed, trying to relax the tension building within my skull. Pressure was throbbing between my ears, in my temples. I couldn't take much more.

With every step Bane took, his boots echoed against the stone floor. He seemed to blend into the shadows, becoming a hulking, dark silhouette. The hallway opened into the railing that revealed the lower storey, and I froze in shock as I saw the sea of black before us.

Demons were milling around the lower floor. There were too many to count, in a sea of colour and faces I couldn't quite place. I tried to guess how many there were, but fell behind and stumbled to keep up. Bane descended the stairs, boots still booming with every step, and the crowd silenced and parted immediately. Black eyes and ghoulish faces were drawn to him, watching every step he took. He headed for the stage ahead, the crowds forming a wide berth so his path was clear. Brick and I followed to keep up, casting a wary eye around the crowds.

"Fuck..." Brick's eyes darted to me. "Where'd they all come from?"

My eyes scanned the room again- the shadowy, inhuman faces seemed like blank slates to me. All I could do was shake my head. None of them seemed familiar... none of them seemed remotely human.

Bane reached the bloodied stage and rose to the platform easily, turning to face the room. His eyes were aflame with a burning, bright red, brighter than I had seen them before. That thought struck deep in my core. I had to glance away, back to the demons around us for some kind of sign that there was still support- but there was none. All I could make out was a sea of dead eyes. All pointed at Bane, all with undivided attention.

"A new threat is blocking our way to taking this Earth." Bane's dark, deep growl shook the room. I bit my lip against the chills that sailed down my back.

The demons around him shifted, their black eyes darting in what looked like eagerness.

"You may have heard of them..." His head tilted in mock thought. "The Powerpuff Girls."

That got a response- there were whispers and hisses that echoed through the complex, like air was being filtered back into the room. Demons began to fuss and growl, creating tremors of sudden heat in the chilly air. Bane flashed his fangs in a scowl and the room fell into silence once more.

"While we have secured two, there is a third that is on the loose in this town." His eyes narrowed, his glare becoming slits of fire. "Securing the Green Powerpuff Girl known as Buttercup is the top priority." He threw his glare around the room before adding in a dark rumble, "Hunt her down and bring her back."

His lip lifted in consideration before adding in a low growl, "Alive."

The effect was immediate. The demons began to shift and jump. There were cackles and growls, the room filling back with life. Swiftly, the beings moved like shadows to the exits. Some upstairs, some down, the rest filtered through the back of the doors. In a moment they were gone, and we were left once again with an eerily empty club. Demons now filled the streets, throwing the city into a new type of Hell. I watched with slight numbness, unsure of how to feel. All I could do was stare, my mind empty.

"Wh..." Brick spoke up first, his eyes narrowing on Bane on the stage. "That's it?"

"It's all that was needed." Bane's dark voice was laced with a clear warning. He cocked an eyebrow. "Hunting is natural to all demons."

I opened my mouth to stammer back some reply, but before I could think up a quick enough response the shadows behind us shifted and a few figures appeared from the darkness. I recognised Edge immediately, although his eyes were a dead black.

"So the Green Puff is alive?" He whispered to us. Talon behind him gave a cackle.

"This should be fun."

I spotted Brick stiffening beside me, and despite my warning glare he scowled at both of them.

"Good to see you again, Edge."

The Greed Demon had the decency to avoid his glare, eyes shifting to the side. His dark eyes rolled around the room but said nothing. From behind him, Talon gave a chuckle.

"It's no hard feelings, of course." His deep voice slurred out, snickering slightly. He cracked his knuckles. "We just thought we needed a little more… experience, when it came to an Unforgiven threat."

Brick's cheeks reddened, and I caught the back of his shirt just in time before he threw himself at the group.

"You fucking traitors!" He yanked against me and I reefed him back. His eyes were darkening quickly and I kept a firm grip. "You fucking betrayed us!"

"You didn't want me back?"

I whirled around to Bane, heart catapulting in my chest. Brick slackened in my grip, but his mouth was a thin line. Bane watched us steadily, his deep red eyes roaming over us in a long, steady glare. His lip twitched and his head tilted again innocently. He seemed calm, almost too calm, and doubt crept up on me suddenly. My mouth twitched. I struggled to talk, lips falling to speak but with no words in mind.

"You know what I mean." Brick hissed at him, his glare dropping his shoulders stiffening. "You took over, you didn't even tell us-"

"What's done is done." Bane snarled over him darkly, enough to send another shudder through me. I let go of Brick's shirt and he stayed in place. Bane's lips twitched into a twisted sort of smile. "With the Green Puff back, we can finally be a family after all."

"We can't exactly be a family if you sent demons after our kids!" Brick bit back, throwing a glare at Edge and Talon especially. Bane gave a dark chuckle.

"I only wanted to meet the rest of my clan..." His flaming red eyes brightened at the thought. "I have missed you all so much, after all."

Brick narrowed his glare and opened his mouth to reply, when a shift in the shadows caused all of us to turn. My eyes widened as a pair of wide, dark blue eyes came into view, followed by long, white blonde hair and a petite figure with prominent cleavage. Brat stalked out of the shadows, her eyes narrowing over us and her dainty hands curling into fierce fists.

"So." She hissed through gritted teeth. "The Green Puff is alive, and my sisters are dead."

My chest tightening at the thought, I glanced over at Brick for help. All he could manage was a blank look, and a quick glance back at me before he growled out a sombre reply.

"Y... Yes. I'm sorry, Brat."

"You're sorry." Her lip curled and trembled. She leered at him, fists clenched. "Fuck your apologies, asshole!" She flipped her hair back and wrinkled her nose. She was shaking all over. I'd never seen her so animated. She gritted her teeth and hissed at us. "I want blood!"

Without warning, she whipped around and slammed her foot into the stage behind her- an almighty kick that shook the whole place. The thick wood of the structure split entirely in half, creating a thick, broken crack that ran the length of the room. She slammed her foot back on the ground, panting hard, as the rest of us stared in shock.

Then Bane crept forward, his eyes shimmering with intrigue.

"Impressive..." he cooed to her, sidling up to her side. Brat whirled around to glare at him, her navy eyes hardening.

"I'll do worse when I find that bitch." She hissed again through gritted teeth.

Bane stared down at her, blinking slowly. I noticed that his eyes were changing from a blazing red to a dark, deep crimson. My throat tightened and I wanted to shout out, but I could hardly swallow. I watched as he bent down to her, his lips brushing against her ear, and the Blue Punk stiffened completely, freezing up against him. When he pulled back, her eyes had lightened and her bottom lip drooped weakly.

"You promise she will suffer?" She sounded out of breath, staring up at him through lidded eyes. Bane's lip curled into his familiar grin, his eyes darkening dangerously. He even reached out and wound a piece of her hair around his finger.

"Of course..." His voice came in a dark, rumbling coo. "I promise you that."

She nodded against his grip, suddenly flustered, and even stumbled backwards.

"I will bring her to you..." She said in hushed tones. "I will hunt her down."

Bane only nodded, still with that sinister smile, but it was enough to make her hurry off in a flash of blue. I watched the lingering light in slight awe, staring back over at my father for answers.

"Wh... what was that?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "Why did you-"

"Even though she's no demon, I have no doubt she'd be a better associate than a slave." His dark eyes watched after her briefly before turning back to me, still with that smirk in place. "Anything to protect the family, right?"

At those words, the band around my chest loosened. I took a steadying breath, thinking back to Bubbles, back to my little girl. Right, to protect them. I gave a solemn nod, shifting my stare to Brick. His face was twisted with irritation. His eyes were darkening and I knew that determined stare anywhere.

"Brick." I hissed, snapping him to attention. "We have to get back to the girls, they're probably worried sick. And Butch, by himself-"

"Right." Brick shook his head, eyes narrowing. "Yeah. You're right. We gotta head back."

"We need to let Butch know." I turned to Bane especially. "We have to brief him on what's going on-"

"You can't tell him about the Puff." Bane gave a dark snarl at the very thought. "Being apart so long, he'll try and get to her. And with her current company-" At this, he nodded to Brick's shoulder. Brick recoiled. "It's too much of a risk to go at it alone."

Brick reached up to touch his shoulder, his jaw stiffening. His glare snapped back to Bane and he returned his snarl.

"What are you saying?" He grit his teeth in pain. "That she has demons on her side?"

Bane's eyes flashed and he turned away, cracking his neck.

"We won't know until we find her."

"Oh." Brick's fiery eyes fired back up again. He threw his arm down and flexed his fingers. "I'll find her."

"Good." Bane cooed to him, eyes narrowing. "Until then..." He shot me a knowing smirk. "Let's get Butchy up to speed."

.

Buttercup.

.

Cain and I made our way back to the main camp, toward the cluster of cabins. Sunlight was streaming through the trees now and I could make out every inch of the aged, peeling wood of the cabins. As we stomped closer to the main line of cabins, one of the doors opened and Jayden stumbled out, blinking in the sunlight and almost smacking into the porch railing. Cain skipped up to him.

"Morning, Babe!"

"Ugh." Jayden crossed his arms in a sudden huff. "It's bright and cold out here."

"You can wear my sweater." Cain suggested brightly. Jayden wrinkled his nose and grumbled under his breath.

"It's too big…"

"Don't be silly!" Cain scoffed before jumping by him, into the cabin. He skipped out seconds later brandishing his hooded sweatshirt. "Here ya go!"

Unceremoniously, he draped it over Jayden's head. Before he could escape, it slipped over his shoulders and almost down to his knees. The sleeves dangled too, and Jayden glared down in disdain at his new dress. Cain tilted his head at him.

"Better?"

Jayden gave him a dark, narrowed glare before snapping back.

"Yes. It's fine."

Unaffected, Cain petted his head, smiling brightly. "You're cute in the morning, Jaydy Waydy Jelly Baby."

"Don't…" Jayden hissed, cheeks now a bright pink. "Call me that."

Rolling my eyes at the bickering couple, I headed back to my own cabin. Emerald was up already, rubbing at her eyes and tugging on her shoes.

"Mama!" She jumped up upon seeing me, even though her worn sneakers were untied. "Where'd you go?! I was worried you-"

"You shouldn't be worrying about me, Emmy." I scolded her. I swept her off her feet and sat her back down, tying up her shoes. She watched me, mesmerised, before I started in on her hair. She fidgeted restlessly as I tied a band around her hair. I knew she hated being such a girl, but if not her hair was left in a windswept tangle and there were a lot of tears getting at loose. I couldn't risk it… especially with showers being such a rarity out in the woods.

"I can't help it." She huffed back at me, sticking out her bottom lip. "You keep disappearing!"

My stomach clenched at that, twisting guiltily. I could only imagine the look on Rome's face if he knew I'd been trying to get to Blayze. I put a finger to my lips and she leaned in with interest.

"Shh, Emmy." I whispered. "Don't tell anybody that, okay?"

"Oh, okay." She whispered back, suddenly smiling. She loved secrets. "I won't tell no one, Mama."

I nodded and returned her smile, despite guilt now ebbing through me heavily. The two of us left the cabin hand-in-hand and made our way out into the courtyard, where Cain was exploring the main building. It looked to be a giant hall, probably used as a cafeteria for the summer camp. Jayden was hanging around by the door, Cain's sweatshirt hanging from him. He shot me a grumpy look as soon as we were within earshot.

"Aren't you interested in exploring, Uncle Jay?" Emerald piped up eagerly. Jayden gave a grumpy, short shake of the head. He wasn't a morning person without coffee.

"No." He folded his arms with difficulty, sleeves swinging. He issued me with a pout. "This whole place gives me a Friday the 13thvibe."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" I rolled my eyes, stealing a glance inside the hall. It was clear enough, just layered with dust after years of abandonment. The structure seemed sturdy enough, with Cain bouncing through it, at least. I glanced around for any sign of Cass or Rome. "Where's the newlyweds?"

"Doing 'Newlywed Stuff', I guess." Jayden wrinkled his nose. "I don't want to know."

I didn't, either. Somehow, whenever my mind snuck towards the subject, a vivid image of a shower flashed through my head and I couldn't afford to be dragged into the memories. Instead I focused on the building before me, crossing over the threshold and into the dust.

I ran my eyes over the hall, which had the words 'Townsville Summer Camp' over the front door. There were still some framed pictures that lined the walls of previous counsellors and campers. They were filled with smiling faces and Summer fun. I gave them all a sad smile as I scanned the walls of the place.

Hopefully, Townsville will see such smiles again.

Cain's voice boomed through the building from the back.

"There's a kitchen back here!"

"Oo!" Emerald jumped up and flew back. She threw the open serving window and dived into the dusty chrome room. It was dark with only a small window to light the room. Cain slid by her, enjoying the tiled floors.

"Wee!"

"Cain!" I barked at him, hurrying over. Automatically, Emerald followed him- sliding across the tiled floor, shoes squeaking.

"Wee!"

"Emerald! Be careful." I told her. "There could be knives in here, I don't want you getting hurt."

Emerald hid her giggle and attempted a straight face. "Sorry, Mama."

My eyes trailed from the counters to the walk-in cooler by the back door. I nodded to Cain. "Is there anything in there?"

"Nothing edible." Cain gave a shrug. "Most of it doesn't look good."

"I think the power was turned off here a while ago." Jayden pointed out by the door, still casting a suspicious glare around the shadows. "Creepy."

I tried not to pout, but at the same time my stomach gave a longing growl. It had felt like a long time since we had eaten anything besides power bars and coffee.

"Great- so we have no food."

"Are you kidding me?!" Jayden whined loudly from the doorway. "We spend hours travelling up to this creepy cabin and there isn't even a can of food in this dump of a-EEP!"

A pair of dainty hands reached out from behind and snatched at his waist. Jayden jumped, squeaked, and toppled straight into the doorway onto the hardwood floor. Emerald and I burst out with laughter that echoed through the hall. Even Cain let out a sheepish scoff. Jayden skittered backwards on the floorboards, eyes widening in shock. Cass appeared, beaming brightly and waving her fingers at him.

"Sorry, Jay. Couldn't resist."

"Bitch." Jayden spat, throwing his hands up in a huff. "I hate you."

"Jaydy Baby!" Cain called out in concern. "You okay?!"

"NO!" He wailed back. "I need coffee and I need to not live in a horror movie!"

"Oh, please." Cass scoffed, waving her hand as she waltzed inside. "It's daylight, you're fine."

Rome appeared behind her, lips lifting in amusement as he took in Jayden on the floor.

"What do you humans say again? Nice trip?"

Cass gave a giggle and nudged the demon playfully. It was weird to see Rome grinning, looking happy. Jayden gave both a dark snarl.

"Ha, ha."

"It's about time you two got up!" I raised my voice at the two of them, cocking an eyebrow. Cass' face flushed pink, and went to smooth down her hair guiltily. I shot her a wink. "We thought you'd have checked the perimeter a dozen times by now."

"I taught you so well." Rome's teeth flashed in a sheepish smirk. "But, luckily I'm here to get you back in line."

"Oh, joy." Cain's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped down against one of the tables pushed to the wall. "Back to business."

"We gotta focus here, Cain." Rome's tone dropped back to his regular growl and it shot a new urgency in me, jolting me to attention. "Bane is out, and he's gonna tip off the Ruffs. We have to act fast if we're gonna nail these assholes."

Cain pouted under his brother's stern glare. "I know…I wanna help."

"Emmy…" I turned a soft, syrupy tone to her before she heard too much. "How about you practice your sliding away from the knives?"

Her face broke into a wide grin and kicked off her shoes. "Okay!"

A lump rose back up in my throat to new heights as I thought back to Bane's deadly glare in the woods, his promising snarl in the static of the TV screen. I thought back vividly to hours before, when I bathed my fingers in Brute's warm blood and dragged them along the walls of my home-

"You really think Bane will tell the Ruffs?" My teeth scraped my lower lip. "…Everything?"

"About you, yes. About us? I don't know." Rome's glare narrowed in on us and he shifted on his feet. "But Bane knows we're after him, and now it looks like he has an army at his disposal."

"He's actually calling for a Hell uprising…" Cain's face crumpled, he started to look nervous. "Is that even possible?"

Rome's eyes darted to Cass, before they landed back on me. His shoulders lifted and he let out a long, deep sigh. His eyes fell to the ground.

"The barrier between worlds can weaken… " his lips shifted. "With so many crossing over… and the gates being opened-"

"Wait, when was the portal opened?" Cain scratched at his head, lips twisting in thought. "I don't remember-"

"Bane can open it…" Rome again stared at the floor, his shoulders squaring. "And… I did."

Cain jumped up, jolting me to attention.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"What do you mean, open the gates?" I glanced from either one, alarmed at Cain's darkening eyes. "Hell has a gate? How do you open it?"

"You're not supposed to!" Cain snarled loudly. I had to flip my head for a double-take. It was usually Rome with the stern glare and Cain looking sheepish, but the brothers had switched completely. Cain started in, pointing a finger at him. "Rome, you know you're supposed to control that!"

"I am-"

"That's a forbidden act!" He hissed over him, rambling fast. "You know that lets demons escape, if He ever found out-"

"I took care of it." Rome talked over him in a low snarl. "Don't worry about it! It's Bane who's fucking up the barriers!"

"It's still an imbalance, Rome!"

"Once we drag Bane back to Hell it'll sort itself out." Rome's eyes narrowed stubbornly. "His 'army' will crumble at the first sign of defeat. Our first step is taking out the Ruffs- they're his protection."

"The Ruffs are protection for him?" I asked, cocking a sceptical brow. "I don't think-"

"That's why he's encouraged reproduction." Rome shrugged irritably. "He knew enough science to delve into this Chemical X shit, once he probably saw how powerful the offspring was he knew he'd have a good enough platform to rise to power."

My stomach churned at that. The thought of my babies as soldiers for a bloodthirsty demon was enough to make me sick. I threw a cautious glance over at Emmy, still sliding along the floor of the kitchen. Her black ponytail was bobbing along after her- just visible over the tabletop. I thought back to Bane's deadly red glare, insane and inhuman. I didn't want him anywhere near my babies.

"So we aim for the Ruffs…" I bit my lip. "And we get to Bane?"

Rome nodded. "That's the way to our target." He gave an airy shrug. "The horde of demons I'm not too concerned about- but I would rather it be sooner, than later."

"We have to stake out their hideout." I heaved a sigh, readying myself for the reality of the words. "I have an idea where it may be, the direction in the mountains, but we would have a lot more luck getting them alone."

"I agree." Rome nodded, tilting his head. "Only, there's no way you're coming. Bane knows you're alive, you're wanted."

"You can't go alone…" Cass grumbled at him, eyes narrowing. "I can-"

"No."

She heaved her own sigh at his quick denial. Rome's eyes darted to his brother instead.

"You're coming."

Cain blinked happily. "Okay!"

"Cain." Jayden snarled at him, looking sulky. "I thought you said we were going to get food."

"Oh, right." Cain pouted in thought. "I keep forgetting the whole food thing."

"I'll go get food." I volunteered. "We're running low on supplies anyway."

"I'll come with you." Cass declared, ignoring Rome's dangerous glare. "I have to be useful around here."

"I'm not staying here by myself!" Jayden huffed, folding his arms. "It's creepy around here."

"Don't worry, Uncle Jay!" Emerald spoke up loudly from the kitchen. "I'll protect you!"

Jayden winced at the thought, throwing Rome a glare when he gave him a smug smirk.

"Look, we're going to be here for a while." I pointed out, trying to stay on track. "We should gather as many supplies as we can so we can stay here, and the wires look intact, so if we play around with the box we might have electricity, so-"

"I saw a rest stop on the way here." Cass pointed out brightly. "It can't be too far."

"Seriously?" Jayden scoffed in disbelief. "All those places are probably ransacked by now."

"It's a little out of town, I doubt it." She grumbled. I twisted my lips in thought.

"I bet most would have made an escape through the mountainside…" I contemplated this. "But we don't have the gas to get that far-"

"I wouldn't fly around here." Cain bit his lip. "I bet the Ruffs are looking for that."

"-So we have to stick close." I nodded. "Let's check out the town at the base of the hill, it might have something, being far out of the city-"

"Don't do anything!" Rome groaned, loudly. "Just stay here!"

"We have to eat, you know." Cass chuckled at him. "It's the downside to being human."

"Being human has a lot of downsides." Rome grumbled under his breath, folding his arms tightly across his chest. After heaving a sigh, he rolled his eyes in resignation. "But, fine. As long as you stay out of sight. Bane's probably sent his minions all over the city by now."

"No pressure, or anything." I tried my best to give him a reassuring grin, that I had this, but my heart twisted with uncertainty. With memories of Blayze and Blossom running through my head, I already felt as though I had eyes on my back. I wasn't about to sit around and do nothing, but at the same time I was sure I was a walking target. "We won't risk it if we see anybody, promise."

"Good." Rome huffed. He rolled his eyes back to Cain. "It's bad enough I'm stuck on lookout duty with him, I just hope it won't take too long."

Cain gaped, scoffing. "Hey!"

"We have to get Ruff movements today or we don't have shit to work with." Rome growled at him, eyes narrowing sternly. "We're behind on our progress, we gotta get shit done."

"Hey, I'm up for the task!" Cain pouted, tugging at the chains on his chest. "I'm not the one who's getting distracted!"

"We'll see." Rome scoffed at him before turning to Cass. I saw that sparkle in his eyes, he still wasn't good at hiding it. He threw his arm around her and slammed her chest into his, like a rough, forceful embrace. Cass coughed but feebly hugged him back. He kissed her cheek. "I'll be keeping watch. Stay out of trouble."

"When am I ever in trouble?" Cass winked at him, cheeks flushing. He only flashed her a smirk, whirling around and stalking off. Cain floundered for only a second before grabbing Jayden for a forceful hug, squeezing him tightly. Jayden let out a groan.

"Love you, baby!"

"Uhn…" Jayden growled, rolling his eyes. "You too…"

With a minor squeak, Cain skipped off, chains jingling. "See you soon!"

I heard feet slapping against the floorboards and whirled around to see Emerald jogging over to us, hair flying wildly and her eyes wide. "Aren't we going too, Mama?" She squeaked at me, staring after the two demons. "They're going without us!"

"We have our own mission, Emmy." I tightened her ponytail. "We're going to get food."

Jayden cast a nervous look Cass' way, but she only responded with a smirk.

"Shotgun!"

.

Butch.

.

Every second was slipping by like an eternity and I was running out of places to go. I was dragging my feet, but still my heart hammered in my head like I'd run a marathon. My throat was so tight, it was a struggle to take a steady breath.

I glanced up again to see it had been three hours since Brick and Boomer left.

The sun was now fully over the horizon, casting blinding rays over the shell of Townsville, and I glanced down at it all with contempt from the hallway window. While it still wasn't clear to be up on the rooftop with an unknown threat hanging around, I was starting to go stir crazy. Fresh air seemed like a distant memory. There was a persistent tick to my cheek and I couldn't stop twitching. I was getting restless, dragging my feet around the empty hallways of the manor, checking for a threat I didn't know. I tapped my boot against the stone floor, my mind racing in a panic.

Who the fuck would be stupid enough to attack Brick, to attack any of us? I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers slipping through the dried sweat. Who would want us dead? No demon would be against us, we've made this world better for them, just like Bane wanted us to do…

Bane.

The name struck deep in my chest, hitting right at my heart. I hadn't thought of my father for a while, but the very mention dragged a new wave of memories to the surface. Back when things were so simple, when I was a teenager, when I thought I could lock Buttercup by my side and she'd never leave…

With those bright green eyes now clouding my vision, I had to shake myself free. Blood now spiking and thumping against the pulse in my neck, I turned mid-air and headed straight for my room. A faint memory reminded me that I'd left Brat there before the chaos unfolded.

I can take a break. I told myself, gritting my teeth. I'm on edge, I need to focus. I need to do SOMETHING-

I burst through my door without another thought, only to halt over the threshold.

My bed was empty, the room was silent.

Feeling slightly numb, I lowered to the ground and blinked, mind still ticking away at the sight.

"Weird…" My growl sounded a lot angrier than I felt, but I did my best to shrug it off. A painful twinge stabbed me between my shoulder blades and I winced, rolling my arm. Who cares if she left, right? Her loss.

I couldn't help it though, that nagging twinge at my back that had nothing to do with the tension. Thoughts burst within my skull. What if she was taken, too? What if someone was in here, what if she LET them in? What if SHE'S working against us?

I shook myself again, gritting my teeth. I was getting way too worked up, too paranoid. That was Brick's job.

My teeth scraped my lip and I could feel a twitch scratching under the skin near my eye. With another cautious, guilty stare around the room I aimed for the hallway, listening out.

Surely they're okay…

I took another second to pause, letting my heart hammer away in my ears, before I gave in. I let that itch get to me. I flew to the elevator with one thing on my mind. That itch that needed to be scratched.

I gritted my teeth, twitched and trembled.

That fucking room.

The doors opened and I flew forward, around the corner and up that hidden staircase. Once I was in the shadows, I stopped and stepped forward. I kept quiet, like I had some respect to show. I still wasn't sure why, that I had to be so careful around her stuff.

I still wasn't sure why I even kept it.

Opening the door and slipping through, the second I was encased in that cool, dusty air I was home, frozen in time. My eyes roamed around the darkness, around her things, and it was like I was back to being a teenager. I took a few hasty steps forward, breathing in deep and basking in the shadows, when a flash of colour caught the corner of my eye.

I froze to the floorboards, ribcage tightening dangerously around my heart, as I saw a pair of wide apple green eyes in the darkness.

My feet jumping to sudden life, I jolted back and smacked into the dresser behind me. A throb of pain cascaded up my hip and I sucked back a gasp, air seizing in my throat. I choked, coughed, and shook my head before realising it was only Blayze staring up at me silently from the shadows.

"Fu- Jeez- Blayze!"

He blinked, slowly, but didn't reply. Faintly, I could make out his small, shrunken figure leaning against the far wall. I shook my head, shaking myself from my revere, but could still hear my heart thumping away in my head.

"Jesus, Blayzer, you scared me!"

He still just stared at me, unmoving. I took a deep breath, loosening the tight hold on my heart, and slumped over to lean against the covered furniture. I couldn't think of what to say to those wide expecting green eyes… so I just rubbed at my face. I bit my lip and tugged my hair. I searched my brain for something, anything, to cut through the silence. I couldn't stand those eyes staring at me, almost like they were her eyes, wondering what the Hell I was doing with all of her stuff. Words exploded in my head, excuses and defences, but all I could do was stammer. I swallowed, the lump lurching in my throat, and tried again.

"What are you... why are you up here again, dude?"

He just stared at me, with that blank expression in place. I shifted forward, my heart jolting to attention at the thought that he was hurt, but he was only slumped against the wall. His hair was in his face and his chin drooped at the sight of me, those apple green eyes lidded. He looked...blank, empty.

And it wasn't like him at all.

I dropped down to him, eyes scanning over him. He blinked back, shifting his gaze away from me.

"Blayze, what's up?" My chest tightened, cutting off all air and causing me to squeak. "Did someone hurt you? What's wrong?"

A small, brief shake of the head. He refused to look at me. My stomach churned in a sudden panic. What did I do? Did I hurt him again? I craned my neck, glancing down into his face.

"Blayze." My growl was nothing more than a frantic whisper now. "You mad at me?"

He fixated on the floor, his eyes eerily blank and glassy. He didn't budge from his spot. I tried again, heart now racing and stretching against my tightened chest.

"Kiddo?"

A series of loud thumps outside the door shook me from my concerns. I whirled around in time to see the door open and jumped up in a fighting stance- only to see Brick in the doorway. He looked around briefly before spotting me, and only sighing.

"There you are." He issued me with an impatient grunt. "Look, we need a meeting. You gotta get down there."

"You're back!" I spluttered. "Where the Hell have you-"

"Just… trust me on this, Butch." My brother glanced at me, exhausted, and shook his head. "It's urgent."

I'd never heard Brick sound so…defeated. With anxiety creeping over me, I gave a quick nod. "Alright…"

"Fifth floor." Was all he said before he closed the door. I turned back to Blayzer, throwing a hand through my hair.

"Blayze, look. I Don't know what I did, but-"

I could feel that frantic fire building up in my chest, the same burst of emotion that began to brew when I didn't know what to do. I stopped, shut my mouth and took a breath. I glanced around the room at all of her things, what I surrounded myself with whenever I was getting too far into the fire. My eyes rolled back to him, slumped and silent, and I realised that it was all happening too fast. I was already dealing with a teenager. And I couldn't keep up…

I scraped my teeth along my lip before dropping back down again.

"Look, Blayzer… whenever I'm upset, I come up here… I think you should be able to as well." His eyes glanced up and I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's okay if you don't want to talk… sometimes just being up here helps. I… I understand, kiddo."

I reached out to squeeze his leg before getting back up. I tried to steel myself before heading down the stairs, but I couldn't deny my heart humming deep within my chest and tears flooding my eyes. Fuck.

It isn't getting any easier.

I headed for the fifth floor, my head still spinning. I couldn't get her out of my head, wondering what she'd say if she was here. I wondered briefly if she'd be happy that I left Blayze to his own devices, or would scowl at me to go back up there and talk to him…. Maybe if she was here she'd know just how to get to him, to hug him and maybe sing to him… make it all better. She had a way like that, I remembered exactly how she would hold him close, and he would widen those big light green eyes at her like she was the only thing in this world-

I shook my head- hard- and stared at the door ahead.

No time for that- just business.

.

Bubbles.

.

I threw myself into one of the bathrooms, stumbling into the door. Already trying to push the memory out of what just happened out of my head, I made to dust myself off. Immediately, pain seized my shoulder. I bit down on my lip, hard, and tried to shake it off- just like I used to.

After a few stiff flexes and sharp pain shooting through my collarbone, I tried to lean on it. I grimaced at the sensation, my whole arm shaking. It was a hard thing to swallow… that I couldn't just heal like I once did.

"Fuck…" I hissed through gritted teeth, snapping my fingers into fists. I tried to brace myself against the floorboards and ignore the throbs of pain, but the door flying open behind me caught me off guard. I stumbled, swearing again, as my little girl's blonde head appeared through the crack in the door.

"Mama!" She rushed inside, her eyes widening with worry. "You okay?"

Taking a deep, steadying breath through my nose, I straightened as best I could. "I'm fine, Blissy- it's okay."

She rushed over to me, but slowed down getting closer. Even at almost four years old, she could sense I was in pain. She approached with caution, those wide blue eyes glassing over with concern. She looked pained, like she could tell I was lying.

"Do you want me to get Daddy?"

That was enough to jolt me back to Earth, and I stiffened at the very thought and shot her a look. "No, Bliss. It's okay. I'm alright, I promise."

She blinked and hesitated, unsure, and glanced back towards the door. I held her gaze and stared her down. "Promise."

She hurried over to me, hovering around my face and gripping my arm. "Where is Daddy, Mama? He said he'd be back. He wouldn't leave us, right?"

"No, honey…" I did my best to give her my best soothing tone, but it was hard to shake off that throbbing pain down my arm. I took a determined step, still not sure enough to fly, and locked the door. I didn't want to see anyone but her at that moment. "He wouldn't leave, he's just taking care of some stuff."

At that moment, however, the panic really did start to hit me. I glanced over at the mirror hanging above the sink and realised it had been over three hours since Boomer and Brick left, and I hadn't seen Butch in a long time. I caught my eyes widening in my reflection. My heart began to pound in my chest as I thought this through- the true implications of the guys leaving us behind, my sister and the kids…

My eyes went back to the door. The anger within me had disappeared almost immediately after the hit of pain, and I couldn't muster up any more frustration at her. She was pregnant and she was hormonal… she was seeing things, just like I did every day. I couldn't blame her, for that… my older sister, the only one I had left…

She couldn't always be a leader, after all.

Instead, I re-focused and tried to think straight. Bliss, her wide worried eyes and her hands grasping nervously, was enough to get my mind back on the demon threat upstairs and our missing guardians. We were defenceless without Butch- and we had no idea where he was.

We had to do something- we couldn't stand by and let the kids be found. I gnawed down on my lip, rolling this thought in my head. But I wasn't ready to send my baby girl out there… onto the front line, like we used to be…

Right?

I rolled my eyes back to the mirror- taking in my white face, my worried gaze.

…But I couldn't fight for her…

"Baby…" I dropped down to her level, trying to hold back that wince as pain shot through my shoulder. "Listen to Mommy for a quick second, okay… we're going to do something different."

She watched me intently, her sky blue eyes widening at me. I gripped her shoulders.

"I want you to fly behind me, okay? And I want you to keep a look out behind me. If I say your name, I want you to put your hands out and think as hard as you can about protecting us."

She gave a small frown, nodding her head.

"You mean throw a force field of light around us, like Blayze said to do?"

Balking, but trying to stay calm, I smiled.

"Exactly, Blissy. It protects us."

"I can do that, Mama." She held her hands up and flexed her fingers, returning my smile. "I can protect you."

With a flutter in my heart that I put both to shame and pride, I leaned in close and gave her a swift kiss on the forehead.

"I know you can, baby. I'll try and protect you, too."

I rose back to my feet and poked hesitantly at my throbbing shoulder. Pain shot down my arm to my fingers and spiked across my collarbone. I bit back a hiss and threw my head back, letting out my hair. Bliss watched at the ready, still flexing her fingers, when I shifted my good arm to the door.

"Let's see if we can head to your room. We'll check if Uncle Butch is there." I threw another narrowed glare to the locked bathroom door. "I'll see if the coast is clear."

I flicked open the lock and slipped the door open a sliver, running my eyes along the darkened hallway and straining my ears as best I could. With Bliss' steady breaths behind me, I couldn't make out much and pushed the door open further, craning my neck to check for any sign of black- or pink- eyes.

"I think we're good, Bliss…" I whispered to her. I pushed up onto my toes and flipped my hand up, motioning for her to fly. She glided to my shoulder and whipped her head around the hallway before following me.

The floorboards were old and creaky, that was for certain, but I stepped light. My heart was in my throat and a steady pain was shooting down into my chest but I kept my toes steady. My teeth were latched so firmly into my bottom lip I was sure I could taste blood. But I stepped light and fast, hearing Bliss' tiny breaths in my ear above my shoulder fuelled my every step. When I saw her door, my heart swelled and soared. I almost leapt right into the doorknob, throwing it open and flipping my head so fast my neck cracked.

"All clear." I tip-toed in, with Bliss slipping in behind me. She immediately aimed for her bed, sorting out her abandoned toys before throwing me a wide-eyed glance.

"Why are we being so quiet, Mama?" She whispered to me from behind her teddy bear. "What do we need to protect from?"

I saw her face flicker and her eyes glimmer in the sunlight. "Is Daddy coming back?"

"He is, sweetie." I assured in hushed tones, hurrying over as fast as I could to sit beside her. "We're just being careful, that's all."

She leaned her head into my lap and I tried to stroke her hair, but it was too painful. There was pain searing across my chest now and it made me want to double over and never move again. But I couldn't. It was getting later into the morning and Boomer still wasn't back yet. That couldn't be good news... I tried hard not to think about what could happen without Boomer here to guard me, but the worst thoughts slipped through. Demons finding us, dragging us down to make a statement of their power, taking my girl away and using her as a soldier...

I fought back against a shiver, gripping Bliss' blankets underneath me.

I had to stay focused, stay strong. It had been a long time since I was only the youngest Powerpuff, the baby. I wasn't a kid anymore.

I don't know how long I sat there, stiff against Bliss' mountain of toys and her head lying in my lap, but seconds seemed to drag on like hours. The house was too quiet. My skin prickled with every noise that ticked through the room. I kept watching the door, heart racing in my chest when I thought of my sister coming back. I hated that, that I was suddenly so afraid of her. What she'd become...

But she's all I have...

Despite my heart on edge, leaping and humming in my chest, I settled back into the toys behind me. When footsteps suddenly thudded outside of the door, I only had a few seconds to react. I threw my hands over Bliss and she let out a small yelp. The door flew open, Bliss' hands jumped up- and I only just grabbed them in time when I caught the flash of blue.

"Boomer!"

His pale face slackened at the sight of us and he rushed over. He was a mess- his dirty blond hair was windswept, his eyes were wide and his shoulders tense. His body had swelled in size, normal when on an aggressive defence. When he threw his arms around me, I almost crumpled under his grip. He slammed against my throbbing shoulder and I couldn't suck in my gasp in time.

"What?!" He jumped back, worry coating his face. "What happened?!"

I gritted my teeth and tried to flex. "It's- it's fine-"

Boomer's frown was immediate and a flash of darkness crossed his eyes. He sent a dark glare over to Bliss, whose eyes filled with tears. She put her hands up to him.

"D-Daddy!" She gasped and flew into his arms. "I didn't think you were coming b-back!"

"Of course I was, Angel!" He clutched her hard, his dark eyes turning to me. "What-!?"

"Aunty Bloss hurt Mommy!" She whimpered into his ear before I could open my mouth. My heart fell. She gave a great sniff and turned to glance at me over her shoulder. I wanted to be mad at her, but her eyes were filled with fear and her face flushed with hysteria. "I heard Aunt Bloss yell, and Mama crash."

I froze to the spot, fingers buried deep into the mattress beneath. All I could do was stare, like a deer in headlights, as this sank in. Boomer's frown deepened, like he was really concentrating, and his navy eyes shot to me, back to Bliss, then at the opposite wall. His face went eerily still and he could only take short, deep breaths through his nose. His chest heaved and Bliss buried deeper into his shoulder. His hand tightened against her back.

"I'll be right back-"

"Boomer, don't you dare." I jumped up and, with pain soaring through my arm, clenched my own snarl tightly. "It was an accident, she's pregnant!"

"Brick has to know." He turned to snarl down at me, as far away from our little girl as he could manage. His teeth were gritted tightly, so his growl came out slightly muffled. "She has no right to hurt you."

I grabbed his arm before he could take a step, nails digging in.

"Let it go." I bit back. "I mean it. Drop it- now."

Boomer's glare stormed down on me, darkening to a dangerous deep navy. But I refused to budge. I stared up at him, without so much as a flicker of fear in my heart and with only pain coursing through me. The glint in his eye- that flash of colour- it was still him. It was still just Boomer. And I knew Boomer by now, I knew his look. Steely and hard, he gritted his teeth again and curled his lip just like all the Ruffs did. Just like they were kids again, back when they were only Ruffs. Back when we were equals. I only pursed my lips, cocked my brow and tilted my head, mirroring back the exact challenge he gave me.

Bliss watched from under his chin, her wide eyes darting back and forth. We both watched as her father's shoulders slackened under her, his head tilting back into place. He gave me one last narrowed glare before relenting.

"Fine." He hissed softly before casting me another sharp glance. "But it doesn't happen again. She could have hurt either of you-"

"We're fine." I insisted. My hand slipped up to meet his on Bliss' back. I hated that look of fear on her face. She was too young for those worried wrinkles. "Your little girl is a fighter, you know."

Her wet cheeks dimpled into a shy smile. Boomer's stare softened when he stared down at her. He opened his grip on her, letting my fingers slip through his. I was weakened enough, I let him. He squeezed.

"I know both my girls are."

Despite my best efforts, my lips twitched. It was hard to hate him, with Bliss curled up into his chest like that. With Bliss stilling in his arms, he laid her down in her bed and kissed her cheek. When he turned back to me, his eyes were back to that clear, striking shade of blue.

"Something's come up…" He whispered lowly. "I have to go to a meeting, it's urgent."

My lips twitched again, this time into a scowl. I couldn't hold back my huff and whispered back in a rush. "What?! What for? What's going on?"

His eyes darted from my face. He grumbled under his breath. "Look, something's come up and-"

"This is serious, Boomer!" I scoffed at him, throwing my arms out. "Bliss was attacked, I deserve to know-"

"I know, Bub." He reached out to stroke my arm. "But I just have to sort this out-"

I swiped his hand away, snapping back to his face.

"I'm coming with you."

I caught the flash of fear in his eyes, but that only steeled me further. He closed the distance between us, leaning in close.

"Babe, look. You don't want-"

"Don't tell me what I want." I hissed back. "I want to know what's going on."

Before he even had a chance to stop me, I pushed by him and dropped back down to my little girl. She watched with those wide angelic eyes over her barricade of toys. I leaned in close.

"I'll be right back, baby." I told her. "I promise."

I heard him shuffle behind me, his voice warbling.

"Bubs, I don't think-"

I pushed myself off the ground, biting back the pain in my arm, and made a beeline for the door. He was behind me in seconds, his voice in my ear and his fingers winding into mine.

"You're not going to like what you see."

I whirled around, determined not to flinch. He stared into me, his eyes widening in that plea that was now so rare to see.

"I didn't want you to see this." He tugged on my fingers, mouth working into a snarl. "Any of this. I wanted you safe-"

"I want to know what's going on, Boomer." I told him again, staring up at him. Perhaps if I widened my eyes, he would finally just let me have my own way. I did my best- I even squeezed his fingers. "I'm sick of being in the dark. I just want to be in the loop. I need to know! Boomer-" I sidled up closer, reaching up my good hand to his chest. I held his stare- his sky blue eyes and his messy blond hair. "Please?"

His lip fell open, then closed. His teeth latched onto his bottom lip. He looked away, then looked back at me. Finally, twisting his lips, he gave a light growl.

"Look- fine, okay? I'll take you with me."

My heart drummed against my ribcage in a sudden flutter of disbelief. I tried to keep my cheeks steady and my eyes locked onto his. I clenched my good fist as he latched onto my hand once more, dipping his face into mine.

"But you have to trust me, okay? We have this under control."

I barely had time to nod before he hooked his hand around my waist and dragged me through the air in a flash of bright blue. I gripped onto his shirt and bit back a whine when my shoulder heated in agony. I sucked back sharp, steadying breaths as we soared through the air, down the hall and towards the elevator.

.

.

There were few things that Lailah had yet to get used to in the deepest layers of Hell. The screams were one of them.

She held back a wince as she stood before the gate- tall, rusted iron and scorching to the touch. Behind the sharpened, blackened spikes sat the cursed lake and the castle of corpses. What felt like a thousand screams echoed from that lake and that castle, and the sound never failed to sting Lailah's ears. There were pleas for help, for mercy... she listened to every word. And it stuck with her, deep in her chest and her head, so much the sounds magnified with every second of silence.

She heaved a sigh, staring straight ahead and squaring her shoulders.

No wonder she couldn't sleep.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a sudden tugging at her feet. Her heart jumped in a sudden flurry of panic, seeing it was her chain, locked around each ankle. She whipped around, eyes widening, at the castle behind her- but instead her sharp eyes caught a figure a few yards to her right, from the direction of the rock face. A tug came at her feet again. Her eyes narrowed at that annoying jingle, and the known fact that only blood relatives could touch her chain.

She kicked out defiantly, gritting her teeth, as a chuckle came from the shadows and the tall dark figure crept forward.

"Feisty..."

Lailah's stomach hardened as she heard a familiar dark growl. A pair of blood red eyes blazed down upon her, his body shifting into the light.

"That's no way for a slave to behave, you know."

He gave her a wide, wicked grin. Lailah's nose wrinkled as she took him in. He was splattered with mud and blood, caked into his black hair and slathered all over his tattered clothing. His bloodstained grin stood out eerily against the filth that coated him. He was tall, like the rest, with crimson eyes and burly shoulders, but he was larger in stature. His face was a lot rounder, his stomach bulging.

Caicco. Gluttony.

Lailah refused to bow to him, and instead settled on a snarl. He took a step closer and she stiffened, hands jumping into fists.

"He…" Lailah tilted her jaw in defiance. "Is not to be disturbed."

"Actually…" Ciacco chuckled. He had the unfortunate family trait of a low, dark rumble that sent chills down Lailah's spine. She held her stance as he crept closer and, just to rub it in her face, wrapped a hand around one of the bars of the gate. "You were just the person I was hoping to see."

Lailah gritted her teeth, her toes curling at the very thought, but stood straight ahead and to attention.

"I can't imagine anything that you would need from me."

"Oh, how wrong you are…" He cooed at her, leaning closer still. She wanted to recoil at the stench of rot, but she held her stance, tightening her fists, as his lips split into another chuckle. "You are exactly the person I need to see about my little…"

He trailed off, rolling his eyes to the sky. Lailah glanced over, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She hated his eyes- a dark, bloody crimson that matched the glowing red sky.

"…Problem."

"If you cannot handle your duties within your realm…" Lailah turned her back firmly on him. "I will let your Father know."

Ciacco scoffed, loudly, and Lailah could see a twitch in his face, a spasm of what appeared to be fear that he kept well-hidden.

"Hardly… although from my position I do see issues arising. I am concerned of the lack of souls that are seeping into the gates of Hell."

Lailah could not deny the chills that coated her back, creeping up her neck and forcing another ripple of fear down her spine. She again tried to hold herself, upright and professional, but her eyes darted to his again. Her breath hitched in her throat as he cocked his eyebrow, which disappeared into his filthy hair.

"But I suppose you wouldn't know anything about that?"

"It's being taken care of." She hissed, stilling herself. "Whatever interruptions occur should be settled within due time."

He flashed his sharpened fangs, his lip curling in disgust.

"It doesn't appear to be controlled. The worlds appear to be slipping into each other, by my observations."

"I will take your observations on board." Lailah said stiffly, standing to attention. "But I have faith that we will shortly see the end of this saga."

Ciacco's head tilted, his stiff hair spilling onto his shoulder. The corner of his mouth lifted, as though amused.

"Faith won't get you anywhere here, sweetheart."

"I'm aware..." Lailah grumbled. "Is there anything else, Ciacco?"

The Gluttony demon's eyes rolled over her. Lailah's skin burned at the sensation. Her jaw ticked as she clenched it, biting back a wave of insults. Watching from the corner of her eye, she spotted the demon bending over and again taking a hold of her chain. He gave it a tug, throwing her off balance, and she threw him what she hoped was a dark glare. He only laughed at her. That low, dark rumble that chilled her to the core.

"I wonder sometimes how you're so clean..." he purred, studying her closely. "I'd eat you up in a second if you were mine, baby. I'd get you filthy."

"You needn't waste your time wondering." Lailah spat, dragging her foot back. The chain jolted in his hand. "I have no time for fantasies."

He let out another low rumble, keeping a firm grip on her chain.

"Well, they do say that Angel pussy is not only a rare delicacy…" His lip curled into a smirk and his teeth flashed in the darkness. "But addictive when one becomes accustomed to the taste."

"You're a disgrace." Lailah hissed through gritted teeth, determined to not say anything further.

Ciacco lifted his shoulder. "I'm Gluttony, baby." His tongue swiped his lips again. "I want it all."

As she again burst to retort, Ciacco's smirk suddenly drooped. He appeared to pale against the fiery sky and he gave a loud yelp, dropping her chain immediately. It crashed to the rock beneath, smoking, and his hands were left scalded, red and raw from the metal links. His sharp red eyes snapped to the castle before jumping back to her. Lailah's lips twitched knowingly.

"Did you say something, Ciacco?"

"Nothing. I-I apologise." He growled back at her, casting a cautious gaze back to the gate.

She watched, a smile still playing on her face, as the demon stumbled back and retreated to the portal to his circle.

.

Brick

.

Arriving at the manor made everything seem so much more real. It was like everything was already blowing up around us- everything we'd built, everything we'd sacrificed, was all for nothing. As soon as I hit the floor I headed straight for the fourth floor, ready to gain back some control. With my head now bursting with pain and tension, I charged into the bedroom with a lot more force than I needed.

When my eyes found her, crawled into a ball in the bed, the building pressure suddenly fell from me. All I felt was cold. I rushed over to her, my voice a sudden, rushed whisper.

"Bloss?! Blossom? Babe!"

She took a few muffled, gasping breaths and my heart jumped into life. Fuck. She scared me.

I grabbed her in my arms and cradled her. She fit so easily. Hearing her breathe was enough to settle me somewhat, but my grip on her was still tight. I held her against my thumping heart and took a few deep breaths myself. Hearing her little cries pressed against my shirt was enough to bring me back to Earth. A slow rumble went through me and I tried my best to calm myself.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying for?"

She sniffed against my chest, rapid and panicky, before drawing back slowly. Her faded, bloodshot eyes peered up at me through her strands of hair and her lips trembled in a whimper.

"W…Why didn't you tell m-me?"

"Tell... tell you what?" Immediately, my insides flared. That broken look in her eyes almost killed me, and my mind began to race at exactly what she could have found out-

"That... that my sister's dead." She heaved a shaky, trembling sigh and crumpled against me, shoulders shaking.

"Babe-"

"That Butch killed her."

My heart jolted, chest lurched. I snapped my jaw shut, teeth melding together tightly. It took a low, forceful grunt to wrench my mouth back open again. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was bone dry.

"Who told you that?"

"What does it matter?" She pushed against me, those bloodshot eyes in my face. Tears were flooding down her pink face. She coughed. "Is it true or not?!"

"It's- it's not-" Words fell from me in pieces and I couldn't take them back. I was lost. I gnawed down on my lip, those bright pink eyes scanning me closely. I felt the back of my neck flare with heat and my palms were suddenly damp with sweat. "It's not like that-"

Her hands slammed into me. Her strength barely brushed me, it was like being slapped with a pillow. I still stumbled. Her wide bloodshot glare was unrelenting.

"How could you keep that from me?!" She gave a rough, dry sob that cut into me. "That's my- my sister! He murdered her!"

"Babe-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Instead of a scream, it was a long wail. She crumpled back into the bed with her head in her hands. She shook and trembled, gasping for air. Just when I thought my heart couldn't twist and tug anymore, I caught her pained whisper. "I trusted you..."

"You still can!" I took a step, blood suddenly rushing through my chest. "This- you were never meant to find out this way-"

She raised her head, her cheeks blotchy and bright pink. Her nose was running. "You weren't going to tell me!" Her lip trembled. "You were happy with me sitting here, oblivious! You didn't want me to ever find out!"

"Babe, lis-"

She waved her hands around, gasping for air. "You like me being clueless! An idiot! I jus...just trust you for no reason! I'm just fucking spineless with you around. I can't find out anything, I'm just kept in the dark!" Her hands fell. She slumped back onto the bed and let out a long, broken sigh.

"...And that's how you like me, right? Nothing like what I once was."

"Babe- Bloss- no." My voice was a scratchy squeak and I wasn't sure why. My head spun and I squeezed my eyes closed, scrunching my face. "That's not it. It wasn't like that!"

"Then what?" She rose to her feet and it felt like she was towering over me. There was a spark of pink in those eyes I had not seen since we were teenagers. She threw out her hands and they slapped down at her sides. Her nostrils flared and her cheeks still glistened under the light. "What was it like? You think you could hide this forever? You think I would forget about my own sister?!"

"N-" I was anchored to the floor and was beginning to sink. "No- look- I didn't-"

"Did you think I would just accept this, Brick?" Her voice lowered to a sharp whisper, low and dangerous. "Was it all part of your plan? To pump me with some kids and I'll forget where I came from?"

"No!" I was stronger this time, gaining back some fire. "Look, I can't-"

She bulldozed over me, charging forward with her fists clenched.

"WELL I'M NOT GOING TO FORGET!" I shrunk back as she puffed out her chest. "YOU AND YOUR BROTHERS! I DON'T CARE! YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL! I'M NEVER GOING NEAR HIM AGAIN! EVER!"

Her wild eyes stared down at me one last time, her chest heaving and nostrils flared. Words disintegrated in me. She lashed out, hitting me in my numb chest, before she barged right by me. I faintly made out the bathroom door slamming and the walls trembling around me before I seemed to blink myself awake, slipping back into the cold, silent room with my heart racing in my ears and my fists tightly clenched to my sides.

I faintly felt my mouth open and my dry throat gasping for breath as the heat finally rose back in me, slow but strong- like a building fire. My mouth twitched, teeth still scraping against my tongue- anything to get that feeling back. I flexed my fingers, shifted my feet, but when I turned back to face her I couldn't say a word.

I took a deep, shaky breath in and tried to think. Everything was fucking falling apart. Everything. All we planned, all we built... all went to shit when he showed up. We were fucking powerless. All we could do was watch.

My eyes narrowed on that closed door.

I hated that- more than anything. That I couldn't control anything anymore. I couldn't control her. I couldn't drag her back and make her forget. All the rush of fear and dread from that night all came back and I couldn't slow it down. I shook my head, tried to think, tried to breathe, but nothing came. It was like I couldn't get it back- my old human side, the rational, logical, calm Brick that could handle any situation. It was like I was falling into a dark world of chaos. And I was losing myself with every second.

I had to put it all back together, to put us back together. Me back together.

I shook my head- one final, furious time, and aimed for the hallway. My teeth dug into my lip. I wanted to stay, tell her it's all going to be okay. But I knew it was bullshit. She was in the chaos with me... and there was no backing out now.

I threw my clenched fist into the wood of the door, splinters slicing into my fingers.

"Fuck!"

I sucked back a snarl and aimed for the hallway before I could do anymore damage.

.

Buttercup.

.

As I drove- or, more accurately, rolled- down the mountainside back to the small collection of buildings on the edge of Townsville, all I could think of is how much closer we were getting to an actual confrontation with the Ruffs. An actual face to face. The very thought sat tightly in my chest, causing my throat to close almost to the point to where I couldn't breathe.

All I tried to do was stare determinedly at the dirt road in front of me, fingers wrapped tightly around the wheel. Out of the corner of my eye, I made out Cass lowering her lashes at me.

"You look pale."

"Oh." I made a feeble attempt to swallow. "I just… just tired, I guess."

Jayden piped up from the back. He was buried in Cain's sweatshirt and huddled in the back corner of the van.

"We have enough gas to make it, right?"

"I don't know." I flipped my gaze back to the dashboard, before I mentally shook myself. "The meter's broken."

"That's great." Jayden cooed at me, leaning over the front seat between us. He batted his eyelashes innocently, but wasn't fooling anyone. "You planning on breaking down in the middle of this demon-infested jungle?"

"Oh, gee, Jayden." I shifted my tight shoulders, rolling them and freeing my tight fingers from the wheel to stretch them out. "The very thought sounded like so much fun, I thought we had to give it a try."

I caught Cass' cheek twitch in a tell-tale smirk. Jayden's lip curled, his glare darting back to the window. "I'm glad you find this funny. But I don't feel like being eaten today."

Emerald watched out of the other window, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity. "I don't feel like being eaten any day."

I clenched my teeth, throwing the neurotic male in the backseat a glare through the revision mirror. "Nobody's getting eaten, Emmy."

"I doubt you have anything to worry about, regardless." Cass chortled from the front seat. She took a break from sorting through the box of bullets in her lap to issue Jayden a scoff over her shoulder. "Don't you have your own private bodyguard? He runs to your rescue whenever you're hurt, right?"

"I don't put my life in anyone's hands." Jayden grumbled back, chin in his fist. He added in a low growl, "Probably why I've survived this long in the first place..."

"Probably why Cain and Rome had to rescue you, right?"

"They didn't rescue me!" Jayden snapped back at a grinning Cass. "I had it under control…"

"If you say so." Cass' shoulder lifted. "But if a demon comes along hellbent on revenge for a drug deal, I may be tempted to give you up to save our skins."

Jayden's lip dropped before he shook himself back into a growl.

"That's...that's fine. I can handle it."

Cass and I shared a look before I turned back onto the road. Up ahead, I could see the trees thinning out to form the beginning of a town- at least a stretch of road that held a few scattered buildings. I applied the brakes so I could creep closer, running my eyes along the shadows ahead.

I could make out a tall sign for a gas station ahead, with the gas prices swinging from the board. The pavement around the pumps was cracked and one of the windows of the convenience store attached was shattered. I pulled up slowly, throwing a stare around the surrounding buildings to check for any sign of life.

There was a small boarded-up cafe across the street from the gas station and what looked like the remains of a grocery store next to it. Shifting my glance back to the convenience store, it looked like it was our best bet for supplies that would last.

"You guys wait here." I pulled the van into park and reached for my machete. "I'll check if the coast is clear."

Cass and Jayden both spoke at the same time.

"You can't go alone."

"You go right ahead."

Cass threw him another lecturing glare before opening her own door. "I'll be right behind you, BC. Emmy can watch my back."

"I will!" Emmy added brightly before I could argue. "I can keep a look-out, mama."

With that determined gleam in her dark green eyes and Jayden's dark glare darting around with suspicion, I felt the needy twitch to get a move on. I heaved a sigh and slammed the door closed, aiming for the front of the store. Cass trotted after me, brandishing her pistol and shoving bullets in her pocket.

"Looks like someone tried to bust out the window." I nodded to the shattered glass, trying to shake off my heart thundering within my chest. "Guess they didn't make it in."

"Maybe they found another way." I caught Cass' thumb flicking off the safety as she stuck close behind me. "Can't be too careful."

"That's for sure." I ran a critical eye over the windows, but most were covered. I couldn't see inside. It didn't seem like a place that most demons would dwell, but I had been surprised before. I faced the door and took in the frame, the glass.

With one final glance around the abandoned streets, I clenched my fists and threw my weight behind my boot- right into the centre of the door.

The metal gave way to the blow and bent inwards, the frame and glass crashing to the laminated floor. It landed with a clatter which sent both of us stumbling back. I quickly reclaimed my steps, hopping up the small ramp over the threshold into the dusty darkness. My boots crunched against the glass. Cass' pistol hung threateningly over my shoulder. I ran my eyes around the dark room, wrinkling my nose at the ugly stench that hung in the air. I took a moment to look over the shadows of the shelves and the mess of merchandise that scattered over the floor.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

The store was silent. I glanced around for a light switch but couldn't see any. Creeping closer, Cass hung over the counter to glance behind. I nudged open the back room doors, seeing only empty storage shelves. After checking the coast was clear and listening out again for nothing but eerie silence, I edged back out the door and waved at the van.

Cass crept around the counter and fumbled with the switches. The fluorescent lights above us hummed to life and I took in the state of the store.

The fridges that lined the edges of the gas station were still filled with milk and bottles- which explained the spoiled smell. The cash register was open and empty and a few things had fallen to the ground, but other than that the store seemed to have been intact.

Jayden took a few cautious steps inside, Emmy following close behind. He took a quick glance at one of the shelves and wrinkled his nose.

"Most of this stuff is way out of date." He grumbled. "Is there anything edible here?"

Cass browsed another aisle, shaking canisters and inspecting jars.

"I bet these are okay." She held up a container of what looked like nuts. She swung her bag around to put them in. I picked up a dusty package of beef jerky and threw that in my bag, too. Emmy bounced around the counter, grabbing a handful of energy bars.

"Mama, can I have these?"

I offered her the bag.

"Throw them in, Em."

She darted back and forth, beaming at her find. Cass broke open a bag of pretzels and gave a careful nibble, wincing immediately at the taste before throwing them over her shoulder.

"Ugh, stale."

Jayden picked moodily at some packaged cakes, cocking an impressed brow.

"I think these are still good, surprisingly.

"Those things survive nuclear blasts!" Cass stuck her tongue out. "Who knows what's in them."

Jayden only shrugged, nudging the whole shelf into his bag. "Hey, maybe it'll rub off on me. I could use some nuclear-proof powers."

Cass only shook her head and went back to rifling through the various packets in front of her. Jayden braved the fridges to grab some sports drinks and I watched Emerald eyeing the candy selection.

Just outside the door, I caught a ripple of movement. My hand snapped down on Emmy's shoulder and I'd dragged her back within the second. Cass perked up behind me.

"What is it? Did you-"

A sharp crack sounded through the air, piercing my ears. A few packets of peanuts sailed to the floor beside me and my fingers clamped down hard on Emerald's arm, pushing her to the ground.

"GET DOWN!"

Another crack sounded as the three of them hit the floor. This time, I saw the pack of potato chips beside me explode. I threw my head up and glared towards the door, hand snatching down at the handle of my blade. I spotted a figure hunched by the entryway, small and shrunken. His beady eyes snapped to me and I saw his mouth move, but I already had my target. I grabbed for my blade and charged forward. He swore, hands fumbling-

"Shit-shi-"

Another CRACK sounded before me and I faintly felt my shoulder jolt from me. Like a small bug, I shrugged it off and came down hard. I threw down my clenched fist- stuck to my blade, and let the blood fly. Warmth splashed over my hands and I pulled back- hard- to release his torso. I ripped the blade from his ribcage and kicked his body to the ground, eyes narrowed to survey the damage.

He collapsed onto the ground, twitching with blood pouring from his chest to the ground. Crimson spread quickly through his shirt, staining the cement underneath. His gun clattered from his limp hand. A harsh whisper sounded next to me and I gripped my weapon again.

"Nate! Oh my God-"

I turned to the girl. A hood was over her head and her eyes had dark, shrunken shadows beneath them. She stumbled back, eyes widening and face paling. She looked skeletal and held a bat in her hand. I threw out my blade, fire burning up my chest into my throat.

"Drop it."

"Who the fuck are you?!" She screeched back. I advanced and she threw the bat down, stumbling backwards. "What- what are you-"

I caught a flitter of movement and snapped my hand to see more creeping out from behind the gas pumps. I steadied my feet, toes curling in my boots, as my brain began to piece together just how many were surrounding us.

Cass leapt out from behind me, pistol aiming at the girl. "Don't move!"

I counted about five- all of them skinny and shrunken, small like no demons I had seen before. From the wild look in their eyes, ripped, soiled clothing and the dirt on their faces they looked like vagrants- humans just trying to survive. A cooling numbness swept over me. I threw up my hand and heaved a few deep sighs.

"Wait, Cass-" I narrowed my glare on the girl. "What the Hell are you doing here shooting at us?"

"You're the one stealing from us!" She squawked, her eyes wide. Her fingers shook, still held up around her head. "We're protecting what's ours!"

The group slinking behind the pumps seemed to hiss in agreement. All were carrying blunt weapons and seemed to be shaking. One was even bleeding from the head and looked sick.

"What are you talking about? Why are you even here?!" I spluttered back, hardly daring to believe what I was seeing. "This entire town is being taken over by demons! It isn't safe!"

"BC…"

I caught Jayden sidling up to me, his eyes widening around the crowd before leaning in close to hiss to me.

"These are junkies- they're tweaked. They're gone."

"What?!" I gaped for a moment as the girl before me puffed out her chest.

"This is our town now! It's opening to a higher power, and we will be there to serve them!"

Cass cocked a brow and shot me a look. I could only stare back, my mind eerily blank. I turned back to the girl, who looked the same age as me- maybe even younger.

"You… you're staying here? The Ruffs have taken over! You've got to leave, they'll-"

One of the figures stumbled forward, licking his dry lips and leering at me.

"Are you a demon? Can you take us to them?"

"N-no!" Flames licked at my chest and I shook myself to stay steady, gripping my blade with a new fire. I shook my head and tried again. "You don't want to be anywhere near the Ruffs, or demons. They'll enslave you, they'll kill you!"

Jayden backed up into me, but managed to snatch onto my arm and hiss in my ear. "They're strung out on something, dude, I'd stay back."

"We were kicked out of the Ruff's kingdom…" One of them groaned sickly, bloodshot eyes rolling in those sunken sockets. "We just need to get back, we need to make amends…"

"You're not serious…" I couldn't hold back the disgust in my voice, and felt my lips curl in a snarl. "Demons don't give a fuck about you! You're human!"

"For now…" The woman cooed to us, twitching on the spot. She couldn't keep still, and fidgeted as she giggled. "But when we join them, we will return to greatness! We'll be rewarded with immortality!"

"That's what they told you?" I ignored Cass' look to give the woman a filthy glare. "You're an idiot!"

"That's what you think!" She spat at me and tugged at her hair. "The world's changing, it's changing!"

"Wai…wait a second…" The man beside her hissed, eyes darting in his sunken sockets. He jabbed a trembling finger at me. "I know you!"

A fierce, icy chill hit me. My shoulders stiffened and knotted as I felt all eyes snap to me- burning into my face. I watched, numb and frozen, as the man's bloodied lips curled and he let out a long, dark growl.

"You're that Powerpuff Girl!"

There was a long, eerie ringing echoing in my ears, sending jolts of eerie coldness washing over me. Faintly, I could make out the girl's voice screeching piercing into my brain, dragging me back.

"Don-Don't be stupid." The girl swayed, nose wrinkling. "That girl's- the green one's dead… she's been dead for years…th-the Ruffs killed her!"

"No… it's her!" He was really shaking now, breathing hard. He flexed his fingers and grit his teeth. "And she hasn't done anything! Where's your saviour now, Townsville?!" He let out a long, high-pitched giggle. "No heroes anymore! Huh, Townsville?!"

"Why haven't you saved us, Powerpuff, huh?!" Another male screamed out from behind the pump. He was holding a plank of wood and shaking violently, only clad in a pair of shorts. "I thought you guys were supposed to be superheroes!"

"Lab experiments, more like!" Another voice jeered from behind the broken pump. "Fucking useless!"

Cass' fingers wrapped around my arm and she pulled me back, hissing into my ear.

"Jay's right, BC- these guys are crazy!"

Staring around at the sight before me- the mere shadows of humans twitching and faltering on the skeleton of what was once a functioning town- all I could do was give a slow, heavy nod.

"Y…yeah- I don't-"

The girl riled up again, stumbling closer and reaching for her bat.

"Fuck this shit! This bitch ain't going anywhere!"

"HEY!" Cass aimed her pistol. "Put the bat down!"

The girl's hands clasped the handle and made a swing, her face twisting violently. I reared back, grabbing what I could. I reached Cass and managed to pull her behind me- but Jayden was in the line of fire. He scattered back, giving a choked gasp- but I couldn't grab him fast enough. A loud thunk sounded as metal collided with bone, then-

"ARGH!" Jayden stumbled, hissing and grabbing his head. The girl pulled back, ready for another swing. "You motherfucking-"

A deafening boom rocked the cement beneath us and what sounded like an entire shelf emptied onto the floor inside the store. Within a second, Cain came bursting out of the broken door in a blinding flash of light, eyes black and face twisted in fury.

The girl dropped the bat immediately, tripping on her own feet and stumbling into the male next to her. I faintly made out the others sprinting across the road as Cain advanced on the pair.

"You…" He bared his teeth in a low growl. "You actually hurt him-"

"Cain!" I finally located my voice deep within my throat, and jogged up to grab him. "You can't- they're not-"

But I was shoved to the side as Jayden pushed by me to get to Cain. He snatched a handful of his shirt and gave a rough nudge. Cain, a heaving, swelling wall of muscle, hesitantly moved to the side so Jayden could close in on his attacker.

With only a small growl, Jayden swept down to grab the bat and- without a moment of hesitation- swung it back and clocked the girl in the middle of the face. A sickening crunch sounded and she crumpled to the ground- completely motionless. Her partner looked down, let out a strangled breath, before Jayden threw his arms back again and threw the bat into his head, too. The metal thudded against his temple and he swayed at the hit, tripping up and hitting the ground. He held his face, groaning loudly. The bat was thrown down at his side. And, with only a moment to pause, Jayden tilted his head and spat at him.

"Where are your demon rulers now, asshole?"

"Babe!" Cain's mouth hung open. Jayden's head turned to glance up at him. "You can't-"

"I told you I can take care of myself." Jayden sniffed, brushing by him. He hesitantly reached up to rub at his head. "I had it under control."

"I felt that…" Cain grumbled, pouting as he cradled his own skull. He glanced worriedly after his beau. "Are you okay? Do you need me to-"

"No!"

Slowly, reality seemed to sink back into me. The couple's screeches were still in ringing in my ears and it was hard to shake. I finally managed to shift my boots against the cracked cement to whirl around and sprint back into the store. A pair of dark green eyes peered out from around one of the aisles and I breathed one heavy, deep sigh of relief.

"Emmy!"

She flew into my outstretched arms, settling on my shoulder. My arms locked around her, scanning for any sign of injury.

"I'm okay, Mama…" She brushed me off, staring up at me instead. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am…" I told her, but I caught the tremor in my throat. I secured her in my grip, tugging her closer. Feeling her snuggled against my chest, alongside my heart, was enough to seep some life back into me. Warmth flooded through me and I sucked in another deep, calming breath. Still, those screeching voices echoed in the back of my head.

Where's your saviour now, Townsville?

Cass' snarls snapped by my ear and I whirled around to see she was lecturing Jayden by the door, her eyes wide and hands waving.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" She hissed at him, gesturing wildly to the limp figures outside. "Way to draw attention to us, you-"

"Like we hadn't drawn enough attention being shot at!" He snapped back at her, eyes narrowing. "What was I supposed to do? Stand there and take it?"

"You're supposed to be at least subtle." She grumbled back, throwing her head over her shoulder to glance back at the van. "Now they've run off-"

"I can go after them!" Cain offered from outside, pepping up. Cass threw him a vicious glare.

"No! We've caused enough havoc today!"

Jayden curled his lip, ready to spit out a retort, but Rome suddenly appeared beside him, glaring around wildly. There was a definite fire in his eyes, and they immediately found Cass. He swooped down to cup her face.

"What happened? You okay?"

Cass blanched at him, her jaw slacking in his grip. It took a few moments for her to twitch and grab his wrists.

"I'm fine! It was just some crazy junkies, they went for Jayden-"

"Oh..." Rome slackened, breathing a long sigh. "That's a relief."

"Hey!" Cain and Jayden both barked at him. The demon leader barely glanced their way before his attention was back on his wife, stroking her hair as he stared around at the store.

"Where'd they go?"

I threw my head toward the road, narrowing my eyes at any sign of the vagrants... shadows of what I remembered Townsville to be. A dark, sinking feeling encased my chest and I repressed a chill. Do I even want to save them?

"That way..." I managed to mumble. Rome narrowed his glare back to the road, taking a step and his fingers reaching for the crossbow on his back. Without hesitation, Cass snatched a piece of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Let them go, they're not going anywhere."

Rome shot her a dark look over his shoulder.

"You can't leave any witnesses, Cass-"

"They're on something..." She grumbled, shaking her head. Her lip hung open as she tried to catch her breath. "We scared them enough, they're not coming back."

"But they hurt you." Cain's eyes darkened at the words and his attention snapped back to Jayden, still nursing his head. "You can't let them get away with that."

Cass gave a stiff shrug and bent down to pick up her bag. "No harm done. We got what we came for." Her teeth scraped her bottom lip and I noticed her hesitate before she turned back to me, her lips lifting in what looked like a forced smile. "I guess there's a lot more enemies out there than we thought, huh?"

I glanced around at the chaos that had unfolded around us, all in a matter of seconds. By our own kind. I tried not to think about it too much. Instead I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing myself to focus, and aimed instead for the bottled water at the back of the abandoned shop. I felt Emmy still cradled in my arms, her hands wrapping around my neck. She cuddled in close to my cheek, warmth grazing my skin. My hands tightened around her back, so small in my grip. I couldn't bear to let her go.

"Come on..." I whispered to Emmy. "Let's get out of here."

.

Bubbles.

.

When we stepped into the elevator, I felt the chill take me immediately. I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror wall, half-buried in Boomer's shirt, and scarcely could recognise myself. With a numb hand, I made a feeble attempt to flatten my wild hair and pat at my swollen, darkened eyes. Boomer was fidgeting, nibbling his nails and biting his lip.

"Just don't… just don't worry babe. We got this, okay?"

"I know, Boomer." Even though I was the clear weakened one- barely standing tall enough to graze his shoulder- I felt the need to reach out and cup his elbow. "I just want to know- I have a right, being here so long-"

"I know, baby." His chest heaved in a sigh, and he threw a burly arm around me without thinking. Pain was knocked into me once more when he hit my shoulder, which resulted in a sudden avalanche of apologies. "Fuck, I'm sorry- I forgot-"

"It's okay."

Instead, he cupped at my hand, keeping me close. He had a vice-like grip that quickly cut off most of my circulation. I wasn't about to tell him to let go, though. The cold air seemed to break through my skin and take hold of my brittle bones. I bit back a shiver, keeping my teeth firmly gritted, but it did nothing to ward off the chills. When Boomer pulled me closer, I felt his icy eyes scan over my face.

"Look, you don't have to do this..." His voice was deep and calm, and when I looked up at him his lips twisted with concern. "It's... it's not something I ever wanted you in on."

"B-Boomer..." I tried to growl at him, but my teeth chattered. I winced at my feeble stutter and clenched my fingers around his hand. "I want to do this."

"Are you sure?" He released my hand and went to rub at my uninjured arm. I wasn't about to admit how nice and warm he felt, but my body curled into his anyway. "Look, shit's going down, and I just... I don't want you to hate me... any more, anyway." His brow furrowed and his grip tightened around me. "Fuck, Bubs. You're cold."

My eyes trailed up to his and I watched as his hands left me. He tugged instead at his jacket and threw it around me. Warmth engulfed me instantly and I stared down at the expensive fabric. My fingers grazed the soft cotton and I let out a long, deep sigh that had been buried within me.

"I don't hate you..." I winced at the weakness in my whisper. He froze, and my eyes darted up again to see his eyes widen on me. His body closed in on mine again, his arm resting around my waist. His chest rumbled against me.

"I...wouldn't blame you, if you did." He let out a low growl. My hair fluttered as he sighed down at my face. "I'm sorry I kept so much from you, Bubbles."

I winced at the deep vibrations in his chest- a growl building under the surface of a thundering heartbeat. I had grown to cherish those moments- when I felt the actual human within him- but at the same time, it caused my fingers to curl and clench.

Then and there, it was hard to hate him.

The doors of the elevator sprung open and I looked up to see only darkness and shadows waiting for us. My breath hitched in my throat as the shadows began to move and sway- black eyes and sharp teeth breaking from the blackness. I grazed against Boomer and his fingers claimed my hand once again, gripping it hard. I could feel those eyes on us and could hear the breathing- so loud it was throbbing against my eardrum. I froze to the floor. Boomer tugged on my hand and we gently peeled apart, my feet slipping free from the tile and stumbling after him. Those black eyes trailed us, sticking to the walls and watching over us like a guard of honour.

I held my breath and stuck close, pressing against the Ruff's back as we slipped into the shadows. Cold seeped into my chest, it was freezing in that hallway. I watched the eyes through strands of hair. Demons.

I hadn't seen too many, not with being locked away since the takeover, but I had seen enough to know what they were. Their black eyes gave them away.

I took a deep breath, the icy air slicing at my dry throat, and ripped my eyes to Boomer's back. I took note of his tense shoulders, muscles bulging against the back of his shirt. My fingers wrapped tighter around his. He gave me a squeeze back.

He halted and I had to skid to a stop as he fumbled with the handle of a door. I could feel the empty stares scrape at my back again, sending chills skating up my back and neck to the base of my skull. I scarcely noticed the creak of the door but my heart rate lulled when I felt the warmth of the room engulf me as the door opened. Boomer stepped inside and I fell after him, the smell of burning wood tickling my senses.

The first thing I noticed was the glow of the fire that warmed the room- it was cackling merrily beneath an ornate mantelpiece- lined with such ancient wood and darkened stone it looked to be centuries old. Like a moth to the flame, I was drawn by the warmth and light.

Boomer's hand tightened around mine once more, however, and I was dragged from my revere of comfort back into the room itself. I darted back to face him- but was caught by the sight of something burning hot- it almost scalded my cheek. I froze in my spot and curled back into Boomer, taking in the familiar figure before me.

Tall, dark and large in size, I could have sworn I'd seen his face before, but his stature dwarfed me- surely I would have remembered. I tried to take in his face- his blood red, glowing eyes, slick black hair and thick stubble- but was caught in the heat of his glare. He leered at me from the centre of the room, stepping closer when I stopped to take a breath. His eyes scanned over me, burning into me, as I tried to stay steady. Faintly, I made out Boomer tugging me closer.

"Well, well..." His teeth flashed in the firelight, purring at me. "Haven't you grown up, Bubbles?"

I caught his lip quirking at my name, so unnatural in his lion-like growl. A titter rumbled around the room, and it was then I noticed the demons circling us. There was only a handful that littered the room, much less than the guard outside, but it was enough that we were surrounded. I crashed into Boomer again, my fingers jumping to his arm and clinging there.

Those dark eyes slipped from me to Boomer, who I noticed had frozen to the spot. Those red eyes shone brightly at him. His eyebrow lifted.

"You've done well, son." His large, muscular arms shifted and I spotted his thick fingers flexing as he gave a rumbling scoff. "She will do well for you."

My heart jolted in my chest as I felt something creep up my arm, but I slackened as I saw it was only Boomer's hand curling around my good shoulder. He hugged me closer to his side and I leaned into it easily, coated from the stares.

"Thank you." His growl shook against me but he held steady. He pushed against my shoulder, pulling me further into him. His fingers found my hair. "She means the world to me."

My face suddenly ignited with heat. The man before us chuckled. The noise struck deep in my chest and I glanced back over my shoulder to see his eyes burning again with heat.

"Don't let her weaken you, now..." He tilted his head, as if studying me. I felt like an exhibit in a zoo. "These humans can get to you..."

"Baby..." Boomer's fingers grazed my ear. "I trust you remember my father."

I glanced back again, but I was almost afraid to look. That dark, forbidding figure was creeping closer, towering over me. I made out his thick muscle, inhuman stare and sharpened teeth that gleamed at me dangerously. I recoiled back, melding into Boomer again. A memory, deep within the back of my mind, bubbled to the surface. Buttercup at the hospital, holding Blayze for the first time, and a man appearing with a wide smirk-

"Bane." The name tumbled out of me. I made an attempt to swallow, my throat suddenly dry and my voice a meek squeak. "I...I remember you."

Bane's teeth flashed against the flames of the fire, his eyes lidding. His chest swelled to speak, but the silence was suddenly shattered by the door slamming open, heavy wood bouncing against ancient stone.

Brick appeared in the doorway, his eyes a deep, dangerous crimson and his shoulders heaving with deep panting. Something had him heated. When his eyes rolled around the room to land on me, my heart jolted and thudded deep within my throat. He closed in, fists bared and lip curling.

"You…" His low, snapping snarl cut through the room easily. "What did you tell her?!"

Blossom. My heart skipped and bounced in my throat, my mouth bone dry. Boomer's grip tightened around me, and suddenly his thick arm cut in front of me.

"Hey!" He bit back, chest rumbling in a repressed roar. "Watch your tone with her!"

I heard another deep growl, and my heart tripled in speed. I tried to breathe through it, but my chest heaved in resistance. I stretched to peek over Boomer's forearm, lip dropping. Brick was holding back, but he was pointing a finger in his brother's face- his teeth bared.

"Your bitch is off her leash, Boomer! She went and taunted Bloss!" He threw me an ugly snarl with a warning. "You better reign her in-"

"Back up!" Boomer's eyes flashed dangerously and his arm tightened around me. My shoulder crunched under his grip and folded under me. I gnawed back a gasp, eyes jumping closed "You haven't got a grip on your own wife-"

"Fuck you, Boomer!" Brick spat, his own eyes darkening. "You don't know shit-"

"Oh, really? She threw Bubbles! Almost snapped her shoulder!" Boomer's shouts drowned his. As if jolting his own memory, he loosened his grip and switched his gaze back down to me. "Sorry, babe. I forgot-"

"She's pregnant! She's got those fucking demon hormones…" Brick sneered back, but his eyes jumped around the room suspiciously before darting back to me. His hands formed fists. "But you set her off, telling her about Buttercup-"

"What about her?"

The temperature in the room plummeted. Brick turned, slowly, to reveal a figure in the doorway. He strode in, dark green eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of my sister's name. Seeing him, hunched shoulders, wild hair and gleaming dark eyes- it was enough to bring it all back. He was still the same, the same enemy- the same Ruff. The same demon that took her life-

Butch's narrowed glare suddenly shifted, from his brothers to the man in the centre. The one watching the whole escapade with fire dancing in his eyes. Butch's face suddenly dropped, his lip trembling and eyes widening. He turned back to his brothers, to me, for help. A long, strangled gasp came from his throat.

"What the fuck…" He gave a slight choke, and the man's name finally came to me. "Bane?! You… you're supposed to be dead!"

The demons around us tittered again, rumbling around the room. Bane gave a dark smile, tilting his head again and cooing innocently.

"It's funny how things like that happen."

"What the Hell is going on?!" Butch's sharp glare snapped onto Brick, his shoulders hunching before whirling back to Bane. "How… how the fuck did you get here and-" His eyes found me, narrowing. "Why is she here?"

"It's imperative she is here to hear this." Bane spoke before I could, his deep voice rumbling through the room. "In order to ensure our survival and loyalty to our rule, after all…" His burning eyes rolled onto Brick. "Speaking of, where is your fair flower, Brick?"

"I…" Brick's lip dangled before he drew it back up into a twisted growl. "I don't think she needs to be here… she's upset and-"

"Ah, so this is what we are facing…" Bane turned to one of the demon guards behind him, giving a playful grin. "Not much of a leader if you're ruled by your wife, after all?"

A few of the demons broke into small snickers that rippled through the room. Brick whipped around to them, gritting his teeth in a warning snarl.

"It's not like that." He hissed through his grimace. "I have total control. If it's vital she's here, I'll go get her."

"If that isn't too much trouble, son." Bane cooed at him, cocking a brow. Brick only hissed back, swelling with clear rage. He hunched his shoulders and took a deep breath before stomping back to the door, storming back into the hallway in a flash of red. Butch stared after him, his emerald eyes still narrowed and his brow furrowing deeper into his glare.

"So…" He turned to Boomer for help, spluttering. "Does anyone want to tell me what the fuck is happening here?!"

Boomer cautiously glanced my way, his own chest swelling in a sigh before turning back to Bane.

"It appears there are some changes that are going to be happening around here."

.

Buttercup.

.

The ride home was filled with a tense silence. I wasn't sure how to process what just happened, or why their voices were still ringing through my thoughts. I made out Cass' worried glance out of the corner of my eye, and that just made everything worse. I shook myself from the numb void of my brain and instead shuffled closer to Rome, who insisted on driving.

"Did you find anything? You know, before you had to come to Jayden's rescue?"

"Hey!"

Rome gave an indifferent shrug. "Kind of. I think I know where the Ruffs' hideout is located, they just chose a great spot. It has total coverage of all air and ground space, so it'll be a challenge to sneak up on it." The corner of his mouth twitched in a cocky smirk. "A challenge worth trying, of course."

"Really? You know?" Cass perked up in her seat. "The old Morbucks vacation manor, right?"

Cain, gnawing a piece of jerky from Jayden's pack, spoke up. "That's what we've heard, and from the direction of where most of the armies are coming from, we're pretty sure Bane is already making himself at home there."

Rome's eyes narrowed on the road and he added grumpily under his breath, "hiding out like a pussy, more like."

My eyes rounded on him thoughtfully, my brain ticking away at the thought of Bane reuniting with the Ruffs. I thought back to how devastated Butch was when he thought Bane had died, and wondered if it was enough for them to give over the leadership to him.

But when I voiced this to Rome, he shot me a thoughtful glare but shrugged again.

"Bane holds a lot of sway, I think he would persuade them regardless. He is more knowledgeable, after all."

"You think he'll tell the Ruffs everything?" Cass asked. "I mean, about you guys? That you're after him?"

Cain paused in his chewing, glancing over at his brother for the answer. Rome tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. I could see him chewing at his tongue in consideration before answering.

"I honestly don't know. Bane wants us gone and you back, I know that much."

Back? The very word sank deep into my chest, icing over in my heart. Back where? Back to Butch? Back to Blayze? My sisters? Back to our family? Our home?

The very image of me trapped alongside my sisters caused me to sink in my seat. Emmy leaned in closer to me, her wide dark green eyes- Butch's eyes- watching me intently. She had an eerie way of looking into me, seeing more than I probably wanted her too. No matter how hard I pushed my cheeks up into a smile, she seemed to know more than I cared her too.

She reached out her tiny hand and cupped mine. In a voice only I could hear, she whispered to me.

"It's okay, Mama."

I lifted my hand and winced to see it was shaking. I cupped the back of her hair, pulling her in for a kiss. She fell against my chest and, as we made our way back along the bumpy driveway to camp, we held each other close against the rocky ride until Rome skidded to a stop in front of the main hall.

"Well, I guess we can have dinner tonight!" Cass pointed out brightly as she accepted Rome's hand in helping her out of the car. She turned to me, lips pursed in a determined smile. "How about you and Emmy help me out around the kitchen? We can try and make a feast!"

Emmy floated up with excitement immediately, but all I could offer was a pathetic sigh. My shoulders ached and my head pounded. I stared back longingly at my cabin and wistfully thought of dropping into a nap, with my eyes lidding heavily at the thought. But, turning back to the excited two, I knew they had to have someone watching over them. A quick glance over at Jayden told me he wasn't going to be much help.

"Sure." I shifted my shoulders and led the way to the kitchen. "Let's try out this feast preparation."

"Woo!" Emmy clapped behind me, zooming by to lead the way. She already looked as though she was on a sugar high, and turned back to us with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Let's make cookies!"

Cass burst out laughing, shaking her head. "Hold on there, Emmy! First we have to make sure the power's on." She turned to me, biting her lip. "Super Girl, do you mind checking the power box while we sort out the kitchen?"

"Sure…" I trailed off in the direction I saw Rome point out the main breaker. "I'll be right back-"

But Emmy had already attacked the kitchen full force, and a bunch of dishes were heard crashing to the floor. Throwing me an apologetic glance, Cass hurried off after her. I switched my gaze instead to the boys hanging around by the van.

Rome glanced hesitantly back where Cass had disappeared before beckoning me over and hissing in my ear.

"I think we have a good lead on how to ambush the Ruffs. We were in sight of the place- an army's definitely growing."

My lip dropped, all pain for that moment seemed to leave me as my blood seemed to boil back to life. My heart jolted to the front of my chest, bouncing against my ribs. My throat tightened in anticipation, and all I could manage back was a hoarse whisper. They were near. They were close. My baby boy. My sisters. Butch...

"Really? Where?!"

"Where we thought- they're not budging." Rome jolted his head further towards the mountains. "But further West, in the valley. I haven't seen the house yet, but I have on good authority it is that old rich girl's place you were talking about- the one that Lobster demon had set up."

"I bet they've upped security since then..." I muttered, my stomach churning at the thought.

"With Bane there? Definitely." Rome gave a grave nod. "He'll have anyone he can there with him, while the rest spread the word. There's a definite disturbance in between worlds, so he's opening up portals wherever he goes..." He trailed off with a quick glance towards Cain, who shot him what looked like a snarl back. I waited for explanation, but Rome only continued. "We caught word that demons have shut down a few cities outside of state lines."

"State lines?" All warmth drained from my face and my mind was suddenly erased of all thought. Again, those words rang through my head.

No heroes anymore...

"Fuck." I grit my teeth, mashing my lips together. "We have to stop this."

"The only way is to get to Bane..." Rome's jaw ticked. "We cut down the leader, most lower-levels will retreat back to Hell. They are fully aware they're going against the natural order."

"Then why the fuck are they following Bane, then?" I threw my hands up. "They know it's going against everything!"

"He stands for a wilder freedom, where demons are free to feast off humans with no consequences." Rome gave a light shrug, face twisting bitterly. "Most demons would jump at the opportunity, I'm afraid."

"So the sooner we stop them, the better." I folded my arms, tapping my foot against the dirt. The thought of my sisters trapped behind enemy lines was getting to me, not to mention my own son- who I had been so close to getting to-

"What if..." I caught my lip with my teeth before I could say anymore, my stomach stirring and clenching at the thought. I couldn't exactly admit to Rome I'd been trying to strengthen my connection with Blayze, not when it opened me to exposing myself and them.

But...

The memory flashed back to me, just a few hours ago- when I'd been so close to my baby I could reach out and touch him. I'd heard him speak, he had been right next to me... my sister to... within my grasp-

I threw my head into a nod, shaking myself slightly to turn back to the two demons. Rome tilted his head at me.

"What?"

"N...nothing." I grumbled. "Just thinking of how best to approach the complex, that's all."

"We still need to track down this Antidote X." Rome reminded me, cocking an eyebrow. "It's the best way to trip them up, reduce their physical power. And since demons will be off their leashes causing havoc with humans, their supply may be left unprotected." His eyes trailed off in thought. "Of course, there are still those Punks we have to worry about-"

"Not anymore." I grunted, heat flooding back into my face.

Rome shot me a glare up and down but didn't reply. It was eerie that we were barely regarding brutal deaths. It was all natural casualties in the war we were ready to face.

"So now it's only a matter of sneaking into the club to gain access to the supply, and getting it to them."

"How do you suppose we do that?" I scoffed at the very thought. "We sneak in and spike their food?"

"Well..." Rome's eyes rolled in thought. "From your father's notes, I know the antidote can be injected as well as ingested." His jaw ticked, like he was holding back a smirk. "I was contemplating on the role of your sisters when that time comes..."

My heart really did flutter at that, the thought of my sisters here, with me.

"Really? You'd...you'd break them out for that?"

"As I said, it's the quickest way to get to a demon." He quirked his lip into a half-smile. "Rip away their mate, it really ticks them off. They lose a lot of their power, and if they can't get to them they start to lose their minds."

"Woah..." The image, the feeling, of Butch snuck back from the deep recesses of my mind and I shook them free. "But won't they transport to them?"

"Who said we need to kidnap them?" Rome rolled his eyes, smirking coyly. "They're already on our side, right?"

I matched his grin, heart lifting at the thought. "Exactly."

"So we just have to obtain the right approach to get close to them, and figure how to break into the club to secure this antidote..." Rome threw a thoughtful look at Cain, who was busy picking at his fingernails. He seemed to switch off when talk became technical. Rome brought him back with a sharp punch to the arm.

"Ow! What?!"

"I bet the club would be partially abandoned if the Ruff's complex is being guarded." Rome snapped at him, eyes suddenly shining with inspiration. "Maybe we can break in and swipe the stuff."

Cain, rubbing his arm, only shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"That settles it." Rome turned back to me, clicking his fingers. "You stay here and look out for any approaching demon activity. Get Cass to call for me if you sense anything. We'll see if we can get close to the Antidote X stash back at that club."

I nodded in agreement. Cain looked as though he was ready to groan, but when Rome glanced his way he straightened. Rome rolled his eyes and jerked his head to the sky. Cain went to slink off, but not before skipping over to Jayden to give him a quick squeeze. Jayden winced at the hug, swatting him off and retreating back into the main building. Cain skipped off, waving after him. Just as he disappeared, Cass reappeared, covered in a white powder. I cocked an eyebrow as Rome let out a scoff.

"Flour?"

"Stale flour." She corrected, dusting herself off. She approached with caution. "Do you guys have a plan?"

"We're going to scope out the club." Rome muttered as he threw an arm around her. "We'll be back within the hour, hopefully with some of that Antidote shit."

"Be careful." Cass let herself be smothered into his side, her face squashed against his torso. "See you when you get back." Rome actually leaned down and kissed her. It was the gentlest move I'd ever seen him make. It was almost hard to watch. Cass gave a small smile, but it was enough to light up her face. The demon leader sent her a sly smirk, whirled around and disappeared into the air, leaving the two of us standing by the open door. She watched the empty air where he'd vanished, her shoulders sinking slightly.

"Don't worry…" I read her mind, but couldn't resist sticking my tongue out at her. "Your beau will be back."

"Shutup…" She scoffed, her cheeks flushing a deep red. She turned back to the main hall and glanced over her shoulder at me, deep brown eyes gleaming. "We need some electricity in here, your daughter's going crazy with the flour."

I rolled my eyes, but I could faintly make out Emmy's high-pitched squeals echoing around the high walls of the hall and Jayden's grumbling replies.

"WEE! FAIRY DUST FIGHT!"

"Emmy! That's not!-"

"TOO SLOW!"

"Ugh…."

Cass ran off to his rescue, her guilty chuckles echoing around the hall. I aimed for the dirt path where I remembered the electrical panel being located- somewhere by the far sheds towards the forest. I skittered through the trees, my eyes wide and searching the landscape but my head still spinning with the images playing out in front of me.

Blayze and my sisters were close, but they were close to Bane, to Butch. Perhaps even worse, they were close to Brick- who saw me. I knew with Bane taking the reins of leadership the plight towards evil would only get worse…. not only for Townsville, but the world. Those kids, the ones that shot me- were just a glimpse of what the world was about to become.

My eyes found the sky and they stayed there. I thought back blissfully to when we were kids, when the sky was our home. We would watch over Townsville like it was our backyard- the little world we called our own. We could bat away enemies like they were flies. We could tread any threat like it was an ant. I missed that power. I missed my sisters.

I stopped, wincing in the cold breeze slicing at my wet face. I hadn't even realised I'd been crying.

I found a tree to lean against, rubbing my slick face and finding my breath. I tried to be quiet about sniffing back my sobs. It was getting all too much, I was losing myself more than ever. It wasn't like me to sit back while others did the work. Rome and Cain were out there, not me. I rolled my eyes again, spying that free sky above the trees.

I couldn't just do nothing. Not when there were demons roaming the Earth, not when Bane was out there, with the Ruffs, not when my sisters and my babies were more at risk than ever…

I threw down my hand, that same fire igniting within me.

No. I can't do it.

I won't.

.

Brick.

.

Showing my face in the hallway was a fucking disgrace. Fire burned up the back of my neck and claimed my cheeks the second I saw those black eyes on me, teeth flashing in knowing snickers. I'd been dismissed. I twisted my mouth to hold back everything I had, fists clenched by my sides. I aimed for the elevator doors, skull suddenly throbbing.

I hated the thought of seeing her face again, flushed with tears and twisted with anguish. And I had to bring her up here, in front of everybody? I had to show off just how upset my wife got with me by her side, how unhappy she was with me?

The elevator doors sprang open before me and dragged me from my thoughts. I froze in place, a frown digging into my face.

"Brat?"

She looked up in surprise. Edge was by her side, and the two looked to be in an intense discussion.

"Brick!" She flashed me a wide grin, one that didn't match her dead eyes. "I'm glad we ran into you, we may have had a breakthrough."

Edge glanced briefly her way before growling out, "She was just telling me about one of her informants they've rounded up on the outskirts of town. They say they just witnessed the Green Puff outside a gas station."

Like a lightning bolt to my chest, my heart burst into sudden life, threatening to spill over into my throat. I choked it back down, swallowing heavily, before narrowing in on her.

"Seriously, Brat?!" I hated that smug grin of hers. "This is no joke, if it's-"

"I'm telling you." She hissed to me. "This bitch was one of our mules. She ran off but she's desperate to get back in-"

I could hardly contain my heart now, drumming hard and fast. "Where is she?"

She backed up in the elevator, a silent invitation. I followed without hesitation and we sailed back down to the ground floor, Brat smirking the whole way.

"I swear, if it's her, the second I see her-"

"You won't do shit." I snapped back at her. A flash of irritation threatened her grin, but I gave her a warning growl. "We need to get her back here, if it's really her."

"Oh, don't you worry." The blue punk sneered at me in that whiny, high-pitched coo. "Nothing will happen to your precious puff." She folded her arms and hissed under her breath. "Nothing a hospital visit won't fix, at least."

The doors sprang open and the Punk lead us to a group of demons securing a small, skinny woman by the doorway. She had big, wide brown eyes that gazed up at us meekly. She seemed to slacken slightly upon seeing Brat, and let out a large sigh.

"Brat! Thank God you're-"

Brat held up her hand, waving her silent. "Look, we haven't got much time, honey. I need you to tell the Ruff here what you just told me."

The girl glanced down, her face falling. "But… don't I-"

Brat snatched the girl's chin with her painted talons. Her painted lips stretched again into that smug grin. "Don't you worry, sweetie. You'll be rewarded, just like I promised."

The young girl gave a trembling sigh in the Punk's nails before her eyes turned up to me. They looked faded and bloodshot, like she hadn't slept in days.

"We…we were heading to the old store to get some food… we- we just got there, af-after we left the city." She glanced wide-eyed at the Blue Punk at this, before staring back at me. "Then… we saw this girl in the place. We thought she might have been- been trying to loot, you know? So we got Nate to fire a few shots, just to- to scare them off, that's all." Her shoulders lifted in another shaky sigh. "But… she just walked up to him, bleeding and everything, and she-she fucking stabbed him-"

"What did she look like?" Brat's talons dug into her cheeks. The girl hissed, lips trembling as she tried to reply.

"Black-black hair… green eyes."

"Was it the Puff?" Brat shook her chin. "The Green Puff Townsville knows and loves?"

The girl's throat lurched in a harsh swallow and she gasped for air. "It…she looked like it- w-with longer hair-"

I hadn't realised I was gritting my teeth until I ripped open my jaw, hissing breath through my teeth. "That's what I remember."

"What else did you see, my dear?" Brat cooed at her, eyes widening with excitement. "Who was she with?" The girl gave another shaky breath before stammering out,

"Some- some demons came! There were two of them-"

"Where were they?" I was done playing around, and ready to end this. I balled my hands into ready fists, thinking back only briefly to the meeting just above me. "We need this done-"

"We… that small gas station just… just on that turnoff on the highway to Citiesville." The girl rambled, eyes widening. "Just before the dirt road to the old Summer Camp-"

I shot a stare off to the open door, brain ticking away.

"South." I declared, whirling around to Edge. He stared back, eyes widening at me. "We need to go now, they could be on the move."

"Shouldn't… we-"

But I wasn't ready to listen, I couldn't even stand still. At the very thought of my hands finally grabbing that fucking pain-in-the-ass little Powerpuff Girl- the same that slathered that warning for us- I was charging for the door. My heart was racing in my ears, sending jolts of adrenaline shooting through my bones and charges of electricity through my skin.

"You gather what you can- I'll see if they're even still there."

My blood was boiling at the thought, my heart humming at the thought of the chase. I couldn't lose her.

I shot towards the sky and didn't look back.

.

Buttercup.

.

With one final glance over my shoulder, I stared back towards the thicket of trees. I closed my eyes and tried to think back… to what I did before, just a few hours ago. I was there. With Blayze, with Blossom. With my family. I fought hard for that memory to return- the feel of his hair, the sound of his voice, the smell of his room… the chill in the air and the darkness that surrounded us…

I fought back for that control, that fire. I had to help. When that spark ignited within my chest, flaming against my heart and burning up my throat… this time I let it. I felt another burn within me, like another tick that lived in me. It was like another heartbeat… it was hammering next to mine, drumming in my throat so fast I could taste it-

The forest breeze faded around me, the tears dried on my face and suddenly there was silence. I was coated in a new warmth, shielded from the outside air and suddenly encased in silence. I peeled open my eye- and all I saw was shadow.

I let out a gasp of air I didn't know I'd been holding. I reached out to touch something- anything- to let me know where I was. Where the fuck did I go?! I smacked my hand against something hard and my hammering heart froze as it caught my eye- something so stupid, so small- that I thought I was in some kind of sick dream.

It was the broken remnants of an old television sitting in the darkness, the broken glass glinting in the limited light. I knew it was mine, because there was a skull sticker on the corner- what I'd slathered on when I was fourteen.

"Wh…" I stumbled back, the floor hard on my feet. It tripped me up when I was used to the dirt. Suddenly, the silence engulfed me and my heart flittered into overdrive.

Where the fuck was I?!

Then I caught another shift of movement- a huddled figure in the corner sniffed awake and put its head up- and I caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes.

Light.

Green.

Eyes.

.

Butch.

.

Anger burned through me at the sight of those baby blue eyes. To make matters worse, they were shielded by my brother's arm. His own blue eyes were narrowing on me dangerously, warning me away. I couldn't bite it back, the bile swirling within me, my blood burning and itching for a fight. I slammed my heel against the stone floor, grit my teeth and spat at both of them.

"Why the fuck would you tell her, Boomer?" My fingernails bit into my palms, it was taking everything within me not to lash out at the closest solid object. I eyed his face, his eyes shifting to the floor in shame. "You fucking betrayed me! I'm your brother!"

"Look, I'm sorry." His grip tightened around her and his glare shot back to me. "She... she figured it out."

"She figured it out?!" I spat, heart thumping deep in my chest. My chest heaved and shoulders twinged in pain. "The fuck were you talking about it for?!"

Boomer's lip lowered again, but a sudden snarl sounded over his arm, and again he re-gripped and pulled back. The Puff's bright blonde head appeared over his hand and she stumbled out of his hold, enough to hiss at me like an angry cat.

"Because she's my sister! And you killed her, you fucking monster!"

Boomer swore and tugged her back, growling at her in a low tone. I could barely hear them. My heart froze and swelled, rising up into my throat. The fire faded before me and someone turned out the lights. The world went quiet. A pair of light green eyes flashed before me. Her screams rang in my ears and my heart exploded in a burst of hot flames.

'Get the fuck away from him, you fucking monster!'

"You-" Fire shot down my arms, into the tips of my fingers, and I aimed for that stupid little blonde head of hers, longing to rip it in half. "FUCKING LITTLE CUNT!"

"BUTCH! NO!"

Hands yanked me back and a shot of blue light held me steady, jolting me backwards and flying. I soared for only a second before hitting a firm wall of stone. I pushed back, thrashing and smacking what I could- before a pair of strong arms held me in place.

"Easy, Butchie." The dark voice rumbled above me, iron-like hands shackling me down. "Save your energy."

I blinked, hard, as the throbbing in my head ebbed and faded. The lights came back to me. Slowly, the room illuminated once more. I could make out Bane in front of me, hands locked into my shirt, as other demons around him shakily were getting to their feet. Their empty eyes were wide, gaping at me. I shifted my glance. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Boomer with the same darkening glare, the Puff behind his back. Her hand was locked on his arm.

With another spark of fury igniting within me, I shoved Bane's hand away and this time he stepped back. His deep crimson eyes, swimming with hidden flames, burned the side of my face. My breath was suddenly heaving within me in thick waves, scratching against my dry throat. My head swam at the sensation and I tried to stand my ground, knees shaking. Faintly, in the back of my mind, I swear I could still hear her crying and screaming. A twitch tugged at the corner of my eye.

"Don't talk about her." I snapped my stare back to the two of them, clenching my fists. I could feel the room eyeing me, but I didn't care. I jabbed a finger at her, sneering when my blond brother stiffened in preparation. "If you mention her name again, I'll slit your throat."

"Don't fucking threaten her!" Boomer started towards me, shoulders swelling. His eyes flashed in warning before Bane held up his hand.

"Enough." His growl rumbled through the room, vibrating the very walls. I stilled in my spot, chest still heaving but my knees locking in place. I grit my teeth and turned away. I could still feel Bane's stare burning into me. "This is precisely why a shift in leadership is needed."

"The fuck are you doing here, anyway?!" I pressed, flames still ripping through me. I had to spew them out somewhere. I glared up at him, hardly daring to believe he was really here. "You... we felt you die!"

"I told you demons could never truly die..." he cooed to me, cocking a brow. "But believe it or not, there are more pressing matters at hand."

My mouth hung uselessly, still choking on my dry, raw throat. All I could do was stare. That's it? After all this time? After all the tears, the blood, the sweat, the fucking torture and the pain- he just rocks up like 'haha guys, one big joke! I can't die!' Bull-fucking-SHIT!

"Pressing matters? To fucking Hell with that shit!" I spat out, venom seeping through me and ready to spill. "You didn't bother to fucking tell us any of that before you suddenly came back here and caused all this-"

He whirled around to face me again, only this time it was slowly. Those burning, fiery eyes landed on me with such heat, then slowly began to darken to pits of coal. I felt my protests wilt in my throat, my chest closing and sinking as the chills began to hit me. Bane's blackened glare was shooting ice into my veins, weighing me down and freezing me up. Every moment he stared me down was like a heavy, sinking push into hopelessness. For one faint second, I could feel myself almost crumble at the onset of pressure. I had to blink as I took it in… a split-second descent into darkness. I had felt that same way before, the same cold, the same emptiness… it was in an apartment a long time ago, with just Bane… and some woman I once called my Mother-

"Yes, matters that need to be dealt with." Bane's coos struck me deep to the core, rattling me from the dark chill and dragging me back to the cackling fire. His red eyes were back. He took a step closer. "I could voice similar concerns to you, Butchie, and ask you why I'm hearing about you slaughtering the mother of your own child?"

Deep within the frozen caverns of my chest, I felt a twitch of pain seep through the numbness. A twitch again tugged at my cheek, and all I could do was throw my head stupidly to the side.

"It…it was never… that was never it." As soft and pathetic as my voice was, it had never hurt so much getting out. My heart twists and knots. My throat was dry and raw, every word cut to the core. My eyes lowered and my head was suddenly too heavy to hold up. "I never meant to hurt her…"

"It's a wonder it didn't destroy you…" I caught Bane's low whisper. When I glanced up to face him again, his chilling glare grazed me once more. I couldn't find any answer to that. He turned away, back to that blonde bitch's hateful glare, then to the window beside her. "The barrier between worlds is weakening..." He muttered. "There may be an opportunity to make this right."

Something hit deep in my chest, like a thunderbolt of heat. My heart thudded and knotted once more, rising into my throat and constricting whatever breath I could take in.

"Wh..." My heart hummed blindly, cutting off all air and leaving my mind pleasantly fuzzy. "You could bring her back?"

Bane's eyes flamed once more, matching the crackling fire. A smirk tugged on his lips, and again he turned to me with that burning stare.

"You never know what a demon may drag up from the dead."

.

.

Rome and Cain slunk along the edge of the alleyway, searching the skies above for any sign of light that could signal the Ruff's reappearance. With the coast clear, Cain leaned heavily against the back door of the club, listening intently. Only silence met his ears. Without another moment's hesitation, he threw his shoulder against the door. It sailed off the hinges and he scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground. Rome threw a curious glance over his shoulder and up to the sky again before following him, slipping the door back into place.

In the darkness, Rome saw Cain tilt his head to the hallway. They'd attracted attention. With the two lying in wait, it only took a few seconds for two Wrath demons to slip out from the hallway. Cain gripped one by the neck and squeezed- hard- bones splintering underneath and the figure lying limp in his grip. His associate gaped in shock at the slumped figure, but before he was able to do more than squeak, Rome's fist shot out into the demon's exposed throat. His scaly skin split and black blood poured from the wound. He fell to the floor, spluttering.

Rome and Cain stepped over the pair, checking the corridor for any other sign of movement. Rome tilted his head, listening out and bracing for any other tremor of life. He didn't sense anything, and Cain nodded silently in agreement. The two crept to the main stage, slipping through another door into another corridor. It looked to be a passageway to the back rooms. Rome searched for any sign of a basement. When Cain's murmur shook the silence, it was enough for Rome to stiffen before shooting him a lecturing glare.

"How did you make it through here last night?" He hissed, ignoring Rome's dark stare. "With this place overrun with demons? It seems impossible!"

Rome pried open a door, but only found what looked like a ransacked supply cupboard. He moved along again stealthily, his face suddenly crumpling sheepishly.

"That... it was..." He grumbled back, gazing warily back at his brother. "I… that's why I had to summon a portal."

Cain's bright eyes widened. To avoid the shock on his brother's face, Rome threw open another door. It looked to be a bedroom, soaked with blood. Wrinkling his nose, he shut that door again to try another.

"Rome!" Cain hissed at him, hands snapping into fists. "I can't believe you did that, with all the risks- you can really piss Him off, I mean you told me-"

"I know!" Rome bit back, arching up immediately. His eyes darted around the room before landing again on the blond demon. "Don't you think if I told you that, I didn't know it?"

Cain's face crumpled with his usual expression of confusion. "But... then why-"

"I know it was stupid." Rome heaved a deep sigh, his arms falling to his sides. "But I couldn't risk being overpowered, Cass was with me. I couldn't leave her, she was getting hurt. I had to do something."

Cain's shoulders sank, his eyes widening at the look on his brother's face. He hadn't seen it properly before, not since they were kids. It was this expression of helplessness- his eyes wide and open, subdued. One cheek was sucked in and locked into his teeth. He looked less like a demon then. Cain would never tell him, but at that moment he looked more human than he ever had before. Cain's face broke into a smirk. He shifted his feet and couldn't help but scoff in disbelief.

"I...understand." He admitted. It was a rarity between them, these days, to share feelings. "That's how I feel about Jayden."

Cain chose to ignore Rome's nose wrinkling in disapproval and carried on.

"But you have to be careful..." He implored. "We don't want the barrier to weaken any more than it already has."

"I know." Rome sighed again. "I will. We'll stick to the plan."

Cain shot him a sly smirk. "That's what you do best!"

Rome rolled his eyes and rounded back to the task at hand, muttering under his breath. He reached out for the next door, but his steps suddenly slowed. He came to a steady halt, his back stiffening. His hands opened, and he froze.

Cain dragged his feet behind him, pausing in alarm. A frown worked into his face.

"Rome? You find something?"

It was immediate. In one second, the demon was upright and still. The next, he had crumpled to the floor. His hair splayed over his face and his skin paled to a marble white. He hit hard on his hands, doubling over and recoiling in agony. Cain rushed forward, glancing around wildly for the threat.

"Rome! Fuck! What's going on?"

Rome's mouth fell open. He gave a strangled, desperate gasp. His head snapped up, eyes wide and pale. He began to shake. His fingers clawed at the ground, digging into the cement. Cain stumbled back, mouth falling open.

"Rome, what is it!?"

The demon clenched his teeth, his face contorting with pain. His fingers jumped into fists against the cement floor. His body shook and he sucked in another deep, dark growl before freezing in place, back heaving with choking breaths.

Cain, heart wrenching, dropped to his knees and reached out to help-

But in the next second, Rome had disappeared from under his fingertips.

.

Buttercup.

.

It was him. Blayze! The second his eyes met mine, my heart gave a longing twitch and warmth began to flood through me. Those old feelings bloomed within me, the memories. The floor was solid beneath my feet, I could feel the chill against my face and my hair brushing against my arms. The room seemed to illuminate, so much that those bright apple eyes glowed in the dark. I could see his body shifting in the darkness. This time, I didn't hesitate in shifting closer, my fingers stretching towards him.

"Baby…"

My whisper slipped out without warning. His bright green eyes widened in the darkness. He was scared. I froze. My heart twitched again, this time squeezing painfully tight. I breathed in the dusty air, suddenly hurried. I held still, desperate to not make a sound. I couldn't scare him away, not when he was this close…

"Don't be scared…" I tried to say, but again it came out in that choked sigh. My voice warbled like I was about to cry, but I couldn't let it go. I held steady, my fingers still suspended in the air. My eyes lidded, my mind trailing back to when he fit in my arms, when I used to coo him back to sleep. I tried to find that again, the calm coo I traded for a rough yell a long time ago. "It's okay… it's okay, Blayze."

"M…" He shifted again, and rose in the dark. I could see his face, what was once a pair of wide eyes in a bundle of blankets. He'd gotten so big! My chest tightened even further, and this time I really could feel warmth bubbling in my throat, swelling behind my eyes. I saw his lip fall, his hands curling into his chest. "Mom?"

He had a whisper like mine. A smile twitched on my lips, but an ugly burble escaped instead. It sounded like a scoff mixed with a whimper.

"I-it's… it's me, Blayze."

With my heart about to explode, I stretched out my hand again. He pulled back, eyes widening on me.

"Are you a ghost?"

"Wh…" I held my breath, suspended for that moment in time. My brain was eerily blank and I scrambled for an answer, lip dangling before I spluttered. "N…no, baby. I'm not a ghost-"

His eyes darted for the door. I froze in a sudden panic. He wanted to run from me? I had scared him that much? I wanted to grab for him, snatch him and hold him close. My mind burst in a panic, thoughts firing off like fireworks. My fingers shook and flexed, dreams crumbling before me, before his stare landed on me again, taking me in. Those apple eyes were brimming with tears. I could make out his face, bottom lip shaking.

"D-did Daddy really kill you?"

"I-" I was lost, my throat twisting into nothing. My lip hung uselessly, my hand suspended in the air, when suddenly everything crashed in on me.

A searing light exploded before my eyes. The room was bleach white, blinding me. I sailed to the ground, crashing into the brick. Dull pain throbbed through my head, behind my eyes, but it was nothing for what came next.

My stomach burst with a sudden agony. A white-hot burn scorched through my insides, ripping them to pieces. The metallic bite of blood filled my mouth. My skin sizzled with numbness. I couldn't see, could barely feel, only that pain ripping through me, tearing my stomach to shreds and burning through my insides.

I could faintly hear deep choking breaths by my ear. I couldn't tell who it was. I writhed, my fingers buried deep in my palm as I bit through the agony. The screams in the back of my head became louder.

My eyes squeezed closed. The blinding white darkened to black.

Through the pain, I could feel Blayze's hand slipping from me.

.

Brick

.

The trees all seemed to meld together in a blur as I raced above Townsville, hovering over the highway and searching for that exit. I made out a patch of cleared trees off to the West, and zoomed over. I lowered towards the highway to take in the signs. Through the clearing, I could make out an old gas station- fresh glass scattered over the ground by the door and, sure enough, dark patches of blood coated the cracked concrete.

I hovered on the spot, heart skipping a beat. I was close. Glancing around for any sign of support, the sky was clear. Fuck. My eyes followed the old road, staring up to where it disappeared back into the forest, into the mountainside and eventually forming a dirt path. Again, my heart thumped with determination. This wasn't like a normal hunt. I couldn't lose her. Not this time. I knew she had to be alive... after living with Butch, a ghost of what he used to be, all these years... I couldn't let her get away.

I peeled my eyes apart, scanning the forest beneath me. I was afraid to even blink. All I could make out for miles was a stretch of thick, still trees. I hovered, following the road as best I could, and kept my glare sharp. There had to be something- a break, a patch, something that would alert to-

I halted, sucking in a deep, cold breath and almost hacking in the process. A flash of light seeped through a space in the trees-

A bright green light.

My toes curled, the wind around me stilling as I stared it down, sure I was seeing things. I hadn't seen that colour of light in years. That bright, neon lime that flashed across the sky always signalled trouble, it always seemed to spark a light in Butch, nonetheless. I stared down, hard, at that space in the trees- sure I was going to see a flash of black hair and a bright green dress. But instead all was still again.

My hands curled into fists and I shook in the sky, heart now humming deep in the base of my throat. My mind was eerily clear. I couldn't let her get away...

I raced downward, breaking through the trees and landing hard on the soil beneath. Dirt splattered around me and I whirled around for any sign of movement. I caught nothing- but faintly to my right I caught a vibration of emotion, the flutter of a heartbeat and the slam of a door. Holding steady, I caught that same buzz of a racing heart again, and pressure to my chest, like a gasp was being held back.

I felt panic. Darkness surrounded me, black dotting the trees in front of me. I rounded on the buildings. I charged for the largest one I could see, wrenching open the doors. It was empty. That same flicker of fear nudged at my chest. I jumped up, the air catching me, and darted closer to the back of the room. I slid into the tiled surface, scanning over the surfaces.

From the window that opened to the kitchen, I could make out a shadow amongst the dark, dusty chrome. I grabbed for it, my fingers knotting in hair. A yelp sounded, and through the darkness I could see a wide, deep brown stare. Her mouth fell open at me, but she didn't make a sound.

My head fell to the side, shadows clouding my eyes. She looked normal enough, pale skin, dark brown hair. Brown eyes. Scattered freckles. Plain. I pulled hard and she fell from beneath the table, sprawled out onto the floor. She scrambled back from me. I knew that look of fear by now. She was a lot smaller than I thought she'd be. I still cast a wary eye over her, leering back. If she was one of them, the two demons spotted with that fucking Green Puff, she was likely to strike at any time.

"Where is she?"

.

Jayden.

.

I blinked away and dusted off the stale flour that stuck to my skin. Emerald's high-pitched giggle rang through the kitchen and I threw her a glare. She shot off outside, laughing the whole way, with that bright green light following her. I instead aimed my glare at Cass, who was hiding her laugh behind her hand.

"Shut up..." I managed to grumble, spitting out a cloud of flour at the same time. I aimed for the green-lit hellion, heaving a flour-laced sigh. "I better make sure she doesn't get too far-"

"Good idea." Cass gave a sly smirk. Rome must have taught her how to do it. "Buttercup already wants to kill you, after all."

I chose to ignore that, or at least act like I didn't hear her, but I quickened my pace, anyway. I didn't like the thought of being outside too much. I sprinted out the doors and followed her behind the building, where she was glancing around anxiously.

"Emmy! Get back inside, we need to stay put-"

Emmy's wide eyes turned to me, her bottom lip protruding and trembling. "I can't see Mama! Where did she go?"

"She went to turn on the power..." I grumbled, grabbing for her. It was hard when she was so high up in the air. Why did she always hover out of reach when-

Out of the corner of my eye, high above in the sky, I caught a faint glare of a bright red light. I blinked, before the thought hit me.

A bright red light.

"Fuck!" Heart racing, my fingers dug into Emerald's side. Without another thought, I took off at a sprint, the girl dragging behind me.

"Ow! Uncle Jay! Wh-"

"I held her to my side, slipping and staggering into the kitchen. I swallowed what I could of my thumping heart in my throat and gasped out to Cass.

"Shit! Cass! Hide!"

"Wh-?" She rounded on me, running over with wide eyes. I waved a hand, gaping uselessly.

"Brick- outside- coming-"

She staggered by me, swiping at my hand and grabbing it. With Emerald firmly locked under my arm, she shoved us both into the darkness of the walk-in cooler. I slammed my palm to the door as she went to close it.

"What about you?!"

I could just make out her wide brown eyes in the sliver of light outside. The rest of the cooler was darkness. She shook her head, hair falling into her face. She breathed back.

"Too much attention- stay inside no matter what!"

No. No. I couldn't shake my head hard enough. Throat searing and breath building within me, I hissed back. "Cass- no! Just call for-"

The door snapped closed and we were trapped in darkness. Emerald grabbed for my leg, a tiny whine building in her throat. I snapped my hand to her face, dragging her closer. My heart was hammering so hard I could taste it and I didn't know what to do. Fuck. Fuck. No. I pushed back on the door, hoping that maybe I could drag Cass back in with me- but it wouldn't budge. I hit it again, harder.

Shit. Locked.

"Cass!" I breathed, throat aching from the pressure. I didn't want to make too much noise, but the fear was building so much I was certain my heart could be heard a mile away. I glanced around in the darkness hoping for anything to jump out and help. I palmed the door again, when I heard a clatter from outside and a muffled thump.

Frozen to the floor, I heard a dark voice coo through the metal.

"Where is she?"

With Emerald clawing at my leg, I knew she wanted to help. Now trembling on the spot, I dropped down to the cold floor and cradled her head to my chest. I held her close to me, the two of us shaking in silence, unsure of what else we could possibly do.

.

Brick.

.

She slunk away from me, scraping against the floor, but those dark eyes still stared up at me, unrelenting. I didn't like that, that there was some colour to her eyes. She didn't look like a demon at first glance. I took a step, swooping down on her. Peering down at her through the blackened haze, I could feel vapours of cold panic seep from her. It hit me with a sizzling numbness and a heat rose within me. I recognised her, I knew her from somewhere. She was at the club- right before everything went dark.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Her soft whisper hit me harder than a yell would. Her glare never left my face.

My heart pumping hotly in my chest. I'm running out of time.

"Don't fuck with me." An inhuman growl left my mouth and I gritted my teeth to hold back any more venom. "I know she's here. I fucking saw her."

She shook her head, brown hair falling into her face. I saw her knuckles whiten against the tiled floor and my toes curled at the sight. She was ready to strike.

"She isn't worth protecting, you know." My fingernails curled into my palms at the ready. My heart seemed to calm, strumming steadily in my chest as heat flooded through me freely. My skin began to burn and shadows curled around the edges of my vision. I leaned back into my bent knees, ready to pounce. "The game's up. She's all we're after."

Her head shook again, wide brown eyes still refusing to back down. Again, her lips trembled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit!" The roar escaped me before I could bite it back. I threw myself down into her and her feet splayed out, kicking and landing a hit against my arm. It threw me into the bench and pain seized my knuckles. When I rounded on her again, she was on her feet and a knife was gripped in her fist.

Her shoulders were heaving, her pale cheeks shining in the darkened room. He hair was splayed out and fluttering with every strangled breath. Still, those dark eyes bore into me, daring me to strike. The blade winked at me, her fingers twitching against the handle.

"Get away from me…" She gritted her teeth in a ragged gasp. "Whoever you're looking for, she's not here."

The room dimmed around me. This demon was pulling a weapon on me? A twitch sailed through my heated body as a numb reminder of the last time I went up against these psychos alone… My stare trailed form the blade to her pale face. That fire deep in my chest flickered merrily in preparation for the fight-

My hand shot out to take a swipe. I snatched the blade from her.

She didn't let go. Instead a high, frightened gasp cut through the room. She yanked back, pulling me into her with surprising strength, and I had to keep my grip. She was no match for the strength, and fell under my hold.

Warmth soaked my hand. She slammed into me, body slipping, hands sliding, down my front. Dripping heat sopped my shirt and followed in her wake. She dropped at my feet, brown hair crumpling around her.

The darkness seemed to fade, the fire began to extinguish- when that red cut into my vision. I took a step back, red dripping from me, cold against my skin.

"Wh…wait-"

I stared down at my hands. Blood trickled down my fingers, down my arms. The knife clattered to the floor. The girl lay uselessly on the ground, those brown eyes still wide and on me. Crimson pooled from her still body.

I kicked at my own feet, stumbling back and smacking into the wall. All feeling seeped from me, leaving me empty. The world was suddenly cold. My throat was raw, dry. I blinked, watching the girl's dark brown eyes, as I tried to breathe. I gripped the wall, eyes squeezing closed, and tried to grapple back for some warmth, for some piece of sanity. My breath scraped in my throat. I could barely swallow, could hardly breathe. I wanted out. I clawed at the wall behind me, willing to find anything to make it better.

Then I thought of those pink eyes.

The cold slipped from me, and warmth graced my skin once again.

"B…Brick?"

I was afraid to open my eyes. Softness grazed the side of my face. I peeled open one eye to see her cherry blossom eyes gazing down on me, her thick lips parted and her long ginger hair falling about her face.

How did I end up here? I didn't even care, I could barely move. I let my head loll on my shoulders, staring up at the angel before me pathetically.

"Are you okay?" Her voice seemed to echo around me, ring in my ears. Her eyes suddenly widened, she drew back and away from me. "Are you bleeding?! What's wrong with your eyes?!"

I blinked, my eyelids suddenly too heavy to hold up. When I opened my mouth to reply, the darkness claimed me once again. The world became empty and still, and despite me reaching out for her, her pink eyes faded away from me.

.

Buttercup.

.

I landed heavily back in the middle of the woods, numb and cold. My chest felt as though it was ripped to shreds and stung with every step I took. Pushing through everything I could, I broke into a sprint. Stinging, burning pain weighed through my feet and soared through my head as I fought to breathe, skidding to a stumbling halt outside of the main hall.

Without even stopping to think, to even consider, I threw the door open and flew inside.

It was dark, I could barely see. But I didn't stop. I threw myself forward, staggering toward the kitchen. My heart twisted in agony. My throat was searing with every breath. A deep, cold chill was overthrowing me at the silence. It was too quiet. It wasn't right. Nothing was right. Sickness bubbled within me. I gripped the doorway to the kitchen and halted on the spot, heart freezing altogether.

The first thing I saw was Rome, a lot smaller than he usually was. He was on the floor, bathed in shadow, with a limp figure in his arms. I saw the bloody knife on the floor. I saw her.

I soared forward, throwing myself into the darkness, my head shaking. My knees shook. I tried to speak, but I threw up a sob.

"No…." I could faintly make out a groan that was my own, and I found the floor. I dragged myself over, to see her pale face just visible in the dark. "Cassie…"

She was lying in Rome's arms, limp in his grip. Blood was soaked into her clothes. Her eyes, faded and faraway, were staring up at him. I could see her fingers twitching hopefully. I could make out the flicker of her eyelashes as she stared up into his face. He was eerily still, his arms locked around her. His shoulders heaved, and his lips shook.

"Cass... baby- baby. Stay with me…" He was begging her in a voice I'd never heard before. A pitiful coo. A choking plea. He took a rough, shaky breath in. She trembled in his arms. She looked so small. "Cass, you have to stay… please, stay-"

My heart twisted again, spilling a trickle of tears from my eyes. I couldn't see and I stumbled for her. My hands found her cold body, all warmth flooding from her. I saw just how much blood she'd lost. I did my best to push it back, fingers trembling on her torn, soaked chest.

"No! Cass!" I choked out, my wrists now drenched in her blood. A scream ripped through me. Her body sunk under my hold. She was slipping away. "Don't you leave me! You can't give up! You haven't given up before! CASS!"

I could make out her lips twitch, her pale face contorting with pain. Her chest gave a spasm, lifting slightly. When she opened her mouth, a thick puddle of blood spilled out. She gave a soft cough, sinking into Rome's hold. His arms shook. He cradled her closer, narrowing his burning eyes.

"Cass- I-I can't do it without you, please don't- don't go, baby. Please."

Her eyes shifted. Those pale orbs lingered on me for a second, before lolling back over to Rome. I saw his knuckles whiten against her. He snapped a blood-covered hand to her cheek, pulling her into his face.

"Cassie…" He coughed, choking on his own gasp. In the sliver of light, I could see his cheeks shining with tears. "Look at me. T-Tell me who did it."

Her still face shifted again. I could swear, her lips twitched upward- a flicker of her usual smile. Crunching her face again, she lolled her head to the side, first to me, then into him. Her brows contorted into the smallest of frowns. Her eyes rolled up again, slowly, and her chest rose as she took a deep, gurgling breath. Blood dripped down her chin, her neck. Her hand faintly rose to his wrist, where it hung limply.

"I-I…love you."

"CASS!" Rome was really crying now, his strong demon growl broken and fading. Her chest fell and her heart faded completely beneath me. Rome's lips shook, he coughed and choked. "Cass… please n-no…don't go. You're a fighter, I know you are! Please-"

Between us, her hand slipped from his. It smacked to the floor in front of me. Her head dropped to the side, her eyes closing. Red continued to spill around her, but my best friend was still. I jammed my hands into her, numb as I fought for breath, as sobs tore through me.

"N…No! Cass! CASS!"

I faintly made out Cain beside me, with Jayden behind him. I couldn't look. I kept up the shouts- hoping somehow, in some fucked up way, I would get to her. That I'd get her back. My shouts tore through that dark kitchen. I screamed, swore, begged- her to open her eyes.

"CASS! CASS!"

I made out a tiny hand gripping at my arm, pulling at my sleeve, trying to get to her. I tried to shake it off, but a tiny gasp cut through my own tears.

"Mama… Mama…" Emmy cried into my shoulder, holding my shaking back in her tiny hands. With a choked, desperate sob I broke away. Blood dripped down my arms and I grabbed my girl close, hiding her from the mess. Tears fell in her hair, and all I could do was choke down my gasps against her shoulder. Her shoulders shook in my grip, cries buried into my shirt. She screamed out to me "Sh-she's n-not moving!"

I held her tight, lifting my head. Tears dripped down my neck. It was all a cold, horrible blur of movement about me. Jayden dropped next to me, burying his face in his hands. Cain slid down the wall, his eyes wide. Rome sat shaking before me, cradling Cass' broken body in his arms, his face buried in her neck.

"Please Cass…" He howled into her, hands curling into fists against her bloodied clothes. "Don't go..."

All I could do was sit and watch, sobs ripping through me and Emerald's tears soaking through my shirt. I could just stand there while my best friend- the girl that saved me, risked her life for me, lay bleeding in his arms. It was dark, solemn, quiet as I sat there staring at her through tears.

I waited for her to open her eyes again, just to see those deep brown eyes again- like I did every morning. But she didn't move. She didn't breathe. She lay there limply while Rome pleaded and begged, cried and screamed.

But she didn't listen, she couldn't hear.

The world seemed to crumble and fade around me.

I sank into the floor, into my girl, as I thought of how I'd never hear her voice again, I'd never see those eyes again, she'd never laugh again, or cry again…

I'd lost her…

And it was all my fault.

.

...

Don't go,
I can't do this on my own.
Don't go,
I can't do this on my own.
Save me from the ones that haunt me in the night.
I can't live with myself,
so stay with me tonight.
Don't go.
Don't go.

...

.

R. I. P. Cassie

.

...

ROCuevas : Thank you! Intense is what I aim for ;)

H : Aw, thank you! And BLESS YOU! :D

Key To My Soul: Reading your review made me realise how long it's been since I've updated. The AFL Grand Final! The NRL final seems like so long ago! Jeez. I've made you wait around that long. I feel bad now. I hope it was worth the wait, and I hope you forgive me for this little twist! 3

jada1816: Screaming?! Huzzuh! :D Unfortunately no lemon, I'm still totally clueless on how to approach writing smut. I have been practicing! I'm planning my first (*gosh that sounds so bad*) to be written between two of the main characters though ;)

Grnblue: YAY what a lovely review! Heehee! I'm glad to see Buttercup is getting her bad-assery out in the open ;) Yeah, Bane don't know nothing. In his mind, as a Lust demon, women are his pray, so that's his opinion of them anyway :P I look forward to proving him wrong! Thank you, darlin! I hope this chapter was worth the wait 3!

xxcandylover23xx: Aw... well now I feel bad! I'm sorry! I hope I still lifted your mood, with this chapter :S I love your fist pumps though, I promise there will be more fist-pumping moments! Don't fret about Blayze and Buttercup too- they will have their uninterrupted moment! I keep screwing them up, poor guys. You make a fun point about Princess, I bet it would be cool to torture her ;)

sweetlycute: HA you did make me giggle out loud reading all of your royal names for my male characters. I think you're pretty spot on there ;) I wonder what their female counterpart names would be... I'm glad you see Buttercup's no-shit taking! The Green Puff definitely has to step up now 8| Prepare your loins! I hope you enjoyed the chapter :) I won't babble too much to you, you get enough of my rambling on my wordpress ;) 3

Ashuri : Hahaha! Figured out my lil' twist :) I'm glad you enjoyed it! This chapter wasn't nearly as much fun, but I hope it was worth the wait. I haven't yet seen the New Powerpuff Girls reboot... I don't have TV, so I'm mostly on Netflix and Youtube- so I binge on the classic episodes :D I'll take your word for it... I love my early 2000s classics! 3

Jaalk5: LOL! Don't put that on me! That's why I'm not sold on the idea, I just like to keep him on his toes ;) If anything Cain would be a great mother, he's so dang clucky. I figure if he ever did have to carry a child it would like split open his stomach like Alien. Jayden's a little bit of a bitch, but I don't think he deserves that ;)

RowdyPuff: Aw, I'm glad you liked my wedding! I was fussing over little stuff like I was an actual planner! :) Sorry for the long wait, I hope this chapter makes up for it!

TheRedWolfAlari: Aw, thank you darlin! 3 I love your South Park song idea- I can actually see that happening, believe it or not! XD Bane is getting pretty wild, considering how I constructed him in 9 Months. He was a lot more... tame... then, I guess. ARYA STARK! Wow, she kinda is! I love that bad-ass. And Mortal Kombat Fatality! Totally... I can't wait to write that fight scene :D! I listened to that 'You Don't Own Me' song... I'm sounding way old saying this but you should watch a movie called 'The First Wives Club'... Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton sing that song together after they get back at their ex-husbands ;) It's a really great revenge flick! Grace's version has got a great sound though, makes me think of Gin Wigmore and Bad Seed Rising! I love those croony voices :) Hope this was worth the wait, Darlin! 3

jtdarkman: I know, right?! Buttercup's so fun as a bad-ass :D Especially with that demon side in her, she has that bloodthirst! Or is that just me? *muhaha*... In answer to your question, they did. I felt they deserve some privacy, is all... that, and I can't write smut very well. Butch is still suffering with his lack of a mate, he doesn't realise it's because he's been re-introduced to his 'dead' 'wife', but he will. May be sooner than you think! ;)

Buttercup99x: Huzzuh! One to go! Darn Brat, she's pretty resilient. Thank you! I hope this chapter was worth the wait (:

buttercuprocks101: AW, YAY! I hope this makes your day, too! (other than the sads, and all)

Ahdaze : Gee, where's the fun in knowing that? I don't torture you, then! XD

hyper-megamanexe : You know, your review made me think about that. I have neglected poor Bruiser. Just like Brick! And I didn't even mean too, that poor little guy! Gah, I feel mean now. In truth I like Bruiser and Blossom as a couple and maybe I feel a little guilty that they're a little too canon... I think after this chapter I will focus on them more. After all, Brick's going to change a little bit... some plot twists are coming their way, too. A flashback sounds nice to do :) I do try to focus on the Greens as this story does centre on them, but I do like to include the Blues and Reds too, just for some dynamics. I appreciate the feedback! Thank you for the conversation! :) 3

xX5buttercup5Xx: Haha! You read like me :D You think I would be more sensitive to that, but I just get carried away on these looong chapters and just want to cover everything! Your knees were right! It's still about to go down. Waaay down! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Sending love! :#D 3

tyki'sredrabbit: Oh, me :#D I don't know yet if Jayden will get pregnant, I really can't imagine him pregnant, to be fair. I think now, at least, he is forewarned for what can happen :P Jayden's just used to getting his way. Kidnapping Jayden?... not entirely out of the question, of course. He is a slow one, if they get passed Cain, anyway! Sorry if I threw that twist on you! I'm expecting another serious review :#) 3

Miyuki Chiyo : I'm sorry! (I feel you!) I hope this chapter was worth the wait (:

JinxyClover: Funny story, I actually worked a lot on 10YFN. I wrote about 3,000 words one night! I like writing in the guys' perspectives because I get to write in my Australian accent again :D I think I'll use them in my original work, I would love to write something with them... like a biker related romance *dreamy eyes*. ANYWAY YES. I love writing Bubbles too! I think I tend to write her as Buttercup's replacement while she's gone... but that leads me to writing BC like she's Blossom and Blossom like... she's Bubbles, in a way? I think my girls are all messed up... but I know being surrounded by demons has shaken them a bit, so I like to think it's *somewhat* realistic.

Aw, that's good to hear. Butch is a little screwed in the head from his demon instincts but I still like to think Blayze can rely on him... of course, now is another question entirely. Cain and Jayden... okay, that's my guilty pleasure. Even though I try to set Cain up like the bad-ass devil's grandson bounty hunter that he is with chains and wings... I'm just a sucker for him and Jayden. I like them too much! I'm so biased :#D. Argh, I'm rambling again! I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope my twist didn't hurt *too* much?! 3

xXRomeXx : I'm so sorry! I Hope this didn't hurt too much! I hope you can be revived?! We got this, nice things are coming!... eventually 8| 3

BOOMXD : Thank you! :D I'm glad you like my murder scenes (: I strangely enjoy writing them... *evil smirk*

FFLuv1: I think you need a reward for finally catching up on my stories... I can barely keep up! Thank you so much, that's so sweet :#D 3 I hope I am still loved after this chapter... I hope it was worth the wait!

SnowyPorcelain: Aw, thank you dear! I feel you about schoolwork- ugh! Thankfully (hopefully) I'm done for a few months :D Though that doesn't help you I suppose. I hope all is well with you, too! Good to hear from you as always (: I hope this chapter was worth the wait 3

KittyCat245: Eeep! Here you go! :P

TotallyStoned3: Woke up to this review and it got me totally pumped to finish this chapter! Thank you and your magnificent timing! I'm sorry I had to break your heart with the ending though... I'm looking forward to drawing up more ass-kickings for Buttercup, though! I kind of enjoy writing her battle scenes (: Not to worry, our beloved Green Couple will get there! You are right though, they need a lot of work. If this was real life, some marriage counsellor would be rubbing their hands together with glee. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! 3

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Remember to let me know what you think!

Until next time,

Love,

Dino

xoxo