A/N: I'm back! I know it's been months since my last update, but I haven't given up on this story. A lot of things came up and I just wasn't in the mood to write anymore. Everything is better now and I can write again! Thanks everyone for writing to me and encouraging me, especially those of you who PM'd me. You all are the best.

Brick turned off the monitor he had on Blossom and sighed. Now that he admitted to having feelings for the girl, watching her felt a lot more like stalking.

"Still stalking your little red head?" Butch asked walking into the observatory. He was supposed to be in his first period right now, but Butch rarely listened to his mother's wishes.

"I wasn't stalking her!" Brick yelled. "I mean…I was working," he lied. He really should have been working. He had a video conference with the president of the He Shin group and he should have been doing more research on the company. Instead, he was watching Blossom.

Butch walked across the room and sat on the couch, but surprisingly didn't turn on a video game like usual. "I have something to ask you," he said, staring at the blank TV.

"What is it?" He had quickly forgiven Butch for leading BC to him, not that there was anything to forgive. Brick had done plenty of thinking when he got home yesterday. He realized that Boomer was right, that when it came to Blossom he just wasn't thinking logically. Every move he made when it came to her had been hasty and clumsy. He would not continue his mistakes.

"Pete's gym is really important to BC. I sort of promised him that we wouldn't buy it."

Brick looked at his brother incredulously. "You do realize that Pete is signing his gym over to us at the meeting this Friday. In other words, in two days the gym will belong to us."

"I'm the owner of the gym. If I just refuse to accept the papers…"

"The company owns the gym Butch," Brick said flatly. "You run the daily operations, but decisions like this are made by the board. Buying Pete's Gym is a good move; they aren't going to change their minds because you made a promise to BC."

"Unless…" Butch eyed Brick. "You tell the board not to buy it. You and mother have the most influence."

"I'm the one who convinced them to buy it in the first place. I'll look like an idiot if I try to persuade them to do the opposite now."

"Then I'll do it," Butch said standing up. "But…I'll need some help with the presentation."

"Good luck with that," Brick replied, turning on his computer so he could actually do some work.

"I'm not asking for a lot."

Brick ignored him. Blossom was already distraction enough; he didn't need more on his plate.

"Fine," Butch said, walking toward the door. "I just thought we could help each other out."

Brick was going to let him go, but curiosity got the best of him. "What do you mean?"

Butch smiled with his back to his brother. Brick was usually the one to manipulate people, but all the years he watched his mother and Brick, some of it stuck. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, you've already lost." He walked purposefully to the door, counting in his head the steps it would take before Brick stopped him.

"Lost what?" Brick asked annoyed he didn't know.

Butch turned to face him. "Blossom," he said, watching for Brick's reaction.

Brick was about to ask Butch to explain when he realized what he was doing. Funny, he thought. He's using my own methods of manipulation against me. "You're right," Brick said.

Butch wasn't expecting that response. "You know?" How could Brick know that Boomer was taking Blossom to the dance? He had only learned about it last night and he was pretty sure Boomer and Brick hadn't spoken to each other.

"Of course I do," Brick lied stubbornly.

Butch narrowed his eyes. Brick had to be bluffing. "Ok then, I see you have a handle on things." He turned to leave, but again he was stopped by Brick.

"Wait."

Butch turned to face him with a look of impatience he didn't have to try hard to fake.

"I'll help you. You are my brother after all."

Butch was about to respond when Boomer walked into the room. He completely ignored Brick and sat on the couch.

"We'll continue this conversation later," Brick said, leaving the room.

Boomer turned on the game and tossed Butch a controller. "What are you doing over there? Let's play."

They began playing a racing game.

"Give it up man; you're never going to win," Boomer said, well ahead of Butch in the race. They both turned their heads toward the sound when the school bell rang.

"Are you going to class?" Boomer asked Butch, not making a move to get off the couch. He always skipped the class before lunch.

"No, I think I'll stay here. You?"

"Actually, I had something I wanted to talk to you about. I could use your help."

"You used to go to Brick with these kinds of things. Why is it me now?" Does Boomer know what Brick said about Blossom yesterday? Butch wondered.

"Because you give awesome advice. Remember what you said about finding a girl so horrible it would make mom give up on making me get married?"

"Yeah…?"

"It worked! If I break up with Bubbles I get everything I want."

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't mind breaking up with Bubbles, we aren't even really dating, but mom wants me to fire her too." Bubbles was his friend. One of the only female friends he had. Even though she liked him, she had helped him get a chance to be with Blossom. He couldn't just fire her.

"Why do you have to fire her?" Butch asked, confused. "Isn't breaking up with her good enough?"

"For some reason mother thinks she's bringing down the restaurant, but it's not true. I'm pretty sure it's because she hates her." She hates everything I like, Boomer thought bitterly.

Butch thought carefully, not wanting to lose his title of awesome advice giver. "She could always get another job. I'd hire her at the gym if she were any good at fighting. I'm sure BC would have liked that."

"Thanks for the thought," Boomer slumped into the couch. "And who is BC?"

Butch wasn't sure what to say. Brick had taken the news well enough, but Boomer wasn't ready to hear that he was dating a dude. "He's Bubbles' brother."

"Her brother?" Boomer tried to remember Bubbles having a brother. "That's weird, I'm sure she has only ever mentioned having two sisters. Maybe they aren't that close."

"They walk to school practically hand in hand. They are definitely close. Unless…" Could it be that BC was lying about Bubbles being his sister? Are they dating behind his back? He had to ask BC about this, but he needed all the facts. "What are their names?"

"Well, you already know Blossom and…" Boomer scratched his head, searching for the name. "What was her name…something that also starts with a B…"

Butch had a crazy suspicion. "Is it Buttercup?"

Boomer smiled. "Yeah, that's it."

…

Boomer sat on the roof, out of view of anyone who would come up. He was waiting for Blossom as usual, but instead of waiting in excited anticipation, his mind was filled with thoughts of what to do about Bubbles. He really liked Blossom and wanted to be with her, but he couldn't imagine never talking to Bubbles again.

"Hey sleepy head?" Blossom said for the second time. She wondered if he was even there.

Blossom's voice shook Boomer from his thoughts. He stretched out his legs so she could see he was there. "Hey noisy girl," he replied.

"You took a while to answer. Were you actually sleeping over there?" Blossom sat on the ground, leaning her head against the guard rails.

"No," Boomer answered. "I was just thinking."

"What about?" Blossom asked with a mouth full of food.

"There's something I want, but to get it I have to hurt a good friend of mine. I'm not sure what to do."

Blossom thought for a moment. "Well, I don't know the situation, but it's never good to hurt a friend."

"That's true," Boomer sighed.

"But, if that person is a really good friend than they should understand, right?"

Boomer smiled. "Yeah," he said, feeling more confident. "That is right."

…

Butch paced back and forth in his office. Brick had advised him not to bring BC to work after school and not to get too close to 'him' while in the gym. It looked like he was having a hard time listening to Brick. In fact, if he wasn't sitting in the office with him, Brick was sure Butch would be waiting for BC downstairs at the entrance.

"Will you stop pacing like that?" Brick asked annoyed, sounding remarkably like his mother.

Butch paused for a second, but continued on as if he hadn't heard Brick. "I have a lot on my mind," Butch relented.

"Like what?" Brick asked.

"It's BC," Butch answered. He stopped pacing, looking seriously at Brick. "I think he might be a girl."

Brick hid a smile. There was hope for his brother yet. He was beginning to fear that he would never figure it out. "What makes you think that?"

"A lot of things. The socks for one," Butch answered, starting to pace again.

"Socks?"

"Never mind. I want to ask him about it but…" Butch paused as he caught sight of BC approaching the gym's doors. Everything about him said he was a girl. If he listened to the logical part of his mind he wouldn't even have to ask BC for confirmation. But he wanted so badly to believe in him, to believe that BC wouldn't lie to him.

"But what?" Brick asked impatiently.

"If I'm wrong, BC will think I don't trust him and worse than that, he'll think that I wish he were a girl."

"Don't you?" Brick asked out of curiosity.

Butch rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, but I don't want BC to know that." Butch really cared about BC. If he was wrong, there was no reason to hurt him or make him feel insecure. He might even decide to leave him if he thought Butch didn't trust him. The last thing he wanted was for BC to leave.

"And if you're right?" Brick asked. Or rather, if BC decides not to keep up her lie.

"Even though I wish BC were a girl, I hope he's not. If I'm right, that would mean BC has been lying to me this whole time. I couldn't trust him after that. I could never be with him then." Butch looked completely dejected. The evidence was piling up. It didn't look good for BC.

"It would also mean you aren't gay," Brick reminded Butch.

"I could handle being gay, but I can't take BC lying to me."

Everyone lies, Brick thought to himself. Although when he thought about it, Butch was one of the most honest people he knew. It made business a lot tougher, but at least he was trustworthy.

Brick watched Butch warily. Keeping this secret from him had begun as a test or more like a game to see how long it would take him to figure it out. But seeing how much the truth would hurt, Brick was starting to wonder if he was better off not knowing.

…

Brick's former assistant lightly tapped on the door before stepping into the office. She addressed her new boss, Butch; "Bartholomew would like to speak to you. He's waiting outside, sir."

Butch let out a heavy sigh, preparing himself for what he would soon find out. "Let him in," he said.

The assistant gave a short nod and exited the room, returning quickly with BC in tow. She had a look of resignation on her face.

She's going to tell him, Brick thought. He quickly raced to BC and grabbed her hand, rushing out the door with her. The assistant gasped as they flew past. He shoved BC into a supply closet and quickly shut the door.

"What are you doing?" Buttercup questioned. They were inches apart in the dark supply closet. It was…questionable to say the least.

Brick used his hand to cover her mouth. "Shh, he might hear you." He listened at the door, waiting for Butch to rush past. After a few moments Brick released her mouth and let his face take on a calm look.

"Now, you want to tell me what the hell you're doing?" Buttercup repeated her question with a stern expression, although Brick couldn't see it in the dark space.

"You can't tell Butch the truth," he breathed.

"Why?" Buttercup asked, confused. After learning that she was dating Butch and that she had lied to him about Blossom's weakness, she was sure Brick would have told Butch by now.

Brick looked around and sighed. He really didn't want to have a conversation like this in a dark closet, but he didn't have much of a choice. "At first this was just a game; see how long it takes him to figure out you're a girl. I never expected him to fall for you and even if he did, I didn't care. But now…" He thought of Blossom. When he first met her she was strong, confidant, defiant. Nothing any of the people at school did to her would make her drop out, not until he broke her heart. If a broken heart could make Blossom want to give up, he didn't want to think of what it would do to Butch. "It would hurt him too much."

Buttercup let her shoulders drop. "He's going to find out eventually. It's only a matter of time," she said quietly.

"That's all I need. Some time to figure out how to fix this."

"There is no fixing this," Buttercup replied. Unless Brick had a time machine, nothing could fix the mess she's gotten herself into.

"There's no harm in trying." Brick opened the closet door, letting in light from the hall. He could see the worry on Buttercup's face.

…

Bubbles concentrated on cleaning the counter, avoiding Kristen's eyes. She had broken yet another cup. Bubbles kept the broken pieces of all the cups she dropped as a reminder not to do it again. It wasn't working so well. It was last night that she had the idea to make a mosaic of the broken pieces. She stayed up all night finishing it. She had intended to make a random person, but ended up with an almost perfect image of Boomer. She decided to give it to him today. Hopefully it would make him feel better about not going to the dance with Blossom. Bubbles needed just a few more blue pieces to complete the image. It was no accident that the mug she dropped today was blue.

Sorry Kristen, it's just one more cup, Bubbles thought as she finished wiping down the counters.

She looked up as another customer walked in, she was hoping it would be Boomer, but it was just some girl. He didn't come yesterday either. Bubbles stopped cleaning to take the guest's order. This would be a lot more fun if Boomer would come to work more often.

…

BC sat across from Butch in his office with an unreadable expression on his face. Brick had already explained to Butch that he had a short talk with BC and that he was much more likely to tell him the truth. It worried him. How badly did he need to know?

"You aren't saying anything," BC said. The silence had gotten uncomfortable. Butch was just staring at her.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Here goes, Buttercup thought, biting her lip in anticipation.

"Will you go to the dance with me?" Butch asked. He couldn't do it. If BC really is Buttercup, than he wanted her to tell him on her own.

"Um…" Buttercup didn't know what to say. She had been so prepared for him to ask her if she were a girl. Her mind was momentarily blank. "What?"

"I asked you if you want to go to the dance with me. It's just a stupid dance. You don't have to go if you don't to."

What am I doing? Butch thought. I brought him into my office to ask such a stupid question. Of course he doesn't want to go.

"I want to go."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."

"I thought you wanted to keep this quiet. Won't everyone know about our relationship if I go to the dance with you?"

Butch smiled, a plan forming in his mind. "Let me worry about that."

…

Boomer looked out the window as the driver took him to his favorite spot, a small club on the outside of town. It was the perfect place to pick up girls and because the owner was too busy to care, Boomer usually got drinks no problem.

As the car rolled to a stop in front of the club Boomer looked down at his lap. There was a small white box in his hand. It was a phone he had meant to give it to Bubbles so they could keep in contact when he fired her. He had wanted to give it to her at work, but every time the car got close to the doors he would tell the driver not to stop. He couldn't stand it if she were to hate him.

Boomer put the box aside and got out of the car. It was a short walk to the doors of the club. When he got inside two of his usual girls recognized him and came up to him right away. He signaled the bartender for some drinks. Tonight he just wanted to forget about his problems.

…

Two hours later Boomer was slumped over, his head spinning from all the drinks. His arms were around both girls and they kept whispering to him about leaving together, but all he could think about was Bubbles.

"How should I tell her?" He asked the girls beside him. He had already filled them in on his problem.

"Give her flowers or something. Girls like that," slurred the one on his right. Her small hands were making circles on his chest. She had obviously just said whatever came to mind.

"You should do it quick, like ripping off a bandage. It'll sting for a while, but at least it'll be over with. The sooner, the better," said the one on his left. She wasn't as drunk as he and the other girl were.

"You're right," Boomer said, standing up. He staggered over to the bar and paid his tab.

"Where are you going," his right arm girl asked. She looked disappointed.

"I'm going to tell her," Boomer declared. He walked toward the door of the club with a new determination.

His left arm girl tried to stop him. "Now? It's two in the morning. She's probably sleeping."

"The sooner, the better, right?"

Boomer left the girl behind and before long his driver had taken him to Bubbles' house. He climbed out of the car, still very drunk, and went to the closest window. There were only two. I hope this is it, he thought as he knocked on the glass. A few seconds later the face of a man appeared. Boomer quickly ducked down. Not it.

He shuffled over to the other window and knocked a bit more hesitantly on it. While waiting for an answer Boomer suddenly remembered something. What if Blossom were the one to come to the window? What would he say? I'm here to fire your sister?

Boomer decided it was better to just leave. He was half way to the car when he heard a soft voice call his name. He turned to see Bubbles standing in the dark window.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still groggy from sleep.

"I need to talk to you, can you come out?"

"No, my dad would kill me. Do you know what time it is? Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"It's important," Boomer pushed.

Bubbles didn't know what to do. Was it important enough to risk getting grounded again? But it was Boomer, even if it wasn't that important she was happy that he had come for her and not her sister.

"Fine, wait here."

Boomer held onto the small white box. Quick like a bandage, he reminded himself.

Bubbles silently crept out the door, making sure to close the door as soundlessly as possible. Boomer stiffened at the sight of her. Her hair was down in soft waves, made messy from sleep. She had thrown on a t-shirt and shorts and kept her bedroom slippers on.

"Over there," Bubbles said to the frozen Boomer. She pointed to a side of the house that had no windows. Boomer had the sudden urge to run. Bubbles was known to shed tears for the smallest reason. What would he do if he made her cry?

"Umm," Boomer took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was now or never. "Our fake relationship is over and you're fired." Boomer opened his eyes slowly to see Bubbles' confused face.

"What are you talking about? Are you drunk?" This couldn't really be what Boomer had knocked on her window at two in the morning to tell her.

"No, well yes, but that has nothing to do with this."

Bubbles stared at Boomer for a while, waiting for him to say he was joking. When he said nothing she realized he was serious.

"I can't believe you woke me up to tell me that! I get the fake break up, but why are you firing me?"

Boomer wasn't expecting this rage from her. Why did he ever think this was a good idea? "It was my mom's condition. She doesn't want me working with you."

"This isn't fair," Bubbles said in a calmer voice. "I need this job." Tears were threatening to fall so Bubbles bit her lip to hold them back.

Boomer panicked. "Wait, don't cry. I have a present for you." He gave her the box. "It's a phone, you can call me whenever you like."

Bubbles opened the box. The phone was blue with a cute paintbrush charm. She stared blankly at Boomer. "How is this going to help me find a new job?" Bubbles asked still upset.

"I don't know." Boomer spoke softly and raised his hand to Bubbles' cheek to gently wipe away a tear. "I just don't want you to be so sad."

It sounded so familiar.

-Flashback-

Bubbles sat with her knees against her chest and her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.

Boomer stood next to Kristen. He never knew what to do when Bubbles cried. He always just stared at her until she stopped.

"What do I do?" he whispered to Kristen.

Kristen smiled and knelt down so that she was face to face with Boomer. "Why don't you try to make her feel better?"

"I don't know how," Boomer answered, frustrated that Kristen didn't already understand that.

"Well, what makes you feel better when you're sad?"

Boomer thought for a moment before his face lit up. He ran out the store. Kristen didn't even have a chance to ask him where he was going.

He was back minutes later with a large blue yo-yo.

"I got this for you," Boomer panted as he gave Bubbles the yo-yo.

Bubbles took the yo-yo and frowned. "How is this going to help my mom get better?"

"I don't know." Boomer sat on the bench next to Bubbles. "I just don't want you to be so sad." Boomer stared at his feet. Obviously the yo-yo did nothing to make Bubbles feel better.

Bubbles could see how sad Boomer was. She didn't mean to hurt him. She tried her best to give him a huge smile. "Thanks Boomer. I feel better now."

…

Bubbles smiled at the memory. After that day, every time she cried he would get her a different toy. "You haven't changed much." Bubbles said. He still doesn't understand. It was never the toy that made her feel better.

"What do you mean?" Boomer asked. "Don't you like the phone?"

Bubbles smiled at his confusion. She couldn't stay mad at him. "Thanks Boomer. I feel better now."

A/N: not sure how I feel about this chapter, but if I waited until I was completely satisfied I might never have updated. I'm a bit more excited about the next few chapters. Season 1 is ending soon. Yes season, it's a drama after all.