Chapter 38: Adoption
[Little Tokyo, Downtown Townsville, 11.30am]
"Man...she's late?" Boomer wonders as he waits for Buttercup near the Little Tokyo subway Little Moscow, Little Italy, the Jewish Quarter and Irish Quarter, Little Tokyo is one of the few enclaves in Downtown Townsville that were not cordoned off by the US Military, and that in itself is a boon for the citizens. However, Boomer spotted several military personnel patrolling the streets of Little Tokyo and Boomer reminded himself that the town is still under a low-intensity conflict with the Lunatics. So far only those areas, whom the townsfolk have started to call the 'Ghetto' are under heavy patrol and conflict with the US military. Nonetheless the entire city of Townsville is under curfew and it is precisely because of the curfew that Boomer is concerned that Buttercup will be late. Every minute wasted is another minute closer towards curfew hours.
Buttercup had informed Boomer to meet her at the station in disguise in order for them to visit Father Maxwell and the orphans at the new orphanage location at the more upscale side of Townsville. Thanks to the attack by one of Him's Lunatics, the Mayor and the townsfolk had given the priest and his charges a new home. However due to the area where the new orphanage is located, Buttercup, and Boomer to a lesser degree, could not just fly into the neighborhood without arousing suspicion.
For that purpose, Boomer had opted to wear a dress instead and eliminate the chances of people noticing a Rowdyruff Boy entering into Uptown Townsville. He is wearing a dark blue jacket over a black dress and dark blue jeans, and he hope that it is girlish enough for people to not notice that he is a guy. In addition , Boomer had made sure that his spiky hair is styled to a way that looks much more feminine. To complete the look, Boomer put on some makeup and also curled his eyelashes. He had done many infiltration missions before, and he had dressed up as a woman before. But he often did it for a reconnaissance sighed, knowing that somehow this feels like a plan Butch would come up with. So how did he convinced himself to dress up like this for Buttercup's sake?
[Two days before, Townsville High, Townsville, 3.00pm]
"Yo Boomer, need to talk to you for a moment." Boomer finds it odd that Buttercup is speaking to him during school hours, and people's eyes are already looking at the two most unlikeliest Powerpuff Girl and Rowdyruff Boy pairing. But Buttercup is now the one that initiated contact, and that means something.
"Maxwell?" Boomer deduced. Other than their common ground of the orphans, the two have nothing much in common.
"Yeap." Buttercup moved her eyes,beckoning Boomer to come along with her. Seeing that there is no reason to go up against Buttercup, Boomer followed her lead.
After a few minutes, they managed to get into an empty classroom of Townsville High to continue on with their conversation regarding Maxwell Orphanage. Boomer leans on the wall and puts his arms into the pockets of his hoodie.
"What's up? Something happened to Father Maxwell and the kids?" Boomer noticed that Buttercup is a little hesitant to speak up,and honestly Buttercup acting bashful is quite adorable. However,Boomer know that pissing her off is not in his best interest and let her compise herself.
"Well, I want to pay Father Maxwell and the orphans a visit. I heard from the professor that they are now housed in an area in Uptown Townsville." Buttercup revealed.
"Okay...and how will I fit into the picture?" Boomer asked. In retrospect, he figured out what she wanted to say but it is best to play a little dumb. Boomer learned that people reveal things when they are asked.
"Well, I thought that it would be nice for the orphans to see another familiar face when I drop by to visit them."
"Okay, that make sense. But..." Boomer noticed that there is something else Buttercup is not telling him.
"We can't fly there. We need to take the subway. But I don't feel comfortable riding the subway by myself." Buttercup's explanation surprises Boomer, as he expected someone like Bubbles or even Blossom to be uncomfortable with subways.
"You? Uncomfortable with the subway? That's a surprise."
"Let's just say that I find it very inefficient and I dislike sitting in a subway alone." Buttercup said and looked away from him while holding her arm. Buttercup recalled tthe time when she rode on the subway to solve one of Him's riddles and that made her very uncomfortable.
"Sure..." Boomer find Buttercup's posture and also demeanor particularly cute. This is a side that people rarely see out of the toughest fighter of the Powerpuff Girl. But then Boomer realized something.
"Wait...isn't this Maxwell thing supposed to be your secret or something?" Boomer asked, knowing that something is amiss amidst the dots to complete the picture.
"That's why I plan to go there in a disguise." Buttercup explained, and Boomer's mind immediately shuts down for a moment.
"Huh?" Disguise and Buttercup do not fit into the sentence,and Boomer wonder how the most blunt and straightforward member of the Powerpuff Girl plans to even disguise herself.
"Well...I'm a Powerpuff Girl and my relationship to the orphans are supposed to be a secret. It is fortunate that that stupid Lunatic attacked that allowed me to come in and save them." Buttercup figures that she needs to explain the sequence of events once more to allow Boomer to digest the situation.
"With my help." Fortunately,Boomer managed to recompose himself and correct Buttercup about the proper sequence of events that had happened before.
"Fine...with your help Boomer.. Also thanks to them being sent over to our home first, Father Maxwell was able to drill the kids to pretend that I don't know them prior to the incident."
"Fine little actors aren't they Buttercup?" Boomer joked,but Buttercup ignored it and continued one.
"Anyway...I can't just waltz into Uptown Townsville without causing 'problems'. So I need to get there in a disguise." Buttercup reinforces the point once more,and Boomer nods his head.
Suddenly Boomer noticed the odd moment of silence between both of them and Buttetcup is looking at Boomer in a certain way that begs Boomer to understand what is the next sequence of this particular conversation. For some reason,Buttercup is expecting something to come out from him, or to be exact some idea to come out from his lips. It was then that Boomer put two and two together and realized Buttercup is requesting something very particular from Boomer.
"Wait...you are expecting me to come with you." Boomer voiced his thoughts out loud.
"You came in to save the kids too as well y'know! You cared about them too right?!" Buttercup raised her voice with Boomer. Boomer's head hurt for some reason and he holds one part of his head with his hand and closes his eyes to concentrate.
"I mean...I like Father Maxwell and the kids but coming along with you? Seriously you don't need me..."
It was then that Boomer noticed that Buttercup had a particular expression on her face that is not her normal frown or cheekiness. It is something much more burdensome for Boomer to experience, and it is something that he sees often when he screwed up something that Brick tasked him to do; dissapointment. Boomer realized that those words also hurt Buttercup in a way that he did not expect as Buttercup bit her lips and her frown now is not her usual angry frown. This,Boomer said to himself, is a sad frown. Buttercup's lime green eyes are looking at Boomer as if he had betrayed her expectations of him in this situation. For some reason,that expression on Buttercup's face pierced Boomer's heart in a way he never knew someone could hurt him.
"Fine." Buttercup said curtly with a quivering voice before turning around.
"Wait..." Boomer said to Buttercup, but she ignore him and walked past the sand-blonde teenager.
As she walk towards the door,something in Boomer said that things will worsen if he leave it be and he would destroy everything he had build with Buttercup at that point. Yet, everything would be as it is if he do not act. But if he act, it will become something else entirely. They will not be as they were, as doing so will make their relationship become something more than a situational convenience. It will become something more. Boomer's mind raced as he wondered which one of these options is the one he will pick,however Buttercup is forcing the issue by reaching for the Buttercup turns the door handle,Boomer realized that he is screwed either way, and he chose the uncharted path.
"God damn it."Boomer said out loud before grabbing her arm. Buttercup turns around and Boomer see that Buttercup's lime green eyes are turning a slight hint of pink and she is breathing in deeply to contain her anger.
"Fine. I'll come with you." Boomer said, his face a complex combination of frustration, embarrassment and submission. Seriously, Boomer wondered why he did the things he did.
"Really?" Buttercup's voice cracked as her frown turned itself upside down. Buttercup's change of expression is all Boomer need to know that he made the right choice, even if it makes things a little complicated from here on out.
"Oh yeah,this is why I'm here. But that does not explain why I'm dressed up as a chick." Boomer remembered the reason, and he honestly still unable to reconcile the foolishness of his action. Buttercup is very similar to Butch in many ways, as they are both particularly emotional. Linking the two toughest fighters of their group further in Boomer's mind is how Boomer is reminded that he is always Butch's accomplice when it comes to sneaky things. But this time, he is Buttercup's accomplice.
"Yo." A husky voice called and Boomer knew that the husky tone marks her out as Buttercup among the crowd. He had told her what to do and he hoped that Buttercup in all her wisdom is able to come up with at least a decent disguise.
"Took you long enou-" Boomer turned around to answer the reply to Buttercup's codeword when he is stunned to silence at the sight of Buttercup. Buttercup is wearing a waist-length black wig, and her lime green eyes are framed by square spectacles which enhances the beauty of her eyes. To complete the look, Buttercup is wearing a single-piece white dress and a blue blouse over her dress. With some light make-up, she is utterly stunning.
"What's wrong?" Buttercup asked the teenage boy.
"I'm sorry, it is just that you look gorgeous and I never knew you could be so feminine in your lifetime." Boomer did not even filter his words,but truth to be told it really suited her.
"Flirt." Buttercup responds by slapping Boomer in the back with her hand, causing the blonde-haired teenager to bend forward from the blow. As Boomer rubs his back from the blow, he fail to notice Buttercup's brief blushing from his complement.
"Not flirting if what I'm saying is the truth." Boomer said to Buttercup, not realizing that he had said a very smooth line to Buttercup. Suddenly, Buttercup pulls Boomer's arm and Boomer moves along with Buttercup down to the subway. Boomer is not complaining at all about this string of events. Buttercup is smiling as she walked down the they lined up to get the tickets for the train, Boomer could not help but to look at Buttercup and how elegant she is in the dress and also with her long hair. With every move, Buttercup is exuding femininity in a way that Boomer had never seen Buttercup did before. With a pull of an arm once more, Boomer is dragged by Buttercup all the way to the terminal where they will board the train. All the time while he was dragged along, several commuters were looking at them. Some of them are looking at them and Boomer can catch them calling them a cute pair of friends or couple. Others are just checking them out, and Boomer is disturbed that one of the onlookers find his ass 'tight'.
Before he even knew it, they are already inside the train and two superhumans in disguise take a seat on the subway train heading towards Uptown Townsville. So far only Buttercup know which station to get off to in order for them to visit Father Maxwell and the children, and Boomer leave that particular task to the green-eyed girl. Based on Buttercup's estimates,it will take them a good thirty minutes to reach the station. With that in mind,Boomer figured that it would be the best time to ask Buttercup the question that best make sense given the situation.
"Hey Butters?"
"Yeah Boomer?"
"So, I was thinking for a while now...how'd you meet Father Maxwell?"
"Well, he saved me once."
"Wait...he saved you? How? He's not a superhero isn't he?" Boomer's inquiry is soon met with a backhand by Buttercup to his face. Boomer groaned in pain and held his nose.
"He saved my soul. He helped me remember what I'm fighting for." Buttercup answered as Boomer lets go of his nose.
"Sounds deep. Mind indulging me with your tale?" Boomer ask politely, knowing that if Buttercup keeps on backhanding his nose or bashing him up, he will not make it to the orphanage in one piece.
"Once upon a time in a land far, far away..." Buttercup tried her best impersonation of being a snotty British-accented fairy tale narrator, and Boomer choked. Buttercup stopped for a moment before Boomer responded to her.
"Seriously Buttercup? You're keeping this accent for the rest of the story?" Boomer tried to act composed, but he is still reeling from the choke he had earlier. Buttercup blows a raspberry at Boomer, and for some reason the way she did it is particularly adorable.
"Anyway, there was a time a few years back where I was a little out of the blue of this saving people crap."
"That's...new. Thought you guys are the flawless good guys." Boomer's attention is now on the green-eyed girl.
"Yeah, we Powerpuff Girls do get sick and tired of saving people from time to time y'know. It happened once before, but I really got the worst of it. I fought with my sisters because of it, and honestly...I just want to do something else. So here I am, wondering what should I do, and somehow of all the things that could happen, I ran away from home."
"I know right? I packed up my bag, I ran, and then I flew. I flew and I flew on. Before I knew it, I am flying over the Atlantic Ocean and I ended up in some place. I don't remember where it is anymore, but I think that it is some African nation of some kind. The land is a little bare and dusty, and the place really feels kinda crappy. But somehow, it is peaceful enough for me to just take a rest next to a big tree."
"And trouble struck?"
"You know the drill. Then I stood up and..." As Buttercup continued on with her story, Boomer is now a witness to a part of Buttercup that he never thought he would see. The way she articulated her story, the way she moved her body to show her actions during that time, and the emotions that flowed through each of the words escaping her lips is something precious for Boomer to experience. Boomer is now immersed in her story, and although he is just listening to the story he felt like he is now there with Buttercup as she narrates her tale. In many ways, Boomer finds himself honored with the privilege to be part of her personal is a window to her life, a Buttercup that is not just a tomboy, not just the toughest fighter, not just a Powerpuff Girl. This is Buttercup at her most honest. This is Buttercup at her purest. This is Buttercup at her finest.
This is Buttercup.
"Glad you children could drop by."
Father Maxwell had been informed regarding their disguise, but even he was caught by surprise over the disguise that Boomer and Buttercup took to come to hus humble wanted to explain but the priest stopped hi
"Don't tell me, I don't really want to know Boomer. However Buttercup...you ought to dress up in a dress more."
"I'm wearing a dress now precisely because I don't wear them often. Boomer's got the right idea about how to not stand out." Buttercup takes off her wig and immediately Boomer realized that she looks much better in the dress with her short hair for some reason.
"Big sis!" A young girl's voice calls out to Buttercup, causing both Boomer and Buttercup to turn towards the direction of the voice. A little girl with brown hair braided into a long ponytail and bright blue eyes is now rushing towards them.
"Annabelle!" Buttercup squeals as she kneels down for the little girl to hug her.
"Big Bro's here too!"
"Heya kiddo."Boomer waved back to her.
"Wait...Why's Big Bro wearing a dress? The little girl asked about Boomer's particular appearance.
"Ur...I guess because I'm bored?" Boomer said unconvincingly.
"Hm...but Big Sis,this is the first time I see you in a dress and you looks really pretty."
"Thanks Annabelle." Buttercup smiled. As Annabelle was led away by Buttercup, Boomer took out his dress and wiped his makeup off. Boomer look around and noticed that something is particularly off about this new place. It dawned on Boomer on what is missing from this building.
"Where are the other orphans?" Boomer asked as he noticed the absence of the other children. Father Maxwell gives Boomer a sad smile before replying to the sapphire-eyed teenager.
"With the exception of Annabelle here,all of them are adopted almost immediately after the attackes. I'm not sure if I should say if the villain did a good deed, but by trying to kill the children, the fiend created enough publicity for the children to finally be noticed."
"That's a good thing right?" Boomer hesitated, for the mixed emotions in the priest's voice is thinly veiled.
"The old orphans may have left, but new ones are already entering in. The next intake will be next month. Ever since the cordon of the Ghetto by the military, there are constant battles there every day, making more orphans, widows and widowers." Father Maxwell said with a heavy heart, and Boomer can see Father Maxwell world-weariness .The conflicts and intrigues of the world will affect individuals in ways they are not aware of. Boomer and his brothers had experienced such a burden before,and they all adapted to it in their own unique way. For Boomer's case,he just shut it out.
They suddenly heard Buttercup screaming. Buttercup never screams for anything other than rage and anger. Fearing the worst, Boomer immediately turns around and instinctively using his body as a shield for Father Maxwell. But to his surprise, he is greeted by a very familiar sight from what seem like ages ago. A middle-aged man with brown hair and gray eyes is looking at Buttercup shielding Annabelle with a visibly surprised look. The man is using a crutch to walk, his leg apparently injured. Beside him is a dark-haired woman with similar gray eyes, apparently helping the man to walk.
"Officer...MacCarthy?" Boomer said out loud. The man turns towards Boomer's direction and he squints his eyes for a moment before the man's face contorts into a sudden realization of Boomer's identity. Boomer and Father Maxwell walk towards the couple, while Buttercup eases up. Annabelle is clinging on Buttercup's dress, not sure what is currently going on. As Boomer stops before the couple, the man extends his hand.
"Hello there young man." The man answered Boomer.
"It's been a while." Boomer smiled, and extends his own hand to shake Officer MacCarthy's hand.
"Wait...you know this guy?" Buttercup asked the sand-blonde teenager.
"Yeah, I saved him at the pier when I'm fighting the Bat guy." Boomer replied. However Buttercup is still in a state of panic, and Boomer realized that Buttercup is essentially spotted red-handed by the two couple in the orphanage and in a dress no 's frequent visits to the Maxwell orphanage is supposed to be a fiercely guarded secret, and there are dire consequences if people found out about it.
"So, you're Mr. and Mrs. MacCarthy?" Father Maxwell asked the man, his inquiry snapped Buttercup and Boomer out of their distress and cluelessness respectively. Father Maxwell's expression is that of someone whose wait for something is finally over.
Boomer is perplexed about why Father Maxwell would have such an expression and he was about to ask Buttercup and he noticed that her expression is much more complicated expression. It seems that Buttercup knows something he knows nothing about. Boomer leans towards Buttercup and whispered to her.
"Psst...Butters, what's going on?" Boomer's question goes unanswered.
"Yes, yes we are." The couple answered Father Maxwell.
"Alright, if you would come along with me. Just need some signatures and everything will be fine." Father Maxwell beckons the couple to come with him. The couple nod and they went along with Father Maxwell into the orphanage, leaving the two teenagers with Annabelle.
Buttercup kneels down and once more hugs the little girl. The little girl hugged Buttercup back, but Boomer noticed that Buttercup's demeanor is much different than before. The thought soon dawned on Boomer of what is transpiring today at the orphanage.
Little Annabelle is getting adopted today, Boomer thought.
"Alright Annabelle, what do you want to do today?" Buttercup said cheerfully, but she is not fooling Boomer. Boomer can see that Buttercup's face is trying to hold back the welling emotions within her. Boomer decided that Buttercup should not shoulder this whole thing alone.
"Yeah, kiddo. What do you wanna do?" Boomer piped in, and the little girl turns around as Buttercup lets go of her. The little girl's cheerful smile and innocence is apparent for all to see as she speaks to Boomer.
"I want to play with the Elekitty!"
"Alright kiddo, you got it!" Boomer muster his powers and forms an kitten made out from bio-electricity for her to play with. He made sure that the construct has a thin electrical current flowing from his finger. As he lets the construct run around, the little girl chased after the electrical apparition. Boomer made sure that the electrical construct moved a distance away from both Boomer and Buttercup before he asked the raven-haired Powerpuff Girl.
"So...Annabelle's getting adopted?"
"Yeah." Boomer sensed Buttercup's underlying fragile emotions under her usually strong voice.
"That's good isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"In this time of fear when prayers proved to be in vain and hope just swiftly flown away, they need to know that there can be miracles when they believe. They need to know that though hope is frail, it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles they can achieve when they believe." Buttercup looks at Boomer with surprise.
"Smooth." The phrase is not lost on Buttercup,for she said the exact same thing to Boomer when she first blew up on him.
"Always has been." Boomer cheekily smiles in return and winks at the Powerpuff Girl.
"Y'know Boomer, I'm always wanted to ask you something; why did you keep this secret of mine?"
"Huh?"
"I mean you could just leak it out and just mess me over. I mean,you Rowdyruff Boys are created to destroy us and makng our lives difficult. "
"Hm...Never crossed my mind." Boomer replied nonchalantly.
But Boomer's mind said otherwise.
Boomer had thought about this before. Boomer had wanted to use the knowledge as a leverage against Buttercup during his detention period, and it worked. But somehow along the line, both Boomer and Buttercup somehow got along and the 'blackmail' soon became their shared secret. The fact that they are both here without their siblings knowing is proof that they kept it among themselves. It is to a point where Butch wanted to use this secret against him and Boomer obliged to Butch's threat, thereby keeping her secret safe. This dichotomy of being an unlikely ally and an uncertain foe is also the source of contention within himself. Something primal in him is the cause for this assistance and willingness to be more engaged with aspects of Buttercup's life. But at the same time the reason why he is here to begin with is due to Him's unknown machination in its grand scheme,which most certainly is targetted at the Powerpuff Girls.
"Hm...I guess that's fair. You ain't much of a thinker to begin with. That's more like Brick's thing." Buttercup said with a smile.
"Heh." Boomer said, thinking that Buttercup is utterly clueless about his mental. Boomer and his brothers knew that they are tools for a war, but they are utterly clueless on how they are being utilized. After all, they are brought into Townsville precisely because Him wanted them to do a 'job' for Him. Perhaps the demon had even planned for all the things that had happened to them from the very beginning and nothing is within their control Boomer's fears are further compounded by the discovery of Brick's Tyrant gene implanted within him since their resurrection, and honestly he is not even sure what else is being planted within was then that the adults came out from the home, and they walked towards the teenagers and the little girl. Father Maxwell proceed on to call Annabelle over and she ran excitedly towards the priest. As the little girl reaches the priest, Father Maxwell kneel down on one knee and smiled at her. The little girl with the braided brown hair realizes that something is going on that she is nor aware off. Boomer and Buttercup are now bearing witness to an event that would change the life of a person.
"Annabelle today's a big day you know that?" Father Maxwell said to the little girl, his voice happy but quivering. The little girl is a little confused and uncomfortable when she sense the quivering from Father Maxwell's voice.
"What's wrong Father Maxwell?" Annabelle asked uncomfortably, sensing that the atmosphere around the older people are quite different than before. Father Maxwell puts both his hands on Annabelle's shoulder, as if bracing her for the news."Annabelle...These two kind and gentle people... have decided to take your in as family." The little girl is stunned into silence at Father Maxwell's news, and Boomer and Buttercup can see that this is something that she is not expecting at all.
"Fa...mily?" Annabelle is visibly shocked, and the middle-aged man and woman also kneels down on the ground and start speaking to her.
"Hello there Annabelle. My name is Ron, and this is my wife Gaby. Nice to meet you." The man speaks in a warm and gentle tone, and one can see that it is genuine from the heart as Buttercup can see that they are speaking to Annabelle with respect. The woman waved at the little child, but instead of reassuring the little child, Annabelle balks at the two other adults and she turns her attention towards Buttercup and Boomer. Buttercup understands Annabelle's actions for Annabelle tends to be shy around those she meets for the first time.
"It's okay Annabelle...go on. Say hi to them." Buttercup said with a reassuring smile. Annabelle turn towards the couple once more and with the boost of confidence by Buttercup, she greet the couple.
"Hi." Annabelle's voice is subdued and a little shaky.
"Hello there Annabelle. Is it okay for me to call you Annie?" Ms. MacCarthy asked Annabelle. Annabelle nods her head, giving the consent for the lady to call Annabelle with a shortened form of her name.
"Well Annie, if it is okay would you allow us to take you home with us and live with us?" Ms. MacCarthy ask the girl politely. The little girl is visibly unsure as her emotions of both fear, excitement and happiness are all mixed in together within her. Boomer know that this is something he is able to sympathize with in a way, for he too was more or less 'adopted' by Lilith Morningstar to be part of her world.
"Kiddo, it's alright. You don't have to be afraid. Big Sis Buttercup, Father Maxwell and I will come and visit you whenever we can. That way you can show us around your new home and we can hang out." Boomer reassures the little girl and winks at the little girl."Yeah, we'll all visit you. You can always just shout our names and we'll be there for you." Buttercup also assures the little girl.
"But..."
"Come here." Buttercup beckons the little girl to come over, and Father Maxwell lets go of her shoulder and the little girl walks towards Buttercup. As Father Maxwell and the MacCarthys stand up, Buttercup lowers herself as low as possible to Annabelle's eye level. Buttercup then hugs the little girl, and she whispers to Annabelle's ear. Annabelle in return whispers back to Buttercup, and Boomer's ears is picking up on the conversation between the two individual.
"It's okay sweetie. You should be happy. You finally got a mommy and daddy. You got a family now. They'll take care of you and love you with all their heart."
"But...I'm scared."
"I know it is scary, but..." Buttercup tried to reassure her but Annabelle shakes her head. Boomer can see that Buttercup is trying to reassure Annabelle that everything will be alright, but Annabelle is finding it hard to buy Buttercup's words. The MacCarthys and Father Maxwell also appear to be at a loss to connect to Annabelle. Looks like he need to do a 'Boomer Special' to salvage the situation. Boomer clears his throat, and everyone is now looking at him. Boomer hopes that this would somehow change the situation.
"Kiddo, don't believe in yourself."
"Huh?" Annabelle and the others looked at Boomer with particularly bewildered eyes.
"Listen close kiddo...Believe in everyone that believe in you. Believe everyone that you believe in. Have faith in all those that believe in you. Have faith in everyone that you believe in." Boomer said, while the the MacCarthys, Father Maxwell and Buttercup looked at him even more confused than ever.
"Big bro?"
"Well kiddo, do you believe in me?" Boomer asked the little girl.
"Yes..." The little girl answered.
"Then I believe that you will be alright with the MacCarthys. What about you Buttercup?" Boomer turned his attention towards Buttercup.
"I believe that you'll be alright with the MacCarthys." Buttercup answered, caught in the moment.
"Father Maxwell, what about you?" Boomer asked the priest.
"I believe that Annabelle will enjoy being part of their family." Father Maxwell answered.
"See kiddo? We all believe that you will be fine with them. Do you believe us kiddo?" Boomer asked. Annabelle looks at the three individuals that she is most comfortable with, and then she looks at the two MacCarthy couple who are now looking at her with genuine eyes that wanted her to be a part of their world. Annabelle realized that the reason why she is scared is because she do not know them. But like how she managed to befriend Boomer, she would need to take the first step and the first words to bridge the gap. Since everyone believes that she would be fine, she would trust them. Besides if these two people turn out to be really mean towards her, she can always scream for help and her big brother Boomer and big sister Buttercup would come to her rescue. They are superhumans after all.
"Okay Big bro, Big sis, Father Maxwell." Annabelle nods her head, and she smiles. Boomer smiles back at the little girl and puts his hand on the little girl's shoulder, and winks at the little girl.
"Sure thing, you can always believe in me who believes in you. And I believe that these two people will be the best thing that ever happen in your life. Go on and get to know them better." Boomer beckons Annabelle to go closer towards the MacCarthys. With small nervous steps, the little girl walks towards the couple and the MacCarthys watch as the little brunette extends her hand to the couple.
"Hi." Annabelle said nervously.
"Hello." The two couple replied.
Boomer and Officer MacCarthy are now watching Annabelle playing with Mrs. MacCarthy and Buttercup.
"Thanks again young man. Thanks to you, I'm able to see this sight of my family become a reality." Officer MacCarthy said to the sand-blonde teenager.
"Nah, I don't think I should be thanked. I mean...I'm essentially there when it happened." Boomer tried to downplay his act, truly believing that he is not deserving of such praises. After all, Boomer did hesitate when he heard the Officer MacCarthy's cry for help.
"But you acted Boomer. You acted. You could be there and you could ignore me and get away. But you helped me. And fate would have it that you also helped saved my soon-to-be daughter as well along with Buttercup. If it were not for you, Buttercup here would also fall during that orphanage attack." Officer MacCarthy said while taking in a deep breath. Boomer is now quiet, not knowing what to say given the situation.
"You're a hero in my eyes Boomer. You saved me from being killed. You saved my wife from the grief of my death. You saved Annabelle from being killed by that fiend. You saved Buttercup as the fiend almost killed her. You saved those people in the orphanage. If that is not heroism, what is?" The middle-aged man asked Boomer, but Boomer remained silent.
"The attacks...it happened because they knew isn't it?" Officer MacCarthy continued, asking the sand-blonde teenager despite knowing the answer to the question.
"Come again?" Boomer asked, not sure how to respond to the officer's inquiry.
"The attack on the orphanage. It is because they knew that Buttercup is close to them ain't it? Seeing from how Annabelle converse with Buttercup, she had known Buttercup for a very long time. Would understand why Buttercup didn't tell anyone about it. Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. It is the least I can do."
"Thanks." Boomer thanked Officer MacCarthy, but the man pats Boomer's back.
"But Buttercup need to stay away from the orphanage for a while, as it would protect those in the orphanage and also Buttercup." The man smiled before walking slowly on his crutches towards Annabelle, Buttercup and his wife. Boomer is left to think about the man's advice.
It is a long day for both teenagers and they are now riding the train back to Little Tokyo.
The paperwork for the adoption are still in process, and it will take another few more days for the adoption to officially go through. However, the MacCarthys and Annabelle are now doing their best to bond before they can finally take her home to be part of their family. At the meantime, Father Maxwell assured Boomer and Buttercup that when the adoption paperworks and procedures are done, he would invite them to the farewell party cum welcoming party for Annabelle and it is best that they don't come until then. So with nothing much to do, they decided that it is time to go back.
Boomer watches the people passing by while Buttercup leaning and dozing off on his shoulder. Here they are, riding back together on a train and Buttercup being comfortable enough to take a nap on his shoulder. This sight is something Boomer would not be able to imagine a few weeks ago, but one way or another Boomer and Buttercup are bonding in a way he never knew it is possible. Boomer wondered if this is how friends are made. He had never gotten a friend before, and he wondered if everyone goes through this process when they are making friends. Boomer thought that of all the people he would think of being a friend, Buttercup would be the furthest away from that idea.
"Mister, may I sit next to you?" Boomer snapped out from his thoughts and turned to see a soft-spoken young boy in a black hoodie asked the sand-blonde teenager.
"Sure, go right ahead." Seeing that the seat is empty, Boomer gestured to the child that the seat is available. The child hopped on the seat, and Boomer smiled. Boomer thought to himself that the kid is particularly brave for riding on the train by himself. As Boomer is about to go back to his business of submerging himself into his thoughts, Boomer realizes that something is very wrong. His senses are all running a little out of sync, and this causes Boomer to have a very unusual and disorienting sensation.
"Him's right, you really do look rather airheaded." Boomer immediately turn around and face the child, and to his discomfort the child is now looking at him with a rather creepy smile. Boomer is visibly uncomfortable by the sudden realization that this boy is one of Him's messengers, and the demon sure has a way to come and mess with them at the most unexpected moment.
"Who the hell are you?" Boomer asked the little boy, but instead of answering the sand-blonde teenager the little boy chuckles.
"Who am I does not matter Mister, I'm just here to deliver the message; The writing's on the wall Hermes."
Boomer is suddenly struck by a nauseating and unpleasant feeling, that everything has gone wrong. The word that the kid had used to address him. The message. The kid itself. It is utterly nerve-wracking and somehow it had triggered something within him. Suddenly the little boy vanished from his sight and Boomer jerked back as the child vanished into thin air without him even batting his eyes. Boomer's heart is now pounding rapidly from the sudden disappearance of the little boy, and this is a sign that Him is finally making his move with the boys in tow.
Boomer turns around to see that the Powerpuff Girl is still napping on his shoulder, and Boomer looks at the Buttercup with very concerned eyes. Boomer covers his eyes with his hands, trying to figure out what on earth is Him trying to do now.