"So, now that you know the full story...what do you think I should do?" Brick asked the three teenagers seated across from him.

Bubbles was the first to respond. "I agree with Boomer's idea. Making someone vulnerable allows them to see another perspective. It may be the only way to open her eyes to what she's become."

Boomer smiled lightly and grasped her hand.

She smiled back at him. "The only issue is how to put her in an emotional state again."

Silence was cast over the group. Boomer and Bubbles shared a glance, unsure what could be done. Brick chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to think up an answer.

"Hurt someone she loves." Buttercup stated.

Everyone looked to her.

She set her face in a stoic expression. "The death of Butch pushed her over the edge and caused all of this. Threaten the life of someone she cares just as much about and she just might fall apart again."

Boomer nodded. "But who?"

Brick shook his head. "She said she doesn't love anyone anymore."

Buttercup responded, "Actually, from what you told us, she said she hates love and believes it causes pain. She didn't exactly say that she didn't love anyone."

Boomer piped in. "Well, it can't be me."

Brick leaned back. "It's going to have to be one of you." He said, looking at the puffs.

Boomer tightened his grip on Bubbles' hand. "Hell no, Bubbles is not getting involved. Blossom is dangerous right now."

Buttercup grit her teeth. "Would you stop insulting my sister!" She took a deep breath to relax. "I can do it."

Brick clasped his hands together. "Great then-"

"But it wouldn't work if I did." She finished.

Boomer raised an eyebrow at the green puff. "Why not?"

"Because she doesn't love me like she loved Butch...like she loves Brick." Her gaze fell on the red clad boy, who's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? You're her sister, she-"

Bubbles cut him off. "We may be her sisters but you're her counterpart. You were created for her and therefore share a deeper bond with her than we do, as much as it hurts to say. You two have a love that can't perish. You would hurt her more than we could."

Buttercup agreed. "Along with that, she already feels guilt for leaving you and clearly is trying to avoid feelings that she still holds for you."

"And to know that she caused the death of both of her lovers would destroy her like nothing else can." Boomer added.

Brick pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear if you guys are wrong about this..."

"Brick." Bubbles spoke, catching the ruff's attention. "We know our sister, you can trust us."

He sighed heavily and covered his face with his hands. "Okay, fine. I'll do it."

The teens released a silent breath of relief.

"So..." Buttercup started, looking at Brick. "What's the plan, leader boy?"


A small smile slipped onto Blossom's face as she looked down at the photo in her hands. It pictured her sisters happily grinning at the camera, arms around each other. Bubbles and Buttercup had always had such a deep sisterly bond, something that Blossom didn't have with either of them. It might have been due to the fact that she was the leader and acted as more of a motherly figure to them than a sister. Or it could have been simply that she didn't share many similarities with her siblings. No one ever understood her or truly melded with her. No one except for Brick. He was the only person who could ever predict what she was going to do. He knew everything about her because he was just the same.

She sighed and ran her thumb across the photo.

Her sisters didn't even know her as good as Brick did. He truly was her soul-mate, her destiny. If only she could have treated him the way he treated her, then none of this ever would have happened.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to herself, wishing she could say it to Brick. But she couldn't. If she tried to see him again it would only hurt him more. He needed to get over her and to do that she had to avoid him. Maybe...when he finds someone else...she can visit him again. But until then, visiting hours are over.

"No they're not."

Blossom grabbed her head. "Shut up."

"You can still fix what you've done."

She clenched her teeth.

"You're not changing anything by hurting him more."

"This is for the best!" She shouted.

"NO!" The voice roared. "You are destroying everyone who loves you! You are taking your pain and giving it to them! This is not facing your problems! This is AVOIDING them!"

Blossom shook her head.

"Do you want them to go through the same things you did!?"

"No!" She called back.

"Do you want them to kill themselves like you did!?"

"No!" Her voice was strained.

"THEN OPEN YOUR EYES AND DO THE RIGHT THING!"

"I DON'T KNOW HOW!" Her voice cracked and she broke into a fit of sobs, tears spilling down her cheeks as she cried out to the imaginary voice within her head. Soon, the only sound that could be heard was her crying. "I don't know how." She whispered, burying her face in her arms and pulling her knees to her chest.

And she stayed like that for the rest of the night, wishing someone could stop the insanity growing within her.


"So...are you sure you're ready?" Buttercup asked as the group gathered outside of the ruff's house.

Brick released a heavy sigh. "I don't really have a choice. The sooner I act, the sooner she'll be back."

Bubbles placed a gentle hand on his arm. "If anyone can save her, it's you."

He tilted his head back and looked up at the darkening sky. "The calm before the storm."

The others followed his gaze and saw the purple clouds rolling in.

"Promise me you will try everything and nothing less to bring her back." Buttercup spoke to the red leader.

Brick met her glare. "I promise...because if she doesn't come back, neither do I."

Boomer held his breath and turned away.

"I know Blossom is still in there. You just have to break her out of the prison she's trapped in." Bubbles told Brick.

He nodded. "I'll do my best." He turned to them. "I have to go now, before she moves positions."

Boomer reached his hand out and Brick took it, before pulling his blue clad brother into a tight embrace.

"I still need you bro." Boomer mumbled into Brick's shoulder.

Brick patted his back. "I already let Butch down, I won't make the same mistake again."

Boomer pulled away and gave him a nod of approval.

Buttercup jabbed her finger into the red ruff's chest. "She dies, you die."

Bubbles smiled apologetically at him. "We need our sister like you need your brother, please bring her back."

Brick gave them the smallest smile. "Tomorrow you will have her back."

And then he took off into the sky.

It didn't take long to find her because they had tracked her down earlier, secretly, and ran over the plan once more before putting it into action. Brick landed in the cemetery, still too far away for her to notice him. He had to take deep breathes to calm himself down as he watched her. His eyes were glued to her figure as she sat on a tombstone, back facing him. Her red hair looked like live flames as it moved with the wind, he knew that her eyes would be filled with fire too once she saw him. That didn't matter though, he expected her to be angry, wanted her to be angry, so that he could build up her emotions to the point that she couldn't bare them.

He took the first step towards her and closed his eyes briefly. His next actions would determine the fates of so many people. No Blossom, no Brick. No Brick, no Boomer. No Boomer and Blossom, no Bubbles. No Bubbles, no Buttercup. No Powerpuff girls meant the end of everything because the world would no longer have protection against evil. The world depended on him. How ironic was that? Him, a villain, was now Earth's last hope. Who would have thought. God, how could he be sure that he succeeded? That he didn't fuck everything up?

"Because you love her." He whispered to himself, being sure she couldn't hear him. He wanted to laugh. How funny it was that she told him to get over her. After all he had done, all they had been through, to end just like that? No. He wouldn't let it happen. He wouldn't let her go so easily. How could she be so smart and yet such a fool. Could she really not see that they were meant to be? Well he could, and that's all that mattered.

He began forward. His heart rate gradually increased with every step and it quickly grew so loud he swore she would hear it. But why would it matter if she heard? He wanted her to notice him. That was the point...wasn't it? Yes, he needed to stop second guessing his plan. If he was going to do this, then he had to have confidence. He had to embrace the leader within him. He had to be a ruff.

"Blossom." His voice was soft and seemed to be swept away by the wind, unheard.

She did not move, didn't make any motion to suggest she was aware of his presence. But she did speak. "Why are you prolonging this?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek, contemplating what he could say.

"Don't be afraid of me..." She mumbled, still not facing him. "Please."

His chest ached at the sound of her desperate voice. It was just a trick, though. He wouldn't let her trick him twice. She simply wanted to toy with his emotions and pull him apart piece by piece until he was weak and easy to destroy, to toss away like garbage.

He moved closer to her, around the tombstone she was seated on, and placed himself directly in front of her. He looked down at her small figure, wanting her to meet his gaze. "Not even you can scare me."

Her expression changed into one of confusion, but she had no response.

"Look at me." He ordered, not at all kind nor sympathetic.

She turned her head away and let her hair fall over her face. "You can't tell me what to do anymore."

For some reason, those words hurt him, but he didn't let it stop him. "Do you wanna test that statement? Or are you going to be a good little girl and do what I say?" His voice was dark and caustic.

That's when her eyes met his and he blinked, not able to contain the shock. He had never seen so much pain, desperation, guilt, and horror in someone. Her eyes were so bloodshot that he could hardly differentiate her irises from her scleras. He frowned.

"Why, why do you have to do this? To me, to us, to everyone?" He glared down at her and suddenly grew furious. "What the fuck is your problem? Do you have any idea how many people love and care for you!? How many people would give their life just so you could live one more day? And yet you throw that all way. You forget about all the people you ever loved, that you ever fought for and protected, just because one person left your life. You know, Butch was my fucking BROTHER and I'm just fine. I didn't try to kill myself. I didn't decide to stop loving everyone and disappear from the face of the Earth. I still fight, everyday, I continue getting up out of bed and going through the day because I know that my life is worth living. I know that things will get better. I know that even if I made mistakes, even if I fucked up other people, even if I was at one point a villain, that I can still become a good person and learn. This lifetime is too fucking short to just give up. You have to realize that we were made for a reason. Jesus, you were made because the Professor saw that there was no good in the world. You reminded people why there was a reason to live. You were a hero. Then I was created for you. And sure, it was originally to destroy you. But look at me now, I'm a good person. Here I am trying to save you. When you're the one who should be saving me because I'm not the hero, you are. That's the whole fucking point of what I'm saying. You have a destiny set out for you. Just because Butch is gone doesn't mean that you can give up. So many fucking people need you. If you go, I go. Then so does Boomer. Your sisters. The world. Happiness. So really, what you're doing is selfish to the core. You're blocking out your pain and ignoring your mistakes so that you can be happy whilst everyone else is suffering. Your sisters won't fight without you. I can't live without you. The world can't survive without you. This is about more than just you! Don't you see that? Your choices affect more than just a few people. We need you. Your sisters need you. I need you. You can't just give up Blossom!"

He shouted out the last sentence and stared at her in rage, face red, panting heavily. But he didn't care, he just wanted her to hear him, NEEDED her to hear him.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat and a pain unlike any other hit her so hard that she broke down in a fit of sobs. Her body slid off the tombstone and she landed on the ground, crying so hard it hurt. She had never in her life felt a sadness as great as this. It was as though everything around her turned black and rain was pouring down on her, making the world collapse and her heart sink. But this wasn't a sadness that made her want to die, this wasn't a sadness that made her feel guilty, this wasn't a sadness that made her hate love. This sadness made her open her eyes through the tears and see what was really happening. The voices in her head had been right all along. What she had been doing was wrong. Her sisters needed her at their side, to lead them, like she was born to do. Brick needed her. Boomer needed Brick. If she had let Butch down, then she couldn't possibly hurt Brick or Boomer too. That was too much. She couldn't die knowing she had killed two people. No. No, she had to stop this NOW.

"Brick..." She dug her palm into her eyes and rubbed away the tears. Then she looked up at him and grabbed him by his arm, yanking him down in front of her. She stared deep into his crimson eyes, so filled with confidence and love. How could she ever have been so blind and selfish. He was her everything, she couldn't possibly deny her love for him. Not after realizing how much she meant to him. He was right, they were meant to be. She used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that continued to flood down her cheeks. "Brick...I-" Her heart hurt so bad for him. God, she couldn't describe how terrible she felt. She wanted to fix things then and there. But she knew it would take time. But she could at least start off on good terms.

She sniffed quietly and blinked, allowing another stream of tears to spill. But then a warm touch brushed them away. It was the most gentle touch she had felt in a long time and she leaned into it, only to feel nothing. Her eyes opened and she gasped. Brick was inches away from her, his smoky scent thick and comforting. She longed to throw her arms around him and never let go. But after what she had done? The way she tricked him just so she could get the knife?

Her body suddenly leaned away from his and he frowned, terrified of what she might do. And then she extended her arm out to him and he looked down. The knife lie in her palm.

She had no words to say. No way to express her remorse. Sorry couldn't cut it. She knew that. But maybe...this could at least mollify the wounds a tad?

Brick cautiously picked the blade up and then looked to her. She had her head down, but no more tears fell.

"Blossom..." He spoke so softly and kindly.

She shook her head. 'How, how can he be so sweet? How can he not pin me to the ground and take my life right now? God, no, you idiot! This is why you've been so blind this whole time. You're too caught up in your own selfish guilt. Stop thinking about yourself for once!'

She locked eyes with him and gave him the smallest smile, the only smile she could muster. "Brick." And then, not caring whether she deserved to make the move or not, she leaned as far forward as she could and pressed her lips to his.

Brick was shocked at first. It was so similar to his dream. But...this wasn't a dream, and he couldn't resist her. So he cupped her face in his hand and pulled her closer to him, melding his lips to hers and admiring her sweet scent that he had missed. Caring not a bit that things might play out just as they had in his dream.

She rested her hands on either of his shoulders, letting her fingers barely brush against the nape of his neck, feeling his soft hair under his hat. God, how she wanted to run her hands through it. How she wanted to be held in his strong hold. How she wanted to feel his hands on her body. But for now, this was enough to satisfy her. This was enough to show him that she was still Blossom. She was still his Blossom.

"I love you, Brick. I'll always love you." She whispered, pulling away from his lips and resting her forehead against his, eyes closed so she could savor the feel of his hand on her face, of his hot breath on her skin, of his delicious smell. "I've been oblivious this whole time. But slowly, I started to realize how desperate I was to do the right thing and something told me that leaving was not the right thing. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I knew that you would help me. That you would open my eyes to my mistakes and you did just that." She looked him in the eye. "I need you to know that I've always still been in here, Blossom isn't gone. I was just lost. I was hurt and lost. And no, I don't want to make this at all about me, but I need you to understand. I just...I don't know how to prove to you that I'm back, I'm me."

He looked back at her for a while, also wondering how he could know that she was back and not just tricking him.

She bit her lip and turned away, blushing.

And he knew.

"Your eyes." He said, turning her face to his and she frowned. "They're pink again." He spoke softly and put his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you're back. I love you...forever, Blossom."

She felt a weight lift from her chest and she immediately tossed her arms over his shoulders and collapsed into him, smiling the biggest smile she ever had. "Forever and ever, Brick."

And he tucked his face into her hair, cuddling her close to his body, never letting go.


Love is such a complicated specimen. So many words can be used to describe it. So many emotions are involved in the process of 'loving'. No one will ever be able to pinpoint the utter reason for the feeling of love. It isn't possible to identify in scientific terms. It's a fantasy of sorts, an unrealistic, purely hope based, object. Love is like religion, we have it simply to have faith that there is something to look forward to. We use it to take away from the harsh reality. So then why is love so impeccably painful? Why does it cause us to fall into insanity, into anger, depression, heartbreak? If love is meant to be hope, then why does it lack the very thing it was created from? It can be happy and enticing at times, but overall love is evil. It breaks humans down worse than physical pain ever could. In what world does that make sense? Why is it so widely promoted and cherished?

Blossom frowned down at the essay in her hands. She couldn't help but feel disdain towards the writer. It wasn't just their opinion on love, but also their ignorance. They must not have considered the fact that without love, everyone would be empty, and what is there to life without fulfillment? Yes, love may be painful, but without it there would be no emotion, no point to existing. Love is not hope, hope is love. Hope grows from the feeling of love. So, in the end, without love there would be nothing. Absolutely nothing. And Blossom couldn't say that she liked the sound of there being nothing. And the irony of that was she had believed the same thing as this writer. She was so clueless and blindsided that she lost sight of the true meaning of love. Every villain needs a victim and that was hers. It was only thanks to Brick that she was able to recognize her vapid perspective. Without him, she would still be stuck in a dark hole.

She was about to light the paper on fire when two arms snaked around her waist. She gasped, not able to react quickly enough and resultantly was thrown onto her bed and pinned down.

"I thought we talked about this?"

She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, who was now on top of her, trying to intimidate her. "I was reading something important. It's not like I'm gonna get hurt. I have super powers!"

Brick raised an eyebrow. "Oh so if that new evil genius...what's his name...Dorkster?"

"Dexter." She corrected him.

He nodded and continued. "If Dorkster were to sneak up behind you and blast you with Antidote X, your powers would protect you? Or what if he just chopped your head off with one of his stupid machines?" He smirked at her angered expression. "You're not invincible, babe."

She growled and pushed him off of her. "I never said I was!" She walked towards the window and looked out at the evening sky, taking a deep breath to push away her frustration. Her next words were spoken softly. "But I know you've always got my back." She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled.

He stood beside her and intertwined his fingers with hers. "I'm not saying I don't. I just can't imagine you getting hurt. I want you to be safe at all times, especially when you're not with me."

She sighed. "Brick, you've always been too protective."

His face flashed with hurt.

She giggled, waving her hands . "I don't mean it in a bad way! I think it's cute." She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. "It reminds me that I'm dating a ruff."

He didn't know how to take that comment. Was it good that he was a ruff? Or did it mean he was still a villain...? God, why was he so bad at interpreting her words all of a sudden?

"I didn't mean that in a bad way either." She snickered, practically reading his mind, which wasn't at all unusual.

Brick chuckled and embraced her small frame, snuggling his face into her silky hair.

"So what happens now?" She asked, her eyes focused on the horizon settling into a soft lilac hue.

Brick followed her gaze and looked upon Townsville. "Now, we make it official."

Blossom furrowed her brows and arched her head back to glance up at her counterpart. He saw her questioning expression and smirked devilishly.

"Blossom..." He began, releasing her from his grasp so that he could step back. She stared at him in confusion until he dug into his pocket and bowed before her. Her heart skipped a beat. Brick gazed up at her with his glowing crimson eyes and opened the box, revealing the most gorgeous object she had ever seen. A silver banded ring with a glistening red diamond sparkled up at her. A lump formed in her throat, halting her breath. Brick took her hand and he looked so handsome in that moment. His deep, husky voice rang through her ears as he spoke, "Will you marry me?"

And she immediately nodded her head, tears flooding down her cheeks, as she leapt into his arms and caused them both to collapse to the floor. She sobbed into his chest. "Yes, yes I'll marry you."

He grabbed her face and pressed a fierce kiss against her lips. "I love you, Bloss."

She met his eyes, a smile strung across her face, and whispered back, "I love you too, Brick."

The End