"Ugh, I said I was sorry." Buttercup shrugged as Bubbles pouted, keeping her gaze resolutely out the rear window. Blossom had made record time getting to Buttercup's house. Bubbles had gone there to wait for Blossom, figuring it would be faster to only stop once. Blossom hadn't given an explanation for her tardiness, just an apology. Buttercup had shrugged it off, but Bubbles had been annoyed for the whole time they were stuck in the car. Blossom gave up after the last failed attempt, knowing her friend's mood would improve once they arrived. Buttercup fiddled with the radio, humming along to a song she found.

Just as Bubbles turned to ask a question, the GPS sounded, letting the girls know they had finally made it. Bubbles brightened immediately, pressing her face to the window again to take in the view. The driveway was a gravel path that lead to a grass lined walkway. Out front sat four lawn chairs on the right underneath a wide awning. Four more regular wooden chairs sat under a light blue umbrella attached to the table in the middle. The lawn was pristine and well kept, cut in a diagonal pattern. The house itself was two stories. The first floor had floor to ceiling windows facing the driveway, outlined by dark cherry wood trim. The second story boasted a beautiful white wrap around balcony. It too had a windows outlined by dark wood trim on the right. On the left was a glass door with the same trim leading to the balcony.

The girls' mouths dropped in awe as they took in the house and breath taking scenery surrounding it. The trees on the right side of the house shook their leaves in greeting. Buttercup whistled once she finally gained control of her face, while Bubbles and Blossom pinched each other to make sure they weren't dreaming.

"This..."

"Is..."

"Not bad."

"BC!" Buttercup laughed as her friends jumped on her, teasing her to be more honest. The front door swung open, reminding them they weren't alone on this trip. Reed walked out, followed by Riley and Raiden. Reed wore a collared navy blue shirt buttoned at the end, showing off his well defined chest. White shorts and a brown belt paired with brown sandals finished the look. Black Aviators sat atop his head. Riley sported a black floral shirt open, paired with pale yellow shorts and black sandals. Mischievous eyes peeked over the top of black Ray Bands. Raiden also wore a dark red floral top with yellow flowers, but unlike his brothers, his chest was hidden by a plain white tee underneath. On his face he donned only a disarming smile, and his feet were covered by black sandals. The girls had to admit they looked good.

"You guys took so long we thought you got lost." Buttercup rolled her eyes and kept her hands on her suitcase, bluntly refusing Riley's help. He swiped her duffle bag before she had the chance to secure it, his eyes still sparkling playfully as he led her inside.

"Why were you so late picking them up? Aren't you notorious for always being on time?" Blossom blushed, accepting Reed's help with her bags.

"I got held up. Ahaha." They'd die laughing at me if they knew I was so late because I got sucked into a book again. And I don't really wanna tell them about the book either... Reed shrugged it off, showing her to her room. Bubbles let Raiden carry all her luggage without complaint, leading the way into the house as her companion struggled.

"What did you pack Bubbles?" She smiled innocently in the door way, holding it open for him.

"Just the essentials."


After unpacking, the teens decided to hit the outlet malls and boardwalk for the first night. Blossom went with an off the shoulder light pink dress with flowing sleeves, paired with a floppy beach hat and clear sandals. She had decided to leave her hair down to finish the look. Bubbles went all out with a crochet white halter top and long skirt with a slit that went to halfway up her thigh. White sandals that wrapped around her ankles gave her a bit of height. Her hair was in a half bun style, the blond strands left free wavy and fluttering in the soft breeze. Buttercup wore a dark green low cut sleeveless top tucked into cut off jean shorts. Her feet were wrapped in black gladiator sandals. Her hair had been swept up in a high bun.

"How much longer are we gonna be here? I wanna see the boardwalk. We can eat there." Buttercup looked pointedly at Blossom, who stuck her tongue out at the comment. She munched on her soft cinnamon pretzel, looking around the food court. Shops lined the area around them, with a sort of plaza in the middle for food and restrooms. Bubbles scrolled through her phone, sipping a lemonade.

"I just want to hit one last store then we should be done." She put her phone away as she slurped the last of her drink. Buttercup nodded ans Blossom hurried to finish her pretzel.

"Alright. Let's get a move on then-" She stopped as movement caught her eye. A dark mane of upswept hair disappeared in the crowd before she could get a better look. But she could swear that head looked almost familiar. Blossom threw her trash away and looked at Buttercup, who was oblivious to her friends' movements.

"Come on BC. You're the one rushing us and now you're frozen in place? We're leaving ya know." Buttercup snapped out of her thoughts, following her friends.


"So why are we sneaking around like this again?"

"Because we don't want either of them to know we're here."

"But we don't even know where they're staying. So being here could be a waste of time."

"Are you doubting my divination?! I'll have you know that I'm the best when it comes to discernment, not even Bubbles comes close to my technique-"

"Okay! Okay! Geez sorry I asked." Butch rolled his eyes, eating his ice cream with sinful delight. Thanks to Boomer's magic, tracking the girls had been easy enough. He couldn't whip out a bowl and track the pests in public, though, so they were forced to do some good old fashioned tailing tonight. Butch had seen Buttercup almost spot him in the crowd, hanging back out of sight to make sure she brushed it off as nothing. Traces of magic had been coming from the beach house the girls were staying at, so the boys knew they had to be extra careful. This whole trip could be a trap to lure the boys out, knowing they wouldn't let the girls go anywhere too far alone.

"I didn't see Reed or his brothers around them. They must've split up."

"Duh. It's got to appear normal or Blossom will get suspicious. Bubbles looks to be taken in with Raiden though." Brick dodged the hit aimed to his face, laughing with Butch at Boomer's reddened face.

"Relax Boom. Once this is over she'll be all over you in no time." Boomer huffed, standing from the table.

"That should be enough of a head start. We should move." They threw away their trash and set off in the direction Butch had watched them go. If only they had taken the time to look around them one last time. A figure melted back into the shadows, grinning evilly.

All according to plan.