Villain: Redux


A/N: Hello, everyone~ I just wanted to give you all a heads up for the next update. Since we are nearing the ending of Part One, please forgive me if I need just a little extra time finishing everything up. Originally, my outline was set for 6 chapters in this first part, but I'm considering combining what I have for 5 and 6, and just ending Part One on the next chapter... maybe. I AM SO SPLIT. So since I can't make up my mind, I've decided I'm going to just write the rest out completely and just see how that goes, and make a decision on how to divide the chapters (if at all) once Part One is complete.

Check out my tumblr for any progress updates (yayninjabob dot tumblr dot com). But next chapter I'm guessing will be posted in about 6-8 weeks, depending on how things go. Actually, Chapter 5 was the first thing I sat down to write when I started playing with the idea of possibly doing this rewrite. So since I'm personally really excited about those events, maybe I'll be able to surprise myself and get it done sooner.

Also, while I'm here, thanks again you guys so much for reading! I am so excited to be working on this rewrite, and I wasn't sure what kind of audience it might have. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. And of course super thanks to those of you who are reviewing! I know these chapters are pretty long, so the fact that you take time to review after reading- I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Hope you all enjoy chapter 4!

-Bobby


Part I: Remote Control

Chapter 4

Blossom watched the volume of the small glass container rise by just another millimeter as the Professor carefully transferred the metallic, black substance from one vial to the next. Her father sighed deeply as he took a step away from their day's work. The amount of Chemical X they had managed to create was still nowhere near sufficient enough for what he ultimately needed. Blossom frowned, recognizing the look of disappoint on his face. The scientist removed his lab goggles, and massaged his temple as he returned to his work desk to begin logging their day's progress on his computer.

Blossom quietly hovered over to her own work station in the Professor's lab. She lowered herself onto her chair and opened her own laptop computer. As she waited for her system to boot up, her pink eyes fell on the last small heap of cinnabar x. There was maybe just about fourteen or fifteen grams left of the rare black ore which was central to the current task at hand. It had been about two weeks since the father-daughter duo had begun their Chemical X refinery project, and due to their dwindling resources, it seemed that it would soon be coming to an unsuccessful end. Fourteen or fifteen grams could easily be refined in another day or two, Blossom imagined. Then what?

The cellphone in the her pants pocket began to buzz, and her pink eyes widened as she looked at the caller ID. She answered eagerly, rising from her chair with a jump, "Yes, Mayor?"

Professor Utonium peered over his computer monitor once he heard his daughter address the mayor over the phone. He waved for Blossom's attention and then whispered to her: "Ask her about Monster Isle."

Blossom held her cell to her ear with one hand and gave the Professor a thumbs up in response with her other hand.

"Hello, Blossom," Mayor Bellum said on the other end. "How are you?"

"I'm great, Mayor. Thanks for asking. How are you? Can I be of any help?"

"Fine, thank you. No, no help necessary. I'm actually just calling you about that conversation we had the day of the earthquake. You know, about you girls wanting to redesign your uniforms."

"Oh, the uniforms?" Blossom frowned a little. She had been hoping the mayor was calling with more important matters. "Of course. What about them?"

"Well, I mentioned your idea to our PR team, and they loved it! They actually were able to get some wonderful sponsorships who all have come together to design you girls something fantastic! I think you're really going to love it!"

"Oh," Blossom paused, a little taken aback by what Mayor Bellum was saying, "Well, I thought that we'd be designing the uniforms ourselves, actually. You know, my sisters and I."

"Well, of course, if that is what you girls prefer. But would you just come take a look at what they have?"

"Yeah, I guess we can do that," Blossom answered, before quickly changing the subject: "Oh, Mayor Bellum, can I ask if there's been any news on the Professor's request for excavation on Monster Isle?"

"Hm?" Bellum answered. "Oh, yes, you can tell him I got the good news just earlier today that his request has been approved."

"That's great!" Blossom grinned big as she showed the Professor another thumbs up.

"Will you let him know that I can go over the details with him later?"

"Of course! Mayor, thank you! You have no idea how low on resources he is. When can he meet with you?"

"Well, I'll be here at the office for at least a couple more hours. Why don't you come down and see the uniforms tonight? The Professor can come too, and we can discuss things then."

Blossom couldn't hide the excitement in her voice as she replied, "Yes, of course! We'll be there ASAP, Mayor!"

Bellum chuckled on the other end, "Great. See you both soon then, Blossom."

"See you soon!" Blossom hung up her call and immediately jumped with joy, as she beamed big at her dad, "The mayor said your request was approved, Professor!"

Professor Utonium let out a giant sigh of relief, as he fell back into desk chair. "Oh, thank goodness." He smiled a little. "I hope we'll be able to get in there soon, then."

"She said we can meet with her now about it, and she'll go over the details with you," Blossom shared.

Professor Utonium stood from his chair again, and straightened his black neck tie. He reached in his pants pocket for his car keys, and grasped them firmly. "Well, let's head over then, shall we?"

Blossom gave a single nod and a smile before quickly zipping to the other end of the room to hit the laboratory's light switch. She waited for the Professor to reach the stair case safely before flipping the switch and following after him. As the two of them entered the living room area, Blossom could hear both of her sisters shouting at one another as they played a video game together.

"Buttercup, you're cheating!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Blossom watched her sisters battle it out with their game controllers. Both girls sat cross legged on the floor of the living room, with their blue and green eyes narrowed as they focused on their respective race cars on the television screen. Bubbles giggled as she used one hand to try and block Buttercup's view of the screen.

Buttercup swatted her sister's hand away and rose to her knees, leaning in with her controller as she laughed, "Hey! Whose the cheater now, huh?"

Bubbles laughed again, "You cheated first!"

"What? Just 'cause I'm about to win, doesn't mean I cheated!"

"Like heck you're about to win!"

"Oh yeah? Check this shit out!"

"Buttercup," the Professor crossed his arms, "Language, please," he lectured. "You just got your video game privileges back yesterday. Don't make me regret it."

Buttercup's attention never left the game as she answered, "Sorry, Profess-" before the tomboy could finish, her apology was cut short by the sight of her sister's race car ramming her own off the race track. "Dammit!"

The Professor shook his head, but chose to ignore his daughter's cursing. "I'll be in the car," he said as he left.

Blossom stayed and watched her two siblings laugh as they playfully shoved each other back and forth. "Mayor Bellum called," Blossom tried to share with them, but both girls had their attention still on the game.

"Here I come, Bubble-butt!"

"I don't think so, Booger-head!"

Blossom placed her hands on her hips and spoke louder, "Mayor Bellum called. She wants to meet with us."

Finally, Bubbles paused their game. Buttercup immediately protested, "Hey!"

"The mayor called," Blossom repeated for the third time so it could register at last with her green-eyed sister.

"What does she want?" Buttercup tossed her game controller down with an annoyed look.

"She said she has some uniform designs to share, or something like that," Blossom shrugged.

"I thought we were designing them ourselves," Bubbles pointed out.

"Uh, yeah," Buttercup added, "What the hell, Blossom?"

"I know, OK," Blossom sighed, "She just wants us to come take a look. So let's just go, and we can just say 'Thanks, but no thanks,' OK?"

"Can't you just tell her that on our behalf, Leader-Girl?" Buttercup reached for her game controller again, "We're in the middle of a game." The tomboy unpaused the game.

"Hey!" Bubbles shouted at Buttercup as she stumbled to pick up her own controller again, "You didn't tell me you hit play, Cheater!"

Blossom stood there for a moment, feeling annoyed by both her siblings childish behavior. She took a deep breath, "Fine," she said before leaving. "Be back, I guess," she muttered to herself as she stepped onto their home's front porch. As she closed the front door behind her, she was surprised to see their neighbor Robin walking up their driveway. The brunette was wearing her white karate uniform, which was one of Blossom's favorite looks on her. Her long brown hair was tied back, and her bangs pinned back, too, with a teal colored barrette which matched her eyes.

"Hey!" Robin waved with a big smile as she approached their front porch. "You going somewhere?"

"Hey," Blossom smiled back. "Yeah, the Professor and I have a meeting with the mayor. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way to karate class, but first I wanted to drop this off for Buttercup," Robin reached behind her green belt and retrieved a small multi-colored bracelet, "I made it for her."

Blossom felt her smile fade, but forced it back before Robin could notice. She took the bracelet from her and looked at the simple string of assorted gems, woven together with a simple black chord. "A bracelet?"

"I know Buttercup's not much for jewelry," Robin said with a giggle, "But I was reading this stuff the other day about crystal healing. See," Robin paused to point at the green colored gems, "I used mostly aventurine. Not only is it green, but it's also supposed to promote emotional tranquility. Cool, huh?"

Blossom handed the crystal beaded bracelet back to her friend, "That's so thoughtful," Blossom forced herself to smile again. "It's really beautiful. I'm sure Buttercup is going to love it."

Robin's cheeks became flushed a bright pink, in a sort of bashfulness Blossom had never seen on the girl before then. "Well, have fun at your meeting, Blossom," Robin smiled shyly.

Blossom smiled weakly, "Thanks." As she stepped off the porch steps, she glanced over her shoulder and watched Robin disappear into their home. As the door shut behind her, Blossom felt her heart plummet within her chest.

As Professor Utonium started the engine to their family station wagon, he watched as Blossom seemed to drag her feet as she made her way over to the car. "Everything alright, Sweetie?" he asked as Blossom sat down in the passenger seat.

"Yeah," Blossom answered simply as she snapped on her seat belt.

"You look a little down. Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine Professor," Blossom answered, but kept her gaze fixed on her view from the passenger side window as they left their quiet neighborhood and drove towards the city.

"I thought you were excited to see the mayor?"

"Sure. I guess I am."

Professor Utonium glanced at his daughter and could tell there was definitely something up. He pressed on, "So?"

"So nothing, Professor!" the teenager snapped back, "I said I'm fine!"

Professor Utonium's eyes widened, but he remained quiet as they pulled to a stop sign. He turned his head to look at Blossom, and found her with her hand cupped over her mouth, and her pink eyes wide. She lowered her hand, "Professor, I- I'm sorry." She began to wring her hands nervously, and felt her palms begin to sweat. "I didn't mean to yell at you," she said as she shook her head. "I-I just... I just..."

Professor Utonium gave her a reassuring smile, "It's OK, Blossom."

They drove in silence for several minutes.

Blossom continued to squirm nervously in her seat. She felt terrible for snapping at the Professor like she did, but she had an idea as to why. As much as she tried to ignore it, there was a constant nagging from her subconscious reminding her: She was in love with her best friend. And now to Blossom, it seemed almost definite that her best friend wanted her sister, and not her. Why else would Robin blush like she did when Blossom mentioned Buttercup? Even more obvious- Why else would she go out of the way to make such a personal and meaningful gift for Buttercup? Robin never made anything for her. If her crush had made a bracelet like that for her, Blossom would cherish it forever. Could Buttercup even appreciate such a gift? She'd probably just take it for granted.

Just like she took the Professor's kindness for granted. He had caved and gave her her video games back the other day. Did she thank him? No. And Bubbles' constant doting on Buttercup was no different. Making Buttercup her favorite meals every day, and choosing to stay home with her instead of enjoying their last days of summer outside with friends. It was Bubbles who convinced the Professor to change his mind on the video games. Bubbles insisted that she deserved it, but how? Buttercup just kept getting meaner, and everyone just kept treating her nicer. The worse she behaved, the more everyone seemed to reward her for it. It wasn't fair.

"You know," Professor Utonium began quietly after a while, "You don't have to share if you don't want to, but I wish you would tell me what's going on... You've been a little... off... lately."

Blossom frowned. She felt guilty. She wasn't good at bottling her emotions, and it didn't surprise her that even the Professor could tell. Normally, she had no issue talking things out with the Professor. But he was still her dad, and for the teenager, it felt awkward to share such things with him. Blossom bit her lip and hesitated, "Professor... have you ever liked someone, but... they like somebody else?"

"Oh," the scientist was surprised by the question. "Well, I'm assuming by 'like' you mean romantically?"

Blossom nodded, still biting her lip nervously. "Yeah. That's what I mean."

Professor Utonium couldn't help but smile. "Well," he began. "I have never been very lucky when it came to romance. So yes, I've definitely been rejected a few times throughout my life." He chuckled a little. He paused to think about the initial question, "Well, when I was about fifteen, my older brother had this girlfriend. Oh boy, was I crazy about her!"

Blossom's eyes widened and she immediately turned in her seat, "Really?! What happened?"

"Well, the two of them dated for about three years. I don't know why it didn't work out between them, honestly. But the whole time they were together, I secretly prayed that she'd dump him, and take a second look at me."

"She never did?"

"Well, no."

"But did you ever try to tell her how you felt?"

"Oh, goodness, no!" Professor Utonium laughed a little. "I was way too much of a coward. Besides the fact that she was with my brother, of course."

"Did you ever think that you'd be better for her than your brother was?"

"Oh, all the time."

Blossom frowned and reclined in her seat. Somehow, she felt worse.

"In my case, it was just best to let it go," Professor continued. "I never had a shot, anyway. But you're young, Sweetie. If it doesn't work out with this person, I'm sure you'll have a new crush eventually who will like you just as much as you like them. Besides, who wouldn't like you? You're smart. You're beautiful. You're a Powerpuff Girl!" he glanced at his daughter and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Professor," the redhead was quiet with her response. She crossed her arms, and returned her gaze to the passenger side window. They were on the freeway now which lead into Downtown. The four lanes of traffic were cramped with cars from the evening rush hour. It was only several more miles until their exit, but the slow crawl of the cars ahead of them would have Blossom and her father stuck in traffic for at least another half hour.

As their vehicle crept along the highway, Blossom's eyes fell on the slow approaching billboard that hung in the sky which displayed herself and her sisters. "I am a Powerpuff Girl," she thought to herself, "But so is she." Blossom frowned to herself, allowed her head to fall back against the headrest of her seat, and closed her eyes. She was trying her best to ignore the steadily climbing nausea she felt as jealousy continued to consume her.

Instead, all she could think about was Robin and her sister. They were probably together right then. At least Robin was on her way to karate practice and wouldn't be there for long. At least she could rest easy knowing she wouldn't have to return home to the sight of them together, without her. Not like the other night- the night of the earthquake. Buttercup had been able to dodge her Powerpuff responsibilities, yet again, and got home hours before both her sisters. Blossom had spent the entire evening making sure the city of Townsville was as good as new after that earthquake. But Buttercup? She got to go home early. Not only that, she got to spend the evening hanging out alone with Robin. Sure, it was a nice reward helping the citizens of the city. But the next day, what did the news articles read? "Thank you, Powerpuff Girls." Not, "Thanks, Blossom and Bubbles." That is what they should have said. How was it that Buttercup got all the glory and credit of a Powerpuff Girl without actually doing the work? And in the end, she'd also get the girl?

For the remainder of the car ride, that's where Blossom's mind remained stuck. The more she thought about Buttercup reaping the benefits of heroism without the effort, the more it annoyed her.

City Hall was pretty quiet when the Professor and Blossom arrived. It was already close to seven in the evening, and the majority of the government employees had gone home for the day. Mayor Bellum was a committed politician, however, and Blossom was not surprised to find the tall, auburn haired woman busy at work behind her desk upon their arrival. Her devotion to the city was something that Blossom always admired greatly. In fact, Blossom believed before anyone that Bellum would make a great mayor one day. She had been there to see how Bellum begun her career in politics as young secretary. Sure, the credit always went to the mayor, but Blossom could see for herself that it was Sara Bellum who held the city together from behind the scenes. When Bellum announced her candidacy four years ago, Blossom was her biggest supporter. She believed in her. She promised to make Townsville safe, and with the help of Professor Utonium and Blossom leading the Powerpuff Girls, they all succeeded. Not many politicians fulfill their campaign promises, but Bellum managed to have Townsville villain-free and monster-free before the end of her first year in office.

It was re-election season once more, and the politician's office was cluttered with piles campaign posters and signs, as well as boxes upon boxes of fliers, door-hangers and pamphlets, all freshly printed and waiting for distribution. As she and the Professor waited patiently for the mayor to conclude her current phone call, Blossom curiously took a brightly colored, glossy pamphlet from a nearby box to read for herself.

Mayor Bellum ended her call and stood from behind her desk, "Good evening, Blossom, Professor Utonium," she gave them each a smile and a nod as she walked them. "Thank you so much for coming."

"Our pleasure," Blossom straightened her posture as the tall woman approached. "Say, do you think you'll need some extra help getting these out?" she waved the brochure in her hands.

"That would be wonderful, Blossom," Mayor Bellum said. "I'll have Kenny give you a call soon with our next canvassing date. Maybe you girls can distribute door hangers for us?"

Blossom smirked, "Absolutely. I'm sure we can hit every door in the city in an hour if all three of us split up."

Bellum simply smiled as she returned to behind her desk. She reached for something under her desk as she sat down.

Blossom watched as Bellum sat a bright red gift bag on her desk, and motioned for Blossom. Blossom took the bag and peered inside, but it was difficult to see what was under all the layers of bright pink tissue paper.

"Why don't you use the conference room to get changed?" Bellum smiled at the teenager as she fumbled with the packaging. She then turned to the Professor next and waved her hand towards the chair across from her desk, "Please, Professor, let's talk."

Blossom glanced over her shoulder at the double doors to the conference room, "Be right back, I guess," she smiled at the Professor before she left.

Professor Utonium sat down across from the mayor. The mayor's bright green eyes were on Blossom as she watched her disappear into the conference room. She wore an eager expression as she looked at the Professor again, "Oh, I can't wait for you to see this!"

Professor Utonium smiled politely, but then cleared his throat before speaking, "You said we'd be able to talk about-"

"Of course- Monster Isle." Mayor Bellum retrieved a sealed manila envelope from her top desk drawer and slid it across her desk towards the Professor. "The approval came through this morning. Forgive me for forgetting to alert you, but when I read the project date, I assumed there was time."

Professor read the date in bold for himself, "Next October?" he shook his head, "Mayor, truthfully, I was hoping to begin excavation much sooner than that."

"How soon?"

"Well, I was hoping for more like next month? Certainly not next year!"

Mayor Bellum clasped her hands together and rested them on her desk, "A month?" she repeated in disbelief. "Professor, forgive me, but why the sudden urgency? You only just asked for permission just several weeks ago."

"Yes, I understand that-"

"It wasn't easy getting your proposal through the board this fast," she continued to speak with authority. "And I can assure you, I pulled every favor I had to expedite your request."

"Thank you, Mayor," the Professor smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." He paused before choosing his words more carefully. "Is there any way we can at least set an exploratory mission sooner? Just so that I can confirm there is indeed more cinnabar x left to be mined on the island. Really, my current research is at a standstill until I know what sort of resources I may or may not have."

Bellum sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but it won't be easy, Professor. It's Monster Isle. The beasts on that island have been contained, but they are very much still there. We, of course, have our semi-annual airstrikes, which has reduced the island population considerably, but the density of the island's jungle has been too much. In order to get a crew safely on that island, we need to clear the area of all potential hazards. Frankly, it's going to take time. Perhaps I can call for increased airstrikes, but I'm not sure. I will try, but really, a month's time is unrealistic, Professor."

Professor Utonium nodded slowly, "Thank you, Mayor. I understand."

Bellum and the Professor heard a click from the double doors to their left, and saw Blossom reemerge from the conference room. She wore the new uniform which had been designed for her- a carnation pink, sleeveless leotard with simple black trimming and a matching ruffled skirt that was attached. It definitely shared the same spirit as their original uniforms, even adorning the single black stripe across the abdomen. However, it was a more mature look. Unlike their previous dresses, which were pretty shapeless, this new uniform was made of spandex and hugged her figure tightly. Blossom appreciated the thought that went behind including shorts to be worn underneath, but truthfully, the dainty skirt was a little too short for the tall girl's liking, as it made her already long legs look even lengthier.

Bellum clapped for the super heroine as she floated over to where she and the Professor sat. "Oh my goodness, you look amazing! Doesn't she look great, Professor?"

The Professor smiled, too, "Yes, she does."

Blossom smiled weakly, "Thanks," she said politely, "But I doubt Buttercup's going to be on board with this," Blossom flipped her skirt a little and laughed.

Bellum laughed, too, "Our PR team is way ahead of you, Blossom! They thought the toughest fighter would prefer less frills and were sure to give those notes to the designer." Blossom watched as the mayor retrieved a green colored bag next and held it out for her to take.

Blossom pulled the green colored uniform from its bag and held it up. It was the same design, without the skirt, but still it had very short green shorts. "Huh," Blossom shrugged as she returned the clothing to the bag. "It's not bad, but I'm not sure, Mayor-"

"Please, just take them home to your sisters and think about it?" Bellum insisted, "If we go with these sponsored designs, it could mean extra revenue for the city."

"Really?"

"Oh, absolutely."

Blossom paused for a moment as she considered this. Her eyes fell on her reflection she could faintly see in the glass of the windows across the room. On second thought, the uniforms weren't too bad. "Well, if it would help the city..." she began hesitantly, "I guess the three of us could discuss it."

"That would be wonderful, Blossom!" Bellum smiled wide and her bright green eyes glimmered as she spoke, "If anyone could get your sisters on board, it's you."


Bubbles smiled to herself as she ran her fingers through the stiff, scruffy light grey coat of her coyote friend. She gently scratched behind the young pup's ears as she watched him devour the last bit of kibble and lick the metal bowl clean. As he finished, he licked his lips and gave Bubbles an appreciative howl and wagged his tail. Bubbles giggled as the skinny coyote licked her face once before he trotted across their backyard and leapt swiftly over the fence. She knelt down to retrieve the empty dog dish, and waved at her friend as she watched him travel up the hillside in the distance, "Stay safe out there, Victor," she smiled as she watched him leave.

"You know if you keep feeding those coyotes, they're just gonna keep coming back," Buttercup spoke as she joined her sister on their back porch.

"So?" Bubbles shrugged as she stashed the dog bowl underneath the space behind the last step on their porch. "They have to eat, Buttercup."

"You don't think one day the Professor might notice you're spending your allowance on dog food, when we don't have a dog?"

"I keep the bag hidden under the porch," Bubbles smiled as she joined her sister at the top of the steps. "And I only feed them when he's in the lab or not home."

"Wouldn't they'd rather have something bloodier than kibble?" Buttercup smirked. "The pet store also sells rabbits, you know."

Bubbles immediately gave Buttercup a fast hard punch on her shoulder and glared at her.

Buttercup laughed, as she rubbed the spot on her shoulder, "Hey, take it easy, I'm joking."

Bubbles frowned a little as she lowered herself onto the steps and sat down, propping her elbows on her knees and resting her chin on her hands. Her blue eyes were still on the grassy hills behind their home. It was dark already, and late into the evening. She wondered where Victor went at night, and if he had some place warm to sleep. She sighed quietly, "His parents died last week."

"Whose?" Buttercup plopped down beside her sister and raised a confused eyebrow.

"Victor's."

"Who?"

Bubbles looked at her sister, "The coyote."

"Oh," Buttercup scratched her head, "Well, that sucks."

Bubbles sighed again and tried to push the depressing thoughts from her mind. Victor wasn't the only coyote friend she had made. There was Henry, Phyllis, Tina and Jennifer- all of which lost most of their kin, too. Starvation had recently become an epidemic among the coyotes of Townsville. Bubbles saw it more and more, but what could she do about it? Sneaking out to feed any nearby scavengers was the only solution she had for the time being.

"That's a nice bracelet that Robin gave you," Bubbles decided to change the subject.

Buttercup lifted her left wrist to look at the crystal beaded band, "Yeah..." she said as she lowered her hand again. She glanced at her sister, "Hey can I ask you something?"

"'Course."

Bubbles watched her sister curiously as she played with the bracelet around her wrist, spinning it round and round, "So... has Robin ever mentioned anything to you about... liking girls... or liking anyone? You know. Anything like that?"

Bubbles shrugged. "Not to me." She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Buttercup shook her head. "Forget it."

Bubbles folded her arms and gave her sister a serious look, "Buttercup."

"What?"

"You and Blossom promised each other-"

"Hey, I know what we promised, OK?" Buttercup interrupted her, "Jeez, it was just a question, alright?"

"Alright," Bubbles sighed. "Don't have to get so defensive. I was just reminding you."

"Well, I remember, OK?"

"Remember what?" Blossom asked as she stepped outside.

Bubbles and Buttercup turned and looked over their shoulders to see Blossom had returned home from her meeting with the mayor. Their redheaded sister stood there, still wearing the uniform she had been gifted by the mayor. In her right hand she held a blue gift bag for Bubbles, and her left a green bag for Buttercup. Bubbles shot up immediately with a loud cheer, "Blossom you look amazing!"

Blossom smiled, "Aw, thanks, Bubbles." She held out the blue bag for her sister to take. "Here's yours."

Buttercup stood and crossed her arms. "Oh no, are you serious? What the hell happened to 'thanks, but no thanks?'"

"Relax, Buttercup," Blossom shoved the green bag against her sister's chest, forcing her to take it, "Yours doesn't have a skirt."

"That's not the point," Buttercup glared at her sister. She then looked to Bubbles who held the new baby blue uniform against her body and twirled around, completely won over by the feminine design.

"I'm going to go try it on!" Bubbles announced as she disappeared with a flash of bright blue light.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Blossom. "You said we'd get to decide this together."

"Nothing's decided yet," Blossom said with a shrug. "I told Bellum we'd think about it."

Buttercup shook her head as she laughed a little. "Look at you. That's not your style, Red. Why didn't you just say no?"

Blossom crossed her arms, "If you wanted to be there, you could have."

Buttercup only rolled her eyes in response as she dug through the bag in her hands to retrieve the lime green, spandex uniform. The teen took one look at the slim-fitted garment, before tossing it in her sisters direction with a laugh. "You gotta be kidding me."

Blossom caught the uniform and glared at Buttercup. "Will you at least just try it on first?"

"No way."

"Come on, Buttercup," Blossom rolled her eyes. "They went out of their way to give you your own unique design. I know it's tight, but," Blossom held the bright green outfit against Buttercup, trying to imagine how it'd look on her, "Maybe we can alter it a little-"

"I said no way!" Buttercup ripped the clothing from her sister's hands and tossed it forcefully onto the ground.

Just in time, a flash of blue light cut between the two bickering siblings. "How do I look?" Bubbles asked as she modeled her new uniform with a twirl.

"You look like you're on your way to compete in a figure skating competition," Buttercup scoffed. "Both of you do."

Blossom shot Buttercup a disapproving stare as she picked up the fallen green uniform. Buttercup was getting on her last nerve, but she swallowed her anger, and turned and smiled at Bubbles. "I think you look great, Bubbles."

"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles grinned.

Buttercup gave Blossom a dirty look as she pushed past her and Bubbles, ensuring that she bumped each girl hard with her shoulders as she left. She said nothing as she stomped inside, slamming the door behind her with such force it rattled their home's windows. As the door slammed shut, Blossom clenched the green uniform she still held in her hands. Her pink eyes narrowed with determination as she began to march after her.

Bubbles stopped her sister immediately, grabbing her by the wrist, "Blossom, don't."

Blossom stopped and blinked down at her shorter sister, "Don't what?"

"Don't push her," Bubbles spoke softly. "The Professor said-"

"I know what the Professor said," Blossom interrupted with frustration in her voice as she pulled away from her sister's hold. Her pink eyes softened when she saw her sister staring back at her with concern. Blossom frowned. "It's getting late," she sighed heavily as she rung the green colored uniform in her hands, "I'm off to bed."

"But it's barely eight," Bubbles frowned, but her sister never replied.

Bubbles watched as Blossom walked into their home through the back porch entrance. The blue Powerpuff stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat abandoned by both her siblings. Her blue eyes fell on the swing set in their home's backyard. She slowly floated over to it and sat down on the middle seat, and let her feet dangle as she stared back at their home.

She could see both her sisters shadows moving in their respective rooms through the circular windows above. They were each getting ready for bed. Bubbles sighed heavily as she begun to wind the swing she sat on, twisting the suspended seat's metal-linked chains, as she turned clockwise. As the swing set's chains became intertwined tighter and tighter, Bubbles thought about the day and wondered where things went wrong.

She and Buttercup were having a pretty fun day together, and Buttercup had been in a pretty good mood until just five minutes ago. So what happened? The uniforms? What a stupid thing to fight about. All their fights were stupid. For a couple of supposed geniuses, why couldn't they see that?

Bubbles had wound the swing as tight as it would go. She let go, and the blue Powerpuff spiraled round and round in her seat. Her baby blue uniform's ruffled skirt fluttered in the air as she twirled. As she came to a stop, her blue eyes fell on her sisters' bedroom windows again. She watched as her sister Buttercup's room went dark for the night, followed shortly after by Blossom's.

Bubbles frowned. Maybe she should have gone with Blossom to the mayor's instead of staying home with Buttercup. After all, Blossom had been so busy in the lab with the Professor as of late, Bubbles hadn't seen much of her over the last two weeks. She had been spending most of her time with Buttercup. Maybe Blossom was mad at her for that?

Bubbles began to spin in her seat again, as she pondered the fact that she had to divide her time between both her sisters as of late. It never used to be this way. Not long ago, things were different. Last summer, around that time, they planned a summer beach day together. The three of them even successfully convinced the Professor to skip work, too. Now, their summer was almost over and it had been the worse one yet. Bubbles couldn't think of a single day the three of them spent together other than their birthday, and that was a day that certainly ended in disaster. Sure, Blossom and Buttercup butted heads a lot, but the tension between them had never been this strong. What happened?

As the swing set's chains clinked to a stop, Bubbles faced the direction of their neighbor Robin's home. Bubbles frowned as the answer dawned on her then- Robin. Even though her sisters had sworn to each other they'd drop their crush on the girl, neither of them had. That had to be it. Something was going to have to give, and if both her sisters continued to pretend like nothing was wrong... it wasn't going to end well.

Bubbles released the tension on her swing, and spun freely once more. As the teenager came to stop, her eyes fell once more on her sister's bedroom windows. A sly smile swept her face as an idea came to her. Bubbles leapt from her seat with spunk in her step. She went inside, and kept quiet as she ascended the stairs to their home's second floor. She first used her x-ray vision to check on Buttercup, who was already asleep. Next room was Blossom's, and her x-ray vision also showed her to be fast asleep as well.

"Perfect," Bubbles grinned to herself as she quietly crept into her own bedroom. The young teenager quickly changed into a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top, and climbed into bed for the night.

Bubbles closed her eyes as her head hit her pillow and breathed deeply. It was difficult to fall asleep when she wasn't even tired, but she was determined to execute her plan, and in order to do that, she needed to be asleep. If Buttercup and Blossom couldn't talk it out in the real world, then she'd get them to talk somewhere where "energy meltdowns" weren't a concern.

It wasn't long before the faint sound of distant shores filled Bubbles' ears. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a seagull flying high above in a bright blue sky. The teenager, dressed still in her pajamas, sat up from where she lay on the sand and looked around the beach. She was dreaming, but of what?

Bubbles stood and shook the sand off herself as she began to walk down towards the ocean water. In the ocean, there were large groups of people swimming, surfing, and playing in the water. Along the shore, Bubbles could see the beach was crowded with hundreds of happy beach-goers. There were kids building sand castles, families barbecuing, and teenagers playing volleyball. The weather was hot, but the ocean breeze was cool. It was a beautiful summer day.

There was no telling what sort of dream they'd end up in when the girls went to bed at night. Some nights were fantasies, and some nights were nightmares. That night, Bubbles dreamed of a memory.

"Family beach day," Bubbles smiled to herself as she ascended into the air. Sure enough, she spotted her family in the distance. The blue superhero zipped over for a closer look.

Bubbles stood at the shore and watched her younger self and her sisters play together in the water. Her twelve-year-old self looked so happy as she dove into the waves of the ocean, chasing after both her sisters. Both Buttercup and Blossom attacked her younger self with a barrage of splashing as she swam up to them. Bubbles couldn't help but grin as she watched the memory play out. "This is exactly what we need back," Bubbles proclaimed to herself.

As much as she would enjoy staying behind to relive such a happy memory, Bubbles was on a mission. The young girl lowered herself back onto the sand, and lay flat on her back. She closed her eyes and shut out the dream world around her. Still, in the distance she could hear the voice of her sister Buttercup shouting, but this was good. She could use that. She focused only on her sister's voice, and only that. Soon after, Bubbles could feel the sand around her being blown away by a sharp wind that rushed past her with increasing velocity. There was nothing around her, but emptiness as she fell from her own dreamland and into the next.

It was a difficult task trying to find her sisters dreams, especially since they begun sleeping in their own separate rooms. The further they were from one another as they slept, the more difficult it was to find each other as they dreamed. When they were younger and shared a room and a bed, sometimes they'd involuntarily find themselves in a shared dream without even trying. But that hadn't happened in a very long time.

Bubbles opened her eyes once she realized the smells of the ocean had gone completely. She found herself lying on a cold, dirt surface. She sat up and looked around to see nothing else. In fact, it was so dark, Bubbles could hardly see her own nose. She strained her blue eyes as she tried to survey her surroundings as best she could. It was useless, however, and she found herself growing quickly scared. She had never been a fan of the dark, and that alone was enough to creep the young girl out completely.

Wherever she was, it was cold. So cold, she physically shivered as she slowly wondered through the darkness. It was eerily quiet, except for the sound of her own foot steps which seemed to echo forever throughout the void around her. The teenager held her hands out in front of her as she nervously walked, terrified by what she might find in the dark. "Hello?!" she called out, her high pitch voice echoing in the dark.

"What are you doing here?" Buttercup's voice came unexpectedly, and Bubbles couldn't help but shriek with fright.

Buttercup watched her sister collapse onto the ground from fear, shielding her eyes as she cowered. "Please don't hurt me!" Bubbles cried.

"Calm down," Buttercup rolled her eyes as she knelt down towards her short, crybaby sister, "It's me."

As soon as Bubbles recognized the dark figure as Buttercup, she threw her arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "I thought you were a monster!" she cried as she hugged her.

Buttercup smiled a little, and pulled away from her sister's embrace. She sat with her on the ground, and used her pajama top's long sleeve to wipe the tears from Bubbles' chubby cheeks. "What are you doing here?" she asked again. "Another nightmare?"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, but..." she looked around. "Are you having one?"

Buttercup smiled. She crossed her legs underneath her as she got comfortable on the cold, dirt ground. "Nah, just sitting here watching the horses."

"Horses?" Bubbles blinked.

"You don't see 'em?" Buttercup nodded her head towards the dark void in front of them.

Bubbles strained her eyes for several minutes, but saw nothing but blackness before them. She glanced at her sister who stared out into the darkness with a serene smile on her face. Bubbles looked back into the darkness, and back at Buttercup several times before finally blurting, "I don't see anything, Buttercup!"

Buttercup erupted in laughter, and Bubbles stared for a moment before she slowly started to laugh herself.

"Oh," Bubbles giggled as she shook her head, "You're joking!" Bubbles grinned. "For a minute, I thought you were crazy."

Buttercup wiped a tear from her eye as she slowly stopped laughing. "So what brings you by? You know I could get you in trouble with Leader-Girl for breaking the latest rule already."

Bubbles frowned, "I know we said we wouldn't visit each other's dreams anymore, but I feel like it's an emergency."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "If it's an emergency, shouldn't we wake up then?"

"Not like that!" Bubbles shook her head, and stood. She placed her hands firmly on her hips and spoke seriously, "I'm calling an emergency Powerpuff Girl meeting."

"Now?"

"Yep!"

"While we're asleep?"

"Yep!" Bubbles nodded with determination once more, "So, let's go get Blossom."

Buttercup watched as her sister plopped back down onto the ground and lay flat on her back, shutting her eyes.

The blonde girl opened one eye to peek at her sister, "Let's go," she repeated.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto the floor next to her. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, "She's going to be pissed when we show up, you know?"

"Since when does pissing her off stop you?" Bubbles said with her eyes still shut.

Buttercup smirked with her eyes closed as well. She felt the touch of her sisters hand as she reached for her. Buttercup clasped Bubbles hands in her own, and the two of them began to feel everything else around them slowly melt away.


As Blossom awoke in her dreamscape for that night, she found herself on a bed of snow. The tall girl picked herself off from the ground and realized she was on the front lawn of their family home. There were Christmas lights hanging from their rooftop, and Blossom could see the entire neighborhood was brightly lit with Christmas themed decorations. She breathed to herself with relief, "So far so good."

Blossom held her breath as she reached the front door to their house. A part of her still feared what could be inside. The last two nights, her mind was plagued with nightmares which still had her on edge. She listened closely as she paused at the doorway. She could hear the sound of Christmas music playing, and her sister Bubbles laughing with the Professor. So far, it was a good dream, so she opened the door.

"Surprise!" Blossom was greeted with party streamers and whistles.

Blossom's pink eyes widened with excitement as she read the giant banner that hung across the wall of their living room: "Welcome Home, Blossom!"

Bubbles flew at her with full force and embraced her tightly in a hug, "Yay you're back home from college! I've missed you so much!"

"C-college?" Blossom stammered as she fought to breathe against her dream sister's tight embrace.

"Yeah!" Bubbles cheered. "I made you a cake! Strawberry! Your favorite! I'll go get you a slice!" the blue Powerpuff flew away with a flash of blue light.

Blossom smiled as the Professor hugged her next. "It's good to have you back home for winter break, Sweetie!"

"Uh, Thanks, Professor," Blossom smiled, "Where's Buttercup?"

"Oh, she's up in her room with her new girlfriend," the Professor smiled. "She'll be happy to see you though! You should run up and tell her you're home!"

Before Blossom could respond, the Professor was pushing her down the hall, to the stair case and up to the second floor. Blossom's fears began to resurface, as she took note that the Professor moved unnaturally fast. When they reached her sister's shut bedroom door, suddenly the Professor was gone. Blossom stood outside the door to Buttercup's room, feeling a sense of dread start to overwhelm her. She held her breath as she reached for the doorknob and slowly peered inside.

A brief flash of her tomboy sister with her arms wrapped around Robin was all Blossom needed to see before she slammed the door shut. "Oh God, this is a nightmare!" she cried as she leaned against the door.

"How is this a nightmare?" Bubbles asked, standing beside Buttercup at the top of the stair case. Dream Bubbles was behind the two, offering them each a slice of strawberry cake. Bubbles happily took the plate from her dream-self and grinned, "Thanks, Bubbles!"

Buttercup took the cake, but sat it aside on the stair railing. "Yeah," she muttered as she looked around, "Seems like a party in your honor, Blossom."

Blossom blinked at the two of them for a moment before she yelled, "What are you two doing here?! I thought we said no more barging in on each other's dreams!" Blossom's eyes immediately narrowed on Buttercup with an accusing stare.

"Don't look at me," Buttercup defended herself, "This was her idea," she pointed at Bubbles who happily ate her cake. "Why are you blocking my bedroom door anyway?"

Blossom's face flushed a bright red, which was enough to intrigue both her sisters. In a flash of blue and green light they barged past their sister and opened the door for themselves. Blossom slammed it shut before they could get more than a glimpse, but that was all they needed.

"Dude! Why the hell am I making out with Robin in your dream?!" Buttercup shouted, shocked, amused and confused all at once. "And why were you watching?!"

"I was not watching!" Blossom yelled back, completely horrified. "Trust me, I shut the door as fast I could," she crossed her arms. "I told you. It's a nightmare." Blossom buried her bright red face in her hands, "...I've been having a lot of them lately," her voice was muffled behind her hands as she still tried desperately to hide her shame and embarrassment.

Buttercup just stared back at her sister in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she should feel bad for her, or feel offended that this was what she considered to be a nightmare. Suddenly she heard the sounds of Robin giggling inside her bedroom, causing herself and Blossom to cringe at once. "Can we get the hell out of here?!" Buttercup turned to Bubbles and shouted in desperation.

"Wow," Bubbles breathed as she finished her last bite of cake and watched both her sisters start to panic from the suggestive noises they heard. She swallowed, and slowly sat down her fork on her plate, "You guys definitely need this."

"Need what?" both sisters looked at one another as they watched Bubbles return the empty plate to her dream-self.

"Dream Bubbles, can we use your room for a bit?" Bubbles asked herself with a polite smile.

"Of course, Bubbles!" the blonde girl replied happily.

"Thanks!" Bubbles beamed before she took both her sisters by their hands, and begun to lead them down the hallway.

"Bubbles, what's the meaning of this?" Blossom demanded as she and Buttercup stepped into the bedroom. The two stood confused as they watched their blonde haired sister shut and lock the door behind them. Blossom glanced over to Buttercup who gave her a shrug in response.

"Please, girls," Bubbles motioned towards a set of three bean bags in the corner of the room, "Take a bean bag, and have a seat."

The three girls sat down together. Bubbles pulled her own bright blue bean bag chair away from the other two, so that she faced both her sisters at once. Buttercup and Blossom sat in their red and green colored bean bag chairs respectively.

"Bubbles, what's this about?" Buttercup muttered impatiently.

"Seriously," Blossom frowned, "I thought we decided that dream visits were an invasion of privacy."

"You mean you decided," Buttercup grumbled under her breath.

"Ahem," Bubbles interrupted the two loudly and with a stern look. She then folded her hands on her lap and took a deep breath before stating calmly: "I've brought us all together because it is time for an intervention."

"Bubbles, that's a brilliant idea! I'll go first!" Blossom grinned as she turned to look at Buttercup who glared back at her in response. Blossom cleared her throat before beginning, "Buttercup, you're attitude lately has been a real problem. Not only is it becoming a danger to yourself, but-"

"No, no, no," Bubbles interrupted Blossom as she shook her head. "This isn't Buttercup's intervention." The short girl straightened her posture as she continued to speak seriously from where she sat on top of her bright blue bean bag chair, "It's for both of you."

Buttercup smirked as she reclined in her seat, amused by the shock that swept Blossom's face. "What's the matter, Goody Goody? Don't think you've done anything wrong?" she teased.

Blossom's surprise turned into frustration and she quickly defended herself, "What on Earth have I done?!"

"STOP!" the blue Powerpuff's high pitched voice rang out so loudly, she caused both her sisters to shield their ears with their hands as they cringed from the deafening frequency. Once Bubbles saw that she had their attention, she softly cleared her throat once more before speaking calmly, but seriously again: "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You two can't have a simple conversation without turning it into some sort of meaningless fight!"

"That's ridiculous, Bubbles," Blossom shook her head.

"Yes!" Bubbles shouted, "It is ridiculous!"

"No, I mean that your observation is simply not true," Blossom corrected.

"Yeah, we don't fight all the time," Buttercup shrugged.

"See?" Blossom smiled. "Look at that. Agreeance."

"Yup," Buttercup nodded.

"So, we're done here," Blossom began to rise from her seat, but before she could stand fully, she was knocked back down into her chair by the force of another high pitched shriek from her sister.

"WE ARE NOT DONE!" The entire room shook from the blue Powerpuff's cry.

Buttercup and Blossom exchanged glances once more. It had been a long time since they'd seen their sister that upset, and truthfully it was always a little strange for them to see her loose her cool. "Bubbles, calm down-" Buttercup began.

"No!" Bubbles stood from her seat, and floated above both her sisters. "You two have been at it all summer! Every time I'm with you, Blossom, you're complaining about Buttercup! And Buttercup, you're always complaining about Blossom! And I can never get either of you two together anymore! It's like you're always just trying to avoid one another!" she continued to shout. "Think about it! When is the last time the three of us even sat in these bean bag chairs all at once?!"

Buttercup and Blossom frowned as they watched their short sister slowly descend back into her chair, and hang her head sadly, "You both like to act like nothing's wrong," she said quietly, "But truth is, you both stink at it." Her blue eyes began to glisten with tears as she pleaded with both her sisters, "Please," her voice squeaked as the tears began to fall, "Can't you two just be honest with each other? For me?"

As the smaller sister began to cry, Buttercup and Blossom rose from their seats and joined their sister together on the giant blue bean bag. Buttercup sat on her left side and Blossom on her right. They each took a hand of Bubbles' in their own, and exchanged worried glances with one another.

"She's right," Buttercup muttered as she watched Blossom pet their sister's blonde hair while she continued to cry. Blossom looked to Buttercup and waited for her to continue. The tomboy bit her lip and avoided eye contact as she spoke, "I can't stand you lately, Red. I have been avoiding you. It's just... well, you're impossible lately," she shrugged. "Like, super impossible."

Blossom stared at Buttercup, but she kept her green eyes focused on the floor. Blossom paused for a moment, before she spoke. "Impossible?" she repeated with a laugh, "That's funny. That's exactly how I feel about you."

"Why?" Buttercup finally turned to look at her.

"You first."

A scowl swept Buttercup's face at first, but she shook it away. She frowned. "Well, take our uniforms for instance," she shrugged. "You said it'd be something we'd decide together. But instead, you come home acting like it's a done deal, and you've decided for us. Even when you say nothing's decided, I can tell that you already made up your mind. I know you. I could tell the moment you wouldn't drop me having to try the stupid outfit on... you already decided that these would be our new uniforms. Didn't you?"

Blossom hesitated. She looked at her sister Bubbles who still had tears in her eyes. She sighed heavily as she reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, I guess I did."

Buttercup looked away again. "You're always doing that- deciding things for us- for me. It sucks."

"Well," Blossom began slowly, "I am the leader, and sometimes I have to make decisions-"

"Don't start that leader crap, Blossom," Buttercup interrupted. "This is what I mean when I say you're impossible. You're always acting like just 'cause you're the leader you have some sort of huge responsibility, but it's all crap! I wish you would just drop this whole leader thing, and realize that we're not super heroes anymore."

"Of course we are!" Blossom spoke up. "And this is how you're impossible, Buttercup. You think just because we're not beating up crooks, that we aren't needed anymore."

"We're not."

"Well, I don't see it that way," Blossom frowned. "The city relies on us for so much more. Those uniforms? They come with sponsorships. And those sponsorships can raise money for Townsville."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Who cares?"

"Again, this is what I mean. You should care," Blossom frowned more, "Don't you want Townsville to succeed? Why else did we defeat all those bad guys?" Blossom sighed, "You know, there are a lot of people out there that look up to us. You think I like having to play leader all the time? It's not like you make it easy, Buttercup. You're always making my job harder."

Buttercup glared at her. She opened her mouth to spit back an insult, but stopped herself. Her green eyes fell on Bubbles who watched both her sisters intently. For Bubbles' sake, she swallowed her anger as best she could. "How do I make your job harder?"

"Well, for one you're always skipping out on events like our food bank initiative. Every month the volunteers ask where you are, and every month I have to come up with some sort of excuse as to why only two of the three Powerpuff Girls are there. Also, you're always getting into trouble," Blossom shook her head, "Like, do you know how crazy it makes me knowing that you're out there tarnishing the Powerpuff Girl reputation by partying with stoners?! What if somebody recognized you?! Let's think about that hypothetical. Who would have to defend your actions? Me. That's why I have to stay on top of you, Buttercup. Because you're always about to-"

"Fuck up?" Buttercup interrupted.

Blossom frowned. "No, I wouldn't say that. You just tend to always make the wrong decision, that's all."

Buttercup seemed to bite her tongue for a full minute before she spoke again. "You always think the worst of me, Blossom."

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it?" Buttercup interrupted again. "I mean, look at where we are! Some twisted dream where I get with Robin while you're off at college? What the hell is that about?! I mean, do you seriously think I'd do something like that?!"

"Well, why wouldn't you?"

"Because you and I swore that we wouldn't!"

"But you lie all the time, Buttercup!"

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't lie about that!" Buttercup shouted. She tried to contain her anger, but it had surfaced anyway. She felt Bubbles squeeze her hand and she forced herself to remain calm once more. "You really think that little of me, don't you?" she muttered through gritted teeth. "Again. You're impossible. No matter what, I'm just a fuck up in your eyes."

Buttercup's accusation sliced right through Blossom, and her pink eyes began to water. She tried to turn her head to shield her tears, but both her sisters saw them anyway. "You're wrong," her voice was uncharacteristically weak, "I don't think that at all, Buttercup." Barely audible, she continued with her back turned, "It's not you, OK? It's me. It's all me. I-I know that Robin likes you more, and... I just know it's only a matter of time before the two of you end up together. She's always asking about you when you're not around, you know? You two have so much in common. Then she made you that bracelet... It's obvious. And so I just know, you know? And so these nightmares... they're not because I think you'll betray me. Who knows? Maybe a part of me is afraid you will, but it's mostly because, well, I'm just certain that you two will end up together... And the whole idea of it, well, it sucks... 'cause... I'm in love with her, and I have to let that go."

The redhead's heart seemed to break right before the two sisters as she confessed her feelings out loud. Bubbles turned to Blossom and took her in her arms as the tall girl buried her face in her shoulder and wept. Buttercup was silent.

"You really think she might like me back?" Buttercup asked quietly after a while.

Blossom lifted her head, and wiped her tears once more. She nodded slowly. "Yeah," she confessed, "I do."

Buttercup was quiet for a long time, as she thought about this. "Well," she said after a while. "You don't have to worry about it," Buttercup nodded as she spoke slowly. "I meant it when I promised you I wouldn't try nothing," she looked Blossom in the eyes as she spoke. "And I admit I've thought about it. ...I don't know if it's just me, but I've been getting the feeling that maybe she does actually like me back, and... I've really wanted to go for it, you know? But then I think of you, Sis." Buttercup smiled weakly. She reached across Bubbles' lap for Blossom's hand, and held it, "I promise you, I'm not trying nothin'. I swear. And I know I lie sometimes, but this isn't that. I promise you, Blossom. For real."

Blossom smiled weakly. "That means a lot, Buttercup, but," she sniffled as she wiped at her eyes again, "I don't need you to promise me that." Blossom took a deep breath as she held Buttercup's hand again, "With Robin... I can't help who she likes. And if it's you, then, I'll just have to get over it. If she likes you and you like her then who am I to stop you two from making each other happy?" Blossom looked Buttercup in the eyes as she stressed her next point, "I want you to be happy, Buttercup," she smiled. "So no more promises about Robin, OK? Whatever happens, happens."

"...Really?"

"Really." Blossom forced herself to keep smiling. It tore her up inside, but if this is what it took to relieve the tension between her and her sister, she was willing to make the sacrifice. Especially after witnessing how it was affecting Bubbles. It was time to end the drama. "In fact," Blossom continued, "I think you should go for it, Buttercup."

Buttercup seemed to blush then. She rubbed her shaggy black hair with her free hand and shrugged, "I dunno, Blossom. What about you?"

Blossom shrugged, "What about me?" She smiled weakly, "You're right about me making all the decisions. So, I promise I'll try and work on that, starting with this. I mean, I guess I was the one who said Robin was off-limits for us," Blossom frowned. She shook her head as she felt a stab of guilt hit her hard in the gut, "It was me who made that rule."

"Well... yeah, I guess it was your idea to start," Buttercup muttered.

"So I take it back," Blossom nodded. "And I promise I'm really going to try to not be so bossy. So then hopefully, you won't think that I'm impossible, right?" she smiled weakly once more.

Buttercup returned a weak smile. "So the uniforms?"

"If you really don't like them, then I guess we'll just have to figure something else out."

"Promise?" Buttercup's green eyes seemed to light up a little.

"Promise." Blossom smiled. Even though she was heartbroken about Robin, she also felt relief to be addressing these things with her sister. She looked to Bubbles who wore a giant grin on her face. She must have felt pretty satisfied with herself. Blossom stood and walked over to Buttercup. She held her arms out as the tomboy stood and the two of them embraced.

Buttercup tried to pull away first, but Blossom held on, "There is one thing you can promise me though," she said as she squeezed her sister tightly.

"What?"

"Well," Blossom began as she pulled away finally, "If I promise to change the uniforms to something you like, then I want you to promise that when you wear that uniform, you will respect the Powerpuff Girl way. That means no more half-assing hero duty, and no more law-breaking got it?"

"That's it?"

"I mean it, Buttercup," Blossom folded her arms. "I know you don't find it fun anymore, but it's still our job. I want you to promise you'll take it seriously, even during the small stuff, OK?"

Buttercup's instinct was to roll her eyes, but she resisted. She smiled weakly at Blossom, knowing that behind her sister's own weak smile, she was hiding a broken heart for Robin. "OK, fine," Buttercup agreed. "Sure. I'll try and be better at... whatever it is we do now."

Blossom smirked, "Can I get that without the sarcasm, please?"

"OK, OK," Buttercup laughed. "I promise: I will work at being a better Powerpuff Girl."

"And I promise: I will work at being a better leader." Blossom grinned.

"What about me?" Bubbles squeaked from where she sat.

Butercup and Blossom stared back at her. Blossom smiled, "We promise we will be better sisters?"

Bubbles stood and crossed her arms, and gave her demand: "I want another family beach day."

"A what?" Buttercup stared.

"Family beach day," Bubbles repeated. "Promise me we will all have a fun day at the beach together before the summer's over!"

Blossom looked to Buttercup who shrugged in response. They both smiled at Bubbles, and swore together: "We promise."


As Bubbles awoke the next morning she could hear the sounds of both her sisters laughing downstairs. The blonde girl shot out of bed and rushed immediately out of her bedroom and stood over the second floor railing. From where she stood, she could see into their dining room. Buttercup and Blossom sat at the table together, huddled around a piece of paper that Blossom seemed to scribble on with a pencil.

"There!" Blossom grinned, "How's that?"

Buttercup snorted as she laughed, "It's a stick figure!"

Blossom laughed too, "Well, at least it looks like you then," she teased.

"Oh, OK," Buttercup smiled deviously, "I see how it is then," she laughed as she took the pencil from her sister. She erased the stick figure's circular head, and redrew a much larger circle. "There. Now it's you."

"Ha ha," Blossom replied with a smirk, "Very funny."

Buttercup studied the crude drawing, "We suck."

"Yeah," Blossom laughed again. She looked up from their drawing and saw Bubbles entering the room, "Bubbles, get over here and help us!"

"Yeah," Buttercup smiled, "We need an artist on this."

Bubbles skipped over to the table, grinning from ear to ear. She sat down between her sisters and took the pencil and paper in hand, "What am I drawing?"

"New uniforms," Blossom said.

"Yeah, and no skirts," Buttercup added.

"Good morning, girls," the Professor greeted as he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Professor!" the triplets replied happily in unison.

Professor Utonium stopped in his tracks, and turned around to look at all three girls laughing together at the table. He smiled briefly before he continued to the kitchen to get his morning cup of coffee ready.

"I think pants would be best," Blossom spoke as Bubbles continued to sketch.

"Yeah, definitely," Buttercup agreed. She then grinned big as she had her own idea, "Dude. Let's have capes!"

"No way," Blossom and Bubbles immediately protested at once.

"Ugh. Fine," Buttercup slumped in her chair. "You guys are no fun."

Professor Utonium reemerged from the kitchen, "We're out of coffee," he announced, "I'm going to run to the store and get some. Do you girls need anything while I'm out?"

"We're fine, Professor," Blossom smiled.

"Wait!" Bubbles shouted, "Sunscreen!" she turned in her seat to face the Professor. "We're going to have a beach day soon! Right, girls?" she grinned.

Professor Utonium chuckled, "A beach day? When is this?"

Bubbles smiled, "Whenever you take us! But it has to be before summer is over, OK?"

"We only have a week until school starts," Blossom pointed out, "What about tomorrow, Professor?"

Professor Utonium smiled, "I guess we can make that happen." He checked his lab coat for his keys and wallet before leaving, "I'll be back soon, girls."

Bubbles squealed with joy, "Yay! Family beach day!"

Buttercup and Blossom smiled at one another as they waited for their sister to finish her drawing. Slowly, their smiles faded as they heard the Professor greet someone at the door: "Oh, hello there, Robin."

Bubbles continued to sketch, and didn't seem to hear their friend's arrival. Buttercup and Blossom continued to stare at one another nervously.

Eventually, Blossom forced herself to smile again, "I'm gonna go get some work done for the Professor in the lab," she announced as she stood.

Buttercup watched her as she left the room, and felt a lump form in her throat. She looked to Bubbles, but she was too concentrated on her drawing to notice Blossom had gone. The blonde haired girl only looked up once Robin entered the room with a cheerful grin, "Good morning, Bubbles! Morning, Buttercup!"

Bubbles looked genuinely surprised to see their friend walk into the dining room. "Oh, morning, Robin!"

Buttercup swallowed hard, and gave Robin a simple wave, "Hey."

"We're designing new uniforms!" Bubbles shared as she returned her attention to her pencil and paper.

"Cool!" Robin joined them at the table. She sat across from Buttercup and smiled at the tomboy, "So how'd you sleep, Buttercup?"

Buttercup blinked back at the brunette, "Wh-what?"

"I mean, did you wear the bracelet?" Robin asked. "The howlite is supposed to help you sleep better."

"Oh," Buttercup lifted her wrist and glanced at Robin's bracelet, "Yeah I wore it to bed. I haven't taken it off, actually." Buttercup felt her mouth go dry as she spoke, "I guess I did sleep better."

"Really?!" Robin asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Buttercup smiled weakly. "So, I guess your voodoo works then, huh?"

Robin giggled, "It's not voodoo, Buttercup!"

Bubbles looked up from her drawing and realized finally that Blossom had gone. She looked between her best friend and her sister, and suddenly felt like a third wheel. "Oh," Bubbles said suddenly as she looked at Buttercup, "I'm gonna go... um... brush my teeth?" She stood from her seat and zipped out of the room quickly.

A nervous nausea hit Buttercup as she realized her sisters had left her alone with her crush. Of course they talked about things the night before, and Blossom had told her to make her move, but should she? She said it was OK, but was it really? Her sister admitted to loving the girl, after all. Sure, Buttercup really liked Robin, but love? The green Powerpuff tried not to think about things like that, and now she felt as if she was being forced to.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash heard coming from the basement. Buttercup stood from her seat, and listened carefully. She focused with her super hearing and heard what sounded like Blossom crying. Concerned for her sister, but also glad to have an out from the painfully awkward scenario she found herself in- she flew down to the basement with a quick flash of green light, leaving Robin behind with no explanation.

"What happened?" Buttercup questioned as she skittered to a stop in the laboratory.

Blossom stood in the middle of the lab floor, physically shaking as tears streamed down her face. She stood above a puddle of black liquid and broken glass, staring at the mess in horror. Her mouth was agape as she clutched her head and shook, "Oh my God!" she cried loudly as she fell to her knees and broke down sobbing even louder, "I dropped it! How could I drop it?! I never drop anything! How could this happen?!"

Buttercup walked over to her sister, "Dude. It's OK. Shit happens-"

"It's not OK!" Blossom screamed through her tears, "You don't understand! OH MY GOD, YOU REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Buttercup stood in shock as she watched her sister continue to spiral. She wasn't sure what to do.

"The Professor was already so low on cinnabar x, and I go and lose the last of it!" Blossom ranted as she cried, "What was I thinking trying to refine so much at once?! I'm such an idiot! How could I be so careless?!" she stared at Buttercup with a wild panic in her eyes that made Buttercup feel uneasy. The tomboy knelt down in front of her sister and tried to help her off the ground, but Blossom only grew more hysterical, "NO!" she cried out, "This is terrible! It's all my fault! I lost everything! How could I be such a klutz?! How could I mess up on something that mattered so much?! I can't believe this happened! I can't believe I dropped it! I can't believe-"

"Blossom!" Buttercup took her sister by her shoulders with both hands and shook her, "You need to calm the hell down!"

As Buttercup held onto Blossom, she continued to cry and shake uncontrollably as she breathed faster and faster. Buttercup had seen her sister have a panic attack before, but this one was on an entirely new level. "Blossom," Buttercup tried again, "There's nothing you can do, OK? Whatever it is you dropped, it's done. It's over, OK? So... just... calm down... Please."

"What's going on?" Bubbles asked as she and Robin descended the basement stairs together.

"She's freaking the hell out," Buttercup answered without parting eyes with Blossom, as she held onto her, still.

Bubbles flew over to both her sisters and knelt down beside Buttercup. "It's OK, Blossom," she also tried, "Just breathe."

Robin stayed at the staircase and watched Bubbles and Buttercup try to talk their sister down from her panic attack. "I'll go try to find a paper bag or something," Robin suggested as she climbed the basement steps once more.

Blossom's sobbing slowly stopped, but her breathing remained fast. "Stay with her," Bubbles frowned at Buttercup, "I'll clean up the mess."

Buttercup nodded and stayed knelt down in front of Blossom. She rubbed Blossom's shoulders, as she watched Bubbles start to clean up the mess on the ground. As Bubbles left briefly to throw away all the glass she had cleaned up, Buttercup suddenly realized that her hands had grown strangely cold. She looked down at her hands that grasped Blossom's shoulders, and saw a cool frost start to form on her fingertips. She then looked at her sister and noticed that her skin had turned slightly blue in hue. "Dude!" Buttercup shouted as she shook her sister again, "Blossom, what the hell?! You're freezing!" Buttercup watched her sister turn bluer as she got no response. She panicked and screamed in Blossom's face as loud as possible, "SNAP OUT OF IT, RED!"

Bubbles returned to see Buttercup shaking Blossom violently while screaming in her face, and she immediately rushed over. By the time she reached them Blossom's skin faded back to normal. "Blossom! Are you OK?!"

Blossom's teeth chattered as she slowly nodded in response. "I'm f-fine."

"Uh, no," Buttercup stared at Blossom, "You're not fine. Dude, it was like your ice powers were-"

"I said I'm fine, Buttercup," Blossom insisted again as she rose to her feet. She frowned, as her pink eyes searched the lab frantically, "I just... I need to fix this." She pushed past both her sisters.

"I think you need to go lie down or something," Buttercup stood. She watched her sister with concern. Blossom paced back and forth and Buttercup could see for herself that Blossom's mind was still racing fast. She wondered what she was thinking, but mainly she wondered how Blossom could just ignore what happened. As her sister paced, Buttercup stepped in her path, "You sure you're OK?"

Blossom paused, but only for a moment. The truth was she felt overwhelmed. She had gotten so overwhelmed, it was like she shut down, and everything got so cold. She shuttered. She still felt cold. Buttercup still waited for an answer. "It was just a panic attack," Blossom explained simply, "And it's over now. I'm fine. Really."

Buttercup looked to Bubbles, "You buying this?"

Bubbles shrugged, not knowing what to make of anything. Blossom still seemed panicked, but at least she wasn't hysterical like before.

Robin returned from upstairs and joined Bubbles by her side. "Is she better?" she whispered.

"Think so," Bubbles continued to frown. "I hope so..."

"Look," Buttercup turned back to Blossom who had begun to pace once more, "Whatever it is that you lost, I'm sure the Professor can get more. If he gets mad, I'm sure he'll get over it. Trust me, he always does. So you just gotta stop worrying, alright?"

Blossom shook her head, "That's just it. He can't get any more Buttercup. At least not any time soon."

"Why?" Bubbles questioned.

"It's only found on Monster Isle," Blossom lowered her head in shame, "He's been working so hard, and planning this whole expedition and everything, but they can't get started for like a whole year from now!" The redhead fought back tears again as she tried not to think about how devastating this set back would be for the Professor. "This last portion was supposed to be hopefully just enough for his latest project, and... I wrecked it." Blossom wrapped her arms around herself, as she felt another chill run down her spine, "Now he'll have to wait forever to see it finished."

"Why are they making him wait so long?" Buttercup questioned.

"Because of the stupid monsters!" Blossom sat down at her work station and pouted. "Mayor Bellum said it won't be safe enough for their crew for a while," the teenager slammed her head against her desk and muttered miserably, "They have to bomb the place first or something."

"We can handle monsters," Buttercup shrugged as she leaned up against Blossom's desk.

Blossom lifted her head and blinked at her sister, "We... can." Slowly a smile swept Blossom's face, and her pink eyes lit up, "Oh my God, Buttercup, you're right! We can!" She shot up from her desk and zipped over to a large cabinet at the other end of the room. She pulled out a backpack and started to collect other items throughout the lab. "Bubbles, Robin, do you think you two can keep the Professor distracted today for us?"

Bubbles and Robin exchanged glances. Robin smiled, "Sure, Blossom!"

Blossom fixed her backpack straps and smiled, "Seriously. You two have to keep him out of this lab until Buttercup and I get back, got it?"

Bubbles nodded, "Um. Got it." Bubbles wasn't sure what to make of this sudden plan, but seeing Blossom snap into action like that made her smile somehow.

Blossom smiled as she placed her hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "What do you say, Sis? Ready for some action?"

A wide grin slowly swept Buttercup's face. "Oh, hell yeah!"