Author
Author's Note: Contact me at theak472@aol.com.
Twisted Rey says hello, and thank you for reading all the way to the end. This
chapter's here just to, you know, wrap things up.
Maybe I'm Twisted
by Rey
Chapter 13 - Forever
Starting Anew
"She's got it all worked out..." - Semisonic
There was a
dull knocking at the door. Butch and Bubbles, who shared the same ward, now
simultaneously lifted their heads, Bubbles raising a hoarse voice to call,
"Come in."
Into the
room trooped Buttercup (looking a little bruised, but healing), Brick (also
rather bruised), Boomer (with his arm in a sling), and Blossom (on crutches).
Smiling
brightly, Buttercup rushed to Bubbles' side, Blossom not far behind. "Oh,
Bubbles! Bubbles, we were so worried 'bout you..." Bubbles giggled quietly,
wincing in the same instant. The bruises on her face had been treated, and all
the scorching treated and bandaged.
"I'm
gonna be okay, guys. I'm getting all better, see?"
Around the
bed next to Bubbles' stood Brick and Boomer, heads bowed self-consciously.
Butch, who had survived his crushing ordeal, was wrapped up in some places with
rolls of bandages. On his face, it was clear to see the skin was beginning to
grow again. His hair was thinner, but most of it was still intact.
"Yo, my
brothas," Butch managed to rasp. Boomer lifted his head, and gave a
lopsided half grin. No more words needed to be spoken, for Butch easily
understood. They'd been terribly worried about him too.
Just then, a
nurse bustled into the room. Auburn curls framed her face, and her mannerism reminded the
girls of Ms Keane. She moved about the ward, inspecting the two children, and
writing something down on her clipboard. Slowly becoming aware of the children's
eager gazes, she lifted her head to smile at them.
"Yes,
there's good news. They're both healing at an incredible pace, and I do believe
that later this afternoon Professor Utonium will be around to pick you all up.
Now do have fun, but remember, no getting up for -" she paused to glance at
the clipboard, "Butch, and try not to get too excited..."
"Bubbles," Blossom said helpfully. The nurse nodded, and beamed at
them all cheerfully.
"I'm
sorry, but I must be off now. Goodbye, little children," she chimed,
hustling out of the ward quickly.
The children
had many ways of amusing themselves, and time passed quickly. When it was
nearing evening, there came a knock at the door, and the Professor entered with
a smile.
"Well,
hello, there, children. I hope you've been having a fun time! The doctors say
it's okay for you to come home now, Bubbles, and for you, uh..."
"Butch," Boomer supplied.
"Yes,
Butch, it's okay for you to go home now."
There was an
awkward pause, Buttercup shuffling her feet nervously. The Professor looked from
her to the boys, and blinked. "Don't... don't you have any place to
stay?"
"Well,
we could stay at Mojo's -" Brick began.
Buttercup
interrupted sharply, glaring at Brick. "No!" The Professor looked
slightly shocked, but quickly regained his composure.
"Err,
well... I suppose you boys can stay out our house, then. For a while, at least.
There's an extra room upstairs, the guest room..." The boys looked
flabbergasted, and grins broke out on their faces slowly.
Home? A
home? For us? Butch thought, and a glance at his brothers' shocked
expression confirmed they were thinking just the same thing. The Professor
smiled back, and knelt down to speak with the boys at their height.
"Yes,
we have space for you. But you have to be very good."
Boomer
pumped his good arm in the air enthusiastically. "Woohoo! Kick ass!"
Butch, if he had been able to, would have jumped for joy. The girls themselves
looked astonished as well, but they appeared to take it well. At least Buttercup
and Bubbles did; Blossom looked slightly worried for perhaps the state of their
house. She looked up at the Professor, hoping he knew whether he'd made the
right decision or not.
The
Professor himself look quite happy at the way things were turning out. The
nurses arrived to help Butch and Bubbles out of their hospital beds, before the
six injured children and the Professor were squashed into the car, and driving
back homewards.
"Well..." Butch said, resting his head on his hands, seated at the
coffee table in the living room, across from Brick. A week or two had passed
since they had returned to the living world. The skin on his face and hands was
almost fully healed, and he was back to his normal spunky, rude self again.
"It's nice living here. Not as bad as I thought, anyway" They'd all
changed, he knew very well. He himself most of all, perhaps. Brick, for once
without his cap, scratched his head, reclining on the sofa.
"Yeah.
Not so bad with the girls. The Professor's okay, too." The redhead
admitted. He tugged his jersey down a little further, glancing over his shoulder
into the TV 'room'. Buttercup and Boomer were enthusiastically playing a video
game, Blossom and Bubbles watching. He smiled slightly, turning back to face
Butch. "Not so bad after all."
"It's... well... it's a home. Our home, now." Butch himself smiled a
little at the thought, stretching out on his side of the couch. "I thought
we'd be fighting, well, all day long with the girls. But.. we seem to be getting
along pretty well. Maybe some fights now and then... But like the great John
Lennon says, make love, not war. 'course, I'm still a fighter... maybe one
day..." He trailed off.
"Maybe
one day, what?" Brick smirked slightly, sprawling out with his cap laid on
his stomach. "You don't have to hide anything from me, I'll find out sooner
or later, anyway."
"Maybe
one day I'll be a lover, too."
"Aw,
come on. I doubt it. No girl's gonna want your pig's arse face," Brick
snickered, sending a sidelong glance towards his brother. "Me, well, I'm
the cool dude. And I'm good-looking, too."
"And
modest." Butch added sarcastically. "Besides, why do you have to like
that... I forgot her name... Buttercup, yeah, that's it. Why Buttercup? Why her,
why so fast? So many other girls out there, you have to fall in -" He
paused, to make a face. "Fall in love with that two-dollar wh
-"
"Don't
call her that," Brick hissed. "She might not be beautiful, she might
not have a nice voice, or nice eyes, or whatever. She could be hideous.
But me? I love her not because she's beautiful, but she's beautiful because I
love her."
After a
short pause, Butch looked up. "Spoken true, brotha," he said, doing
his best to make it a sincere tone.
"I
appreciate your effort," Brick grinned.
"Hey,
Buttercup," Brick called, gazing up the tree in the park. It was her
favorite spot, he was beginning to realize. The Professor had treated them all
to another outing at the park; Butch trying to teach Bubbles and Blossom to
throw a football properly, with an amused Boomer looking on. Buttercup turned
her eyes downwards, lizard-like, and smiled as she recognized him immediately.
"Hey,
cutie. Come on up," She said, patting the space on the branch beside her.
Brick chuckled, hovering up slowly to seat himself next to her.
"So
sup, Bee-Cee?" Brick said, chastely planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Just been thinking?"
Buttercup
sighed, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "Well... those dreams that made
me bring you three back. In my dreams, you were... well... leaving me. Telling
me you had to go, you were sorry, and..." Her voice grew faint, and she
fell silent. Brick smiled, turning his head to kiss the top of hers, and smell
the faint honey-scent of her hair.
"Maybe... maybe it's symbolic, Bee-Cee," he said, holding her close.
"'cause I left my cap with you... good thing you kept it, too... and, well,
I had that bad turn... kind of like leaving you... but I'm back now, aren't
I?" He smiled again.
"Yeah,
you are..." Buttercup smiled back, looking reassured.
The two sat
together in silence for a while, until Brick thought of a question.
"Why'd
you do it, Bee-Cee?" He asked. "I mean, why'd you bring us back? Those
dreams? Just... well, I don't believe in it much myself, but, just Fate?
Chance?"
Buttercup
was quiet, as she searched for an answer. "I honestly don't know," She
finally confessed. "Maybe I'm twisted."
Brick
laughed quietly, running his hand through her hair slowly. "That answers
everything."
Rey: END! ..Nice, is it not? My
dear proofreader will churn up an epilogue sooner or later. Um... I suppose I'll write
a sequel about now. I've already got the idea in my head. Just for now, though, grace me with thy reviews.
I like 'em, you should know that by now.