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.