"Okay, girls. Goodnight." Red smiled, a mere silhouette from the doorframe of her daughter's bedroom.
"Goodnight." Chorused the three small girls tucked in Buttercup's tiny bed. They snuggled close to one another as the door shut ceasing all light from entering. Bubbles whimpered slightly and Red poked her head in. Bubbles looked sheepishly at her and Red smiled. She left the door a crack open and the sounds of her bare feet against the carpet could be heard as she walked away.
"Blossom?" Bubbles questioned turning slightly toward her sister. Blossom was comfortably staring at the ceiling, as she laid on the right side of the bed.
"What is it Bubbles?"
"Do you think that we'll ever see these people again? I mean, I wanted a mommy so badly and now that I got one, I'm just gonna leave her. And she's not so bad, and just cause my Daddy's kinda mean shouldn't mean she should suffer." Bubbles turned to look at the white ceiling, "Besides…I think Daddy really does care about me sometimes. I feel bad leaving them."
Blossom fidgeted uncomfortably. She thought to her own mother. And also thought back to the conversation she'd had on the telephone about "sleeping over a plebeian's."
It was just after Red had called up that Utonium man on the telephone that Blossom remembered something. Her mother and her Nana would be worried SICK about where she was. And Red had mentioned that she wanted them to stay with her so she could take them over in the morning. Blossom asked to call her mother.
"All right." Ms. Robins had said, "But she may be a little reluctant considering it's a school night. But still, tell her gently. I don't think she'll understand as well if you tell her you're from a different…world." Blossom nodded in understanding.
She picked up the phone and dialed the extended number of the Lukan residence. There was a long slow and steady ring that made her want to bite her nails…of course that would've been impossible. Suddenly, James picked up.
"Lukan Estates." James dull voice sounded through the phone. Blossom paused a moment and then purposefully spoke in her snotty tone.
"James, please put Mother on the phone."
"Little Miss!" James cried excitedly. He took a quick look around and then put a hand in front of the receiver and his mouth. "Little Miss, madam is most distressed about you. She's frantic with worry and has sent Nana and the police force to find you. She is offering a $500,000 reward for your return."
"$500,000!" Blossom had cried. Red's head snapped towards Blossom. She calmed herself and returned to James on the phone. The redhead spoke very softly, "James…is mother…angry?"
There was a pause.
Blossom clutched the receiver a little tighter.
"You better hurry home Little Miss." James said tightly. Blossom's heart sank. It wasn't like her mother would hurt her. Not physically anyway. But if Blossom had to hear how much of a freak she was or how she could never be as good as her mother or anyone else…she sighed.
"James, I can't. Tell Mother I'm fine. I'm sleeping over a friend's tonight. I'm safe. Just tell her that." Blossom said quickly.
"But Little Mis-"
Blossom hung up the phone abruptly. Her conversation now decidedly ended. She let out a deep breath. She'd never defied her mother so much in one day. Blossom knew then that that woman was never her mother in any way. Somehow though, if Red's…"theory" was correct, that they all WERE from a different world and had to be sent back, she'd never see her mother again. And…part of her WOULD miss her.
Blossom shook her head from the memory. She looked towards Bubbles. Her blue eyes showed brightly in the darkness.
"Won't you miss them too, Blossom?" She whispered, her voice barely a breath. Blossom smiled slightly.
"I will miss my Nana. I'll miss my mother too…a bit." She turned to face the bleak ceiling, shifting under the covers. "I'll miss my mornings before school. My mother brushing my hair and styling it. The way she worked so…so passionately. She cared so much about it. It was our time together." Blossom wiped away a small tear. "I…I'll miss that."
Bubbles shifted to look at the ceiling too.
"I know what you mean. They weren't so bad. Mommy let me stay here after all." Bubbles choked back a few tears remembering her own conversation with her mother.
Bubbles picked up the telephone and Red dialed her home phone for Bubbles. Eight long rings passed before someone picked up. Even then there was a long silence.
"H….hello?" Bubbles sheepishly asked.
"B…Bubbles?" A horse voice whispered into the phone.
"Mommy?" Bubbles questioned back. She could hear sobbing on the phone.
"Bubbles! Bubbles honey are you okay?" Nancy asked whispering into the phone, her eyes full of painful tears. She brushed a hand through her messy brown hair sobbing and grabbing the phone.
"I'm fine Mommy…are you oka-"
"Bubbles! You can't…you can't come home tonight, Honey. You can't." Nancy was crying and her voice was a whisper. "Your father he…he…he's angrier than…than…I…you have to stay where you are. I'll try to calm him down. I'll try….I'll try oh God I'll…" Mrs. Fisher was sniffling her body in pure pain. She felt her cheek, a bruise forming the size of his fist. Her husband's. Bubbles and her would match now. "I don't want you coming home tonight, Bubbles." Nancy mumbled. "I can calm him…I just don't want you to be hurt any-"
"NANCY!" A voice screamed through the air. A string of swears followed. Nancy turned back to the phone shaking furiously.
"I have to go. I'll call you later." Nancy whispered quickly.
"Mom-" Bubbles cried but the phone was disconnected harshly, not before Bubbles heard a strike.
Bubbles began to cry, her tears sliding from her eyes onto the pillow. She whimpered softly putting her mitts to her face and crying sadly. Blossom wrapped an arm around her.
"It's all right Bubbles! We…we don't HAVE to go." Blossom said quickly. Bubbles paused a moment whimpering in the darkness.
"The…the Professor…oh but Blossom I can't leave my mommy!" She turned toward the more confident girl and wept into her. Blossom sighed stroking Bubbles hair.
"It's a decision we have to make, Bubbles. The three of us." Blossom looked past Bubbles to her brunette sister. "Buttercup, what do you think?"
There was silence.
"Buttercup?" Blossom asked again. There was more silence. Bubbles turned and leaned over her dark-haired sibling.
Buttercup's eyes were shut slightly and her breathing was gentle and regulated. Her features were softened in the moonlight as she breathed and dreamed. Bubbles wiped her tears away hoping they wouldn't fall on her sleeping sister. Bubbles turned back to Blossom.
"She's asleep." Bubbles smiled slightly.
"How rude! We're supposed to be making this decision together. And…and she's sleeping!" Blossom seemed slightly perturbed.
"We should all go to sleep anyway." Bubbles leaned over and gave Buttercup a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Buttercup." She whispered. Buttercup gave no response.
"You're right Bubbles. Let's sleep on it." Blossom turned away and cuddled up. "Goodnight, Bubbles." She said pulling the sheets up on her. She felt Bubbles lean over her and give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Goodnight Blossom." Bubbles lied back down and Blossom smiled. "Blossom?" Bubbles asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad we're sisters." Bubbles smiled. Blossom shut her eyes lightly and smiled.
"Me too."
The two sisters cuddled up in the bed and suddenly felt better about everything. No matter what road they chose they'd have each other. But in the darkness, one set of eyes opened, waiting for them to fall asleep.
* * * *
Many a tear had fallen that night, soaking the pillows. Not only by the young little girls who had laid awake in their bed, but by Red Robins who had been sobbing into her hands since the girls went to bed. Her hair was sloppily displayed around her face, which was buried into her palms. Her face was red as she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a few more tears out. Her head pounded and she doubted she could cry anymore.
She had her knees pulled up against her chest, the night feeling hot with the sheets crumpled around her feet and spilling off of the side of the small bed. Red had been crying for so long she felt all cried out. All she had left were dry sobs that were almost like whispers. She took her hands away from her face and hugged her knees closer, feeling childish. Red looked out of the window towards the moon, wondering exactly how she could give up her only child and still remain a whole person.
Red closed her eyes and began her memories. Way back five years ago when she was a lonely woman living in a small apartment without even a cat to call her own. The days went in and out slowly. Most of time she spent working at the bank until late hours in the night even on holidays. What was the point of going home to that big empty house and those rotting TV dinners in the freezer? Life seemed almost pointless to Red. A lot of the time.
But, one day while she was cleaning out her house she heard a sound. Red was taking out the trash and was walking down the hall when she saw a little wicker basket outside of Mr. Grunther's front door. She would've left it alone except that it looked like a bassinet with a green blanket, and something was crying inside of it. She put down the garbage and noticed a crinkled white note pin callously to the top of the basket. It was a letter from a poor mother abandoning her child on the doorstep. In the middle of reading it, she felt a tug at her skirt. Red looked down and saw a pair of large green eyes staring at her. They were reddened and teary as the child wailed. She reached down and picked her up. The little child squirmed failing her little arms sadly. The child was odd missing fingers and toes and ears and a bellybutton as well as a nose. Red began to wonder what had happened to her when the little green eyed girl giggled and tugged on Red's hair. She melted. She looked over the note again to find a name, but there was only one name in there. Buttercup.
Red took care of her. She remembered teaching her everything she knew about. About the world and the trees, manners, reading. She took her to the park, baked cookies with her, brought her to town, went swimming at Bonsai Garden Park. Red had one very fond memory. It was late at night and the thunder crashed outside loudly. The power had gone out and Red was holding her little candle high, her only light in the darkness. Lighting flashed outside as Red walked over and peered in on her tiny four-year-old. She saw her little Buttercup with the blanket over her head, staring outside. A flash of lightning and a roar of thunder boomed. Buttercup pulled the covers over her head further. Red smiled and walked in.
"Hey," She whispered and Buttercup jumped.
"Hi Mommy." Buttercup peeked up from beneath the soft covers.
"Are you scared, Sweet Heart?" Red placed the candle on the dresser next to Buttercup's bed. Buttercup shook her head when another crash seemed to shake the whole house. Buttercup clung to her mother and nodded vigorously. Red smiled and sat Buttercup on her lap as the girl sniffled. "It's okay, Honey. Thunder can't hurt you. It's just a loud noise." She commented rocking her gently.
"I don't like it." Buttercup commented softly. Red rocked her softly and whispered.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I'm a little scared too. Why don't you and I stay together tonight?" Red smiled. Buttercup hugged her and smiled back. Red rocked her softly as the rain poured down outside in sheets and the thunder boomed. The light from the candle was dim but enough and Red slowly began to sing. "You are my sun-shine, my only sun-shine. You make me hap-py when skies are gray…" She sang as Buttercup drifted off to sleep. Red beamed.
But that was then. Back when it seemed that nothing in the world would ever change for the two of them. Red took in a ragged breath and let out another dry sob. She didn't want to give up her baby! The Professor could never lover her as much as she loved her…right? It didn't matter though. She had to consider it as if one day Buttercup had just disappeared. What would she rather have, her daughter returned to her, or to never ever return because somebody loved her "more". Red wept again. God, she was going to miss her, and them. Blossom and Bubbles. She'd never see them again either. They were so innocent and sweet. Their lives seemed like some kind of Reader's Digest article. One without a caring mother and the other with an abusive father. If there was only something more she could do for them. If she could, she would've adopted them too. Just to save them from those people. But at least they…they would be back with the Professor. Back with someone who truly loved them. It wasn't fair that they had to have those memories though. If she were their mother she would've done things different. But that just wasn't the way fate had dealt the cards.
"Mommy?" A voice whispered sadly from the doorway. Red looked over to see her daughter standing there in bare feet on the cold floor. Her long white nightgown glanced over the top of the floor. She rubbed her one good eye with her mitt. The other one still hurt from the baseball that afternoon. She stood waiting for a response.
"Oh, Honey." She wiped the dried tears away quickly; hoping her daughter wouldn't see them in the darkness. "What's wrong, what are you doing here?" Red got out of bed and scooped Buttercup up in her arms. She cradled her gently and at first Buttercup struggled, she didn't want to be treated like a baby, then she relaxed.
"I'm confused, Mommy. Red?" Buttercup was unsure of what to call her now. Red's heart stung.
"Just…call me 'Mommy' for now." Red forced a smile. "Why are you confused?"
"I keep having these memories that…that confuse me. I remember losing my first tooth and on that same day, I remember fighting a girl named 'Princess'. I remember the day you and I went apple picking and also I was kicking Mojo Jojo in the face. And…and I remember the night I couldn't go to sleep cause I had this…bad dream and you came in and started to sing to me, and you said 'It's okay, I'm here now'. Then…you carried me off to your bed…and…we went to sleep…" Buttercup said softly. She remembered wanting that. She remembered wanting to have somebody to take care of her when she was afraid. But…but she still missed her Professor. She missed his laugh and his hugs and his advice. Buttercup just missed him so much now. She wanted them both. "Mommy!" Buttercup cried suddenly making Red jump. "Be our Mommy. Come back with us and be our Mommy. You can take care of me, and Blossom, and Bubbles. I don't want to be there without you, or here without the Professor and my sisters."
"If only things were that easy, Honey." Red whispered cradling her child. "You three…you all…come from a different place. Not just a different house, but a different world. If I went there…I could mess up the space-time continuum, or something." Buttercup looked sadly up at her and Red sat down on the bed with Buttercup in her lap, stroking her hair gently. "It's not like I don't want to be with you three, but things would never work out. I could mess things up and the Professor might feel I've replaced him or I'm trying to. I…let's not talk about this tonight honey. Let's get some sleep for tomorrow."
"But, I'm never going to see you again." Buttercup whispered. Red tilted her own head back to keep new tears from rolling out.
"Sure you will, Baby. Now lets get some sleep, okay?" Red asked and Buttercup just nodded. Red rocked her back and forth and softly sang the same song she sang to her as a baby. "You are my sun-shine, my only sun-shine. You make me hap-py when skies are gray. You know I love you, my only sun-shine. Oh please don't take…my sunshine…away." Red almost choked on the last part of the song. So she continued the song, humming until the last part again. "Oh please don't take my…sunshine away." She looked down and Buttercup was asleep. That song always made her sleepy. Red cuddled up with her and made sure the covers were up high and warm on the five-year-old. "Goodnight, Honey. I…I will miss you." Red shut her eyes tight and then turned away. "I'll miss you so much."
