Author's Note: I know you want to kill me for not updating for four months on end. Being a teenager-college bound at that-is nobody's joke. I feel like ringing somebody's damn neck if you really want to know how I feel, but then I started to get reviews from this story and then remembered I still had yet to complete it and ladies and gentlemen, that is annoying the living f*ck out of me. So without further adieu, I present the long awaited:

Chapter Nine

            At the stroke of midnight, Marina sat up in her bed, sweat dripping off of her body when she realized that he was sitting at the foot of her bed. Raven Plutonia, the late, was sitting at the edge of her bed, and she was wondering if she was going insane or not. If she was either dreaming or not. Either way, she was going to confront him as if he were alive. Anyway you put it, when it came down to it, nothing changed between them.

"Marina." He said, instead of asked, as she looked him up and down,

"What are you? Coming back from the dead Raven?" she asked, in a joking manner, giving a little chuckle, "Or did I just reach the point of insanity?"

            Marina, at many nights, did stay awake wondering about the man that had left her life over another female and the stupid mistake he made. Of course, with him, she was planning to move somewhere like Townsville and live there without the drama. Just have a nice life, have a good husband, and three sons…maybe even a daughter.

"Actually smart ass, I am." He said, with her chuckling stopping short, as she caught her heart and looked up at him. Her shock wore off, because dead or alive, she had things to tell him.

"Fuckin' bastard. How dare you come back here, after you died and fucked up your sons' lives and damn…how fuckin' immature was you Raven?"

"Your right." He said, cutting her off, sitting on the side of her bed, crawling up towards her, bringing her in a soft embrace, kissing her on the cheek.

"You don't feel like the dead." She commented, with the warmth of his lips on her cheek,

"Well, I have until the next hour to talk to you…so they let me come back as a human."

"Who?" she asked, raising her brow towards him,

"Don't worry." He said, "Just listen. I got shit to tell you and I don't wanna waste time."

"Alright." Marina said, holding his hand, "I'm listening."

"Alright. I know how shit was going when we got married. I mean, I'm the one who fucked up, but when you think about it, I couldn't grow up and make mistakes and it'd be okay like our sons. I was just made as a grown man and then I'm learning about assets of human life and emotions and hormones. So, I was stuck in the stage, from what I've learned, between being a teenager, a bachelor and a married man…"

"Raven…" Marina started off, but then sat and listened. He was making sense when she stopped to think about it.

"The only history I had was that I met you and fell for you without even knowing what that meant. You taught me that girl. I learned the whole ego thing from people I hung with and then understood…it was like I was a baby in a grown man's body understand? So when Melissa came along and I did what I did with her, I didn't too much feel bad about it, but then on the other hand, I was scared as hell when she told me she was pregnant. So what I told her was that when she had the kid to give them to me so we can take care of him you know? I thought it was all peaches and cream when I learned that what I did was basically betraying you and my family. I mean, you know I love you and nobody else. Melissa was just a temptation I fell for because I didn't learn control. And the next thing I know, Saluke wants to kill me, and with somebody's help…he did."

            Marina was silent, but understood well what her late husband was trying to tell her. He hadn't understood life and was learning as a child would, although some things she felt he could've picked up on. But what did she know? She had been born and grew, but Raven hadn't. He was the product of sheer accident, but he had bought happiness into her life until things changed.

"Well, if that's the case, I could finally forgive you." Marina said, looking into his face, and stroking it, "I miss you too much you know?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't meant to be here." He said, "Those boys...they belong."

"Why can't you just come back to me?" Marina said almost in tears that Raven was only in her reach temporarily,

"I wasn't meant to be…" Raven explained, "But what happened happened, and if anything sugar, I'm happy it did."

Marina smiled, knowing he was referring to them, and when they did fall in love. She just wished if anything, he could come back, but knowing that his mistakes weren't intentional, could finally let him go and let him and her heart rest in peace.

            They talked on about the boys and their various lives. Marina told him how his sons were involved with the females that Chrysanthemum, his counterpart, made with her mate, and Raven smiled, wanting to know all about it and how life was treating his sons, although he had yet to visit them, especially his youngest-the one whose life he hasn't even been able to be in. He didn't even get a glance of him whenever he was born.

            When the clock struck it's time, he gave Marina one last soft and sweet kiss on her lips, looking at her longingly in her eyes, when he disappeared into the air. Marina, instead of crying like she thought she would, sighed and then fell back into a calm sleep, her heart for the first time in years, being lifted up, and in happiness.

~~~~~~~

Four months later…

            The summer months of the school year came, and people were running around, dressed as they pleased in short shorts, and tight skirts and the like. Of course, just because the sun was out, didn't make Buttercup dress like the other girls, not before, but somehow, as she walked out of the house, wearing a tight fitting tank top, with some tight shorts that were above her knee, she found herself feeling sexy and different. Probably because she liked the way Bruiser complimented her on how she looked. It seemed that it mattered to her what he thought somehow, although she didn't openly admit it.

"Buttercup!"

The green eyed female ran back inside to see Blossom holding up a phone and the like. Buttercup smiled and took the phone from her.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetie."

"Hey cutie." She said, "What's up?"

"I just bought Tekken Tag Team again and you know I've been itching to mess you up in that game right?"

"Really? I doubt that."

"How much you wanna bet?"

Bruiser paused and then said, "I'll tell you when you get over here."

"Alright cutie. We'll see."

            Right then, she hung up the phone and within five minutes the doorbell rang, with Buttercup opening the door to see her boyfriend standing there holding up the game with a smirk on his face. Buttercup smirked back and then put her arms around his neck, kissing him straight on the lips. He grinned a little and kissed her back, while Blossom walked away, not caring too much about looking on at Buttercup's PDA moment with her boyfriend. In her state of mind, she made her own with Butch, not looked at them with somebody else.

            Buttercup let go and snatched the game out of Bruiser's hand as he let a mischievous look pass through his face and followed her into the living room. They both sat in front of the Playstation Two that was on the side of the TV and popped in the disc. Only seconds after the promotional what-have-yous, the game came on and the couple picked their consecutive fighters.

            They played on and on holding their own, having a close match with their fighters, until Bruiser gave Buttercup a K.O. Of course, with Buttercup gritting her teeth, she sat down and decided to fight harder during the next round. With her mind set on beating him too much, instead of being relaxed, Bruiser had got the upper hand against her again.

"Damn sweetie, I thought you'd be more of a challenge than this." He said, "You can't even hold me for two seconds."

"I can hold you for more than two seconds in other ways." Buttercup shot back, her anger that Bruiser was winning getting to her.

Bruiser saw this and found her to be overly sexy at the moment. So much that he had a weird reaction to it, but wanted to act on it, since they haven't gone down that road for the while. Since Buttercup was being way crazy with her ways, he wanted to go blow for blow against her again.

"Really?" he asked, in a simple tone, "How?"

            Without thinking, Buttercup turned off the game, and walked towards the back, and then took flight in the air without thinking. Bruiser followed suit, and was caught off guard when Buttercup threw a fast one at him and knocked him towards the ground. If anything, she followed him as he sped at a quick speed towards his bolting dead end. Before he could touch the ground however, he stopped himself mid air, winding back his fist to catch Buttercup in the stomach.

            Buttercup's own hand by instinct threw him an upper-cut and kneed him in his groin. As he gave a grunt, not too much suffering by the blow, he threw her in the same fashion she had first thrown him, with her spiraling towards the ground, but then catching control of her direction she spiraled back to him until she rammed head first into his stomach, making him catapult straight to a tree.

Buttercup smirked, seeing that as her victory and then flew up to the tree where she sat on his lap, caressing his face and giggling at how crazy and erratic they both could be, and she kissed him without warning.

"I got you cutie." She said when she pulled away, when Bruiser just gave her a smirk that Buttercup found all too sexy as usual,

"I know. You win. I still whipped your ass on that game like I said I would." He said, only being rewarded with a quick jab to his chin.

Bruiser chuckled, bringing Buttercup closer to where they were in that tree. He kissed her and then stroked her chin.

"Alright, you won sweetie." He said, "It's fucked up that I gotta lie to you to please you."

"What was part of the bet?" Buttercup asked as Bruiser shrugged his shoulders,

"I forgot." He said, "Fuck the bet, I just wanna kiss you."

Buttercup obliged to his desires and let him kiss her, while he ran his hands where they could go on her body. He liked the fact that they were hidden in the tree so nobody could interrupt them at all. So with that, he took full advantage of the privacy he had with his girlfriend until…

"BRUISER! YOU'RE MOTHER CALLED SAYING THAT SHE WANTS YOU HOME FOR DINNER TONIGHT!"

            On reaction, both heads looked down to see Bubbles standing right at the door, looking at the tree with her eyes in a darker shade of the blue they were. That let both of them know that she was using her x-ray vision to locate the pair as they both sighed. Without another thought to it, Buttercup just kissed him some more, while he groaned and let his hands run up her shirt, trying to give Bubbles the message that maybe she should disappear before she saw too much.

The blonde did disappear, only after she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, thinking the pair was just too much.

            Buttercup let him run his hands just about everywhere they could go, with their making out getting as fierce as it wanted to. The thoughts ran in her mind that she really felt like she wanted to give him all of her, but knew that it was too quick, and too sudden. She wanted to hear him say he loved her first. The rest would come later.

~~~~~~~

            Melissa had walked into her boyfriend's house, about to tell him, that she had had enough of his mess. She was telling him that she was ready to go back to school, and do all the things she wanted to do. Being with him, running away from her parents, had not been her plans, and that made her heart bitter, and that's why she had wanted love from another woman's man. Although in the end Raven had said he had no feelings for her, she felt he treated her better, even if their relationship was just for the sex.

            Melissa had been a good girl, living in the suburbs of Queens, going to a nice school as a young child, doing all that she could to get straight A's. When she had later met Saluke in high school, a crazy romance had started, with Melissa's heart beating every time he kissed her, and swelling every time he said he loved her. It was crazy until the point that Melissa had begun to get bad grades, and her interests were basically all him. When her parents forbade her to see him again, she went crazy and ran away, never turning back, when she had thankfully retrieved her GED after taking the required test. She'd learn that it meant nothing for her, being that her dreams and aspirations would be a far reach away, but as long as she had her man, it was alright.

            That was a mistake it'd take the young female to see right after she moved in with him right in his Brooklyn apartment, since he lived alone. Years had passed when Saluke called her names, started to just be with her and not be affectionate, and time passed when it hardened her heart. More sooner than later, the pain that Saluke gave her channeled through her heart, turning love into it's harsh and unforgiving opposite hate. Along the time when she really didn't want anything to do with him, but couldn't really get out of the hellhole she lived in, being that she had Bruiser to take care of after he was born, product of her wanting to be with Saluke, and take him away from the problems Marina had created within him…from what she understood anyway.

            Saluke had kicked her out his house once Bruiser had been born, leaving her with only money every month to raise the child, and nothing to benefit her that was, until he found out whose child it was. Either way, he had kept paying up until that day he decided enough was enough. And that was when Melissa had soon cried tears of pain as she walked away from the place where she would never see her son again. If anything, she was really torn and hated Saluke even more for threatening to kill her child. Almost any and everything she did was for him, and she gave her his all.

            It was when she was sitting in the house, going over every part of her life she noticed that never was she happy. She hadn't even spoken to her parents in sixteen years time. No doubt she even knew whether she was dead or alive. That made her even sadder than she had first begun. She had upset her parents and everything, over him.

            That's what had her standing at the door, using his key to walk in noticing the only thing present was the smell of his beer. If anything she looked around the house, opening every drawer, and anything that she needed to go through. When she had noticed something funny about his mattress, she walked over to that, lifted it up and dug inside of a hole, pulling out ten thousand dollars in cash. Not knowing what to do with it, she had somehow stuffed it in the briefcase that she had once left at his house a long time back, and then fixed everything back perfectly the way it was, since she was too used to cleaning up after Saluke…something she did too often.

            While walking down the block, lugging the suitcase along afterward, she saw Saluke walking with another female that had long blond hair, and blue eyes, the regular airhead that she had known throughout school. Saluke had caught her eye and then smirked, stopping short of Melissa before stating his last words to her.

"I'm glad you're moving out because I was fixing to tell you to move the fuck on. I got someone fresh, new and clean."

            Melissa looked over at the blond, who gave her a once over and turned up her nose. Melissa shook her head, not giving a care in the world, happy that she could finally leave the hellhole, right after seeing that she had him back for what he did to her. Melissa had no idea of how and why Saluke had the money stuffed in his bed, but he found him rather stupid for not spending it in the first place. Now it was her reward for putting up with him, and she already thought of the many stores that she could go to and the little pricey makeover she could give herself.

Melissa found herself putting a little pep in her step and a smile on her face. She was finally free. Nobody could tell her otherwise.

~~~~~~~

Dear Bruiser,

            Hey, this is your mother. I don't know whether you'll read on after this sentence, but I have to tell you that I miss you. You're my baby boy, although you weren't born within the right conditions and the best of intentions, that I loved you. I know I put you through hell and back and that I didn't give you the world, but I hope that Marina is doing better than I could. Right now, I seem to be getting my life together since I walked out of Saluke's house and got myself a job to hold up an apartment for the moment. The quick of it was that I've been more than what I seemed to be to you, that was until I met Saluke and only years later you were born. As of now, I could more say that I'm proud of what I did, and I'm very much happy that you're alive and well and living better like you should've with the right person. I'm sorry that Saluke killed your father as I know you know, and I'm sorry that I'm the reason you went through so much. If anything, I hope you're doing fine and well. If you don't too much as want to see me again, I'd understand. I just wanted to let you know that I miss and love you too much. You're my one and only child, and you're too special for words. Until later…

Melissa

            Bruiser sat and read the letter out loud while Buttercup sat on his bed, looking over the confused expression, mixed with the anger in her boyfriend's face. She didn't know what to do or say that would stop the pain from coming from his heart but be there. So when Bruiser just looked up at his girl with that sad look in her eyes that he didn't see much, he walked over and laid on her while she held his shoulders and kissed him and ruffled out his hair.

"I don't know what to do Buttercup." He said, "For once I'm real fucked up about this."

            Bruiser then sat up and then pulled Buttercup on his lap, with her straddling him while she just looked him in the eyes and saw that sadness was something rare for him too. She rubbed him along his chest while looking on intently and saw his desires, although his pride was holding him back from letting it all out and somehow deep inside, she was hoping that wouldn't be the same pride that would hold him back from telling her how he feels about her when the time came and when he had the chance. She simply would die inside.

"Bruiser…" she said, looking him in the eye, "It sounds like she wants to start over and make things right. You don't know how she was before your stepfather and it sounded like all she wanted was love."

"So you think I might find out something I never knew?" he asked while Buttercup nodded,

"Yeah, because you never know until you find out everything. If you feel she's being truthful, start over with her because that is your mother…at least you have your mother."

            Bruiser looked at Buttercup as she talked to him, seeing the pain deepen a little more when she told him that he had a mother to speak of. It hurt him to see her like that, so when he pulled her close, it was to kiss her softly and sweetly and to look in her eyes only to see the pain ebb away a little. He gave her a smirk and then pulled her closer to him, if it was possible in the position they were in.

"I know your mother's gone…" he said, "But you won't have to worry about me going anywhere."

"Why?" Buttercup said, a smirk placing itself on her lips, ready to hear something 'Bruiser' like come out of his mouth,

"I love you too damn much to be anywhere but with you." He said, as Buttercup's face took on one of surprise and then looked away,

"Don't say what you don't mean Bruiser." She said, softly as she could manage, and that's when he pulled her face towards him by the chin,

"I and you both know I would never say what I don't mean to you sweetie. I'm dead ass serious when I say that I love you and nothing's gonna change that. Shit, I loved you ever since I saw you."

            Buttercup then let out the breath of air she hadn't even known she was holding and then leaned against him, knowing that she was letting her slow vulnerability show and there wasn't anything she could do about it. It was however, the romance she dreamed about in her own mind. She wanted that roguish boy to be able to tame her, while at the same time his loyalties stayed with her. It was just what she had and what else could she do but bask in the surprise of it for a few seconds. Some things never seem to come true but when they do, it's almost hard to believe. Buttercup wasn't a fool though. She was looking fate in the eye and knew it. Time wasn't waiting for them at all and she'd either have to step on with it, or walk away.

            So as a stray tear ran down her face, Buttercup looked at Bruiser as he wiped it away, although he was nervous inside that he had made the biggest mistake of his life when Buttercup had then jumped on him and then kissed him with all the passion she could muster. They had kissed like that for minutes on end, and when she pulled apart, Buttercup smiled at him.

"So you're in love with me?" Buttercup said,

"Yeah. I'm in love with you." Bruiser answered,

            Buttercup giggled and then opened his window, flying out the window towards the roof. Bruiser had followed, wondering if Buttercup was toying with his mind. He walked up behind her and held her by the waist, while they looked at the dark sky. The stars were twinkling heavy and Buttercup then turned around to look Bruiser in the eye as she decided enough was enough and she needed to bear all to him.

"You know its funny…I used to be with you up here at night, looking at the stars and hoping you loved me. I was hoping a shooting star would pass so I could be stupid like those kids on TV and wish that you loved me. But I guess I didn't have to cutie. You loved me all along."

"Yeah. I did." He said, "What are you getting at?"

"That I was afraid that you'd leave me." Buttercup said, "Because I love you so much. There was never a boy before you and there won't be one after you."

Bruiser had been touched by his girl's words and was happy to hear them. He knew he would've had to move out of Townsville for good if she didn't love him for anything in the world. That was something hard to do and it would be hard for him to fall out.

"I love you Buttercup." He said, breaking the steady silence that had loomed over them,

"I love you too Bruiser." She replied, holding on to him, as they looked at brilliant night sky,

            For anything in the world, Bruiser had to thank his mother for letting her bring him here, although he was still unsure of her reasons. He decided to follow through with Buttercup's advice and then see if his mother was really what she was claiming. If anything in the world, if she proved to be a liar again, he could always just turn away for good and keep his mind on where he was at. The least he could do was thank her for putting him in Townsville, but after that, she'd be erased from memory. Something about what Buttercup told him however, made him hope the latter wasn't the case. He hoped just as much as Buttercup loved him, that his mother cared for him the same…if not more.

~~~~~~~

Bruiser Plutonia

8:30 PM

This feels real good. Never would I have thought that the female I'd have a run-in with would be the one I'd fall in love with, but what could I say? Things happen and beautiful things come from it. (I need to stop being around Boomer because he's real soft but that's my brother) Now I know what my brothers feel when they look at Blossom, Samantha and Bubbles, other than the fact that they're attractive as fuck. But love is what keeps me to Buttercup and it'll be the thing to keep us together for as long as it may.

Buttercup Utonium

8:33 PM

La La La La La La La La means, I love you… (LOL) I'm really out of my mind but I love it. I love the feeling of not knowing what the hell is wrong with me because I already know the reason and he has brown eyes and a sexy body that I hope to tear up when I'm ready…Just because I'm the toughest doesn't mean that I'll just have sex out of the blue. I have morals…either way I'm very messed up in the head but it's a good feeling. My cutie loves me. Who cares about the rest?

Author's Note: I'm NOT finished yet, just in case you feel this is the end of the story. Don't worry, there's more to come…when it'll come only time would tell. (Damn) Either way don't fear because this isn't the end…the end would take a while to come…

Review Responses

Raku Ozzarian princess-I'm glad you love the story. Makes me feel happy. :)

Kitsune_Tina-I'm trying my best to finish this story and if anything I'm sorry I messed up your whole groove. I hope that this chapter made up for it.

SheaStar-My bad for making you wait. I'm still kind of young and shit in my life happens if you know what I mean…I'm glad you like the story so much.

Ledophole-I turn back the updating duties to you whenever school doesn't screw with your head and everything else. By the way I loved the recent chapter you put in.

sakura angel90-I'm happy you like the idea with Buttercup and another character. The first story seemed to be getting a whole lot of animosity between my mixed pairings but its good to know somebody likes it. Screw the haters.

All the rest of my regular reviewers-I'VE FINALLY UPDATED! Maybe you can update something of your own huh?

Anonymous reviewers-Nice to see you like the story. I'll try my best to update soon. ;)