Chapter 11
"Hello? Hello?" Bubbles was so shocked by the B.C.'s revelation that she didn't hear her voice from the phone.
"Bubbles, the phone." Blossom hissed.
Bubble woke up and grabbed the phone, "Yeah, I'm still here, Buttercup." Bubbles felt an enormous sense of joy uttering the name of the sister that she once thought was to her forever. "We know you're Buttercup. Blossom figured it out." Bubbles eyes began to fill with tears, "I'm so glad you're still alive. I've missed you so much."
"I miss you guys too." B.C.'s eyes also began to water. "I want to see all of you again."
"W-We want to see you too." Bubbles was nearly crying, her heart was dancing in pure elation, a feeling she hadn't had in over twenty years. "Blossom and the Professor are here with me, did you want to talk to them?"
"Yeah, but not now. I'm going to make arrangements for one of our company jets to come bring you guys here. I want to see all of you as soon as possible. I'll call back when everything's ready. Okay?"
"Okay, thank you Buttercup. I love you." Bubbles said with a huge smile on her face.
"I love you too Bubbles." B.C. hung up and hurried downstairs to talk to Maxwell about arranging transportation for her family to bring to Wolf's Ridge.
The rest of the family gaped at the smiling Bubbles. "Well, what'd she say?" Blossom asked.
"She's going to send one her company's planes to get us. We're going to see her again." Bubbles answered still smiling. The rest of the broke out in tears of joy, after twenty years, the Utonium family would be whole again.
"You want to bring them here?" Maxwell understood that B.C. wanted to see her old family again but there were risks in letting the very people his family and company robbed of a precious daughter in his city.
"Please Daddy?"
"Beth, er.. Buttercup.."
"You can still call me Beth, Daddy."
'She still calls me Daddy, despite everything?' "I know you want to see them, but are you sure it's wise to bring them here, considering what I've done."
"They need to see how good I have it here. You've given me so much and I want them to know that. They've suffered for so long and if they know that I've had such a wonderful life, maybe it'll make up for the torment they've endured."
Maxwell broke, "You're right. I'll allow you to bring them here." Maxwell expression saddened a little, "I wish that I had the opportunity to bring my Bethany here. Your grandfather wished he could've done the same as you. I'm glad you can do this."
"Thank you Dad."
"Dad.. You still call me that?"
"You are my Dad. Both you and Professor Utonium are my Dad. I can be both Bethany Luceid and Buttercup Utonium, and that's exactly who I'm going to be."
Maxwell shook his head and smiled, 'She's an amazing young woman. I'm lucky to have her for a daughter."
(Next Day)
Professor Utonium leaned back in the comfortable chair on the Luceid owned jet. It was much nicer than the traditional coach seats that he was accustomed to when travelling. But he was too deep in thought to appreciate the niceties of the corporate lifstylee. 'It's been twenty years since I last saw her. I wonder what kind of person she grew into. I wonder if I'll meet the man who'd been acting as her father, Maxwell Luceid. What do I say to him if I do? Do I thank him for taking care of my daughter? Do I hate him for taking her away from me?' The Professor looked at his two present daughters, Blossom was reading a book and Bubbles was staring out the window. Both were eager to be reunited with Buttercup and trying to pass the time it took to fly to Wolf's Ridge, 'They've been through so much and hurt for so long. What do I say to the man who caused that pain.' The Professor didn't know what to do, he was a gentle man at heart, but he was protective of his children and would lash at anyone who would dare to bring harm to them.
"What's up, Professor?" Bubbles asked. "You seem kinda down."
"I've just been thinking Bubbles, that's all."
"About what?"
'What do I say to the man who took away my precious daughter and raised her as his own.' "Nothing in particular." The Professor didn't want to burden his most lighthearted daughter with his heavy thoughts. Bubbles's chronic happiness had always been a source of relief for him before the unpleasantness. After twenty years, he had gotten his old Bubbles back and didn't want to lose her.
"Okay, if you say so." Bubbles frowned and turn her head back to the window.
The Professor thought about it more. 'Why would anyone with a conscience willingly steal a child away from her loving family. What was it like raising a girl that he knew didn't belong to him, knowing you've caused so much harm to the world. Did he even care? Did it even bother him at all?'
B.C. drove her car to the Wolf's Ridge airport with James by her side. The young man was excited, not only was he dating one of the top rated super heroes of the final era but he was going to meet her sisters and creator. This day was a milestone in the young man's life. But he couldn't help but wonder what was going through B.C.'s mind right at the moment. She was going be reunited with a family she hadn't seen in over twenty years, a family she hadn't remembered most of her life, what could that be like.
"What's it like, all of a sudden remembering you had another life?"
"I can't describe it. I guess its like waking up but you weren't asleep. It kinda screws with my head. I mean, I've been Bethany Luceid as far as I could remember, then in one moment I realized that wasn't the case. I remember being Buttercup, what her hopes and dreams were, how she felt about things, how much she loved her father and sisters, and then I realize that its me. Those were my dreams, my feelings, my family and that they were hidden from me. It's not something that I can describe."
"What about Townsville? Are you gonna try and rebuild it?"
"No. Townsville was a disaster waiting to happen. We.. were only delaying the inevitable. The mayor was a senile fool who was more concerned about building statues of himself and eating pickles than running the city, the police were lazy and incompetent and the people were selfish, shallow, brain dead bastards who were too involved with their own superficial lives and prejudices to do anything to help themselves. They expected us to do everything except pick their noses and would turn against us for whatever reason they could find. I was going to quit before Kay snatched me, so what happened to Townsville was going to happen sooner or later. And besides, there's nothing left there, so there's no point in spending our time and resources trying to fix up a dead city."
"I see.. I guess you're right. So what are you going to do when you meet with your family?"
"I'm going to show them around. Tell 'em about my life. Maybe if they can see how well I've done.. it'll make up for all those lost years."
"What do you mean?"
"Bubbles.. when I met her in Citiesville, I could tell my so called death had changed her, she used to be so happy and outgoing. But she was different when I talked to her. She was still sweet and nice but there was something off about her, she wasn't as talkative as she was when we were kids. When she talked about me, I could she the pain in her eyes. Blossom.. her last words to me were in anger. She thought I broke one of the Professor's inventions and said some things. I can't even imagine what the whole incident had done to her. The Professor, he was such a loving father. He was always trying to protect us from everything, even ourselves. Even though he just created us like any of his inventions, he always treated us like real daughters. This whole must have been so hard on them. Maybe, if I let them know that my life went so well, that I have so much going for me, it'll make up for all the years they've suffered."
"Hmm." James thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I'm sure it'll help for them to know you're doing alright." James sat in silence a little longer. "Thanks for bringing me with you. Man, I can't believe I'm going to meet the Powerpuff Girls!"
"Ha ha, well, I'd figure you'd probably shoot me if I didn't let you meet them. And how are they gonna know how good I've got it if they didn't meet the James Peterson, the man who not only found Bubbles but encouraged me to reunite with my long lost family."
"And?"
"And the sweetest, most wonderful man a girl could call her own." B.C. laughed and continued the drive to the airport.
Blossom put down her book and looked out the window. It was Wolf's Ridge, the city where her sister was waiting for them. She had heard of it, but never thought about it much until recently. She felt the anger rise in her when she saw the city. It was the capital of the Luceid Business Empire, the same company that robbed her of twenty years of her life, that robbed her of her childhood, that robbed her of her sister. Blossom suppressed her anger and vowed to get Buttercup's side of the story. 'Maybe I can convince her to leave the company and start her own business or something. If not though, what should I do? I don't want to hurt her or endanger her future but I can't let them get away with taking her. So many people suffered so much because of their actions and they never suffered any consequences.' Blossom shifted uneasily and looked from the scenery to Bubbles. The young woman was obviously excited. Bubbles looked back at Blossom and smiled giddily.
"I can't believe that were going to see her again. This is so cool."
Blossom sighed, "Yeah."
"What's wrong? You don't seem very happy."
"I don't know. I just got a lot on my mind."
"You too, huh? First the Professor and now you. You know, it'd be nice if Buttercup could see how happy her family is to see her after all these years. What could you two be thinking about that's making you so damn miserable." Bubbles frowned and looked at the both of them. "Lemme guess, you're both still mad about the Luceid Corporation making us believe that we drove her to her doom. Well, would you both like to know what I think."
"Bubbles, please don't." the Professors meekly said.
"No, you both need to hear this. We did drive her away, all of us! Buttercup was always looking out for us. When we needed her the most, she was there. Whenever our enemies had us cornered, she'd lay it on the line to see that we were safe. And when we needed someone to talk to, someone to play with, she'd be there to do the job. Yet, all we could do is remember is all the bad stuff she did. We always saw her as the bad girl, the ill-tempered tomboy who could never fit in." Bubbles was shaking in rage. "This Miss Kay gave her someone to talk to, a friend she could rely on. We were the ones who should've been that person. When Buttercup needed us the most, what did we do? We stabbed her in the back, I let her take the blame for something I did, the Professor accused her without even hearing her out, and you, Blossom, you had to throw Mojo in her face. We treated her like crap at her worst moment and you two have the nerve to blame the Luceids. Well, that's fine, you guys can do whatever you want. All I'm going to do is let her know how grateful I am that I got a second chance to be her sister, and I'm going to do that for the rest of my life."
The Professor and Blossom looked at the blonde in total shock. They had never seen such an outburst from the young woman. Blossom turned her head away, ashamed. The Professor on the other decided to address her charges.
"Now Bubbles, I can't speak for Blossom, but I do know that the actions the Luceids took caused irreparable harm to you and your sister. I'm glad that revenge is the furthest thing from your mind, but, as your father, it isn't as easy for me to forgive. You girls are the world to me, and when this type of pain is inflicted on you, I feel it as well." The Professor got up from his seat, sat down next to Bubbles, and wrapped his arm around her. "Bubbles, the furthest thing from my mind is beating a dead horse. But please understand, I'm not going to forget the last twenty years and I do intend on letting Mr. Luceid know how the actions of his company has affected our family. And as far as how we treated her, we did our best. Buttercup was always a private and obstinate child. It was difficult getting her to open up, but that's how she was, and I respected that, because I was the same way at her age." The Professor looked thoughtfully and said, "Maybe, that's why I didn't hear her out is because I thought she was more like me than she really was." The Professor's face turned stern, "But, that doesn't justify the pain you girls suffered. Do you understand?"
"But.."
"Look, Bubbles, I understand where you're coming from, and you do have a good point. We should concentrate in letting Buttercup know how happy we are in knowing she's still alive and celebrate that fact. But you need to understand how I feel as a father." The Professor turned towards Blossom, "Blossom, do you have anything you like to add?"
"No Professor." Blossom said not moving her head.
"Well the plane is beginning to land, so let's forget about this for now. Maybe after we meet with Buttercup, we can decide what to do next."
"Yes, Professor." The Girls said simultaneously. Blossom watched the ground close in, briefly reminding her of her glory days. The Professor's rebuttal to Bubbles pretty well covered how she felt. The Luceid Corporation hurt all of them, but if there was anyway of getting justice, Buttercup was the key.
B.C. watched the plane taxi its way to the gate. After twenty years, the Utonum family would be reunited. The plane stopped and unloaded it passengers. Bubbles was the first one out into terminal. Buttercup wondered why Bubbles had looked more like they used to than her. 'I guess the Professor just took their powers away or hid them in case of an emergency. I'll have to ask him about how he did it.'
"BUTTERCUP!" Bubbles shrieked joyously and immediately embraced her long lost sister. B.C. tried to hug her sister back but was held to tight to move.
"Ack, Bubbles, too tight."
"Oh, sorry." Bubbles relaxed her grip and looked at her sister. "It's so good to see you again. I thought I'd lost you forever."
"It's good to see you too." B.C. told her. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Where are the others?"
"Right here." Blossom answered from behind Bubbles, all smiles.
"Blossom? Professor?" B.C. looked at the rest of her family and pulled them into a family hug. The Utoniums had found their lost angel.
James had seen sights like this on TV and at the movies, but those instances paled in comparison to the real life thing. It was classic, a long lost family reunited. All laughing and crying and hugging and kissing. James almost laughed, if they had been watching something like this on TV, B.C. would be making fun of it. But he knew there was real emotion here, these were real people, not actors. Eventually the four broke up and B.C. led the others to him.
"Guys, I want you meet my boyfriend, James Peterson. We've been going out since high school."
Bubbles's eyes lit up like a kid's at Christmas, "You have a boyfriend?"
"Yup, he's the one who helped me find you, Bubbles."
Bubbles giggled and shook James hand, "It's pleasure to meet you. Thank you for helping Buttercup find me."
"Uh, no problem." James nervously replied, he still couldn't believe he was meeting the Powerpuff Girls. He always dreamt of meeting a superhero, but never thought it would actually happen. He was so shocked to learn that all along he had been dating one, especially since B.C. never took any interest in them. 'I wonder why that is.' He thought momentarily before losing himself in the thrill of the moment.
Blossom and B.C. sat at one table at the airport cafeteria. While James, Bubbles and the Professor sat together taking turns talking each other's ear off, Blossom and B.C. had their own private conversation.
"So, Bubbles tells me you had it pretty good here." Blossom mentioned to B.C.
"Yeah, I had a pretty good life." B.C. felt awkward telling Blossom that.
"That's good." Blossom felt a little embarrassed. She hadn't seen her sister in twenty years and that was the best she could come up with.
"How about you? What have you been doing all this time? What did you do after you guys left Townsville?"
Blossom proceeded to tell B.C. her life after Townsville, her experiences in school, growing up in Notte Falls and her current career as a private investigator. B.C. went pale listening to Blossom.
"I can't believe I missed so much."
Blossom sniffed sadly, "I lost count of how many times I wished you were there with us. No matter how happy an event was, I could never bring myself to fully enjoy it. All I could think ever think about was.."
"What you last said to me?"
"Yes." Blossom began sobbing, "Oh Buttercup, please forgive me. I-I didn't mean it. I was so mad.."
B.C. gently grasped Blossom's hand and stroked it reassuringly, "We all do dumb stuff when we're mad. I know that all too well." B.C. sighed thoughtfully, "It's in the past now. Please don't dwell on it any further."
"O-okay." Blossom regained her self-control, "Were you really going to quit?"
"Yeah, between you and me, I've been thinking about it since you were almost killed. It was just a passing thought at first, but then Kay kind of led me down that path. She pointed out some things, put thoughts into my head . I guess she made it clear how I felt about it."
Blossom's eyes lit up in anger, "Kay, she's the one who.."
"Yeah, she's the one who had kidnapped me and faked my death. Please don't be mad at her. It was really hard for her to do it. She really did care about me and knowing how much devastation she caused hurt her."
"Yeah, but.. I understand. Are you still going to run the Luceid Corporation."
"Yeah." B.C. could see the disappointment on Blossom's face, "I understand how you feel Bloss, but you gotta understand that it was what I was raised to do. There are a lot of people counting on me. If someone else was in charge, they might run the company with profits in mind, not our employees or the people in the small towns ruined by disasters. I can't trust anybody with that responsibility, I need to do it."
"But.."
"Please Blossom, I know you're upset. I lost twenty years of my life, twenty years of being Buttercup, but endangering the jobs of millions of Americans won't bring those years back. All I can do is run this company the right way, the way I was taught to run it. If I do that, I can help other people fulfil their dreams, live the way they want, help them while they help me. Do you understand?"
Blossom smiled, "Yeah, I do." She did understand, even though she could never allow herself to fully forgive the Luceid Corporation, if they went down, a lot of innocent people would be taken down with them. Also, Buttercup had been raised to revere the company. She would run it, regardless of Blossom's feelings. And she would run it the way it should be ran. She'd assure that jobs would stay in the country while it expanded. Blossom felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Buttercup had grown into an intelligent and responsible young woman who would lead an entire multi-national corporation. Of course she'd talk to Buttercup about ending Luceid's Child, and the heartbreak and torment it caused, but that could wait for later. As for her own justice, she figured that "Miss Kay" had to live with the pain she caused, and that was justice in and of itself. There was no need to endanger her sister's future for the sake of her own satisfaction. The redhead got up and embraced Buttercup. Blossom finally understood what Bubbles had meant on the plane and she was right, she had her sister back, and that was enough for her.
B.C. drove her newfound family and James back to her home, Bubbles and James jabbering about comic books the whole trip. Blossom quietly joked that B.C. might end up losing the young man to their blonde sister. Eventually, B.C. reached the Luceid mansion. Kurt greeted her at the door.
"Welcome back, Miss Luceid. Mr. Luceid asked to have a private word with Professor Utonium. If that's alright with you sir."
"O-Of course." The Professor was a bit surprised that Mr. Luceid was willing to speak with him so quickly. He hadn't even decided how to address the issues between them.
"Thank you sir. Please follow me."
The Professor looked at his long lost daughter, as if to ask what to expect.
"It'll be okay, Professor. He-He's a good man." B.C. told him. The Professor nodded and a turned toward the butler. Kurt led the Professor away from his daughters. As he followed the butler, he heard Buttercup. call out, "C'mon guys, let me show you the guest rooms so you both can pick one out." Professor Utonium smiled briefly. It felt good to see and hear his daughters together again after for what seemed like an eternity. The scientist was led through the elegant hallways to a set of double doors. Kurt opened one door and let the Professor in.
"Welcome to my home, Professor Utonium." The Professor was greeted by Maxwell Luceid. He could tell the man was at least twenty years younger than him. The Professor briefly thought about his own gray hair self-consciously while looking at Buttercup's younger "father." "Please, have a seat."
"Um.. Thank you, Mr. Luceid." The Professor sat down in a seat opposite the desk Maxwell was sitting at.
"First off, I want to apologize for what I and the Luceid Company had done to you and your family. Buttercup was an amazing child and her loss was undoubtedly devastating for you." The Professor opened his mouth to speak but Maxwell raised a hand to silence him. "However, I don't expect you to forgive me, not right away anyways. But I would like you to read something written by one of my.. ahem.. ancestors." Maxwell pulled an old yet very well preserved piece of paper from his desk and handed it to the Professor. The Professor read the text.
'June 9th 1906—Today is day I meet my new son. The lad was a young laborer from one of my competitor's workhouses that had burned down a month before. The boy had nobly risked his life to help his fellows escape the inferno before young Miss Anna liberated him and brought him to a secret location to treat the boy and prepare him for life as my son. Though I have often cursed the cruelty my business adversaries partake in running their filthy workhouses and factories, I could not compare it to the cruelty that I have brought upon the child's family. I regret not bringing an end to the practice prescribed by ancestor and now, like my previous family, this boy's family will lament the loss of their precious son. Miss Anna claimed that the boy's family was large, and doubted he would be terribly missed, but her eyes tell me she wishes only to hide the truth. I pray that my son can succeed where I had failed, and bring an end of the sinful practice of tearing goodly children from the arms of those who love them. Until then, I shall raise the boy as dictated by my own upbringing, and hope that the good lord shall forgive me for my crime against the family which sired this honorable young man.'
The Professor looked back at Maxwell, "Why are you showing me this?"
"I want you to understand that I was not ignorant of the hurt that we caused nor that I've taken any pleasure in it. For generations each of us had been trying to put an end to Luceid's Child. My grandmother and father thought that taking an orphan was the answer.. but.. still someone important to me was lost forever, because of them."
"But why my Buttercup?"
Maxwell sighed sadly, "Kay's father was a scientist who had heard of your daughters and their heroics. He suggested that we should investigate them and see if one of them had the potential to become the next Luceid's Child. Kay had formed a bond with Buttercup, which I believe was the main contributing factor to her suggestion of the child. Hearing of Buttercup's saving the people of Townsville while jeopardizing her own reputation greatly impressed us. We knew she was the one, but.. I struggled with knowing the harm I would cause. My father ran the company then, but the ultimate decision was mine. I tried desperately to find a way to bypass the old rules of secluding the child from her family, but Kay feared for your daughter's mental well being. She knew the people of Townsville had turned against the girl and let us know how she felt about Buttercup staying there for too long. It was the most terrible decision I ever had to make. I told my father I would raise the girl, but.. I knew the cost. Do you understand what I telling you?"
"Yes." The Professor could see the sincerity in the businessman's eyes. "But I want you to know because of your actions, my daughters suffered greatly. I apperciate that you and your associates understood what you have done to me and my family, but it still doesn't change the fact that my daughters grew up without their sister. Also, Buttercup's abduction came at the worse time. Bubbles and Blossom were convinced that they drove their sister to her demise and had to live with that guilt. Do you understand what I am telling you."
"I had no idea.. If there's any way I can make it up to you.."
"Being reunited with my daughter is enough, Mr. Luceid." The Professor stood up briskly, "But I would like to thank you for speaking to me and for taking care of Buttercup. I can tell she's grown to become a fine young woman. But if there's anyway you can prevent this from happening again, please.."
"It's up to her now. I hope she can succeed where the rest of us have failed."
The Professor bid Mr. Luceid farewell and went back to the girls. Buttercup's boyfriend and the butler were hauling the luggage inside the house. Bubbles came bounding up to him in a childish display he hadn't seen since before the unpleasantness in Townsville.
"Professor, you should see the cool room I picked. It's gotta a bunch cute little stuffed animals and.."
"Okay, okay, I'll take a look at it, Bubbles." The Professor laughed and looked at Buttercup who was pleasantly chatting with Blossom. 'It's up to her now. If she can't though.. She's still my daughter. It may have been twenty years, but she's still my daughter, no matter what.'
Four Years Later
B.C. walked into the hospital room. Awaiting her was new son. She cursed her self as she looked at the sleeping boy. 'Another nightmare for some innocent family. God, why couldn't I put a stop to this.' She knew his backstory, he had discovered some state governor's connection to a major drug smuggling operation and blew the whistle. Karen had saved the boy from the thugs who had murdered his biological father and was coming after him. But there were other family members, a mother and twin sister, who would survive and think they had lost two family members. She cursed herself again because not only was she tearing another family apart, but she had let down her own real family. She promised Blossom that she'd do everything in her power to prevent this from happening but the tradition was too hardwired into the corporate laws. She sighed and looked at sleeping boy. 'He sort of looks like James. I guess that's good since we're going to get married soon.' B.C. turned toward Karen who was also looking sadly at the young boy. "The rest, are they safe?"
"The FBI took them, just to be safe. I had to tell them, I had to lie to them.. How.. am I supposed to live with myself?"
"You'll find a way, you girls always do." B.C. turned towards the boy. "Just like we did."
THE END
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