Thanks for the reviews. It is a strange pairing (I don't think anyone else has thought of it, for obvious reasons) hence the warning at the start of chapter one, but I hope as the story progresses it becomes clearer. As for Brick… er, well there is an element of tragedy in this story, I think I have picked the themes on the summary badly. More explained in this chapter. Anyway please don't hate me for it.
3. Bubbles and Buttercup
Nothing is as it seems. This statement is always true. The closer you look at something, the less clear it becomes. Even simple thing, like 1+1 or why the White House is called the White House.
The fire extinguisher had seemed full in the morning, but on closer inspection, it had turned out to be empty. Even closer inspection would probably reveal it to be nearly empty, with a bit in the corner, but Blossom was already running late, so settled for just buying a new one.
She left the shop in a hurry hoping to avoid any more delays, but this proved (predictably) impossible.
"Blossom!" came a familiar voice. Blossom stopped, and briefly for Buttercup to land next to her.
"I can't stop for long," Blossom said, "or I'll be late for work."
"Of course you will if you DRIVE," Buttercup replied, "just fly for crying out loud." Blossom sighed.
"Don't give me a load of crap today,"she responded bluntly, withdrawing eye contact.
"I'm not going to! I'm just worried about you. I mean, well, no one who has good metal health just stops using their powers just like that."
"You know why I stopped Buttercup; I didn't want my children to grow up knowing that they have powers. I want them to be able to choose what they want to do with there life, not to have there future forced upon them by their biology. It's not fair… on them."
"Oh really," Buttercup smiled smugly, "doesn't MJ want to be a super hero? Isn't it unfair to dash her dreams when they are actually possible?"
"Well Edward doesn't, and MJ only wants to be a superhero because you and Bubbles pollute her mind!"
"So telling children to fight for truth and justice pollutes the mind?" Buttercup mused. "I suppose telling them to 'eat their greens' is bad for them then?"
Blossom opened her mouth to respond, but Buttercup cut her off.
"Anyway, we both know that that reason is bullshi…" Buttercup saw the look on Blossoms face and restrained her self, "I mean, is not the real reason. Listen to me Blossom, if MJ and Edward where to be superheroes, it doesn't mean they are going to… well, you know, kill the one they truly loved." She tailed off slightly.
Blossom looked at her feet. However gently Buttercup had phrased it, to hear it still hurt, especially since it wasn't true. But Blossom couldn't deviate from the official version of events that day, and that was the only version Buttercup new. Unstoppably, Memories came flooding back…
The battle overhead had been going on for a long time now. Brick was clearly losing it; blood was dripping from his face. Sure, he could harm Superman, but not enough, often enough. And there were and reinforcements closing in, Blossom could hear their chatter over her radio. Brick would soon be doomed to defeat and jail and he would hate Blossom. Yet still she couldn't lift her self up to help him. If she attacked Superman, who was almost justice himself, how could she explain it to anyone, let alone her sisters and farther. So as Brick slammed into another wall, she just stayed there, paralysed by fear.
Suddenly, she heard a voice beside her.
"Don't worry, he isn't worth it." Louis Lane was standing just next to her. Somewhere in her brain, Blossom knew she was just trying to help, but why you are being ruled by fear, the brain often takes a back seat. The only thing Blossom could think of was that brick WAS worth it, and how furious she was that someone dare imply that he was not,let alone actually state it! Sometimes, the only way to over come fear is anger.
Brick once again miscued block, and was hit be Superman's fist straight into a wall, which he imbedded I nicely. But there was no follow up attack. Instead, he looked up to see that Blossom had smacked Superman in head with a hefty kick, sending him into a pile of boxes.
"RUN!" she hissed to Brick, but he didn't. He had that Kryptonite scum where he wanted him now. His last act as a villain would also be the greatest act of any villain. And Blossom could see it in his eyes.
"Are you listening to me!" Blossom jumped back to reality.
"Oh, sorry, what were you saying about the most painful even of my life?" she replied, barely able to hide her bitterness.
"Nothing bad" Buttercup toned her voice down to try and calm Blossom down, "just that you decision was understandable. He had just killed Superman and that reporter. You shouldn't beat you self up about it. Not after fifteen years. You've damaged your life enough already."
Her green eyes glanced momentarily at Blossom's wedding ring. That hurt Blossom. She found herself wishing, not for the first time, that Buttercup would focus on her own problems. Like having been married for seven years and not had a child yet.
"How's Butch?" she asked innocently, hoping to direct the conversation in that direction, but her sister was on a roll.
"And that's another thing. If you have a problem with what I'm saying, say it! Don't try and run away from it. The old Blossom would never have done that!" she sighed. "I don't know what to do with you Blossom. You used to be a great hero, but you've never been yourself since that day. All you confidence just disappeared, and you've been hiding ever since. I mean, your still wearing that same dress for crying out loud!"
"Uniform is a superhero policy, it's very important that every one sticks to the same style of clothes so the police etc recognise us quickly," a very deflated Blossom replied, gesturing towards Buttercup's clothes.
"Yes, but it's just the style that has to stay the same! You don't have to wear a LESS revelling version of what you wore when you were five!"
(She had a point here. Butter wore a green top with a black strip, but her bottom half was green jeans. Not so long ago, she would have shown a fair amount of flesh with it as well, but times change so it was fairly modest, only showing a bit of her stomach, and not cutting too low below the neck. Blossom, on the other hand now wore a dress that went right down to her ankles (like her hair) and right up to her neck. It didn't even hug the body that closely.)
"I mean, it's painful to see you like this! If I talked to you like this before the incident, you'd have ripped by tongue out by now!" Buttercup finished, bashing her head up against a near by lamp post and leaving a dent. Blossom looked sadly up at the sky. Buttercup was right, but she didn't understand Blossom, because she hadn't seen what she had seen (if that makes sense.) Maybe she should tell her…
A blue streak was coming towards them.
"It's Bubbles" Blossom piped up. Buttercup turned round, and flew up top great her sister. Blossom waited at ground leave for them to land. She was very grateful of the change of subject.
"How was Spain?" she asked. Bubbles smiled.
"Good. As of yesterday, the world is safe!" she proudly declared.
(Due to her proficiency with foreign lingoes, Bubbles was often used by the superheroes abroad, as a back up to local forces. Since she hadn't been scene in many of these countries before, she had taken the opportunity to adjust her uniform. She now wore a mush lighter blue, with plenty of flesh showing up top, and some very tight fitting trousers. She had kept a strip on her top, but it was white now, like the boots she wore on her feet, (err, where else could she where them) which came up to her knees, although they had no heels for practicality.)
"Yeah?" said Buttercup, "it took you 2 months to do it though, that's pretty slow by your standards."
"Well it wasn't all work," Bubbles pulled on her hair slightly embarrassedly.
"Do I detect another boyfriend," Blossom asked. Bubbles Blushed.
"No, but you might hear wedding bells." Blossom and Buttercup nearly fell over.
"What! In two months!" they said in unison. Bubbles avoided eye contact for a while, but then met their stares.
"I can explain if you give me time."
"Can't." Blossom sighed again. "I've got to go to work, but I could see you two briefly this afternoon, but I've got to get the kids to the Professors by seven, because Eddy's got one of these work things I've got to attended. But you could come round at about eleven when we get back," she brightened up.
"I could do both," Bubbles replied happily, "then I could tell you about him in the afternoon, and you could meet him in the evening."
"Sounds great," said Blossom, heading back towards her car, but Buttercup had one last go.
"You could come with us on patrol, and Bubbles could tell us now. No one could complain that you weren't working, and maybe we could find a crime to stop, like in the old days?" Her tone was more hopeful than expectant. Blossom shock her head.
"Sorry," she said quietly, "I'll see you later."
As she walked back to her car, Blossom wondered if she should tell them the truth. But the truth was hundreds of times worse than the 'official' version. Better that she killed Brick in a rush of anger, than that she betrayed him, failed him, and then… it wasn't worth thinking about.
Bubbles and Buttercup watched her go.
"I never though anyone could be so ashamed of their powers, let alone our Blossom," Bubbles said quietly. Buttercup nodded, but she was more determined.
"The old Blossom is in there some where, we'll find her one day! For now, you can tell me about the guy who you finally deemed worthy of sweeping you off your feet."
Bubbles laughed. "Well, your husband should know him pretty well…"
If you're still not put off, I admire willingness to stick with this fairly strange interpretation, and am very grateful. I would also be grateful for your reviews, if you have the time. Thank you.