2. Not all it's cracked up to be

Six months had past. Blossom staggered in to her home, to find Eddy and the kids eating breakfast.

"Saved you some egg dear" Eddy welcomed. Blossom flopped in her seat. Edward looked up.

"Gee mum, you look like you've been up all night."

"No, just since five. Had to patrol... do some paper work on patrol movements," she corrected.

"But you were up till eleven last night! And you've got a full day's work ahead," Edward seemed confused, "Dad, when do your workers work."

"They're called employees son, and they work nine to five."

"Then how come Mum works five in the morning till eleven at night?"

"Oh look at the time," said Eddy quickly, you two have to get ready to go to school! Go on go on!" Edward hesitated, but he left. MJ, who was being surprisingly quiet, just stirred her breakfast.

"Come on MJ!" Eddy said. MJ looked up.

"I don't really…"

"Are you ill?" asked Blossom.

"No…"

"Then off you go." MJ got up slowly, so Blossom tried to spur her on: "I know it's not fun, but if you don't get an education, you'll never have a job like mine."

"That's not very inspirational" Eddy said once MJ had left, "why would anyone want your job it they only saw what MJ sees."

"Huh?" Blossom's mouth was full.

"I mean, all the kids see is the fact that you leave at five, come back at eight for breakfast, and then work till either six or latter. It doesn't seem good to them."

Blossom swallowed. "What are you implying?" She asked. Eddy sighed.

"They barely see you now. Thanks to that idiot Sonic and being back on patrol as well as paperwork, by the time you get back MJ's in bed… and Edward should be in bed."

"It's important work Eddy! I have too…"

"I know that, but they think you just do paper work! Now if we told them what your job really is, they might understand why you spend so much time working."

"No" said Blossom. "Then before you know it, they'd be working there with me, whether they want to or not. They must get a choice, and it's best they don't that their, well, you know. It's just better."

"Yes," said Eddy, "but they'll find out eventually. At some point, they'll realise how nonsensical how it is that your sisters have superpowers, but you don't!"

"I… why are you so keen to let them know?" Eddy squirmed.

"I…" he sighed. "I want to see the look on MJ's face. It would make her so happy."

"She'll still look happy when she's older."

"Yes, but it won't be so cute! And she seems so low at the moment. I want to make her happy. I love it when she's smiling, and she hasn't been doing that much since you… err…"

"I'm not away that much!" Blossom was getting fed up of this.

"Oh come on! You spend all your time fighting crime with your sisters!"

"I don't!"

"Okay then, prove it! Who was the doctor who did Buttercup's baby screening three weeks ago?"

"Dr. Walker of course!"

"Okay, and which of the pictures on the fridge did MJ do in school yesterday?"

"Err…" Blossom paused. "That one?"

"She did that last year!"

"Okay," Blossom lowered her head, slightly ashamed. "I get the hint. But I'm not telling the kids… Oh the bus is here. KIDS, THE BUS IS HERE!"

Eddy and Blossom both saw the kids on to the bus from the door. Edward walked on quickly and happily, looking for his friends, but MJ more sort of slouched on. Eddy and Blossom murmured about before going back inside, but as with every morning, they weren't the only ones watching. Dressed in a blacker then Black robe, with a huge scythe in his hand, he looked like the Grim Reaper. But it wasn't. It was one of his assistants. And since he watched this every morning, he knew that MJ's mood was not normal. Sure, he wasn't any real relation to her, but it did concern him, even if he couldn't do anything.

Brick whistled, as the bus moved off. No one heard him, being a servant for death, one those he was about to "pick up" and cats could see or hear him. There were some exceptions that he'd heard about, but they'd never affected him.

A bright white horse had responded to his whistle, coming through the wall like a ghost. It gave him a funny look.

"I don't know what you're looking like that for, we're just going to follow that bus," Brick said, mounting the horse. It snorted.

"Look," Brick continued withdrawing an hour glass. "It say's, Mr James Gondens, he's my next assignment, and he's in this direction," he pointed his scythe, "so forward, if you'd be so kind."

She snorted, but trotted gently off into the air anyway, following the bus.

Inside and oblivious to the nearby presence of her old, but still raw love, Blossom gulped down the rest of her breakfast. Her husband watched.

"Got to go?" he said. Blossom nodded.

"Sonic's a stickler for time keeping, but I'll be back for dinner. I promise." Eddy smiled, Blossom sighed. "Being a superhero is supposed to be glory and flashy tricks, cool powers…"

"Co workers in tight licra," Eddy added, but Blossom carried on regardless.

"… But it's such hard work, and takes so much time up. I'm just getting used to it again, and I still have to do the all the paper work…"

"It's just your job isn't all that it's cracked up to be?" suggested Eddy.

"It isn't when you have to do all the bloody paperwork as well," Blossom admitted, "but if it's making MJ unhappy, I'll try to improve. I promise."

Else where, Butch was also finding out that the job of being a professional superhero wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"Listen, sir" he said touchily, "I don't care that the person behind was distracting you, you went through a stop sign! Now pay the fine, or I'll have to take you to the police station.

"You can't do that, I'm late enough as it is, thanks to you arrogant superheroes!" the driver complained. Butch sighed. He really wanted to be back home with Buttercup, the baby was due soon, so this was the last time they'd get without responsibilities for at least eighteen years. He wanted to be making the most of it, instead he was trying to give some on a ticket for flips sake.

"OI, PUFF!" shouted a familiar voice from behind. Butch didn't even turn round.

"I'm a ruff, Princess," he said to his former work college, "and I'm very busy."

"Yeah?" the millionaire super villain replied, "well you're a puff to me now, you traitor and I have a new battle suit to try ou… HEY, look at me when I'm talking to you, don't just stand there writing some commoner a ticket.

"Commoner!" the car driver replied, "You stupid freaks. You should all be locked up!"

"Shut up!" shouted Princess, "or I'll blow you up! Now come on Butch, fight me."

"It's too early in the morning!" Butch put the final touches on the ticket.

"Fine," Princess was not petered, "then DIE!" She fired a blast. The car driver screamed and ducked behind the door. Butch looked up and calmly caught the blast in his hand. Then, with incredible speed, zipped round Princess and emerged with a small wire.

"Right, that will fix you." He said. He turned back to the car driver. "You going to pay the fine now?"

He chucked the money at him and shot off with out another word. Butch was about to go pull him back for speeding, when Princess started shouting at him again:

"HEY, YOU'VE BROKEN IT!" she shouted, barely able to move.

"So it seems," Butch smiled. "See ya."

"Hey, aren't you going to arrest me!"

"No. No point. You never come up with an original plan, so you're no danger to anyone. I'll arrest you the day you achieve something." And he flew off. Princess scowled.

"Fine, I'll do something original," she said.