Author's Notes: Okay, this chapter better be…well…better than chapter 17. I wasn't too thrilled with the last chapter at all. It was actually my worst one all year long…or the past several years (not counting my first few chapters). Anyway, peoples, I hope I can make this up to you by making sure this is a really good chapter. I had written this chapter, revised it, deleted it, and rewritten it. And everyone probably asks why I take so long to update…I'm constantly deleting and rewriting chapters…I am such a freak -rolls eyes-

Anyway, I'm rambling again. I really gotta stop doing that. About Brick and Blossom, to all reds fans…I am completely sorry. It killed me to write that chapter because I absolutely LOVE Brick/Blossom couplings (which is why I like Polska's story, Be With Me! Read it peeps)! Anyway, happy days and here's the next chapter!

Important Notice: I am horrible with strategies and I know NOTHING of the military. The only "military" training I've ever had, had to do with marching band. So bare with me here…these next couple of chapters are going to be kind of hectic and unbearably horrible because I am not too good with organized fights…so yeah…again, bare with me…

Chapter 18: The Edge of Forever

Somewei

March 19, 2006
5:30 am

Computers buzzed and beeped various codes as Aaron glanced down at the papers before him and then typed them up in the computer. He had stayed up all night trying to find the importance of the jade necklace that Buttercup had stolen from Ivy, yet no such luck had occurred. It appeared to Aaron that it wouldn't occur for awhile. Both Ms. Bellum and John had come in earlier that night and told him to get some rest, but the blonde boy refused and continued working.

He had hoped he could find the importance of the necklace before the puffs and ruffs went out to go fight Townsville's nemesis, but it was now five-thirty in the morning and the clock was ticking. He hadn't found anything on the jewel besides the fact that it seemed to be some sort of alien organism. The same thing he had discovered so many weeks ago.

Fatigue began to claim his body as did irritation, but Aaron had ignored it. He had to help the puffs and ruffs. It wasn't for the city that he was helping them, he could care less. The city provided nothing for him, but a life full of misery. He glanced back up at the computer. Aaron knew he was helping them to prove that he wasn't a villain. Yes, he done his time in jail, but that was for a stupid cause. Now, he was going to prove to them, he was just as good as they were.

The blonde teenager growled out in irritation as the computer showed him the same results. He shook his head. He was getting nowhere with this and all he had was about six and a half hours before the puffs and ruffs started their attack.

Sighing, he decided he would call for reinforcements. John was too busy with the girls and Sandy was no scientist and neither was Sara Bellum. That left one person: Vanessa. Unfortunately she was in Spain, but that's where the beauty of technology stepped in.

Aaron grabbed a peace of paper and jotted some words on it. He got out from his chair, his legs sore from sitting down a majority of his night, and went to the fax machine. He looked at a sticky note next to the fax machine and found Vanessa's number there. He put the paper in the machine, typed in the number and waited several seconds. Within those several seconds, the paper disappeared. It was on its way to Spain.

Blossom's Room
7:30 am

Blossom played with a small necklace that was around her neck as she laid in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Heaven Romano had given her the necklace the night before as both talked about various points in her life. Blossom remained silent about the whole Brick ordeal, but she knew that Heaven knew what had happened. That's what best friends were for. When the pink puff finally told her brunette friend about what had happened, it was then that Heaven gave Blossom the necklace.

It's my lucky charm. She had told Blossom. My grandmother had given it to me before she died.

Blossom, of course, refused the gift and said that it was too valuable. Heaven just laughed and said that it would be a great honor to the Romano family if the pink puff wore it while she battled it out against Ivy. The Powerpuff leader couldn't refuse it then. She had immediately put it around her neck and Heaven left without another word after that.

Now, here she was, playing with the necklace, as she contemplated the possibilities of the success of the Hoplite Phalanx, the success of the sabotage team and finally the chances of the heroes' survival against Ivy. If everything went well, then the battle would be short, but Blossom was not expecting a short battle. Something told her that this was going to be a long battle with many unsuspecting twists involved. It was how Ivy liked to operate. Surprises that brought the morale of her opponents down.

The leader of the Powerpuff Girls shook her head, sighed and idly crawled out of her bed. She walked silently to her mirror and stared at herself. She grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the mirror. With that she continued staring at herself.

If she survived, what would become of her?

She shook her head again as she brushed those type of thoughts out of her mind. She shouldn't be thinking 'if' thoughts. That showed doubt and Blossom couldn't afford doubt. In fact, she should have confidence. Everything was going right for them. They got the Rowdyruff Boys back to their side and they even acquired something that Ivy considered to be important.

Although it was March, the mornings were still fairly cold. Blossom could feel the cold air sink through her long-sleeved pajamas and deep into her skin. She rubbed her arms to keep herself warm, but only felt the pains of the bruises she got during the battle against Brick. The pink puff had hoped that the bruises would vanish before the final confrontation against Ivy, but that had yet to happen, and unless by some miracle they were going to disappear within the next couple of hours, she was going to have them visible.

Blossom checked the clock on her dresser. 8:59 am

Had she been sitting in her room that long? Apparently she had. How time flies when you're having fun. She knew that they all were sitting on the edge of forever, awaiting the future events, but it seemed like time was passing by quickly. She glanced at herself one last time in the mirror before she left to get ready. She was going to have a long day. The pink puff snorted. Boy, was that an understatement.

Silence filled the hideout of the Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs. Everyone knew that today was the day that the girls and boys were going to take their final stand against Ivy. Whether anyone knew if they were going to get out of it alive was a mystery, but what everybody did know was that the girls and boys were not going to go down easily and were going to give their everything before they were defeated. They always had and they always will.

Heaven Romano knew that her best friend since first grade, Blossom Utonium, was going to give her all also. Falcon had said that she wasn't going to go down without a fight, but it scared her to think that the witch named Ivy could take away her friends. She didn't want that. Heaven had never been scared for Blossom ever, but this was different.

You must have faith in them, Heaven, that's the only way they'll get out alive…

The words that Professor John Utonium had told her were true. She had to give them faith, but it was so hard especially during the moment you're sitting in room, waiting, whilst your friend was getting ready for a battle that could end her life. She leaned back in her bed. She had been up for a couple of hours thinking. She knew that half the base was up thinking, just like she was. It would be kind of hard to sleep when you know that the next day friends and family could be killed in a battle for their freedom against Ivy's tyranny.

"Please girls," Heaven pleaded into the dark room. Her curtains were drawn leaving no room for even a speck of sunlight to seep through, "Please survive this fight. Townsville needs you. Falcon, Missy and I need you."

She laid back down and closed her eyes. She could get at least a half an hour of sleep if she tried. Little did she know that in the bed next to her, Falcon also had added to that small plead of survival. With nothing left to say or to talk about, both girls slipped into unconsciousness.

Aaron banged his fist against the computer table. Several hours had passed an still no luck about the jade necklace. He glanced at the clock and continued typing. His eyes began to droop, but quickly woke up from dozing off. He couldn't sleep. He can get plenty of sleep when Ivy was defeated. Shaking his head, he continued on with his formulas and equations. So far, Vanessa had not replied back. Things weren't looking good for Aaron.

He glanced at the clock again. 9:15 am

Time was going by too fast.

Outside The Base
9:30 am

"Nervous?" Bubbles asked Boomer as she watched him examine the gray skies above them. The blonde ruff sighed shakily. As much as he tried to hide his fear, it always seemed to resurface. He nodded and looked at his girlfriend. She seemed so fragile and yet so strong at the same time. As he examined her, he feared that she was merely a mirage made up by his mind.

Looking out toward the expectant battlefield he began to wonder what would happen during the fight. He knew for sure that Blossom or Brick would end up being the ones to give the final punch for all of them. Closing his eyes, Boomer began to think of everyone he had met over the past year here in Townsville.

He smiled slightly when he remembered when he first came to this sleepy little town. When the blue ruff had first fought here, Townsville didn't seem so sleepy, but as the years passed it grew quiet considering the fact that the girls had dominated and conquered every challenge that came their way. He was one of them when he was five, but all of that changed when he came to Townsville eleven years later with his brothers.

They were teenagers that remembered nothing of the concept hate. They had known it well when they were little, but as they were being raised by Vanessa the only thing that occupied their minds was compassion and caring for someone. Sure, the boys were still boys, but the boys were no longer little hoodlums tearing a town apart. The blonde had also remembered when he first re-met Bubbles.

He remembered staring at her and thinking she was so pretty. He had no idea that she was the blue Powerpuff that had kissed him those so many years ago. That was until she reminded him bluntly. She had grown so much over the years and was no longer the innocent little girl he faced, but was a young woman ready to experience new things. Who knew that those new things would be Ivy coming to their home and wrecking it.

Looking down to the ground, Boomer thought about all the possible outcomes of the fight. Sure, they could win and bring peace once more, but they could also tie and consume fighting the small fights that they had been doing for sometime. Then, Boomer came to a possibility that he didn't even want to venture to – they could die. His throat tightened up as he thought about not seeing Bubbles again. With a sudden urge, the blue ruff grabbed his counterpart and beloved girlfriend and squeezed her into a hug.

"Boomer, are you alright?" Bubbles asked, but she knew the answer to that question. Of course he wasn't alright. She knew that he was scared that he wouldn't see her again and she knew that she could possibly not see him again. To be truthful the blond puff was scared. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

Looking up into the gray skies, she felt like she had so much riding on her shoulders. Obviously she didn't have as much responsibility like Blossom or her sister's counterpart did, but it was still so much for her to bear. Gazing back into Boomer's navy blue eyes, she gave a small smile a whispered, "We'll get through this together. We always do."

She traced the outlining of the golden Sais, taking in its familiarity. She felt the smoothness of the gold and sharpness of the edges. Slowly taking the handles into her hands, she began flipping them in different motions. First, she twirled them in a circle and then an infinity motion. She closed her eyes as she expertly continued practicing with them. Today was the today. The day where her enemies were being defeat. The day she would no longer submit to someone.

Princess opened her eyes and stopped twirling her Sais. She placed them at her hips and went to look at her mirror that hung on the wall. She examined herself and fixed herself up. She wasn't going to bossed around anymore and she was going to bring back the Morebucks Estate and reactivate the Morebucks account.

She was going to defeat her enemies this day so she could finally live the life she so deserved. After all, she was Princess Morebucks. The heiress to a billion dollar account. And she wasn't going to sit idly by and let people push her around and take her money.

"Beware," She promised her imaginary opponents, "I'm coming to take back what is rightfully mine."

Silence…the silence that went down to her last nerve.

Remorse…the remorse that drove her crazy.

There was so much going on inside Buttercup's head that it drove her up against the walls. She hated the way people looked at her as if she would never return, and what drove her even more mad was that it was a likelihood. A likelihood that she may never see her fellow classmates or fellow citizens again. She bit her bottom lip and thought about how much they had admired her and her sisters when she was younger. She always had a sense of relief that they still looked up to her as their heroine despite their major defeat against Ivy. She always loved the fact that they never looked down upon her and still counted on her.

No matter how much she would say that she hated their attention, she had enjoyed the way they cheered her on or chanted her name as she achieved something beyond their wildest imagination. The adrenaline would always rocket through her as she listened to the screaming, the yelling, the cheering…She loved it.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. He just knew that something horrible was going to happen and John Utonium was afraid that it was going to happen to his girls. He knew that this day had to come when his three daughters, the Powerpuff Girls, had to face off against Ivy. They were the heroines and it is was in their mandate. Of course, he had let the girls go off on other "final showdowns" but none of them were as risking as this one. None of them had the risk he could never see them again. None of them had the risk that he would have to bury his children.

He felt like such a hypocrite.

He had told Heaven to have faith in the girls and the girls would pull through, and then here he was contradicting himself. But he was a parent; he had an excuse to worry. These girls were his whole world. If they died, he didn't know what he would do with himself. He couldn't bare to live without them.

It was then that he felt awful. He wasn't with his girls, comforting them and giving them encouragement. They were getting it from their friends and the Rowdyruff Boys. He knew that Bubbles was with Boomer and Buttercup was probably with Butch at the moment. He also knew that Blossom was alone, probably thinking of various strategies whilst Brick did the same thing in his own room.

John stood up and exited out of his room. He took one last glance at his sleeping wife. She could sleep for fifteen more minutes while he talked to Blossom. He would wake Sandy up later. Walking out of his room, he ventured down the quiet halls of their base. One would think that they would be busy, but everyone was with their loved ones or had been evacuated.

Finally reaching Blossom's room, he entered and found Blossom sitting at the edge of her bed, her hands holding a small necklace. She looked up when her father entered the room and smiled at him faintly. He smiled back and then sat down next to her. The two remained in a calming silence until John spoke up. "How are you?"

Blossom shrugged. She couldn't tell her father what she was feeling because she had so many emotions running through her. She felt confused, lost, doubtful and most importantly, afraid. She knew she shouldn't have those emotions at that moment but she couldn't help it. John must have sensed it because he said, "You're not stoic, you know."

"Huh?" Blossom said confused.

"Stoics…you should know what they are." John replied. Blossom nodded she knew what they were. They were people in ancient Greece who sought to be free from passion because they believed that passion would lead to feelings that they believed to evil. They also aimed to achieve individual happiness. Someone might say that they were ancient Greek Jedi knights. After all, that's probably where George Lucas got the idea of the Jedi training from, Blossom reason.

"I know." She murmured after several moments of silence.

"Then you can feel what you are feeling. Fear sometimes can be a good thing. It can tell you that something is not right or it gives you a certain protection from something sometimes," John told her. Blossom merely listened, but seemed opposed to the theory.

"It can be bad sometimes too, though." She said. John nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it can be bad sometimes, but fear, like all our other emotions, makes us human. Why would we have emotions such as fear if we weren't suppose to use them?" He stated.

"But what about hate? You're not suppose to use it and yet it's there." Blossom argued as her eyes wandered around the room. She knew what her father's reply was going to be. Both had this argument of emotions when she was twelve. She had been rejected to a dance and vowed to never feel again. John told her it was normal to feel emotions and thus their argument began – much like this one.

"True, and although Star Wars is fictional, there is some truth to it. There is a dark side even to emotions, but it is our willpower and strengths that allow us to not submit to our hate. That is why love is so important. But we are getting off topic." John said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"You know already." The pink puff murmured as she brought her knees up to her chest. John nodded and sighed heavily. Blossom was not going to admit to herself that she was scared because she was afraid that if she did, she would feel like that throughout the fight. Getting up, John glanced one last time at his daughter.

"To be afraid, Blossom, does not mean you are a coward." He told her softly and then left her to her own thoughts. She looked down to the ground and deep within her heart, she knew that it was true. She just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

What was he going to do? He had constantly wondered what he was going to do during this fight. Was it truly wise to be arguing with Blossom? Was it wise to have them being leaders to different teams? Did what Buttercup said had some truth? Did he come in and press his superiority over Blossom? He knew he had every right to do that. She had made an agreement with him during their fight. She promised he could assume full command if he came back and helped them. He did so and now it seemed she was going back on her word. She was leading her sisters, not him.

Then there was their private argument over feelings. She had shut down as soon as he rejected her and he had expected this. He did not expect, however, for her to give him the cold shoulder. She had remained distant to him and even gone so far as to not allowing herself to be in the same room with him without someone else being there. To say she was avoiding him was like saying the Earth moved around the sun. It was obvious. Not even rocket science could say otherwise.

Brick could do nothing but worry beyond this point. His counterpart was avoiding him, his brothers seemed to be more concerned with their girlfriends and Buttercup seemed stubbornly reluctant in following any of his commands. In fact, she went out of her way to disobey him.

Sitting down on the chair before him, he rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. What was he going to do? Snorting in disdain, he realized that seemed to be the most popular question with him. What was he going to do? He had no clue of course. But, as always, he would never admit it out loud. He was Brick and he always knew what to do.

After sitting in silence for several moments, he figured it would be best if he talked to Blossom about the situation. After all, good leaders went into battle prepared for everything. They had to be ready for every unimaginable twist and if they were not prepared, then they had better be prepared for coming up with solutions quickly. The problem he was now facing was a problem of leadership.

Walking out of his room, he headed down the corridors. They were now busy. Glancing down at his watch, he noticed the time. 10:00 AM

Reaching his counterpart's room, he entered to find her fitting the last of her accessories on – accessories such as wristbands and whatnot. She glanced him briefly before continuing to prepare herself quietly. Sighing, he told her quietly, "Blossom, we have to discuss our leadership problem."

Blossom shrugged carelessly.

"You do know we cannot go into battle with two separate leaders, right? It would be very difficult." Brick continued.

Blossom shrugged carelessly again.

Getting irritated, he snapped, "You need to talk to me about this. This can't be a one way conversation. Now, I understand that you were upset about our argument when you proposed this, but now that you're reasonable, maybe we can discuss this."

Finally turning and looking at him, Blossom's rose eyes glowered at him and she said curtly, "Reasonable? I am far from reasonable right now. I have not changed my mind. Your brothers are perfectly content about following you and my sisters are happy I'm leading them. Unless you want a disrespectful Buttercup under your leadership then I suggest you leave her to me."

"You promised I would have full command…" Brick's voice trailed off. Blossom cut him off almost instantaneously.

"Over your brothers. So, technically, I haven't broken one of my promises." The pink puff argued. "I never said that you would be able to lead my sisters, did I? I said I would give up control over your brothers. Take it or leave it, Brick. It's either that or I assume full control over everyone – which is probably better under these circumstances."

Brick released a huff; "You're making a mistake."

Blossom turned her gaze away from him and shrugged once again. Angry, Brick stormed out of her room and went to his room. Once there, he slammed the door causing the room to shake. People outside his room gave slight shrieks a the sudden jolt and several scrambled away from Brick's room. People knew just how bad his temper could get and did not want to be in the line of fire when he exploded.

Within his room, Brick paced back and forth in anger. She was right. She did promise command over his brothers, but not her sisters. How foolish was he? He had completely fallen into her trap without even realizing it and now he couldn't even blame her for going back on her word because she hadn't!

Although he was angry, he had a sense of pride for his counterpart. She was intelligent, he admitted bitterly to himself and he hated to do it. He was proud of his own intellect and to admit someone was wittier than he was a mortal blow to his pride, his male ego. Shaking his head, Brick sat down on his bed and looked around the room. Perhaps there was something that could take his mind off his anger.

His eyes fell upon an opened laptop. Standing up and walking over to the laptop, an idea suddenly hit him. He was going to battle and he knew that there was a possibility that he might not come back. What of his mother? What would she do if he didn't make it? Would she know what to do if Ivy did decide to take over?

Sitting down at his desk and opening a word document, Brick began typing a letter to his mother. In it, he knew, would be instructs to run in case anything should happen to him, how to survive and most importantly, that he and his brothers loved both their mothers – their adoptive mother, Sara Bellum and their creator, Vanessa Rodriguez.

Entrance Hall
10:30 AM

"Blossom," Boomer said as the Powerpuff leader walked up to her sister, Boomer and another older man. Along with the three were Sara Bellum, John Utonium and Sandra Keane. "Blossom, this Captain Gertson, old member of the US army."

"Ma'am," Gertson said curtly as he shook Blossom's hand. The pink puff nodded at him as the blue ruff continued.

"Captain Gertson here is from Wisconsin." Boomer explained. "He left to California for business several days before Ivy's attack. He got stuck here and hasn't had a chance to get back to Wisconsin. Once he heard about our planning to attack Ivy, he volunteered right away to lead this little campaign."

Blossom listened intently until her sister's counterpart finished speaking. She stayed silent as she contemplated about Captain Gertson's position and role in this battle. She finally thought of his family back in Wisconsin, "Captain, do you have a lot of family members back in Wisconsin?"

"Yes ma'am, I do," the captain replied. "Several grandkids, two daughters, a son and my wife."

The leader sighed, "Then I'm going to have to ask you resign from your participation in this battle. Your family is probably worried about you and I don't want another man taken away from his family by the hands of Ivy and her followers."

"Ma'am, with all do respect," The Captain interjected as he removed his hat that was resting peacefully atop his head and covering most of his gray hairs, "I have lived a full life and I have seen many battles. I have also the great pleasure to know my family is safe even if I do leave from this world. My faith protects me and I know that my family will understand. If it's meant to be then God will let me get back home to my family. If not, then I'll be rejoicin' in heaven with the good Father. I have seen what this woman has done and I personally, who has fought to defend my home, my family and my country from likes of her, will not stand back and let her take over this world.

"I would be honored, ma'am, if you allowed me to fight alongside my fellow countrymen as they, too, give up their lives to fight for what they cherish the most. I also have seen what unity has done for this country. No matter what has happened, I know that we always had stood up together in unity to defend what is ours, to defend our home. All I am asking you is to allow me to defend the good ol' red, white and blue again. Let me be sure that my family is truly safe."

Small sniffles from the older women and Bubbles broke Blossom from her concentration. She glanced at her family and her eyes softened. This man was only asking to do what she was going to do. Defend her family and her home. This man was only asking to make sure his family would remain safe. She looked back at the older man and looked into his eyes. Despite all the years of experience in battle and wisdom, she could still see the eagerness in them to defend what he loved the most. Sighing, she said, "Captain Gertson, welcome aboard Operation Global Freedom."

Gertson smiled as he said, "Thank you, ma'am. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

The redheaded female just gave a soft smile and whispered, "Just promise me, captain, that you'll get out of this battle alive and you'll go home to your family. They probably miss you greatly."

"Yes ma'am," Gertson said, happiness twinkling in his old eyes, "I will." Blossom was about to walk away to check on Aaron, when Gertson called her back. She turned around and found the old man looking at her with a worried expression. "Miss Blossom, can you do me favor."

"Sure." The pink puff said.

"If I do die – " Gertson began.

"You promised me that wouldn't happen." Blossom immediately interrupted, not liking where this conversation was going. Captain Gertson held up his hand.

"Although I promised," he said, "there is always a possibility. There is one thing I learned while serving in the army and that's no matter what you promise, there is a possibility that death can occur. Several of my buddies and I have made that promised to each other and only three came back, myself included." The pink puff nodded. "Now, if I do die I would like it if you delivered the news to my wife in Wisconsin."

"Okay." The female teenager murmured. Captain Gertson held up a slip of paper to her. She took it and glanced over it to see what was written on there.

"That's our address." Gertson explained. Blossom nodded and put it in her pocket.

"I promise we'll deliver the news to her."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"You know," Butch said as he leaned on the doorframe. He had come as soon as word that Brick was angry at Blossom reached his ears. "It was kind of wrong for you to say that. I mean, I know I said something along those lines, but I was kidding." The green ruff's deep green eyes stared at Brick as his brother kept his own eyes focused on the laptop before him. Butch sighed. "Maybe Blossom is right. Maybe you guys are too different."

"Don't bring her up," Brick said finally. He had just gotten over being angry with her.

"Please," Butch said, irritation evident in his voice. "You really need to open your eyes. You both are angry with each other at the worst possible moment. I mean, we're going out to fight Ivy for our lives and homes back and all you guys can think about is your leadership role."

"It's beyond our leadership role," The red ruff stated.

"Really? Then what could possibly have you two being so hostile towards each other? Seriously, both of you take your leadership role so seriously," Butch pointed out. Brick ignored him. The green ruff tried again and his brother just ignored him. "Brick, come on, tell me. What's going on between you and Red?"

"That is between me and her," The Rowdyruff leader said firmly, leaving no room for discussion or argument. "Why don't you go and see if your girlfriend is alright."

Butch blinked. Girlfriend? Did he really consider Buttercup his girlfriend? He left the room, his thoughts troubling him to no end. He came upon Buttercup's room and entered it to find completely dark. He opened the door slowly and peeked in. Where was she? He heard small sniffling noises and immediately became concerned. Was Buttercup crying? Could she cry that easily? Did she even know how to cry?

Walking into the dark room, Butch cautiously looked around for the girl. He finally found her huddled into a small, cramped space between her bed and a small nightstand. His eyes softening, he murmured into the darkness, "Buttercup, are you okay?"

Buttercup gasped, looked up and then quickly wiped away her tears. Her face flushed from embarrassment as she stood up, wiping her wet hands on her jeans. Her voice cracked, however, when she said, "Yes…yes, I'm fine."

Butch somehow didn't believe it and walked up to the young girl. She sighed heavily as she sat down on her bed, Butch imitating her movement. The two remained in silence deep in thought until finally Butch broke the silence. "You do know I know you're lying, right?"

Again, the green puff sighed. "I figured as much."

"Butter, what's wrong?" Butch said softly. Buttercup was as surprised as Butch was at the soft tone of his voice. He had never been this gentle with anyone before, much less a girl. Shaking the thought from his head, he stared at the now shaking teenage girl before him. She murmured something softly that even Butch's superpower hearing couldn't even catch. Leaning closer, he said, "I didn't hear you. Speak up."

Buttercup looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. She handle being brave anymore. Whispering in a frightened voice, she told him, "I'm scared."

Butch stared her momentarily before taking her in his arms. As he held her, he desperately wanted to tell her how much he cared for her. But just as quickly as Buttercup's fear vanished, his did too and refrained from it. He didn't deserve this girl. She risked her life to bring him back and he also almost killed her. Yes, he didn't deserve her. She deserved someone better.

He hugged the girl tighter when she began sobbing hard once again. The two sat in the darkness of the room, the only sound coming from Buttercup's cries and Butch's soft murmurs of comfort.

Ivy smiled wickedly as she stood outside her palace. The wind had begun to pick up and the gray clouds began to swirl. The evil woman looked out at where she would meet her opponents in battle, and with a small whisper, she said, "It's time."

She turned to Mojo Jojo and gave him a curt nod. He nodded back before turning around and waving his arms frantically. From within the palace walls, Sedusa got the monkey's signal and pressed a small button. An alarm immediately started going off.

From afar, at the Powerpuff/Rowdyruff Base, a shrill alarm equal to that of Ivy's had begun to sound. Aaron and several other computer operatives had noticed that ranks of villains began to form outside of Ivy's castle and immediately set off the alarm. Checking his watch, Aaron saw that it read 12:00 PM – right on time. He also noted that the evacuees must have left and been gone for about several hours now.

Taking in an apprehensive breath, he watched as the ranks of men began to form outside of their base with electronic shields that the Professor gave them in their hands. Behind the men, stood a proud soldier. He was middle aged, but had the look of experience on his face. His broad shoulders stood at attention as he patiently awaited the formation of the Hoplite Phalanx. Everyone knew who he was. He was Captain Miller, a friend of two captains present in the battle – Captain Keller and Captain Gertson.

He had volunteered to be in the fight once he heard that Gertson had signed up and then Keller followed suit. Captain Miller had been put in charge of the Hoplite Phalanx Division and although he wasn't familiar with using this tactic, he trusted the redheaded puff nonetheless. She was intelligent, he reasoned, and knew what she was doing.

Captain Keller, on the other hand, had been put in charge of ambush parties if the Hoplite Phalanx seemed to fail and the sabotage team was having difficulties (this was put together by Brick). Captain Keller was far younger than the other two captains were and although he did not have as much experience as his two friends did, his IQ scores were very high and throughout most of his childhood, he had been placed in Advanced Placement courses. He, like his friends, also had a specialty and that was ambushing.

The formation of the Hoplite Phalanx was finished and each soldier – whether trained or merely voluntary – stood rigidly as they watched the villains form themselves. Any minute, they knew, the battle for their freedom would begin. The older ones were ready as were the trained soldiers, but the younger volunteers shook nervously in fear.

Ivy, smirking as she could see her opponents, looked towards her soldiers, "Right hace!"

The villains pivoted on their right foot and then brought their feet to a close with their left. They all stood at attention, awaiting further orders by Ivy. HIM appeared next to Ivy and Ivy merely smiled wickedly. "You remember the plan, right HIM?"

"Why, yes, my lady." HIM chuckled in his prissy voice. He, then, let out a demonic smile and said in his deep, threatening voice, "We crush them, of course!"

"Good." Ivy said calmly. She once again turned to the flanks of villains. "Forward march!"

The villains began marching towards the nervous, yet brave, soldiers and volunteers of Townsville. Taking one last look at HIM, Ivy said, "Don't fail me. I must leave to face off against the girls. When I return from my fight, I had better see the remains of battle, understand?"

HIM nodded as Ivy took off into the sky, heading towards her own final showdown between her and the Powerpuff Girls. He turned back to the marching soldiers and began following them. Once they were close enough to the army of Townsville, HIM shouted in his menacing voice, "Ready, halt!"

Like robots, the whole villain army stopped marching and stared intently at the scared and awaiting Townsville army.

Ivy floated away from Townsville. She knew the girls would find her easily. Looking around, she knew she found the perfect spot for their fight. It was away from the battle, but still within the city. It was bare and a wasteland full of ruined shopping malls, supermarkets, old homes and turned up streets. This obviously was the abandoned part of Townsville and hadn't had any attention since she came a took off.

Taking in a deep breath, Ivy noticed from the corner of her eye six dots heading towards. Smirking, she faced towards the six dots and awaited the arrival of the six heroes of Townsville. Once they came, all stopped with Brick and Blossom in the middle and their siblings respectively by their sides.

"Ivy." Blossom immediately sneered. The villainous woman rose an eyebrow and caught that the redheaded puff was already angry. From what, Ivy didn't know nor did she care. Instead, she decided to "poke a little fun" and provoke the teenager.

"Temper, Blossom," Ivy said smoothly, knowing that it would get Blossom riled up even more, "Didn't we say at our last appointment that you needed to work on it? I see no improvement whatsoever. Such a shame…"

"Cut the crap, Ivy." Blossom snapped. Ivy blinked surprised at how angry the girl was. Obviously this fight was going to be strength until the girl calmed down enough to be reasonable and intelligent.

Sighing, the older woman stated, "All right, if you say so."

With that, Ivy took off and charged straight at Blossom. The two redheads collided with one another and thus the fight began. Ivy drove her opponent to the wall of an old business building and immediately kneed her in the stomach. Blossom gasped out and returned the blow instantaneously with hook to Ivy's right cheek. Ivy loosened her grip enough on Blossom so the pink puff could slip from her grasp and hit the woman on the back of the head.

Ivy's head crashed into the business building and the woman turned around angrily with a huge bloody gash on her forehead. Once again charging at Blossom, Ivy threw a punch at the younger girl, but the fist was stopped by Buttercup and the green puff immediately swung the evil woman around like a lasso and then released her when the speed picked up.

Ivy feel away from Buttercup uncontrollably and was caught by Bubbles. Bubbles, hoping to get a roundhouse kick in, tried but failed when Ivy kicked the blond in the rib. Squealing out in surprise and the magnitude of the force, Bubbles tumbled down the hard ground beneath. Ivy's triumph was short lived, however, because Boomer joined the fight along with Butch behind him.

The two boys charged at Ivy, but they were stopped when a sudden burst of electricity collided with him. Being thrown to the ground, the two boys were caught off guard. When they crashed onto the ground, the turned up street became more ruined. Looking up at Ivy flabbergasted, Butch recognized the attack Ivy used, "That's my attack! How is she able to use my attack?"

Boomer shot him a puzzled look and then glanced up at Ivy, "Are you sure it's yours? Maybe she's using one similar to yours."

Butch shook his head, "No, that's my attack. I know it."

The two boys continued to debate amongst themselves as the other four all attacked at Ivy at once. From Ivy's palace (which was far from the fight), three girls who looked incredibly like the Powerpuff Girls stared at the battle grimly. The redheaded girl shook her head as she watched a pink, light blue, light green and red clash with an ivy green, "This fight isn't going well."

Dandy, the blonde, looked at her sister, dumbfounded, "How? The fight only started."

"Look," was all Daisy said as she pointed to the fight. The other two girls looked once again at the battle that was raging out before them and found Ivy tossing away Brick and the girls away like flies. "She already has the upper hand. At this rate, Ivy will win within thirty minutes. Come, we have to stop that from helping."

Understanding, the girls took off to the sky and headed straight towards the action.

Blossom gasped out in anger as she once again tried to charge at Ivy. Her sisters already had burnt marks form Ivy's "newfound" attacks which looked remotely like the Rowdyruff Boys' newfound attacks – Butch's lightening attack, Boomer's weather aggression and Brick's wind assault.

Looking around, she found the Rowdyruff Boys, battered as well. Not allowing herself to give in to her own injuries, Blossom continued to assault Ivy with all she had. Ivy, however, swatted away Blossom repeatedly. Still tired, the pink puff attacked, but was caught by surprise when a wind attack snatched her in a whirlwind and tossed her down to the ground.

Blossom shrieked with the impact of the cement hitting her in the face and the tear of dirt going into her face as she created another hole on the ground being tossed around by Ivy's attack.

The ranks of men stared at the ranks of villains before him. Fear was each of their eyes, but it was suddenly overcome by the amount of bravery they suddenly felt within themselves. Behind them, they could hear the shout from Captain Miller, "Shields up!"

At that moment, electronic shields were put on and the men huddled closely to one another. The ranks of villains started advancing on the army of Townsville. From behind the army, Princess smiled an unreadable smile. Soon…very soon, she had told herself. The ranks of villains, as they charged, started hurling objects and energy balls from their powers.

"Forward!" yelled out Captain Miller. The men started moving forward, still huddled, hoping to push back their opponents. Every now and then, one man might break rank and fire their laser gun at the villains. Of course, a couple of times while the men did this, a villain hit a man causing the row of shielded men to pull in tighter together to avoid being hit.

As Princess watched, a small, unfamiliar voice cracked in her ear, "We are ready, Princess."

The auburn-haired teenage girl smiled maliciously as she pull out a button from the pocket of her yellow sweater. She looked back at the ranks of men and said in a small cynical whisper, "Bye-bye!"

She pressed the button and several explosions erupted from just behind the men. The army was stunned at the explosions, but they were even more stunned when they noticed Princess laughing out loud wickedly. She turned her eyes to Captain Miller as he told her, "How could you! They were innocent men! Innocent civilians and you just attacked them!"

"If I'm lucky, they're dead!" Princess said flagitiously as she pulled out her golden Sais and started to back away from the Captain. Captain Miller could only stare dumbfounded by her actions. The teenage girl noticed his confused expression and did nothing but laugh. "You pathetic man! Did you honestly believe I, Princess Morebucks, was on your side! I was merely a decoy used to give you false information! HIM was never the leader of this battle! I was! I always was the leader!"

Captain Miller paled. How could he have been so blind? The leader of the opposition was here all along and yet he didn't even know! Princess was right…he was pathetic. Princess laughed once more as she jumped onto the roof of their base and then took off. She was gone and the villains now had the upper hand…

…All because Princess betrayed them.

Blossom rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows and knees. She coughed up the dust in her lungs. She suddenly felt a hand grab her hair and toss her on the ground. The redheaded puff felt like the wind was knocked out of her and struggled to breathe. Her eyes scanned the area and found her siblings struggling to stay conscious, as were the Rowdyruffs.

Ivy stepped on Blossom's back and grabbed the smooth, straight red hair of her opponent. She lifted the girl's head and smiled when Blossom gasped out in pain. Leaning close to her ear, the villainous woman whispered, "Good triumph over evil? That's a laugh. The right villain just wasn't around at the time." Ivy lifted her hand and a green sphere of energy appeared just above her palm.

Blossom wanted to stop Ivy and try and save her life but she couldn't. She was weak, tired and overall paralyzed. Her body, realizing that she was tired, shut down and now Blossom couldn't even move out of the way. And she couldn't rely on her sisters or the Rowdyruffs. They were in the same predicament as she was.

There was nothing she could do to save her life.

Closing her eyes, Blossom prepared herself for Ivy's attack. The problem was…it never came. The redheaded puff opened her eyes to find that Ivy was gone and Daisy was standing over her. She blinked confused when Dandy and Dawn landed right next to their sister. Propping herself up on her elbows again, Blossom asked, "What are you doing?"

"Helping you, what does it look like?" snapped Dawn for her sister. Blossom narrowed her eyes at the three girls.

"How can I trust you?" She questioned them. True, how could she trust them? She had heard that Princess pulled a double betrayal act. The auburn-haired girl had pretended to betray Ivy when in the end she betrayed the Powerpuffs. How was she supposed to believe that the Doom Girls were on her side? She couldn't even trust Aaron! Apparently, Daisy sensed Blossom's distrusted and rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to trust us," She said bluntly. "This is for our own self interest. Ivy plans on getting rid of us after this. We planned on letting you win, but it seems that's not happening. We don't care what happens to you honestly."

Blossom blinked and before she could say anything, the Doom Girls took off. She was shocked that the girls were helping her and it seemed that Ivy was just as shocked as she was. The villainous woman watched as the girls came charging at her and then her face twisted into a growl. How should those blasted girls gotten out of their training hall and why are they attacking her?

Ivy managed to block an incoming punch from Dandy and then a roundhouse kick from Dawn. Daisy slipped through her sisters and then proceeded to punch Ivy in the abdomen. Ivy gasped out in breath and a Daisy smirked, "Seems your fear is coming true. You should have never thought of getting rid of us."

Ivy continued to choke while she listened to what Daisy said. The pink clone, once she was finished talking, raised her fists over her head to punch the evil woman on the back, but Ivy looked into the girl's eyes and smirked, "Gotcha!"

Daisy blinked and then looked at Ivy's extended hands and noticed a faint green light appearing from them. Daisy gasped, knowing she had no chance of escaping. She embraced herself for the impact, but then blinked confused when Ivy disappeared from sight and Blossom appeared in front of her. A faint crash could be heard as Ivy collided with the cement ground beneath them.

"What are you doing! This is our fight!" The redheaded clone shouted angrily. Blossom waved her hand airily.

"This is everyone's fight – not just yours." She replied, her eyes never leaving the whole that Ivy laid in. Daisy could do nothing but silently agree. A burst of green light erupted from the whole as Ivy jetted up to where the two look-alike girls were floating in the air. Blossom glanced behind her shoulder and said, "Lemme handle this. Thanks for saving me, but you girls have done enough."

Daisy tried to object, but both Blossom and Ivy had already clashed. She watched helplessly as both powerful females exchanged blow after blow, punch after punch and kick after kick. She couldn't believe that Blossom was helping her even after all the times she, Daisy, had tried to kill her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt an unfamiliar warm feeling form in her chest.

She didn't know what the feeling was, but she liked it a lot. Love, gratefulness and nobility, Daisy had figured after several moments of contemplation. Daisy then gasped when she noticed a green beam shoot passed her face and straight towards her sisters. The redheaded clone froze, not knowing what to do for the first time because for the first time the young girl felt fear – fear for herself and her sisters.

Once again, Blossom came to the rescue by the deflecting the green beam away from the two other Doom Girls using her eye beams. The three Doom Girls looked towards Blossom and found the pink puff looking at them worriedly, "You three need to get out of here! Go! Escape and let me handle her!"

The three girls exchanged helpless looks before Dandy suddenly shouted, "Blossom, look behind you!"

The pink puff whirled around to find Ivy's fist collide with her face. The teenage girl shot down to the ground in a pink streak. Dandy gasped as Daisy and Dandy watched their savior worriedly. The Powerpuff leader was lying on the ground trying to regain her composure. She was on the brink of going unconscious, the Doom Girls knew. They looked back up at Ivy and noticed a huge ball of energy floating just above her extended palms.

"You put up a great fight, Blossom," Ivy laughed as the energy ball grew bigger, "but I am afraid this is where the fight ends."

Ivy unleashed the ball and the massive attack started plunging down towards the pink puff. Daisy looked at her sisters frantically, "We have to save her! She saved us and now we have to return the favor!"

Dandy and Dawn glanced at each other and knew exactly what they had to do. Giving each other faint smiles, they chased after the massive energy ball that was going down towards the semi-conscious teenage Powerpuff Girl.

Blossom, at the last moment, managed to open her eyes to find the attack coming her way. She tried to get to her feet to jump out of the way, but her body wouldn't allow it. Her heart beating fast, Blossom somehow knew this was the end. She couldn't hear anything but the faint laughter of Ivy and her own heart.

Three shadows then covered and when she looked up, she found Daisy, Dandy and Dawn all smiling sadly at her. In unison, each girl said, "Thanks Blossom."

Blossom nodded and then looked back up at the ball, noticing it was getting closer. "You girls need to get out of the way! You're going to die if you stay here!"

Daisy shook her head, "No, this is our place. Between you and Ivy's attack. This is our fate and where our lives end. Just do me a favor and kick Ivy's butt for us. Make her feel the pain that she gave everyone else."

"But you don't have to go!" Blossom pleaded desperately.

"Yes we do, Blossom." The Powerpuff's clone said sadly. Giving her enemy, friend and rival one last smile she said softly, "Just like all good things must come to an end, so must we."

With that, the three girls took off towards the attack. They couldn't hear anything anymore as they came into contact with the attack other than Blossom's screams and Ivy's laughter. Blossom, on the ground, shielded her eyes with her arms as a bright white light escaped when the Doom Girls collided with Ivy's attack. A sudden shrill hiss escaped from the attack as did a immense shockwave and then there was nothing.

Author's Notes:

Okay peeps, I've got something important to tell you. Due to the fact that I feel that is becoming fiction dictators and because there's a rumor going around that you cannot reply to reviews anymore, I am not going to individually answer to your reviews UNLESS I find it necessary. I have seen the administrators of the site take down stories (such as Allies and Rivals III by Tonifranz) and I do not want to risk that. So I will politely say thank you through my author's notes.

I will also try to keep my author's notes to a minimum. Again, I do want to risk my story getting taken off. Like a majority of the writer's on this site, I am going to try and stay within the guidelines. So, expect this to be the last big author's notes until the end of the story. From now on, I will only put big author's notes at the start of my stories and the end of my stories. Anyway, thank you everyone for your reviews and if ya keep reviewing me, I'll dedicate the last chapter to you!

---

Tonifranz: I don't think they'll submit to each other. I was kinda outta words when I wrote that. What I do mean is that they won't exactly hand over their leadership roles on a silver platter to their counterpart (watch, I am going to contradict myself within the next couple of chapters). Yeah, you're right, Blossom should have assumed total command over Brick…even temporarily. Blossom made several mistakes, which could ultimately make her loose her leadership position in the end and Brick could immediately use her mistakes to take advantage of the situation. But that's another story (your story to be exact). I don't think that Blossom was really jealous. There were subtle hints that she did harbor feelings for Brick in previous chapters before the others got together.

Next Chapter: Chapter 19: A Small Measure of Peace

Somewei

"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
-Calvin Coolidge