Disclaimer: Thank Craig Mccraken. I don't - nor will I ever - own the Powerpuff Girls.


A/N: Alright, I think I'm making some progress here. Yeah. Short chapter. Sucky chapter. BUT. BUT, BUT, BUT, I've already kinda planned out the next two, so things should flow a bit better now. Yeah. Thanks for tolerating my stupidity and irresponsibility, guys. Best readers ever!


~ CHAPTER 20 ~

Preparations


"Where's Buttercup?" Blossom screamed, pacing the room. Bubbles sighed and clutched her pillow tighter. Her sister had been gone for over a day now, and the Christmas festival was tonight.

When they woke up in the morning and found out Buttercup still had't returned, they immediately sent guards to find her. Four hours later and still no luck. She had completely disappeared without a trace.

"How am I supposed to get everything into order with one of the royal princesses gone? What will we tell the other kingdoms! Our reputation will be ruined! Oh my goodness…" Blossom chewed her lip nervously. "I'm a failure. I lost my own sister! Hah! What will everyone think of me?"

The girl's mental state at the moment was questionable, and with a sigh, Bubbles quietly got up and left the room. While her sister continued to hyperventilate, she'd have to handle the celebration.

Bubbles massaged her temples, murmuring to herself as she walked down the stairs.

"Confirm the guest list."

"Check on how the townsfolk are doing."

"Go over the ballroom decorations and make sure there is enough food."

"Lock up all the private areas so no guests wander off." She stopped a passing servant to help adjust her apron.

"Fi—Find Buttercup…" She trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing.

Bubbles didn't know what to do about her sister anymore. Over the past few weeks she had barely even had a conversation with Buttercup. The brunette only stayed in the castle for her classes, disappearing once they were all over. She even skipped dinner sometimes, which was oddly out of character for someone as ravenous as her.

She'd heard about the incident with Mitch and the Gadrean spy, and sympathized with her. Buttercup's disappearance had to be linked with what had occurred two nights ago.

Bubbles had dealt with an incredible amount of drama in her sixteen years, but nothing quite as big as this. Something about betrayal, lies and trying to kill her? She wasn't entirely sure. The castle maids weren't exactly the most reliable source of information.

Bubbles was still certain that her sister would return before the festival stated tonight, though. She wouldn't miss it. She couldn't.

The blonde opened the doors to the ballroom, and was suddenly overwhelmed by the chaos of it all. The velvet drapes were pulled apart, the chandelier were being dusted, the stairs had been polished, and off to the side the housekeeper were going over the servant's' clothes, making sure that they were all properly dressed.

She made her way through the massive, bumbling mess, waving to her friends—which was pretty much the entire room—and dipped her head in greeting when she came along the butler.

"Good morning, Alvin, how's everything going?"

"We are—surprisingly—on schedule today. Everything is going as it should, and by the time the festival officially begins, we should be ready." The tall, young man replied, the corners of his mouth lifting in confidence.

Great, Bubbles thought, sighing through her nose, the single most important day of the year and everything is going perfectly, except for the fact that Buttercup is gone.

"And all the private rooms are locked up?"

"Of course."

"Wonderful! I'll be heading off into towns soon to check on how everything is outside, but would you mind giving me the guest list to go over one last time?"

"No problem, miss." Alvin nodded as he pulled out a small notebook from his coat, and bowed slightly before hurrying to steady the ladder where a maid was balancing on.

With a final glance, Bubbles walked out the doors and into the courtyard.

During spring the trees would be bright green, blooming with flowers, the hedges perfectly trimmed after the long months of cold, and flowers of all colors would line the paths.

Right now, however, in the icy blueness of winter, the barren branches were covered with a blanket of snow, the grass and flowers hidden under a layer of white. Everything sparkled in the yellow white rays of the morning sun, the raindrops from previous nights frozen on the branches of willows glittering like diamonds.

Bubbles shivered as she pulled her coat tighter around her. She hadn't expected it to be this cold out.

The castle was probably hundreds of years old, designed by the finest architects of the time. With magnificent arches, towers that reached up to the sky, and twisting halls, it was one of a kind. She made her way to the gates, and nodded curtly to the guards before stepping onto the paved path into town.

The lanterns were already strung up, and despite it only being noon, Bubbles could see that stands were already set up in the streets, people milling about and checking out them out before the crowds rushed in at five.

She could already tell this year the festival was going to be a success.

That is, if Buttercup returned.


"I swear to God, if Butch is dozing off somewhere, the moment he returns I am going to kill him!" Brick fumed, pacing the room. Boomer yawned and flopped back onto his bed.

Butch had only been gone a little over a night, and that was absolutely nothing to worry about. His brother was always disappearing off the strange places. Although, it was the day of the Christmas Festival, and Boomer could see why Brick would be so furious.

"Don't worry so much, bro. He'll be back before three—no, four. Until then, relax a bit, go for a stroll around the castle, take a nap, something. If he doesn't come back by then—"

He was cut off mid sentence by the door slamming open, revealing a crazed look Butch with a scruffy looking shirt and hair that was more ruffled than usual. Both Brick and Boomer whipped around, one practically glowing with rage, the other with a lethargic grin.

"Hey! Welcome back, whatcha been up—"

Once again, the blonde was cut off by one of his brothers, but this time it was because the eldest of the three had pinned Butch to the wall, eyes narrowed.

"Where the Hell have you been? We are supposed to be in Selodia's Goddamn castle by five, and you come in an hour and a half before we need to leave? Who do you think you are?" Brick growled, pressing his face closer.

Boomer shifted on his blue duvet, unsure whether or not he should stay or leave. His older siblings were always at each other's throats, and it made him immensely uncomfortable.

Butch glared back at Brick, his gaze unwavering, dark green boring into bright red. There was a tense silence between the two, which broke when Butch scoffed and pushed his brother off of him.

"Whatever, it's not like you actually care." He muttered, folding his arms and turning away.

"I asked a question, you obtuse ass, and I expect an answer." Brick's voice came out in a low rumble, and the other stiffened.

For a moment Boomer wondered if a full blown fight was coming their way, and quickly looked around for a place to shrink into and become inconspicuous.

A grimace crossed Butch's face, before he muttered, "I was just looking for someone. 'S not important."

"Well then, the next time you decide to look for someone, try not to be so ignorant and maybe check the time, alright?"

"Yeah, sure."

As his dark haired brother made his way to the bathroom to take a shower, Boomer noticed that his usually bright, alert eyes had become dull and glazed over, something incredibly uncharacteristic of him. Butch was always on the move, always processing his surroundings, always up to some mischief. Right now, he just looked defeated.

Brick flopped back down on his chair, his head in his hands. "What am I going to do with him?" he mumbled to himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.

"Um, we should get dressed." Boomer said as he stood up uneasily after a lot of internal screaming, and cursed at himself for making it sound like a question.

Brick's eyes were closed, but he nodded, taking a deep breath. The shorter of the two remained idle for a few moments, unsure of what to do. His older brother coughed and pointed to the closet.

"Oh, um, yeah."


Blossom stood in front of the full length mirror, admiring the dress. The cranberry red hem brushed the ground and she could see her maroon heels peeking out from under. Her skin tingled, and she rubbed her bare shoulders uncomfortably.

"Too revealing?"

The girl whipped around to see her Bubbles standing in the doorway. The blonde was clad in a beautiful strapless blue layered dress, and long white gloves. She looked stunning. Slowly, Blossom turned back to the mirror.

"I suppose. I don't usually wear anything without sleeves—or at least straps….I just feel a bit 'exposed' if you know what I mean." Blossom tipped her head at her sister.

"Oh, but you look absolutely gorgeous just like that!" Bubbles strode over to the wardrobe and began to rummage through the clothing. "It would be a shame to cover it all up. Live a little!"

Blossom bit her lip. She'd admit that she looked pretty, but it just felt wrong. So many people were going to be there, and she didn't think that she could show so much skin in front of a crowd that big.

"I don't know…" She mumbled.

"Alright, here! Try this on." Bubbles handed a deep red collared cloak to her and stood next to the mirror. "It'll cover up your shoulders and stuff."

The pink eyed princess carefully pulled it around her neck, and fastened the silver clasp. It stopped right below her rib cage, and was light enough for her to move her arms around in. Bubbles beamed as Blossom traced a finger over the delicate embroidery.

"I didn't know we owned this."

"Me neither," Bubbles shrugged, stepping back. "But it was in the back of the wardrobe, so I assume it belongs of one of us."

"Mhm."

For a moment there was a comfortable silence between the two. Bubbles rested a hand on her sister's arm. "We should get going."

Blossom's eyes flitted to the clock. Quarter till five. "Yes." She managed a faint smile and began to walk to the door.

"Hey—wait what about Buttercup?"

The redhead froze, feeling a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. "Her horse is gone, but other than that, nothing. They traced the tracks to a shallow river, and lost her after that."

"What are we going to tell everyone? We can't let this get out to the public!"

"Just—" Blossom sighed through her nose and twisted the knob."Tell them Buttercup is not feeling well and unfortunately won't be attending this year."

Bubbles was suddenly blocking her path, eyes wide. "I'm worried about her, Bloss. I know that she can take care of herself, and that she is much stronger than we take her for but what if she's in danger? All alone out there. I don't...I don't want anything bad to happen."

"Don't worry," Blossom reassured, gently maneuvering her sister out of the way. "I've given this some thought and she's probably just wandering around like always. She'll be fine. Besides, Mitch and the rest of her friends are still out there searching for her. They volunteered."

"I—"

"Bubbles. Please. I'm concerned too, alright? I just choose not to be pessimistic about it. Buttercup will be back in no time."

After a moment of hesitation, the pair of bright blue eyes lit up. "Yeah, yeah. You're right. Totally. I'm gonna have a great time tonight. Yeah…" Bubbles' grin returned and she pranced down the hall. "C'mon we don't want to be late!"

Blossom chuckled softly to herself. Everything was going to be all right. The festival will go accordingly, she'd be able to catch up with a few of her other friends, and there was no way she was going to let something ruin it.

Tonight was going to be wonderful.

~end of chapter 20~