A/N. Crazy story, besides loss of inspiration? I lost my outline thingy Also funny story that made me hate life - I lost a huge chunk of a super hard arch scene I had to write. And I don't remember or know how and I'm thinking - I'll just skip it and be a lazy looser and 'recap' from the chapter I do have ARGH! I DON'T WANNA REWRITE IT - I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ANYMORE BECAUSE I LOST MY DAMN OUTLINE THING! - I haven't found the outline thingy yet but this is going to be an update for now - I still haven't typed up my lost work again so - not sure what I'm going to do about it. Cry probably.

Uh, So what do you guys think? Would you hate me terribly if I just - SKIPPED to the next arch, at least until I can finish writing the rest and then maybe I'll fill in the blanks - I don't know - I'm super angry about this right now. And- if anyone is still reading this, thanks, if you're new - review so I know you have interest in this thing.

"All members of Haven section off, each group will be assigned to defense preparations and emergency escape procedures, proceed in an orderly manner – this is not a drill – I repeat – this is not a drill!"

Outside Professor Utonium's voice rings out about the frantic people as they try to follow his orders.

Inside the tent Boomer doesn't hear anything. Bubbles and Blossom had left hours ago – the Zombie army was coming and they had no idea what to expect. Buttercup was still there, she wasn't crying, she's very good at forcing her tears back, only a few sniffs escape her as she sits on the crate and stares at the two bodies in the cages.

"He liked to play jokes on me – we pranked each other all the time." Her raspy voice breaks the stiffening silence.

Boomer doesn't say anything. Neither does Brick – Brick's gone into some sort of silent state of shock.

Boomer's pretty sure he has to or he'll break any second. It's like water pushing against a seam until it'll burst. His eyes are sore, his throat raw, his stomach tight, muscles so tense they seize.

He's not crying yet because he doesn't believe Butch is dead yet. It's like he's waiting for him to just sit up, snicker and call them idiots for falling for his act. It wasn't real, it's all just – a really bad dream.

So – wake up Butch – so I can wake up too.

"He and his grandmother came to the Haven when I was seven. I made him eat mud – he put grubs in my soup – we were best friends ever since." Buttercup continues, still in that low cracking voice, her hands starting to shake, she grips them together, eyes vacant, starting at the ground unseeing – she was somewhere else now.

"He always said – said that we – that we'd go out fighting. He fought – dammit did he fight. He was a fighter – " She's talking like they're dead for real. "A real fighter – " They aren't dead, stop it. "A great friend – " Stop – "And – Butch - in the short time I knew him was – "

"He's not dead!" Boomer bursts out with so much force it sends him into a coughing fit.

Buttercup turns dulled eyes at him, pity in them, she's looking at him like – like -like he's wrong and Butch is dead but he- he can't be dead – yet - he can't.

"He's not dead." Boomers voice cracks and he stands up hastily, running out of the tent, unable to breath, the seam was fraying, the water would break through any minute now – if he lets reality settle in.

He hears someone shouting his name, he ignores it and runs, dodging moving people, ducking crates, and weaving through lines and groups.

"Boomer?" Professor calls him from his platform. Boomer ignores him and runs faster, eyes blurring.

No, no -no – he's not dead, he can't be dead – he can't be –

Back at the tent Buttercup shakes her head and turns to Brick who's still standing there, silent and unmoving.

"I'll – I – I need to go for a second." She stutters weakly.

Brick looks up slowly, sees the tears she's fighting and nods, not knowing why she's asking him or telling him for –

"Do you - do you – are you going to stay . . . in here?" She asks him, uncharacteristically small for some reason.

He nods, arms folded across his chest as he drops his eyes back to his failure. And it had cost him his brother.

He'd looked at the samples – he'd looked at the blood, he'd put it – in some panicked moment, under the microscope and seen the strangest thing – the blood cells from all three of them, they fused together – then he'd dropped Butch's contaminated blood and - whatever happened to those cells… it had – attacked the infected ones…

But - but it wasn't ready – Brick squeezes his eyes shut and turns away – whatever it was it didn't work, he couldn't – he failed. He'd killed his brother and someone else's closes friend. He'd killed them with his own two hands. He'd failed so utterly he doesn't think he'd could fail any worse than this.

Outside, the Haven was in a panic as they prepare for both the oncoming army and the possibility of escape – he and Boomer were all they had now, and an unexplained Army of Zombies was coming – from where, he doesn't know. He doesn't care.

Maybe they should just go meet them and –

Something shifts behind him. Brick stops breathing, eyes wide and unblinking as he drags them back to the dead – bodies of –

Another odd soft sound, too quiet he wouldn't have heard it if he breathed.

In a numb state – my mind is playing tricks – it's playing trick – it's playing – he crouches down, not realizing he's doing it until his fingers press to Butch's neck again -

One minute –

Two minutes

His ears ring.

All sounds fade away around him as he forces all what's left in him in this moment.

Four minutes . . .

Then

Badum

Badum . . . .

Budam. . . . Badum. Budum -

H-heart. It's a heartbeat…

Brick's yanks his hand away, snatches the keys and throws the cage open, kneeling inside, eyes wide and dry – heart clogging his throat. Please- please – please don't be crazy, please. He grabs Butch's head and lifts – pressing an ear to his chest, fingers clutching in his brother's shirt.

One minute more – another beat – another minute - another beat but – but how? Brick pulls away and stares - Butch's heart is beating – so slow he hadn't even – he didn't even feel the – it was… but – but –

His brain is spinning in circles. This shouldn't be, this shouldn't be –

"Brick? What are you doing?" Blossom's voice is rough and wet.

"He's – he's alive." Brick doesn't dare say the words about a whisper, in case they aren't true, he shakes Butch in his arms. "He's alive."

"Oh – Brick." Blossom's voice is low, miserable and – and she's mourning him. She thinks he's gone crazy with grief. She steps into the cage and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You – we have to let them go – we can't afford to – to mourn, to lose our grips right now." She sounds as if she's trying to convince herself more than anything.

Brick yanks out of her grip. "No! No you're wrong, listen!" He grabs her small wrist and pulls her to her knees.

She gasps in surprise, gives him a look of pity that he instantly dispises but presses her ear to Butch's chest anyway. Brick watches her eyes – they look skeptical, then sad – welling with tears when she glances at him. No – no – it wasn't in is head, it wasn't! Then – she gasps and jolts away, eyes as wide as the sun.

"W – what?" She gasps again and scrambles out of the cage, rushing into Mitch's and promptly places a hand against his chest, face twisting in apprehension, as she chews her lip.

One minute – two -

"Oh my – oh my -Brick!" She hiccups, hands flying to her mouth, eyes filling with tears.

"He is!" Brick's face break, his eyes water and his face shatters – an uncontrollable smile of sheer disbelief and fear spreads on it. "He is!" A delirious laugh escapes him as he jumps out of the cage, Heart straining against his chest – for once he's not running through every possible reason situation and development in his head, he lives in this moment – in this second. Just for a second, he's alive.

Blossom is crying – she's crying and laughing and shaking her head and reaches for him, instantly gripping him around the neck and shakily sobs into his shoulder. Brick's arms automatically hug tightly and he pushes the threat of tears back as hard as he can, swallowing the rock in his throat, closing his eyes and breathing her in.

"They're alive." She whispers through her streaming tears. "You – you did something and they – they…"

He did – something – Brick's eyes fly open and he pulls away. "The blood samples, they were mine and Boomer's mixed with Butch's – I looked at them under the microscope and –and -"

"They neutralized the infected blood cells?" Blossom stares at him, wiping at her eyes in wonder and looks back at their living patients. "But – but why?"

"No time for that now – we have to figure out – if they'll wake up or – or what?" Brick rubs at his red hair, exhaustion breaking at his walls – no – no time to be tired, not right now –

"We can't do anything for them – Professor isn't here and we need to just wait and see if – what happens in a little bit."

"Leave this to chance now?" Brick doesn't like the sound of that.

"Brick - this entire ordeal was – a reach for a chance. I think we have to wait a little more." Blossom assures him and takes his hand with both of her, her tired pink eyes soft as they look up at him. "Just – let's just watch them, maybe the blood sample needs to – to work through the body. It seems to be a slow process so – "

Brick takes her small, eager face in – she's trying to not think of every horrible outcome – he should probably stop doing that to himself. He squeezes her hands. "I – I'll watch them."

"Yah – I need to go help professor and tell the others – "

"No - not until we're sure – we're sure they won't die – again." Brick can't stand the thought of – of ripping hope out of Boomer's chest again.

Blossom chews her bottom lip, his eyes look at the movement - he never thought about how soft they looked, even a bit chapped – but still – no - focus, no time for that.

"Ok. We'll wait an hour – but they will come soon to – to get the bodies for … burning." She can't seem to stomach the words.

No – there won't be any burnings today. "Go. I'll deal with this." And it'll be fine – for Boomer's sake and his own sanities sake – it'll be fine.

Blossom nods and gives his hands one last squeeze before rushing outside into the still moving chaos of preparing people. They had to be out of the Haven by tonight – it won't take the fast moving army long – Buttercup had seen them moving with her telescope. It was a handy contraption.

Brick looks at the two still bodies in the cages. They were alive – but the question now remains.

Will they wake up?

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