I do not own the Power Puff Girls or the Rowdy Ruff Boys

Chapter Seventeen: Redefining Our Relationships

The moment Butch and Buttercup stepped into the cabin, Buttercup took initiative and pushed Butch against the door closing it. She pressed her lips to his and with gentle force pushed her tongue through to tangle with his. Butch matched her ardor and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to him. While their mouths were occupied Buttercup pushed his jacket off his shoulders and as it fell reached for the hem of his shirt and yanked it up. When she reached for his buckle, she pulled back just far enough to watch his eyes. Moving to her knees, she worked to take his boots off maintaining eye contact. Even in the faint light from the stars, their eyes shined like jewels with their rising desire for each other. After she helped him to step out of his shoes, she pulled his pants down. It took a bit of effort to ignore the semi hard erection that was pointed at her. Even though she knew Butch wouldn't mind her taking him into her mouth, that wasn't what Buttercup wanted to do for him.

Standing up, Buttercup grabbed his hands and guided him to the couch bed that was still pulled out form their last time. She let him sit and stepped back so that she may strip herself before him. Butch braced himself on his hands as he leaned back and watched Buttercup strip her own clothes. His excitement was on full display with his legs spread before him. Buttercup could take him however she wanted to tonight. He knew that she was taking a big step, and wouldn't do anything to discourage her by getting to excited.

Buttercup took the few steps toward Butch and urged him to scoot back until he was in the middle of the couch bed. She walked on her knees toward him and straddled his lap, erection brushing against her ass. She then leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled back, she leaned over so she could reach the box on the side of the bed where they kept their extra condoms. She felt Butch's hand run along the side of her leg that was still draped over him. He moved his hands to behind his head as she opened the condom pack. He felt as if time was standing still as she rolled the condom down his shaft and positioned herself over him.

Buttercup took a deep breath and closed her eyes, before she felt Butch's hand under her chin. "Open your eyes. See that it's me, Cupcake."

Buttercup inhaled deeply at her once beloved nickname and the request to look at Butch. She felt her belly clench with nerves rather than arousal, and she almost retreated from him. "Butch."

"Please, Buttercup." Butch begged. He never begged—never thought he would—but he wanted his Buttercup back. "We're so close."

"Please shut up." She whispered, feeling the her built up arousal fading away.

Seeing the retreat in her body language, Butch sat up and wrapped his arms around Buttercup. "I'm sorry, Buttercup. I really am, but don't leave me hanging like this."

"I'll jerk you off." She whispered as she sat in his lap, his straining cock between them.

The green Rowdy Ruff Boy shook his head and growled under his breath. "I don't want to be jerked off. I…I thought we were finally moving past this."

Buttercup held his gaze and sighed. "We are, I just don't want to hear you call me Cupcake."

"No, Butter—."

"I'm not ready for that, Butch." She quickly told him, feeling his erection begin to deflate as his frustration grew. "I was ready to have sex with you tonight. I wanted to have sex with you, Butch."

Butch pulled Buttercup closer so that his cock was pressed right up against her folds. "Then let's." he practically growled, urging her upwards.

He was about to pull her down when she resisted, bringing her hands up to cup his face. She wanted to be sure that he understood what she said next. "Just please—PLEASE—don't call me Cupcake. Just don't."

When her husband closed his eyes and dropped his head to her shoulder, she sank down onto him. She felt more than heard his intake of breath at being inside her for the first time in weeks. They savored the feeling with kisses being pressed onto each other's skin wherever they could reach. For Buttercup it was his forehead, while Butch dotted her chest and neck with his kisses. As he lifted his head to look at her, he leaned back against the pillows and twined their fingers together. "Move."

Slowly Buttercup did as he asked and rocked her hips against his. The friction of sliding against one another felt euphoric to the young married couple. With their hands clasped like they were, they could feel the metal of their rings brushing against their fingers. Looking at their hands, Butch couldn't help but to smile. He honestly loved seeing that ring on her finger, more than he ever imagined it would. It might be a bit primitive, but seeing that she carried something that said she was taken. That she was his, made his male pride swell. Better yet, his own ring told everyone else that he was hers. No one could make him think it was a bad thing. Despite the bad timing, he thought of how great it would be to shove it in Mitch's face that he and Buttercup were married. When he let a laugh escape, Buttercup looked down at him in question.

"What?"

"I love you." He answered her, thrusting upward with his own hips to get her back to her rhythm when she faltered. "I love you more than you could ever know Buttercup."

This time Buttercup laughed, gasping at what the sensation did with Butch inside her. Sobering a little she leaned down and kissed him. "This is the second time you've told me you loved me with your dick inside me."

"It's also the second time you haven't said it back when I said it to you with my dick inside you." Butch retorted pecking her lips back.

"Touche." Buttercup murmured as she ground against him with her body laying as flat at it could against him. She sighed happily in her throat before bringing her hands run them over Butch's hair. "I love you, Butch. I really do."

Sitting back up, Buttercup resumed her motion over Butch, building that pleasurable tension between them. Butch eventually released her hands and gripped her ass for leverage as he met her thrust for thrust. When he felt his balls tighten with his pending orgasm, he moved faster. He wanted Buttercup to cum when he did. Along with his faster thrusting of his hips into hers, he brought his hand inward to stroke the place where their bodies met. When his fingers brushed against her clit, he felt she was close. It was as her body seized up around him with her orgasm, did Butch give into his own.

Buttercup nearly fell forward and was caught by Butch. He maneuvered them so that they were lying side by side, with Buttercup's leg draped over him. He kissed her softly and brushed her hair from her face. "I fucking love you, Buttercup."

"I fucking love you too Butch." She then snuggled against him and released a breath against his heated skin.

After they recovered their strength the two made love twice more, before deciding to go the Utonium home. It was late enough that the professor was asleep, but still they crept quietly into the house and up to her room. Grabbing a fresh towel and their toiletries they made their way to the bathroom for a shared shower. They did nothing more than kiss and wash each other before getting out and just as quietly making their way to her room. Laying in her bed, they just got lost in their thoughts. Mostly thinking about the last time the two of them had a sleepover at each other's house. That one ended in such disaster, with not just their secret affair coming to light, but all of their siblings' secrets.

Their lives had changed so much within the last year. To think they were platonic enemies and now were lovers. The toughest of the Ruff and Puffs were married. The leaders of the respective trios now had a baby. Strangely enough, the most normal out of the group were Boomer and Bubbles. Even their petty little fight was under normal circumstances. Despite them being on the outs with each other, their relationship was what one would expect teenagers to have. Simple misunderstands and sugary sweet moments. Sure it was enough to make one's teeth rot, but it was normal.

Butch and Buttercup went to sleep thinking of what the new normal would be like going forward.

The following morning, the professor woke up with plans to go visit Blossom and Brick. After that he thought he might go check on Mojo. Knowing the chimp, the professor was sure he was sulking. Mojo was trying, but that temper and grudge of his kept preventing him from moving forward.

While he was putting his arms through the sleeves of his robe, he voices passing his room. One he was sure was Buttercup. The other he hoped to hell wasn't Butch. Not even bothering to tie his robe, he ran out his room just in time to see Butch and Buttercup disappear around the corner to go to the kitchen. Going down the stairs, he froze in the doorway as Butch sat and Buttercup went about getting cereal for them to eat. Clearing his throat, he drew attention to himself and folded his arms. "Good morning."

"Hey, good morning Professor." Buttercup said while having the decency to look ashamed.

Butch gave a mumbled good morning, and feigned not being affected by the professor's presence. "I'm expecting a call from Townsville Pistons today."

"Counting your chickens before they've hatched I see." The professor commented. "Though, if you're brave enough to spend the night without permission, then I assume you did well."

"Better than well considering I had to do it a second time so he could see what I was doing." Butch complained as Buttercup pushed an empty bowl his way and the cereal. He went about fixing his breakfast, glad that his first morning after with his wife wasn't as awkward as he thought it would be—considering her father was sending him a halfhearted glare.

"How did Brick and Blossom settle in yesterday?" The professor asked as he began making a pot of coffee.

Butch angrily crunched on his cereal as he remembered the apartment being flooded with girls and their enthusiasm. "The poor little guy was smothered along with his parents."

Buttercup rolled her eyes as she sat and ate her own breakfast. "He was not. Everyone just wanted the chance to hold him and we did. I got to hold him first. He's so much cuter than that picture Brick took let on."

The sparkle in her eyes that could only be something girls had over babies shined in her eyes. Butch held back a smart remark, but the knowing smirk on his face still gave him away. Thankfully, the professor spoke, saying him from embarrassing Buttercup.

"Coal's lucky to have the parents and family he does." The older man mused allowed. "Not even Mojo could be his typical grumpy self."

That drew both green eyed teens' attention; Buttercup with her spoon in her mouth and Butch nearly choking on cereal and metal from accidently biting his own spoon. He idly though about how much of a literal pain in the ass it was going to be when that metal passed through his body. Even worst that he should know what it feels like thanks to a stupid contest in his youth with his brothers.

"Mojo visited them? When?" Buttercup asked when she recovered from her shock.

"Why?" Butch wanted to know. Mojo visiting his grandson was the last thing he expected the surly chimp to do.

"He claims it was so no one could say he didn't see the child." The coffee pot finished its brew and the professor went about getting the cream and sugar to prepare it the way he liked. He had to do so quickly as he liked it extremely sweet and the girls had a habit of trying to curb his diet. Thankfully Buttercup was still in mild shock the Mojo went to see Coal. "I think he was worried about Brick."

Butch hummed to himself and turned back to his breakfast. He and his brothers needed to talk today. It's been put off long enough for one reason or another. After seeing his nephew himself, more defenseless than he and his brothers were, the assurance of H.I.M being completely was greatly needed. "Despite being the ultimate pain in our asses, Mojo does care."

"If you say so." Buttercup grumbled as she tucked back into her breakfast. She then glanced at the stove clock and gasped. "Damn it. I'm going to be late." She scarfed her breakfast down and zipped up the stairs so that she could brush her teeth and get dressed. Before either the professor or Butch blink more than twice Buttercup was a black and green blur out the front door.

Once she was gone, Butch and the professor turned to face each other. "There she goes."

"Yeah." Butch agreed as he turned back to his breakfast. "I'm going to go meet up with my brothers later, so don't worry about me sitting around scratching my butt."

"Wasn't worried per se, but glad to know you'll be doing something today." The professor said as he took a delicious sip of sugary coffee. "I'm going to go check on Mojo. Who knows how he's feeling?"

Butch's brow creased as he raised a single dark brow and then focusing on his soggy cereal. "This is Mojo we're talking about. The chimp is probably plotting some plan he won't do just to calm his nerves. That or watching monkey porn again."

"Monkey porn?" The professor wasn't sure he wanted to know what exactly that meant.

"Animal Planet. Chimpanzee special." Butch elaborated.

The professor nodded and took another sip of his coffee. "I'd suggest getting a girlfriend, but he never really got over Moko Jono."

"Moko Jono?" Butch asked looking up. "Who was she?"

"A really touchy subject for him." The professor said. Taking another sip of coffee, he sighed and ran a hand over his head. "He spent his sentence in eating banana split ice cream, crying, and watching Monkey Trouble over and over."

Butch couldn't figure if he should find that funny, or sad.

It was a blessing that it was the weekend for their first few days back home with their baby. Blossom spent the day resting while Brick looked after Coal. At only a few days old, the newest Rowdy Ruff Boy wasn't all that energetic. He much like his mother slept most of the day. When he woke, Brick urged her to go back to sleep while he attended to their son. Thankfully all he needed at the moment was a change, and not a feeding. After his changing, Brick and Coal migrated to the living room, so that Blossom may sleep peacefully at least until the next feeding. Putting the television on some random movie with the volume on low, Brick rocked his son. He sucked contently on his pacifier and made the smallest of grunts and groans.

Brick glanced down at his son and smiled. "You're being so good right now, Coal. Though, I guess that's because you aren't even capable of keeping your eyes open for more than a minute."

The almost muted conversation on the television filled in the space.

"Are you just waiting until it's just you and Mommy? You know we're both still in school. I mean Mommy already made arrangements so that she can still do her assignments from home, but Daddy…Daddy still has to go to school. I didn't think it would matter so much, but something's happened."

Brick glanced up at the television just as a fight scene in whatever action movie was on started. The simulated fight, nothing like what he experienced himself from years of fighting, flashed across the screen. Butch would laugh at how cheesy it would be and how there would be more damage.

"I think someone…a bad someone might be back."

Coal didn't give much of a response other than a sigh and a harder sucking on his pacifier before it relaxed.

"This someone hurt Mommy and Daddy." Brick whispered. "Your aunts and uncles were also hurt by this person. I wouldn't put it past this person to hurt you if given the chance, but I won't give it. He'd have to kill me first."

Red eyes cracked open and looked up at his father. The image he had of him was a bit blurry at best, but the deep timbre his voice and warmth that matched his own let him know it was Daddy. He didn't have to change his temperature like he did with other people or with Mommy. Mommy was cold, but her soft voice was comforting.

A knock at the door, disturbed the two red-headed boys. Brick groaned as he stood up, while Coal grumbled at being moved when he didn't want to. Walking to the door, Brick opened it and found himself quickly maneuvering out of the way as Boomer barreled inside. Coal didn't appreciate the sudden jostling and made his complaint known by letting out a distressed cry.

"Nice going, jackass." Brick grumbled as he closed the door and kicked Boomer in the back of his knee when he passed him.

Boomer barely caught himself as his brother passed. Regaining his footing, he watched as Brick walked around and rocked his son in his arms. "Sorry."

"I just didn't want to get caught." Boomer supplied as he moved to sit on the couch.

Coal's crying settled a bit as he was cradled in Brick's arms. "By Mojo?"

"Bubbles. She's been calling and texting, but she's not giving me time to just figure this out."

"What is there to figure out?" Brick asked absently as he kept his attention on Coal.

Boomer ran his hands over his face as he groaned into them. Reclining back, he Dropped his hands to the side. "Jamie kissed her. She's been very clear about that." He snorted.

"Then I'd go talk to Jamie." Brick supplied. "He knew Bubbles was your girlfriend, so he's in the wrong. Not Bubbles."

"That's just the thing." Boomer said as he turned to look at his brother. "Bubbles knew I'd go talk, and probably punch the guy, so why wouldn't she tell me?"

"You just answered your own question." Brick pointed out to him, lowering his voice, now that Coal had calmed down.

"Bubbles let me try any kind of sex position I wanted that weekend. She did that because she was guilty, not because she really wanted to do it." Boomer told him aggravated.

Brick finally looked up at his brother and found himself pitying him. While he was glad that Boomer wasn't so shallow to be this upset over a kiss, he also didn't want him overthinking this either. "So what do you want from her?"

Boomer slumped over the back of the couch. "I don't know. What would you do?"

The elder brother carefully shrugged, mindful of his son in his arms. "I don't know. I mean, I know I wouldn't be scared to talk to my girlfriend for one."

"I'm not scared to talk to her!" Boomer snapped, only to wince when Coal let out a soft whimper.

"You are, and keep your voice down." Brick warned him darkly. "If he starts crying, you're going to rock him till he calms down."

"Sorry."

"You are pussyfooting in talking to her. I just don't know why." Brick said as he moved to sit on the couch beside his brother.

Boomer turned and twined his fingers together in his lap. "I don't want to see her cry, but I can't hold back how I really feel about this."

"And how do you feel about this?" Brick asked.

Boomer chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about how best to answer that. "Overall, I feel like she didn't trust me enough to understand that Jamie was the asshole. I mean who kisses a girl, knowing she has a boyfriend that can crack their head open like an egg?"

A soft rap at the door, pulled the boys from their conversation. Brick made a gesture for Boomer to get the door. When Butch walked in, it seemed the air changed as the real reason they needed to talk hung unspoken in the air as they got settled in the living room. It was as if they held their breath before jumping headfirst.

"I haven't seen H.I.M, but his presence or something like him is there when I've dreamed." Brick just came out and said to his brothers. "What about you guys?"

"I already told you, his mind games don't work on me." Butch reminded Brick. "If he wanted to get at me, he would do the direct approach. Attacking me or you guys."

Boomer chewed his lip, before letting out a breath. "I think I first might've felt it a while back."

Brick and Butch looked to their little brother, tension radiating off their bodies. "How far is a while back?"

"Not long after you guys started calling me vanilla." Boomer almost mumbled. Unfortunately for him, he was sitting beside Brick and his brother kicked him hard enough to jostle the both of them—three if you count Coal, and the miniature Ruff boy did as his cry was anything to go by.

"Fucking jackass, that was months ago!" Brick stood up from his place on the couch and left the room to try to go soothe his son.

Boomer was left with Butch who could only shake his head at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You guys were making fun of me!" Boomer yelled suddenly, his frustration with his brothers calling him vanilla and the drama of Bubbles pouring out. "You guys always make fun of me for whatever fucking reason. So don't you dare fucking blame me for this."

Butch took immediate offense to Boomer taking his anger out on him. "Hey! We're not blaming you for anything, but you do need to understand how stupid that was."

"Don't fucking call me stupid!" Boomer yelled standing up from the couch and getting in his brother's face. "I am not stupid."

"Stupid is what you did jackass!" Butch yelled back at him. "H.I.M is no fucking joke. We wouldn't have made fun of you if you that he was back."

"If all you buttheads are going to do is scream and yell, them get the hell out!" Blossom's tired and aggravated voice travel down the hall, along with a chill to travel down the boys' spines. Whatever Brick said must've been spoken at normal volume, because neither Butch or Boomer could hear over Coal's continued crying. "I don't care whose goddamn fault it is. Take your brothers and get out of my house!"

Aside from Coal's crying, there was silence. A few minutes later, Brick came down the hall and gestured for his brothers to follow him out of the apartment. Brick made it clear that they weren't going far, by only bringing his phone and nothing else. He led his brothers to a picnic area and sat down at one of the tables. Boomer and Butch joined him on the other sides and waited for Brick to start speaking.

"Boomer you should've said something, but I get why you didn't." The Rowdy Ruff leader admitted. "We do pick on you more than we do each other."

Boomer sat up a little straighter, glad to be validated in his feelings. It was a short-lived feeling as Brick continued with, "It's not going to ever stop, but when it's serious we'll listen. Not to be mushy, but we do love you."

Butch grunted out an affirmative while shooting Boomer a smile. "Any more dreams or feelings?"

Boomer shrugged his shoulder. "Maybe, but when it was only when I felt guilty or was worrying about something. It was only once or twice before with the Vanilla thing."

"And now with your shit with Bubbles?" Brick asked knowing that was prime manipulation fodder in the making.

"I…haven't really slept long enough to dream the past couple nights." He admitted to his brothers. "This thing with Blossom is bothering me more than I thought it would."

"You're going to have to talk about it sooner or later with her." Butch told him. "That shit is going to eat at you if you don't talk it out with her. Trust me."

It took Boomer a second to remember that Butch was married. It seemed like such a vague idea that he was since they weren't living together, but then he would see the binding ring on Butch's finger. It was so strange how their relationships were at such different places than what everyone—themselves included—thought they would be. Brick had a baby, Butch was married, and Boomer found himself on the rocks right now. If anything, everyone thought that Boomer would be the first to get married and have a child. He and Bubbles just seemed so in love. He was in love, and figured that was why his heart hurt so much. It ached just with him thinking about it.

Boomer sighed and nodded his head at his brother's words. "Yeah, I just needed space to think."

There was a beat of silence before Butch ran a hand over his hair and blew out a breath. He turned his emerald stare onto Brick and waited for him to look him in the eye before speaking. "Don't breathe a word of this to Blossom."

"About…?"

"Boomer, Buttercup and I have slept with other people." He then went on to tell them the full story of how he and Buttercup got married and the events that followed. The ecstasy, the drinking, the wedding, the reception, and the wedding night. The only thing about that that shocked Brick was the sleeping with other people. He'd more or less guessed that Butch and Buttercup were on drugs. Boomer listened a bit more raptly to how Butch and Buttercup coped. "I wanted to have sex with her, because I wanted to get back to that feeling of security we have. She couldn't have sex with me because that security was broken."

"Are you saying that's the reason Bubbles let me have sex with her like I did last weekend?" Boomer asked.

Butch lifted a shoulder. "You'd have to ask her, but if that's the case don't hold it against her."

"Then what about Jamie?" Boomer asked.

"You talk to him civilly." Brick told him. "You can't hurt him. None of that Sonic Boomer shit."

"No promises." Boomer told him honestly.

After that the boys talked about what they should do if more dreams happen. In the meantime, they all agreed to have the professor run some tests. If there was anything strange, they'd figure out a way to deal with it. The three of them hoped that there was nothing. If H.I.M was back, who knows what he'd do—especially with their having so much more to lose this time.

Mojo was sitting on the couch when a knock came to the door. With a roll of his eyes, he clicked a button to open the door. There was only one person who came to visit him on such a regular basis; that and he figured he'd be coming to see him at some point. "I already say the child, so what do you want?"

"I need a reason to come visit you?" The professor said as he came to stand beside the couch. Mojo hadn't turned to look at him, but he scowled nonetheless.

"You haven't had a real reason for the last few visits." Mojo informed him.

The professor then placed his medical bag on the couch, finally making Mojo turn his direction. Looking between the bag and the professor he sighed. "Don't give me that. It's about time for a checkup for you." He then moved around the couch so that he could begin his examination of the genetically altered chimpanzee.

"I figured you'd be too busy spending time your grandson to be bothered with me." Mojo grumbled.

The professor opened his back and reached for his stethoscope. "Don't be like that. Coal needs to spend time with his parents and just his parents for a while."

"His parents that are still children themselves. He'll be lucky if he makes it to his first birthday." Mojo grumbled as he sat still for his checkup.

"He'll live long to see his cousins drive you crazy." The professor said as he pressed the hearing end of the stethoscope to Mojo's heart. Noticing the fast beat, he glanced at Mojo's face to see it tight with stress. "What is it?"

"You said his cousins. Are one of your other girls pregnant?" Mojo asked.

"I doubt it." The professor told him. "Between the birth control and condoms I pray our children are being more cautious. Also try to remember that Coal's birth, was not because of negligence."

The dark and sarcastic snort that came out drew the professor's attention. "How was lying to me not negligence? They lied for what? Sex? A relationship?"

"For you to not constantly be breathing down their necks." The professor told them. "I tried that with my girls, and it backfired horribly. Heavily enforcing the curfew and bedtime. The Dynamo suit. My super suit, which I got my ass kicked in, by you if I remember correctly." He laughed, before moving to listen to Mojo's lungs.

"I remember." Mojo chuckled, before sobering back up. "But you never had to fear that your actions or those of your children would result in them being taking away from you."

The professor shook his head as he went to get his arm cuff to check Mojo's blood pressure. "Not true. Every time they went out, I worried something would happen to them. Fighting your boys gave me a heart attack. It doesn't compare to when my old roommate almost killed my girls."

"Your roommate?" Mojo asked, unsure of who the professor was referring.

Squeezing the pump to tighten the cuff on Mojo's arm, was enough of a distraction that the professor didn't have to delve to deeply into the emotions that bizarre event brought up. "Dick Harding. I met him in college and I thought he was my friend. Then he tried to use my girls as a means to make a profit."

Mojo winced as the cuffed was much too tight, from the continuous pumping that was happening. The tension released when the professor continued his story.

"He tricked him into giving him the Chemical X and he made counterfeit versions to sell all over the world. When they tried to stop him, he somehow turned into a monster and managed to trap them. He then began to drain the Chemical X from their bodies."

The pain and fear he had from that time were clear in his eyes. The crow's feet were tight around his eyes and his mouth was a thin line. Mojo vaguely remembered the surplus of Power Puff Girls, but thought nothing much about it. He was still loathing himself after finding out that he twice over screwed himself when it came to lending a hand in creating the girls. That and he was a bit sick from his journey through space and time.

"If it weren't for the girls that Dick made…" He swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. "…I'm pretty sure neither the girls or myself would've survived."

"How did you find the will to let them be off in the world after that?" Mojo asked, thinking of his own sorrow when the boys died and the fear when his custody of them was threatened.

The fatherly smile that crossed his face was soft as he thought of his girls. That look almost made Mojo sick. He might not admit it out loud, but he was still bitter and resentful of the love they received from his father. "I learned to remember that I made them strong. Just like you made your boys strong."

Mojo didn't disagree with that statement. While he could see that the professor knew and understood his pain, it was still limited by the amount of grief he experienced. The professor at most despaired for the night and worried like any parent would do should they come so close to experiencing the death of their child. Mojo went months thinking that his sons were gone for good. "Yes, they are strong, but…"

"You can still worry about them. They're never too old for us to worry." The professor told him.

The rest of the physical went well, while Mojo watched his animal documentaries. "The child looks so much like Brick."

"I see traces of Blossom in Coal." The professor said. "He has her ears and her hair color."

"The child's name is Coal?" Mojo asked. "How did they come to a name like that?"

The professor wrote some notes about Mojo's checkup as he answered. "It's actually short for Blazing Coal. I think they had a fight about his middle name."

"What was it supposed to be?"

The pen scratching across the notepad paused, as he realized he never did find out what Coal's middle name was supposed to be. "I don't know, but I think Blossom wanted it to honor your name."

"Why my name?"

"You'd have to ask her that." The professor said after finishing his notes. "Maybe you ask her when you go visit your grandson."

Mojo couldn't fight the scowl that crossed his face. "Seeing that child once was enough."

Apparently that was as much of a concession that everyone could ask for from Mojo. "Make sure you're watching your sodium intake."

"The midterm is on Wednesday, so I hope everyone is prepared." The veterinary science professor told her class before dismissing them.

Bubbles quickly gathered her things and left the class, going out of her way to not look at Jamie. She didn't trust herself not to take her anger out on him. He'd been the one to kiss her, but he did tell her to just come out and tell Boomer. She didn't, and because of that was now not talking to Boomer. She wanted to fix things, but he'd wanted to be left alone. The question was for how long.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice her phone ringing. Pulling it from her pocket, she stopped in place at seeing Boomer's name flash across her screen. Her first and only instinct was to answer, which she did. "Boomer!"

"Hey, I'm on my lunch break, so I can't take long." Boomer started, wanting to get straight to the point. "Did you think letting me fuck you any way I wanted was going to soften the blow when telling me Jamie kissed you?"

Straight for the jugular with that question. Bubbles closed her eyes and felt tears well in her eyes. "Yes." She croaked through a tight throat.

On the other end of the call, Boomer inhaled sharply. "Wow. I…I was honestly hoping for a different answer to that."

A shuddering breath escaped Bubbles in the form of a frosty cloud in the chilly autumn air. "What were you hoping I'd say?"

"I don't know." He said gruffly. It was easy to picture him running his hand through his hair in frustration or breaking something by accident. "Just anything other than that."

"I was going to tell you." Bubbles told him insistently. "I was never not going to tell you."

"But did you have to sleep with me before you did?" He asked her. "It was a kiss. I would've been irritated and angry that some jackass would dare to kiss my girlfriend, but I would've gotten over that."

Bubbles had neared the cafeteria, but found that the conversation with Boomer had made her lose what little appetite she had. Finding an empty bench, she sat down and braced her head on the back of her hand as she leaned over. "Boomer, you can get so jealous."

"I'm not saying I don't." He admitted to her.

"Then can you at least understand why I wouldn't say anything?" She pleaded with him. "You would've wanted to punch him in the face."

"I still do want to punch him in the face." Boomer told her earnestly. "But because you didn't just outright tell me, I'm mad at you right too."

The tears were falling down her face in tandem. "I know, but—."

"I don't want to be, but I am Bubbles." His voice raising as he lost his temper for that split second. A breath sounded against the phone before he spoke again. "From my perspective, everything you did was for Jamie's benefit."

"I—I—." She sighed. "Boomer." Her heart was clenched in her chest as she worried about what this would mean for their relationship.

Boomer own heart was torn, because he was hoping that what Butch said was true. If she'd had answered "no", he would've just let it go because he was being stupid. However, with her "yes" it proved that she didn't trust him to be mature enough to deal with his jealousy reasonably. It was just a kiss. One initiated by Jamie. He'd take Brick's advice and talk to him. He felt the guy owed him that much for throwing this wrench into his relationship.

A tap on the glass sounded and he turned to see Alice lifting her hands in question at him. Holding up a hand signaling to give him a minute, he hastened to finish his call with his girlfriend. "I have to go Bubbles. Umm, we'll talk later." He didn't wait for her to say good bye, as he knew there would be nothing but tears, and her tears always tore at him.

After the phone call ended, Bubbles couldn't help letting out a short sob. Standing up from the bench she ran to the dorms, leaving a visible blue streak behind her. Making her way up to her room, she threw herself onto her bed and allowed herself the chance to really cry. It was probably premature to think it was a certainty, but Bubbles could feel that Boomer was planning to break up with her over this. Not necessarily because of the kiss itself, but because of her own actions following the incident.

The Power Puff bearing the blue title in more than name cried through her free hour and well into when it was time to go to her next class.

Hello my lovelies. I apologize for the extremely long wait between posting, but A LOT has happened. I won't dreg up the details, but I was in an emotional crisis. I needed time to get my feelings and views about everything in order, and figure out where I stand in the grand scheme of things, and what that meant to me. If I tried to write in my previous emotional state, I'm pretty sure that this chapter would most definitely have ended with a breakup between the Blues, and that's not something I wanted to do…yet, or if at all. Bottom line, I'm more sure now than I was before.

That being said, after purging myself of all my pent up feelings about everything I decided on two things. One, was to be more active in changing the way the world is. I'm living in it now, but it won't just be me in the future. There will be my children and others' children and so on who will have to live with the choices that I make now. The least I can do is give them the courtesy of trying to make things better. This is what I hope I can do for others. Two—and this is something more for myself than anything else—but within the next six months, I plan to start writing my own original stories on Fanfiction's sister site, Fiction Press. I'll still write Fanfiction as I can't leave you all behind, but I need to create a character that represents the person I am, and who I want others to be. The character I have in mind is a reflection of myself, both the good and the bad, and that person needs to be expressed in a way I don't think I can fully do in the real. As I said this is more for me than anyone else. If people like it, cool. If they don't I'll be okay.

I also want to say that I appreciate all my readers. I would not have continued to write and grow as an author without your support and constructive criticism. It means more than you all could possibly know. These difficult times have a way of putting things into perspective for one's self and how you measure up. On this platform and any future ones I create, I want the stories I write to not only entertain—but to inspire and create food for thought, again whether it's good or bad, but the point is that you'll think about it. It'll linger and leave an impression. I'm sure everyone has that one story, song, person, or event that resonates within them and shapes them. It doesn't have to be my stories, but if it is I'm glad that I could at least reach someone with the words I write.

Thank you.

Until Next Time