I apologize for the long break. I graduated and I was kinda in a gray area for a bit, trying to figure out what to do next. Graduation is exciting but it's also terrifying, because when you're used to going to school for like 16 years straight, once that's finished, you have a LOT of free time and a LOT to figure out. Word to the wise for all of you who are in high school or still in college: build up that resume with work, volunteering, getting involved in clubs, etc. because it's very hard to find a job with just a bachelor's degree and no work experience. A 4.0 and graduating with honors is impressive, but not as impressive as someone with honors AND experience. Take it from someone who is STILL struggling to find a job five months after getting a BA with honors.

Oh and I just wanna say a special thank you to everyone who reviewed/fav'ed/followed: you guys are AWESOME and THANK YOU! Seriously, to all my readers, you have no idea how honored I am that you guys are keeping up with this story and that you decided to come along for the ride with our favorite Blues. And thank you, thank you for being patient with meI know I haven't updated in, like, forever, but I'm never going to give up on this story. Rest assured, it will be completed one day and even if I'm not updating as often as I was, please know that I'm still working on it.

I hope everyone is doing well! Let's get back to the story, shall we? ;)


.: 22 :.

Waking up the next morning felt like a dream. Bubbles was the first to crack open her eyes, the first streaks of dawn breaking across the night sky.

She sat up, surveying her surroundings. It took her a moment to remember the events of yesterday, of having Boomer return to her safe and sound; one glance at the arm draped loosely across her waist indicated that her memory hadn't failed her. She hadn't hallucinated or lost her mind; the handsome blond was, in fact, sleeping soundly beside her, his expression peaceful. His lips were parted slightly as his chest rose and fell with each soft, steady breath.

Bubbles gently moved his arm off of her so she could shift, turning fully towards him. She reached out a hand and gently cupped his cheek, tracing circles over the smooth, cool skin with her thumb. Her fingertips moved and hovered over his lips, those soft lips that always seemed to make her go weak in the knees. His eyes were closed, but she knew they were almost always full of mirth with a side of mischief. Boomer was a very cheerful, chipper, optimistic guy, and she loved that about him. He always knew how to make her smile and laugh; he always made her feel like she mattered. Not that she didn't feel that way before, but... He made her feel special.

Both of her hands came to rest on either side of his face and she leaned down, pressing her lips against his forehead. She was elated to have him back; she decided that if there was some chance this was just a dream, she didn't want to wake up, especially if waking up meant realizing that Boomer was not with her, or worse—that he wasn't actually alive anymore.

"Hi, Bubbles."

She startled, jumping back slightly.

Boomer opened his eyes and smirked at her. "You really like touching my face when I'm asleep, don't you?"

Embarrassment colored Bubbles' cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. I was just resting my eyes is all."

He reached his hand out and she took it, intertwining her fingers with his. She studied his hand, running her own fingertips along the callouses and scars of his palm, and she could've sworn Boomer shivered at the small action.

"It didn't feel real, waking up next to you," she admitted, and Boomer chuckled.

"Yeah, I've heard that one before, only I don't think the other girls meant it as nicely as you do."

...And just like that, Bubbles let go of his hand to lightly smack his chest. He laughed.

"Kidding, kidding." Boomer yawned before sitting up. To Bubbles' surprise, he pulled her onto his lap, lifting her like she weighed nothing, and kept his arms wound around her waist. "I promise, I'm here with you and you're here with me. In fact, you're stuck with me; hope you don't mind puns, lame jokes, and s'mores."

Bubbles leaned up to kiss him. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Mm, good." He returned her kiss with vigor, his hands snaking up to gently cup her face as his tongue swiped across her bottom lip. Butterflies swarmed her belly as he deepened the kiss and she was left wanting much more when he pulled away, eyebrows drawn in confusion.

"Wait a sec, what time is it?"

"I think it's early morning," Bubbles commented, pointing towards the window, and Boomer cursed under his breath. He smiled at her sheepishly.

"As much as I'd love nothing more than to continue this, we have to get moving. We're burning daylight."

He pecked her lips one last time and she moved so that he could get up. He went through his backpack and retrieved a clean shirt to change into. Bubbles averted her eyes to allow him some privacy, forcing herself to consider what remaining clean clothes she had left. When Boomer finished changing, he slid his backpack on and headed towards her.

To Bubbles' surprise, he cupped her chin and tilted her face up so that he could kiss her again. When their lips met, whatever longing she'd felt immediately disappeared. She wasn't sure what was different, but Boomer's kisses were addicting. Maybe the old adage of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" had some truth to it after all.

"Meet me downstairs?" he whispered, breath teasing her lips. She could only nod, dazed by his tender touch. Boomer kissed her one final time before leaving the room to go down to the gift shop.

It took her a moment to shake off the dreamy daze that had reduced her mental faculties to jelly. Once she was able to think clearly again, she went into the bathroom and cleaned up for the day as best she could. Upon rummaging through her backpack for a clean outfit, she was relieved to find a pair of denim shorts and a white cotton tank top. Bubbles could already feel the heat of the oncoming day seeping in through the window; cotton was definitely going to be more comfortable during their journey.

When she made it down to the gift shop, Boomer already had his map out and was examining it closely. He smiled at her when she entered the room, holding out his hand for her to take. She obliged him and he pulled her into his side, instead wrapping his arm around her and holding her close. She pecked his cheek and felt that butterfly feeling when his smile grew brighter.

"Ready to go?" he asked. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today. Do we have everything we need?"

"Water, food, clothes... I think we're good," she replied, and he nodded.

"Alright. Let's go!"

They left the cabin around roughly six in the morning, and they knew the time thanks to a battery-operated clock hanging up in the gift shop. They covered a bit more distance than yesterday due to their leaving so early, and by the time noon rolled around, the summer heat had kicked in full-force. Bubbles all-but collapsed onto a rock when he said they could stop and rest for a bit. Sweat was pouring off her, soaking every fiber of her clothing, and her legs were so sore that she wondered if it was possible for them to fall off from too much walking.

He offered her a water bottle and she accepted it with a hasty "thanks," practically guzzling it down the moment the first droplet met her tongue. Boomer took a few sips himself, but his focus remained on the map in his hands.

"If I'm right, we should be a quarter of the way there," he murmured, trailing his finger to follow the course he'd set for them. "We might still be a little bit behind, but we're making good time."

"Where exactly is this place located?" Bubbles asked. Boomer showed her the map, and her eyes lit up with recognition.

"So, it's located just outside of Farmsville? That sounds familiar... I think my dad visited that place a few times."

"I've never heard of it before in my life," Boomer admitted. "But I think we're just about to enter this 'Farmsville' if we keep up our pace."

Bubbles remained seated for a few more minutes before pushing herself to her feet. After readjusting her backpack, she gave a determined nod.

"I'm ready if you are." Then, after realizing Boomer had spent the whole time standing, "You sure you don't want to rest for a few minutes, though?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I used to walk around Citysville for hours at a time, so I'm used to long treks," he explained. "I might need to sit down the next time we stop, but I'm good right now."

With that, they resumed their journey. As they walked, Bubbles didn't fail to appreciate the vibrant life around her. At one point, they encountered a small pond with a few frogs in it. Bubbles thought they were absolutely adorable, and even Boomer cracked a smile at the sight of them playing and hopping around in the water. Birds whistled and sang above them as if they hadn't a care in the world. The rest of the world was plagued with death, gore, and destruction, but nature was relatively undisturbed.

The sun sometimes broke through from the thick foliage overhead, illuminating the billows of humidity hanging over the woods. Bubbles hoped that their next stop had a pool or a working shower; she felt disgusting. Her clothes were damp with sweat and clung to her skin uncomfortably, not to mention her hair felt completely frizzed out. She was glad she'd thought to toss it up into a messy ponytail; the less she felt the long strands sticking to her neck and face, the better.

"I hope the evac zone has working showers," she murmured, fanning herself. "I'd kill for a bath."

"Ditto." Boomer smiled at her. "I'm sure they do have showers. I don't think it would go over too well if the military or civilians had to go weeks without showering."

"True." As they went to step over a particularly large log, Boomer helped her over it. Once she was safely on her feet again, she reached for his hand and, to her delight, he got the message and held it as they continued walking.

"I meant to ask you, do you really think it's still up and running? I know a lot of zones have already been overrun... You really think we'll be safe there?"

Boomer's smiled dimmed. "I don't know, honestly; it could be overrun for all I know, but it's worth checking out, no? And besides, it's somewhere we can go instead of letting my brothers catch us. Better to have somewhere to go than to be sitting ducks, I think." He visibly shuddered, not wanting to think about what would happen if Brick and Butch did catch up to them. He kinda-sorta pissed off his brothers and if they got caught, he and Bubbles would probably die miserable, painful deaths... Well, he would, anyway. Bubbles might be spared, but allowing his brothers to catch up to them was out of the question. He'd be damned if he let that happen.

Bubbles silently agreed that the evac zone, which could be overrun, was still a good place to go; it truly was better to have some kind of objective, somewhere to go, than to just sit around. It was more of a plan than she had at the moment and she trusted Boomer's judgement; she'd just have to hope that this zone had been more successful in keeping the infected from besting them. A sliver of hope remained that her family could be there, too; maybe they'd been found and transported to safety? If she was really lucky, maybe the next time she could charge her phone (if she could ever charge it again, now that the infected had destroyed everything remotely electric), she'd see a message from Buttercup explaining they'd gone to a new zone.

She knew it might be unrealistic to think her family was still alive, but she refused to give into the negative thoughts that told her otherwise. Blossom, Buttercup, and the Professor weren't stupid and they were strong, especially when they put their heads together. They were definitely fine, they had to be; she just had to keep hoping and believing they were.

It was when the sun slowly began its descent towards the horizon that they stumbled upon a small house that appeared to be on the outskirts of some neighborhood area. Boomer insisted upon being the one to check it out and make sure there was nothing inside, to which nothing was inside, and they made themselves at home as the night fell.

After a cold shower, which wasn't too unpleasant after being out in the heat all day (and gaining a nasty sunburn on her cheeks and shoulders), Bubbles was all-too eager to rest; after hours and hours of walking, only taking occasional small sips from her water bottle, it was a relief to be able to eat, drink, and relax her sore legs. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a box of Ritz crackers and a water bottle. Boomer, on the other hand, simply set his backpack down and stretched out on the couch. He leaned his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes, exhaustion clear on his handsome features. As Bubbles practically inhaled her "dinner," her gaze kept flickering towards him.

After swallowing a mouthful of crackers and water, she cleared her throat. "Are you hungry at all?"

Boomer shook his head, not even opening an eye to look at her. Then again, she knew shoving crackers into her mouth and chugging a water bottle probably wasn't the most attractive sight in the world. He probably didn't want to watch as she gorged herself on their meager rations, and how could he be hungry after watching her be so gross and impolite?

Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. "Sorry, by the way. Didn't mean to pig out."

He chuckled, a smile tugging at his lips. "Don't ever be sorry for having a good appetite; I wouldn't even consider that pigging out. If anything, put three slices of pepperoni pizza and some soda in front of me, and you'll see what true pigging out looks like."

She laughed softly. Pizza and soda sounded like heaven right about now.

After discarding the empty cracker sleeve and taking one last swig of her water, Bubbles joined Boomer on the couch. He shifted so that one of his arms draped across her shoulders, pulling her closer. Bubbles readjusted so that she was practically laying on him, one arm resting across his midsection while her cheek rested against his chest.

"So, how much longer do we have until we make it to the evacuation zone?" she asked softly.

"Two days, maybe three." He ran his fingers through her messy hair, an action that soothed her greatly.

"Think my sisters might be there?"

He paused in his ministrations. Bubbles was about to ask why he'd stopped playing with her hair when his voice came again. "Anything is possible."

She could feel her eyelids growing heavy. The fatigue of the day was wearing her down; she fought to stay awake, but Boomer kissed her temple.

"Get some rest, Bubbles, I'll take first watch tonight."

With that, all fight left her and she drifted off to sleep.


It was somewhere around one in the morning when Bubbles jolted upright, breathing hard. A thin sheen of sweat decorated her forehead and she clutched at her chest, her heart hammering against her ribcage as fear continued to pulse through her system. It took her a few minutes to realize she was safe from whatever she'd been dreaming about and slowly, the fear dissipated and her heart rate began to slow to a normal pace.

When Bubbles' eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was surprised to find herself on the couch alone, her shoes sitting just next to the coffee table. The entire living room was pitch dark and it was hard for her to see, eyes adjusted or not.

"Boomer?" she whispered. "Boomer, are you there?"

No answer.

She stood up and crept into the kitchen where moonlight managed to peek in through the thick curtains. The goofy blond was nowhere to be found, but his backpack was right on the table where he'd left it. The entire kitchen seemed to be empty and eerily still; the floorboards weren't even creaking beneath her feet. She strained her ears to pick up on any sounds, but the house seemed devoid of life—as well as her best friend's presence.

"Boomer?" she tried again, using her normal voice. When silence continued to reign, she yelled out, "Boomer!"

Silence remained. Where the heck is he?

Bubbles spied the back screen door and tentatively approached it. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and began to turn it slowly, wincing when the metal squeaked in protest. She waited for a few heartbeats, listening to the quiet world around her, and when all seemed to be okay, she pulled the door open and stepped outside into the heavy night air. Blades of grass tickled her bare feet as she crept through the backyard.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary. A grill, a small patio set, a hose, and a few bikes... Nothing looked like there had been an intruder here. The bikes actually reminded her of Buttercup's, back when she used to ride around the neighborhood with Mitch Mitchelson and his crew. The memory would've made her smile if a snapping twig hadn't pierced the stillness like a gunshot.

Bubbles immediately froze, ice-cold adrenaline beginning to seep into her veins. She looked around, desperate to find the source of the sound, but it didn't come again. Had she imagined it? Was she going crazy, or—

There it is again. The blonde spun on her heel, gaze roaming over every nook and cranny of the yard. The high wooden fencing prevented her from looking beyond it, which was actually a little comforting—if she couldn't see the thing, it couldn't see her, right?—but it also made her a sitting duck; maybe whatever was out there could see her and was using the fence to its advantage.

Or maybe it was just an animal out there; they were still practically in the woods, after all. Whatever was snapping twigs could have been a deer or a raccoon for all she knew. Maybe she was getting worked up for nothing.

Her reasoning would have been comforting if the hairs on the back of her neck didn't suddenly stand up, and she froze again, wondering what was wrong with her. A prickly, heated sensation began on her neck and back, a sensation she knew very well from all those times in high school when she decided to wear a short skirt, or when she'd wear a tight top that showed lots of cleavage.

Someone is watching me.

Bubbles slowly backed up, careful to keep every step as gentle and quiet as she could. If she could just get back to the house, she could slip her shoes on, try to find Boomer, and get the heck out of there. Her gut was screaming danger danger danger and she didn't want to stick around to find out why.

Before she could back up and reach for the doorknob, a hand planted itself on her shoulder and Bubbles screamed... Or at least, she would've screamed if not for another hand quickly clamping down over her mouth. She fought against the person's grip, trying to elbow, kick, and squirm her way to freedom. She would NOT go down without a fight—

"Wait, Bubbles, relax! It's me!"

She immediately stopped thrashing against the person, chest heaving as ice-cold adrenaline continued to pump through her veins. "Boomer?!"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me." He turned her around and sure enough, it was him, safe and sound. He pulled her into the house and eased the screen door closed behind them, and once they were safely inside, Bubbles narrowed her eyes and shoved at him.

"Where the hell were you?! I tried calling you, but you weren't in the house!"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? I was in the bathroom."

"No, you weren't!"

"Yes, I was. I was just getting a glass of water, I was close to the living room."

"But there's only one bathroom and it's upstairs."

Boomer blinked. "Bubbles, there's two bathrooms in this house."

She blanched slightly. "What?"

"Two bathrooms."

Okay, so maybe she didn't know that. She didn't remember seeing two bathrooms, just the one that was upstairs, but maybe her memory wasn't reliable when she'd just woken from a nightmare. "Two? Then which one were you in?"

"The one next to the kitchen."

Bubbles stared at him. "There's a bathroom next to the kitchen?"

"Well, yeah, I thought you knew that."

"Didn't you hear me calling for you?"

"Um... No?" Boomer tilted his head to the side. "Are you feeling okay? You know if I heard you call out, I would've come running or at least answered you."

Bubbles didn't know what to think. Was she truly losing her mind? She'd called for Boomer, loudly enough that if he was downstairs or upstairs, he would've heard her. Other things would have heard her if they were prowling close enough to the house. Was it possible she hadn't called as loudly as she'd thought? And how exactly could she have been sure he wasn't in the house? Just because the place was dead-silent didn't mean Boomer had left. What had she been thinking?

"I'm sorry," she finally managed, frustrated tears welling up in her eyes. "I just woke up from this crazy nightmare, and I don't remember what it was about, but I know it was enough to make me feel out of sorts, and I tried to call for you, but maybe I wasn't loud enough, and then I went outside and there was something out there, and—"

"Whoa, whoa." Boomer gently placed a finger to her lips. "Bubbles, it's okay. Really."

"But it's not, there's something out there!" she hissed fearfully, pointing to the screen door. "I kept hearing twigs snapping, there might be an infected around!"

His expression grew dark. "I'll go take a look. You stay here."

"But what if—"

"Bubbles." Something in his voice changed, though she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. "Humor me, please? Stay here and be as quiet as you can. It might just be an animal, but I'm going to go see what's going on. If there's infected, I'll shout, and that's your cue to grab your stuff and run, okay?"

She wanted to protest, but there was something in Boomer's eyes that halted any arguments she would have made. Wordlessly, she nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.

Boomer retrieved a knife from the knife block and disappeared into the backyard. Bubbles closed her eyes, silently praying for him to return safely, that it would, in fact, be just an animal lurking around outside. Roughly five minutes passed, then seven, then ten; she was about to grab Buttercup's bat and head outside for herself when Boomer returned.

"Hey, turns out it was a deer. I managed to scare it off."

A deer. A deer. How stupid could she be?

"You mean I got all worked up over a deer?"

Boomer grinned. "Hey, in your defense, it was a buck and he looked pretty ripped. Probably spends a lot of time at the gym; I wouldn't wanna go hoof-to-hoof with that dude anytime soon."

Bubbles sighed, slumping back against the chair, and ran a hand over her face. Boomer must have sensed that she was upset with herself because he knelt in front of her, taking one of her hands into his.

"Look, there are creatures out there far dangerous than deer. You were right to be alarmed."

"But it was a deer. I feel like the biggest idiot."

"You're not an idiot. That's my label." A goofy smirk tilted his lips up. "And so what? What if it hadn't been an animal? I'd rather be cautious and make sure everything's ship-shape than to just brush it all off and wake up to find an infected standing over me."

Boomer was trying to be comforting and she appreciated it, but everything about tonight felt very wrong. Bubbles couldn't explain it, but there was a sinking feeling in her gut, like she was waiting for something really bad to happen. The more she tried to figure out why she might have such a feeling, the more her brain hurt. She knew there had to be infected lurking about—this was a neighborhood area, after all, where people once lived and were probably bitten—yet there hadn't been any evidence proving they were in danger here. So why did she feel such unshakable dread? Was she finally losing her marbles?

"Do you think I'm going crazy?" Her bottom lip quivered, and he instantly drew her into a hug.

"You're far from crazy. If anyone's cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, it's me."

That earned him a weak chuckle.

"On a serious note, though, you're fine, I'm fine, and everything's okay. We're safe for right now."

Boomer ran his fingers through her hair and she instantly relaxed, feeling more and more at peace now that he was with her. She really didn't like being alone anymore; everything seemed easier to handle with Boomer at her side. She couldn't explain it, but ever since he'd returned, he felt like home to her, almost like how she felt whenever she and her family would stay in for a movie night... God, did she miss movie nights... Something told her that this whole apocalyptic situation had cured Buttercup of her love for all-things gore and horror.

"You're really sure it was just a deer?" Bubbles asked.

Boomer continued to stroke her hair. "I'm one-hundred percent positive. I told you, the dude was totally jacked."

She nodded, trying to figure out if perhaps she'd simply allowed her imagination to run away with her. It was perfectly fine to be cautious, but if she became cautious to the point of jumping at every little twig snapping, that would be a problem. But... She'd been so sure, her intuition had never lied to her before...

"You should try to get a little more sleep," he suggested, pulling back slightly to press a kiss to her forehead. "We'll leave at the crack of dawn, put as much distance between us and this place as possible, and if you have another nightmare, I'll be right here when you wake up. Sound good?"

Bubbles forced a nod. Her gut was still churning with dread, but the look in Boomer's eyes was reassuring. He'd never given her a reason to doubt him before. She trusted him with her life.

"Alright."

Boomer took her hand and led her into the living room, back into the darkness she'd woken up to. Bubbles sat down on the couch and yawned, wondering if sleep was even possible at this point. Once Boomer settled down next to her, drawing her close to his chest where she snuggled up to him, he began running his fingers through her hair.

Sleep took her quickly after that.


Fun facts:

*If you look up the Powerpuff Girls Wikia, there are, in fact, three cities that make up the Pokey Oaks region: Citiesville, Townsville, and Farmsville, the last of which was only mentioned in the 1999 episode, "Beat Your Greens." Interesting, huh?

**Turns out I've been accidentally misspelling "Citysville" this whole time. Apparently it's supposed to be "Citiesville." For someone who grew up with the PPG from when it first aired in 1999, I'm an idiot lol. But you know what? It is what it is and I kinda like the spelling I've been using, wrong as it might be. You guys okay with me keeping it as "Citysville" for now?

***blonde vs blond. I screwed that up a lot, too. Blonde = ladies, blond = gentlemen. I never knew that until now, so eventually I'm gonna have to go through this story and fix where I screwed up. Ah, the joys of being a perfectionist.

I swear, it's always something with my writing. Despite these errors, I do hope you all continue to enjoy my story and please let me know what you think so far! I always enjoy reading what you guys have to say about each chapter ^_^