Hey, guys! I hope you'll find this chapter intriguing! rr XOXO

Blossom forgot how long she'd been sitting in the tub, it seemed like Brick had closed the door behind him forever ago. The only indication she could get was the water being now barely lukewarm, nowhere as scalding hot as it was when he dragged her in.

'..Why did I get in so easily...?'She hated how he'd bossed her around so effortlessly, it only took one caress for her to follow his orders blindly.

'It's disgusting. I'm disgusting. How can I bring myself to inject him with the Antidote when I can't even keep my clothes on around him for two minutes..?'Blossom remembered the hurt look in her sister's eyes, maybe it was warranted after all. She was just supposed to stay with them for this month, not obey his every whim.

She touched her lip, she could still feel the phantom of his kiss.

'I need to be stronger. For them. For Buttercup, for Bubbles, for the professor.''For Alex.' He sprang forth from the recesses of her mind, it was as if she'd hidden his memory deep inside, like a thorn that she couldn't get out of her finger, so she'd chosen to ignore instead.

'I owe it to everyone. I can still fix this.' Blossom thought, covering her eyes in an attempt to concentrate. She started shivering, the water was growing colder by the minute. The redhead picked herself up, grabbed the nearest towel and then put on the nightgown that Boomer had given her.

A big sigh escaped her as she walked out into the dark hallway, heading towards the bedroom, carefully opening the door.

It was unpleaseantly chilly, the heat from the living room chimney clearly hadn't reached this part of the cottage.

On the king sized bed lay Brick, his long hair sprawled on his pillow, still damp, his back turned to her.

She hoped he had fallen asleep already, and gingerly sat on her side of the bed.

'You sure took your time.' she heard him softly speak, his back still facing her.

This startled Blossom, who came up with a surprisingly fast reply.

'I like long baths, always did.'

She quickly slid under the covers and continued: 'Reminds me of my childhood.' she muttered under her breath.

'Having a bath is so childish, isn't it? Grown-ups always take showers, it's less time consuming. Can't indulge yourself with a bath every night when you've got responsabilities.' he continued. 'I suppose he's right.' She couldn't remember the last time when she'd taken a bath in her old life. Probably with her sisters, when they were in elementary school.

'I guess that's another small luxury you've got going on with our lifestyle.' he playfully said.

'Oh, what a relief.' Blossom found herself answer sarcastically.

This time he turned towards her, and Blossom secretly wished he didn't. She found it was easier to talk to him when his red eyes didn't bear into hers. Especially with his wild hair spread across the sheets. And his penchant for bedtime nudity.

'I think they add up, Red.' his hand reached out for her chin, his thumb caressing her lower lip, something in her chest instantly fluttering.

'...why does he...have this effect on me?'

She'd gotten very familiar with his features in the past weeks, studying them thoroughly. He now looked roughed up, the black circles around his eyes bigger now at closer scrutiny, his face thinner and paler that it had ever been before.

'...I want to know what happened.' she dared to ask.

The look of amusement quickly dissapeared from his face as he turned to face the ceiling instead.

'You really don't know how to let it go, do you?'

'I deserve to know. My sister got beaten to a pulp. I need to know, I don't want it to happen again.' she felt herself grow increasingly frustrated.

'It won't. I hid the chains, he's got no way of finding where they are.'

'What if someone else finds them? We'll never be safe!'

'It. won't. happen. I'm not telling you this and it's final.' he got up and propped himself on the edge of the bed.

Blossom realised this, once again, wasn't getting anywhere.

'Why can't you just.. accept that there are some things that I need to keep for myself?' he sighed, giving her a sideways glance.

Blossom felt anger bubbling up:

'Why?!? That's what you said before and look where it got us: my sister chained to your sociopathic brother. You're not serious, are you?'

'Like I said earlier, I dealt with it.' He quickly turned towards Blossom, getting unnervingly close to her face. 'You've got no idea where I've been, what I've lived through. And I made it out alive. I can deal with anything and anyone.' he spat, squinting his eyes at her.

Blossom hadn't seen that glint of malice and haughtiness in his eyes for a while now, she'd almost forgotten about it.

'You're too proud for your own good.' she scoffed at him.

'I don't think I am, you don't know what I can do.' Brick retorted, increasingly annoyed.

'I have chemical X too, Brick, I know what it can do.' Blossom had already got herself out of the bed, manically gesticulating. That doesn't mean I get to be an asshole with a God complex.'

He looked her straight in the eye, blankly:

'Do you really want to see what I can do?'

Blossom seemed taken aback, out of every thing he could say, she expected this least.

'...What do you mean? Now?'

'Yes. Do you think you're ready for it?'

Blossom couldn't read anything into his voice and it scared her.

'...Where? Should we go outside, or..?'

'No. Right here. Do you want it? Are you absolutely sure you want it?'

Blossom felt the anxiety flooding her chest but found herself answering:

'Yes.'

'Very well then.'

Brick then approached her slowly, Blossom's heart boomed against her chest with each step he took. When he was eye to eye with her he formed a small red ball of energy between his index and thumb. Before she could do anything, he quickly brought it to her forehead, and Blossom winced, preparing for the impact. Only that... it never came.

Instead, when she opened her eyes she found herself on her bed back in Townsville. She looked around, everything was as she had left it: a shelf full of books, a lonely red coat on the chair, a vase full of dried up red roses she'd received from Alex at some point.

She panicked, thinking Brick must have somehow teleported them both into her home. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, even with the use of her enhanced strength. The redhead then noticed the open window, from where she was standing it seemed like a peaceful night outside. She hoovered over to it and peaked over the window frame. Blossom froze in terror when she was met with a pure, dark void instead of the familiar view of her neighbourhood. She turned around and started hyperventilating, unsure of what to believe.

'This isn't my home. What is this, Brick?'

Blossom then looked around in the shadows of her room, surveying for her counterpart.

'Brick?' she hesitantly whispered and he came out of the farthest corner of the room, moonlight illuminating his features. She noticed his black circles were gone, his face now unmarred.

'Yes, I'm here.'

'Where are we? What is this?'

Brick chuckled as he closed the space between them.

'You're smart, Blossom, I don't want to insult your intelligence. What do you think this is?

She looked around once again, the room was exactly how she'd left it. It was almost...uncanny.

'We're inside my head, aren't we?'