Chapter 1: Tense Reunions

October

Ten Years Later

"Is it just me, or has the Professor been acting weird lately?" Bubbles Utonium asked her two sisters as they watched their father pour salt in his coffee for the third morning in the row. Just like the days before, he didn't even notice, drinking his drink as if nothing was off.

He quickly left the kitchen, muttering softly under his breath.

The oldest shook her head,causing her long red hair to float all around her. "He's been acting off ever since he got that strange call." She glanced at the clock on the stove. "Buttercup, go get dressed, we're leaving in five minutes."

Buttercup lifted her head and glared at her sister from under her curtain of black hair. "Don't tell me what to do," she growled. Still, she stood and raced to do just that, leaving only a trail of bright green light.

Blossom shook her head again. Between the Professor and her sister she felt more like a mother hen than a high school junior. She turned to her youngest sister.

Bubbles always helped to balance out her responsibilities. Her homework was always done, her room clean, and her chores done. Honestly, Bubbles was the perfect sister. She never kept secrets, stayed out late, snuck off to hang out with the wrong crowd, or did anything remotely wrong. The one thing Blossom had a problem with was that she was a serial dater, but it wasn't like she was hooking up with a new person everyday. Her boyfriends usually last a couple months before she left them, for seemingly no reason. Blossom tried to talk to her about it, but she would only give unbelievable excuses.

Still, she would take that over what Buttercup did. She would ditch class, hang out with people Blossom didn't consider appropriate, and sneak out at all hours. Most of her grades were decent, which just showed how little she was applying herself. Plus she was in a constant state of almost dating the closest thing Pokey Oaks High had to a bad boy, Mitch Mitchelson.

Buttercup reappeared just as quickly she'd vanished. She was wearing overly distressed black skinny jeans, a black hoodie, and neon green converses. Her long hair was pushed out of her face, and looked like a brush almost managed to take out some of the worst of the knots.

Blossom placed her bowl in the sink and made her way toward the front door. She grabbed her book bag and made sure her sisters did the same.

As the door swung open, they heard the Professor call, "Oh girls. I have something important to tell you after school, so please come straight home."

"Yes, Professor!" the girls chorused.

They started down the walk when a familiar voice sounded from the house next door. "Hey girls!"

They met up with their long time friend, Robin, and made their way toward school.

"Bubbles, I love your dress! Is it new?"

The blonde let out a loud giggle. "Yep. I just got it this weekend." It was a knee length fit and flare dress with a pretty blue floral pattern. She was wearing it under a dark blue cardigan, since it was a little lower cut than she was comfortable wearing.

"Anything exciting happen on your end?" Buttercup asked.

"Ummm, well," the brunette muttered softly.

The sisters all stopped to stare at their blushing friend.

"Well, what?"

Robin wouldn't look up. "Well, Mike asked me to go with him to a costume party, and then a midnight showing of Halloween in a couple of weeks."

Bubbles squealed and grabbed Robin's hands, jumping up and down. "Oh my, God! That's so sweet! Do you have a costume? What are you going to do with your hair? What shoes? Are you going to do something as a couple? Can I help you-"

"Bubbles!" Blossom scolded. "Take a breath and let her answer."

Both Robin and Buttercup sent her grateful looks.

Robin looked a little bit sheepish, "You aren't mad?"

Bubbles looked very confused, "Why would I be mad?"

"Because you dated him."

"Oh," she smiled very sweetly at her nervous friend. "No, I'm not mad. The biggest reason we broke up was because he really liked you, but he didn't know how to you."

The other three looked at the blonde in shock. None of them had known that.

Robin smiled at her friend, "I don't know what the plans are yet. We're gonna talk at lunch."

Bubbles skipped excitedly the rest of the way. Both of her sisters smiled at her antics.

They got to school early, as usual. Blossom went straight to the office, wanting to see if she could help in any way. Bubbles and Robin made their way to the library, chatting the whole way. Buttercup started for the cafeteria, intent on grabbing something to eat.

The office was much busier than usual. Blossom set her bag on the table near the door as most of the office staff ran around in a craze.

She made her way to the principal's office and softly knocked.

"Come in," a sweet voice she'd known her whole life called.

She opened the door and quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "It's crazy out there. What's going on, Principal Keane?"

"Oh, hello, Blossom." Miss Keane was older, wearing the gray in her hair like a badge of honor. She dressed more formally now, usually in suits or standard office attire.

"We've got a few new students starting tomorrow, and we have to make a couple of concessions for them."

Must be someone super special, Blossom thought. "How can I help?"

Miss Keane looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Oh, don't worry about it. We've got everything under control."

The redhead knew something was off, but if Miss Keane didn't want her help, she wouldn't get in the way. She grabbed her bag and headed to the library, figuring she might as well get some extra studying in.

Buttercup was enjoying her second breakfast, when someone slapped her on the back. She didn't even have look up to know who it was. "Hey, Bitch."

"Sup, douche," Mitch sassed back.

He hadn't changed very much in all the years she'd known him. His brown hair was the same dirty brown that had grown out shaggy, he still had some acne, but he recently had his braces removed, and she'd heard more than a few girls, and a couple of guys, mention just how hot they found him. It pissed her off. She'd harbored a major crush on him for way longer than she would ever admit, and she hated how people only seemed to notice him once his skin cleared a little and he lost the metal mouth.

"What happened this weekend? I thought we were supposed to get in a rehearsal," he sounded really put out, which secretly made her somewhat happy.

She thought back. "Had to deal with Mojo."

"Ahhh," he nodded.

That's when the first bell rang, letting them know they could make their way to their first class. Neither one had any plans to move until they absolutely had to. They actually shared their first class which was geometry, which neither of them liked, so they usually ended up skipping. It was very tempting, but they had a fairly major test that day, and missing would mean being dropped from any extracurriculars.

Two minutes before class was set to start they left their table. They managed to get seated just before the final bell rang. Buttercup smiled at her blonde sister, who was in the same class.

The teacher, an ornery old bat by the name of Mrs. Miller, glared at everyone until they quieted down. "As everyone knows, we have an important test today, but I also need to inform you that we will be having a couple of new students joining us tomorrow, as such the following students need to report to the principal's office; Ashley Mac and Mitch Mitchelson."

Disappointment welled up in her. This was the only class they shared and sure they hung out all the time, but it wasn't the same.

He grabbed his things and shot her a sad smile as he left. That's when she realized that the other person leaving was who sat on Bubbles other side.

So, whoever's starting tomorrow is going to be our problem.

That's how the whole day went, at least one person per class was told to go the principal to make way for a new student.

Buttercup was incredibly suspicious. Bubbles was actually kind of excited, she was basically going to be an ambassador these new kids.

Instead of going over to her normal table with the guys like she usually did, Buttercup found Blossom.

"Did it happen to you too?" she asked without any formal greeting.

"Hello to you too," her sister quipped from her usual seat. Blossom almost always sat with the academic elite of the school. "I'm going to guess you're talking about the changes to certain peoples schedules, in order to make way for a new student. Yes, I have."

Buttercup nodded and turned without another word.

The day pasted in a blur for all the girls. Between the craziness of the class changes, studying, preparing for upcoming events, and other day to day drama, they'd completely forgotten about the professor's mysterious request until the day was over. The only reason they remembered at all was because Mitch had wanted Buttercup to hang out.

"Sorry," Blossom interjected, not hiding the fact that she'd been eavesdropping. "But we have to go straight home tonight. We're having an important meeting."

The ravenette sent her sister a killer glare, but let out a sigh as she turned back to her best friend.

"She's right. The Professor has something important to tell us."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Mitch sounded incredibly put out. He turned and started toward the student parking lot.

The girls flew home, having already told Robin they couldn't walk her home and why.

"So, what do you think he wants to talk to us about?" Bubbles asked.

"Who knows," was Buttercup's simple reply.

Blossom tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. "Maybe he wants to talk to us about colleges or finally letting us get our driver's licenses or something like that."

The trip home went much quicker and they were back by the time she'd given her suggestions.

They opened the door and called, "Professor! We're home!"

"Oh, girls," the professor smiled, peeking out from the kitchen. "I'm glad you made it home alright. Could you come in here and sit down? There's something I need to tell you."

The girls shared a look, none of them liked that ominous statement, but they did as they were asked.

Brick hated this fucking plan. There was no way in hell it would work and the only thing that would probably actually end up happening was they would end up killing those damn goody two shoes, or getting themselves killed, again.

Was anyone listening to him though? No, as usual.

He and his brothers had spent most of their Friday in that damn school's office, sorting out schedules that would work for the three of them. Which was nearly fucking impossible. Then they spent the whole damn weekend getting moved into their new place and setting everything up.

They were supposed to start school that day, but it was decided that they'd wait until after the Powerpuff Girls were made of their presence. Which even he would admit was a better idea than just showing up and surprising their counterparts.

Still, he wanted this plot to fail. He just wanted to go back to his new home, where he was just Brick, not the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys. They left that life behind a long ass time ago.

"This is a bad fucking idea," Butch singsonged from his place on the couch, where he was laying half naked playing whatever video game currently held his attention.

"And I would think," their guardian yelled from her bedroom, "that after eight years you would realize that I don't care about your opinions on these matters."

She opened her door, exposing a woman not that much older than themselves. Her brown hair was pulled into a bun on her head and her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. She was wearing a fancy looking purple blouse and a black pencil skirt.

"What's with the get up?" Boomer asked from the spot next to his older brother.

"I want one of us to make a decent first impression." She sighed heavily, "And I know that there's absolutely nothing I can do to get any of you to look even a little respectable."

Butch snorted, "Fuck no, you can't."

Brick wanted to try to reason with her one more time, "Kendra, I-"

"No."

He looked up and sighed. There really was no getting out of this.

She smiled oh so sweetly at him, and threw something at Butch.

"Get dressed, we're leaving in ten."

He groaned, but did as he was asked.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Boomer informed as he moved to go fix his hair one last time. "It's not like we're really bad anymore."

Brick could only sigh, again. It wasn't exactly a secret that Boomer held a long standing crush on his counterpart, Bubbles. Ever since they were kids, whenever anything about Bubbles was written or talked about, or if a new picture of her surfaced, he knew about it and got it saved. He actually had a scrapbook dedicated to her. He was basically any schoolgirl with an interest in the latest pop star.

Butch finished pulling on his clothes as he stared at his brother. "He's thinking with his dick."

Brick could only nod in agreement.

Kendra reappeared, shaking her head. "Like you're any better?" She shook her hand through the middle brother's crazy hair, he hated when she did that. "Every time he gets one of those magazines about them, you steal it, just to ogle the other two."

"Hey!" he exclaimed. He ducked away from her. "Don't mess with my hair! And for your information, I 'ogle' all of them. Blossom's fucking hot and Bubbles is totally bangable."

"What the FUCK!?" Boomer yelled from the bathroom.

Brick didn't bother hiding his smirk, "What about Buttercup?"

Butch tipped his head as he stared intently at the wall in consideration. After a few seconds, he nodded. "I guess I would take one for the team to get the hat trick."

His head suddenly jerked forward as Kendra walked by. "You better have been joking, also, don't joke about shit like that."

Boomer joined them with a glare for his brothers, and they were off.

Kendra took great joy in squeezing the three large teenagers into her small Focus. Brick managed to call shotgun, so he was slightly better off, but it was far from comfortable.

It was a very short drive, two minutes max. The boys got their first look at the house none of them had seen in ages. Of course, the only one who'd actually been in there was Boomer, and he really didn't want to think about that experience.

None of them even tried to get out, until they received a sharp warning glare. Brick glared back for only a minute, before sighing and motioning for his brothers to climb out. The driver didn't exit until all the other doors were shut.

She clicked the locks and motioned for them to make their way up the walk.

The door was opened before they reached it. An older gentleman stood in the portal. He was taller, with a strong build. His dark hair was peppered with silver. A strained smile stretched his lips as he motioned them in.

The boys came to a sudden stop as they were confronted with three glares, well two glares and a curious gaze.

"What!?" Buttercup screamed.

"You have to be kidding," Blossom sounded unsure.

Bubbles was in shock. The Professor was looking at them with a mixture of pity and worry. Which she thought was fitting considering the bombshell he'd just dropped on them.

The Rowdyruff Boys were back in town.

Considering how crazy her sisters were going, Bubbles thought she was might be under reacting. She just didn't feel like it was that outlandish, and honestly, she refused to freak out until she had a reason too.

Buttercup always said she was too naive, but she disagreed. She just liked to give people a chance, and it had been ten years. If the boys had been making trouble, she knew they would have heard about it by now.

The Professor and Bubbles let the others rage for a couple of minutes. The blonde glanced at her dad, eyebrow raised. He gave her a subtle nod and covered his ears.

"ENOUGH!"

Her sisters turned to her in surprise.

"There's no point in getting bent out of shape until we know what they want." She turned back to the professor. "How did you know they're back? Did you see them or something?"

He shook his head and sat. "No. I got a call last week from their guardian. She let me know they were moving back and wanted me to let you girls know so you could be prepared. They're starting at your school tomorrow."

Bubbles nodded. She wasn't really expecting that, but she could adapt. Her sisters on the other hand, looked like they were about to explode.

Before they could start arguing, he held up his hand. "This is happening, and they will be here in a few minutes so we can lay down the ground rules."

"You know they're going to break any rule you make," Blossom whined.

Bubbles rolled her eyes. She loved her oldest sister, she did, but she hated how stubborn she could be. Once she had an opinion of something she refused to see anything else. Buttercup was just as bad, if not worse.

"Things are in place to keep them from going too far, but I'll let Kendra explain all of that. She's the one who's made all the plans."

The girls all jumped as they heard multiple car doors shut at once.

"That must them now." He stood to go get the door. "Please go wait in the living room."

He gave them a serious stare, "And anyone who starts any trouble unprovocted will be grounded after school for a week."

That earned him a couple more glares, which he missed since his back was turned. He pulled the door open and ushered them in.

Bubbles had to hide her grin as she realized just how cute they'd gotten. Brick looked very similar to Blossom, which made sense. He had a defined jaw, with a distinct chin. He had defined shoulders that lead to a small waist. Overall, he had a swimmer's build.

Butch on the other hand was broad everywhere, from shoulders, to chest, to thighs. He had a huge grin spreading across his handsome face, and a black ring pierced his right brow. Though the way he was looking at her and Blossom was making her uncomfortable.

The one who unsurprisingly held her attention was Boomer. His face was very sweet and open. Honestly, he was ridiculously cute, and he was the tallest of the three. It was hard to tell just what his body looked like under his baggy clothes, but she doubted there was anything that retract from his beauty.

Behind them another person walked in. She was average height and a little overweight, but no worse than Bubbles was. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and she looked surprisingly professional.

As the girls glared, the boys stared right back.

Damn, Brick thought, they sure have changed.

Bubbles still looked as cute as he remembered, though she was definitely curvier than her sisters, and she was the shortest. When she noticed him looking her way she gave him a sweet smile.

"Hi, there," she greeted. "Nice to see you again. As long as you aren't up to any trouble."

Her sisters turned their glares to her.

Blossom seemed to change the least. Her was still just as long and she wore it in basically the same way. She was all but wearing the same dress she used to. The only noticeable difference he could she was how she filled out the front of her dress now. Which he was sure was the only thing Butch had been staring at this whole time.

His gaze shifted to Buttercup and he barely recognized her. Gone was the dress and the short hair. In there place were ripped skinny jeans and shoulder length black hair. Her face and body seemed harder than he remembered, not even the oversized hoodie was able to hide her strong shoulder.

She caught him staring and growled. "What're you looking at, Pretty Boy?"

He brought his hand to his chest as if flattered. "You think I'm pretty?" sarcasm dripped from his tone.

She growled again and advanced towards him, but Kendra got in her way.

"As much fun as that fight would surely be, we don't have time for it." She turned to the professor. "Is everything ready?"

"Yep." He motioned for the boys to follow him. "If you boys will just follow me, we can get these tests over in a jiff."

"Tests? What tests?" Boomer asked, sounding apprehensive.

Kendra was quick to placate him. "Think of it as a regular check up. You guys have never had one and I want to be sure nothing is wrong with my three favorite hooligans." She turned back to the girls. "And while you do that I'll explain the situation to the girls."

Brick nodded and followed the older man, grabbing Butch and dragging him along.

"Later, Ladies. I'll come chat you up real soon," he sent a wink there way, mostly for Blossom.

God, this was a bad fucking idea.