Author's Notes: While I'm not the best at time keeping or caring about dates on a calendar, it is cool that this is the first fic chapter I'm posting in 2023. This story is actually getting close to being finished, and that is both a cool and sad feeling. In just a few more chapters the ride will be over, but there will be a complete story for you guys to read. That's pretty neat :)

Chapter 13

Hurt

Mary Ann checked her messages over the past few hours. Her high rise office was a welcome respite from the campaign trail. Harold was having a tough time running against Ms. Bellum, which was made even more difficult by not being about to discredit her in any way. Harold and Mary Ann thought they'd planned for every contingency in his run for mayor, but they didn't count on one thing…an honest politician.

Most of Mary Ann's messages regarded suppliers for various parts and materials they needed for their weapons manufacturing. One message was about those blasted Saga goons burning down one of their ships. Mary Ann scowled as she read over the report. Why were these guys always two steps ahead of them? Where was Greta with that information on the competition?

Her smartphone rang, and the ID listed her bodyguard's phone number. She let out an exasperated breath to herself, and then plastered on a smile to face whatever might hit her next.

"Yes, Bruno? How can I help you?" Mary Ann answered the phone cordially.

"There's a dame here that says she wants to contract a hit. Insisted on talking to you personally."

"Do I look like customer service?" Mary Ann asked snidely, "Tell her to call our HR department if its so important."

"You might wanna see this one," Bruno suggested, "She mentioned that the target is working for the Sagas."

"Oh? Well then by all means, let her in," Mary Ann said smoothly, "Oh, and see to it that she gets a full escort."

"Yes, ma'am," Bruno said, his malicious smile evident in his tone.

Mary Ann hung up without saying goodbye. It was a rather irritating habit she had. This lead would probably go nowhere, as so many had before. Still, Mary Ann had to try everything she could. After all, Harold and the kids could get hurt if those psychopaths ever figured out the Smith family's movements.

A few minutes later, two armed guards brought the young woman in, their guns trained on her as if daring her to make a move against them. The woman, for her part, looked like a fairly standard-issue lowlife. Tight red minidress, red hair in tight curls, and red lipstick that was slightly smeared from over-application. Everything about this girl was a spotlight that screamed 'take advantage of me'.

"So, you're the one that has information on The Saga Cartel," Mary Ann surmised.

"Oh, I don't wanna rat out the cartel," The girl immediately backpedaled before even saying anything, "I just can't go to them to put out the hit because its one of their own. Plus I hear your guys are the best at this sort of thing."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Mary Ann warned her, "Hit jobs are too small-time for a multi-national operation like The Smiths. Why on earth should I help you?"

"Please don't say no. I don't know where else to turn," The woman pleaded, "That tramp killed my boyfriend, and she has to pay! My future is ruined because of that feminist floozy! She ain't even been a Saga for more than a few weeks, and already Mistah Big trusts her more than me! Three years of my life slaving away at that computuh and-"

"Hold it," Mary Ann shushed the girl's tirade, "Are you speaking about Greta Blimpkin?"

"Huh?"

"Her," Mary Ann then showed the woman a photo.

"Yeah, that's her!" The woman squealed frantically, "She goes by Femme Fatale, and she told Mistah Big about the ambush my boyfriend Moose planned out. Moose was gonna be the new leader of the cartel. We was gonna have a future together, and now it's all gone because Fake Fatale couldn't keep her trap shut!"

"Moose, hm…?" Mary Ann noted, "We have a small file on him. My boys have been following him for some time. He isn't, well wasn't, exactly subtle about spending obscene amounts of money in public places. Judging from the information we have on file, my guess is you're Ginger Muldoon. A former prostitute that became Moose's kept woman. I must say, it seems like you could do better than him."

"It ain't like I didn't try," Ginger confided, a hint of bitterness in her tone, "Mistah Big would've been a much more stable bet for a secure future, but he wasn't interested. It was okay though, because Moose was the real brains behind the operation anyway. He was gonna kill Mistah Big and take over the empire. If that blonde witch had just played her part we'd all be livin' large right now. Well, if The Saga Cartel is goin' down that way, then I'd rather bet on a winning pony. Help me get rid of Femme Fatale, help me get my revenge, and I'll help you take down the rest of the cartel. So, what do you say? Will you help me?"

"Oh, sorry, but no," Mary Ann replied without contrition, "Greta is actually working for us. She promised us intel on how to destroy Mr. Big in exchange for weapons and some petty cash. Sorry to say, Ginger, that you know too much now."

For most people these sinister words would immediately be followed by panic, and then afterward by bullets. Ginger managed to say the one thing to keep Mary Ann's interest however…

"That makes one of us," Ginger said coolly, "At least I know who my friends are. Your Femme Fatale is workin' for Mistah Big, not you. Scuttlebutt is she's dating him. She might even marry him. I can only imagine how ugly their kids'll be."

"Greta? Dating a man?" Mary Ann pondered, "I didn't think she was interested in that sort of thing."

"Don't you get it, Mrs. Smith?" Ginger pressed on, "She's playing you for a chump. Fatale wants to have her cake and eat it too. She wants your money, Mistah Big's money, and anything else she can get her grubby paws on. She's playin' both sides to see who's better, and frankly I think that's disrespectful to you and your operation. If I were you I wouldn't take that kind of disrespect."

"Well…I must admit, I remember being young like you once," Mary Ann said wistfully, "Back then revenge was everything. Insult me and you'd wake up to your bushes in the wood chipper. Ruin my dinner party and your house would be trashed. Stand in the way of my children's ambitions, and someone's head wound up in a box. I used to love revenge, but now I have too much power to worry about that sort of thing. Still, I remember being small like you. If someone murdered my Harold, they would pay with their life and the lives of anyone who ever supported them."

"So you'll help me ice Fatale?" Ginger asked hopefully.

"Hm…"

Mary Ann paced the room a couple times, and Ginger followed her steps with her eyes. It took a couple minutes of silence before Mary Ann finally stopped in front of Ginger again, and when she did her cold blue eyes locked onto Ginger's brown ones.

"Convince me," Mary Ann ordered, "If you really want my help, convince me. That's what Greta did, and if I'm going to kill a woman I invested a million dollars into, you better have a good story."

"That's the whole story, I swear!" Butch exclaimed from his hospital bed.

"Seriously?" Brick scoffed, "You almost got killed by a fat guy with no powers? You realize you can't tell that story to the news, right?"

"Leave him alone," Blossom scolded, "You don't know what Antidote X feels like. I'm surprised he and Buttercup even lived through that. I just hope Buttercup wakes up soon…"

Blossom then turned to the other hospital bed next to Butch's. Buttercup just got out of surgery a few minutes before, and Blossom couldn't believe how pale and small her sister looked lying there covered in bandages. If she had been a completely normal human, the amount of damage she took would have instantly killed her. It was only because of a quick response from Monster Island General Hospital that she was still alive. Thankfully air-lifting her to Townsville didn't take very long.

Blossom was already awake when the call came from the hospital about her sister. When she went to Brick and Boomer's house however, both were passed out after a bender with their friends and were barely able to wake up and fly to the hospital with her. They were barely able to see where they were flying in the dark, and Brick even crashed into a building at one point.

Boomer called Mojo Jojo from the hospital, and Blossom was surprised when Boomer told her Mojo answered. She assumed the old monkey was still in jail after unleashing those robots the other night. She feared Mojo Jojo could become a problem if he showed up to visit Butch.

The real problem came when Blossom tried to call her own family. The professor answered and said he would be there in a few minutes, but he had to stop by the house first. That didn't bother Blossom initially, but then she tried to call Bubbles to let her know to expect the professor. Bubbles didn't answer her phone. It went straight to voicemail. When Blossom tried the land line, there was no answer on that thing either. Where in the world was Bubbles?

"Maybe I should meet the professor at home," Blossom said to herself, "If Bubbles isn't there then the professor could be abducted en route."

"Who would want your dumb old dad?" Brick dismissed, having heard her musings, "I mean he ain't exactly a looker, and his inventions don't even blow stuff up."

"I'm afraid information regarding the case is classified," Blossom said haughtily.

"Huh?" Boomer scratched his head in bewilderment, "Is that like cop talk or something?"

"She means her dad is in trouble," Brick translated, "Probably back taxes or some stupid boring reason like that."

"Are you two ever going to grow up?" Butch groused, "I told you morons about this already! The fat guy that attacked me is trying to kill the Powerpuffs. He was after Buttercup, and I just happened to be there. He probably wants the professor too, so you numbskulls need to keep on the lookout."

"Why? He's not after us," Brick laughed cruelly, "This is what you get for fraternizing with good guys. I told you to date someone trashy, but no! You had to date Wonder Woman over there!"

"If I took your advice on everything, I'd dress like a dork and be dating some chick with a face tattoo!" Butch retorted.

"What's wrong with that?" Boomer asked innocently, "Gita's really cool, and she can roll cigarettes into shapes with her tongue."

"You guys are hopeless…" Butch shook his head, "Oowww! I moved wrong…"

"Be careful, Butch!" Blossom admonished, "Your back needs to stay still. The doctor says if you aren't careful you might not be able to walk again."

"Who cares?" Butch scoffed, "I can just fly everywhere."

"Yeah, but you won't be able to land," Boomer teased.

"Unless he crashes into everything head-first like a cannonball," Brick added, "Hey, we could call you Crash instead of Butch! Ha!"

"If you did the same thing you'd be Flying Brick," Boomer added, annoying Brick.

"If I could get up I'd beat you both senseless!" Butch shook his fist, but then, "Ow! Stupid no moving rule…"

While the boys argued Blossom tried to think of something she could do to occupy her mind. She could go over some work she needed to do for her finals, but since it was criminology it reminded her too much of what was happening right now. Poor Buttercup was fighting for her life, the professor was left unguarded, and Bubbles was missing. Blossom didn't know how things could get any worse.

As if the universe was answering her unspoken thoughts, she heard a tapping on the window. That was unusual, since they were on the 12th floor, but when she investigated everything became clear.

Bubbles was floating outside, with Mojo Jojo wrapped around her in a vice grip. Blossom couldn't believe her sister brought a wanted fugitive with her, let alone doing all this without informing anyone. Blossom opened the door to let them in, but her scowl said more than her words would have.

"Uh, hi Blossom…hee hee hee," Bubbles laughed nervously, "Um…sorry I'm late. How's Buttercup?"

"I'm fine, thank you!" Butch shouted sarcastically.

"They're in the same room?" Bubbles asked.

"It was the only way to get Butch to shut up," Blossom explained.

Bubbles laughed despite the situation. She could just imagine Butch screaming at the hapless hospital staff until he got his way. The laughter died however when she got a good look at Buttercup, who looked near death already.

"Oh no…" Bubbles gasped, "Blossom…how did this happen?"

"Oh sure, ask her instead of the guy who was actually there!" Butch complained, "You Powerpuffs are so irritating!"

"It is good to see they are not overmedicating you," Mojo commented wryly, "For if you had been medicated, you would be in a state of blissful ignorance right now. Blissful for both yourself, and the rest of us as well."

Brick and Boomer laughed, and Butch tried to cross his arms again before hollering out in pain at his bad back.

"Oooowww! I hate this!" Butch screamed, "Stupid injury, stupid fat guy, stupid Antidote X, stupid Townsville! Everything sucks!"

"T..T-Tell me about it…"

Everyone turned around when they heard that quiet raspy voice. Buttercup was awake, and while she couldn't turn her head her green eyes were fixated on Butch. She smiled at him despite the pain she felt, but Butch didn't return the gesture. He did however manage to finally cross his arms.

"Buttercup! You're okay!" Bubbles squeaked in delight.

"Yeah…terrific," Buttercup breathed laboriously, "W-…Water…"

Bubbles grabbed a cup from the night stand and lifted Buttercup's head so she could drink.

"Bubbles! She isn't supposed to have that yet!" Blossom reprimanded, "We have to wait until the nurse says it's okay."

Bubbles looked crestfallen, realizing she was interfering in a situation she knew nothing about.

"Hey…" Buttercup rasped, "…when the nurse…is thirsty…t-then she can say when it's time. Gimme my water."

Bubbles was caught between her two sisters again, a cycle that seemed to follow her from birth. Buttercup was thirsty, but Blossom knew giving her a drink was breaking the rules. Bubbles listened to Buttercup this time though. She knew Buttercup's surgery was over, and at this point there was no reason to keep torturing her like this.

"You think they'll let us eat again anytime soon?" Butch inquired, "I never got that pizza."

Buttercup smiled, but she couldn't laugh because it would hurt too much. She looked up at Bubbles gratefully, and Bubbles smiled back. Bubbles was on the verge of tears after seeing what happened to her sister, but she didn't want Buttercup to see her cry now, so she turned away to try to shield herself from the embarrassment.

"Hey Butch?" Buttercup whispered just loud enough to be heard, "Thanks."

"For what?" Butch asked.

"When we got…when Femme…well, you know. You attacked her to try to protect me. Thanks. For that."

"It wasn't a big deal," Butch downplayed it.

"Yes it was," Buttercup insisted, "You didn't…want her to…hurt me. You tried to save my life."

"I did not," Butch refuted, "I just like fighting, that's all."

"Who do you think…you're talking to?" Buttercup said playfully, "I know you better than anyone. You love me."

"No I don't!" Butch argued.

"Yes you do," Buttercup taunted, "You love me. You don't have to say it."

"I don't love you!" Butch shrieked.

"I love you too," Buttercup egged him on.

As the green coupled argued Bubbles and Blossom watched from the other side of the room.

"I think if a boy screamed that they didn't love me, I would break up with them," Bubbles muttered quietly to Blossom.

"Yeah, me too," Blossom whispered back, "But you know how those two are. They're weird. I think they get off on fighting with each other. I've heard of some couples that do that."

"I thought it only happened in the movies," Bubbles replied dubiously, "Honestly though, I don't know why she stays with him. He goes out of his way to tell her that he doesn't want her around."

"Yeah, he does," Blossom shrugged, "But actions speak louder than words. He says he doesn't love her, but his actions today proved otherwise."

Due to the fighting between Buttercup and Butch, the conversation between Blossom and Bubbles, and the arguing between Mojo and his two other sons, the room was becoming quite noisy. Yet when there was a knock on the door everyone immediately shut up and watched to see what happened.

The door opened to admit a nurse and Professor Utonium. The nurse, upon seeing the two new visitors, stopped in her tracks. The professor, upon seeing Mojo Jojo, did likewise out of fear of what the simian was capable of.

"Um, there seem to be a lot of visitors," The nurse stammered uncomfortably, "I hate to do this, but only three people can be in here at a time. Some of you will have to wait out in the hall."

"Can it be my family?" Butch requested, "They're driving me nuts!"

"See, Bubbles? This is why I did not want to come here," Mojo ranted, "Ungrateful brats always take and take and take. I worry myself sick over this boy, and he acts as if I am here to personally test his nerves to see if they still function! For all I knew you could have been on your deathbed, Butch. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Like testing my nerves to see if they function?" Butch snarked.

"Come on, Mojo," Brick led him away, "We can raid the vending machine. We'll come back when the sissies clear out."

Mojo grumbled under his breath but allowed his sons to lead him away regardless. The nurse checked Butch's blood pressure while the professor went over to see Buttercup.

"I went home to get your Chemical X," The professor explained, "I have permission from the hospital to administer the Chemical X to both you and Butch. They know how important it is for your survival, and I think you'll heal at a quicker rate with it in your bloodstream."

"Thanks," Buttercup replied weakly, "I can always…count on you…and my sisters."

The professor carefully attached a plastic pouch filled with the thick black liquid to Buttercup's arm. Bubbles and Blossom could do little more than watch the treatment happen.

"Hey! Don't poke me with that!" Butch yelled at his nurse.

"I need a blood sample," The nurse tried to tell him.

"Then just punch me in the jaw like a normal person!" Butch snapped, "Turning me into a pin cushion…you doctors are sick!"

The nurse just sighed and took the verbal abuse as she continued monitoring the boy. At least he didn't have his powers back yet, or the situation could have been a lot more harrowing for all involved.

"Buttercup, who on earth could have done this to you?" The professor asked worriedly as he taped the pouch's needle to her arm, "I've never seen you hurt this badly before."

"It was really stupid," Buttercup replied sourly, "Butch and I…we were near the beach on Monster Island. A robot came out, and it was Femme Fatale…"

"Femme Fatale did this to you?" Blossom asked in disbelief, "Man, I don't know how, but she's really upped her game."

"I know why," Buttercup told her, "Mr. Big is…the one supplying her with…the weapons. He showed up, and his mob goons shot me. What happened to Butch?"

"His spine was broken," Blossom informed her, "Apparently Mr. Big just grabbed him and cracked him over his head like a plank of wood."

"Mr. Big did all this?" Bubbles asked in horror, "Oh no…it's all my fault."

"How is me getting shot your fault?" Buttercup asked as if the notion were ridiculous, "You weren't even there."

"Because he's after me," Bubbles told them, tears trailing down her cheeks, "I figured it out. Everything he does is specifically targeted toward hurting me. I don't know why, and I don't know where he is, but this is all because of me somehow. Why can't we stop this guy?"

Bubbles then started sobbing, and the professor went over to Bubbles and hugged her. She cried into his lab coat, and he patted her back comfortingly.

"Hey wait a minute," Blossom interrupted the moment, "Buttercup, you said Mr. Big showed up to the scene himself, right?"

"Yeah. So?" Buttercup grunted.

"So you know what he looks like," Blossom pointed out, "You can give us a physical description, and Bubbles and I can track him down and find him."

"Uh…I'll try," Buttercup said in an uncharacteristically uncertain tone, "To be honest, I didn't really see his face. Just his bushy red beard."

"That's actually really helpful," Blossom said encouragingly, "Okay, so he has a red beard. What else?"

"Um…he's fat," Buttercup recalled, "And…he wore a black suit…black gloves…lots of gold rings…and a Rolex watch. Actually, his voice sounded familiar, but also not, if that makes sense."

"Familiar how?" Blossom urged.

"Like, I dunno…like dull," Buttercup struggled to find her words, "Like he sounded like something was wrong with his throat."

"Like Darth Vader?" Bubbles guessed.

"No. More like when you get a stomach ache and don't feel like talking," Buttercup tried to elaborate.

"I…don't know how that's supposed to sound," Blossom admitted, "I really should've paid more attention when my teacher talked about interrogating potential witnesses. Okay, so Mr. Big is a fat guy with unkempt red hair and wears expensive suits."

"And may or may not have a tummy ache," Bubbles added.

"Oh, brother…" Blossom sighed longsufferingly, "The only helpful piece of that description is the red hair. Red hair isn't that common in the national population."

"Says the girl with red hair," Buttercup chuckled, but then stopped when it aggravated her wounds, "Ow…but seriously, there are a lot of redheads in Townsville. Ms. Bellum…Princess Morebucks…you. Man…I wish I had more to offer, but his stupid hat and beard kept me from seeing his face."

"Hat? What hat?" Blossom asked.

"He wears a fedora like some kind of internet neck-beard," Buttercup remarked, "Then again…maybe we don't have to find him. We know…he's working with Femme Fatale now, and she's not exactly good at hiding. She looks like…a disco dude…with a female sign fetish."

"Maybe we should let the police handle this for once," The professor suggested, "I know you girls are strong and intelligent, but I'm worried about this. If this mobster guy has Antidote X, then who knows what else he has to hurt you with? I think the least predictable move for us is to get the police involved."

"It's unpredictable because it's foolish," Blossom rebutted, "If this is someone strong enough to injure Butch, cruel enough to try to kill Buttercup, and cunning enough to have Antidote X on hand, then we can't afford to send normal police after him. Don't worry, Professor. We can handle this."

Blossom and the professor continued to weigh the pros and cons of police involvement, but Bubbles couldn't listen anymore. She went out to the hallway and leaned against the wall. They were getting so close to finding the truth about this horrible gangster, but it wasn't quickly enough to save Buttercup. Butch might lose the ability to walk, and Buttercup was barely clinging to life. Why was everything Bubbles tried to do too little too late?

No, she couldn't do this again. She couldn't just wallow in self-pity until another body dropped. She spent ten years avoiding the world because she felt she was too strong to be trusted with her superpowers. Now her sisters needed her to be strong, not just physically but mentally and emotionally too. She had to gather her thoughts and figure out how to find this bad guy.

She knew he was fat, she knew he had a red beard, and she knew she could find out more about him on the villain classifieds website Mojo Jojo showed her. If she could just think of a fake villain name and make an account, she could get him to come to her. If she could just hold herself together until then, she could catch Mr. Big and arrest him before anyone else got hurt.