Fields and Dreams

Bubbles spread a quilt on the ground of the old wheat field. Normally she liked to just lay there and watch the sky, but this time she had company. She and her sisters had come to this farm when they were twelve, for a span of a few weeks they were without powers. The Professor's uncle owned it, and was glad to give them a place to hide out. That had been a memorable time for all of them, but Bubbles was the only one who still came here sometimes.

Life was often too complicated and stressful. When they were kids, they'd had some good games of tag and hide-and-seek out in these fields. For Bubbles, they remained a symbol of simpler, gentler life. They were almost normal for those few weeks. She thought her sisters had been more playful and carefree than they'd been for years leading up to that, but when their powers were restored it was back to saving the day and thrashing their enemies.

Bubbles smiled at her sister. Buttercup looked a little out of place holding a picnic basket, although her clothes alone were unusual for her. Bubbles had settled for jeans and a blue polo, but Buttercup had worn something a little dressier for a change.

The girls generally dressed however they individually preferred, and their wardrobes showed that. However, they still had a few items that were identical, save the color. Buttercup had chosen her green vest and skirt over white leggings and ruffled white shirt. Bubbles hadn't said anything, neither about Buttercup actually wanting to wear it or, for that matter, wearing it to a wheat field. She was just happy her sister bothered coming out here with her and wasn't about to do anything to make Buttercup regret it.

Bubbles felt so alone at times. She had a few good friends and was grateful for them all. They could sympathize with her, but there were things Bubbles knew only her sisters could really understand.

Buttercup had seemed a little distracted since their talk last night. Bubbles figured her sister had probably not given these things a lot of thought. Buttercup probably had a lot to think about, including reevaluating her relationship with Bubbles. Not to mention she was probably only now really thinking about where her life had ended up now that Mitch had tossed her aside.

Bubbles decided she'd just be there for her sister and show all the patience and kindness it took.

They sat in silence on the old quilt for a few minutes. Bubbles just took in the fresh air and scenery, sometimes looking to the clouds. She eventually noticed Buttercup seemed a little on edge and felt guilty for making her uneasy by waiting. "You look nice today," Bubbles said.

"Thanks." Smiling, Buttercup added, "You look great."

Bubbles smiled back. It felt good to see Buttercup happy. It felt better to be the one making her feel that way. "So do you want to eat or would you like us to talk first?"

Buttercup shrugged. To Bubbles, it seemed like her sister wasn't sure she even wanted to be there right now.

"Well," Bubbles said, rising and walking on her knees to her sister. She put her hand on Buttercup's chest and gently laid her back. Buttercup seemed panicked at first but went down easily. Leaning over her sister, Bubbles finished with, "Why don't we watch the clouds while I talk about Mike, then?"

"Um, why?"

Bubbles shrugged as well as she could with one arm holding her up. "We don't have to. You just seemed more comfortable when we're not looking at each other."

Buttercup blushed. Bubbles thought it was sweet but hoped her sister would get over it. They were family; there was no need to be ashamed.

"What do you mean by that?" Buttercup asked, her eyes suddenly anywhere but on her sister.

"Nothing. I just want you to be comfortable. You can sit back up if you want."

"No, that's all right," Buttercup answered quickly.

"Well all right then," Bubbles said, lying beside her sister. She rested her hands on her belly and watched the clouds for a few moments before she began.

"Mike and I have been best friends for years. For a long time, I didn't think of him as anything more. One day we were at his house and he just kinda broke down. I kind of admire the courage it must have taken him to say how he felt about me. I just couldn't say no. I mean, I hadn't thought about it, so maybe it would be good, you know?

"And it was good. We had a lot of fun, and we... We have some good memories. He never really pressured me to do anything, though. Almost the opposite of Mitch. In fact..."

Bubbles paused, wondering whether to go on. She'd never told anyone about this before. Eventually, she decided she'd come clean. "If anything, I don't think he'd have been comfortable... I tried, even. I mean... Well, Mike thinks very highly of me. He puts me up on a pedestal in his mind. I really liked him, and maybe I might have...you know...gone further. But eventually I felt like he was more in love with the idea of me. I mean, it was sweet and all, but... I don't think that's love."

Bubbles sighed and turned to her sister, who was still looking skyward. Bubbles reached out and took her sister's hand, clasping it like they had last night. Buttercup looked a little uncertain, but smiled. They turned back to the clouds.

"It was really hard for me, but I had to break it off. Both for Mike and for me. I'm glad that we were able to stay good friends, though. I wasn't sure how he would take it. He acted like it wasn't that big a deal, but I know it bothered him. I... I know I probably shouldn't have, but I listened to him after I left for home. He cried for a good while. I wanted so badly to go over and take it all back. I really want the people I love to be happy, but it just wouldn't have been right, you know?"

"Do you remember Rick?" Buttercup asked suddenly.

"Blossom's guy? Yeah, I remember him."

"Do you think any of us will ever find a guy?"

Bubbles giggled, "At this point I'm almost ready to give girls a try."

"R--really?" Buttercup asked.

Bubbles laughed. "No, not really. But I do wonder sometimes if we'll ever find anyone. But I don't let it bother me. We're still young, after all. I mean, I've only had one boyfriend. Mike and I--well, I broke up with Mike because the love just wasn't there. Blossom and Rick split up because... Well, I think Blossom did it just for the experience. I'm not saying she's that heartless or anything. The three of us show our love differently. And you can forget about Mitch--I don't think he should count."

"Heh. That sounds about right."

"I think we just need to be patient. Blossom would probably think I'm hopeless for feeling this way, but I know it'll work out in the end."

"Yeah," Buttercup said wryly. "We'll probably find it where we least expect it."

Bubbles giggled. "That's the spirit." She sat up and led Buttercup to follow suit. "So, ready for those sandwiches?"

Buttercup opened her mouth, but waited until she knew what to say before speaking. Her smile when she did made Bubbles feel warm inside. "Do you remember that time out here when we were kids?"

"Yeah. I think about it a lot when I come here, actually."

"How about a game of tag?"

Bubbles immediately thought that was a bad idea, but tried not to show it. "I don't know. It just wouldn't be as fun if we couldn't go all-out. If we got carried away, we could really tear things up. Maybe hide-and-seek?"

Buttercup seemed as opposed to that as Bubbles was to tag. "What's the fun in that? With x-ray vision and super hearing I could probably find you if you hid on the back side of the moon. We'd be holding back even worse."

"Well, you could whoop my butt in Mario Kart when we get home."

"Screw freaking Mario Kart!" Buttercup blared. She stood up and pulled Bubbles up with. They hadn't stopped holding hands yet. "I don't want to sit on my butt and play video games! I can fly! I can smash mountains, outrun bullets--we can do anything! I want to let loose, I want to have fun, I--"

Buttercup stopped. She looked at sister's hand, held in her own. She looked up at Bubbles, continuing in a calm but earnest voice. "I want to be with you. I want to spend time with you and be happy together."

Bubbles smiled and slipped her hand out of her sister's to wrap her in a hug. Buttercup returned it in earnest, squeezing with enough force to crush an I-beam, though to Bubbles it just felt nice.

"I love you too, sis," Bubbles sighed.