Angels in Darkness

Blossom returned home to find her sisters were already there. She'd come in through one of Bubbles's open bedroom windows, not unlike when they were kids. She plodded down the stairs to find her family in the living room.

The blinds were drawn.

"Blossom, are you okay?" Buttercup asked.

Blossom looked down and noticed her clothes were ripped and torn in places. She was completely uninjured, but tearing through dirt and steel had left her clothes looking like they'd been through a war zone.

"I'm all right," Blossom said, sounding and feeling herself again. "Just blowing off steam." She'd wait to tell them where she'd blown it. Realizing her dirty state, she declined the seat offered her and instead stood before the television (which was thankfully turned off). She looked to each of them as she asked, "When was the last time Him came after us?"

Professor was the only one who continued to return her gaze. Blossom's sisters turned inward, sifting through memories of a thousand battles and more (and that more than likely only covered the last year or so) in search of the answer to that.

"Well," Buttercup said, "he did give the Rowdyruff Boys their powers back."

"I'm pretty sure he must have given them that spear," Bubbles added.

"The Spear of Destiny, I know," Blossom said. "And before that he gave the Hatter the ability to jump into and control other people's bodies."

And turned the Hatter's original body into a painfully twisted, dessicated husk in the process, she would have added. She didn't need to. They all remembered very well.

"But when was the last time he came directly at us? Challenged us face-to-face? Put us through some trial or tried to get back at us?"

Again her sisters sifted through their memories, as Blossom had sifted through hers on the trip home. Again the Professor did not look away.

"Man, not since we were kids, maybe?" Buttercup offered.

"Yeah, I can't remember either," Bubbles added.

"How much do you want to bet that was Him last night? Impersonating..." Blossom paused, fighting back rising bile as she remembered the kiss and her feelings at that point. "Impersonating each of us?"

"What makes you think it was Him, Blossom?" Professor asked calmly.

"I... I was just at Princess's. I'm probably gonna catch some heat for that," Blossom admitted, fidgeting a little. "I kind of tore through the house and the under works to find her. She had bandages on her neck. She'll probably finger me for that, too. But she said 'the man does not disappoint.' She told me she was talking about Him."

Several moments of silence passed before Bubbles asked the obvious question. "But why now?"

"And more importantly," Blossom added, "why not before now?"

No one offered an answer, though Professor did eventually speak. "Those are all very good points, Blossom, and we shouldn't ignore them, but we have other problems on our hands right now. It doesn't much matter what part Him had in this any longer."

"But..." Buttercup started. She hesitated, wondering if she wanted to suggest the possibility. "Do you think maybe Him really was responsible for my feelings?"

Professor shook his head. "I don't think so, sweetie. You said yourself those were a long time in coming."

"But he's obviously capable of patience," Blossom said. "He's been waiting to act for years, it seems. Either that..." Blossom wasn't sure what the alternative would be just yet, and her father interrupted her thoughts prematurely.

"In any case, it seems we have no secrets any longer. The mayor herself called me." Miss--pardon, it was Mrs. now--Sara Bellum had gained political favor after the aging mayor of the girls' childhood had retired. The girls didn't have to ask what he'd told her. They did not doubt it had been the truth.

If the girls hadn't gathered that on their own intuition, they would have caught on as their father continued speaking after a steadying breath. "There won't be any prison time. At least not before trial. The investigation is already starting. Of course, she isn't going to tell anyone what I told her, but she is going to pull favors. She said to think of it as 'free bail for services already rendered.' She doubts this will turn into jail time at all. That's not what the majority are looking for. Fines, on the other hand, no one would care about. And I would agree with her on both points. At worst, we're probably looking at censure, public apologies, court ordered therapy, and even though you're legally adults now, possibly...forced separation."

And there the conversation ended. Rover got run over. Your best pal Timmy wouldn't be coming over to play any more. Uncle Charlie had fallen asleep on the ride to the Thanksgiving get-together and everyone gathered around the old station wagon was just now realizing he'd never open his eyes again.

The phone rang. Professor Utonium let it ring twice more before rising to answer it in the kitchen. "Hello? Yes, Gregory, it's me."

Blossom's sisters scooted together, occupying the center spot their father had vacated. Blossom walked over to them, descending to her knees. Their hands all joined together in a pile between them, and they remained there for several minutes while listening to their father discuss legal details with their friend Gregory, who even now refused to abandon them.

Then, without warning, Blossom smiled. She removed her hands from the pile and stood, leaning in to plant a quick, modest kiss on Buttercup's lips.

"There," she said, returning to her knees. "We're all even, now."

They all smiled, but they did not laugh. They were all even, now. Even, indeed.