Time
Part 2: Metamorphose
Chapter 6
As the days passed, the group of adults made it through the holidays without much of a hitch. When the day came, they all gathered around the brightly colored tree and opened gifts that they bought for each other. Bubbles made a special Christmas dinner for them to enjoy while it snowed. During the day, they played like children outside, having massive snowball fights and making snow angels. They built forts and towers made out of the ice from the body of water close by. Once they were tired enough, they all ran back in, turned on the heat, snuggled into some thick blankets, and watched Christmas specials on TV as they drank steaming hot chocolate.
Not only did the holiday go by nicely, but also New Year's. The group all dressed to impress and piled into the large van to drive down to the nearest bar. They all consumed several drinks, waiting for the ball to drop on the small TV in the corner of the bar area. When it was time, they all grouped around the TV and counted down as the large silver ball slowly fell to the ground. It exploded into shimmering confetti, and the patrons in the bar all cheered, laughing and smiling at one another, wishing them a "Happy New Year."
Soon, the group had to pack up and head home once more. They all checked out on the first of January and made the quick bus ride back to the airport. Luckily, it would only take them a short time to get back to Townsville. They were unimaginably exhausted from their trip and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for at least half of the new year.
Once they made it back into town, the drive back to their homes was quick and easy. Boomer and Brick were dropped off by Mitch and Robin. Boomer said his goodbyes to Bubbles, who was in the seat next to him, and grabbed his luggage from the trunk. Brick helped him with his before moving on to his own. Once Brick closed the trunk door, the two brothers sluggishly walked up to Boomer's front door. Mitch honked the horn before driving down the road towards Bubbles' place. Boomer and Brick waved before Boomer took out his keys and unlocked the front door. He opened the cool, empty house and dragged his bags in from the snowy outside. Once they were both inside, Boomer shut and locked the door behind him and sighed. It was good to be home. Boomer kicked off his boots and hung up his coat before rolling up his light blue sweater sleeves (it was a beautiful gift Bubbles got him for Christmas) and grabbed his bags, trudging up the stairs to his room. Brick followed suit and delicately unwrapped the red and black scarf that Blossom got him from around his neck and neatly folded it before tucking it in the closet next to the front door.
Just then, a white, fluffy mass entered from the slightly open back door. Sasha wiped her paws on the rug below before shaking the snowflakes from her fur. Brick glanced up and smiled at the dog. Sasha spotted him, and her tongue instantly lolled out of her mouth in a happy grin. She trotted up to the redhead and yipped in joy. Brick held out his hand as Sasha licked and nipped at his fingers.
"Hey there, girl. How've ya been, huh?" Sasha whined happily before the thumping of Boomer's heavy footsteps trailed down the carpeted stairs. Boomer grinned as he caught sight of his beloved pup and rushed down the stairs before literally jumping on his dog with a grin.
"Sasha! I'm so glad to see you!" Sasha barked playfully and circled around, trying to lick her owner who still clutched tightly onto her back. The dog stopped trotting in a circle and decided to shake Boomer off. With one good fluff of her fur, Boomer tumbled down to the floor. Sasha jumped over him and lovingly licked him all over his face. Boomer laughed with his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to get the enormous dog to stop. When she was satisfied by her deadly licks, Sasha backed away and sat gracefully on her hind legs. Boomer wiped his face with the sleeve of his sweater and groaned playfully.
"I guess she missed you too, Boomer." Brick chuckled. Boomer smiled and hoisted himself up from the floor.
"You want something to eat? I'm pretty starved after that plane ride." Brick nodded in agreement.
"Sure." Boomer walked into the kitchen with Sasha at his heels and opened the fridge. He glanced in and frowned, suddenly realizing that he desperately needed to go shopping. He closed the fridge back up and walked upstairs to Brick's room. He stopped right in front of his brother's closed door and knocked.
"Hey, Brick? I'm going out to get food. Do you want me to bring you back anything?" Boomer waited for a reply but none came. He knocked again. "Brick? You in there?" Boomer grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. He glanced around the dark room and saw his brother lying face down on his bed, sound asleep. Soft snores could be heard from the redhead with every deep breath he took.
Boomer smiled and walked into the room carefully. He grabbed a thick, black blanket that was sitting folded on a chair and moved to Brick's bed. Boomer unfolded the blanket and threw it over his older brother in one graceful swoop. He made sure the blanket covered Brick completely before grabbing Brick's red snapback and gently tugging it off of his head before hanging it on the post of his bed. Boomer glanced down at Brick's sleeping form with his head cocked to the side and folded his arms with a shake of his head. He smirked.
"Good-for-nothing lazybones." Boomer chuckled and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. He glanced down at Sasha who was sitting patiently in the middle of the hallway. "Well, I'll be back, girl. Watch out for Brick for me." Sasha yipped in understanding, and Boomer jogged down the stairs to the front door. He grabbed his coat and hat before grabbing his keys and phone off of the table. He placed them in his pocket and exited the house, locking the door behind him.
Boomer walked up and down the aisles, grabbing different boxes and cans before stuffing them into his cart. He stopped in the middle of the cookies and chips aisle, keeping his hands on his cart. He slowly pushed the cart while he looked for the cookies Brick liked. Suddenly, something else smashed right into the front of his cart. Boomer looked up and saw a very familiar brunette smile back at him.
"Boomer, we really need to stop running into each other like this. Literally. I think we're cursed." Jessie laughed with a smile. Boomer chuckled and moved away from his cart. He opened his arms wide, and Jessie entered them with slight hesitation. He still didn't quite know how to react when Boomer was so nice to him.
"I'm guessing you went on some kind of trip then. I went over to your house, but you weren't there." Boomer nodded.
"Yeah, we all spent the holidays at this ski resort." Jessie smiled.
"Ooh, how was it, big guy?"
"It was great actually! Although, Vincent, Blossom's boyfriend, started acting kind of weird the last few days we were there. It carried on all till New Year's, too. It was strange. It was like he was pissed for no reason at all. He even got snappy with Blossom a few times. I've never seen him like that before." Boomer didn't notice the flash of red in Jessie's blue-hazel eyes or the twitch of a delighted smirk on his lips.
"Aw, that's too bad. I'm sure he's a nice guy. Too bad I haven't been able to meet him. Come to think of it, I haven't seen hide nor hare of any of them. I'm sure they would be surprised to see me. Have you told them I moved back?"
"The only one I've told is Blossom. She was pretty surprised to hear. I guess I should've told everyone else, too. Sorry about that." Jessie waved his hand.
"It's no problem. It's just that…well, I just wish I could see them again. You know, for old time's sake. You all did try to find me all of those years ago. It would be nice to finally put that case to rest with my appearance, don't you think?" Boomer seemed to think Jessie's statement over. Getting him to actually see everyone else would bring some closure. Boomer's face brightened.
"Hey, what if you come over for dinner? Yeah, I can invite everyone over and reintroduce you to them. I'm sure they'll love it!" Boomer's brows furrowed. "Hmm, but that would require me to hide you away from Brick for a couple of hours. I want you to be there before everyone else arrives. I guess I'll just have to stow you away in my room or something." Jessie chuckled.
"Sounds like fun!" Boomer smiled, loving the sound of Jessie's laugh.
"After I get everyone in one room, I'll bring you down so they can all see you again. Yeah, this'll be perfect!" Jessie grinned.
"Let's do it, then. Tomorrow, six o'clock. If that works for you." Boomer nodded.
"It sure is! Oh man, I have to get home, think about what I'm going to make for dinner." He reached up and grabbed two boxes of cookies from the shelves and threw them into his cart. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Jessie. I'll call you when I'm ready for you, okay?" Jessie gave him a thumbs up.
"Gotcha." Boomer grabbed his cart and pushed it around the brunette.
"See you then, Jess!" Jessie waved before crossing his arms over his chest.
"This will be perfect…" he smirked with a hum of amusement. "Just perfect."
"Okay, Blossom, just calm down for me, okay?" Blossom shoved the ice away from her sister's hand. The towel flew from Bubbles' fingers, and the ice tumbled to the floor, clanking on the hardwood.
"Don't you get it? HE FUCKING HIT ME, AND IT FUCKING HURT! How is that possible!? Why would he just hit me like that!? Why?" Blossom shoved her wet face into her hands and sobs continued to wrack her body. Bubbles rubbed her sister's arms and went to go pick up the ice before it melted away. Bubbles placed the ice back into the cold towel and returned to her hysterical sister who sat on a stool in the kitchen. Blossom slammed her head down onto the island top and sobbed louder.
"Blossom, please, if you don't let me put this ice on your eye, the bruising is just going to get worse." Blossom sniffed and tried to calm down her sobbing hiccups. She lifted her head slowly and placed her forehead in the palm of her hand. She wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks and looked up at her sister. Bubbles sighed once she saw the bruising around her sister's left eye. The bruise was an ugly and violent purple and blue color. She wondered what would've set someone as gentle as Vincent off to do something like this to her sister. And how could a normal human like him hit her hard enough to bruise her?
Bubbles lifted the towel and placed it carefully over Blossom's black eye. Blossom hissed once the icy coolness came into contact with the sensitive skin.
"Why would he do something like this? How could have he done something like this? I just don't understand." Bubbles hated how her strong older sister looked so helpless. She debated whether or not to call Brick right at that moment. The two sat in silence as the crickets chirped their nighttime song outside in the bushes and grass. Bubbles took the towel away from Blossom's face and set it down on the island top.
"What exactly happened, Bloss? You never really told me the details." Blossom sniffed once more before she huffed, grabbing at her hair.
"We were talking about dinner. He started to get loud, and that caused me to get loud. It got heated and, before I knew it, I was sprawled out on the kitchen floor with my eye in incredible pain. He punched me right across the face. I yelled at him to never touch me like that again, and I left. I didn't even take the car. I just got up and flew here." Bubbles nodded and placed the towel back on Blossom's eye.
"Well, if you want to stay the night, you're welcome to. Just let me get the guest room situated for you. It'll only take a minute." Blossom nodded and grabbed the towel from Bubbles' hand. Bubbles trotted up the stairs to the guest bedroom and turned out the bed for her sister. Once she was done, Bubbles jogged back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"You want something to eat? I made mashed potatoes and chicken if you want some." Blossom nodded.
"Sure, but only a little bit. I'm not that hungry." Bubbles pulled out the food from the fridge and grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets. She placed the food on the plate before popping open the microwave.
"You know, you do have the option of calling Brick." Blossom scoffed.
"And have him go full fledged super-powered neanderthal on Vincent? Yeah, no thank you." Bubbles leaned on the island top.
"Blossom, if Vincent hit you once, who's to say he won't do it again? Things like this only get worse. I think you should call Brick, have him rough Vincent up a bit. I'm sure a big guy like Brick could scare some sense back into Vincent." Blossom shook her head.
"That's only going to end in disaster. I can handle myself. I don't need Brick's help." The microwave beeped sharply at them. Bubbles turned towards the microwave and opened it carefully, grabbing the steaming plate. She got a fork from the drawer and placed it on the plate.
"Fine, but just think about it, okay? For my sake." Bubbles placed the plate in front of her sister. Blossom agreed and set the towel down before picking up the fork and digging into her food.
Bubbles decided to leave Blossom to her thoughts and retreated into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, clicking on the television. Just as she got settled in, her phone buzzed. Bubbles reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She clicked the speak button and lifted the phone to her ear.
"Hey, Boomer."
"Hey, what's up, Bubs?" Bubbles turned down the volume to the TV before responding.
"Oh, nothing. Blossom and I just decided to have a sleepover. What's up with you? You're calling kind of late."
"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask if you were up for dinner tomorrow." Bubbles perked up. Dinner? With Boomer? How long had it been? She knew she was over him and their whole situation, but the prospect of spending quality time with him sparked up some past feelings within her.
"Dinner? Sure, why not? What time?"
"Around seven would be great." Bubbles' excitement grew.
"Cool! And where would we have said dinner?" Boomer chuckled.
"My place." Bubbles' lips twitched up into a smile. It was going to be just like old times!
"Awesome! I'll be there."
"Great! Oh, could you ask if Blossom wants to come, too?" Bubbles' smile instantly deflated.
"Blossom?" she asked.
"Well, yeah. I called Butch and Buttercup, and they said they would come. I would've called Blossom, but since she's there with you, I thought maybe you could do it." The spark within her immediately snuffed itself out.
Oh, so it's a family dinner. I guess it won't be like old times…
"Uh, yeah, I can ask. Just… give me a second." Bubbles held the phone to her shoulder and lifted herself off of the couch. She crossed the hall and poked her head into the kitchen. "Hey, Bloss, Boomer wants to know if you're up for dinner tomorrow. It's at seven." Blossom set down her fork and glanced up at her sister with tired eyes.
"Does he want Vincent there?" Bubbles lifted the phone and asked Boomer if he wanted Blossom's boyfriend to come along. After she got her answer, she looked back to the redhead.
"He said it would be nice if he came, yeah." Blossom huffed and closed her eyes, looking utterly defeated. She rubbed her forehead with her hand before looking up at Bubbles.
"Fine. Tell him we'll be there." Bubbles nodded and put the phone back to her ear as she trotted back to the living room.
"Blossom said that her and Vincent will be there."
"Great! Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. See ya, Bubs!" Bubbles sighed and pulled the phone away from her ear, shutting it off. Things never seemed to go her way. And this dinner was only the icing on the cake.
Boomer sprayed a bit of cologne on his shirt before straightening himself out in the mirror. Suddenly, the doorbell rang from downstairs. Boomer smiled and rushed out of his room. He bolted down the hallway past Brick and jumped down the stairs.
"It's okay, Brick. I got it!" Brick rolled his eyes and went back into his room, shutting the door. Boomer skidded to a stop at the front door and opened it. Jessie was standing there with a bottle of red wine. The bottle had a bright, dark blue bow on the side of it.
"Hey, Boomer," Jessie greeted him with a wave. Boomer lifted his finger up to his lips.
"Come in quietly. Brick is upstairs, but, if we're quiet, I think I can sneak you up there. Ooh, is that wine? Thanks!" Boomer took the bottle before waving Jessie inside. Jessie unzipped his jacket and hung it up in the closet. Boomer went to the kitchen and set the bottle down next to the wine glasses.
"Okay, we have about an hour before everyone else gets here. Come on." Jessie followed Boomer carefully up to the blonde's room. He made sure his footsteps were light as they walked in front of Brick's door. Boomer opened up his door and ushered the brunette inside. Once they were both inside, Boomer let out a breath.
"Wow, not as messy as I thought it would be." Jessie walked around Boomer's room and marveled at how put together it was. Jessie blamed his mother for his soft side of interior decor. Boomer chuckled and placed his hands in the pocket of his jeans.
"Yeah, well, I try. You'll have to wait in here for a while. Sorry there isn't much for you to do in here, but you're welcome to read a few of my books." Boomer nodded his head towards the small shelf of books that was nailed to the wall above his desk. Jessie smiled with a nod.
"Thanks, Boomer." Boomer scratched the back of his head, trying hard to suppress his blushing. Jessie always seemed to know how to tug at his emotions. Even with the simplest of words.
"Well, I should get back downstairs. Hopefully Brick isn't down there yet. I'll come back for you after I've got everyone settled." Jessie agreed and picked a book up from the shelf. Boomer exited the room and closed the door behind him.
"Well, I'm in. All I have to do is wait. I wonder what kind of havoc I can cause in just one night." Jessie chuckled to himself before lounging back in the desk chair, opening the book up to a random page.
The living room was filled with the sound of hearty laughter from a joke Butch told. The group was all piled together in their best clothes with a glass of wine in their hands. The only one who had didn't drink was the pregnant Buttercup who took a can of cream soda over the wine.
Once the laughter died down, Boomer clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.
"So, I have called you all here tonight with some very special news! There is someone upstairs who I want you all to meet." Brick lifted an eyebrow.
"Who's upstairs? I thought it was just us." Boomer's smile grew.
"I must be a great liar since I got this person upstairs and into my room without you noticing. They're still up there now, waiting for me to go get them." Buttercup chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"I'm guessing you can't give us any sort of hint then, Boomer?" The blonde Rowdyruff grinned.
"Nope! But I will bring them down. I'll be right back!" Boomer rushed from the living room upstairs to his room. He opened the door and found Jessie still in the desk chair with a small pile of books next to him.
"Are they ready for me yet?" Jessie asked, setting the book in his hands down on the desk. Boomer nodded.
"Yup, come on!" Jessie smiled and lifted himself before straightening his shirt. Boomer walked in front down the stairs and stopped before they entered the living room. He motioned with his hand and told Jessie to wait by the entrance. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce our guest of honor: Jessie Murdock!" Jessie stepped into the living room with a small smile. He timidly lifted his hand and waved to the stunned adults.
"Hey, guys…" Buttercup set her can down and stood up, staring at the brunette in front of her.
"Jessie?" The brunette chuckled.
"That's my name." Buttercup's stunned expression turned into one of complete joy. She rushed over to him and pulled him in for a tight hug.
"Oh my gosh! It's really you! How? Where have you been? Are you okay? Oh my gosh, Jessie!" Jessie chuckled and pried himself away.
"Calm down, Buttercup. I'm fine, really, I am. I just… lost my way is all." Buttercup smiled.
"Well, I'm glad you decided to come back to us." Blossom stood up with a smile and hugged Jessie tightly.
"It's great to see you, Jessie!" Blossom pulled away and suddenly took on a look of regret. "Uh, I kind of feel like you going missing is our fault. I'm really sorry we didn't act like actual friends to you." Jessie waved her off.
"Nonsense! Like I said, I just lost my way a bit. None of it is your fault whatsoever!" The brunette glanced down at Bubbles. His smile hid his boiling rage all too well, but Bubbles caught on anyway. She stared back at him with the same type of ferocity in her baby blue eyes. Jessie swallowed back the urge to beat her to a bloody pulp. He composed himself and glanced back up at Blossom. The brunette stared at Blossom's eye and honed in on it. He could see the slight discoloration under the makeup and smirked.
"What?" Blossom asked with a playful smile. Jessie shook his head and pulled Blossom in for another hug. Once the others greeted Jessie, they all sat down in the living room. Boomer poured Jessie a glass of the red wine and handed it to him.
As the conversations carried on, Jessie tuned them out. He eyed Vincent, who sat quietly, and saw the violent energy swirling around his head. Jessie smirked, loving the fact that his powers were strong. He glanced around the room to see if there was anything he could take advantage of. Suddenly, a tremor of energy caught his attention. Jessie focused on it. It was small and weak, like it was barely in the room. He glanced around the room to see if he could find the source of the energy. He soon found it right where Buttercup was sitting. He carefully stared at the raven head. He soon realized why it was coming from her. The stupid Powderpuff was pregnant! The little thing was only around two months developed. Now that he thought of it, Buttercup's midsection did look a bit more bloated than usual, but that could have just been because of the large jacket she was wearing.
Hmm, I wonder…? Jessie slightly lifted his hand from his lap and built up a small force of dark energy that only he could see. He flicked it towards Buttercup's belly and did it again and again. The small source of energy began to slightly dim. He knew it would take more to kill it off. It was basically a super baby. But Jessie didn't care. Every little bit counted. Jessie flicked the dark energy once more before Buttercup hissed and clutched her stomach. Jessie quickly set down his hand and glanced back to the conversation at hand.
"You alright, Kitten?" Butch asked the woman beside him. Buttercup swallowed and waved her hand with a smile.
"I'm fine. Probably just a cramp." Butch grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. He planted a tender kiss on it before pulling her close to his chest. Jessie sneered in disgust. How could their siblings stand it? It was gross! And that stupid bitch interrupted his work. Jessie smirked. No worries; once these long months were close to over, he'd be able to really give it everything he's got.
"Alright, I think we've all talked for long enough. Who's up for some dinner?" Boomer stood up and led the way towards the kitchen for the food that he recently prepared.
After dinner was over, the group sat around the table, chatting with one another. Jessie sat next to Boomer and tried to keep the blonde's attention all on him. To his knowledge and delight, Bubbles hated this. She was on the other side of the table playing around with her untouched scraps of food as Jessie and Boomer laughed without her. She knew what Jessie was doing. And it was working.
Ever since that day her phone cut out to his voice, Bubbles had been suspicious of Jessie. She was scared that HIM was going to come out of the nether just to slaughter them all at Jessie's command. She had a feeling HIM wasn't as powerful anymore and needed Jessie to do his dirty work. Bubbles knew that the whole friendly neighbor act that Jessie was pulling was just that: an act. He was playing them. Bubbles needed to tell Boomer what she knew, but how? She knew how important Jessie was in Boomer's eyes. They had a very special connection during high school, and Boomer rarely got out of bed when Jessie turned up missing. She was even sure that there were things that Boomer has told Jessie and only Jessie. Even when she and Boomer were dating. That's what really stung.
"Hey, Bloss are you okay? You've been touching your eye for a while now. Is it bothering you?" Bubbles and Blossom had the same look of fear etched onto their faces. Blossom awkwardly pushed a few strands of loose hair behind her ear before clearing her throat.
"What do you mean? I feel fine, I swear." Jessie squinted his eyes and leaned into the table.
"Your eye just looks kind of discolored. Are you sure you're okay? It kind of seems like you got punched in the face." Suddenly, the whole table quieted down. Blossom gulped and timidly glanced at all of the eyes staring right back at her.
"Punched in the face? You sure you're okay, Red? Run into a monster or something?" Brick asked with concern laced in his voice.
"I-I'm fine. I swear… it's nothing real-" Jessie turned to Vincent.
"Look, I know that couples have their spats, but hitting is really a big no-no." Vincent's eyes stared off into nothingness.
As everyone was waiting for an answer, Vincent suddenly stood from his chair. Before he could speak, Vincent's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud. His body began to convulse and shake as frothy white foam exited his lips. The others gasped at the state he was in. Blossom quickly moved to his side and held him down with her arms. Vincent was having a seizure.
"Oh god, Vincent! What's wrong, baby, what's wrong?! Somebody, please help!" Brick rushed over to the other side of Vincent's violently shaking body. Even though he never really liked him, Brick had to go into leader mode if he wanted to save Vincent's life.
"Butch, call 9-1-1!" Brick commanded his brother. Butch quickly rushed to the living room and picked up the home phone, dialing the emergency number. "Blossom, flip him over to his left side. If he decides to heave up dinner he won't be able to choke on it." Blossom carefully moved Vincent's body to the left side. Butch jogged back to the dining room.
"An ambulance is on its way." Brick nodded.
"Great. Hey Bubbles, see if you can help. You have healing powers right?" Bubbles shook her head.
"That's actually more of Buttercup's thing." Brick glanced over to the stunned black haired woman.
"You think you could help out, BC?" Buttercup swallowed and nodded. She rushed over to Vincent. She lifted a shaky hand and placed it over Vincent's chest. A low, green glow emitted from her palm and seeped its way into his chest. Just as she pulled her hand away, Vincent opened his mouth, and a puddle of deep black liquid exited his mouth and onto Brick's arm. The redhead grimaced.
"Oooh, that's totally not gross." He looked down at the unconscious Vincent and slowly pulled his arms away. He'd stopped shaking. "Well, he'll be out for a while. At least he'll be going to a hospital."
After about ten minutes later, the sounds of sirens outside could be heard. The group rushed outside to greet them. Blossom and Buttercup stayed behind to keep an eye on Vincent. The paramedics pulled out a stretcher from the back of the ambulance and hauled it into the house. They pulled the unconscious Vincent onto the stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his face to make sure he kept breathing properly. They quickly pulled Vincent from the house and into the ambulance. Blossom decided to hop in with him before the medics closed the doors. The rest of the group all decided to pile into their cars and follow along.
Once they were at the hospital, Blossom rushed alongside the stretcher into the hospital and ran to keep up with the doctors, leaving the others behind in the waiting room. Brick glanced down the hall and saw one of the doctors fighting with Blossom on whether or not she could come in. Brick ran after Blossom and gently grabbed her arms.
"I said let me in, goddamnit!" Brick pulled her away after apologizing to the doctor.
"Shh, it's alright, Red. Let the doctors do their job, yeah?" Blossom stumbled around, clutching herself. Brick rubbed her arms as he led her to the waiting room where the others all sat and waited for any type of news. Once everyone was settled, Butch growled lowly. His knee wouldn't cease its violent bouncing.
"Gah, I hate hospitals!" Boomer glanced up at him.
"How come?" Butch looked towards his brother with a glum expression.
"It… brings back too many memories…" Buttercup placed a loving hand over his. Boomer sighed and glanced down at the floor, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Jessie scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Makes me wonder who's to blame for Boomer even being in here…" he said quietly.
"Jessie… please don't." Boomer frowned at the brunette beside him. Jessie sighed.
"Sorry." Bubbles could feel her agitation rise. How dare Jessie bring up something as painful as Boomer's hospitalization! It wasn't fair to his brothers and especially not fair to Boomer himself. He didn't need to be reminded of that time. Ever.
Bubbles got up from her spot next to Buttercup and sat on the other side of Boomer, much to Jessie's annoyance. She placed a gentle hand on Boomer's large bicep. She slowly rubbed his arm with the palm of her warm hand. Boomer glanced down at her and gave a lopsided smile. He placed his large hand over her knee in thanks. Bubbles scooted closer to him and snuggled up to his shoulder. Boomer lowered his head and touched his forehead to hers.
Jessie glanced over at the two's tender moment and sneered. But before he could say anything, the doctor walked up to them.
The doctor was a short woman with tired eyes. It seemed like her shift was longer than she expected. Her blue scrubs scrunched every time she took a step. Blossom shot out of her seat.
"Is Vincent okay?" The doctor smiled.
"Yes he is. Everything seems stable now." Blossom lifted a hand to her chest.
"Oh, thank goodness…"
"He's awake if you would like to go see him." That was all Blossom needed to hear. She quickly rushed past the doctor and into Vincent's room.
Jessie sneered. He guessed his power wasn't as powerful as he thought. If it could be wiped away with just a little "healing hand" from Buttercup, then he needed to work on his mistakes and improve himself for the future. He wanted, needed, for the others to feel what he felt all of those years ago. They didn't deserve to be happy. None of them did. Not even the people associated with them! He needed to think bigger. Then, one day, they'd all be at his mercy, begging for the sweet release of death. And he'd be cruel to not oblige.
Blossom rang the doorbell to her sister's home. She stuffed her hands inside her jacket pockets as she waited for Bubbles to let her in. Just then, the blonde opened the door and ushered Blossom inside. She closed and locked the door behind the redhead.
"Hey, Bubbles. You sounded pretty upset over the phone. Are you alright?" Blossom removed her jacket and boots before placing a hand on Bubbles' elbow. Bubbles stared at the floor before moving away from the redhead. Blossom followed her with worry. She hoped that her sister wouldn't fall into a sudden seizure like her boyfriend did a week ago.
Suddenly, Bubbles clutched her face and harsh sobs exited her lips. She backed up to the wall and slid down to the floor. Blossom frowned at her sister's sudden burst of emotion and leaned down next to her.
"Oh, Bubbles, what's wrong?" Bubbles shuddered and sobbed harder into her sister's arms.
"I- I STILL… I STILL LOVE HIM!" Blossom gasped slightly before pulling Bubbles closer to her chest. She knew it was only a matter of time.
"Oh, Bubbles… I know you do."
"I JU- I JUS… THOUGHT I COULD… I COULD… I CAN'T IGNORE- I CAN'T… I DON'T KNOW WHY… I DON'T… LIKE, I DON-HUH!"
"Shh, Bubs, shh."
"I LOVE HIM, BLOSSOM! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!"
Bubbles had it bottled inside for too long. It was only a matter of time before it all just spilled out.
Hey guys! So this chapter is actually the shortest chapter yet in this story. It may not feel like it, but I found that pretty interesting.
Woah, Bubbles wants to ride the Boomer train again! All aboard for the Boomer train! Better hurry Bubs, Jessie won't take this lying down. Speaking of him, damn he basically almost killed Vincent and he's going after B.C and Butch's unborn child now! So, that's not good, as you all can imagine.
I hope you all enjoyed! Oh and I checked the traffic for this story and it has over 1,000 views! That's insane guys, thank you! I can't believe over 1,000 of you all like this story. Thank you so much! But, I want you all to review, review, review! It's nice to have feedback. I live off of it! I need your validation to LIIIVE! Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter.
Bye Guys!
~TheRedWolf
