Bubbles

My eyes track the professor as he rushes around the lab, the medical table usually shoved to the side wall now dominating the center of the room as he prepares all kinds of things on the rolling side tray. I'm shattered, watching dispassionately as my world crumbles around me. Sure, Buttercup had been distant the past few years and isolated herself from me, but I had always known she wasn't doing it to be cruel. She was my sister, and I loved her like none other. Blossom, Buttercup and I...we were three parts of a whole, and without the spunk to our sweet how would we survive? My thoughts are severed by a crash and a cloud of dust, Blossom standing like an avenging angel in the destroyed doorway with Buttercup in her arms.

I'm moving before a thought passes through my mind, arms easing the bundle from my terrified rose eyes sister and lying her on the slab of metal that was the medical table. Backing away with hurried steps I watch a moment as the professor begins to assess my dark haired sister before turning to the red haired one now crumbled in the rubble of the doorway. Blossom is chanting, too low for even my hearing to catch if I wasn't right beside her. "No no no no no no..." The sound breaks my already shattered heart and I sink to my knees against her side. This cant be happening-

Alarms break the tense silence in the room, the now attached heart monitor blaring a flat signal that sends the both of us into hysterics. Oh god. Professor is racing around the table, attaching tubes and placing I.V.s with a blank expression on his face. I'm now joining in the chant, Blossom and I nearly insane with panic.

Boomer

Its like walking into hell as we pass the shattered and slightly melted remnants of the doorway, keening wails and blaring alarms assaulting our ears. Holy shit. The three of us stumble to a stop still standing among the rubble. Blossom must have destroyed the doorways, both front and the one leading into the professors lab, because both her and Bubbles are crumbled in the rubble of the other doorway, hysterically crying as they watch the professor work. My breath freezes when I see the flat lined heart monitor and I feel tears leak from my eyes in a slow trickle.

Careful steps lead me across the room and I drop next to the bubbly blue angel, gently prying her off of her sister and pull her into my chest. I never knew these sisters could look so broken and it kills me to know we played a part in it. I'm not sure what went down at that warehouse but this was beyond fucked up. Cradling the blonde I leave behind the destruction and panic, easily navigating to the room that smelled just like her, vanilla and sunlight. I had seen the room a few times, found the blue hues calming and so like her, but now it is lost to me and I sit on the bed with her cradled in my arms, trying my damnedest to hold together the shattered girl I love.

Brick

I'm not good at this. I don't know what to do. I could plan a heist, mastermind secret missions...but I don't know what the fuck I should do as I watch the rose eyed sister fall apart on the floor. That is until Boomer makes his move. Makes sense he would know how to react, he is the sweet and caring one after all. As he takes Bubbles off to another part of the house I move with cautious steps until I am behind her sobbing form, unsure of how to proceed even after watching Boomer. Luckily it didn't seem I would have to figure it out.

She must have felt my presence, something that all of us could do when it came to our other halves because in a flash of pink light she spins and throws herself against me, sobbing and begging me to make it stop. But she knows there isn't anything I can do, I know she knows it. So I just wrap my arms around her and let her crumble.

Butch

I don't want to watch but I don't have a choice. I hardly notice my brothers caring for their female halves, my gaze glued to her face, silently begging those amazing jade eyes to open. The professor is cutting away her clothes, discarding the shredded sweatshirt and black jeans with practiced ease. I hadn't seen this much of her skin in years. At some point this gorgeous creature had decided to hide within herself and no matter how hard I tried I hadn't been able to break her shell. The shield of baggy sweaters and dark colors hadn't dissuaded me, but I had to admit I wished she would show off that amazing figure of hers like her sisters did. As I trace the creamy skin of her shoulders something catches my eyes, drawing them down to her arm as a gasp rips from my lips.

It could be mistaken for a tattoo, if not for my superior sight. Black lines run beneath her skin, the veins from wrist to elbow of her left arm stained and easily seen beneath the pale covering of skin. A few inches above her wrist is a small plastic ring, an implanted I.V. I realize. The fuck? Confused I take greater care in watching the professors work, surprised to find a bag of black ooze near the bed. My eyes widen as he plugs some kind of pump into the hole in her arm and the tube begins filling with the same black liquid, pulling it from her body with a sickening sucking noise.

Bubbles

I cant breathe with my face shoved against his chest, but as hard as I'm sobbing I couldn't breath anyway so I was going to accept the comfort he was silently offering. Thank the gods Boomer was here.

I don't know how long we sat that way, my sobbing slowly dying into hiccups and then silence, but when I finally looked up at my blonde savior his eyes are desolate. "We have to go back."

Butch

Two full bags. He had sucked two full fucking bags of that black shit out of her god damned body. Almost immediately the change had occurred, the heart monitor silencing except for the occasional beeping, signaling a slow but steady beating of her heart. I had collapsed then, my knees hitting the floor with a loud crash but my eyes never leaving her in that damned bed. It had taken time to break me from my trance, Brick finally smacking the back of my head to get my attention. We all now sat in the living room, everyone ignoring the demolished doorways on either side of us as we stare expectantly at the professor.

Blossom

I had found a semblance of calm when I heard the beating of a heart from the monitor, but it had taken quite a while for Brick to get me calmed enough that the tears stopped and I could think rationally. He wouldn't let me go though and Boomer wouldn't let go of Bubbles either. I wanted answers on that, but not right now. For now I was just thankful to have them here, holding us together when we cant do it ourselves.

"Professor?" His answering sigh is tired, filled with what sounds like guilt and confusing me all over again.

"She doesn't want you to know Blossom."

"I don't really think that's her choice to make anymore. She just di-" My voice breaks, but I fight to finish my sentence. "-died. I think we deserve to know what the hell is going on."

"Whats the black shit." Butch's voice cuts in before my father can answer, but I cant be annoyed as I want the answer as well.

"That is something we call serum B, Buttercups joke of naming it after herself."

"What is it professor?" This times its Bubbles asking, her voice rough from the crying. While she acted like an airhead Bubbles was actually pretty damn smart, and she knew when our father was trying to dance around an answer.

"Its...an experiment."

"Ex-experiment?" What?

"I need to start at the beginning. Have you girls ever noticed that though you work well as a team on your own, its like your powerless?" Our hesitant nods seem answer enough and he continues with a grim smile. "Well the men here...they aren't like that. Something in them allowed them to, while starting out as one unit, evolve past that. They can be independent, and it drove me mad trying to figure out how and why." Comprehension dawns and I gasp.

"Wait...that summer..."

"Yes. But not for why you think. I was fine until I figured it out, content to work on the formulas and equations. But then I did, or at least a part of it. I figured out what was added to their DNA that I missed with you girls. But I didn't want to put you through the experiments. I didn't know what would happen to you. Buttercup...you know how your sister can be. She stormed the lab one day, pumping me for hours on the details of my research and demanding to see the serum I had created. I argued with her for a while but in the end...I caved. My curiosity and her determination crumbled my resolve and I agreed to let her be the test subject. I didn't know how bad things would get. She had just turned 16 and had been undergoing injections for five or six months when she demanded to have the injection tube implanted. She said the needles hurt worse then the injection itself and she would rather just have it in permanently. We changed each batch, working to perfect the dose and properties...and it seemed to work. I'm sure you all noticed the changes, but you could have had no idea what was behind them. Her personality changed, her moods eased, but she became...distant. I didn't realize how much pain she was in for years. About four years in I had come home to grab my lunch and she must have cut class. The day before I had given her a new dose, thinking all was well and she was handling it fine...I heard the screams before I even opened the door. It took hours to ease the pain and I was a mess, refusing to continue with the ten year plan we had. But we don't know what would happen if we stopped now. If she had told me how painful all this was in the first few months...I might have been able to do something. But now we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. The stress on her body by suddenly quitting treatment could kill her, but the treatment itself could kill her just as easily as you just saw. This isn't the first time her body has given out."

"...you...you cant...be serious." My words are stuttered, breaking the stunned silence we had all descended into. "...you...you've been experimenting...torturing her...for years."

"I never meant for it to get like this. If she wasn't so damn stubborn we could have figured something out, but she is so infuriatingly determined...it was just too late."

"Oh god."

Butch

I'm going to be sick.

"We change each dose, trying to perfect it and get rid of the side effects...but its not an easy process."

"Why...why weren't we told?!" Bubbles voice is near hysterical again and I notice Boomers hands firmly planted on her hips as if holding her back. This was not going to end well. Even sweet little bubbles is ready to go berserk.

"Again, your sister is one tough cookie. When we were originally discussing things I had voiced my worries about what it would do to you girls. Buttercup agreed about you two."

"Us?" This time its Blossom, voice whisper soft.

"Her exact wording was 'Bubbles would crumble if there is pain, shes just too soft and sweet, and why risk ruining perfection with Blossom. I'm the one who just doesn't fit. Good or bad, no one would really care. Try it on me.' She was adamant that if we told you anything you would either demand we stop or demand to be included. You were all about being a team back then, doing everything together." The professors voice is sad, guilt ridden and sounding so much older then I remember.

I feel my heart crack at her reasoning, but I had been there at one point in time. I knew what it was like to be the one unfit for your family. I hadn't known she was suffering through it as well. How could I miss that? How could I miss THIS?

"Oh Blossom, don't blame yourself." Bubbles coo brings me out of my musings. I must have missed something because Blossom has again broken down and my brother had released Bubbles to go to her.

"I'm-im not-im not perfect! I just-I just pretended to be! I-wanted-to be- a worthy leader-but I hurt her!" Blossoms wail makes the crack in my heart widen and with stiff movement I rise and rush from the room and out of that damn house. I cant go far, something inside me refusing to be far from the back from the fucking dead woman I for some reason love. I only make it a few houses before burying my fist in a brick wall, a howl of rage filling the air. As I breath through the blinding red haze I notice both of my brothers hovering nearby, their eyes conveying both sympathy and their own anger.

"Butch."

"Just...just give me a few minutes Boomer."

"We cant turn our backs on this. Its too late to go back, and I cant leave Blossom anymore then you can leave Buttercup. Its time to be honest with ourselves. We need them." My head drops to my chest, anger vibrating through my limbs and making me shake.

"I don't know if I can handle this. Being near the professor...knowing shes getting those sacks of shit pumpled into her body...knowing she asked for it."

"She was young Butch. She made a strong choice, maybe the wrong one, but still strong. Just be there."

"That's fucking easy for you to say. You didn't have to watch Bubbles fucking die."

"Easy Butch. That's not what he meant and you know it." I sigh heavily, my heart heavier then I can ever remember.

"Yeah. I know."

Bubbles

When Butch had stiffly stormed out I knew now was so not the time for him to be alone. Boomer always seemed to know what I'm thinking and even before I turn to him he was striding across the room, motioning for Brick to follow. This was just so messed up. My arms are still circling Blossoms shoulders, but my eyes are locked on the professor. How could he keep this from us? Buttercup I got, she had always been this way...but our father knew better. When he finally speaks again I can tell he is holding back tears of his own.

"I know it doesn't fix anything, or atone for my mistakes...but I am so sorry girls. I tried to stop her, but I could and should have tried harder."

"I-I don't understand why she would want this." Blossoms voice is muffled, but the professors sigh lets me know he has heard her all the same.

"She was feeling out of place and I was giving her dreams of becoming more then just spice. She could become like you two, finally fitting into the happy circle she always imagined around you. I think she just felt...lost. I thought I knew what was going on and the risks, but I also thought she would tell me if it was bad. I underestimated her tolerance and her determination. Anyone else would have broken from the pain."

"You don't call this broken?" Butch's voice is harsh in the quiet room and my eyes jump to his silhouette in the doorway. Boomer and Brick are at his back, identical glowers on their faces. They are angry, but I cant really understand why. I mean I'm glad they are here, glad we have them when our world is changing, but I hadn't really stopped to figure out why they even care yet. Before I can ask Butch is speaking again, his eyes hard and voice accusing. "Shes been broken for years! Hiding away her emotions, her body...her whole fucking being! I call that pretty fucking broken!"

"Why exactly do you care?" Butch's eyes snap to me, but what would have made me cower a few hours ago now only rolls off the fog of grief around me. "Why do any of you care? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but shouldn't you be happy about this? You could finally get rid of one of us for good."

"That's not what we want." Bricks voice is decidedly calmer then his brothers, but still just as cold.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." I just want them to make sense.

"Think about it Bubbles. We are counterparts, two halves of a whole. Hate is pretty much the opposite of what we feel for you brats." Boomer says and steps forward, blocking Butch's glower and silencing Bricks obvious retort if his open mouth is anything to go by.

"O...k?" His exasperated sigh causes me to blush, but anger quickly follows. Sorry I'm just some dumb blonde, but they have been screwing with us for years. A sudden shift in behavior is pretty damn confusing!

"Bubbles honey, think hard. We were practically made for each other. What would come naturally?"

"Love." Blossoms dead tone doesn't scare me quite as much as the word she utters in that monotone voice. My arms fall from her shoulders with a dull thud and all the anger I felt a moment ago drains to leave me empty. Just...what?

"I see you figured it out." I don't even bother to respond, too lost in my own world at the moment to get annoyed at his amused tone. Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs? No way.