Chapter 3

"Oh god look at that!" Blossom pointed out with Bubbles next to her.

She followed Blossoms gaze over to Buttercup who was pouring herself a beer at the keg with her band friends. Bubbles whished she could have a beer.

"Just let to go Blossom," Bubbles pleaded, "she knows better than to come home super drunk. She'll be fine."

"She's underage!" Blossom stated, "and she's joining the police force after graduation! She can't be drinking."

Before Bubbles could get in another word, Blossom headed towards the keg to confront her sister. Bubbles know it wouldn't end well, and now she was standing in the middle of the party alone. She couldn't talk to her cheer friends. Half of them were talking behind her back and the other half were…well probably still doing the same thing. Bubbles scanned the crowd and saw Butch entering in with his friends. She walked calmly over to him.

"Butch, have you seen Boomer?" She questioned him while his other friends walked past her.

"Uh…" Butch started to think while his eyes wandered down to her stomach past her flowy dress.

"Hey! Eyes up here!" Bubbles stated snapping her fingers, "Where's Boomer?"

"Alright fine!" Butch exclaimed, "he's hiding out at the top of the water tower in Townsville."

"Is he doing ok? Does he ever talk about me?" Bubbles questioned.

"Not really, he's not talking, or eating or sleeping," Butch replied.

Bubbles bowed her head sadly. Butch sighed.

"Look I'm sorry alright?" Butch replied, "I'm not good at this kind of shit but I know that Boomer loves ya, he's just freaked out right now."

"I am too," Bubbles replied softly.

"Just go talk to him," Butch stated and walked past Bubbles into the party.

As Bubbles sat there contemplating what to do, she saw a flash as a pink streak flew across the sky. Blossom must have just took off.

Bubbles considered following her until she got a text from Buttercup: She knows.

Dammit, Bubbles thought to herself as tears started falling again. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were when her and Boomer were happy. She started to text him: butch told me you're at the water tower, can I come see you?

It didn't take long for her to get a reply: Yea

Bubbles took the Prius and drove to the water tower on the other side of town. She saw Boomer's feet hanging on the edge of the walkway as she parked. She flew quickly to the top of the ledge and landed quietly like a cat. Boomer didn't move at first, he just kept his eyes upward. Watching the moon and the stars. Bubbles sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Boomer finally wrapped his arm around Bubbles pulling her closer.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly to her.

"It's ok," Bubble replied grabbing his hand that was slumped over her shoulder.

"I've been an asshole lately," Boomer whispered.

"You're freaked out…I am too," Bubbles pointed out.

"Yeah but I still shouldn't have been avoiding you like I have," Boom responded, "Not after everything that we've been through."

Bubbles sighed and just buried herself into his chest, breathing in the cologne she recognized, "Blossom knows."

Boomer stiffened next to her.

"Boom, if she tells the professor he's going to be so mad at me, what if he kicks me out?" Bubbles said now letting her tears fall.

"Hey," Boomer said cupping her face, "he won't, he loves you…and even if he does I'm still here."

"Are you?" Bubbles asked implying a much larger question.

Boomer understood what she was asking, "Look…I've been thinking about this for awhile now and I still don't know what to think. All I know is that I still love you and I want to be with-,"

Bubbles cut him off by capturing his lips on hers and just kissed him. He returned the kiss with all the softness and sincerity he could put into it as he held her close.

"We'll be ok," Boomer whispered to her once Bubbles buried herself in him, "we'll figure it out together."

Back at Andrew's house, Elena, Mitch and Rachel were in the kitchen passing around a joint. As she passed it off to Rachel, Buttercup grabbed at a bottle of whiskey on the counter and took a shot. She was still tense and on edge and they still had a set to play. She puffed on the joint aggressively, she wanted to be high. She didn't even want to think about what was going to happen next as far as her sisters were concerned.

"Hey I'm gonna go grab a Red Bull before our next set," Buttercup said after she had finished off the last of the joint, she was good and high now.

"Want me to come?" Mitch asked her, who was also pretty blazed.

"No I'll be a'ight," Buttercup said giggling and stepped forward wobbling.

"Hey be careful girl," Elena said with her hand wrapped around Rachel, "don't get lost and don't take too long or Imma gonna shoot ya."

She mad a fake gun out of her hands and pointed it at her in her tipsy state and smiled at her best friend.

"I won't be long," Buttercup said hoping over the nearby fence. She walked passed the perfectly cut lawn near the mansion and started walking down the street. The warm summer air was sweet and warm. The buzz from the weed made her feel all tingly and if she were floating on air. All her problems melted away as she walked through the night to the nearby gas station a few blocks away. She managed to get in grab her Red Bull and popped it open in front of the store and began to chug it. She was sure she smelled like weed and booze, a few people turned up their nose as they walked past her.

Just as she was about to head back to Andrew's she heard the sound of a spray can behind the gas station. Buttercup laughed to herself thinking about what Blossom would do if she were here, beat up whoever was defacing the wall and give a stern lecture on property damage and disrespect and blah, blah, blah. Buttercup liked street art, on her days off when she had nothing to better to do she would fly around town looking for art to check out. She always wished she could catch them in action, the bad needed an album cover before they headed to Citysville.

So, she sloppily walked around the corner with the combination of booze, weed and Red bull in her system to check out the artist in action. What she didn't expect was that as she turned the final corner to get to the back of the gas station she was face to face with…

"Ace?" Buttercup stated when he saw her and started to giggle.

"Buttercup?" Ace said with his thick city accent and stopped in his tracks with a black spray can in hand.

Buttercup didn't know what was so funny but she couldn't stop laughed, she knew it was from the weed, "what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Ace questioned dropping the can into nearby duffle bag, "And…are you high?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Buttercup said imitating a game show noise and continued to giggle, "whachya painting?"

Buttercup stood closer to him and looked at the wall and looked up with hazy eyes. Ace had painted a white skull with dark lines, he had fangs much like Aces and one gold tooth. A pair of shiny black sunglasses much like the ones Ace wore covered the eye holes. In contrast with all the white and thick black lines, the skeleton was taking a bite out of a bright yellow sunflower with a few petals falling freely. Next to the skull in big bold letters of green and black letters it stated, 'taste the sun, even in death".

"Whoa Ace this is so sick!" Buttercup said staring at it, taking it all in.

"You're not gonna pound the shit out of me are yous?" Ace asked nervously.

"Nah man," Buttercup stated still staring at the artwork, "I'm done with my powers."

"Really?" Ace replied surprised.

Now Buttercup turned around and came face to face with him. He had changed a lot since the last time she'd seen him. He was wearing just a plain black shirt with his sunglasses tucked into the hem and a pair of dark jeans. Buttercup could tell through his thin shirt that he filled it out perfectly, his arms had filled out too, he was a lot buffer. His jaw was a lot more defined as stubble covered part of his face. He looked like he had aged but in a good way, he wasn't just some punk teenager now, he was a man.

"Your not using your powers anymore?" Ace asked surprised.

"Your eyes are brown," Bubbles pointed out and giggled again as she leaned against the wall but was careful not to land in the wet paint, "I never noticed."

"Yeah not surprised you didn't notice after all those years of yous guys beating the shit out of us," Ace stated and stepped a little closer to her, "have yous been drinkin?"

"Only like a smidge," Buttercup said feeling herself topple slightly.

"C'mon kid you're smarter than that," Ace replied shaking his head slightly, "where are your sisters?"

"Urgh, I don't know," Buttercup said feeling her stomach beginning to churn, "Uh…pregnant and well still bitchy."

Ace raised his eyes brows in shock to hear this, he was always kind of curious to see how the powerpuffs would turn out but that was not what he was expecting.

He offered a hand to Buttercup, "C'mon I'll drive you home."

"Hell no," Buttercup responded as her stomach was starting to ach, "What time is it?"

Ace glanced at the watch on his wrist, "10:48."

"See I still gotta few hours till…" Buttercup started to say until her stomach seemed to flip over suddenly and expel everything that was in her stomach.

Ace groaned but grabbed at Buttercups hair pulling it back gently and tried to avoid the aim of fire. Just as buttercup was about to take another drink of her Red Bull Ace stopped her.

"Hey trust me that ain't gonna help ya kid," Ace said grabbing the can away from her, "Yous need coffee or water."

"I'm not a kid!" Buttercup shouted back as she wiped away at her mouth embarrassed. She had thought about what it would be like to come face to face with Ace again and this was not how she pictured it. Suddenly the Powerpuff Girls theme song started to play from her phone in her back pocket.

"Not a powerpuff girl huh?" Ace said smirking at her.

Through his smirk Buttercup could see his fang poking through his thin smile.

"Shut up!" Buttercup grouched as she pulled out her phone.

"Hey B!" Elena said drunkenly with the sounds of sirens in the background, "so the cops broke up the party but we all got away and we got Belladonna too."

"Ah shit, that sucks," Buttercup sighed, "everyone ok? Who's driving?"

"It's all good mitch is driving, he only had one beer and is good to drive. We got Belladonna too," Elena replied sleepily, "Where are you at?"

"I'm still at the gas station," Buttercup stated, "and I'm fine."

"Do you want us to come pick you up?" Elena offered.

She glanced over at Ace, who was… checking her out. She saw his eyes scan her up and down and quickly turned away once she noticed.

"Um, not it's ok I'll…" buttercup started to say, "I'll just fly."

"Alright well text me when you're home," Elena said softly and sleepily.

"Alright I will," Buttercup promised as she put her phone into her pocket.

"So…" Ace questioned taking a step closer "Who's Belladonna? You're best friend…. girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend perv," Buttercup said sternly, "it's my bass."

"You play bass?" Ace asked raising his eye brow.

Buttercup only nodded as she ran her hand through her sweaty hair. She leaned flat on the cool wall in the humid summer heat.

"Wait here," Ace ordered as he grabbed his wallet out of the duffle bag near by, "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

With that he walked away around the corner, Buttercup could hear the heel of the boot through the alleyway. Her embarrassment started to set in at realizing the situation she now found herself in. running into her crush from over ten years ago and she ran into him while she was nearly falling over drunk. She didn't have to be home till midnight but now all she felt like doing was flying straight home. She couldn't come home this drunk though, she had an hour to sober up.

Soon Ace's footsteps could be heard from around the corner. He came through with a big gallon of water and opened it.

"Here, drink some," Ace said offering the handle to her.

Buttercup smiled and took it, "Thanks."

The water was perfectly refreshing as she realized how thirsty she was. Ace stood by and was checking out his phone. She offered it back to him. Replacing his phone to his pocket he took the gallon and poured some through is hair and over his face.

He ran his fingers through is hair and took a big drink, "damn I'm not ready for summer."

"Me too," Buttercup nodded as her arms wandered down his muscled arm, "I'm kind of surprised you didn't steal this."

"Hey I'm a different man," Ace stated as he leaned against the wall and handed back the partially empty gallon. He reached into the pocked of his dark jeans and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and light one up.

Buttercup stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do. She sloshed the water around in the gallon and took another drink. Her face was hot and it was humid so she raised the gallon slightly above her head and let the cool water flow over her face and hair. Ace was watching her; her fang was poking out on the bottom of his lip with a familiar smirk. She could feel her cheeks blush as her mind raced with curiosity.

"Where were you?" Buttercup asked simply, "I mean the last time I saw you, I was probably like…9."

Ace puffed on his cigarette as his face grimaced, "I uh… I moved to Citysville."

"Will all of the gang?" Buttercup wondered.

Ace's face again seemed to scowl and said with a sarcastic tone, "Yeah."

Buttercup felt like she shouldn't push the subject any farther and she remembered it was only a few days ago that she had caught Ace at the graveyard.

"So did you just move back here or something?" Buttercup continued.

"Nah, I'm was just in town visiting for a bit," Ace replied as he started gathering the spray cans at his feet and tossing them into his duffel, "I'm actually heading back tonight."

"You're leaving?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah I gotta get back to work tomorrow afternoon," Ace explained with the cigarette in his mouth, "do you want a ride home?"

"Ugh I can't go home yet," Buttercup said shaking her head, "I'll just walk."

"You can't walk from here," Ace said boldly, "not at this time of night. Just let me drive you."

"Look I can't go home yet anyways," Buttercup explained, "I've still got an hour till curfew and I need to sober up."

"Alright I can wait another hour," Ace shrugged, "I however can't just let you wander around the city by yourself this late at night since you're clearly not a powerpuff anymore."

"Hey I've still got powers if I need em," Buttercup responded.

"Why don't you want to be a powerpuff anymore?" Ace asked.

"I just don't! I just wanna be…me," Buttercup confessed and sighed, "and I don't need a babysitter."

"Yeah but still you're a minor and this part of towns kind of rough," Ace shrugged and took the gallon of water from her, "nothin' but scumbags around this part."

"Hey I'll be eighteen in two months!" Buttercup shot back at him, "and why do you hang around all the scumbags if you're a changed man?"

Ace drank more water and poured more over his face and dripped down to his shirt..

Why does he have to be so damn hot… Buttercup thought to herself as his shirt started sticking to his muscles.

"Enjoying the view?" Ace teased with a smirk and held out the water to her.

"I take it back still the same old you," Buttercup said taking the gallon back. She was feeling daring, she wanted to prove that she wasn't the same six year old powerpuff girl. So she took the rest of the water and poured it over her face, through her hair and let it fall down the front of her black tank top.

Ace bite his lip and started to let his eyes wander and then stopped himself and turned away from her. Again Buttercup felt the heat of embarrassment, was that too far?

"So you play bass?" he asked to fill the silence, "you in a band or something?"

"Yeah," Buttercup said thankful that the awkwardness was passing, "we're called Dead Roses."

"Nice, I always figured you'd end up doing something cool," Ace acknowledged, "Did you say one of your sisters is pregnant?"

"Oh god my family is about to turn into a shit storm," Buttercup sighed rubbing her already aching temple.

"Is it Bubbles?" Ace guessed.

Buttercup looked over at him surprise, "How'd you guess?"

"Eh I had a feeling," Ace shrugged, "What about Blossom what's she up to?"

"Being a bitch," Buttercup groaned.

"Hey c'mon she's your sister," Ace replied earnestly, "if I had two brothers or even two sister's I'd be happy."

Buttercup sighed and shrugged, "I know I mean I love her but I think she's just…"

Ace watched her intently waiting for her to continue.

"She keeps trying to control what me and bubbles do. She really wants us all to stay 'the powerpuff girls' and anytime me or Bubble's drift away from what she wants she just freaks out. I think she's just freaked out because everything's about to change."

"Change is hard," Ace nodded as his face seemed to drop again, "but you never grow if you don't change."

"The professor's going to kill me and Bubbles once he finds out," Buttercup sighed, she was getting sleepy.

"Whys he gonna kill you?" Ace asked.

"Well it's because," Buttercup started to say, "I'm also moving to Citysville after graduation next month. Our lead singer Elena, she has a girlfriend Rachel, who's family is loaded and has a four-bedroom pent house in the city and they're going to let us stay there. Just so long as we don't trash the place. Rachel's dad also used some connection that he had so he bought us a full day in a real recoding studio so we can record an album."

"Damn that's awesome," Ace acknowledged, "the music scene in Citysville is awesome, always new awesome bands coming out. There's a ton of more clubs and stuff around too, easier to get gigs."

"What do you do in Citysville?" Buttercup asked, "You said you had a job."

"Yeah," Ace nodded, "I'm actually a tattoo artist."

"Really?" Buttercup asked impressed.

"Yeah guess all those years of graffiti about Townsville finally paid off," Ace expressed.

"Well you're an awesome artist!" Buttercup agreed and looked over at the skull and sunflower again, "I want to get a tattoo so bad."

"Well out shop doesn't tattoo minors," Ace explained.

"Hey two more months," Buttercup pointed out and remember, "hey I wasn't kidding about before either. We really need a cover for our album, you should design it, we'll pay you."

"Yeah?" Ace asked as his chocolate brown eyes seemed to light up, "I can always use some extra cash, why don't you get me a CD and we can talk about making up an album cover?"

"Sure, sounds awesome," Buttercup said as she pulled out her phone.

The two of them exchanged numbers and it was now that Buttercup noticed the time.

"Shit it's 11:48," Buttercup groaned, "I gotta head back."

"Let me drive you," Ace offered.

"It's fine, I can just fly," she replied, "but um…I'll text you and try to send you the cd."

"You good to fly?" Ace questioned her firmly.

"I'll be fine," Buttercup said and started to take a few steps away to get ready to take off, "and thanks for the water."

"Yeah no problem," Ace said with a small wave.

Buttercup nodded and started to hover slightly decided she needed to fly home slowly otherwise. As she started to get a little higher Ace called out to her.

"Hey Buttercup!" Ace said as she stopped, "it was good to see ya."

Buttercup smiled, "You too."