Bubbles was always a sensitive child, and as such clung to the things that made her feel safe. At five years old, the list was limited to the Professor, her sisters, Octi, and Ms. Bellum, the only mother-figure in her life. The girls had begun to spend more time with her at their request, and since she was such an upstanding citizen, and the Professor's friend, he had no problem with it. It was during one of their sleepovers that this particular memory took place. Since they had begun spending the night, and since Ms. Bellum's house only had one bedroom, she made a sort of camp area in the living room.

The girls would bring their sleeping bags and spread out across the room. That way they were together and she still had her privacy. Not to mention that since the majority of the house, living room especially, was made of glass the girls could see the stars, making it seem even more like a camp-out. They had had a great night, telling stories, roasting marshmallows with their laser beams, even night swimming. But as did all good things, the night came to an end.

The older redhead had tucked them in, said her good nights, and headed up to bed herself. Bubbles was always uncomfortable with the dark, even with her sisters beside her. So really it was no surprise that the combination of Buttercup's scary stories, the view of outside, and the dark caused her to have nightmares. She woke up sometime around three a.m., the memory of her nightmare lingering and vivid. She lay trembling for several minutes before rolling to look at her oldest sister.

"Blossom?" she whispered. "Are you awake?" Silence was her answer, so she turned to face her other sister. "Buttercup? Are you awake?"

She didn't reply either, and though she was scared, Bubbles didn't want to wake either of them up. If she had been at home, she would have gone to the Professor. Even though he wasn't very good at comforting a scared and crying child, he was an adult to remind her that the nightmares couldn't hurt her. She felt the tears start up as she remembered her dream. She lay there for a while, too scared to go back to sleep.

Then it hit her. An adult to remind her that the nightmares weren't real. Ms. Bellum! She always told them if they needed her to go get her. Quietly, she wiggled out of her sleeping bag and floated up the small spiral staircase that led to the woman's room.

The door was open, probably so she would know if something happened. The young blonde peeked inside. The older woman was asleep on her side, back to the door. She bit her lip, torn between seeking comfort and leaving her to sleep. Eventually fear won out, so she floated across the room, landing silently by the bed.

Summoning her Powerpuff courage, she lightly tapped the woman's shoulder.

"Ms. Bellum. Ms. Bellum, wake up." She mumbled incoherently before turning to face the young girl. "Ms. Bellum?"

"Hmm? Wha- Bubbles?" she asked as she regained consciousness.

"Yes."

"Is something wrong?"

"I-I had a n-nightmare," she managed through fresh tears.

The older woman was suddenly much more alert.

"Oh sweetie, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Bubbles shook her head no. "Do you need a hug?"

Mindful of her super strength, the child flew into the waiting arms as fast as she could without hurting the older woman. She buried her face in her chest and cried, feeling somewhat safer in the older redhead's arms. As she cried herself out, Ms. Bellum rubbed her back and whispered soothing words. As she wound down, she lifted her head to look the woman in the eye.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"That's okay, Bubbles. I'm glad you did. I don't want you to feel like you can't seek help when you need it." The little girl smiled a bit and detached herself from the older woman, but she didn't leave. "Are you going to be okay for the rest of the night?"

"Actually...I was wondering...could I stay with you?"

Ms. Bellum looked down into big blue eyes that still held a trace of fear and knew she couldn't refuse.

"Of course you can."

She slid over, making room for the small girl. Luckily, she had a queen-sized bed, so there was enough room for them both without it being cramped. Bubbles cuddled into her side, and smiled when an arms wrapped around her waist. She had never felt more loved than she did in that moment, and she completely believed that that was what it was like to have a mother. She drifted back to sleep feeling safer than she had after a nightmare in a long time.