Buttercup was more sensitive than anyone gave her credit for, but she was also the hardest to crack. As any normal child, she had fears of her own. But they weren't anything as sissy as what she branded Bubbles' fears as. She wasn't afraid of the dark, or bugs, or anything like that. She was afraid of more practical things, like rejection and heartbreak.

She was more emotional than what she showed to the world and even her family, because she wanted to keep herself safe. So it was no surprise that out of the three of them, it was she who was the most disconnected from the Mayor's assistant. That's not to say she didn't like or admire her; she did, but she was obviously not as close to her as her sisters. They seemed to think of her as somewhat of a mother, and the thought angered her a bit. They were the Powerpuff Girls, they didn't need a mother.

They had each other and the Professor, who else did they need? No one, that's who. And she still hadn't forgotten about Sedusa dressed as Ima Goodlady. No matter how much she denied it, she had let herself be hopeful for a spilt second. But that was all it took, and she still remembered the pain that accompanied the betrayal.

So when the redhead had slowly begun to inch her way into their lives she had put her guard up. At first she didn't really trust her, despite her being a good friend of the Professor's and an important public figure. But as she showed she could be trusted she grew to like her. She watched as first Bubbles then Blossom came to love and care for her deeply, but she just couldn't being herself to trust someone, other than her family, so deeply. And she would be lying if she said she didn't feel guilty about it.

Ms. Bellum had been good to them their whole lives, putting up with a lot of crap she shouldn't have had to, especially from a certain dark-haired girl. Yet she never seemed to grow annoyed with them. And really, she had many reasons to. The brunette grinned as she remembered the day she had fully opened herself to the older woman.

The Professor had to go to a convention in Citiesville, and needed someone to watch them. Blossom and Bubbles, though displeased, understood his concern and accepted it. Buttercup just flat out thought it was stupid. They were thirteen years old for crying out loud! They had been saving Townsville since they were five!

Surely they could take care of themselves for two days? Apparently not, though she'd never understand why.

"But Professor, we've saved the city more times than we can count! Why do we need a babysitter?" Buttercup whined.

The Professor, used to Buttercup and her quick temper, wasn't phased. He continued to pack the car calmly and efficiently.

"Oh, but I think you'll like this babysitter."

"Really? Who is it?" Bubbles asked, still clutching her Octi doll even at thirteen.

"Someone I think you'll get along with very well," he replied with a smile.

"It's not the Mayor again, is it?" Blossom asked warily, remembering the many mishaps that had occurred in the past when he was 'watching' them.

"No, it's not the Mayor."

She listened to her sisters and father go back and forth for a few minutes before her nerves wore down to nothing.

"Just tell us already! I'm gettin' tired of this guessing game!" she yelled.

"Geez, Buttercup, calm down. The Professor's just tryin' to have a little fun," Blossom said.

"All right, since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you. It's-"

"Me," came a familiar feminine voice from the front of the garage.

All four heads whipped around to face the speaker.

"Miss Bellum!" her sisters yelled, zipping to the woman for a hug.

They slammed into her at break-neck speed, a result of their racing, and she stumbled as she caught them. She laughed a little as they jostled to get the best position in her arms. Buttercup watched in silence, never having been one to openly display her affection, though her scowl had dialed back a notch as her mood lifted. At least it was someone she actually liked, as opposed to some of their other sitters.

"Hello, Sara, just in time I see," the Professor said, walking over to properly greet her.

"Well, I didn't want to keep you waiting. It's a long drive to Citiesville," she replied, readjusting the girls.

Fun fact about chemical x-it made the girls stop growing when they were seven. Their final height measured in at two feet and six inches, something that really ticked them off. Why should they be trapped in bodies the size of five year olds when they were obviously maturing normally? It wasn't fair, but Bubbles and Blossom did admit it came in handy, like when they both wanted a hug at the same time. And it meant that they could easily still share a room.

Standing by herself, Buttercup couldn't help but feel a little spark of jealousy toward her sisters. She knew, deep down, that she could have the same attention bestowed on her if she would just try. But she couldn't. She just didn't feel safe enough. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard one of her sisters calling her.

"Buttercup! Aren't you gonna say hi?" Bubbles asked in that innocent way of hers.

"Hi," she grunted before flying a little closer.

The older woman, having known her her whole life, was unaffected by the rough greeting and simply smiled before answering back.

"Hi, Buttercup."

"Well, now that I know the girls are in good hands I'd better get going. I want to make it into town before it gets too late."

The Professor gave each one of them a kiss on the head before pulling out of the garage and driving away, leaving them with the only other adult who could be considered their parent. Bubbles and Blossom were both talking a mile a minute, which annoyed the heck out of Buttercup, but didn't seem to bother Ms. Bellum. They had finally floated out of her arms and she noticed Blossom was carrying a little overnight bag into the house. Buttercup shook her head to clear it and smacked the button to close the garage door before following the three inside.

Dinner had been just as loud as when Ms. Bellum had first arrived, and by the time it was over Buttercup was ready to scream in annoyance. Instead, she decided that beating some virtual monsters senseless would suffice. She headed down to the simulator in the lab and cranked it up to fifteen, the one (and only) level she had yet to beat, and the current highest setting. She stepped into the room and took a deep breath, releasing some of her tension in a sigh.

"Mission begin!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, and for the next few hours became immersed in a beginning-of-the-apocalypse version of Townsville.

She didn't realize she had an audience until after her twelfth time through, failing miserably yet again. She screamed in annoyance, and still panting, readied herself to go again. She stopped when she heard the intercom crackle to life.

"Very good, Buttercup, but you seem to falter when the giant squid and gorilla mutant teams up with the robot," Ms. Bellum's voice floated through the room. Buttercup glared at the observation window. "Perhaps you should take a break. Is there any regular gym equipment you can use?"

Anger ebbing, she nodded and exited the simulator. She was surprised to note it was past her bedtime, yet the older woman was allowing her to train some more. She was even more surprised to see the older redhead had changed out of her business suit, not into pajamas, but into a sports bra and Capri yoga leggings. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, completely revealing her face, strange since her hair usually covered most of it. She grinned at her.

"You don't mind a work-out partner, do you?"

"Not at all," Buttercup smirked, remembering how she had kicked Sedusa's butt more than once over the years.

They walked silently to the personal gym on the other side of the lab. It had all the newest equipment, partly for efficiency and partly because it kept getting destroyed. Buttercup immediately went to her brand new green punching bag, second only to her meat, and began beating the living daylights out of it. Ms. Bellum turned on one of the treadmills and began jogging as she watched the little girl release her fury onto the inanimate object. She wasn't stupid, she knew the girl should be in bed, but she hoped to use this as a sort of bonding time.

After about twenty minutes, she turned off the treadmill and headed over to where Buttercup was punching, just in time for the girl to punch straight through the bag.

"Aw man!" she groaned. "That's the third one this week!"

The older woman smiled as she got an idea.

"Since your punching bag is broken, how would you like a living, breathing partner to spar with?" Buttercup looked at her like she was crazy. "Don't worry," she laughed, "I know a few tricks. I can handle myself."

"If you say so," the girl shrugged before leading her over to a large mat. "The pads are over there, take your choice on color."

She took her up on that offer, knowing that even if the girl pulled her punches she could still injure her. She ended up with black pads that appeared brand new, and could only assume were the Professor's since the others were in the girls' distinctive colors. She also noticed Buttercup didn't bother with pads. Buttercup, on the other hand, thought she was insane. She could break her, for crying out loud!

Even pulling her punches she had no doubt she would leave more than a few bruises, and if she wasn't careful she could even break something. No amount of padding would protect her from the entirety of the attack.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked before they began.

"I never do anything I'm not sure of," was the reply, and they began.

Surprisingly, Ms. Bellum was able to hold her own. She even managed to land several good punches and kicks, displaying a martial arts style that Buttercup didn't know. The fight ended when she was pinned on the ground and looking up at the older woman in surprise and shock. She had never been pinned before, not even her sisters could do it! Yet, here was this ordinary woman who had done exactly that, not with ease exactly, but without too much work.

"Y-you pinned me. You won," she said in awe. "How'd you do it?"

So the older redhead taught the girl her martial arts style, or styles rather, as she had been using two. Enshin Kaikan, which turned the attacker's power against them, and Bojuka, which focused on strikes to vital areas. As the older woman guided her through the moves, she felt something shifting in her heart. If she would have focused on it, as she would later on when she thought back, she would have realized her defenses were breaking and falling away.

It didn't take her long to pick up on the moves, and when she felt comfortable enough they went at it again. This time, their battle lasted longer and was a little more even in the number of punches and kicks landed. It abruptly ended when Buttercup didn't pull one of her punches enough and knocked the older woman to the ground. Ms. Bellum a gasped and clutched her upper arm, the pain spreading like a shockwave. Buttercup yelped and dropped beside her to make sure she hadn't broken her arm.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized as she gently fingered the rapidly purpling mark. "I was just so into it, I didn't mean to! I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's okay, Buttercup, I know it was an accident. I knew going into this that I wasn't going to walk away without a few bruises, so I guess I'm just glad it's not broken." The brunette still looked miserable, so she reached up and cupped her cheek. "Hey, I'm still breathing, I wasn't in any real danger like when Sedusa kidnapped me. This will fade in a few days and until then some mild painkillers will make it bearable."

"I guess you're right," Buttercup said, giving a small smile. She easily helped the older woman to her feet and, after she had removed her pads, they started upstairs. "Hey, Miss Bellum?" The redhead looked at her. "Can you not mention this to the Professor or my sisters? They probably wouldn't forgive me."

Ms. Bellum smiled in understanding.

"Don't worry, Buttercup, this will be our little secret."

The girl smiled and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck, mindful of her dark bruise. Surprised but happy, Ms. Bellum hugged her back.

"Thanks, Ms. Bellum."

"You're welcome, Buttercup."