Blossom stood near the bed as Brick laid across it, lazily reading one of his many books. She was to stand there until he decided he needed something. She was not so patiently waiting for the laxatives she'd found and slipped into their food to take effect.
Blossom wordlessly handed him a banana when he reached out his hand to look at her. Brick hummed, grimacing every once in a while. Blossom watched him like a hawk, barely keeping the impatience off her face. It had already been almost an hour since 'dinner' and he still seemed fine! Maybe I didn't add enough? Or maybe they've expired...but can those even expire? Ugh whatever, this is taking forever! She had half a mind to just use the bedside table to knock him unconscious, but she was pretty sure she couldn't reach for it fast enough before he noticed.
Just as she was about to attempt it anyway, Brick suddenly froze, an odd look overtaking his features. Then, he shot from the bed, rushing to the bathroom. Blossom fought hard to keep the laughter from bursting from her lips, her body almost shaking from the effort. But now wasn't the time to enjoy the fruits of her labor, she needed to find her sisters.
She left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Boomer must've finally been affected too, because Bubbles had just emerged into the hallway too. They locked eyes, making a break for the stairs. They were as silent as possible as Blossom led the charge, going for the rooms they hadn't seen first. Most of the doors were locked, but one just off the kitchen wasn't. Blossom opened it, frowning at the slightly musty smell coming from the doorway. Bubbles looked over her shoulder, wondering what the hold up was. Blossom was still warily eyeing the stairs, wondering if they would actually hold both of their weight.
"Um, not to be pushy but we need to hurry up and get outta here. It's not like the boys will be occupied forever." Blossom nodded, flicking the light switch before heading down into the basement. The stairs creaked under them, but otherwise held. The girls let out twin sighs of relief when they made it to the bottom. They rounded a corner shortly after walking down a small hallway. The hallway led to a wide finished basement, with concrete floors. Cells lined the space on their right, complete with the stereotypical floor to ceiling bars. Their sister lay curled up in the second one, facing away from the bars. A scowl marred her dirt streaked face. Blossom and Bubbles rushed forward, clasping the bars.
"Buttercup!" Buttercup jolted, turning slowly as she didn't believe this was real. She approached her sisters slowly, reaching one hand out to grab Bubbles's hand. When she felt it, warm and soft under hers, she nearly cried in relief. Her other hand shot out to grasp Blossom's, her face pressing closer.
"How did you get down here?! Butch made it seem you two were under constant watch." Blossom winked, looking for a key.
"I slipped some laxatives into their drinks. Nothing major." Buttercup burst out laughing, and Bubbles giggled along. But their laughter was cut short when Blossom let loose a frustrated groan.
"I can't find a key. Does Butch have the only one?" Buttercup shrugged, moving to let go of Bubbles's hand. But Bubbles had no plans of letting go, so she gave up after a few tugs.
"Probably. I've never seen one hanging around here. Can't you just freeze the lock?" Blossom gave her a dead pan look, but Buttercup looked away, whistling innocently.
"I can try. But I doubt I have enough power for that just yet. But I might be able to..." She placed her hands over the lock, concentrating. Using the icy wisps gathering around her hands, she felt around, beginning to fashion a key to fit the lock. It took longer than she would've liked, but she managed to finish it. She grinned in triumph as the lock clicked, and the door slid open. Buttercup walked forward, halting at the entrance when her shackles snapped her back. Blossom got to work unlocking those, while Bubbles kept glancing between them and the exit.
"Hurry up, it's too quiet."
"I'm working as fast as I can."
"Well work faster. It's only a matter of time before the boys realize where we are."
"What do you want me to do Bubs? Magically recover and get a power boost?" Blossom was sweating as she unlocked the shackles chaining her sister's wrists together. She wiped her brow as she turned away, walking forward so she was in the lead.
"There. Now let's get outta here." The girls crept back toward the stairs, climbing them quickly and forgoing stealth. Bubbles was right, it was too quiet.
Just as Blossom opened the basement door, Butch's teasing grin popped out at her. She screamed, surprised, which made the other two girls scream. Bubbles and Buttercup tried to see what happened, but the staircase didn't leave a lot of room.
Butch put a hand on his hip, wagging a finger in the oldest Utonium's face.
"Now what did your parents tell you about stealing things that don't belong to you, hm?" Blossom scowled, slapping the finger out of her face.
"Well considering you lot stole us in the first place, I don't think you have any leverage to be saying that."
"Well we acquired you through a legal-"
"How are black market dealings legal-"
"- transaction. But since you're so eager to be together, why don't we fix this arrangement." Butch's grin sent chills down her spine. He pushed her without preamble, forcing her to fall back into Bubbles and Buttercup. The three landed in a tangled heap at the bottom of the stairs, once again unconscious. Butch wiped his hands, leisurely following them back down.
"I was gonna run it by Brick first. But you know what they say. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."