Chapter 3 - Reunited

Bubbles's POV

"God damn!" Butch groaned and rubbed a hand down the side of his face. I know I haven't been to one of these smancy fancy up to dos in a while but damn, that took forever. Is it always like this?"

"Exhausting? Yeah pretty much." Bubbles replied with a small smile.

She took a seat on one of the front steps leading to the museum's entrance. The moon was well in the sky and the hour was late but like Butch said, the opening ceremony was finally over. She thought it had gone pretty well.

There hadn't been any other major incidents or attempts of terrorism…if you didn't count the relentless press as terrorism. They had sure seemed like it tonight. Bubbles had never seen them this whipped up before. It was amazing

Bubbles was known for handling the paparazzi with only a little bit of forceful talk. They were usually very easy to shut down with a few choice words. That is, except for tonight. This time she had been on the ropes. It had been a real challenge to duck and dodge all those personal questions.

Why had they asked so many? She hadn't faced a bombardment like that since the war ended. Was it because all the Girls and Boys were gathered together for this event?

That could have been it. The six of them had been split apart for a while now. Buttercup and Butch were always off fighting and it was a lucky day if Blossom could drag Brick out from the lab. Normally it was just her and Boomer at these sort of things.

The Blues had gotten into a routine with the press because of that. They would ask innocent questions, sometimes dealing with Alliance policies, sometimes dealing with them personally. Then they would ask maybe one or two intimate questions. You know, like how were she and Boomer doing as a couple? Were there any signs of their relationship progressing beyond boyfriend and girlfriend? What was their most memorable kiss?

Silly things like that.

There had been no silly questions this time. The gloves had come off and the paparazzi had been out for blood. It was like the unspoken truce between the Blues and their normally doting press had been ripped away. It didn't matter what was asked or what line was crossed. They wanted a story dag nabbit.

Bubbles sighed at the craziness of it all. She was very happy that the long day was coming to a close. All the foreign dignitaries were off at their hotels and the press had cleared out as well. It was a welcome relief to the Girls and Boys to finally have a bit of quiet after the eventful afternoon. They definitely needed it.

"I don't know how you do it all the times Bubs." Buttercup spoke as she took a seat next to her.

The blonde gave a small shrug. "It's usually easier. Tonight was rough."

"No kidding." Boomer sighed as he took a seat on her other side. "Was it just me or were their questions super personal?"

"Oh they were personal dear. I've never been asked about our sex life before."

"Ugh, bad mental image, bad mental image!" Butch gagged.

He swatted at the air in front of his face as if trying to physically shoo the vision away from his mind's eye. Buttercup rolled her eyes and tossed a bit of discard paper at him.

"Grow up. Just cause you haven't gotten any." She said with a smirk.

Her counterpart went from disgusted to instantly indignant. "What? Says who?!"

"Says me and I've been with you practically six months straight. When have you had time to shack up? And with who?" She arched a brow.

"I'll have you know there are scores of ladies lining up." Butch sniffed. "Hell, you've seen it. Everywhere we go there's always some chick wanting a piece of this."

It was Buttercup's turn to look disgusted as he waved at his body. Bubbles couldn't help but giggle at the scene. Those two were so cute together even if they didn't know it. Their banter always had her chuckling, if not in stiches.

She missed not having them around. Like, really missed them.

Throughout the fight against Mojo, she had come to rely on Buttercup and Blossom so much. The Boys had become a part of that too. They had grown together in this tight bond of friendship, dare she even say family, in the fight to save the world.

Now that family was split apart.

She barely got to see the Greens but once every few weeks. The Reds were better; at least they stayed in the city. But with work there wasn't much time for any get togethers. Blossom was always busy with politic stuff and Brick with science stuff.

Thank goodness she had Boomer.

He was her rock during these last few months. He was always there. That was the amazing part. Even if he was busy, and they all were, he still made time every day to see her.

She needed that right now. There was so much to learn and so much to do, all the time. She was breaking out on her own and learning how to have a romantic relationship. Plus there was her job and school and social engagements. It was all so confusing and hard.

She didn't know how she would have made it through all these crazy months without her Boomer.

A smile grew across her face as she grabbed his hand. He looked down at her with a grin and gently rubbed her knuckles.

It was little, sweet gestures like those that made her feel safe and warm. She never felt lonely when he was around. She felt like he completed her. Bubbles didn't know if that was solely because they were in love or if it had something to do with the fact that they were counterparts as well.

Maybe it was both? Maybe the fact that they were counterparts just amplified their love and that sense of connectivity between them?

It was possible wasn't it? There were tons of things about their powers and genetic makeup that no one knew. It was completely uncharted territory. Not even the Professor knew about that kind of stuff. Perhaps one day he would study it. It would be very interesting to see what he would find out.

Until then, she was going to keep on living how she was living and enjoy the good feelings.

"All I'm saying is that I got the moves Butters. Don't be jealous."

Bubbles blinked rapidly as Butch's voice cut through her revere. She had zoned out while Butch and Buttercup still continued to argue about his relationship status…or rather, lack of one. In her defense, it had been a really long day.

Buttercup let out a fake laugh. "Jealous? Please, you wish."

"Fine, don't admit it." Butch shrugged.

Buttercup sent her counterpart a glare and threw another bit of discard trash at him. It was a flyer for the event so it didn't do much but flutter in the air. The intent behind it counted though. As such, Butch felt the need to retaliate and found his own piece of paper to throw.

Within seconds Bubbles and Boomer were caught in the middle of a full out trash throwing war.

A shriek escaped Bubbles's lips as one of the pieces somehow found its way into the bodice of her dress. Boomer did his best to protect her from the onslaught but Butch and Buttercup were in it to win it. Any piece of paper they could find was crumpled into a ball and thrown with deadly accuracy.

And that was how Blossom and Brick found them.

Both Greens had taken up offensive positions behind some columns flanking the museum's entrance while Boomer sat huddled over his girlfriend. There were balls of paper flying all over the place. Butch and Buttercup could have put a tornado to shame.

That of course, wasn't going to fly with Blossom. She stepped into the fray with a stern glare painted on her face.

"Excuse me! What on earth is going on here? Are you guys throwing trash at each other?" She asked incredulously as she put her hands on her hips.

Brick mirrored her expression but there was a hint of mischief in those red eyes of his, or at least, that's what Bubbles thought. It was hard to tell with him.

In the face of a good old fashioned lecture, all four of the younger siblings stood silently. Bubbles couldn't help but feel bashful even if she hadn't been a part of the assault. It was a sort of sympathy guilt she felt. It was weird, she knew it was, but someone had to feel guilty because Butch certainly wasn't.

He looked unapologetic as he stood behind his column. His eyes bounced back and forth between Blossom and Buttercup as if he expect the Green Puff to launch a sneak attack when he wasn't looking.

A long moment of silence stretched between all of them. Blossom started tapping her foot. She wasn't letting this go until she got answers.

"He started it." Buttercup pointed straight at her counterpart.

Of all the sneak attacks, Butch definitely wasn't expecting that one. He gaped openly at Buttercup.

"Did not!" He shouted out, relinquishing his position by stepping out into the open.

As soon as he did Buttercup took the opportunity to peg him right in the face with her last paper ball. The Green Ruff flinched back and looked absolutely gob smacked by the second arm of the sneak attack. He had been completely suckered and Buttercup couldn't have been more delighted. She cackled merrily as he huffed.

"Can both of you please cut it out? We're supposed to be professional here." Blossom said with a sigh.

Bubbles smiled as her big sister's stern look fell away into something more resigned. Trying to control the Greens was about as easy as wrangling cats. Not even Blossom with all her older sister authority could manage the feat more than half of the time.

"Why do we need to be professional? The event's over Bossy." Butch grumbled as he came forward and gave Buttercup a shove.

She shoved back and another battle was on the verge of breaking out. Brick walked down the steps and put an end to it by physically separated the two as Blossom rubbed at her temples.

"Yes, the event is over but there could still be people about. You know how those paparazzi can be. We need to present a dignified air at all times."

"Now you're just sounding like McCoy." The Green Ruff replied.

You know, he was right about that.

In fact, Bubbles had heard that exact same phrase from the President before. It was most usually directed at Buttercup or Butch but it applied to all of the Ruffs and Puffs. They were the frontlines of the PR war and image was everything.

She hated that part of it all. Bubbles wished that she could just live a normal live in anonymity. But that wasn't in her cards. She was in the limelight wherever she went, even work!

How those reporters got in the hospital, she could never find out. She wasn't sure if she should be impressed with their resourcefulness or concerned about the potential security breach. Maybe both?

"Better you hear it from me than the President." Blossom shook her head. "Look it's been a long day and we're all really tired. Let's flag down a van and get back to the apartments. I think we could all use some sleep."

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Bubbles replied. "Sleep sounds great right now."

"Totally." Boomer stood and offered her a hand to get up off the step.

She gratefully accepted it and took a quick second to dust off her dress. A gust flew by and pierced straight through the thin material, making the blond shiver. Boomer being the gentlemen he was, immediately shrugged out of his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The couple shared a warm smile that made Bubbles feel like she was melting into a pile of goo. His smiles tended to do that to her. It could almost be considered swooning.

That wonderful smile was wiped away as Butch walked back behind Boomer and delivered a swift smack upside the head. "Break it up love birds! Time to roll out!"

A mischievous grin covered Butch's face as he trotted off down the garden path. Blossom, Buttercup, and Brick all let out sighs at his childish behavior. That of course didn't stop the Green Ruff. He let out a hoot of laughter and waved tauntingly at them all.

Boomer rubbed at the sore spot on his head and then spent the next few seconds looking like he was debating going after the Ruff for some retribution. While that probably would have been quite the show, he was still wearing his tuxedo. It would be a shame to get that dirty. Those things were devishily hard to get clean.

In the end, Boomer just copied his eldest brother and let out a long winded sigh. He looked down at her and raised an arm for her to grab.

"Shall we?"

"We shall." Bubbles took his arm and they set off down the remaining flight of steps.

The others followed suit and soon all of them were making their way through the darkened gardens. Butch even slowed down to join them since his attempt at goading his younger brother failed. But where physical action failed, there were always words.

"Didn't want to mess up the monkey suit pretty boy?"

Bubbles shook her head at his second attempt. Butch had been fairly restrained during the whole event. She supposed this was his time to get out all that bottled up obnoxiousness and frustration. As long as it wasn't too bad right? After all, Butch really couldn't help but being a bit of a brat from time to time.

"Hell no. These things are a pain the butt to get clean. You might know that if you actually wore one from time to time." Boomer fired back with a nod at Butch's attire.

The brunet took a second to look at his army uniform and shrugged the comment aside. "Nah I'm good."

Bubbles giggled at his response and gave Butch a sugary sweet smile. "But Butch, I bet you'd clean up really nice! Just think of how impressed the paparazzi would be."

A shiver of disgust worked through his body and he shook his head viciously. "Ugh. God, I can't imagine what kind of stupid ass questions those punks would try and throw at me. Or the pictures they'd wanna get. Just ugh!" He finished by spitting in the grass.

"Nope Sunshine, no suits for me. Those are for suckers only." He finished, lacing his hands behind his head.

"So you're calling us suckers are you?" Brick spoke with a cocked brow.

Butch nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Totally. You got sucked into the whole fancy smancy science biz and Boom got himself knees deep into a relationship with one of the Darlings of the Resistance. Serves you both right."

Boomer rolled his eyes at the brunet's back and then looked down at her. He gave her arm a gentle squeezed and coupled it with one of those amazing smiles. "Worth it."

It was amazing how those two words made her blush like a school girl. She didn't even know why she was blushing. It wasn't like this was the first time he had shown her affection amongst their siblings or declared his love to her.

It always blew her away though, and she hoped it always would.

With a quick wink that had her blushing even more, Boomer looked toward Butch again and rubbed at his chin. "You know who I think had the easiest night?"

"Who?" Butch asked, taking the bait.

"Brick. He got to stay up on that platform the entire event!"

The Green Ruff thought about it for a second then his face scrunched up into a sort of indignant look. "Hey yeah! What's with that? Why weren't you down in the pit with the rest of us?"

The red headed Ruff gave his two brothers a smirk. "Seniority has its perks."

"Plus that was part of the condition Brick bargained with McCoy at the very beginning." Blossom chimed in.

"Beginning of what? The planning of the event?" Bubbles asked, as the others turned to look at her sister curiously.

"Nope, the beginning of the Alliance itself. He somehow got the President to agree to let him sit up on some sort of platform away from the press for every social event moving forward. I'm not quite sure how you did that either." She finished with a thoughtful frown at her counterpart.

Brick shrugged off everyone's scrutiny and walked along nonchalantly. "A master never reveals his secrets."

"What?" Butch whined. "You can't just leave it like that! And what's with this solo biz? We're supposed to be brothers! How could you leave me to the wolves like that!?"

"And what about me?" Boomer asked Butch as he noticed the lack of brotherly love in that last sentence.

Butch looked back and shrugged at him. "Eh you'll survive. Me on the other hand!" He cried out as he turned back to Brick. "For the love of humanity Brick! Get me a deal like that!"

Boomer playful shoved his brutish brother from behind as Brick smirked at the both of them. "No can do. It was a one-time deal and I'm not about to sour that by trying to change the rules. You're on your own brothers."

Butch clutched out at his chest and groaned as if he had been stabbed.

"Betrayed! By my own flesh and blood!" The brunet even stumbled a bit to add to his performance.

Overall, Bubbles would have given it a nine out of ten. The extra gagging sounds he threw in diminished the otherwise flawless act. Still, she couldn't keep herself from giggling at his antics.

It was easy to forget how much fun Butch was. He was always pulling shenanigans like this and it always seemed to make her laugh in some way or another. He was surprisingly goofy for being such a feared warrior.

Buttercup put an end to his melodramatics with a shoved that sent the brunet stumbling. Butch let his act drop with a laugh. He sent his counterpart a grin to which she just shook her head. She had obviously been subjected to Butch's shenanigans far more than Bubbles had and had a lesser appreciation for them.

The Ruffs and Puffs made their way to the end of the garden and found a large, armored van waiting for them by the gate. A uniformed man leaning against the car straightened up upon seeing them.

"Ms. Utonium? You requested a ride to the living quarters?" He asked with a salute.

That technically wasn't required when talking to Blossom anymore but old habits died hard. Bubbles had witnessed more than a few of the soldiers and guards looking at her older sister with the sort of reverence usually saved for a general or the President.

If she was being honest, that same reverence was always directed at her and Buttercup as well. It made her feel a bit squeamish though. She never wanted any hero worship, that wasn't why she did things. She did acted like a hero because it was just. That was it.

They would probably never be rid of it those. It was just part of the package deal when you had helped save the world.

"Yes thank you." Blossom responded back to the driver. "We're ready to depart."

He lowered his salute and pulled open the side door. "Then please."

All six of them piled into the van and took a seat on its long benches. The door clung shut and the driver hurried to get in and start the car up. It hummed to life with a faint rumble and soon they were off.

It was too bad the van didn't have any windows, armored as it was. The city at night was always something beautiful to behold. The sky scrapers each glowed with some sort of colored light in the darkness and Bubbles found it mystifying to watch.

She had the perfect view of it from her office at the hospital. The corner office looked right out over the heart of the city. Bubbles liked to stare out over it whenever she worked a late shift. It was a good reminder of what she was working towards every day.

This city was a wonderful place. It might be plagued with protests and riots right now, but one day it was be peaceful and prosperous. She would work every day to do her part in making that dream a reality.

Bubbles leaned her head against Boomer's shoulder. "This is nice." She sighed happily.

"What do you mean?" It's just a regular army van, there ain't nothing special about it." Butch replied with a quirked brow.

Bubbles wasn't sure if he was serious or just fishing for a laugh. She gave him one regardless.

"I meant being together. All of us. It's been a while you know."

"Yeah, it has. Too long if you ask me." Buttercup said with a smile of her own.

"How long will you and Butch be in town?"

The Green Puff shrugged. "I'm not sure actually. I'm supposed to go to the Citadel tomorrow and get a debrief on what our next mission is. I think we'll have a day or two of down time. At least I hope we do." She leaned back against the van's side and rubbed her eyes. "I'm so tired."

Bubbles gave her a sympathetic nod. "I can imagine. Well I hope you get to stay for a bit. I want to hang out with you. You too Blossom. We need another sisters day."

"Indeed." Blossom replied warmly. "I think that will be possible, what with the conference and all."

"What conference?" Boomer asked.

Everyone mirrored his confusion as they turned their eyes towards Blossom. Even Brick and he was usually in the know.

"Yeah what conference Bloss?"

"The preliminary conference to the Leaders Assembly that's happening in a few months. You know, the reason why all these dignitaries are here right now?" The Pink Puff said as though it was obvious.

Bubbles had no clue however. It didn't strike her as odd to see foreign diplomats at the Museum's opening ceremony. There were usually a few of them. True there had been more than she expected this time around, but she honestly hadn't given it any thought.

"I thought they were just here for the Museum." Butch said, scratching at his cheek.

Blossom shrugged. "That's the cover. They are really here to hash out the issues that will be discussed at the Assembly. The goal is to find the best talking points to get to the heart of the issues that really matter right now. The Museum opening was just a good excuse to gather everyone here and avoid any scrutiny by the press."

"Killing two birds with one stone. How like our Mr. President." Brick muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't just the President's idea Brick." Blossom said intently. "Ms. Bellum had a hand in it too. They both thought it was the best idea given the state of the world. The last thing we need is to add more fuel to the riot fire by announcing the fact that ambassadors from all over the world are here."

Here she shrugged again. "And the Museum's opening presented a good cover for that. There's nothing wrong with making the most of a situation is there?"

Her counterpart sniffed and looked away. "I supposed not."

Blossom rolled her eyes and turned back towards Buttercup. "Anyways, the preliminary conference should keep the ATA Squad here for the remainder of the week. I hope you'll get some down time out of that, it's been too long since you've gotten some proper rest."

She spared a glance at Butch before he could protest his lack of inclusion. "You too Butch. I'm sure you both need it."

That seemed to satisfy the Green Ruff. He settled back down and nodded his head. "Damn straight. We haven't stopped since the day before last. We didn't even get a few hours to rest after we arrived in town. As soon as we got off the damn plane they had us suiting up for security detail at that stupid ass Museum. They treat us more like cargo than human beings."

Geez no wonder the two Greens looked so tired. Bubbles hadn't known they had been hurried along like that. The chances were that's how they always operated. The ATA Squad dealt with problems that no one else did so that meant the squad had to be ready at a moment's notice. It was a life of go, go, go.

She didn't envy Butch or her sister one bit. Her life was busy enough.

"Trust us the feeling is mutual." Brick muttered in response to Butch's complaint. "There too freaking much to do and not enough time to do any of it."

"Exactly!" The Green Ruff agreed. "We need a vacation yo. When do we get one of those Blossy? Isn't there some sort of regulation about that or something?"

Blossom shrugged. "I guess so. You'd have to talk to your supervisor about that. I only know about government employees."

"Yeah." Boomer chimed in. "We get six days off the first year and then additional six the following year."

"Oooo, aren't you so lucky. Not six whole days!" Butch twiddled his fingers before flicking them at the blond. "Come off it, I mean like a real vacation, like a fucking month or something. I could use a getaway like nobody's business."

"I'm afraid it's going to be a long time before any of us get a vacation like that Butch." Blossom replied. "There's just too much to do right now. We are in the middle of trying to solidify a government. We can't just take a month off to go sit on a beach somewhere."

"Why can't we? Didn't we pay our due when we took out Mojo? Shouldn't that afford us a week or two off?"

There was a bit of heat starting to brew in this discussion. Bubbles could feel the tension starting to build, layer by thin layer. It didn't surprise her. Butch was technically right when he said they all needed a vacation. They had been working long hours non-stop since the Alliance was formed, heck since the Resistance was formed actually. There were no breaks when it came to saving the world.

People could only work for so long without a break before they snapped. That included fighting as well. She had seen the effects of the decade long war against Mojo on veterans at her hospital. They were constantly bombarded by bouts of PTSD. Some days they couldn't even function, it was just too overwhelming.

She wondered if the six of them were under threat of falling into something like that. They had to have had some sort of trauma. One didn't fight a war and escape unscathed. But they all kept pushing it down so deep that no one would ever know.

Until one day one of them snapped that was.

She hoped that day was far in the future.

"Hey guys." Bubbles spoke up and drew attention to herself. "Why don't we talk about this later huh? Do we really want to argue over vacation right now? Isn't that a little silly? We haven't all be together in at least a month and a half. I want to know how everyone's been, what they've been doing! Blossom?"

She looked towards her eldest sister to kick things off. The red head understood the blonde's motive to derailing the previous conversation and gave her a grateful nod.

"Well, I've been planning the festivities for this week mostly. Coordinating with the city police and the military to get the proper security detail for the events today's grand opening." She shrugged a tiny bit. "Other than that it's been mostly the same day to day affairs trying to keep the government a float."

"Oh nice." Bubbles replied before looking at her sister's counterpart. "And you Brick?"

He shrugged, looking entirely unenthused about sharing time. "Same old shit. I'm still working in the lab. There's lots of stuff to do and everything is classified. That's it."

Bubbles sat there for a moment hoping the redhead would add more but he looked back at her stone faced. Not even a twitch as she flashed her puppy dog eyes at him. That man was somehow the only one who could shrug off its effects.

Seeing as he wasn't about to continue the conversation, the blonde decided it was her turn to talk.

"I've been really busy at the hospital!" She chirped. "We've finally got the third one for the district opening so that's taken some of the pressure off of our staff. I've only had to work two doubles this week."

"Wowee, ain't that something." Butch said sarcastically as he ground the toe of his boot into the van's floor.

Boomer elbowed him in the side. "Knock it off Butch. Let her speak."

The brunet rolled his eyes but directed his attention to Bubbles. "Sorry Sunshine, as you were saying?"

Bubbles smiled at his forced interest and continued on. "It's actually really exciting. This week was the first week that our numbers are down in cases of disease and malnutrition. And that's not only our hospital, that's for the whole city."

"Really? That's great." Blossom said brightly. "I'm sure the minister of health can't wait to tell the city council about that one."

The Blue Puff nodded happily. "Yeah, it's really good news. The food supplies are finally starting to stabilize and our supply of vaccines are no longer in the red level. I mean, we're still rationing but it's getting better."

Buttercup blew out a sigh and joined the conversation. "Geez, it sounds like were barely out of the third world county status. That's kina pathetic for a supposed super powered nation don't you think?"

"We're all third world nations right now." Brick surprisingly replied. "You and Butch have seen it first-hand."

"Yeah, but we should be different." Buttercup said as she nodded in agreement. "We're the fucking Alliance. We should have our shit figured out by now shouldn't we?"

"Rome wasn't built in a day Buttercup and neither is any other country." Blossom said. "In all honesty, third world status is something I'm more than willing to take right now. We're trying to avoid out right anarchy."

"It's just sad." The brunette Puff replied. "Butch and I go all over the world to stop threats and our home town is barely being held together. It's like a friggin' powder keg about to go off. We should be here with you guys."

"There's no denying that things are in dire shape Buttercup, but the work you and Butch do around the world is helping. It's where we need you. Fisher has the city well in hand." Blossom put a hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "One day you'll be home for more than just days at time, but for now we all have to do our part."

"Yeah, I know. It just sucks."

"It does, but more armed soldiers aren't going to fix this."

"Then what will Blossy? Cause it hasn't gotten any better in the last six months in case you haven't noticed." Butch groused.

"Infrastructure idiot." Brick replied, giving him a light smack on the arm. "Social programs and the like. People are upset because their needs aren't being met. We're trying to meet those needs."

"And we're getting better at doing that every day." Bubbles said before gesturing at Boomer. "Boomer and Ms. Keane have been doing great work in the Education Department. That's definitely been helping."

The Blue Ruff blushed as all the van's passengers turned their attention towards him. It was funny that he still blushed at being the center of attention, even with his family. It was also super cute. Bubbles hoped he never changed.

"Come on Boom, tell them what you told me yesterday. You were really excited about it."

"It's nothing really." He tried to shrug it off but everyone's attention had been peaked now.

"Ah just spit it out already Boom." Butch said. "Otherwise Sunshine is going to keep on pushing. She won't let up you know."

"Okay, okay." He held up his hands as if to ward off further attempts at persuasion. "Like I said it's not really a big deal or anything but Ms. Keane and I have gotten the city's fourth elementary school and high school programs up and running."

"Really?" Blossom asked with an intense interest.

She might have been focused on the world's political stage more often than not, but she still cared about what was happing in her city.

"I wasn't even aware you guys had gotten the third one up and running yet. That's great news."

Bubbles threaded her arm through Boomer's and pulled him tight for hug. "That's not all. Tell them the other thing hun."

He let out a soft sigh, growing even redder from the praise. "We have finally established a reliable chain of communications with nearby states. None of them really have any sort of education system to speak of, but we're working on a plan to get one set up. We're hoping that by mid next year we'll have half the country plugged into a national education system based from New Townsville."

"Oh wow, seriously?" No surprise, it was again Blossom who appeared to be the most interested in Boomer's news.

Neither of the Greens looked like they had any clue what education had to do with anything. And Brick, well he looked like he always did, lightly interested but not enough to care.

That was okay. At least Blossom cared about what Boomer was doing. Bubbles was proud of her man and the work he had been doing with Ms. Keane. He liked to push that he was just a secretary but Bubbles knew Ms. Keane relied on him for more than simply answering phone calls and filing papers.

"Yeah it's going really well. We're excited at the Department." Boomer answered Blossom's question with a small grin. "It's not much but it's a good start you know."

"And this is supposed to calm down the riots? Seriously?" Butch asked.

"Seriously Butch, think about it." Brick said as he leaned into explain. "I said people riot because their upset and their needs aren't being met. What are the three main needs that a society has to have met?"

Butch gave his brother a mystified shrug.

"Food for one." Buttercup threw in. "I've seen enough places go south because of a lack of it."

Brick sent her a nod of respect. "Yes, first priority is food. The second is healthcare and the third is opportunity for growth…or rather, a place in the community to contribute. People don't like being idle. You take care of those things and you have a pretty complacent population."

Here he leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "I mean, just look at how Mojo ruled for so long. This city and practically every other one in his control was completely under his control. There were public executions, but that was reserved for deserters primarily. The regular populous just had to do what they were told."

The van fell silent as each Ruff and Puff took a moment to digest that unfortunate truth. It was true. Mojo had ruled over vast amounts of people and a surprising majority of them were content to play their parts.

If you thought about it long enough, you could sort of see their reasoning. Not every city was like New Townsville, but most of them had a functioning infrastructure. People could go to the hospital when they were sick. They could get an education under Mojo. Sure it was heavily stacked with propaganda but they could still learn. And there were always jobs for them.

Mojo had been a genius and it showed in the fact that he ruled for so long. If not for the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdy Ruff boys, he could have ruled indefinitely.

"It's a sobering thought right?" Brick continued. "People are used to how Mojo ran things. Our government either needs to run just like it, or drag it's populous out of that mindset. I'm sure all of us can pick the better option. "

He looked directly at Butch. "That's why education, and healthcare, and functioning services are so important Butch. You put those in place and I guarantee you all the riots and protests will stop."

"Okay, geez. I get it, I get it. Thank you Mr. Educational." Butch brought both his hands up in protest. "I didn't ask for a damn lecture."

"You could-" Before Brick could finish his sentence, the van slowed to a stop.

Bubbles looked out the front windshield to see the Inner Wall stretched out before them. It was the perimeter wall that surrounded the Citadel and its accompanying buildings, one of which included the living quarters for all government personal.

"Looks like we're here." She muttered as they pulled up to the security checkpoint.

Past the security point, the Citadel took up most of the view. It was still as awe inspiring as it was when she first beheld the building. The only difference was the banners decorating the front of it. The blue and gold of the Alliance stood out brightly against the dark stone, much different than the green and purple Mojo used to use.

The Citadel was the main center point for the Alliance government. When they had taken out Mojo, they had repurposed his headquarters for their own uses. It was hard to pass up given how secure the building was.

The Inner Wall was just the first part in a series of defenses that made this place one of the most secure in the world. There were turret guns and anti-aircraft defenses. She had even heard rumors of a sort of shield. No one really knew if that was true or not but even rumors were powerful in their own right.

The van pulled through the checkpoint and set off down the short road that led behind the massive building. Just around the perimeter lay several skyscrapers. They would impressive in their own right but being situated next to the Citadel made them seem small and almost insignificant.

Those buildings housed every person involved in the Alliance Government. It was undoubtedly the safest place in all of New Townsville. The only problem with it was how close it was to work for some.

Bubbles was thankful she got to work at the hospitals outside the Inner Wall. She didn't think she could stand being cooped up in here all the time. How did Blossom do it all the time?

The van came to a stop outside the tallest of the skyscrapers. A few seconds later the side door opened up and the Boys and Girls all piled out. Blossom thanked the driver as he got back in his vehicle and drove off.

Bubbles grabbed a hold of Boomers hand as they ascended the steps and fished out their badges. Even here inside the wall they had to pass through security checkpoints. A squad of the Alliance military stood outside the entrance and checked the badge of everyone who entered.

It was somewhat tedious but the blonde understood its necessity. These times were dangerous and the wellbeing of everyone had to be protected. If that meant being a little inconvenienced then so be it. Better safe than dead right?

Everyone passed through the last checkpoint and entered the living quarters. It was here that Bubbles finally felt safe. She could completely let down her guard and relax.

It was odd to think about wasn't it? She had lived in a warzone for a large majority of her life. She had always thought that when the war ended her paranoia would too. How wrong she was. If anything, it had only strengthened. None of the danger had gone away; it had simply taken a different form.

Instead of enemy soldiers, they all had to watch out for assassins and angry mobs. It was definitely far from what she had dreamed about for all these years. Maybe one day it would be different…

"So what's happening tomorrow Butters?" Butch asked as he laced his hands behind his head.

The Green Puff shrugged as she pushed a button for the elevator. "I'm not sure what you have to do but I have a meeting with General Davis at nine sharp. Probably to talk about security for this conference that's happening."

"But you didn't get any orders about me?"

"Nope, looks like you have a free day tomorrow."

"Ah yeah!" Butch pumped his fist in the air. "Lazy day tomorrow! Hell fucking yes! I'm going to do nothing but eat real food and sleep in and wear whatever the hell I want!"

Bubbles couldn't help but smile at his excitement. She sometime forgot that he was a career soldier. They were always told what to do and where to go. Having a day off to do whatever you wanted must have been amazing.

"Aiming high there Butch." Boomer chimed in a smirk.

His brother stopped doing his little victory dance long enough to push him playfully. "Hey you can come talk to me once you've been forced to eat MREs for every meal. Those things suck. I can't wait to get myself a real fucking burger. Oh man. I'm drooling just thinking about it."

Boomer laughed and shook his head. "Okay, well how about I come get a burger with you? I have the day off tomorrow too. We can go do something fun."

The Green Ruff grinned and then turned towards the last Ruff.

"Brother's day?" He asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Boomer turned around as well and gave Brick a manlier version of Bubbles' famous puppy dog eyes. They had been together for six months now; it was inevitable that he'd pick it up in some fashion.

Brick stared at his two brothers for a few seconds before shrugging. "I make my own hours. I suppose I can take the day tomorrow."

"Whoo!" Butch shouted as the elevator doors opened. "Brothers day! We're going to do all the things!"

"Like what?" Brick asked drolly as they all entered and hit the buttons for their floors.

The brunet shrugged off his brother's question. "Eh I'll figure something out, but you can bet your ass it's going to be epic!"

"I'm quivering with excitement." Brick replied as Boomer laughed out loud.

"Well just make sure you guys don't get into too much trouble. We don't need an international incident right now." Blossom sighed.

Butch turned towards her and put a hand over his heart. "We would never Pinkie. Don't you trust us?"

Blossom gave him a sidelong glance. "On a good day perhaps."

"Oh, shots fired!" the Green Ruff cried as his other hand came up to clench his chest.

"Stop being so melodramatic. It's too late for that." Buttercup yawned.

"You're just mad cause you're going to be stuck in a meeting all day."

She somewhat nodded at her counterpart's accusation. "I might be done before five if I'm lucky Hey, you Girls wanna do something for dinner?"

Bubbles gave her sister a nod. "Yeah, I work at the hospital tomorrow but I can get an extra long dinner break."

"I should be able to get some time for dinner as well." Blossom replied as the elevator came to a stop.

"Awesome. Dinner it is."

The doors opened and the Girls got off, but not before Bubbles stopped to give her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips.

"Night sweetie."

"Night hun." He returned with another quick kiss.

And of course, Butch gagged at the sight. "Ugh! Get a room you two!"

"They aren't allowed to. Why do you think we live on different floors?" Blossom said with a small laugh.

The elevator dinged and the doors started to close as Butch stared at them gobsmacked. He quickly pushed his hands against the doors and poked his head out.

"Wait, wait, wait! That's why we live on different floors? You're kidding right?" He asked, looking between Boomer and Bubbles.

A blush rose on Bubbles cheeks as she shook her head. "Nope, Professor's orders I'm afraid."

"Because we all know Boomer can't control himself." Brick added in a deadpan voice.

The blush on her face grew ten times brighter. A similar one painted Boomer's face as he tugged a laughing Butch back into the elevator. Even Brick let out a chuckle at the Blue's embarrassment.

"Alright, off to bed you guys. Come on Bubbles." Blossom commanded, grabbing the blonde's hand and tugging her off to their bedrooms.

"Night!" The Blue Puff called as she shot one last smile at her counterpart and threw a wink in for good measure.

The poor boy looked like he wanted to sink into the floor as he held up his brother who couldn't stop laughing. On his other side, Brick just stood there smirking.

Oh her poor Boomer. He was so going to get teased about that all day tomorrow. Thank goodness she wasn't going to be there with him!

AN: Hey guys! So sorry this is late. I had to do some unexpected shifts at work this weekend so I didn't get a chance to finish and polish off this chapter. I think I'll move my update day to every other Monday since it seems that's the only time I have to finish stuff now. Saturdays are sooooo busy. Blah.

Well enough about me and my complaining. I hope you guys liked the chapter! I know it's all kinda of slow right now but we have to set up the world and what's going on. Things will be picking up soon I promise!

Thank you to all the reviewers this last chapter! You guys are amazing and I love you all!

-Reviewer Recognition-

Crazyformario, Scourge, STFUSAM, Aim13, MetallicalyLove, Lily, ROCuevas, Celestial Frost, DawnRed, TheFabulousLady, MarshmallowFluff, Jmaster4, AC 97, insanityisablessedgift, Kasumi96

You guys are so awesome! And I promise once things chill out for me I'll start going back to my old Reviewer Recognition where I can answer questions and stuff. Probably after summer ends and my kid goes back into school XD

And to all you fabulous silent readers out there, thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate you guys!

If you wanna stay up to date with the story be sure to follow it! Or myself as an author since I'm having trouble posting every Saturday. I'll get better I promise!

Next Week: Plans for the conference are laid out and the Boys have a day to themselves! Chapter 4 – Boys just wanna have fun!

Love you all! - Sandstorm