(A/N) Wow, it's been a while! I'm back and ready to write! Just want to say a big THANK YOU to the support this story has gotten, I love reading all of your motivating comments. Here's another chapter for you guys! Enjoy!

"Where the heck is she?!" screamed Buttercup in frustration.

The two remaining sisters had spent an agonizingly long time trying to both tame the wild fires and look for the leader of the trio. Both were nearing exhaustion but the firefighters from not only the city, but the other towns nearby had come to aid with help.

Bubbles shot her a dark look. "This is your entire fault if you ask me!" growled Bubbles. "You and your stupid bet…" she snorted.

"Hey, she agreed to it! She was the one who messed up when she fell for the damn criminal" grumbled Buttercup.

Bubbles rolled her eyes. Her sister was too dense and stubborn to understand love, so it was no use in fighting with her.

As the two flew, they saw something approaching them from the distance. Buttercup narrowed her eyes as she tried to indentify it.

"Who's that?" she asked Bubbles.

It took her a few seconds of looking but when she figured it out, her eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her mouth.

"It's Brick!" she exclaimed. "And I think he has Blossom!"

Buttercup fumed. The two darted in his direction and when they were close by, the two stopped in mid air, shocked at the sight before them. Brick carried a seemingly lifeless girl in his arms.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO-" roared Buttercup, already feeling an overwhelming urge to kill the boy right on the spot if it wasn't for him cutting her off.

"Explanations can be given later, but right now she's more important" said Brick quickly but sternly.

Buttercup sucked in a deep breath while Bubbles blinked numerous times.

"He's right. We need to take her home" spoke Bubbles. Buttercup glared at her blue-eyed sister.

"If its okay with you guys," interrupted Brick "I'd like to be with her. When she wakes up that is"

"No" blurted out Buttercup, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"I don't see why not" said Bubbles.

"What?"

"Buttercup, enough of this! We are all sick and tired of you! Stop being so hot-headed and at least try to reason for once!" hollered Bubbles angrily, clenching her fists. Buttercup's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

"C'mon, Brick, I'll take you to our house" she said politely, turning to Brick. She spun back around to face a fuming Powerpuff.

"And as for you!" she yelled. "Don't come back until you decide to compose yourself!"

Buttercup had many venomous words dancing on her tongue, yet she stayed silent. A part of her was saying that her sister did have a point. She wouldn't admit it though.

Bubbles immediately led Brick to the residence, having him follow closely behind. He looked at Blossom, who's breathing was still uneven. His anxiety was spiking through him and it was driving him absolutely insane. He felt pretty useless at the moment, and the most he could do was be with her when recovering, hoping to help in any way possible.

"Hey, Brick," said Bubbles quietly.

Brick looked up from Blossom and up to her blonde sister.

Her blue eyes were assessing him. "How would you describe your feelings for Blossom?" she asked him, her entire judgment towards him relying on this single question. There was definitely pressure, no matter how innocent she looked.

His voice was stripped of everything but sincerity. "I love her".

XxXxX

She felt her body floating but had no mobility. Darkness consumed her entire vision. She had a sense of disconnection from reality. Blossom felt nothing but utter peace. It was strange, yes, being in a complete shadow and feeling like this. Yet somehow, she knew she was safe.

Where was she?

The first thought that registered in her head was that she was dead. Though she couldn't remember how she died. She imagined her two sisters, grieving her death. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls, gone. Blossom almost felt herself cringe at the thought. No, that couldn't be it. She didn't feel dead. Then again, she didn't know what that felt like to begin with.

Something was missing.

Yes. A specific event she couldn't pull out from her memory just yet.

Think, think, think!

The color red tentatively flashed in her mind.

Red? Why red?

Blood? Had she fought? That thought didn't seem to satisfy her.

A red cap came next.

A cap? I don't remember owning a cap…

Blossom couldn't put the two together. She had a sense that she was getting clues of some sort. She patiently waited for another image to flash in her mind.

'Blossom…' a husky voice breathed.

Her peace was disrupted by a shot of pleasure coursing through her body like an electric current. The voice almost seemed to have caressed her. Blossom had never experienced a more beautiful feeling in her entire life. On the other hand, it almost seemed to frighten her too. She could not put a single face to the voice that felt so eerily familiar to her.

She continued to wait for another clue, but she got nothing more. All she was left with was the color red, a cap, and a lush male voice.

The puzzle pieces fit together alright, so it didn't explain why she couldn't figure out the identity of this character.

The black that shrouded her appeared to be getting lighter.

When the black had become a soft grey was when she realized that subtle tingling sensations had spread out to her fingers and toes. She tried to move them, but failed.

The color was getting lighter. Grey was turning to white.

Her dulled senses were becoming sharper and the tingling had moved up to her arms and legs. Slowly, Blossom was being dragged out of her dark, peaceful place.

None of this mattered to her, however. Nothing made sense!

When the tingling had taken over her entire body, she was able to move her limbs. Blossom felt tangled in what seemed to be bed sheets. A dull ache was creeping in and she desperately wanted to go back to the place where she couldn't feel a thing.

Something clutched her hand, making her jump. And hurt even more.

Her eyes flew open and she drew in a sharp breath, her lungs burning as if the air was acid.

"Blossom?" asked a frantic voice.

Her gaze traveled to her hand, where another was slipped into it and it traveled up to meet uneasy yet piercing eyes. Red eyes.

Red.

"Brick!" she choked out, the realization feeling like a slap in the face. The rest came flooding in uncontrollably.

She took in his appearance and her mouth gapped wide open. Random areas on his body were covered in a black substance, his clothes were all tattered and dirty, the hair stuck out all over the place, but that wasn't the worst of it. His expression was utterly drained. Exhaustion was not enough of a word to describe his current state. The red eyes that even though held worry, were blood shot and the bags that hung low below them could've passed as bruises.

"How are you feeling?" asked Brick anxiously, gripping her hand with the both of his.

"Me?" she sputtered out. "You look like you're going to pass out any minute! Here, lie down for a bit" she began getting up but winced in pain with the slightest movement.

"Easy there, Blossom," he murmured as he gently pulled her back down. He adjusted some of her pillows. "I'm tired, I won't deny that, but you're ten times worse than me" he told her.

Blossom let out a sigh of frustration. She'd probably be stuck in this bed for a couple of days at most. Too long for her.

"What time is it anyways?" she asked.

Brick looked over his shoulder and out the window. The sun was out. "I think it's already noon. You've been out for only a few hours. I think you need to keep resting" he suggested as he placed his hand back into hers.

"Have you been here all night?"

He nodded weakly in response.

A deep appreciation brewed inside her. His caring side never ceased to make her heart soar.

Then a thought suddenly struck her. "Wait! Do my sisters know you're here?" she asked urgently.

His lips formed a grim smile. "They sure do" he replied casually.

"And they're okay with that?"

"Bubbles is. Can't say the same about Buttercup" he didn't bother hiding the irritation in his voice.

Blossom let out a hiss of annoyance. "Whatever. I expected that from her anyways" she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Listen, Blossom," began Brick, changing the subject. Blossom could feel the hesitation from him.

"I'm really sorry about everything. It's practically my fault that you're like this. I seriously wish I could take it all back, Blossom, really I do" he told her, looking at her straight in the eyes. Blossom could see sadness behind them, and it made her upset too.

"No, if anyone should apologize, it's me. I should have told you about the bet before things got out of hand. And I get why you got angry. It's just," she paused, making sure Brick grasped every single word she said. "I can't help the way I feel about you. Even if I didn't intend for it to happen, I don't regret a single thing"

The corners of Brick's lips tipped up slightly. "I never imagined myself falling in love. Or did I imagine love being so amazing. But being in love with you, Blossom, is the most incredible feeling in the world. You're mine, and I don't think about letting you go anytime soon. Not now, or ever for that matter" he said with a wink.

She laughed softly and watched as he began leaning into her. Their lips were barley a breath apart when the door knob twisted.

Brick jerked back to his spot and both him and Blossom watched Bubbles walk into the room. Behind her, Buttercup somberly made her way in.

"We weren't interrupting anything were we?" asked Bubbles, oblivious to the almost-kiss.

The 'yes' was on the tip of Blossom's tongue. She wished she could've kissed Brick, but there would be time for that later.

"No" sighed Blossom. Her eyes briefly grazed up to Brick's, who pursed his lips at her for a second. She did everything in her power not to laugh.

"How you feeling today, Blossom?" asked Bubbles with a concerned look on her face.

"A bit sore is all" she lied. Her body was felt like it was on fire whenever she moved.

Bubbles didn't buy her fib. "Really? You look awful" was all she said.

Blossom's eyes drifted to the quiet Powerpuff, who merely looked at the ground. There was something strange about her behavior. Buttercup wasn't one to keep quiet if something was on her mind, good or bad.

As if Bubble's was reading her mind, she piped up suddenly, surprising the rest of them. "Brick, would you mind coming with me downstairs? Just to give Blossom and Buttercup a little bit of space. They have to have a talk, if you know what I mean"

The emerald eyes finally skittered up from below and settled on Blossom. Far too many emotions swam inside them from her to know how Buttercup really felt.

Brick wavered a little but he gave Blossom a gentle squeeze of the hand before getting up and leaving the room with Bubbles.

Finally, Buttercup let out a long and troubled sigh.

"I owe you…an apology" she said lowly, the words feeling forced.

The pink Powerpuff kept quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"The reason I told Brick about the bet was because I don't think he's good enough for you. He's a criminal, an evil creation that doesn't have a single good cell in his body-"

"Hold up" interrupted Blossom. "If you're just going to tell me how much you hate Brick, then you can just turn around and head out that door" she said, pointing to it.

A growl of frustration escaped Buttercup's lips. "Let me finish" she said as calmly as she could. "Another reason was because I just wanted to protect you. I don't trust him and I don't want him to hurt you," she continued.

Blossom opened her mouth to protest but Buttercup held out a hand. "Let me finish!" she almost yelled.

Buttercup stayed silent for a long time, trying to find the right words to say.

"But I realized that the person I was trying to protect was being hurt by my actions instead. Though I'll never understand why or how you fell for the dork, I can tell you like him. A lot. And I can tell he likes you a lot too" she admitted, the confession looking like it was killing her by her expression.

Blossom lay there, stunned and taken aback by her words.

"So, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused" she finished, folding her arms over she chest, face flushed a deep crimson, eyes in another direction.

"Wow" breathed Blossom.

Buttercup's eyes sliced into hers. "That's all you have to say?" she snapped crankily.

That didn't faze Blossom. Instead, she started laughing. "I just can't believe you actually admitted to something. Or apologized" she snickered teasingly.

Her teeth grinded together and her face got even darker. "Don't make me take it back!" she barked.

"Calm down! I'm only kidding," hissed Blossom, momentarily forgetting about her sister's anger issues. "I'm really glad you said that. All this time, I just though you didn't care. And I forgive you, of course" said Blossom sincerely.

A small 'hmph' from Buttercup told her that she was ready to move on and forget about all of this.

"So it looks like you've finally accepted me and Brick, huh?" asked Blossom with a grin on her face.

"I'll accept it, but I don't have to like it! If he makes one tiny mistake, I'm not holding back. He better treat you right 'cause he'll have a lot more to deal with than just you" she warned, though a ghost of a smile could be seen on her face.

A few minutes later, Brick and Bubbles returned to the bedroom after Buttercup calling them in.

Bubbles had a pleasant smile on her face. "So Buttercup admitted defeat?" she asked, eyeing the dark haired girl – challenging her.

She scoffed. In her language, it was a definite 'yes'.

"There's still one more thing," spoke Blossom, everyone's attention turning to her. "Brick, what about your brothers? They should be wondering where you are, right?" she questioned, looking tentatively at him.

His face fell noticeably. He had completely forgotten about them.

"I dunno…" he muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Do they know anything about you and Blossom?" asked Buttercup, her gaze narrowing.

He shook his head. A part of him preferred to keep his brothers in the dark, but he knew that it wouldn't last forever.

"I say we go tell them. Better now than never" stated Bubbles.

Never seemed much better to Brick.

He didn't speak, but rather looked at Blossom for an answer. His eyes bore into her, pleading for her to say something. She smiled with effort but it was reassuring in a way to him.

"It would be a good idea to tell them, Brick. It'd make you feel so much better" she spoke gently.

An involuntary sigh passed through his lips. It was true. It would feel like a huge weight off his shoulders if they knew the real deal. No more sneaking around. He knew they wouldn't take it well and maybe they wouldn't accept it. The worst they could do was abandon him. But then again, the thought of losing Blossom outweighed them so much more and it was kind of scary. He cared more about her than his own family.

"We'll go with you. Right Buttercup?" said Bubbles, encouraging him as well.

To his and Blossom surprise, Buttercup gave a reluctant nod of the head.

After what seemed like an eternity, Brick finally spoke. "Alright. I don't know how my brothers will react to you two but I know it won't be pretty. I'll do my best to contain those savage animals, but feel free to defend yourselves" he told them.

It was then that they noticed that there had been a tension in the room. They all seemed to let out a breath of relief.

"Perfect! We'll wait for you outside" told Bubbles before leaving the room with Buttercup.

Blossom motioned for Brick to come closer. When he did, he leaned in all the way to claim her lips. It was a soft, gentle, careful kiss. He leaned against her forehead and breathed in deeply.

"The things I do for you…" he whispered, his breath tickling her face.

Blossom suppressed a smile. "I love you" she murmured.

His lips pressed against hers again. "I love you, too" he said against them.

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine" she told him, reaching up to caress his cheek. His features visibly softened at her touch.

"And if they don't?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Then at least you tried" she whispered.