We Are The Powerpuff Girls

By Daronta

Chapter 2: Family of Ace

"Alright everyone, its bed time!" Bubbles hears a familiar voice call from the hallway.

"Miss Keane?" Bubbles looks up from her drawings and notices Buttercup hasn't come back from the dining hall. Blossom walks into the room with a plate of wrapped food in hand. Her expression quickly grows concern with the lack of her foster roommate's attendance.

"Where's Buttercup?" Blossom asks glaring at Bubbles.

"I'm so sorry Blossom," Bubbles apologizes. "She said she was getting food and I was so focused on drawing that I lost track of the time and didn't realize she was still gone."

"Of course she would do this the night before my interview with the Morbucks."

"Girls, is everything alright?" a pixie cut dark haired woman asks peering her head through the girls' door. "Where's Buttercup? Don't tell me she went out with Jessica De Vito again."

"She probably did, I'm sorry Miss Keane," Blossom sincerely repented.

"Me too, it's my fault Miss Keane."

"No, no, don't worry about this, girls," Miss Keane comforts the two. "I just need to make sure Mrs. Smith doesn't find out, you know how nosey she can get. Now you two get some sleep, she'll be back in the morning so everything should be fine by tomorrow morning."

"Yes ma'am," Blossom agrees.

"Okay," Bubbles approves.

"Good, I swear that girl has the worst timing," Miss Keane sighs. "I'll have to talk to her again."

"Goodnight girls, I'll see you in the morning." The caretaker leaves the door slightly ajar as Buttercup did hours before.

"Blossom, what should we do?" Bubbles probes her roommate.

"She keeps claiming we're sisters then pulls a stunt like this," Blossom mumbles pacing back and forth trying to think of her next move. "It's hard enough as it is to get the three of us adopted, with her running about doing who knows what and your last name."

"I'm sorry," Bubbles confesses as tears formed from her eyes.

"Wait, no Bubbles I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." Blossom professed kneeling down to her sister and hugging her tightly.

"I know me and Buttercup aren't the best sisters to have but," Bubbles sobs onto Blossom's stripped sweat-shirt. "You two make me the happiest girl I could ever be, watching you two act so determined made me want to pursue art seriously."

"To be honest Bubbles, I think you make your own happiness," Blossom responds to her sister's confession. "Without you or Buttercup, I probably would've remained clinging on to Miss Keane."

Blossom looks to the window behind her sister as they embrace. "Let's go."

"What?" Bubbles exclaims highly confused.

"We need to bring Buttercup back this instance."

"But we don't know where she could be."

"Of course we do, remember?" Blossom hints. "Back when her parents were alive, she and Ace's folks would go to the zoo together. Apparently that's where Ace met most of his crew like Jessica and Buttercup."

"Isn't the zoo close to Buttercup's old home?"

"Yep, that's why I am certain that's where they went. Come on Bubbles, we're bringing our sister home."

"Right!"

---

Four boys of various sizes stand around monkey exhibit. One of them leaned on the cage flipping a coin, but the other three boys fooled around with anything they could reach within the cage.

"Quiet down boys," the coin-flipper warns. "We don't want to cause a noise compliant before the girls get here now do we?"

"Of course not Ace," replied the youngest and shortest of the group.

"Yea, we'll stay quiet boss, right Grubber?" the large, red headed southern retorts, asking the mute.

"Hmm," the mute gives Ace the thumbs up.

"Ace!" Jessica calls running from the giraffe exhibit. Chloe followed right behind her.

"Snake, Buttercup, you made it." Ace exclaimed reaching out to them with open arms.

"How's the orphanage treating you two?" He asked the two girls.

"Mrs. Smith is so pushy and annoying," Jessica complained. "I almost didn't make it out tonight; she was watching me like a hawk."

"That's why we named you Snake, you sneaky lil' brat." Ace teases kissing Snake's forehead, she blushes.

"It's embarrassing when you do that?" Jessica whines touching her forehead.

"Then try using less hair gel!" the youngest one yells from the monkey cage.

"Shut up, Arturo! No one asked you!"

"Behave you two! So Buttercup, life with Miss Keane still easy as usual?" Ace turns to Chloe and ruffles her hair.

"Yeah Ace she treats us like her own, not like the other old hags."

"That's good but that'll change soon," Ace grins.

"What do you mean?" Chloe and Jessica ask.

"I'll be twenty-one soon so I'll be able to adopt you two so you can finally be with the rest of us." Ace replied.

"Really, do you mean it?!" Jessica exclaims.

"Ace that's impossible, there's all kinds of paper work you have to fill and they send child service workers to check up on us." Chloe enlightens Ace and Jessica.

"Don't worry Buttercup," Ace assures her. "I have a back-up plan. No one is gonna keep us apart, we're familia, isn't that right boys?"

Arturo and the big southern boy cheered with a resounding, "Yeah boss!" as the mute nodded in agreement.

"Tell you what; if you really think they'll stop us then let's leave Townsville tonight." Ace offered. "If we get out of town they'll never look find you, how's that sound?"

"I don't know Ace," Chloe denied. "I need to think about it."

"You just want to stay with those girls," Jessica hissed. "I don't know what you see in them, you're always fighting with Alex anyway."

"Blossom is usually right about things like this," Chloe retorts.

"Oh I see, alright I'll give you a day to think on it." Ace accepts Chloe's indecision. "Just remember, Blossom won't accept you like we do. We're your real familia lil' Mendez, no matter what happens."

"Is that right, Ace?" Alex shouts coming from the giraffe exhibit with Bubbles tagging along beside her. "I don't know about you but family doesn't lead you astray."

"Well if it isn't Blossom," Ace grins approaching the girls. "The almighty, lil' know it all."

"Give it up Ace, we're taking Buttercup back home with us." Blossom demands while inching away from the intimidating Italian.

"What home are you talking about Blossom?" Ace interrogates. "Pokey Oaks? That run down foster home where the caretakers barely care if you disappear. You might've been spoiled by Miss Keane but not everyone gets to be as lucky as you two."

"Us three," Bubbles interrupts nervously but fierce. "Buttercup counts too!"

"Oh shut it Delacroix, you're no better than us with your mother being where she is now," Ace snarled. Chloe runs in-between the three of them.

"Chill Ace, these are my girls." Chloe pleads.

"You're right, I won't force you to choose," Ace says readjusting his leather jacket. "Your own choice is just as important me."

"Where you're going in life is important to us Buttercup. Ace might truly love you as family but he won't be able to help you without getting your hands dirty," Alex forebodes.

"We can talk about this later, for now let's just go home." Chloe suggest making her way back to the giraffes until she hears one of the boys toppling over.

"Billy," Jessica cries as the rest of the familia crowd around the bigger member, Chloe also runs over to Billy and kneels by his side.

"What's going on big guy?" Chloe asks concerned grabbing onto his hand.

"Bubbles," Alex gasps holding on to Bubbles who was falling over from passing out.

"What's going on?" Chloe wondered watching everyone else faint one by one. Ace, Alex and Chloe were the last three left.

"Buttercup get those two and Jessica out of here," Ace commands. "I've got the boys."

"But, Ace…"

"Buttercup, look at the ground!" Alex insists, Chloe looks down and notice the cement patterned tiles were radiating a faint white and greenish hue. She felt heat press upon her knees which was touching the ground. She hops up and glances over to the massive monkey cage, the leaves were turning white and all of the simians had all been knocked out.

"What kind of freaky stuff is this?" Chloe mumbles in complete confusion.

"Buttercup, come on!" Ace yells picking up Arturo and Grubber in each arm and trying to drag them away.

"Buttercup, look out!" Alex warns and cans started raining from the top of the cage. "Sleeping gas?"

The gas cans blew out fumes of sleeping gas making the white and green glow more apparent. Alex drops with Bubbles falling over her, Chloe hears Ace hit the ground around the corner of the change. She also hears slow, steady footsteps on top of the cage coming closer. Her body left heavy, as heavy as the breathing coming from the mysterious person walking above the cage. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes open.

"No we can't stay here," Chloe says as her closing eyes turns from hazel to a lime green.

"I've got to move," before her body finally gives in she heard him, a deep and menacing voice.

"You are not freed yet, my brothers."

"Give it time my brethren, for I will give you strength."

"In due time, you will have the power to be released from your shackles."

"The burden of man will be no more."

"Because, I am power."

"I am virtue."

"I am freedom."

To Be Continued.

Next time: