Dreams of an Absolution

"Well, I guess you left me with some feathers in my hand

Did it make it any easier to leave me where I stand?

I guess there's not too many who would stand beside you now...

Where'd you come from? Where am I going?

Why'd you leave me 'till I'm only good for...

Waiting for you?"

Angels of the Silences (Counting Crows "Recovering the Satellites")

Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 2

XxXxX

Blossom rolled over, crawling deeper beneath the bulky white comforter. She'd long since slid away from her pillow, now drooling on the bed itself. Outside, the hot summer's day droned on. Birds cried and raced to and fro, while children screamed and ran around wallowing in the last stretch of summer vacation. Inside, the dark bedroom sat in a static silence broken only by the loud tick of the clock moving in time with the soft snores of its occupant.

Pounding knocks broke the stillness, stirring the slumbering superhero. Blossom sat up, pushing the wild locks of hair away from her face. As the door creaked open, she slid one hand under her pillow-the other wiped away the drool trickling down her chin. Stifling a yawn, she sighed and stared at the door.

"It's open," Light flooded the dark room, washing over the disheveled bed. Blossom blinked and looked away.

"We got another call...same deal as last time, 'cept it was clothes this time," Blossom nodded and opened her eyes when the door shut again. She stared at the door, hands folded in her lap. With another sigh, she climbed out of bed and shuffled to the mirror, brushing her long hair in slow, tired strokes. She flinched when it hit a snag, but otherwise it was the same as always: a bit too red and much too long. Blossom sat the brush down and gave her appearance one last shrug before heading downstairs to join her sisters.

She walked, rather than flying, down the stairs, hands dangling at her sides. She glanced up, looking at the pictures that lined the walls. She paused, staring at one of the four of them-herself, her sisters, and the Professor-at Wally World. There were voices drifting in from the hallway, where the Hotline was kept. She stumbled down the last few steps and turned to her sisters. Like usual, Buttercup seemed irritated, probably upset that her day was interrupted by something as mundane as a robbery. Or maybe she was angry that she hadn't figured out the culprit yet. Bubbles took a step back as Blossom approached, floating up beside Buttercup.

"It took you long enough," Blossom sighed and pushed her hair back again.

"Sorry," Buttercup frowned, but without further argument the three took off across the city in their typical staggered three-part rainbow: green, blue, and finally pink etching their way toward Townsville.

XxXxX

The scene, upon arriving at the clothing store, was a little less chaotic than the previous day's had been. Police officers patrolled every nook and cranny, searching for even the slightest hint of a clue, but other than their interference it didn't seem too troubled. The manager was far more laid back than the prissy supermarket manager. He was lanky, with greasy black hair and a pale face, but without the disposition to pull off the look. As the girls came closer, Blossom noticed that he seemed to be arguing with the chief.

"Look, Bub, we both know you're just the public face for this. I'm not talkin' to anyone who ain't three feet tall and lookin' like somethin' out of a sci-fi flick," Buttercup cleared her throat, turning all eyes on the Powerpuff Girls. The manager grinned and pushed passed the chief, shaking Buttercup's hand. She kept a stern face, but Blossom saw the corners of her lips twitching. She also noticed the sweat left behind on Buttercup's hand.

"About time! Listen, someone barged in here last night and stole a good five hundred dollars worth of clothes! I need some help here!" The chief joined them, glaring at the manager. Buttercup laughed and scratched her head.

"Don't worry! We'll figure this out, so um..." She drifted off into thought, while Blossom drifted off into observation. The dirty tiled floor had clothes strung out on it, and a few racks were knocked over. No fight took place, though they were clearly in a hurry. Was it the same criminals? Blossom turned back to the manager, who was in the middle of answering Buttercup.

"-so that's the story. Couldn't get a clear look on camera, but eh cops say there's no clues and I don't trust 'em. I want you girls to search it over," Buttercup swelled up and nodded, turning to Bubbles with a grin.

"You heard him! Let's check the place out!" The two shot off, leaving Blossom behind. She sighed and crossed her arms. They wouldn't take her advice if she offered it, why bother? The manager glanced at Blossom, sneering before stalking off. Blossom frowned and pushed her hair away from her face again. She was just about to go on another useless search for clues, when a whistle of wind flew overhead, looped back around and landed just outside the store. Blossom glanced up at the newcomers.

"Oh...it's just you," The Rowdyruff Boys floated through the crowd of cops, looking around in fascination at the sheer number of officers. They noticed Blossom and stopped a few feet from her. Butch kept looking around, turned so that his split, dead eye was aimed right at Blossom. She couldn't help but stare at it, her lips twitching. The scar that ran the full length of his face was like a target, pointing right at the useless eye. Brick floated forward, his arms crossed and a slight grin on his face.

"Hey look, it's Her Highness! Sorry to disturb you, Killer, but we're lookin' for the Powerpuff Girls, you know where they are?" Blossom shook her head and pointed toward her sisters. Brick frowned. Blossom could tell he wanted to say more, but as Butch went toward Bubbles, Brick was forced to follow. She watched them go and sighed, turning when the last of the trio approached her.

"Hi...I haven't seen you in a while," She said, taking a deep breath and floating down to the ground. Boomer floated to the floor and stood beside her; she watched the others fly around looking for clues, but noticed that Boomer was staring at her. He had a tendency to do that.

"Yeah, what's up?" Blossom shrugged and pushed her hair out of her face.

"The store was robbed...probably the same people who robbed the supermarket yesterday," Boomer blinked and rubbed his chin.

"The supermarket was robbed?" Blossom shook her head and cracked a smile.

"Yeah, it was on the news all night from what I heard," Boomer blinked and nodded. She knew better than to think he had ever watched the news in his life. Blossom took to the air again, floating around the crime scene with no real destination in mind.

"So who done it?" Another smile cracked Blossom's bleary mood. She glanced back, Boomer hot on her heels. He smiled when their eyes met; she couldn't help smiling a bit brighter.

"We...don't know. Well, I have a hunch, but...nevermind," Blossom looked over at her sisters. Boomer floated closer, a bit too close to her face. Blossom glanced at him, but swallowed and focused in on her sisters again. They weren't finding anything...they weren't going to, it was a clean job. If they were going to find anything, they needed to just look at the tape...surely there was something that would give away the crooks.

"What do you think?" Blossom lowered her head and bit her lip. It never ceased to amaze her. She peeked at Boomer; he stared at her intently wearing a look of intense concentration. He was trying just as hard to figure out the case, bless him. She gestured toward the security cameras.

"I think if we could see a security tape...I don't know maybe I can figure something out..." Boomer beamed and grabbed her hand. Blossom jerked, cringing in his tight grasp. For his part, the Rowdyruff boy didn't seem to notice.

"Then let's go! C'mon!" She started to argue, but he was already dragging her through the store. Blossom caught up with him, trying to pry her hand away from his.

"Boomer, Boomer let go...let go!" It wasn't until they reached the police chief that Boomer finally released her. Blossom winced and rubbed her now sore hand. As she looked up, she met the irritated gaze of the commanding officer. Boomer beamed and put his hands on his hips.

"Hey! Officer, can we see the uh..." He trailed off, turning a slight shade of pink. Blossom giggled, quickly stifled it, and looked up at the chief with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Chief, but could we see the security tapes?" The chief was ready to retort, when the nasally voice of the manager drifted across the crime scene. Clamping his mouth shut, the officer nodded and led them to the security station. It was a cramped little room, probably little more than a glorified closet really. There was a single monitor that connected to the measly two security cameras that guarded the tiny clothing store.

"Alright, here's the tape...I don't know what good this'll do but anything to get that Jackass to shut up," Blossom's lips twitched and Boomer laughed out loud. They hovered in front of the screen, watching the scene play out before them. There were five criminals...two tall, one of about average height, one severely hunched, and the last barely taller than the pint-sized metahumans themselves. A passing look was all Blossom needed to identify the culprits.

"The Gangreen Gang...odd, why in the world are they stealing food and clothes..." She mentally slapped herself, it was a stupid question. The city was still in a state of general disarray, there was no way the dump was as cozy as it may have been before. They were stocking up to wait out the restoration process, obviously. Most of the villains preferred to go into hiding while the city was rebuilt, it was smarter than running around when everyone was on high alert.

"The Gangreen Gang? You're sure?" The chief was giving her an intense, judgmental glare...she was only starting to adjust to the change. Blossom nodded and crossed her arms, pushing her hair away from her face again.

"Yeah, it's definitely them," The three were leaving the security room, the chief giving orders to officers as they went.

"Well...thanks, we'll get on it," Almost like a switch was turned, the other four were suddenly on them. Bubbles hung back with Butch, holding his hand. Brick stood just a bit behind Buttercup, his arms forced into an awkward crossed-arm gesture-his right arm twitched violently every so often, never quite going the way he wanted it to. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls hovered with her arms crossed, glaring at Blossom while simultaneously trying to control a blush.

"Wh-What happened? Did you find something?" Blossom nodded, her more brief explanation interrupted by a very excited Rowdyruff boy.

"We found the crooks! It's the Green Gang! Blossom just took one look at the movie and bam! She knew who it was!" Buttercup flushed a bit darker, shooting a look at Blossom, who only shrugged and nodded.

"It was the Gangreen Gang...both times, I..." Blossom closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly counting to ten. She opened her eyes and faced Buttercup with a little more assertion, "I'm sure of it," Buttercup nodded and looked at Brick and Butch.

"Sorry, we'll talk to you guys later. We need to handle this," Brick frowned and uncrossed his arms, steadying his trembling right arm.

"We can go-" Buttercup shook her head, and took off. Bubbles leaned close to Butch and pulled away giggling. She flew after her sister while his face turned red. Blossom found herself alone with two irate and hostile Rowdyruff boys. Shaking her head, she shot off into the air. She just barely heard Boomer crying "Good luck!" after her. Soon it was repeating in her head; she couldn't help smiling.

XxXxX

As they flew over the Townsville dump, the girls were amazed to how full it was in just two short months of being rebuilt. Less surprising, they found a newly constructed wooden shack, a bit larger than the last one, deep within the winding maze of refuse. Another surprise stood just outside the shack, a small group of kids-ranging from a bit older than the girls to early teens-talking with a tall, green-skinned teen with sunglasses. The girls landed behind him, in attack formation.

"Hold it, Gangreen Gang! We know you did it, so give yourselves up!" The newcomers gasped and seemed torn between fight and flight. Stranger, none of them had the typical pale disposition the other Gangreen members had. Ace turned around, shocking them all by holding up his hands.

"Alright, alright...you caught me fair and square, Buttercup. Look, I can explain," Blossom rolled her eyes, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Ace always had an excuse, he could always explain. And more often than not...Buttercup was willing to taste whatever line he fed them. Just as she expected, Buttercup sighed and shifted her hands to her hips.

"Okay, but make it quick," Ace smiled and pushed his sunglasses up, covering his dull gray eyes. Blossom sighed and looked away, not bothering to deal with her unruly long hair. She wasn't interested in his excuse; if she had still been in charge they wouldn't even be listening to it. He'd be in jail, roughed up a little to help him remember to obey the law next time.

"Look, we were just gettin' some food and clothes for the new recruits alright? We didn't take any more than we needed," Buttercup looked passed the leader, sizing up the so-called new recruits. Blossom peered through the curtain of her hair, unimpressed by the new members. Most seemed to be just kids.

"Why do you have new recruits? They aren't even...you know," Blossom closed her eyes, taking slow ten second breaths. She heard Ace chuckle and shift in his place.

"Well um...a lot happened after that whole, you know," He cleared his throat; suddenly, Blossom felt several eyes on her. She did her best to ignore them, counting to twenty this time.

"Um yeah...but wh...Mitch? Is that you?" Blossom's eyes cracked open, a look of confusion spreading over her face. Just as Buttercup had said, there was Mitch Mitchellson standing amongst the crowd of new Gangreens. The disheveled, brunet boy glowered but nodded.

"Hey," He mumbled, shuffling his feet. Bubbles gasped, and Buttercup shifted uncomfortably. She turned to Ace for an answer. The gang leader laughed and shrugged.

"Well uh...you see, these kids they uh...they don't got no one else, so. Well, we kinda took 'em in, y'know? Some of 'em got brothers and sisters they're takin' care of. So we just needed to get 'em some food and some clothes! They ain't got parents to look after 'em," Blossom heard a small sob; his story had Bubbles in tears. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. She felt a rush of anxiety as she opened her mouth, expecting Buttercup to cut her off. She almost wished she had.

"The entire city is a welfare state. There are plenty of legal alternatives to joining a street gang. The second orphanage just opened-"

"I ain't goin' to no damned orphanage!" The sudden shout cut her off. Ace whipped around, trying to calm the sudden rage spreading through the enlarged Gangreen Gang. When he turned back around, he wore a similar look of distaste as he glared at Blossom.

"Yeah, well some people don't wanna be just a number kid...you know what that's like, huh?" Blossom flinched and looked away, clenching her fists tightly. Even criminals...Buttercup cleared her throat and floated to the group of teens and kids. She turned to Mitch and swallowed hard.

"So what...what happened?" Mitch crossed his arms tight and glared at the ground.

"My...grandma got killed by one of those...things," One of Aku's minions no doubt. Ninja-garbed demonic creatures...powerful, loyal, fairly intelligent. They were good minions.

"Look, just let the kids go, you can take me in. Alright, sound fair?" Ace asked, smiling sheepishly. Blossom glanced at the other kids-where were the other Gangreen members-and back at Ace. They couldn't do that, they had to at least report the others for their involvement.

"No way! Ace you're eighteen now! You'll go to jail!" Ace swallowed nervously and chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. That was right...Ace had just recently had a birthday. If they arrested him now it was a one-stop trip straight to prison. Blossom clenched her fists. Blossom looked up in shock when Buttercup spoke.

"Okay...look, I. Well I could get in trouble for this, but...just don't let us catch you, alright? If we do, you're going to jail. But...this doesn't, I mean you're just trying to help these...okay? You get me?" Ace stared at Buttercup in awe, Blossom stared at her brimming with fury. How could they just let the criminals go? There were alternatives...there were other ways these kids could get help! They just...Blossom recognized her sister's gesture. They were leaving. She chanced one final glance at the new Gangreen Gang, one last thought crossing her mind.

"Who attacked you?" Blossom asked. Ace crossed his arms and snorted. Blossom glowered and turned around to face him, "If you won't cooperate..." The sound of Bubbles and Buttercup's flight was getting dimmer. Ace seemed to realize his situation, so he conceded and gave Blossom a glare.

"An old broad with a score to settle. That's all I'm sayin'," Blossom wasn't happy with the answer, but it was all she needed to know. With another glare, she shot off after her sisters. There were voices in her wake...she tried to block them out. Soon they were all she could hear.

XxXxX

She had planned on confronting Buttercup, planned to yell and scream and insult her for her decision. She wanted nothing more than to just berate her sister for her idiocy. By the time Blossom touched down on the front step, her fire was gone to ash. Not even an ember remained. She entered without a word, shuffled upstairs without a glance at the others. When she shut the door to her room and staggered through the darkness to her bed, she collapsed completely.

Laid out on her back, staring up at the plain white ceiling, Blossom rubbed her wrist. The weight was coming back, crushing her, pressing her into the white sheets. Her eyelids felt heavy...more than even her strength could handle. Blossom rolled over and crawled to her pillow. Grasping her secret doll tight to her chest, she closed her eyes, ready for the day to be over.