Townsville was a normal town, with abnormal people. First, there was the Mayor, who in reality would never survive without his loyal assistant, who we'll come back to in a moment. Then there was the Professor, the creator of the city's three superheroes, five year old triplets Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. What makes them special you ask? Well, while the Professor was trying to create the perfect little girl out of sugar, spice, and everything nice, he accidentally added chemical x, and created three little girls with superpowers.
Not to mention the massive range of villains that had an unnatural interest in the city. Now, back to Mayor's assistant, who actually ran the town, a Miss Sara Bellum. She was a beautiful young woman, tall, perfect figure, long red hair. She was also incredibly smart and strong-willed, a few of the reasons why she could put up with the childish Mayor. Another was that she cared deeply for those three girls and worried that one day they'd find a monster they couldn't beat.
What nobody knew, was that she was their mother. As anybody with a background in science knows, children are made of combined genes from a male and female, the X chromosome being necessary no matter what. While it was true that the Professor had used sugar, spice and everything nice, what many didn't know was that it was simply impossible to create life without chromosomes from two parents. So, he had used his own genes to extract the male X chromosome, but that left him in between a rock and a hard place. He had no wife or girlfriend to get the female X chromosome from, the other vital gene for creating a female child.
He had many friends, but only a few he would trust with this responsibility. In the end, he chose Ms. Bellum, not only for her beauty, but also for her self-confidence, strong will, and extensive intellect. It had been a painless process that she had readily agreed to. After he separated her genes and extracted the X chromosome he showed her out, intent on completing his project alone.
She hadn't minded, she'd been aware that all he'd needed was her genes. She had gone on her merry way, completely unaware of the events occurring in the man's lab. It hadn't been until the first of many monsters had invaded the town that she'd seen what she'd helped to create. She had seen them easily overpower the villain, and admittedly had been worried, as had the majority of the town. After all, they were just children.
It hadn't been until they'd landed and introduced themselves that she realized exactly whose children they were...and she'd immediately loved them.
As the years passed, the girls didn't seem to be aging, at least not at a normal rate, most likely a side effect of chemical x. They seemed to look up to her, and she hated and loved it at the same time. Loved that she could secretly guide her children, but hated not being able to tell them they were hers. They spent time together outside of normal city saving duties, mainly doing things mothers did with their daughters. She had spoken to the Professor about revealing her relation to the girls once before, but he had convinced her it was for the best if they didn't know.
Too confusing, he'd said. At the time, she'd agreed with him, but as the years passed with no signs of her marrying and having children, she began to regret her decision. As the girls grew, albeit slowly, she began to see exactly what each of them had inherited from her. Blossom showed the most obvious things, her red hair and intelligence, not mention her leadership qualities. For Buttercup it was her strong will and determination, not to mention her temper after she was pushed far enough.
Bubbles...was more difficult. The only obvious thing was her eye color, which nobody knew because nobody ever saw her face. It took her a few years before she realized what the sweet little blonde had gained from her. Her innocence. She had been just like her as a child, happy, easy going, full of love for everyone.
And she was extremely proud of them. They selflessly dedicated their lives to keeping the town safe, no matter the cost. This, understandably, made her worry whenever they flew into battle, but she knew they'd be fine. And she was always the first on the scene after a fight to discreetly make sure they were safe and sound. After a few years, Blossom seemed to sense how worried she was for their well-being, and would always give her a hug and whisper "Don't worry, Ms. Bellum, we're okay."
She was grateful for that, as it granted her a peace of mind. Not long after, Bubbles began to copy her sister, as far as the hug went, and Buttercup would simply give her a nod. And when, on rare occasions, they did end up with scrapes and cuts, she would tenderly clean and bandage them. Not to mention that they always gave her something on Mother's Day, claiming she was the closest thing to a mother they had. If only they knew...
Blossom, at eight, was a child genius. And being such, she knew something was up. Ms. Bellum was kind, and loved them, but there was something else there, too. A deeper kind of affection, one that she had only seen between other girls and their moms. But they didn't have a mom. At least, that was what the Professor told them.
But she'd been doing some research on genetics, and found that life wouldn't be created from things as ordinary and inanimate as sugar and spice. She'd learned all about X and Y chromosomes, and how they combined to make a baby. So, she concluded the Professor really was their father, but who was their mother? She'd wondered about that for days before finally reaching the logical conclusion. It had to be Ms. Bellum.
It all added up. The extra love, the way they were all extremely comfortable with one another, even the pull they all felt toward her. She didn't tell her sisters her findings in case she was wrong, but she intended to find out. She waited until her sisters were asleep before sneaking out. She flew to the woman's house, and knocked politely.
Ms. Bellum answered in her pretty red satin robe, something the young girl had loved since the first time she saw it. She instantly felt guilty, afraid she had woken the older woman up.
"Blossom? What are you doing here so late? Did something happen?"
"N-no, I just...had a question."
She saw the older woman sigh and relax in relief, further confirming her theory. She was invited inside and they settled on the couch before anything else was said.
"So, what's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"
Blossom fidgeted around, subconsciously pulling on her nightgown. How was she supposed to do it? Just outright ask?
"Blossom?" the older redhead gently coaxed, putting a hand on the child's shoulder.
"I don't really know how to ask."
"Go ahead, sweetie. Sometimes the best way is to just do it."
"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Are you my mom?"
Ms. Bellum froze for a minute before replying. Little did she know the pause was all Blossom needed.
"Of course not, you know that's impossible."
"But I've done research about genetics. It's impossible to create life without two chromosomes from two parents. The Professor is obviously the male parent. And then I started thinking-who could our mom be? All the signs pointed to you. So, are you our mom?"
The older redhead sighed and slumped against the back of the couch. She decided she might as well spill it since Blossom had already guessed.
"Genetically speaking, yes, I'm your mother. But as far as carrying you, well, you all know that didn't happen."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Blossom asked, sounding on the verge of tears.
"Oh, honey," she said, pulling the young girl onto her lap. "I wanted to, very badly, but the Professor convinced me otherwise and at the time I agreed with him."
"What do you mean?"
"He was afraid it would confuse all three of you to suddenly have a mother. At that time I felt he was right. But you figured it out for yourself, I didn't tell you."
"I understand," Blossom yawned, snuggling a little closer to the woman.
"Blossom, maybe you should fly home before you get too tired. I'd let you stay, but your...father...would be worried when you didn't come down for breakfast tomorrow morning. Why don't you go home, get a good night's rest, and you can tell your sisters tomorrow. Then we'll all do something this weekend. How does that sound?"
"Good," the younger redhead replied with a smile.
"All right then. Come on, let's get you into the air."
Before she flew back home, Blossom hugged the woman tightly.
"Goodnight, and thanks...Mom."
"Goodnight, Blossom. See you tomorrow."
As she flew home, she idly wondered what her sisters would think. She shrugged. At least it was someone they already loved, it could be worse. As she settled between the other girls she couldn't help but smile. Tomorrow would be a good day, no matter what, because now they had a mom to make everything better.