I lied.

Hello there. You must be pretty free if you're here. You are? How about you let me tell you a story? Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Brick. Since birth, he had been tormented by his fathers about his true meaning in life. This is a tale of what happened after he learnt the true meaning in life and chose to move on from the darkness that once plagued his heart. It's going to be long so please, make yourself comfortable.

"It hurts… It hurts… Make it stop," Brick whined, tossing and turning in bed.

"Brick, you have to bear with it," Blossom sighed. "I can't do anything!"

Brick let out a sob and curled himself into a ball, clutching his head with both his hands. Blossom could only watch as he thrashed about, the headache getting from bad to worse in a matter of heartbeats. She had already gave him painkillers but it didn't seem to work at all. Brick's health was deteriorating in an alarming rate. For the past three days, all he ever did was stay in bed and cry.

The door flung open and Boomer walked in with a very worried face. In his hands, he carried a glass of water and a round pill. Brick opened an eye and looked at his brother.

"Eat this. It'll help," Boomer said. Brick's face spoke of the doubt he had but he abided nonetheless. He easily swallowed the pill and drank the water. Blossom remembered how Brick had joked about him being an expert at swallowing pills thanks to the cancer and she smiled a little. She'd give anything to see him smile at that moment, even if it was a little bit.

Brick flopped back on the bed and curled himself up again. Boomer stood by Blossom, watching his brother for a moment, before heading back out of the door. Blossom reached over and took one of Brick's hands, squeezing it lightly.

"Is it helping?" Blossom asked.

Brick squeezed her hand back but due to his failing strength, the grip was weak. "Not really…"

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Like they'd be any help," Brick snorted. "I'll be fine… I just… Feel sleepy all of a sudden." Blossom's heart race from his sudden sleepiness. Was he really sleepy or was it something else? Blossom tightened her hold on his hand, and watched as he closed his eyes. She felt a shiver run through her as Brick stopped trembling and his scrunched up face smoothened out. His breathing eased out to a steady rhythm and Blossom let herself relax.

Brick was really just asleep. Thank god. Boomer must have given him a sleeping pill.

Blossom decided that watching Brick sleep would be kinda freaky so she stood up and walked out. A familiar aroma wafted out, filling her nostrils. She walked to the kitchen and saw Boomer placing out plates on the table. He carried a pan over from the stove and poured some spaghetti onto all three plates.

"Hey, Blossom," he greeted. "Is Brick asleep yet?" Blossom nodded and Boomer let out a sigh of relief. "Great. I made some for you as well. Would you like some?"

"Yes please!" she chuckled as she slid into one of the seats. Boomer went to get Butch. Blossom stared at the spaghetti in envy. Why was Boomer such a good cook? She wasn't even half as good as him and she used to pride herself in her ability to cook. Boomer had a natural talent in cooking and if he wasn't an idiot who busied himself with the destruction of Townsville, he could actually earn himself a pretty decent salary as a chef.

Butch and Boomer joined her and they started eating. Blossom had gotten used to eating with them, even though they were (or used to be) her mortal enemies. Once, it was a little awkward but she had gotten over it really quickly.

"How's Brick doing?" Butch asked.

"He's getting worse," Blossom sighed.

"I don't even know if he'd live to see next week," Boomer added as he picked at his food. "Can't you do something, Blossom?"

Blossom shook her head and Boomer sighed. "What about your Professor?" Butch asked.

"He's a Professor, Butch, not a doctor," Blossom replied. "I don't think he has anything that could help Brick."

"But he's the only one who fully understands us! We're different from normal humans, Blossom. The only people who really know how we work are us, him and Mojo but we don't trust Mojo," Butch pointed out.

Blossom realised that they had a point. The Professor was really the only person who understood how the body systems of the girls (and boys) were like. He was their creator, after all. If he could create them, perhaps he could save Brick as well. Blossom hadn't actually thought of it in that way and if the Professor really could help, she should apologize to Brick.

"I guess it's worth a try," Blossom sighed.

After lunch, as Boomer cleaned up, Blossom flipped out her phone and dialled the number of their home. Thankfully, the Professor had answered, which meant that he was home and probably free. Blossom immediately narrated the whole situation to the Professor. Surprisingly, he told them to come by and that he could try and take a look at him.

And so, the three of them brought the still-sleeping Brick all over the Powerpuff's house. Buttercup was out playing soccer with some of her friends and Bubbles had gone shopping for some clothes for the upcoming school term, leaving them with the house all for themselves.

"The cancer is serious… He doesn't have very long left… I'd say about a few days," Professor admitted. "Rightfully, nothing can be done at this stage but he isn't a normal humans. The Chemical X in his bloodstream is actually putting up a decent fight against the cancer but there's just not enough. That's why his powers are failing him as well. He also has this huge tumour in his brain. Normally, removing it would end up in excessive blood loss that will immediately kill him…"

"So there's nothing you can do?" Boomer asked.

"I can think of something but I don't know if his body can take it. He's already very weak," the Professor sighed. "I can fix him up with a continuous supply of Chemical X while I remove the tumour in his brain… After that, I'll just continue on with the Chemical X until all the cancer cells have been killed.

"That's it?" Butch muttered. "You can't be serious…"

"I'm not a trained professional, Butch. I could end up killing him," the Professor sighed. "Even if I don't kill him, he might die of an overdose of Chemical X."

"Could we get doctors to do it?" Blossom suggested.

"No. This is an unapproved method. There's no way anyone would agree to taking such a big risk. No doctors will do it. Plus, they don't know about the way his body works. I wouldn't have recommended taking him to a hospital in the first place."

"Professor Utonium, we're willing to take the risk!" Butch said immediately. "I mean, the worst that can happen is he dies and he's already dying so… Please."

Professor looked at the two boys who were staring up at him and sighed. He turned to Blossom in question and she nodded. The Professor shrugged and walked to the cabinet at the corner of the room, opening it to reveal tubs and tubs of Chemical X. He took a stack of them out and placed them on the table, where Brick was lying asleep.

"Blossom, I'd like you to help me out in here. The two of you wait upstairs. Make yourselves comfortable. When Buttercup and Bubbles return, please tell them not to disturb the two of us."

The procedure took about a few hours.

One hour passed and the two boys were pacing to and fro the length of the living room. Fear was gnawing away at them and they realized that they had never felt such fear before, not even when they were on the brink of destruction at the hands of the Powerpuff Girls. Perhaps it was because back then, all they thought about was their own self. But as they waited for their older brother, all they could think about was him.

Boomer had always thought that Brick was a jerk. He hated being hit and bossed about. But in the past, all he wanted was to be accepted by Brick. In fact, when he was much younger, he idolized his older brother. Brick was perfect (as a villain). He was jealous of Butch, honestly. But he knew it wasn't Butch's fault. Their personalities were as such. Butch was the tough and destructive one, even more that Brick was. It was obvious that Brick would prefer him, especially since Boomer was seen as too dumb to match up to the two.

But as he grew older, Brick got more perfect (if that was even possible). He had flaws, of course, but they didn't seem so big in Boomer's eyes. What made Boomer really happy was that Brick started acknowledging him as a brother, rather than a dog of some sort. It made him happy. And when Brick's cancer came, it crushed Boomer, of course, but it also made him realize that no matter how tough and cool Brick could look in his eyes, Brick was still a boy. He needed his brothers. He needed support.

Butch didn't need Brick around or anything. Even if he did, he wasn't sappy enough to admit it. But he was sure that he wanted Brick to live. He didn't want Brick to die. Brick had been his only and best friend since they were born. Sure, there was Boomer, but Boomer seemed to be on a different wavelength from his brothers at time. Butch knew that sometimes, it was as if he was Brick's shadow, and that by agreeing to everything his brother said or did, it made him seem like he was just a brainless follower. But the truth was, he really did agree to everything and when he didn't, he wouldn't follow through with it. The rare arguments that Butch had with Brick were never seen by anyone, not even Boomer. Butch knew that most of the time, Brick gave in to him. Because that was what older brothers always do, isn't it?

Even at a young age, Brick had loved his brothers. He just never showed it.

Butch never told anyone but the reason why Brick was so hard on Boomer was because he was afraid that Boomer's sensitivity and naivety would make it hard for him to survive in a world of crime. If Boomer ever found himself alone and against the girls, he wouldn't be able to fight or escape.

True enough, he got caught once and after that, Brick had never let him go anywhere alone.

Of course, Butch had never told that to Boomer. He couldn't help but regret it. At the same time, if Brick died, he wasn't going to. He didn't need Boomer feeling worse over the death of Brick.

Two hours passed and Bubbles came home, arms loaded with shopping bags. Her eyes widened as Boomer narrated to her what the Professor was up to in his lab and she agreed not to interfere.

"Do you boys want anything to drink?" she asked. Both of them shook their heads. Bubbles flew up to her room after that.

Three hours passed and Buttercup returned. She listened to Boomer quietly and sighed. She dropped the soccer ball on the floor and let it roll to a corner.

"He'll be fine," she sighed. "It's the Professor after all. I'm going up for a shower."

Three and a half hours passed and the door of the lab swung open. The two boys, who had been sitting on the couch silently, jumped up and floated to it. Blossom walked out, wiping her hands on a towel. Her face was emotionless and the boys couldn't tell if everything went well or not. She looked up at the two of them and smiled weakly.

"The tumour is gone, thankfully," she said. "As for the rest, it's all up to his body… I'm not too sure though. We tried our best but he's still lost a lot of blood. A normal human would have died but thank god for the chemical… But he's still weak. He might not survive, you know…"

Blossom looked troubled and Boomer could tell immediately what she was feeling. He took her hands and squeezed them lightly. "I just want you to know that if Brick dies now, it's not your fault," he said. "Don't blame yourself."

Blossom grimaced and pulled her hands away. "I'm going to my room… The Professor's with him…"

Four hours passed and Bubbles and Buttercup floated down to the boys. Bubbles grabbed Boomer's arm and dragged him to the kitchen while Buttercup sat in front of the tv. She took out a game controller and tossed it at Brick, which he caught by reflex. He walked over to sit beside her.

"You need to calm down," Buttercup said as she started setting up the same. "How about a round of FIFA between the two of us?"

Butch remained silent but he nodded. Buttercup was right. Waiting for Brick was going to take forever and it was just going to kill him from inside. He needed to take his mind of it and relax. A video game would be the best way for him.

Meanwhile, Bubbles had dragged Boomer into the kitchen to help her bake a cake. "When Brick wakes up, he'd love a celebration," she said, taking out the necessary utensils and ingredients.

Bubbles and Buttercup were not as knowledgeable as Blossom. They didn't fully understand the science behind the procedure like Blossom did. But they had one thing: faith. They had faith in the Professor's abilities. They had faith in Brick's strength.

Both Boomer and Butch realized that they were going to need a lot more faith to go through the whole ordeal of waiting.

Five hours and twenty three minutes after it had began, Professor Utonium came out and sighed. Boomer and Bubbles flew out of the kitchen, leaving their cake to bake in the oven. Buttercup and Butch paused their game and turned to look at him. Blossom floated down the stairs. All five pairs of eyes fixed on the middle-aged man.

"It's over," he said and everyone felt a rush of panic. Over? What was over? The operation or his life? Professor looked at them for a while before grinning widely. "He's awake and healthy. Go see him."

Boomer and Butch didn't need to be told twice. They flew straight into the lab.

Brick's hair had been cut shorter than it had ever been and he was sitting on the table, pulling on his red long-sleeved t-shirt. He had his back faced towards his brothers, which gave them a clear view of a long red scar at the back of his head, where the hair parted to show some skin.

Brick with short hair was something they would have laughed at all those years ago but now, it didn't seem to matter. Both of them flew towards him and threw themselves on him, hugging him from behind.

"Brick!" they cried out, choking from happiness.

Brick glanced at both of them and grinned. "Hey there," he chuckled.

"How're you feeling?" Butch asked.

"Great, actually. My head feels so light. It still stings though but the Professor said it'll get better," Brick replied.

"You're fully cured right?" Boomer question, tightening his hold on his brother as he buried his face in Brick's neck. "I don't want to go through all of this again…"

"Yeah… I'm cured… Looks like you're stuck with me for a long long time, Boomie," Brick sighed, reaching over to ruffle the blue Ruff's hair.

"Alright!" Butch cheered. "Let's go up and celebrate!"

"Yupp!" Boomer agreed. "Bubbles and I baked a cake for you, Brick!"

Brick followed his brothers up and into the kitchen. He watched from aside as they went about, along with the Professor, Bubbles and Buttercup, setting up the place for dinner. He frowned, realizing that his counterpart was missing. Without saying anything, he slipped out of the room, unnoticed, and flew upstairs. With his x-ray vision, he was easily able to spot Blososm in her room, looking out of the window. He flew over to that room and knocked on the door.

Blossom opened the door and flashed him a weak smile. "Hey, how're you feeling?" she asked.

"Better than I have been since a year ago," he replied, flashing her a smile as well. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blossom answered much too quickly. Brick raised an eyebrow and she sighed. "I was really scared for you… The unease hasn't quite left yet. You sure you're okay right?"

Brick chuckled and reached over to give her a playful forehead flick. Blossom blinked at him, her eyes wide. "Gee, stop worrying about me already. Isn't one month of worries enough?" he laughed. He pointed at himself. "Enemy, remember?"

Blossom pouted playfully, making Brick laugh. He hadn't been able to laugh without his head hurting in a while so when he did, it made him feel so free and good that he was sure he looked like a little boy.

"I must be insane then," she joked. "Saving the life of an enemy… What was I thinking?"

"Who knows?" Brick chuckled. He stared at her for a while, gathering himself and calming down so he could put on a serious expression. "Thank you, for saving my life and ending all that pain… I know it was a big risk but I grateful that you took it."

"Sorry that we didn't think of this sooner," Blossom admitted.

"No worries," Brick replied. "I… I'm just really happy, Bloss. You brought me back from the brink of death. I'm forever in debt to your family."

"Well, you could try giving up crime," Blossom suggested. Brick could tell that she doubted if he would accept that. After all, all his life, he only knew crime.

Well, almost all his life.

Brick reached forward and placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her smooth face. "But Blossom," he murmured and her face immediately fell. "I've already given up crime… Ever since we had our first night together. You have my word. You won't see me- or my brothers- causing chaos on the streets anymore. You girls have helped us so much and for that, we're thankful." Brick leaned forward to kiss her lightly on her forehead. "Come on, let's go down… Bubbles and Boomer baked a cake."

Following that, Blossom started seeing Brick less and less. With the new term approaching, Blossom found it hard to make time to visit the boys. Her trips over got less frequent and when the new school term started, it faded to none at all. As usual, balancing high school and crime fighting was a struggle, even if it was for a prodigious student like her.

Brick didn't fade off entirely from her mind. He just became less important… Well, at least until about two months later.

Blossom woke up with the urge to throw up again. She ran towards the toilet before giving in to her urges at the sink. It had been a week since she started throwing up and it was getting on her nerves. The nausea, however, would end awhile later and she would be well enough to attend school.

On that day in particular, Blossom didn't have to go to school because it was Saturday. She had tons of homework to do by the end of the weekend and she knew she needed to finish it quick before moving on to study for the tests that were coming up. Hopefully no one decided to mess with Townsville.

"Blossom, are you okay?" Bubbles asked when she went down for breakfast. "I heard you throw up."

"I've been throwing up for the past week already. Funning thing is, after awhile, I feel all better," she replied, shrugging as she moved to make herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning sickness," Bubbles chuckled.

"That's bull, Bubbles," Blossom sighed with a roll of her eyes. She added a few teaspoons of sugar in her coffee and took a sip. Ouch, too hot.

"Come on, maybe it is," her younger sister giggled. "When was your last period?"

"My last period was…" Blossom frowned, thinking back. She hadn't had her period since sometime in summer. It had to be about two and a half months since she last did. Blossom bit her bottom lip. Her? Pregnant? Nah, that couldn't be it. The last time she did it was with Brick all those weeks ago and she was very sure it was a safe day for her.

Wasn't it?

"Follow me," Bubbles said, not waiting for an answer. She grabbed Blossom by the arm roughly, causing her older sister to almost spill the cup of coffee in her attempt at placing it on the table. Bubbles led Blossom up to Buttercup's room and started pounding on the door.

"What is it?!" their sister yelled as she opened the door with a scowl. Buttercup was wearing a green tank top and black shorts, accompanied by a pair of black sneakers with green laces. She held a helmet in one hand and her skateboard in another.

"Blossom needs a pregnancy test!" Bubbles exclaimed, pushing her way in and moving over to Buttercup's chest of drawers. Buttercup dropped her stuff as Bubbles started rummaging through it.

"Hey, piss off. That's my underwear drawer!" Buttercup snapped.

"I can see that," Bubbles chuckled, pulling out a lacy green thong and wiggling her eyes at her sister. "Who'd you wear this for?"

"Look, that was a gift from Mitch when we were dating. I've never wore it," Buttercup scoffed. She snatched the thong from Bubbles and threw it into the drawer. She opened another one and pulled out a box that she threw at Blossom. Blossom caught it clumsily. "So? Who knocked you up?"

"None of your business," Blossom snapped.

"I bet it's Dexter," Bubbles said. "He's been crushing over you for as long as I can remember. Like, have you seen the way he looks at you?"

Blossom thought about her geeky Science lab partner and shuddered. Dexter might be a boy genius and he might be just as smart (or maybe even smarter) than she was but that did not mean she liked him. In fact, she actually hated how people thought they were made for each other. Dexter had no life aside from his intelligence. He was a bore. She preferred someone who was fun and smart.

Kinda like Brick…

"I would never have sex with him, Bubbles. Ever."

Bubbles sighed and scratched her cheek. "I don't know… Mike?"

"He's with Robin. They got together at the start of summer, remember?" Buttercup pointed out. "Anyway, if anyone among the three of us is to get preggy from him, it's you."

"Well, it can't be Mitch because he was with you until summer," Bubbles said. "And Blossom and him don't match… Damn, I have no idea. God, what are you going to do Bloss? He needs a father!"

Blossom felt her eye twitch. "Bubbles, just because you don't have an idea who his father is, it doesn't mean I don't," she said. "If I am pregnant, I am very sure I know who's responsible."

"Who?" Bubbles cooed.

"Not telling you."

"It's Brick," Buttercup sighed. Bubbles squealed and looked at her questioningly. Blossom shook her head, making Buttercup's eyes roll. "Blossom's been away at the boys' for quite a lot of nights already. She never denied having sex when I brought it up on the phone the other time she was at their place. It could be any one of them but I'm guessing it's Brick."

"Why not Butch or Boomer?" Bubbles wondered aloud.

"Blossom and Boomer in bed together? Please… No, I take that back. Boomer in bed with a girl is just weird enough. And Butch, well, Blossom doesn't seem like the type of girl he goes for," Buttercup explained. "By method of elimination, it has to be Brick. And plus, why can't it be him? He's the guy she spent the most time with the entire summer."

"Woah, Blossom, you're in love with a Rowdyruff!" Bubbles gasped. "How cool is that?"

"Bubbles, just because he might have gotten me pregnant, it doesn't mean I'm in love with him."

Buttercup was grimacing. "Ew, sis. You forced yourself on a guy who was dying. That's weird, man."

"He wanted it!" Blossom stamped her foot childishly. "And yeah, he was dying. How was I supposed to say no?"

Bubbles started pushing her towards the toilet and Blossom sighed, deciding to do as she was told. About a few minutes later, Blossom emerged, her eye twitching in annoyance. She shoved the test into Bubbles' hands and sighed.

"Positive," she grumbled. "Now what?"

"Oh my god! I'm going to be an aunt! Blossom, you're going to be a mother! This is great! Wait till I tell the Professor!" Bubbles chuckled, flying out of the room before her sisters could stop her.

"Oh boy," Buttercup sighed.

"Oh boy indeed. What am I supposed to do, BC? I can't have this child. I'm still in school," Blossom hissed. "I need to graduate and go to college and all, you know."

"I don't see the problem," Buttercup sighed. "You can ask Professor to get you home schooled until you have the child. You're smart as hell so I'm sure the school will let him… He's been complaining about being alone at home since the three of us are out a lot so the baby can keep him occupied when you're in school or out fighting crime."

"I don't know if I'm ready to have this baby!" Blossom insisted.

"Are you going to abort it?" Buttercup asked bitterly.

Blossom considered it. She remembered doing an essay on it once and ever since then, she was completely against the idea of it. There was no way she was going to let her child suffer and die right even before he could take his first breath.

Blossom shook her head. She had no choice but to go on with the pregnancy.

"Are you going to give the child up for adoption?" Buttercup asked again.

"Perhaps… I really got enough in my hands," Blossom replied.

"You're going to suffer nine months of pregnancy, go through labour and a few more months of recovery just for someone else to raise the child, huh?" Buttercup sighed. "Anyway, don't forget about Brick. It is his child we're talking about."

Blossom furrowed her brows. Brick was the last thing that she thought of when the problems associated to her pregnancy popped into her mind. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if he suggested an abortion in the first place. Come on, he could have given up crime but Blossom didn't know if he was doing it just because he owed her. For all she knew, he could still be a bad person deep down. If there was one thing she had learnt from all her encounters will villains was that they could never be trusted.

"Come on, even if he does want the child, what makes you think he's cut out to be a father?" Blossom complained. "Just a year ago, he was threatening to blow up the city and kill everyone, babies included. Plus, Boomer was a lot like a baby all those years ago and he was never nice to him!"

"They were five, Blossom. You could say that Brick was pretty much like a baby back then as well. A baby hitting a much bigger baby. No biggie," Buttercup shrugged. "I think Brick is the most cut out among the three to be a father. I agree that there are other better guys but look at it this way. Among the three of us, you're the most mature and logical. Like right now, you're basing everything on logic. You've taken care of Bubbles and I as we grew up since we don't have a mom. In a way, you could be somewhat like a mother-figure to us."

Blossom thought for a moment and nodded. If she did decide to take care of the baby, she could possibly be a great mother.

Buttercup continued, "So in the case of the Rowdyruff Boys, the one who holds the most responsibility would be your counterpart- Brick. Since Boomer and Butch are well alive, I'm guessing he took really good care of them without us knowing. We only saw them like… Once a week or something. How can we judge? Plus, just like how we don't have a mother, they don't have a mother as well."

"They have two fathers, though!" Blossom insisted, trying to prove her point right even though she knew damn well that Buttercup was right.

"A crazy monkey genius and a cross-dressing lobster-clawed demon. Both of which told them that their only mission in life is to be evil and destroy us. Right, amazing dads," Buttercup sighed. "Come on, Bloss. You're smart. You should know Brick's potential the best."

"I should tell him," Blossom agreed.

"I meet him every week at the skate park. Come along," Buttercup said. She pulled out her phone and frowned. "We better hurry too. Butch is a little pissed that I'm late…"

Along their way out, they bumped into Bubbles and the Professor. It turned out the Professor was supportive of her child. In fact, he seemed a little too happy for a father whose teenage daughter just got impregnated by someone who, about a year ago, was trying to kill her. Blossom's mind was in a whirlwind. A part of her wanted to keep the child, she really did, but another part of her told her that at that point in her life, there were stuff that were more important, like crime fighting and school.

Bubbles decided to tag along with her sisters to the skate park, saying that she could possibly see some hot guys in action. Blossom agreed as well. Perhaps seeing a few guys on a Saturday morning could end up livening her mood. Though she knew that her main mission was to find Brick.

She didn't have to search for him. When the three girls reached the park, the boys were there to greet them, as if they had been waiting.

"Yo, Butters, you're late!" Butch yelled.

"Shut it, Butch. You're always late anyway," Buttercup yelled back.

"Well, you're later than me, which makes you really fucking late," Butch snapped.

"Lively, aren't they?" Boomer sighed, scratching the back of his neck in amusement. "So what brings the two of you here?"

"I was planning on looking for a hottie," Bubbles chuckled.

Boomer raised his eyebrow and held out his arms. "Well, look no further." Bubbles giggled and shoved him lightly, making him laugh as well. "Hey, how about I show you some of my moves since BC and Butch don't look like they're going to end of arguing anytime soon." Bubbles nodded vigorously. The two blondes linked arms immediately and Boomer started leading Bubbles into the park, his skateboard dragging beside him.

"What about you, Blossy? Ran out of homework to complete?" Brick teased. Blossom flashed him a glare and he held his hands out in surrender. "Alright sorry. It's just that ever since we started meeting up with BC here, we always asked about you and Bubbles. Apparently, Bubbles is always painting something and you're with your homework. Psh, nerd."

Blossom pointed at herself incredulously. "I-I am not a nerd. I know how to have fun!"

"How? Reading biographies?" Brick mocked.

"Ew, no. Who reads those stuff?" Blossom scoffed, making a face. She liked books, sure, but novels and classics were her thing. Anything about the real world was a bore and if she wanted to know something, she'd google it.

"Actually, I do," Brick admitted with a sigh. "About army generals and dictators. I think they're cool."

"No way, Brick? Reading? The world is about to end." Brick's scowl made Blossom smirk. At least she was on the giving end of the teases and that was all that mattered for the moment.

"I am your counterpart, you know," Brick sighed. "I love books, especially historical non-fiction works. It's interesting. Do you know that Hitler had a really wild sex life?"

"Is that all that matters to you?" Blossom sighed, but at the mention of sex, she realized her real reason for being there. She had to tell Brick about the child. She looked around the place. The skate park was filled. It seemed a little too crowded for him to safely skate without falling and cracking his skull. "Are you going to skate now?"

"I don't think so," Brick admitted. "It's a little too crowded. Damn, we were actually pretty early but Butch decided to wait for your sister and now the park's taken up."

"Sorry, we had a little family emergency," Blossom sighed. "But if you're not skating now, how about some coffee?" With the mention of coffee, Blossom realized that her cup of coffee was still on the kitchen table back home and it would be much too cold to drink it when she got back. Great.

Brick glanced at his watch and then at the park before he shrugged. Slinging his helmet by its strap on his shoulders, he picked up his skateboard and started walking towards the nearest Starbucks a distance away. "Gosh, Blossom," he said in a mocking hurt voice, "after getting so close to me during the summer, you decide to do a disappearing act on me and now, all of a sudden, you're asking me out on a coffee date."

"I didn't do a disappearing act on you. I told you already. I got to go to school," Blossom sighed. "Anyway, why do I have to be the one to visit you or ask you out? Why can't you do it?"

"Because you might be busy. I don't want to impose anything after... You know, all that," Brick replied, gesturing to his head. "So I thought I'd leave it up to you to decide where you want this thing between us to go." He opened the door and held it for her before sliding in behind her.

"This thing between us..." Blossom murmured after him and she fiddled with her hair absentmindedly.

"You can't possibly feel that there's nothing between us after all the time we spent together... You don't still see me as an enemy, do you?" Brick asked. Blossom shrugged, making him sigh a little. Brick walked forward to the counter as Blossom waited by the door. Brick knew what she liked so she left it to him to order. Awhile later, he walked towards her holding two cups of steaming hot vanilla latte.

"So, what's with this sudden coffee?" Brick asked as the two of them walked out and started walking down the street with no particular destination in mind. "I doubt that it's because you wanted to spend time with me after two months."

"I actually have something to tell you," Blossom admitted as she took a sip of her drink.

"I thought as much. Spill it, what's up?" he asked.

"Yeah, well… That depends… How good are you with kids?" she asked back.

Brick furrowed his brows and Blossom couldn't help but wonder if he had actually figured it out. He drank a little and let out a sigh. "Personally, I'd say kinda good… I mean, who do you think looked after Butch and Boomer when they were younger?" he laughed softly. Brick stopped and his eyes softened. "Like I'm anyone to talk… They looked after me as well… Especially since then…"

"They still look out for you, huh?"

Brick shrugged. "There're still risks of a relapse, you know."

"Okay… I have something to tell you and you've got to promise not to freak out," Blossom said. Brick narrowed his eyes and nodded. Blossom took a deep breath. "I'm… Pregnant… And I'm pretty sure it's yours."

Brick's face remained as it was, showing no reaction towards the news. He dropped his keyboard on the ground, stopping it with his foot, and ran his hand through his hair. He fixed his eyes on the board, as if deep in thought. Blossom just stared at him as he pushed his board about with his foot. After awhile of silence, he looked up at her and smiled.

"I thought as much since you mention kids," he replied. "So what's the matter? We'll keep him… Or her."

"But Brick, we're only seventeen!" Blossom insisted. "I don't think we're ready to have a child!"

Brick narrowed his eyes and pulled out his phone. He fiddled with it for a moment before showing her a picture of a small baby, all bloodied and dead. "Do you want this to happen to him then?" he questioned bitterly.

"Of course not! I'm not going for an abortion!" Blossom gasped, horrified.

"Adoption then?" Brick suggested irritably. "Come on, no one is going to accept a child of a Rowdyruff. Plus, he's mine. I want to raise him. If you don't want to, I'll do it myself."

"You can't possibly do that all by yourself! He needs a mother!" Blossom insisted.

"You and I grew up fine without mothers," Brick pointed out. He stared at her hard for a moment and then sighed, closing his eyes. "I know you're scared, Blossom. I know you're trying to be logical and choose the best route for both us and the baby but sometimes, the best way isn't what will bring you the most happiness. Life isn't about succeeding, Blossom. It's about being happy."

"Yeah, sure…"

Brick rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "Sure, I know that. Look, if I had succeeded in life, do you think I'll be happy now? Heck, I wont even be alive. It was because I didn't succeed in killing you that we became friends. It was because of that you spent so much time to make my last days happy. It was because of my failure in killing you that you managed to save my life… Push your education and Townsville aside, what do you really want? Don't you want your child?"

Blossom swallowed the rising lump in her throat. In her, there was a life growing, a life that came out of her and Brick, a life strengthening the bond between him and her for all eternity. Brick was right, partly, but her mind was right as well. Her education and her town was important. But the child was hers. Could she really be able to sleep at night after sending him for adoption, knowing that a part of her was being raised somewhere else by someone else? Would she be fine knowing that someone else would be watching her child grow, that her child would call someone else his parents?

"Of course I want him… I just don't know what to do… What should we do next?" Blossom whispered.

Brick remained silent, continuously sipping his drink until he finished it to the last drop. He dropped the cup beside his skateboard and sighed, sliding his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He looked at her hesitantly before he took a deep breath. Blossom watched, bemused, as he got on one knee, holding his hands out.

"I'm sorry… But I don't have a ring," he chuckled. "But for the sake of our child, Blossom, marry me… Marry me because I want our child to have a proper family. Marry me because…" He stopped, turning red as he looked away. "Because… Lately, I… I've kinda been in love with you."

Blossom gasped, dropping her coffee on the ground. She wasn't shocked by the proposal. It was one of the possible scenarios she had imagined in her head. Brick asking her to marry him for the child wasn't that big of a surprise. But what took her aback was the fact that he just confessed, and that he loved her.

But weren't they enemies?

"Actually, I've been loving you for quite sometime. I even filmed a video confessing all my feelings for you back then. I had passed it to Boomer. He was supposed to give it to you after I died… But thankfully, he didn't have to," Brick continued. "I didn't have the balls to tell you this when I was dying because I was afraid that you'll leave me and not see me anymore. I mean, you hate me… I know that you still doubt me and that you still think of me as a villain. So I kept quiet about how I felt.

"I also kinda doubted my feelings. I thought it was because of the cancer that I started falling for you… But it's two months into my recovery and I'm still dying everyday thinking about you, Blossom… I really wanted to go to you and come clean about my feelings. But you're busy. You have more important things than me. I'm a nobody after I gave up crime. I'm just some kid with superpowers, who doesn't know what to do with his life anymore."

Brick noticed the spilled coffee nearing his knee and he stood up. He turned away immediately and picked up his board. "You're silent… Why won't you be? I get it if you don't want to marry me… But I want our child, Bloss… Perhaps then, I'll have a reason to continue living…"

Blossom struggled to find her voice. "I don't…" She stopped. She didn't love Brick, did she? It's true that she rarely thought about Brick lately but it was because she was just too busy to think about stuff. But he was all that she thought about all summer. She had spent many sleepless nights taking care of him, and also crying at the thought of him dying. Was that really just friendship? Bubbles and Buttercup were friends with him as well but they slept fine. So what was it that made her go out her way and save the life of Brick? If she had let him died, wouldn't it have made her life easier?

Would it?

A life without Brick…

"I don't know…" she said softly. "I think I might love you but I don't know…"

Brick looked at her and smiled weakly. "It's okay… That's all I need… For now…"

They remained silent for awhile longer. "The child… Do you want a girl or boy?" Blossom asked. "I'd like a boy… A little boy that looks just you…"

"My doppelganger? Sounds good." Brick grinned.

"And… And, I'll marry you… I'll get the Professor to take me out of school… I can be homeschooled. I can still try out for my degree in a few years after that. As for crime fighting-"

"My brothers and I will help," Brick cut in. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"Everything will be okay, right?" Blossom whispered. Brick nodded. "Promise?"

Brick took her by the hands and pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was short and sweet, but it told her enough. She could trust him. He would be there for her through it all.

That was all she needed.

"Promise," he whispered against her lips.

Yeah, you're right… That wasn't quite how it went. You see, I wasn't a lucky boy. Perhaps, this was how I had wanted it to go- for me to survive, to get married to the love of my life and to be there to watch my son grow. But reality was very much different. I died at seventeen. She didn't know my love for her until after I was gone. My son never knew his father and his father was never there to witness his coming into this very much fucked up, yet beautiful, world, to watch as he took his first steps, to hear his first words, to hold his hand and walk him to school on hi first day, to bring him to the park to play catch and just simply to exist in his life. All I can do is imagine. Imagine a life with them…

All I ask for, is a chance to let them know how much they mean to me… But that too, I don't know if it's possible.

Anyway, it's getting late. I hope you enjoyed this rather long, imagined tale of mine.

Farewell.

Why did I do this? Man, I don't know either... But I hope you like it. :)

I don't quite know if this can be classified as an alternate ending since Brick is narrating it after his death (or maybe in his final moments- I don't know, I leave it to you to decide) but considering at it creates, just for a moment, an alternative in that Brick did survive- no matter in reality or in his mind- I decided to make it as an alternate ending.

I thank you for all your support. No more tricks, this is the end.

Good night.