Lycan

Authors note: The rating of this story is a M for violence, gore, language and suggestive material. You have been warned.

Any themes relating to the Wolfman, Van Helsing or Red riding hood do not belong to me and belong to its respective owners.

The Powerpuff girls do not belong to me either and as always, they have human appendages.

*Hey guys, Rose here: I know that with everything going on in the world right now due to COVID-19, things look pretty scary. I want everyone reading this to know that I'm wishing you nothing but health, and hope with all my heart that you're able to keep to stay positive and smiling through these crazy times. I hope that reading this gives you some kind of break from everything that's going on, and that you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. Keep your heads up guys, and just remember: this too shall pass.

Rose xoxox

Chapter 16: The Mob

Bleary rose orbs slowly forced themselves open against the pale morning light coming in through a small part in the bedroom's heavy curtains. Blossom allowed herself a moment for her eyes to properly adjust to the rest of her still-dark bedroom before attempting to sit up in her bed with a painful wince.

God. Last night had been awful. In more ways then one.

A slight weight on the other side of her bed made her look over only to see Bubbles curled up into the blankets beside her. Blossom leaned over and brushed a piece of blonde hair out of her sister's face as the events of the night before slowly came back to her.

After coming back to the house and finding out the secrets that Buttercup had been forced to keep from them – all three of the sisters had quietly made their way up to their rooms, hoping to maybe get an hour of sleep before breakfast – only to realize that none of them really wanted to be alone. All three girls had crammed themselves into Blossom's room where they had promptly fallen asleep. Another look near the foot of her bed revealed that Buttercup had fallen asleep scrunched up into a ball on top of the covers. She didn't look comfortable, but Blossom didn't have the heart to wake her and get her to move into a more desirable position.

Blossom slowly shifted out of bed, hoping that her sisters wouldn't wake, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, Bubbles stirred and rolled over in bed. She blinked sleepily and let out a yawn. "Sorry, did I wake you up?" Blossom whispered. Bubbles shook her head. "No… I was just resting my eyes… I don't think sleep was in the cards for me after last night."

"No." Blossom agreed as she made her way over to Bubbles's side, gently sweeping away more hair from her face. "We have to do something Blossom." Bubbles murmured. "We can't just give into what they want. Whatever that might be."

"I know." Blossom sighed, folding her hands into her lap. "I know I said that last night, but you're right. Hopefully we can talk to them and try to persuade them otherwise… we might just be the only ones that they'll listen to now."

"How are we possibly going to do that?" Bubbles sighed as she ran a hand though her hair, only for her face to scrunch up as she pulled a small chunk of pine needles out of her hair. "Gross, I keep finding them in different places. Boomer really had me running though all sorts of underbrush out in the woods."

"You're sure he didn't hurt you?" Blossom pressed. Bubbles nodded. "No. He didn't try anything with me. He shifted back into a human so he could talk to me. I think he knew just how freaked out I was. That, and I don't think he really wanted me to see him as a wolf." She blinked and a small amount of red dusted her cheeks. "They're naked when they transform back, you know? Buttercup didn't warn us about that one."

"No, but I suppose it makes sense… I imagine that their clothes probably wouldn't survive the change." Blossom rolled her eyes, trying to get the mental image out of her head. "Off topic anyways, I didn't need to know that."

A sudden knocking at the door interrupted the girls. Both fell silent as the door cracked open to reveal their mother. The voluptuous woman quirked an eyebrow as she took in the sight of her three daughters huddled up in Blossom's bed. "I was wondering where you had disappeared to." She spoke to Bubbles before nodding at the still-sleeping Buttercup. "What are you doing in Blossom's room?"

"Couldn't sleep." Bubbles responded weakly, praying that there wasn't anymore branches in her hair. The last thing she needed was her mother asking questions that she didn't know how to answer without her finding out what they had been up to the night before. Thankfully her mother only grunted, looking worn out herself. "That's fair. I didn't sleep much myself. I'm so worried about your father…" she trailed off uncertainly.

"Have you heard anything?" Blossom asked. Her mother shook her head after a moment. "No. Nothing. It's like he vanished. No one has seen anything. Supposedly there are people out there looking for him… but I don't know."

"Don't give up mama." Bubbles murmured gently. "He'll turn up, I know he will." The older woman sighed. "I hope so." Just then, Buttercup began to stir. The dark-haired girl slowly sat up and stretched stiffly. "God that was a mistake." She muttered hoarsely as she wiped sleep from her eyes. She blinked blearily as she took in her surroundings. "Did I miss something?"

"No." Sara sighed. She looked at her daughters again. "Why couldn't you sleep?" Buttercup shot Blossom and Bubbles a sideways glance, silently asking them to cover for her. "Nerves, I guess." Blossom finally got out. "Papa being missing and all… that and well-" she paused. She didn't want to bring the wolves up just yet.

Thankfully, she didn't have to as her mother nodded stiffly. "I know. Those… things, your father had mentioned." She picked at her long nails absentmindedly. "Do… do you think they were out last night?"

Oh mum, if only you knew. Blossom thought bitterly. Instead she forced herself to shrug nonchalantly. "I don't know. I suppose we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Sara chuckled bitterly. "I suppose so." She agreed. "I can't believe that this is our reality."

"Believe me, neither do we." Buttercup muttered as she fell back onto the bed. Sara shot her a look. "Well, nanny's practically done making breakfast. You can come down when you're decent." With that, she partially shut the door and began to move down the hall towards the stairs. As soon as she was out of ear-shot, Buttercup whirled around to face Blossom and Bubbles. "What happened while I was out?"

"Nothing really. I don't know if she suspects anything, but I'm not willing to take any chances." Blossom answered truthfully. "Bubbles and I where talking though. You're right, we can't just let them get away with what they're doing. It's appalling and vile. I don't know how we're going to stop them, but we're possibly the only ones who might be able to persuade them to stop."

"Well that's wonderful. How do you expect us to do that exactly?" Buttercup asked exasperatedly. "I've already tried that. Trust me, it didn't work."

"On Butch maybe, but what about Brick and Boomer?" Blossom countered. Buttercup scoffed. "Brick is the one leading the assault, and I think Boomer is following both him and Butch because he either just doesn't think for himself, or he just doesn't want to go against them. Regardless, it's not as simple as you think."

"Well we need to do something." Blossom threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know. We need to get the upper hand on them somehow. We need to convince them that they need to stop what they're doing. Maybe if we can find out a weakness they have or-" she paused mid-sentence. "I have an idea."

"If it involves using that stupid talisman that our Uncle had, you can forget it." Buttercup remarked snidely. "Look how far that got him."

"No, but it involves the people who gave it to him." Blossom looked at Bubbles. "Maybe we should pay the sisters another visit?" Bubbles blinked slowly as she processed what Blossom was implying. "You think they know their weaknesses?"

"They have to. In fact. I think they've known who the wolves have been all along." Blossom threw the covers off of her as she barged towards the bedroom door. "Think about it: They gave our uncle that pendant and practically told our father what they are… They know more then they're letting on, they have to."

"Blossom you have to slow down, I'm not following." Buttercup called behind her. "What are you talking about?" But the fiery red-head didn't answer her as she all but ran down the hallway after her mother. "Mum!" she called out as she quickly descended the cold marble stairs and onto the main floor where she saw the tall woman pause in the hallway. "Mum, I have something I want to ask you!"

Sara turned to face her daughter. "What is it Blossom?" Blossom swallowed thickly, feeling her throat close up "Mum, would you mind if we go out today?"

The red-robed woman focused her gaze on her oldest daughter sharply. "After last night? I don't think I want you girls going into town."

"Not into town." Blossom protested. "Just out for a walk… we'll stay clear of town… we'll only be a few hours at most, and we'll be together."

"Why do you girls suddenly want to go out so much? I thought that you didn't want to go out since what those… creatures, did to Mitch" Sara crossed her arms over her chest. "We can't stay indoors forever. It's hard on us." Blossom sighed. "We won't be long, just an hour or two."

"I don't know-" Sara sighed. Blossom reached out and gently grasped her hand in both of hers. "We'll be back long before dark. Besides… those beasts only come out once a month like Kingston probably told you, and that was last night. We won't see them again."

Unless this Blood Moon that Brick mentioned has anything to say about it. She thought darkly. The rose eyed girl made a mental note to ask Berserk about it if she got the chance to speak to the gypsies.

Sara still looked uncertain but she slowly nodded. "Very well, but I still don't want you out long." Blossom nodded. "Thank you, mother." Sara hummed as she jerked her thumb upstairs. "If you wanted to do me a favour, you could take your Aunt with you – she's been driving me up the wall since she got here." She laughed as she looked at the terrified look on her eldest daughter's face. "I'm joking dear, I won't force that punishment on you. Get your sisters and come downstairs for some breakfast, I'll get Gran up soon."

Blossom nodded and darted back up the stairs to her bedroom, where her sisters were waiting for her. "We can go." Blossom confirmed. "I got permission for us to go out. we can't be long though, mother is still very… hesitant, about letting us leave."

"I don't understand, where are we going?" Buttercup narrowed her eyes. "Remember when Bubbles and I went out and left you behind? We went to pay a visit to the gypsy campgrounds – where dad and our Uncle went to get answers." Blossom clarified.

Surprise flashed across Buttercup's face. "You did? Why didn't you take me with you?"

"Nothing personal Buttercup, but when you closed yourself off from Blossom and I, we were worried." Bubbles cut in gently. "We wanted answers about what happened, and when it became clear you weren't going to give us any, we got desperate." She sent the darker girl an apologetic look. "We didn't mean to go behind your back, honest."

Barely concealed hurt flickered across Buttercup's face before she sighed and waved it away. "No, I should have expected as much. I'm sorry I left you no other choice, but you know why I couldn't take the risk."

Yeah, I do. Blossom thought to herself as her last encounter with the enraged, animalistic Brick played out in her minds eye. "Anyways, we went to the campgrounds and we ended up encountering the same gypsy's that dad and Uncle Eugene met when they went to the camp site… By the sounds of it, they were expecting us." Blossom admitted, causing Buttercup to raise a brow. "So. What did they tell you?"

"That they were the ones that gave our Uncle the talisman and warned him about what he was facing." Blossom admitted. "They knew that the monsters were werewolves all along. In fact, I think that they were hinting that they knew who they were, but for some reason or another, they didn't want to tell us – or rather, they couldn't. They were the ones who told us to go out and find answers for ourselves. They were the ones that warned us that the wolves would come for us sooner or later… so Bubbles and I decided to make it easy for them."

"You realize they could have killed you." Buttercup growled flatly. "Whether they have a conscience as the beasts or not – they could easily rip you in two. Based on what Butch told me, they haven't exactly been… awake for very long. That's a… newer development."

"Yet, Berserk and her sisters were convinced that they wouldn't harm us." Bubbles muttered. "She said that our bite marks were just that: marks. If they wanted us dead, they could have done it when they originally bit us." She swallowed thickly. "They want us for something else… and now I'm starting to think that's even worse."

"Oh, I have a feeling that I know exactly what they want." Buttercup laughed bitterly. "But I'll let them tell you. I refuse to do their dirty work any longer. God knows they'll come for us again soon enough."

"Regardless, I want to pay them another visit. I need to know how to stop them." Blossom said firmly. "If what you say is true; Buttercup, and they really can't be reasoned with, then I want to have a backup plan ready. Just in case things go south."

"Mitch wanted to do the same thing, and look what happened to him." Buttercup murmured softly as she looked down at her feet. "For all we know, he's dead."

"He didn't have the resources we have." Blossom pointed out gently as she reached for her sister's hand. "and we haven't heard anything regarding Mitch. No news is good news."

"Sure." The raven-haired girl muttered, but she didn't sound convinced. She sighed and met Blossom's empathetic gaze. "When are we leaving?"

"I was hoping we could leave right after breakfast-"

A soft knocking interrupted the pale woman. "Giiirrrrls." The sickly-sweet voice of their Aunt echoed from outside the thick wooden door. "Nanny wanted me to tell you that breakfast is finally ready. Come down please."

"Coming!" Blossom called back. She sent both of her sisters a look. "Let's go girls. I have a feeling that today is going to be a long one."

Gypsy Campgrounds

An hour later after what could only be described a quiet breakfast between the remaining members of the Utonium family, the girls found themselves on the snow-covered path leading towards the gypsy campgrounds.

"So, how exactly did you find these girls?" Buttercup asked as she readjusted her cloak around her shoulders. "We didn't." Bubbles admitted as she linked their arms together. "They kinda found us. It was almost like they were almost expecting us."

"Creepy." Buttercup grumbled under her breath. "and these are the same girls who met with our Uncle and dad right?"

"Yes." Blossom agreed as she hopped over a snow bank. "They were originally the ones who tried to warn them about what they were up against… but I don't think they ever directly told them what the beasts where…"

"Why?" Buttercup growled. "Might have helped them to actually understand what they were dealing with from the beginning. Maybe Uncle Eugene would still be alive."

"I don't think that they're allowed to talk about them much." Bubbles interrupted softly. "When we went there, everyone tried to pretend that they didn't exist and even mentioning them was apparently considered taboo. They're scared Buttercup – look what they did to their home."

"I know, I know-" Buttercup started as she waved away her younger sister's warning, "It's just… They could have been stopped earlier… maybe some of the massacres that happened could have been prevented."

"If we dwell on the 'what if's' we won't stop the boys." Blossom argued lightly. "We can't bring back the dead. We can't help them anymore; all we can do is try and stop any further deaths from happening."

"Yeah… you let me know how well that works out." the raven-haired girl muttered. Blossom shook her head. "If we work together, we can figure something out… we're here." She paused as the girls came up on the once-colorful tents that marked the outskirts of the campsite. "Just a quick note Buttercup: they're not the biggest fan of outsiders."

"Who is?" Buttercup growled lowly as she gripped Bubbles's arm tighter in her own. Blossom took the lead as the three sisters slowly made their way into the tent city, passing rows and rows of tents as they made their way towards the middle of the campground. "Where exactly is their tent?" Buttercup asked as she glanced to her right, only to catch a glimpse of a figure retreating back into a tent.

"I can't remember." Bubbles admitted. "We happened across one of the girls and she led us back there… maybe if we can find one of them again- ohf, ouch, Blossom, why did you stop?" Bubbles asked as she bumped into her older sister's back. Blossom had stopped in her tracks in front of her sisters, just as a familiar figure came into view.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, look." She pointed as a young woman with dark ginger hair and thin red stream ribbons braided into her messy tresses, disappeared behind a tent in front of them. "Is that one of the gypsy's you spoke to?" Buttercup asked as she pushed past Blossom. "I think that was Berserk." Blossom muttered as she tugged at their hands. "Come on." She pulled them forwards after the woman, only to see her just up ahead.

"Berserk!" Blossom called out after the woman. "Berserk!" at the sound of her name, the dark-haired girl turned around, only for her dark reddish eyes to widen in surprise. "Well, well. I must admit I'm surprised to see you here so soon Blossom… did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes and no." Blossom said as she made her way up to the older girl. She lowered her voice until it was just above a whisper. "I have some things I need to ask you, and I need an honest answer this time. It's about the you-know-what."

Berserk blinked and swallowed harshly. "Ah, yes, I figured as much. Come with me. It's not safe to speak about them out in the open." She looked behind Blossom to see Buttercup and Bubbles standing a few feet back. "I see you brought another visitor… I'm assuming this is your allusive sister?"

"This is Buttercup." Blossom agreed. "I think you'll want to hear what she has to say." Berserk nodded slowly. "Very well, come with me." She turned and waved her hand, signaling for the sisters to follow her. Blossom began to move forward as Buttercup and Bubbles walked on either side of her. "It's almost scary how much she looks like you." Buttercup whispered quietly. "You haven't seen anything yet." Blossom whispered back, "Wait until you see her sisters."

They followed the gypsy through more rows of tents until they came across the familiar tent on its old platform. Berserk climbed up the small platform steps until she reached the tent flap and pulled it open for them. "Come in. We can talk more inside." The girls quickly entered the surprisingly roomy tent, seeing all sorts of rugs and pillows scattered about the floor, surrounding a small table in the center of the room. At the table, sat a girl with long dirty blonde hair tied up into pigtails. She glanced towards the new guests and grinned broadly. "See Berserk? I told you they'd be back."

"Quiet Brat." The red eyed girl muttered as she brushed past Blossom to take a seat beside her sister. Blossom felt Buttercup gape beside her. "I'm seeing double. She looks like an older, sluttier version of Bubbles." She whispered, only to receive a sharp jab to the ribs by Bubbles.

"Are you back already Berserk?" A deep voice called out from the back of the tent. Blossom paused as Brutes tattooed outline emerged from the shadows. She paused as she looked at Blossom and Bubbles. "Oh… it's you two again. What are you doing here again?"

"I have some more questions for you." Blossom admitted truthfully. She stepped aside to reveal Buttercup. "This is my sister Buttercup, the one that you've been hearing about." The tall woman stepped forward to get a better look at the lime-eyed girl. "So, you weren't lying… I suppose she does look a little like me." The inked woman chuckled throatily as she looked the middle sister up and down.

"I don't see the resemblance." Buttercup muttered as she glared back at Brute challengingly. Brute only laughed. "I like this girl; she's got some fire in her." she asked with a slight grin. "If only you knew." Buttercup muttered under her breath as she slowly slinked back to stand beside Blossom.

"Well sit down, all of you – might as well get comfortable." Brat sniggered as she gestured to the large pillows that were scattered about the tent floor. She reached over to the table and pulled a small silver kettle and some cups off of it as Brute sat down next to her, while the girls sat down opposite to them. "Tea anyone?" Blossom shook her head, feeling her sisters do the same from either side of her, but Berserk accepted a cup as Brat poured herself one. The red eyed girl sipped at her tea thoughtfully for a moment before turning her attention to the girls sitting across from her.

"So," Berserk fixed the girls sitting across from her with a searing look. "Did you take my advice and seek the beasts out?"

"Bubbles and I did." Blossom cast a look at her younger sister. "You were right… we learned more than we expected…" Buttercup snorted, and Blossom turned her attention back to Berserk. "I suppose we should thank you for the tip-"

"Now you're back." Berserk interrupted her, sipped at her tea. She glanced over the rim of her cup at the rose eyed girl. "So, tell me... why are you back?"

"I have a theory that I've been thinking about lately." Blossom admitted. "I want you to answer me honestly, because I need to know the truth, now more than ever before:" she paused as she looked at each of the sisters in turn. "You three knew who the wolves were all along… didn't you?"

The silence that suddenly enveloped the tent was heavy and tense as Berserk and her sisters glanced nervously at each other, seemingly unsure of what to say to her claim. Finally, Brute sighed and nudged her older sister's shoulder. "Come on Berserk. Tell them. They deserve to know the full truth."

"The full truth?" Buttercup sputtered. "You mean you didn't tell my sisters or my father that the first time they came to you looking for advice? What the hell did you tell them then?"

"It's not that simple." Brat hissed, narrowing her dark blue eyes. "If it was, we would have said something earlier – but even we don't know the full story behind them… a lot of what we think we know is only speculation based on what we've seen. The only one who could tell us what really happened has been gone for a long time now."

Berserk held up a hand, signaling for Brat calm down. After the disgruntled blonde had quieted, the dark auburn-haired woman exhaled loudly. "What I'm about to tell you has been strictly forbidden for me to speak of by my village elders. It's a horrible truth that my sisters and I have to live with as the last members of our family tree… well," she paused, trying to choose her words carefully. "or so they like to pretend."

"What do you mean?" Blossom murmured as she tucked her legs underneath her, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. Berserk dodged her question, instead opting to take a hesitant sip of her tea, placing her cup down gently beside her. She stirred it gently with the tip of her pinky finger, not bothering to make eye contact with Blossom as she started to speak.

"When we were young, we had an Aunt who lived with us and our parents before they died." She began quietly. "She was odd, quiet, very beautiful, but she was the black sheep of our little family. One of our elders had a prophecy about her when she was born – saying that she would bring destruction or something similar to our clan when she was older – and very much cast her aside as a result. They liked to pretend that she didn't exist half the time."

"That's awful." Blossom muttered. "It's how we dealt with things back then." Berserk countered lightly. "I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, but unfortunately no one was ever fond of her from what I can remember. It was so long ago; I barely remember her. Brat were hardly out of infancy when she finally left us, and Brute wasn't much older."

"That's a sad little story, but I fail to see how your Aunt has anything to do with our problem." Buttercup growled, growing impatient. "She has everything to do with your problem." Brute rumbled from her spot beside Berserk. "Wait and listen to what my sister has to say."

"I'm getting there." Berserk promised. "Anyways, our Aunt wasn't overly thrilled with the rest of our clan either. She preferred to spend her time with the company of a girl from outside our village and from Townsville – the mayor's own daughter, in fact."

Blossom suddenly felt her breath hitch in her throat at the direction that the story had taken. "The two were inseparable, and did everything together. As they grew older, the mayor's daughter found a suitor in the town's local scientist and married him. But the scientist had a friend: a wealthy man who turned out to be the town's own Lord. He too, also had a particular affinity for conducting his own experiments unlike his friend. The man took an interest in our Aunt, and she – finally thinking that she had found someone who cared for her – decided to marry him."

"This story sounds… oddly familiar." Bubbles scrunched up her nose as she tried to recall where she had heard the story before. "So, what happened to your Aunt? Did she have a better life after she married?"

Berserk smiled, but there was no humor in her smile. "I wish. Unfortunately, I believe that some people are born into the world and are not meant to lead happy lives… our Aunt was one such person." Her cold smile faded away and she continued with her story.

"She came back to us once more: only to tell our elders that she was marrying and that they wouldn't see her again. When our elders found out who she intended on marrying…" the red-eyed girl cringed. "They were furious. A massive fight erupted between them and her and the elders tried to forbid her from leaving with the young man but she didn't listen. She left with him right after, and we never saw her again… but we did hear things about her."

Berserk swallowed thickly and glanced around the tent walls. After a moment she continued, dropping her voice even lower, forcing them to lean in to hear her. "She married the man, and soon after they were wed, she didn't leave the mansion anymore. In time she became pregnant, but supposedly it wasn't a… normal birth."

"What do you mean it wasn't a normal birth?" Blossom pressed. A slow smirk spread across Berserks lips, but there was no humor in it. "I think you know who we're talking about." Blossom nodded silently, feeling Bubbles stiffen beside her as the sudden realization washed over her. Buttercup, however, remained silent and still.

"In case it's not clear to you yet." Brat interrupted snidely as the girls faces slowly morphed into ones of dread. "Your blood-thirsty, lust-sick puppies are our cousins."

A frosty silence threatened to surround the girls, however Berserk continued on – not allowing it the chance. "She gave birth to three boys. Triplets. But no one laid eyes on them for the first several years of their lives. Our Aunt supposedly became bound to her room and never left. No one heard anything about them or saw them until almost six years had passed. The Lord introduced his sons to the town in time, but our Aunt was never seen again." she sat back and crossed her arms. "Strange, isn't it? A man as proud and arrogant as he, should had been ecstatic that his wife had given him three boys to carry on his family name, but instead he chose to hide them away for no apparent reason."

"Why do you think it's strange?" Blossom murmured as she clenched her hands together tightly, feeling her nails bite into her palms. "Simple. Those boys are not Mojo's sons." Berserk responded flatly. Her words hit home and Blossom felt as if she had been kicked in the chest by a horse as she suddenly found she couldn't breathe anymore. Suddenly everything about the boy's history was starting to come together. All the things that hadn't, or rather couldn't been said… everything that couldn't be explained… everything that she had wanted answers to for so long… was finally coming to light.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Buttercup finally spoke up, shaking her head frantically. "You're telling me that Mojo, is in fact not the father of the boys?" she turned to Blossom. "Bloss, it looks like that one theory you had was right all along."

"I wasn't being serious… not really." Blossom feebly protested. "If not him, then who could their father be? Sedusa never left the house – multiple people have told us that!"

"Ah, now this is where the speculation takes over and things become strange." Berserk admitted. "As I said before: Mojo enjoyed experimenting… he still does. He wasn't so private about it when he was younger as he is now, but when he and your father worked together… well, it wasn't exactly a secret that he didn't have a moral code."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles twisted her hands together nervously. "He took many of his experiments outside the boundaries that self-respecting scientists stayed within. He had a strange obsession with the occult that the town was well aware of – which is part of the reason why the town is so afraid of him – apparently he liked to mix it with his experiments." She leaned in slightly. "Some say he succeeded in bringing something from the other side into our world."

Blossom raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"There was a rumor going around that one of his experiments went horribly wrong, and he brought a creature from the other side into our world, just for a short time. They made a deal: he gave the creature the means to come over into our world permanently, and in return, the being would give him the ability to tap into the occult and give him a means to continue his heinous experiments."

"And what was this creature?" Blossom asked hesitantly, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer or not.

"Some say it was a demon, but I believe it was something much worse than that." Berserk swallowed. "It was the Devil himself."

If she hadn't been so terrified and confused, Blossom might have laughed. The old Blossom would have, the one who believed in science and reason. But the new Blossom knew better then to scoff at the notion of the paranormal. "You don't…" Blossom closed her eyes, feeling the world start to spin around her. "You don't know that-"

"I don't." Berserk agreed coldly. "But somehow I believe the rumors that float around that family. There is no other explanation for how his sons gained such tremendous power. No ordinary curse could have changed them into what they are now. No, there are darker forces at play." She looked at them seriously. "Whatever deal Mojo made with that creature, it held up it's end of the bargain; ask the boys about his old lackies, see what they tell you about them."

That was an odd thing to say. Blossom thought privately, but she made a mental note to possibly ask them if- no, when, she and her sister's ran into them next. Afterall, it was still strange that the three sickly looking men that they had first met when they had arrived in Townsville, had just disappeared as suddenly as they did.

"Just because they might not be Mojo's blood, doesn't mean they were sired by a demon-"

"Look at them." Brute challenged her openly. "You can't honestly tell me that they look anything like Mojo. They barely look like our Aunt as it is. They have a curse placed on them that no one can explain except for maybe our Aunt herself. The older they've gotten the more twisted they've become. They changed. We could sense it. I suppose you could say that we've always had a strange sort of connection with them… them being half of our blood. It always let us know when Mojo unleashed them upon the town… until it didn't." she muttered bitterly, undoubtedly referencing the massacre that had taken place months ago.

"We felt it when they changed for the first time, and we've felt how dark they've become since you've arrived. Something is happening to them… something sinister, and it's not from this world." The tattooed girl finished.

"I know." Buttercup responded tartly. "I've seen it first-hand. They're not even the same monsters they were when we first encountered them. They're… I don't know how to describe it… awake? They retain their consciences when they become the beasts now. They didn't before, Butch told me that. They can almost change at will during the full moon as well… but, maybe they've always been able to do that to some degree."

Berserk turned her attention onto Buttercup. "When did this happen?" Buttercup shrugged. "I don't know. You're supposed to be the experts here. I'm assuming that's not good."

"No." Berserk agreed. "It's not." She looked at all three girls in turn. "They've marked you two, what about you?" she addressed Buttercup. "No… I don't think… Butch bit me when I was a child but I don't-"

"Then you have been marked as well." Berserk dismissed her. "It doesn't matter, a mark is a mark." Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me, when they transform, can you hear them speak to you?"

"Yes-" Blossom admitted, shocked. "-how did you know-"

But the gypsies looked panicked and in a flurry of movement, began miming out pray symbols with their hands, muttering under their breaths all the while. "God help us… they aren't even werewolves any more… They're Grimms"

"Grimms?" Blossom echoed. "That's the second time I've heard that term. Our nanny said that they're bad omens or demons, depending on who you talk to…"

"Grimms are monstrous creatures, sent from the very pit itself. Some say they are the guardians of Hell, and if one appears, death and disaster soon follow, let alone three." Berserk groaned. "They are like werewolves, appearance-wise, but they're bigger and stronger and smarter. They're infused with dark power and they are not to be tried with."

"How could they possibly become… that? Provided that's what they've truly become?" Blossom added quickly. "Only a being from the other side could give them that kind of power." Berserk admitted. "No human could possibly cast a curse that strong; it would kill them instantly – but, you'd also have to share blood with a beast in order to survive being turned into a Grimm."

"So that's it then?" Buttercup asked. "You think they're what? Half demon on top of being this… werewolf, Grimm…. mix-thing?" she sputtered.

"Truthfully, I think they've always been something more than just human born." Berserk admitted softly. She gestured to her sisters. "We've tried for years to keep a close watch on them, but there's something about them… that hovers. It lingers in the air around them and it is vile. It prevents us from getting close, so we've tried; and failed; to keep others safe – without telling them what we know and having them accuse us of being witches."

Berserk closed her deep eyes and sighed before opening her eyes again. "So, what's the real reason you three came here. What exactly do you want to do?"

"Honestly?" Blossom murmured after a moment's pause. "I want to stop them, in any way we can… we can't let them continue on doing what they're doing. There's been so much death, we can't let them kill anymore. Our father is missing, and suddenly everything is so much worse." She griped her dress in her fists. "We need to protect what's left. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes." Berserk echoed. "Tell me… do you care for them?"

Buttercup let out a choked laugh. "Care for them? That's a stretch." But she looked more uncomfortable then she had before. Berserk narrowed her eyes at her odd behavior but let it go. Blossom remained silent, but Bubbles softly spoke up, much to her sister's surprise.

"I want to help them. At least, as much as I can."

"Help them? Bubbles are you insane? Look what they done?!" Buttercup all but snarled in rage.

"I know, but if everything we've been told is true… they haven't exactly had an easy life themselves, and they might not have had a choice." Bubbles gently pointed out. "Everyone has a choice Bubbles." Buttercup interjected sourly. "They've just chosen not to make one."

"Unfortunately, we are dealing with creatures that cannot easily be stopped." Berserk sighed. "But clearly you three know that." The girls nodded somberly. "Now I'll be frank: I don't know if Grimm's can truly be killed, considering that no one has ever actually killed one to my knowledge. However, they do have weaknesses you can exploit."

"That being?" Blossom pressed.

"Silver as you might already know, burns them terribly." Brute spoke up. "Enough exposure to it might kill them, but it would have to be an extreme amount."

"There's also Wolfsbane, the herb." Brat piped up tapping her chin with a claw-like nail. "Thought its not exactly common in these parts, and it might just give them a rash and piss them off… you're probably better off sticking with the silver, actually."

"There is one final weakness." Berserk added quietly. "You."

The girls fell silent.

"They've marked you, that means they value you and will never harm you – the wolves will never harm you as you've seen. What they have planed from you? We don't know. But perhaps you can try to convince them otherwise." Berserk explained.

"That's what we were going to try to do… but if all else fails, we want a backup plan. To do what… what needs to be done." Blossom forced out.

Berserk only nodded. "If nothing else, you could try to warn the town and stop them that way-"

"No! No. Right now we need to stay as far away from the town as possible." Blossom shook her head. "They think we're witches! Buttercup and I ended up running into town to try and lure them into a place where there were there were places for us to hide, just in case. But some of the townspeople overheard us well… speaking to them as the wolves… but they couldn't hear them like we could, I suppose."

"They wouldn't be able to." Berserk agreed, tapping the side of her neck where she knew Blossom's bite was. "That mark does more than tie you to them; it gives you the ability to understand them as the wolves. You share a bond that is unlike any other, whether you like it or not."

"We'll see about that." Buttercup growled as she slowly rose to her feet. "I think I've heard enough. Come on girls, we need to get heading back." Blossom shot her sister a weary glance but also stood, with a small nod to the gypsy's. "Thank you for your time. We appreciate it… more than you know."

Brute grunted. "Sure. Hope you survive." Blossom frowned but didn't respond to the dark woman's crass comment. "Thank you again." Bubbles offered the gypsy's a small smile. "I'm sorry, we must be such a burden – making you talk about things that are clearly a difficult subject."

"It was bound to come up at some point." Brat waved her comment away. "Unfortunately, it's something that just won't stay buried."

"Oh!" Blossom snapped her fingers, making Buttercup pause in her tracks by the tent flap. "Before I forget, Brick said something to me on the night of the full moon." She swallowed before continuing. "What do you know about a Blood Moon?"

"What do you mean?" Berserk narrowed her eyes dangerously. Blossom swallowed nervously, feeling the mood in the tent shift. "He… he said that he and his brothers would come back for my sisters and I on the night of the Blood Moon… but that makes no sense, the full moon has passed for the month, there won't be another one… right?"

The colour left Berserk's face. "He said that?" she taped her fingers nervously against her leg. "What does that mean?" Blossom pressed more urgently. Berserk looked back towards her sisters. "Perhaps… perhaps our theory is correct after all."

"The theory that they were sired by a demon?" Blossom's voice raised in pitch. "The blood moon is a rare omen that only occurs once every thousand years or so. It signals the coming of the devil. It means that a great disaster will be soon upon us." Berserk muttered as she uttered a prayer under her breath. She looked up at Blossom sternly. "When did he say that this would occur?"

"In about a week or so." Blossom bit her lip. "What can we do… Is there anything we can do?"

"Lock yourselves away. Hide, get out of town, do what you need to do – but make yourselves scares before it happens." Berserk responded flatly. "There is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening. Girls," she gestured to Brute and Brat, who looked just as panicked as their older sister. "We need to pack our things and leave."

"Wait… we can't leave." Bubbles weakly protested. "Our father is still missing and we can't just uproot the remainder of our family without a reasonable explanation… not that we can just drop all of this on them-"

"Do what you need to do, but I wouldn't be here when the Blood Moon comes, if I were you." Berserk shrugged. "But Brick said that if we tried to leave that they'd hunt us down." Blossom fisted her dress in her hands tightly. "Then if you truly can't leave, then you need to find a good place to hide." Brute rumbled as she stood. "No one can say for sure what the Blood Moon will bring, as no one alive has witnessed one, but whatever is going to happen, it won't be good."

"So, you're leaving then?" Buttercup asked, hand still on the tent flap. "Well, we're not going to sick around to find out what our dear cousin meant." Berserk agreed. "God knows it'll be a bloodbath – worse than the ones that have already transpired. I have the feeling that they'll come for us too if we stay."

Blossom nodded stiffly, and extended her hand to Berserk. "Thank you again, for everything. Truly."

The dark-eyed gypsy grasped her hand and shook it once. "Take care of yourselves girls, and good luck." Blossom felt Buttercup tug on the back of her dress. She turned to see her sister holding open the tent flap with a stoic look written across her face. "Come on, let's get out of here." Blossom nodded and silently took Bubbles by the hand, leading them out of the tent and back down the small platform steps into the surrounding camp. Once they were down and had started to move away from the tent, Buttercup exploded.

"What. The. Hell."

"Buttercup!"

"Seriously Blossom, what the hell was that?"

"We wanted answers Buttercup, and we got them."

"You believe that horseshit?"

"Language – and you don't?"

"I didn't say that. It's just a lot to take in."

"I know… and somehow I'm still confused and unsure of what to do."

"Apparently so are they, but this Blood Moon event has me worried… well, all of it does."

"What are we supposed to do? Bubbles is right, we can't just leave in a week, dad is still out there somewhere!"

"Then I guess we'll have to take their advice and hide."

There was a moment's pause between the two sisters, before Buttercup finally spoke again. "Do you believe in that? What they said about the Devil and demons and the works?"

"At this point I'm willing to believe in just about anything Buttercup."

Bubbles remained silent as she listened to her older sisters frantically converse back and forth, allowing herself to fall behind a few paces. She sighed inwardly as she looked up towards the overcast sky. God help them because it seemed that things had become more complex then what she originally thought they were.

"Bubbles!"

The slim blonde perked up and turned around to see Brat dashing after her. Bubbles paused and allowed the older girl to catch up to her – not bothering to see if Blossom and Buttercup had turned around – though judging from how they had ceased their hushed conversation, they had.

"I just wanted to wish you, good luck, again." The dirty blonde gypsy panted as she struggled to catch her breath. Bubbles frowned, but nodded anyway. "Well, thank you for your help… my sister's and I appreciate it. Hopefully it will help us."

"You're different from your sisters."

Bubbles paused and narrowed her eyes at the gypsy. "I'm sorry, in what way?"

"You care about them – my cousins that is – or, at least the one who marked you as his intended." Brat pointed to where her mark was. "I can tell. I can see it in your eyes."

"I care about Boomer as much as I can given the circumstances, but that still doesn't excuse the horrible things he's done." Bubbles replied stiffly. "I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt… even them." She turned around to leave, but Brat stopped her.

"Wait," Brat grabbed Bubbles by the hand and held her back, causing the pale blonde to raise a questioning eyebrow. "There is a lovely old legend I heard when I was young, that says that if someone who truly loved and trusted the wolf, called out its name, the wolf will turn back into its true form."

Bubbles paused and looked back at her sisters before turning back towards Brat. "Do you think it will work?"

"I don't know, but at this point I think anything is worth a try… you're in way over your head girly." Brat murmured as she tried to offer the younger girl a tentative smile. "Tell me about it." Bubbles whispered, bringing her cloak tighter around herself as the cold winds began to blow around them.

"Bubbles! Come on, we're leaving!"

"Coming!" Bubbles called back. She looked at Brat hesitantly. "What if… What'll happen if the person… doesn't trust the wolf?"

"Then I suppose you'll find out." Brat responded coolly.

"BUBBLES!"

"I'm coming, sorry!" Bubbles took her eyes off the dirty blonde gypsy for a moment to call back to her sisters. When she turned around again, the girl was gone.

Townsville Center

Soon the girls had left the camp grounds behind them and were heading back towards the manor, taking the same forested trail as they had before. A light snow began to pick up as they walked back towards home.

"So, what did the blonde one want with you back there?" Buttercup nudged Bubbles. "Just wished me good luck." Bubbles mumbled, not really wanting to get into the odd tale Brat had told her. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"From the sounds of it, there really isn't much we can do." Blossom admitted. "We can't stop the Blood Moon from happening… and we can't let them take us away to god knows where… Berserk is right, we need to find a place to hide."

"The only problem is they know the town like the back of their hand. They'll tear it apart looking for us, and if what they said was true, and we really do share a bond with them, couldn't they just use that to find us?" Buttercup countered as they approached the fork in the path that either led them back to the manor or into town.

Blossom paled. "Oh god I didn't think about that. Maybe that's how they were able to find us before… it always seemed like they could track us down without a problem."

"What we should have asked was if there was a way to sever that bond." Buttercup admitted. "But I get the feeling they probably wouldn't know."

"Apparently they're not even 'normal' werewolves anymore according to them." Bubbles air quoted. "They're… Grimms…. How did this even happen? I didn't notice anything different about them during the full moon."

"Appearance-wise they won't be much different." Blossom pointed out. "Like Berserk said: they gain other abilities instead: like being able to communicate with us as the beasts for starters."

Buttercup opened her mouth to respond but a harsh wind coming from the direction of the town made her stop and pause. She turned in the direction where town was and her eyes narrowed. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Bubbles asked but Buttercup shushed her. "Listen." All three girls fell silent as the wind rushed around them. Suddenly, they heard it: faint yelling – coming from multiple people at once – being carried on the wind, coming in the direction of Townsville. The girls looked at each other uncertainty, but Buttercup shook her head. "No."

"Buttercup-"

"No Blossom, I thought you were the one who said that we needed to stay away from town altogether."

"Yes, but something might be happening-" Blossom protested.

"I don't hear the screams of people being murdered. For all we know they could be planning a lynch mob for us."

"Buttercup that's a horrible thing to say." Bubbles chastised her. "It is," Buttercup agreed coldly. "But you know as well as I do, that's a very real possibility right now." Bubbles didn't have anything to say in response to that.

Blossom sighed and pulled her cloak tighter around her. "Regardless, we need to see what's going on." Buttercup shot her a weary look. "We'll stay hidden." Blossom assured her as she pulled her hood up. "We won't get involved unless we absolutely have to, but I think we need to see what's got the town so riled up."

"Famous last words." Buttercup grumbled, but she got the hint and pulled her hood up, concealing her face. Bubbles followed suit as they jumped onto the path heading in towards town. As they walked, the yelling gradually became louder and the sounds of metal hitting metal became clearer the closer they got. Bubbles's eyebrows rose and looked at her sisters. "What is that?"

"I… I don't know." Blossom muttered as the town came into view. She beckoned her sisters over to her and they slowly crept into the town, opting to stay hidden in-between the closely knitted cottages and out of sight. The girls watched as people poured out of homes and into the center of the village, where the source of the metal sounds was coming from. Blossom poked her head out and when the cost was clear, she beckoned her sisters to follow her. They moved closer towards the center of the town and their eyes widened in shock at what they saw.

The whole town must have crammed themselves into the village square. Men and woman were running about, with wood or bundles of cloth in their arms. The town forge looked like it had been expanded into the street and the blacksmith had several men helping him hammer long solid tubes of metal out on anvils, and even more people were bringing wood for the massive fires that were roaring in the forge's ovens. As they looked around, they noticed a large wooden stage had been erected by the forge and three large, clothed structures were resting on it.

And in the center of it all, standing tall on the large wooden stage in front of the covered structures; was Kingston Morebucks.

"What is he doing here?" Buttercup whispered harshly. Blossom shook her head stunned. "I don't know." She winced inwardly as the words left her lips. She had been saying that a lot recently and she hated it. She was the sister who was supposed to have an answer from everything. That wasn't the case anymore.

"Where's Princess?" Bubbles whispered, looking around. "I don't see her anywhere." Buttercup shook her head. "Who cares, let's see what he's saying." The girls quieted down as they listened to the large man bark out orders from his position.

"You there, bring more wood for the fires! Gentleman, we need to speed up the production of weapons! Mr. Blacksmith, how much longer till the next batch of silver is ready?"

"Give it another half hour sir. The silver will have liquified and will be ready to mold soon."

The girls looked at each other disbelievingly. "Silver?" Bubbles mouthed. "Where could he possibly be getting that much from?" but not a second later, she received her answer. A woman carrying another clothed bundle in her arms passed by their hiding spot and moved towards the forge. She dropped the bundle by the forge and it burst open, allowing an arrangement of silver cutlery to spill out onto the ground, gleaming brightly in the pale daylight.

"He's getting them to bring him all of the silver in the village to… make weapons?" Blossom muttered as she tried to piece together what she was witnessing. Her eyes widened as she glanced towards the covered structures. "Oh no… please don't tell me he's actually planning what I think he's planning-"

A shrill whistle cut though the air, making the townspeople stop and move towards Kingston. The large man dropped his hand and smiled out at the crowd that had gathered around him. He waited for a moment, allowing the towns muttering to die down before he spoke.

"My good people; since the last full moon, we have all been working around the clock to prepare ourselves for the seemingly inevitable return of the vile creatures that we now know as the Lycan's, or rather, Werewolves."

Blossom felt the colour leave her face as the crowd booed and hissed at the mention of the beast's names, but Kingston continued on. "When I first heard – from the good Professor Utonium, that is – that he believed that these foul creatures were responsible for the all of the recent attacks; I admit, I dismissed him. After all, how could a monster from legend come from the pages of a storybook to murder the innocent in reality?" he bowed his head. "How wrong I was."

"Oh god… he told them. He told them everything." Buttercup whispered frantically. "When could he have told them?"

"He started to rally them the morning after." Blossom muttered. "You and Bubbles were still in the woods. He told them what they wanted to hear and they fell behind them." But she fell silent as Kingston began to speak again.

"For years, these monsters have tormented you in your beds every month. They have murdered and pillaged and forced you to live in a state of constant fear. I didn't believe it until I saw their destructive ways with my own eyes. After witnessing these beasts for myself, I decided to make it my sole mission to help you good people rid yourselves of these creatures of darkness once and for all!" The crowd erupted into cheers as Kingston continued his speech, but the robust man wasn't done yet.

"I had a plan, a plan that will succeed and will work now that we are all working together, collectively as one! We will trap the beasts! We will lure them out of hiding, and we will destroy them!" The crowd screamed their approval as Kingston raised his fist into the air. "Ladies and gentleman, would you like to see the fruits of your efforts?" The crowd screamed and he turned to face the three covered structures behind him. "Remove the drapings!"

The coverings slid off of the structures and the crowd's cheers grew louder as what was revealed underneath was revealed, but the dread that had been collecting in Blossom's stomach spread throughout her body at what she saw.

Three massive, thick silver-barred cages that must have been over ten feet tall and six feet across stood on the platform, gleaming sinisterly in the daylight.

"These cages are made from pure silver! Sturdy and as strong as they come! I have been told that the Lycan's have a peculiar weakness to silver, and we will use that weakness against them! They won't be able to escape from their prison cages! Once we lure them out of hiding, we'll trap them in these cages and use the silver weaponry to rid ourselves of this curse once and for all!" The crowd exploded into screams of approval once more, completely oblivious to the three girls watching the madness unfold from the shadows.

"That's it. We have to stop this." Blossom muttered as she ripped her hood off her face and moved out from their hiding spot. "Blossom what are you doing?" Bubbles squealed as she followed her out. "We can't let them go through with their plan; you two know as well as I do that those things won't hold the boys – they'll tear them apart and then they'll rip the whole town apart out of spite." Blossom snarled. "I won't have anyone else die because Kingston thinks he knows what he's doing."

Meanwhile Kingston stood on the platform, basking in the towns relentless cheering. Things were going smoothly, far better than he originally thought they would when he initially approached the town with his idea. But the town was desperate and he knew it. It had been all too easy to convince them to give up their silver and build the massive cages under the promise that it would trap the beasts. Would it work? He wasn't sure, but he knew that werewolves supposedly couldn't stand silver and the cages were made entirely from the stuff.

He frowned inwardly. There was also the added challenge of getting the beasts out of the town alive. He didn't mind a bit of charity work every now and then, but he was sitting on a gold mine of opportunities and he knew it. But his future plans for the monsters would only work if the beasts were alive, and the town seemed very intent on killing them – hence the weapons they were working on – and unfortunately, he couldn't discourage them from making them.

He sighed to himself. He would have to move fast once the beasts fell into his traps. As long as he was able to take his monsters with him back to Citysville with him, he didn't care what shape they were in, as long as that made it-

"Kingston!"

A voice cut through the crowds cheering, causing the man to momentarily pause and the people to quiet down. He squinted and raised a hand to his eyes to see who had called him, only for the crowd to part like the Red sea to reveal Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles.

"Ah girls, so glad you could make it out." he called to them with an easy smile on his face, signaling for his mob to settle as the ragged townspeople sent the girls dark looks. "How do you like my inventions?" he gestured to the large cages behind him. "I've got the whole town working together, and now we'll finally be able to capture the wolves-"

"That's what we're here about." Blossom interrupted him as she griped her sister's hands and surged forward, ignoring the whispers that were slowly beginning to spread amongst the mob of people around them. "You can't do this Kingston! People will die if you go through with this!"

"Like they haven't been hunting us like sheep for years!" a shrill voice from the crowd argued, sending a fresh ripple of angry muttering through the town. Blossom shook her head. "No, no, you don't understand! This plan will never work! They're too smart for anything like what you've got in store for them! You'll only make them angry and they'll come and murder the rest of these people-"

"This coming from you three!" a woman next to them spit. "You're conspiring with them! We all heard you talking to them-"

"We're not!" Buttercup snarled. Before Blossom could stop her, the black-haired sister was toe to toe with the woman. "We're not conspiring with them at all. You might not be able to understand them like we can, but trust me when I say that none of us want to chat with them-"

"So, you don't deny it!" the disgruntled woman interrupted. "You admit you can hear them! Witches, all of them!"

"No, no, no, we're not witches! How could you even suggest something like that?" Bubbles asked disbelievingly, but she was drowned out by the sudden uproar of the townspeople as they begin to yell a mixture of profanities and curses.

"Now, hold on my good people, don't panic – we can utilize their gifts to our advantage!" Kington tried to raise his voice over top of the mob's, but to no avail. Blossom yanked Buttercup and Bubbles close to her as the town begin to close in on them.

"Witches!"

"Heathens!"

"If we give them to the wolves, maybe they'll leave us alone!"

"No! We can use them as bait and capture the wolves next moon!"

"What the hell is going on here?"

The silence that fell over the angry swarm of people was uncanny. All three girls felt the blood in their veins turn to ice as they recognized the voice that had spoken.

Blossom shut her eyes tightly and forced herself to remain as calm as possible as she slowly turned around to face the man- no, the monster.

There, sitting on top of his large brown horse, was Brick.

He wasn't alone however. Butch and Boomer were behind him on their respective mounts looking just as enraged as their brother was.

Brick gazed out over the town with a disgusted look on his face, as his mouth contorted into a scowl. "We come to this god forsaken town once and what do we find?" Brick practically spat as a thick vein popped out in his neck. "A useless group of spineless cowards, blaming all their problems on three girls." His lip curled and he sneered at them furiously. "Pathetic."

For once the town was silent. Not sure how to react to the appearance of the three elusive men that they feared so much.

Brick gazed out over the crowd and his searing gaze rested on the three large cages that the town was in the middle of building. "So, what the hell is this then?" he asked condescendingly. "Don't tell me that you're actually attempting to capture the beasts again. I would have thought that the previous failed attempts would have taught you miserable lot that they can't be caught."

"Brick, don't." Blossom whispered, but she was ignored by the man as he continued on. "Let me guess: you built these cages because you want to lure them out somehow and then kill them. Is that it? Did I get it, or am I at least close?" he asked sarcastically. "That hasn't worked in the past, so what gives you all the impression that it's going to work now?"

"Because we have something they want."

Heads turned back around to look at Kingston who stood confidently on the makeshift platform with a cool expression of indifference on his face. Brick glowered at the man, silently challenging him. "Really now. And what might that be?"

The red bearded man cleared his throat. "On the night of the full moon, several of the good people who live here overhead and saw that the beasts presented a very peculiar behavior."

"Everything about the creatures is 'peculiar.'" Brick air-quoted, rolling his eyes. "What about it?"

"What was peculiar about it was that they happened to, 'speak' if you will, to Miss. Utonium and her sister there." Kingston pointed at Blossom and Buttercup – the latter looking very uncomfortable. "They didn't kill them, unlike so many of their other unfortunate victims – which makes me and the rest of the people here think that they hold a certain… interest in them."

The muscles in Brick's jaw tensed and the skin on his knuckles whitened as his grip on the reins increased. But he forced his face to remain passive as he glared back at Kingston. "So, let me ask: what are your… intentions with the girls then?"

"We wish to rid ourselves of the beasts once and for all." Kingston replied calmly, unaware that he was talking to one of the 'beasts' in the flesh. "Since the true monsters; that being the people who transform into those damned creatures; haven't come forward, we intend to bait them out – by using something- oh, my apologies girls- someone they can't ignore." He looked expectantly at the girls. "I'm hoping the Utonium's will agree to help with our plan. It's for the good of the town after all."

The veins in Brick's neck popped out in rage and his face turned a deep crimson as he struggled to find the words to curse the pompous man out, instead of tearing him from limb from limb in front of the backwater townspeople he despised so much.

But he didn't have to. To his surprise, Bubbles beat him to it.

"You can't be serious." Bubbles finally spoke up, causing heads to turn in her direction. "What makes any of you think that we'd agree to that?" her eyes began to narrow dangerously and Blossom realized with a jolt that Bubbles was angry – a rare occurrence in the normally sweet-tempered blonde.

"First you accuse us of being witches. Then, you threaten to tie my sister up and leave her for the wolves no less than two nights ago- and yes, she told us about what happened-" Bubbles practically snarled as various looks of surprise splashed across some of the towns people's faces.

"-and now you have the audacity to demand that we risk our own lives and become the lambs that you intend to lead to slaughter in order to bait your monsters out. I'm sorry, but there isn't enough bribing in the world that would convince us to take part of that plan. Whatever it is that you're plotting, Kingston Morebucks – you can leave us out of it." the blonde directed the end of her tirade at the large man standing on the platform, wearing a blank expression on his face.

Hushed murmured began to spread through the crowd as Bubbles's words sunk in. Kingston cleared his throat and looked as if he was about to say something in protest, but Brick quickly interjected.

"Come with us girls. We'll take you away from here. There's no point in trying to talk any sense into them."

"Let me take you away from here."

Blossom fought back the chill that was slowly creeping up her spine as Brick's words echoed in her head. She looked towards him and saw that he was holding the reins in one hand and had extended his other to her. She let out a shuddering breath. She didn't want to go with him… but she certainly didn't want to stay here in the town that was slowly being consumed by paranoia and madness.

She slowly made her way over to him – fully aware that her sisters were watching her with wide eyes. She looked up into his all-too familiar crimson eyes and for a split second she didn't see the man, only the beast that was lurking just below the surface. She hesitated, avoiding putting her pale hand in his outstretched one – but then she looked back at the town and its people and all she saw was a frantic, unbridled mania chorusing though all of them. It was then that she made up her mind.

Grasping his hand, she allowed the large man to pull her up onto the horse behind him. He waited until she was seated comfortably behind him before he jerked at the reins and forced Vulcan back and away from the crowd, who had started to whisper uncomfortably – only to silence once again when Butch shot them a scathing glare. He turned his attention to Buttercup and jerked his head, signaling for her to come to him. "Let's go." Buttercup opened her mouth, but thought better of it when she caught a look from Blossom. Slowly, she clenched her hands into fists and twisted her mouth into a pained smirk.

"Fine by me. The people were starting to get on my last nerve anyways."

She made her way over to him stiffly as Butch reached down and plucked her off of the ground, heaving her onto Ares back behind him. Buttercup scowled at both him and the town as the obsidian haired man dug his heels into the black stallions' sides and moved them away from the now silent crowd. Bubbles cast a sad look at Boomer, only to see that the blond man was quiet as he met her gaze – dark navy boring into sky blue. He silently bent down and extended his hand to her – eyes pleading as he drank in the sight of the slim blonde before him.

Bubbles didn't even bother looking back at the town – already knowing what she would see – and made her way over to Boomer. He gently pulled her up and situated her behind him on Thor's broad back. "Are you okay?" he murmured, turning his head slightly to look at her. Bubbles shrugged. "No, but I don't want to be here." She admitted truthfully, ignoring how Boomer's face fell at her response. Casting one last pointed look at the town he turned them around and caught up to his brothers, who were already making their way towards the edge of the town.

"Wait now, all of you. Where are you going?" Kingston asked, falling finding his voice again. "Anywhere but here." Brick snapped tartly, not bothering to give the town a second glance. "Once again, I'm reminded why we don't bother to come down here. We'll be taking them with us-" he gestured to the sisters. "They don't need to be around this shit either."

"But-"

"Good luck catching your monsters Morebucks." Brick cut him off. "It won't work. But you can try."

"We'll see." Kingston called after them, but Blossom didn't miss how the broad man sounded less sure of himself then before. "Oh, we'll see alright." Brick muttered nastily under his breath. "Too bad you won't live to see the results."

"Brick." Blossom whispered harshly. "You won't… you wouldn't actually kill him… would you?"

"What do you think?" was the response she received. Blossom paled and her grip on Brick's torso slackened as she realized that he wasn't bothering to hide the more bloodthirsty side of his personality anymore. Brick must have sensed her distress because he let out a tired sigh. "Not unless he tries me. God help him if he does."

He was saying it just to humor her. Brick knew it and Blossom knew it. It was then that rose-eyed girl realized just how deep she and her sisters were in. There was truly no escape now.

"Where are you going? Our home is that way." The rose-eyed girl heard Buttercup tell Butch as she pointed in the opposite direction. Butch only shook his head. "Not now. Later." He promised curtly as he urged Ares into a trot. Blossom leaned over Brick's shoulder, trying to get the brooding man to look at her, but he kept his gaze firmly ahead of them.

"You're not taking us home, are you?" the auburn-haired woman asked him quietly. "No." Brick confirmed. "Not right now. I think it's time we had a little talk."

Blossom only shut her eyes and nodded, looking over at her sisters who wore similar expressions of dread on their faces. She wanted to call out to them and tell them that it was going to be alright, but they would see right through her lie. No amount of reassurance would be able to calm them.

The six adults rode silently out of the town, without looking back. If they had looked back, they would have seen a tall, thin man with a sickly-looking complexion looking after them. As the crowd started to disperse with hushed murmurs, he rubbed his hands together and nudged a much shorter man next to him. "Well, well. Thingsss jussst got interesssting." A nasty little grin spread across his face. "Go find Ace. Tell him that the next part of our plan hasss already ssstarted."

Jojo Estate

Bubbles felt her heart race as the boy's mansion loomed up ahead of them on the horizon. They had left Townsville behind them as they had ridden out into the hills where the brothers lived. She had initially hoped she they would take them straight home, but it had been wishful thinking on her behalf.

Instead of taking her and her sisters into the house, Boomer glanced back at her. "We're going to put the horses in the barn, then we'll go inside, alright?" Bubbles nodded. "It's not like we have a choice." Boomer sighed, sending her a tired look. "Please don't say it like that-"

"But we don't." Bubbles countered. "No." Boomer relented. "But please let us try and explain ourselves… alright?" Bubbles only looked away in response. When they were in the barn, she Blossom and Buttercup slid off the horse's broad backs and moved off to the side, allowing the boys to untack their mounts and put them away. Buttercup looked as if she wanted to run while Blossom gazed ahead of her stoically.

Finally, Brick turned around and beckoned them to follow him, the sisters did so silently as Butch and Boomer followed closely behind them. They entered the house and silently moved though the dark hallways and into the plushily decorated living room. Blossom glanced around looking mildly confused. "Where's your father?"

"Not here, that's for sure." Butches snide remark answered her as he moved past them and sunk into one of the large ornate couches. The dark man gestured to the one across from him "Sit."

"I'd rather stand." Buttercup muttered. Butch only met her challenging gaze with one of his own. "Do you really want to do that now Buttercup? Come on, sit down. Nothing's going to happen to you or your sisters."

Buttercup looked unconvinced but sensing that she didn't have any other alternatives, she slowly sunk down onto the couch closest to her, pulling Blossom and Bubbles down as she did, prompting Brick and Boomer to sit down beside Butch across from them. Brick laced his hands together, eyeing the three girls expectantly. "So-"

"What do you mean 'so'" Blossom finally asked exasperated. "You brought us here, clearly there's something you wish to discuss?"

"Obviously." Brick murmured. "I assume you have questions." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Buttercup. "Except for you, that is."

"You leave her out of this." Blossom hissed, suddenly furious. "She told us everything. Now I understand why she's been acting so different since she went to your property to see if anything suspicious was going on – god I can't believe we didn't figure it out sooner." The light ginger groaned.

"You mean she really didn't tell you anything?" Brick pressed looking slightly amused. "Interesting. I thought for sure she would have said something for sure. Well done Buttercup."

"Only because you blackmailed her into silence." Bubbles spoke up angrily, glaring at all three boys pointedly. "She told us about that too, and what you said. You should be ashamed of yourself. You should all be ashamed." Boomer at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, while Butch turned his head so he wasn't looking at either of the sisters. Brick only leaned forward, and rested his chin on his hand.

"I had my reasons. I couldn't let her go blabbering our little secret to the rest of the town for obvious reasons. I had to ensure her silence. No harm would have come to either of you."

"I somehow doubt that." Bubbles muttered as she leaned backwards into the couch, but Blossom raised her hand, signaling for both of her sisters to be quiet. "Why did you really bring us here Brick?"

"Have you thought about my offer?" the red-eyed man questioned her, red orbs piercing into her soul. Blossom only narrowed her own. "What offer?"

"You know the one." Brick responded lightly. "Remember what I said to you on the night of the full moon?"

Of course, she did. How could she possibly forget?

"You mean, your demand." The rose eyed woman corrected him. "and the answer is never. I can't. I won't. You've done terrible things Brick! You and your brothers!"

"We've done what we've done to survive." Brick growled. "It's all we can do. In this world, it's either killed or be killed, Blossom. I don't expect you or your sisters to understand. You haven't lived the life we have."

"and for that I'm grateful." Blossom responded flatly. "In my mind, none of you have any excuses for the atrocities you've committed." She glowered at Brick. "I could have told them what you are – the town that is – but I didn't. I didn't because you owe us. You owe me, Brick. I want answers. I only have questions and that's going to change now."

The fiery red-head leaned back into the plush couch, crossing her arms defiantly. "For starters, you can explain to me what exactly a Blood Moon is, because I've asked, and no one can tell me for sure. But I've heard some things, and I don't like what I've heard."

Butch shot Brick a sideways glance. "How does she know about that." It wasn't exactly phrased as a question, but it was a challenge all the same. Brick quickly glanced in Butch's direction but he waved it away.

"Patience. I'll get to that. In order for me to explain that, I have to start from the beginning." Brick sighed and ran a hand through his hair and fixed the girls with a look. "Let me remind you of all the things that you've forgotten."

"That being?" Buttercup challenged him with a glare, but Brick only sat back. "How we came to be, and how we met, for the first time." He closed his blood red eyes and slowly began to speak.

"A long time ago, our 'father' worked alongside yours. They performed many experiments together, and they liked to push the boundaries of science to see how far they could go for their own personal pleasure. Now, one could argue that some of these experiments weren't exactly ethical, but no one could say anything about it because our father was a Lord and practically untouchable. Your father had more of a conscience, but since dad was footing the bills for all their equipment, he did as he was told… even if he didn't like the direction the experiments were taking." Brick rumbled coolly, cracking open his eyes slightly.

"Then one day, our father met a young gypsy girl. She was beautiful and she enchanted him so much that he decided that he was going to marry her." Blossom froze slightly and stole a glance at her sisters. They had heard this story before… but now Blossom was curious to see if the gypsy's version held up to the real story.

"So, he did. And his ambitions grew in the meantime. His projects got darker. He started to toy with the idea of merging the occult and science together and he dragged your father into it as well."

Bubbles felt her blood freeze in her veins. This was almost the same story that that gypsies had told them not an hour ago. Just how much did they truly know?"

"…They built a machine together. One that was supposed to be able to tap into different signals the earth created – or whatever – and determine whether or not there really is an afterlife of sorts or not." He glowered at the girls. "Amazingly, it worked, but not in the way they expected." Blossom felt her breath hitch in her throat as she waited for him to continue, but she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to hear the rest now.

"He called something forth that day. The one with the forbidden name. He made a deal with it: Mojo was to give the being a way to permanently exist in this world by using HIS blood, and in exchange: HE would give him the secret to giving his experiments life." Brick grinned but it was savage and cold. "You can guess what he said."

"He agreed." Blossom felt her heart sink as she realized that somehow, Berserk had been right with her assumptions about their birth. "What… what exactly do you mean, he gave Mojo the secret to life?"

"You've already met some of his creations." Brick grinned. "Though, they weren't around for very long. Butch made sure of that."

"The… the Amoeba brothers?" Bubbles stuttered. "But… they looked human-"

"They weren't." Boomer assured her. "HE showed Mojo how to summon things from HIS world as well. They were what you would call ghouls – Mojo made human skins for them so they could move around the mansion and town undetected… but they became too troublesome for their own good so Butch tore them up." He shot the onyx-haired man a dirty look. "Then he decided to replace them with Ace instead-"

"His greatest 'creations' though, were us." Brick rumbled deep in his throat – not allowing the girls to process what they had just heard. "We were perfect. Intelligent. Powerful. Gifted with abilities that even he doesn't know about. We were more than he could have ever dreamed of. Though, we weren't summoned. Nor did he give us life. No… that accomplishment goes to HIM. After All, Mojo promised HIM a way to come to this world by using HIS blood... Unfortunately, there was really only one way for that to happen… and Mojo decided that he would bring our mother into his plan…"

Blossom swallowed harshly. "It… took your mother… didn't it? You three were the result of… that."

Butch's eyes fixed on her coldly. "How did you know?" Blossom bit her lip. "There are rumors that circulate through the town about you… maybe they weren't rumors after all." She lied, hoping that they wouldn't see through her, but Brick didn't seem to care.

"Well, I guess I can give them credit for that one, because they're right: Mojo isn't our father. He never was." The red-eyed man simply smiled, but it looked like it had been carved onto his face with a knife. "and to answer your earlier question: if you want to meet our real father, you'll get your chance at the Blood Moon."

Blossom felt the blood in her veins turn to ice at what Brick was implying. Was the Blood Moon some kind of portal to Hell? Was he really the son of the Devil like he claimed to be? If what Brick was saying was true… something wicked was coming. A being of un-imaginable powers was about to come through and wreak havoc on the world as she knew it and from the sounds of it, there wasn't anything that she could do to stop it.

But something puzzled her. If the monster was all powerful like Brick was making him out to be: why did the he need Brick and his brothers? What part did the boys have to play in the demon's summoning? Something wasn't adding up.

Before she could ask, Buttercup finally spoke up beside her.

"You're damned. All of you." the raven-haired woman finally spoke, but her voice sounded like it was caught in her throat. "You really are demon spawn… just like the town believes you are. Just what the hell are you? Lycan's? Demons? What? Just what?"

"Grimms."

Butch growled from his end of the couch. His nails were dug into the rich fabric and the look he wore on his face was almost animalistic. "We're not simple werewolves anymore but we aren't full demons. We're something… in-between. We exist in two different worlds. We're not completely of this world, but we'd like to be."

Buttercup wanted to laugh as she finally got the conformation that she and her sisters had been after for so long. The gypsies were right: they were so much worse they had initially thought… hell they weren't really even human at this point!

"So even when you called me here to supposedly give me answers about what you are…" Buttercup finally managed to choke out, fists almost shaking in rage. "…You couldn't be bothered to tell me that you had undergone that second transformation. You purposely hid that from me. I knew I couldn't trust a word you said."

"Buttercup-" Butch sighed.

"Don't bother Butch. Your words are wasted on me." Buttercup spat. She turned her head away, unwilling to let him see her frustration. "To think I thought we were getting somewhere after I helped bring you back after that grizzly ripped you apart."

"I told you what I could at the time." Butch protested. He moved forward on the couch and twisted his head, trying to meet her searing lime eyes. "We needed you and your sisters to find out at the same time. It would have made explaining all of this easier." He tried again to meet her eyes. "Can you look at me… please?"

But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to meet those hypnotizing eyes again. The last time she did… unspeakable things had happened… things that she still needed to settle with him. If she was honest with herself: she didn't trust herself around him. There were too many complicated emotions surrounding him that she had. How could he be so gentle with her and then murder the innocents the next moment? It was unsettling.

"Anyways," Brick laced his hands behind his head, as if he had expected their outburst, which he probably had, Buttercup thought bitterly. "Now you know."

"Know what?" Bubbles asked exasperatedly, but she couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. "That you're devil spawn? That a Hell exists? What?" she looked at the three boys wearily. "How do we know you're telling the truth? You've lied to us so many times before."

Brick looked at her challengingly. "You really want us to prove it to you?" Bubbles crossed her arms defiantly in spite if it all. "I want to be sure. You can talk but it doesn't mean any of it is true. I want to make sure you aren't lying to us again."

Brick grinned nastily at Butch and Boomer. "Hear that boys? She wants us to prove it to her."

"Come on Brick, stop. She doesn't need a demonstration." Boomer protested tiredly, but Brick only snorted. "Shut it Boomer." And before anyone could stop him, he raked his nails down the side of Boomer's face. Only his nails weren't nails anymore, they were longer and jagged at the tips, they were claws. Boomer let out an inhumane bellow as the girls screamed in shock at the sudden display of violence. The tall blonde fell off the couch and onto the floor – clutching the side of his face, which was now profusely bleeding.

"What the hell Brick!" Butch snarled as he abruptly stood off the couch to stand overtop of Boomer protectively. "What the fuck?!"

"Calm down Butch, you know better than anyone that it'll stop in a few seconds." Brick sighed as he wiped the blood off his hand.

"That was uncalled for!" Butch snarled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

As the older brothers continued to yell at each other, Bubbles bolted off the couch where Blossom and Buttercup remained frozen in shock, and moved to Boomer's side against her better judgment. "Boomer, are you ok?" she yelped as she looked around for something to staunch the bleeding. "Yeah… I'm fine." Boomer winced, pressing harder into his face. "He didn't catch my eye… it'll stop in a second."

"No, you're not!" Bubbles protested as she tried to move his hand away. "Let me see your face, we have to stop it!"

"No, Bubbles don't I'm fine, seriously." Boomer grunted as he tried to back up and away from her.

"No. You're. Not" Bubbles huffed as she grabbed onto his and began to pull it away from his face. "Now, let me see-"

But the words died on her lips as she yanked Boomer's hand away, expecting to find crimson blood soaking his face… but all she saw was thick black blood dripping down the massive scratches that went from his forehead over his right eye and down to his jaw.

"What." She breathed as Boomer looked away from her. Because the room was so dim, she hadn't noticed originally, but against the stark contrast of his skin, it was undeniable that Boomer's blood was very much black.

The petite blonde looked up only to see that Brick and Butch had ceased their quarreling and were looking at her with an almost dead look in their eyes. Another look towards her sisters confirmed that they too had noticed and were wearing looks of horror on their faces.

"What… what did you do?" Blossom finally asked, forcing her eyes away from Boomer's face and back to Brick. "What have you done to yourselves?"

"What we had to." Brick muttered again. Boomer picked himself off the floor and glared at his oldest brother. "Sorry Boomer. That was the easiest way to show them."

"Sure." Boomer snapped curtly as he touched his face gently. "You're lucky that it's already closing over and that the girls are watching, because I'd actually love to tear into you right now." Sure enough, as the girls looked closer at him, they could see the horrific black blood drying up around his face, and watched as his skin slowly began to knit itself back together.

"How… how is he doing that?" Buttercup pointed at Boomer face, looking at Butch expectantly. "You didn't do that when the bear attacked you." Butch shook his head as he slowly sunk back into his original spot. "I took on too much damage that night. My healing factor wasn't working properly. Though it probably kept me from dying in the end."

"It's why damage from normal weapons doesn't affect us." Brick muttered. "We've been beaten, clubbed, shot, stabbed, bashed in the head – you name it, and nothing. We heal too fast for it."

"But you still are weak to silver." Blossom muttered. Brick allowed a small smug smile to pass over his lips. "Yes… but it will take a great deal to truly put us down. It burns, but that's about it."

"Tell the towns people that. They've been stocking up on silver." Blossom scowled. "They must have used all of the silver in the town to make those cages and other weapons to use on you."

"And it will be a waste." Brick hissed. "How do they expect to capture us again when we already know what they're up to? Trust me, this isn't the first time they've tried to capture us. They just don't learn. Mitch could tell them as such-"

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HIM!" Buttercup roared as she jumped up, despite Blossom's best effort to hold her down. "NO BLOSSOM, I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" She jabbed a finger towards the three men. "Let's make something very clear: you don't get to talk about him. you've caused his family enough suffering. You've caused us enough misery as it is! You fucking animals!"

"Buttercup!-" Blossom panicked, tugging at her sleeve, but Brick only rolled his eyes. "Does your father know you talk like that Buttercup?" Buttercup turned red in the face. "Don't. You. Talk. About. My. Father. He's still missing, and for all I know, you've lied to me about knowing where he is as well."

Silence.

Buttercup sucked in a sharp intake of breath and shut her eyes, counting silently in her head, praying that she wasn't right, hoping beyond anything else that they didn't… they couldn't have… please, please, please-

Bubbles looked towards Boomer with pleading eyes. "Boomer, what happened? Please tell me." Boomer gave her a sad look, and Bubbles noticed with a start that the gashes in his face has completely healed up and only four faint red lines remained. "Look, Bubbles-"

"I, um." Butch ground out, fidgeting uncomfortably in his spot. "I might not have been completely forth coming about knowing where he is."

Buttercup opened her eyes and Butch saw nothing but pure hate swimming within them. "What did you do?" she asked quietly. When he didn't respond, she bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO BUTCH? WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR FATHER?"

"I HAD TO!" Butch finally roared back, looking like he was torn between wanting to kill something and tear out his hair.

"He was going to ruin everything! He was going to turn you against us! He refused to listen to reason! I was so fucking angry, for all of the shit that he did to us when we were young, and I snapped!" The dark-haired man let out a sound between a groan and a snarl as he dug his suddenly very sharp nails into the couch, shredding one of the arm rests as he tried to hold himself together.

"Turn us against you?" Blossom repeated flabbergasted. "You did that to yourselves!" tears began to well up in her eyes as memories of her father began to flash in front of her. Her father truly was gone forever. She would never see him again… and it was all thanks to the three beasts sitting in front of her…

"What could our father have possibly done to you to make you do… that to him!" Bubbles sobbed, not bothering to hide the tears flowing freely down her face. "Why? Why?"

"Bubbles please." Boomer almost begged as he slowly got up with the intent to comfort her. "Please stop, I can't handle you crying. I didn't want to… I wanted nothing to do with this. I'm sorry, I promise-" But Bubbles shrank back from him in horror, using Blossom as a shield. Blossom pushed herself in front of him to shield her baby sister.

"Not another step Boomer." Blossom hissed furiously. "How dare you say you wanted no part of their plan, when you knew what they were doing and didn't do anything to stop them!" her eyes narrowed dangerously. "How could you do this to us? How could you do that to him?!"

"Because he left us to suffer."

All eyes turned to Brick, who was glowering darkly. "I… I beg your pardon?" Blossom croaked. "Exactly how did he do that? We were children when we were last, and we've only come back a few months ago? When could he have possibly 'let you suffer'?"

"After our less then pleasant birth, mother went insane. She couldn't even look at us and refused to care of us unless Mojo forced her too. Mojo of course, didn't know the first thing about raising children and didn't know exactly what we were yet, but he knew we weren't human." Brick's scowled deepened. "HE told Mojo how to contain us until he was ready to introduce us to the world, and so, Mojo locked us in the basement and conjured up eldritch symbols that we couldn't escape from… and he left us there. For years, in the dark, with no one but ourselves. The only times he came to see us was to bring us food and take us out to use the restroom. It was a miserable existence."

Brick gave them a hooded look. "During that time, your father was still working together with Mojo and he stumbled across us once. Even though we were so young, I'll never forget how he looked at us: he was horrified, disgusted even. Then he darted back up the stairs and pretended that we didn't exist. And so, we remained like that for years… until one day everything changed and we were released…"

Flashes of dark brown symbols, some glowing, others looking like they were drawn sporadically across walls and floors flashed across Blossom's minds eye. She suddenly knew what he was talking about and believed that he was telling the truth. She didn't exactly know where the memory had resurfaced from… but she still refused to believe that her father – the man who had raised her and her sisters with so much love and care – had known about the three children locked away in the basement and had done nothing about it.

"You're wrong." She shook her head bravely, watching as Brick's facial expression morphed into one of rage. Despite the downright terrifying change, she pressed on. "Our father would never abandon a child in need! I don't know what sort of hatred you had for him, but he didn't deserve-"

Brick jolted forward at an inhuman speed, forcing Blossom to jerk back against her will and startling Buttercup and Bubbles. "Do you understand me? Your father knew that we were down there. He knew we were suffering in the dark, and he did nothing. He is not innocent in this like you'd like to believe."

Before Blossom could rebuttal against his horrible claim, Boomer growled darkly "Hell, the only reason we left the basement in the first place was because three little girls who were too curious for their own good."

Blossom furrowed her brow. "I don't understand-"

"Like I told you before Buttercup, we chose you to be at our sides, because of what you did for us." Butch interrupted, looking at Buttercup with an expression that Blossom had never seen before. "What is he talking about?" Blossom turned to face her sister. "Buttercup, what is he talking about?"

"Apparently… we set them free." The ravenette whispered, dipping her head slightly.

"What?" Bubbles asked as she looked at the three men sitting across from her. "When… how?"

"We couldn't leave our confinement, our blood bound us there – but you could come and go as you pleased." Boomer murmured gently as he reached across and took her small hand in his large, cold one before she could pull away. "You set us free. Three little girls who didn't know any better, let us out of our own personal hell and that's when our lives really started."

Bubbles felt him place something in her hand. When he pulled away, opened up her hand, only to balk as she saw a beautiful engagement ring laying innocently on her palm. She glanced over at Buttercup, only to see that she looked mortified as she twisted the constricting band on her own finger. She shook her head rapidly as she tried to yank her own ring off. "Don't." she muttered as Boomer shot her a dark look.

"Don't worry, I don't want it." Bubbles replied quietly as she placed the ring down. She looked up only to see Boomer wearing a hurt look on his face. "You can't honestly believe I would marry you after what you just told us about our father." She quietly told him. "I'm sorry but I can't. I won't let myself or my sisters be blackmailed into chaining ourselves at your sides."

"Don't you see? We're trying to protect you-" Boomer sputtered, but Bubbles held up her hand, silencing him. "It doesn't matter. It's too late for that for that now. Even if your intentions are truly to protect us: you could have done that by telling us the truth in the beginning. Maybe all of this could have been avoided if you had. But it's too late for that now."

A memory, from deep with in the recesses of her mind, resurfaced suddenly, making her hesitate for a moment. A young boy, with dirty blond hair and deep cobalt eyes was giving her a tiny half smile as held her tiny child's hand in his own.

"You'll stay with me?" She heard her younger self ask, but it sounded distant and far away.

"Always. You'll never be alone." He responded without hesitation as he passed her an old purple doll that she eagerly accepted from him. She felt her younger self beam happily at him and laugh as she pulled him along after her before the memory faded back into obscurity.

She blinked rapidly, feeling water prick at her eyes at the memory. Where did that come from? She thought bitterly to herself. She looked at Boomer sitting across from her, and wished for a moment that she could hold his hand like she did when they were children. But then her father's smiling face entered her head, and the urge vanished as quickly as it came. How could Boomer possibly throw a ring at her and expect him to marry him after openly admitting that his brothers – and to an extent – him, had murdered her father? He couldn't.

"I wanted to help you and your brothers, believe it or not." Bubbles murmured as she stood from her spot. She looked at all three boys clearly. A small part of her still wanted to help them, to make them see the error of their ways; but the rest of her disagreed. Now when she looked at them, she didn't see men, she didn't even see monsters… she saw something much worse. She swallowed tightly as she forced out: "But now, I'm wondering what I was thinking."

"Help us? Help US?" Brick snarled, his voice raising in volume as he also stood up. "How the hell can you help us? What makes you think that we need help? If anything, it's the rest of this damn town that's going to need help once the bringing of Hell HIMSELF comes!"

Blossom and Buttercup jumped up to defend their youngest sister, but Bubbles placed a hand on their shoulders pacifyingly. "I had assumed that maybe you haven't led the easiest of lives – that much is true. But then I thought that maybe you had been forced into doing what you've done." She narrowed her eyes coldly. "Perhaps I was wrong."

"Yes, perhaps you were." Brick sneered unkindly. "We don't need your pity, nor do we want it."

"Pity, no. Never pity." Bubbles corrected him. "Sympathy maybe, but never pity." She shook her head. "I'm thinking that this was a mistake. You don't feel any remorse at what you you've done, and that is unacceptable." She looked at her sisters. "We need to go."

"If you think that we're going to just let you walk out on us again you-"

"GODDAMN IT BRICK, ENOUGH!" Boomer roared, turning on Brick with a sudden burst of animalistic savagery that even Butch looked startled. The faint pink lines on the side of his face deepened as the blond man glared at his oldest brother – deep cobalt boring into furious crimson red.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on with you, but you're letting them leave." Boomer lowered his voice dangerously. "You're not helping anything. We're in this position because you put us here. This is your fault."

His eyes softened slightly as he looked towards the girls. "Go."

They didn't need to be told twice. The girls bolted up and all but sprinted out of the sitting room and out the front door, just as a brutal yelling match between Brick and Boomer started up behind them. The door slammed shut behind them, cutting them off from the madness unfolding behind them. Buttercup looked at her sisters. "What the hell? What the hell?!"

Blossom didn't even have it in her to reprimand her about her language. She shook her head and grabbed her sisters by the arm and began to pull them away from the old house, past the awful stone wolves guarding the front steps and down the stony path. The girls were in such a state of panic that they didn't notice the pale, greasy-haired man with tinted glasses, watching them from the front porch.

Ace leaned against the house in bemused shock at what he had just witnessed. He had come downstairs after retrieving a weird little stuffed animal that Boomer had asked him to grab earlier in the day before he had left to go to town for whatever reason – only to hear a heated conversation between the boys and a several different voices. As he quietly moved closer to the voices, he realized that the other set was feminine and turned out to be none other than the pretty girls from town. By the time he had crept closer to the voices, it was clear that they had finished 'talking' to each other and the girls had bolted out of the house past him. Whatever they had been talking about, the boys had clearly scared them… it was a shame really, he would have liked to know what had been said; although, if the angry, panicked curses the boys were hurling at each other as he followed after the girls was any indication: he could assume they had found out the truth about their father at last.

Now, they were all but running down the frosty stone path leading back to town. Ace smirked inwardly as he watched them go. Normally someone would have been there to take them back home, but if the rumors that Snake was feeding him from town were true: word was anything but pleasant when it came to the girls, and it sounded like their family didn't know they were here-

He paused before he let himself think any further ahead. No. Not yet. His plan involving them would soon come to pass, but it wouldn't be at that very moment. This was his time to set his plan into motion, and if he played his cards right: he'd be able to snatch them away right from under the boy's noses, and there wouldn't be a single think they could do about it.

Now the trick was to get them to listen to him.

The lanky man pulled out a small purple stuffed animal from out of his pocket and looked at the retreating figure of the youngest sister with a twisted smile on his face. Thankfully, Boomer had done that part for him.

He broke into a run off the front steps and ran after the girls. "Ladies, ladies! Excuse me, hey!"

Sure enough, they slowed at his call and turned to face him. A mixture of expressions flitted across their faces as he stopped before them. "Oh… hello… Ace, right?" the redhead asked hesitantly. "What do you want?"

Time to turn on the charm. He gave them his best smile. "My apologies Miss's, but I have something for the blonde angel here – it's from Boomer-"

"Oh god, if he sent you to give me the ring, you can tell him to keep it, I don't want it-" the blue eyed girl interrupted him before he had a chance to get another word out. "No, no, no doll, I don't have a clue about no ring. He wanted me to give yous this," he pulled out the purple doll and held it up for her to see. "From the sounds of it, he's been holding onto it for you's for some time now."

The blonde girls face scrunched up as she looked at the thing he was holding up in front of her, only for her eyes to widen impossibly and let out a squeal. "Octi!"

"Sorry, what?" He asked, not bothering to hide his confusion. He dropped the doll into the girl's early outstretched hands and she immediately squeezed the doll, which he suddenly noticed was an octopus wearing what looked like a top hat, but he couldn't be sure.

"This was my doll from when I was a little girl!" the blonde explained tightly hugging the thing to her chest. Her brow furrowed. "How did Boomer get it?" Ace rolled his eyes inwardly. Beats the hell out of me. How am I supposed to know why he had kept the damn think after so long? It was kind of creepy looking honestly.

But instead he forced another smile on his face. "No idea. He told me to get it from his room when he left with his brothers this afternoon. Said it was yours and that you's probably like it back."

"Yes, I mean… I thought for sure I had lost him when we moved to Citysville. I remember that I was so upset for a long time." She nodded and gave him a forced smile. "Tell him I say thank you… I guess…"

"You guess?" Ace pressed, still keeping that same phony grin plastered across his mug. "Just where are you pretty thangs running off to's in such a hurry?"

"None of your damn business!"

Oh ho, there was the raven-haired sister, the firecracker of the three. Still as fierce as ever as he could see. He would enjoy breaking her spirit the most…

Once again, Ace had to stop the malicious grin from taking over again and forced a hurt look onto his face. "Ouch, I'm hurt doll. All I came to do's is drop off a gift for ya baby sister and yous gotta be all nasty to me."

"I've had a really god-awful day." The girl bit back without any sort of remorse. "Now if you'll excuse me we really have to be going-"

"Is this about your old man?"

Shit, that wasn't the right thing to say. Ace immediately realized as looks of anger spread across the girls faces. The middle sister – Buttercup – if he remembered correctly, flushed a furious crimson and began to drag her sisters away from him. "Let's go girls." She shot him a hateful look over her shoulder. "I don't know what you might have overheard in there, but I suggest you forget about it."

Ah damn it. This wasn't how he imagined this conversation playing out. Ace took a deep breath in to quell his growing annoyance with the group of girls in front of him. He could still salvage this. If anything, he had just the thing to get them to listen and cooperate with him. He just had to play it smart.

"Girls, girls, wait!" The lanky man ran after them, grabbing Buttercup by the arm, only for her to rip it out of his grasp. "Don't touch me!" she snarled venomously. "I'll rip that hand off; I swear it!"

"No, no. no!" Ace quickly backpedaled with his hands in the air. "I didn't mean to cause offence doll, honest." Blossom took her sister by the hand, pulling her behind her. "Then what do you want?"

Ace ginned inwardly. Time to real them in. He forced down his smirk and allowed a passive look to spread across his face. "What if I told you's that your daddy wasn't dead."

That got their attention. The apprehensive looks that the sisters had vanished almost instantly at the mention of their father. "What do you mean?" Blossom asked quietly. "I mean, he's not dead like your man's back there think he is." Ace replied casually, forcing himself to remain passive. "What if I told you that he's still alive. True, I was put in charge of… hiding the body – b-but I didn't actually off the old man!" he stepped back as he saw the down-right murderous look flash across the dark-haired one's face.

"Then what the hell did you do with him?" Buttercup snarled as she took a step towards him. "If you don't tell me right now, I swear to god I'll be hiding your body!"

"Calm down toot's, I can't tell you's where I hid him, the boys might be listening." Ace pretended to look around cautiously. "But… if you three meet me by the woods near the village in let's say, three nights… I can take you to him."

Bubbles frowned at him. "How do we know we can trust you? You went along with getting rid of our father for the boys. How are we supposed to believe anything you say?"

"Well it's not exactly like I's had a choice doll." Ace grumbled, looking at his fingernails. "They didn't exactly give me a chance to decline. They're real beasts to work for ya know?"

"Oh yes, we know." Blossom muttered. She looked at Buttercup and Bubbles hesitantly. "What do you think?" she asked them quietly. "What do you mean what do we think Blossom? The guy is a creep!" Buttercup hissed. "He's an associate of the Jojo's – he can't be trusted!"

"But on the other hand, if dad is alive, then he's the only one who can take us to him." Bubbles pointed out as she cast a pointed look at Ace. "I don't like it, but if there's even the slightest chance of daddy being held prisoner somewhere, and we didn't help him when the chance presented itself to us… I wouldn't be able to live with myself." She admitted. "Besides… if worse comes to worse, there's three of us and one of him… what's the worst he could possibly do compared to… well, you know who."

Blossom looked expectantly at Buttercup. "She does have a point." But Buttercup still looked hesitant. "I know Blossom. Don't get me wrong, I want to help dad more then anyone, but I don't like this. It's too convenient. Too easy."

"I know." Blossom agreed. "But we don't have any opportunities. This is the first bit of information we've heard about dad since he disappeared. I think we need to look into it… even if I really don't like it."

"But what about the… you know what, that's supposed to be happening soon?" Buttercup muttered. "We don't even know for sure what day it is… what if it starts when we're out with him? What's going to happen then?"

"That's a risk we'll have to take, as much as I hate to say it." Blossom muttered back. "We'll make it fast. If he's lying, they'll be hell to pay, I promise you that."

Ace only smirked as he watched the sister's converse in front of him. They were unsure about his offer – as they should be – but the promise of seeing their father was too much for them to pass up and he knew it. He wouldn't be taking them to him, no, he was miles away… locked up in the loony bin, never to get out if he could help it. But now… now he could finally put his plan for them into motion. He was going to make the Jojo brother's pay. Oh, he was going to make them suffer.

He put an easy smile on his face and extended his hand to them. "So, do we have a deal?" The girls looked at his outstretched hand, but none of them made a move to shake his hand. "Very well." Blossom finally responded. "We'll meet you by the woods near town in three days' time, or rather, nights."

"Excellent." Ace grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "I'll-"

"But." Blossom interrupted him coldly. "If this is a trick, or you try and pull any funny business on us… we'll turn right back around and alert the authorities. We are not in a position to be fooled with. Do you understand me?"

"Crystal ma'am." Ace lowered his shaded eyeglasses to make direct eye contact with her. strange pink tinted scalars boring into pale rose irises. "You's can count on me sweetheart."

"Somehow I don't think I can." Blossom huffed as she turned away from him and started back down the path, her sisters following close behind. "Three nights Ace. No tricks. We'll be there."

As they moved down the path away from him, they didn't see the horrid, sinister grin that has overtaken the sickly man's face. "Oh, don't you's worry sweetness… I know you will be."

Belum Manor

The wind was cold and bitter as the sisters made their way back home on the other end of town. They made sure to stay clear of the town – where they still heard the yells of people and loud sawing and hammering carrying on the wind.

Dusk had fallen by the time they reached the iron barred gates leading to the manor. They wearily made their way into the house and shut the door with a loud bang echoing through the empty halls. Before they could even take off their cloaks and boots, the sound of fast foot falls echoing through halls towards them, alerted them that their mother was heading their way, and by the sound of how fast she was moving, she was not pleased.

Sure enough, the voluptuous woman stormed towards them with a furious look on her face. "Where have you three been?"

"Mama, please listen, we can explain-" Bubbles protested, but her mother cut her off.

"No, I don't want to hear a word out of any of you right now." Sara seethed as she glared at her daughters. "I have enough on my plate right now without having to worry about you three as well. You promised me that you would be back well before dark and you've only come back now! For all I know, something could have happened to you like your father!"

Bubbles had to bite back tears at the mention of her father. Dear god, how were they supposed to tell their mother about what they had learned about him? At this point, she wasn't even sure if he was alive or dead. Sure, Ace had told them that he wasn't, but Buttercup was right: he worked for the boys and therefore couldn't be trusted. Besides, for all she knew it was some sort of trick… but what choice did they have? They had to see for themselves.

She spared a look at Blossom. The auburn-haired girl caught her look and shook her head slightly – already guessing what she was thinking about. Bubbles nodded in conformation and focused her attention back on her mother. As much as she wanted to be honest with her mother, there was no way to tell her without confessing to her what they had been up to, and something told her that their mother would lose what little was left of her sanity if they told her, and they couldn't do that to her.

"We're sorry mum. Time got away from us." Buttercup mumbled out a half-hearted apology. "We didn't mean to make you worry, honest."

"Well unfortunately that's exactly what you did." Sara responded, placing her hands on her hips. "I almost called the authorities to go looking for you. I'm not taking any chances. I've already lost your father; I'm not losing you too." She blinked rapidly, and Bubbles realized with a start that her mother – the proud-strong willed woman, who very rarely let anything upset her – was struggling not to cry in front of them.

"Oh no, mum-" Blossom started forward, but Sara held up a hand. "I'm sorry." She choked out as she rubbed at her eyes. "It's just… I'm having nothing but a horrible time ever since we came back here. Father is gone, I don't think mother is going to get better, and now John-" she shook her head. "Please girls, just… don't go out again. I can't lose you as well."

Oh, don't worry mama, we won't need to go out again. from the sounds of it: trouble is going to come right to us. Bubbles thought to herself bitterly as she forced herself to nod. "Yes mama. We're sorry."

Sara only nodded tiredly. "Very well, now go to your rooms. You missed supper and will have to wait until breakfast tomorrow." It was a light punishment, but Bubbles was relieved that she didn't press them on where they had gone any further. They quietly took off their cloaks and shoes and slipped past the slender woman and up the stairs without another word. Bubbles looked sadly at her sisters as they silently made their way up the stairs towards their rooms.

"I feel horrible." She mouthed to them. Buttercup shook her head. "Nothing we can do." She muttered back. As they reached the top of the stairs Felicity appeared from her room down the hall and gave them a quizzical look. "Oh, so you've finally come back I see."

Bubbles blinked. "Oh, hello Auntie. If you'll excuse us, we were just getting by-"

Felicity held out her arm, blocking their paths. "Just where did you three disappear to anyways?" she asked coldly. "We went for a walk and lost track of time, what does it matter to you?" Buttercup growled lowly. "It's not like you've been around for the past few years anyways."

"Don't talk back to me you little brat." The tall, statuesque blonde snapped at her. "I care because the only way I'm going to inherit this place is if you three and your mother move out of here and back to Citysville, and obviously Sara won't leave if you three go missing."

"Wonderful." Buttercup snapped. "Good to know that your interest in us is only for your own personal gain. I'll be sure to let mum know what you said."

"Don't you dare you brat-"

But Buttercup shoved past her angrily and pulled her sisters past the tall blonde woman – who was still sputtering indigently – and opened the door to Bubbles room, which was the closest to them. They entered quickly and Buttercup slammed the door behind them, uttering a stream of curses under her breath.

"Cow. I can't believe her. She's acts just like Princess – worse, she is Princess, just grown up. What a hag."

"She's…" Blossom trailed off, unable to find the words to describe the animosity she felt towards the woman who she was supposed to call her Aunt. "Her actions are atrocious. Clearly she cares nothing for us or mother."

"You don't say." Buttercup rolled her eyes. "I suppose we'll deal with her later. Now, what are we going to do about Ace and the boys?"

"What can we do?" Blossom groaned. "If you're talking about Ace, then like I said earlier: I don't trust that slimeball myself, but if he has information about the whereabouts of our father, then we need to look into it."

"But he wants us to meet him at the edge of the woods at night." Buttercup groaned. "Does that not send you any red flags? Because it's giving me a bunch – especially considering that we have no idea when this Blood Moon will happen." She cringed. "If what the boys were saying is true… then it might just be the end of the world as we know it."

"Well… we'll be together. So, if something happens, we can figure it out together." Blossom sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it's a big risk considering what's at stake, and it's not one that we can necessarily afford to take, but Ace said that dad is alive, and that's better then what they boys were saying…" she shook her head. "Those monsters. How could they?"

"How could any of them." Buttercup muttered. "Don't forget that Ace isn't innocent in this either. They put him in charge of hiding the body. That means that he was meant to finish the job… why he didn't, I don't know. Don't get me wrong – if he didn't kill dad, then I'm eternally grateful, but it's too suspicious. I don't like it." She turned to look at Bubbles, who had been silent the whole time. "What do you think Bubbles."

Bubbles sighed pulled Octi out from the folds of her dress. She had hidden the old stuffed animal when they had entered the house – not wanting to explain where she had retrieved him from to her mother. She studied the purple plush for a moment before setting the old stuffed animal on her beside table. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and risked a look into the mirror beside her bed and cringed as she saw her relaxation. Her normally light blue eyes were bloodshot and there were the beginnings of deep purple bags under her eyes. Her neat braided hair was disheveled and she looked tired. Suddenly a wave of exhaustion hit her and she sank onto her bed with a sigh.

"Look girls, I'm tired. I don't think I can think about this anymore tonight, could we talk more about what we're going to do in the morning?" Blossom looked as if she wanted to protest, but as she took a closer look at how her worn down her baby sister, looked her heart broke. She nodded gently. "Yes, of course. A lot happened today." She moved forward and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep, we'll see you in the morning."

Buttercup offered her a pained smile and squeezed her shoulder before moving towards the door. "Sleep well Bubbles."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Bubbles offered her a watery smile. "See you tomorrow." Blossom sent her a concerned look, but didn't say anything else and quietly shut the door behind her.

Bubbles sat on her bed as Blossom shut the door behind her. After a few moments she listened intently to see if she could hear if her sisters were outside of her door. When there was nothing but silence, she quickly changed out of her dress, into her night clothes and got into bed, looking at her treasured toy from years ago.

He had kept Octi. After all these years Boomer had found it and kept it safe. She blinked slowly as a myriad of emotions swelled over her. She didn't doubt that he cared about her wellbeing and happiness… to a degree. But she knew that it still didn't excuse any of the murderous things he had done either… she had no idea what to think about him anymore.

Brat's words echoed in her head. They say there's a lovely old legend that says that if someone who truly loved and trusted the wolf, called out its name, the wolf will turn back into its true form.

She let out a groan and rolled over, fighting the urge to cover her face with a pillow in frustration. Did she care about Boomer like the way she initially thought she did after today? She wasn't sure. It was odd: she couldn't say she hated him… but she couldn't trust him, and after seeing that horrible black blood gushing out of his face, confirming his ultimate fate-

No, she didn't want that to be the last thing she thought about before she went to sleep. God only knew it was going to haunt her nightmare tonight anyways.

"Damn it, damn it all." She muttered as she reached out to scoop Octi off the table and cuddled the old stuffed animal tightly to her chest, noting that it smelled faintly like Boomer. "Damn you for making me feel like this."

But he was already damned and they both knew it, so what was in store for her and her sisters?

In the end Bubbles shut her eyes tightly and willed herself into an uneasy sleep, but her dreams were chaotic and filled with shadowy forests and a blond haired man with blue eyes darker than the ocean, shifting back and forth from a man to a wolf with thick black blood dripping from his jaws, chasing her through the dark woods, pleading with her to be his. But every time he caught her, she would wake up drenched in a cold sweat and sobbing because she knew that very soon her nightmares were going to become a reality.

She truly didn't know what to do.

Lakeview Asylum, located mid-way past Townsville Penitentiary

The asylum had finally fallen silent.

John blinked wearily as the inmates that shared his floor fell silent – or at least as silent as they could get. The occasional disturbing cackle and whispers of 'hey, pst, hey-' to no response, were the closest to quiet that the Asylum could offer him.

After days of being stuck in his padded cell and listening to nothing but the sounds of deranged screaming from the other patients – or rather,prisoners, he began to worry that he was going slightly mad himself. But while the fear of him truly going insane due to the non-stop noise was still present, it only strengthened his resolve to escape.

He had learned very quickly to avoid talking about the werewolves around the hospital staff. He wasn't a fool – he knew how crazy he looked, raving about monsters that hid under the bed, like a frightened child – hell he sounded no better off then the rest of the poor people trapped in his terrible place.

So, he remained quiet when questioned about the creatures he had mentioned when he had first woken up in his cell. He feigned ignorance to their questions, knowing full well that anything he said would be damning – even if it was the truth.

Thankfully the staff had left him alone for the most part when they realized that he wasn't a threat, but that didn't stop him from seeing how they brutalized the majority of the clearly mentally disabled inmates. He had seen some of the other prisoners dragged out by their hair and taken away to a room where the orderlies hooked them up to electrodes that shocked them, or to a different room entirely that they called 'water therapy'. But judging by the way the inmates who had gone to that room came back – half-drowned and seemingly madder than before – John highly doubted that it was therapy at all.

He had seen some truly awful things during his short stint at the asylum. The conditions were horrendous, the orderlies were cruel, and some of the prisoners were… terrifying… and he wanted out. John shook his head as he looked around his padded walls. There was no way he was waiting until next week for some head examiner to come in and determine if he was sane enough to be released. He knew he was. Even if his truth was unbelievable.

Thankfully, he hadn't lost his wits just yet.

What he hadn't told the orderlies was what his profession was – not that they'd believe him anyways, based on the lies they had been fed by the unknown individual before he had come to in his cell – but while he was a scientist by trade, he had also picked up some very useful tricks over the years: one such trick being knowing how to pick certain types of locks.

John slowly picked himself up off the grungy floor and shuffled over to the grated slot in his door. Peering out of it and down the hallway, he was relieved not to see any orderlies roaming the halls. He grinned inwardly to himself. Perfect.

He silently moved over to his dirty cot and reached into his pillowcase. he fished around for a moment until he found what he was looking for. A fork that had come with one of his lunches a few days prior. How the orderlies hadn't noticed that the fork was missing when they returned to collect his lunch tray, he wasn't sure – but he was grateful they weren't as observant as had had initially thought they were.

Clutching his treasure in his hand, he quietly moved back towards the door and slid the pointed ends of the fork into the key hole on his side of the door. John pressed his ear up against the door and listened to the tiny clicks emanating from the lock. It was one of the rare times that John was thankful that he had learned how to pick locks over the course of his career. Sometimes it was required to get into storage closets at his work where chemicals that he needed were kept, other times it was because he had accidently locked himself out of his lab and didn't have his keys to let himself back in. Regardless, he was able to pick four out of the six common locks due to how frequently he had to exercise his talent at times. Now he could only hope that this lock was one of them.

John fiddled with the lock for a few minutes longer until he felt something give in the door. His heart soared as he tried the door knob and felt it turn open. Unable to believe his luck, John cracked the door open and peered out into the dark hallway, waiting to see an orderly running towards him and drag him off to the 'water therapy' room. But he didn't see anyone.

He silently slipped into the hall and shut the door behind him, ducking down into the hallway so he wouldn't be seen by any of the other inmates if they decided to look out into the hallway. God knows he didn't need any of them sounding them alarm on him.

He silently made it to the end of the hall and tried the door leading into his unit. To his delight, he found that it was unlocked, and soundlessly slipped through the door, shutting it quietly behind him. He slowly turned around and realized he was in yet another hallway that the orderlies used to move around the asylum. He swallowed thickly as he hesitantly made his way down the hall. From this point onward, he had no idea where he was or where the exits were. He was completely blind

He stuck to the shadows that the dark hallways provided, making sure to keep his steps light so that his slippers wouldn't slap against the tile floors, alerting any asylum staff to his location. As he crept through the hallways, he couldn't help but marvel at how quiet the asylum was. He had expected there to be much more security wandering the hallways, making sure that no one was out of bed, but he wasn't about to complain about his amazing luck.

He turned down another hallway, keeping low to the ground as he searched the walls for a building legend to figure out where he was. He was just about to turn down another hallway, when two sets of voices floated towards him. He cursed quietly under his breath and leapt back, crouching down and out of sight as two orderlies walked past him – to engrossed in their conversation to notice him curled up in a ball against the wall, praying to every god he knew that they didn't look over at him.

"Did you hear that the one inmate on floor three got a lobotomy this afternoon?"

"Which one? The aggressive one who bit Tom last week?"

"That's him."

"Hrmph. Finally. That maniac has been out of control for weeks."

"You're telling me. Now we're stuck with him though. He's not going anywhere"

"Unfortunately."

The voices grew fainter as the orderlies past his hiding spot and John shuddered. So apparently shock and water therapy weren't the only atrocities that this place committed. He had to get out of here. He didn't want to know anymore about this place more then he already did.

As he crept down the hallway, he realized that he had no idea where the clothes he had arrived in were, but at this point it was an afterthought to him. All he cared about was getting out of the dreaded place – even if it meant running into the night in nothing but the asylum pajamas and slippers he was assigned upon his arrival. He decided that – after watching a particularly short-tempered orderly savagely beat another prisoner bloody, just for looking at him the wrong way – that he would much rather freeze to death then stay at the horrible place any longer and risk the same happening to him.

He glanced frantically along the walls, looking for signs to help direct him out of the maze of hallways, before he finally stumbled across one near a stairwell.

Stairs to the right.

Exit to the left.

John breathed a sigh of relief as he continued down the dark hallway silently. He crouched lower as he passed a nurse's station, sweating profusely as he noticed that the light was on in the booth, but didn't dare look up to see if any of the nurses were in there. He awkwardly shuffled past and crept further down the hall, noticing that the hall he was in led into a large entryway filled with windows, allowing a fair amount of moonlight to stream through. He looked around the room and there, against the wall of windows were two glass double doors leading into the asylum – his escape.

John held his breath in excitement as the possibility of him escaping unnoticed became a reality. He had just snuck into the main entryway when-

"CODE BLACK! ONE OF THE PATIENTS IS OUT OF THEIR CELL!"

John felt his blood freeze as a wailing alarm sounded throughout the massive building and a chorus of yells and crazed screaming alike erupted.

"LOCK THE DOORS! FIND HIM! WE CAN'T HAVE HIM ESCAPING!"

That got John unfrozen and moving. He forgo being stealthy and sprinted towards the doors – towards freedom. He slammed into them hard, expecting them to burst open, only to bounce back and slam his back down hard on the cold linoleum floors.

Shit, locked. Of course they were locked. They housed mental unstable individuals. Of course they didn't want them getting out.

That involved him to a degree he supposed.

The flurry of voices began to get louder down the hallway and John knew he only had seconds to spare before the nurses and orderlies checked the main entrance. Glancing around hurriedly, he looked for something- anything that he could use to unlock the doors, until his gaze settled on a heavy looking chair pushed off to the side of the room.

That would do. No point in being subtle after all.

Grabbing the chair, he let out a manic scream as he sent the chair flying though the glass door. The glass splintered and shattered from the force as the chair went straight through them and out into the cold world outside.

"HE'S IN THE MAIN LOBBY! GO! GET HIM AND BRING HIM BACK TO HIS ROOM!"

Not today gentlemen. John grit his teeth and stepped over as much of the broken glass as he could, wincing as several shards cut into his hands and feet as he hopped out of the broken doors. He didn't even have time to gather his thoughts and take in his surroundings to figure out where exactly the asylum was positioned from Townsville, as the sound of glass falling behind him made him spin around.

Climbing out of the broken doors after him, was an orderly, looking just as stunned as he felt. He made eye contact with John, and it was then how insane John realized he must have looked to the man, because he didn't bother to try and apologize to the orderly about the mess, and instead opted to take off running like a bat out of hell into the nearby woods.

"STOP HIM! DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

But John only pushed his legs to move faster and he disappeared into the dark woods at a record pace. He ran blindly through the forest – not sure what direction he was headed in, but it didn't matter anymore. The only thing he was sure of was that he couldn't let them catch him. He wouldn't go back to that horrid place. The only way he was going back there was as a corpse.

He sprinted though the forest, ignoring the biting cold that had sunk through his robe and slippers and ran deeper into the thick underbrush, vowing not to stop until he was sure that they weren't following him anymore. He continued to run until he was numb but he kept going. His well-being didn't matter anymore, there were much greater things at stake now.

His frantic thoughts turned to his daughters and the horrible plans that the Jojo's had in store for them and it made him run even faster than before. He pushed his body into overdrive as he began to imagine different scenario's involving his daughters and the beasts that were the Jojo's – each more disturbing and terrifying then the last.

His eyes narrowed as he ran further into the woods, leaving the asylum and its horror show far behind him. They hadn't won yet, and he was going to make sure they didn't.

Midfield Hospital, Located on the border of Townsville and Counteryville

Robin snapped awake as her head rolled off her hand and fell forward. She shook herself awake and looked around, seeing the familiar hospital room that had become her and Mitch's home for the last month and a half.

She looked over at the hospital bed beside her where Mitch's pale body lay motionless. She let a tired sigh escape her lips as she lowered her elbows onto the bed and rested her head in her hands, gazing at his calm face that was bathed in moonlight streaming in from the single window in the room.

There had barely been any improvement since she had arrived over a month ago. He hadn't awoken and he hardly moved in his comatose state. The doctors assured her that his vitals were stable, though there really was no guarantee that he would ever wake up again. Robin sighed again as she looked at the stump that had once been his left arm. She knew that he was lucky to even be alive given the circumstances. He could have easily met the same fate that so many people from town had that fateful night – but she missed him. She would give anything to see him open his eyes again-

His fingers twitched. Robin slowly lifted her head off her hands as the slight movement caught her eye. It wasn't the first time that he moved slightly. He had started to twitch here and there in his sleep over the last several weeks, but they were random and sporadic at best. Still, she was hopeful that maybe it was a sign that he was coming back to the waking world.

Another twitch. A groan. His hand curled into a fist.

Robin reached forward – not daring to breath – and took his clenched hand in her cool, small one. "Mitch." She called out softly. "Mitch, wake up. Its time for you to wake up Mitch."

He groaned again and jerked his head against his pillow, seemingly struggling to open his eyes. He slowly began to move his body under the sheets as Robin felt tears prick at her eyes. This was it: after everything he had been through, he had beaten the odds and was coming back to her. finally, after so long-

Dark brown eyes slowly opened against the dark of the hospital room. Mitch blinked sluggishly as he tried to rid his eyes of the thick coating of sleep that was crusting his eyelids together. For some reason, his arms felt heavy, like he couldn't move them just yet as hard as he tried. He tried to turn his head only to realize that his movements were slow and stiff. It felt as though he had broken all his bones and then hadn't moved in half a year… a statement that perhaps wasn't too far off from the actual truth.

He blinked a few more times, dislodging more sleep from his eyes until he could fully open them. He looked around the strange room in confusion. This wasn't his room in his Grandmother's house. Actually, he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there in the first place. Hell, the last thing he remembered was-

"Mitch? Mitch you're awake… you- you've finally opened your eyes!"

A familiar voice reached his ears and Mitch felt his heart stop. He knew that voice. It was unmistakable. It was-

He slowly turned his head, and there she was: the most beautiful woman in the world: Robin Snyder- soon to be Michelson. He had to be dreaming. She had to be a figment of his still-waking up brain. There was no way she was here. He had left her back in Countryville. Back where it was safe.

But then again, he also didn't have a clue where he was either.

"Where… where am I?" he finally managed to croak out, inwardly wincing at how rough his voice sounded. Jesus Christ it sounded like his throat was dryer then the Sahara Desert… when the hell was the last time he drank something?

"You're at Midfield Hospital." Robin told him gently, tears pricking at the corners of her light blue eyes. "I've been so worried about you. The doctors weren't sure if you were going to make it." Mitch felt a frown pull at his lips. "What do you mean they weren't sure if I was going to make it?" he asked softly, trying to wet his inside of his mouth. A concerned look passed over Robin's face at his question. "Mitch, you've been unconscious for over a month and a half."

Mitch felt time freeze around him. A month and a half. Had he really been out for that long? It hadn't felt like it. He centered his attention on his fiancé again.

"Have… you been here? …This whole time?" he croaked. Robin nodded, not bothering to stop the tears she knew were falling down her face.

"Someone had to keep moving you. The nurses couldn't always be there, and I wasn't about to let you get bed sores." She tried to joke, but the tears came faster and harder now. Mitch felt his heart swell with adoration for the woman at his side. She had been there. When all others had given up on him, she hadn't. She had stuck by his side through the impossible.

God as soon as he was out of his hospital bed, he was going to find the nearest church and marry her. Witnesses be damned.

He slowly reached out with his left, only to pause as it came into view – or rather, what was left of it and balked at the sight. A bandaged stump where his left hand had once been stood out against the dark room, sending him back in time to before he had ended up in the hospital.

Three massive werewolves. Flashes of silver. Snow glowing white from the moon high above. A ring of teeth closing around his arm. Red. So much red. So much blood…

Robin must have seen the shock on his face because she bit her lip nervously. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. They tried to reattach it. They did the best they could. But the bone had splintered at both ends, and the nerves had died. They just couldn't save it-"

"Don't apologize. It's done now. There's nothing you could have done to save it." Mitch brushed her away, slowly lowering the stump, feeling numb. "They were talking about making you a prosthetic… but they didn't want to do anything until you woke up." Robin twisted a strand of hair around her finger nervously, but Mitch remained impassive. "Do you remember what happened?" She asked gently. Mitch nodded. "Yes. I don't think I could ever forget."

He sent her a sideways glance. "Robin… there's something I need to tell you. I haven't exactly been truthful with you when I said I was going back to Townsville. Well, what I was going back for, rather."

Robin nodded. "I know."

Mitch quirked an eyebrow at her. "You… you know?"

"I do." Robin admitted, she peaked up at him from underneath her bangs. "When you told me that your family dealt with specialty big game, I didn't think that it was… that kind of game, so to speak."

Mitch blinked, stunned. Oh, well, that was much easier than he initially thought it would have been. He always assumed that she would have laughed and called him a loon. Not look at him calmly and tell him that she knew what he had been up to all along when he had first told her that he was returning to Townsville to hunt a rather large pest that had been bothering the people-

His brows furrowed. "Wait… how did you know?"

Robin shifted in her chair. "When you hadn't wrote to me in a while, I got worried and headed for Townsville. When I first arrived in Townsville, I decided to pay the Utonium's a visit, as I heard they were in town and I hadn't seen them since we were children." She blinked hard. "They told me what happened to you."

Mitch's heart ached painfully. "Robin, I'm sorry – I didn't mean to worry you, I promise I didn't." The brunette nodded, quietly accepting his apology. "They told me what apparently happened to you. Told me that you had been mauled by the very creatures that you had come to hunt." She swallowed thickly. "Then they told me what they were."

Mitch's heart skipped a beat as an uneasy silence fell over his room once again. Oh no. He didn't even think about how Robin was going to react when he got around to telling her the real truth about the monsters he had tried to fight. That was already difficult enough to explain – If she even believed him was another story entirely.

Robin turned her attention to the window and away from him. "I'll be honest with you: I didn't believe them at first. Then I got here and saw the state you in and I realized: there was no way a normal, dumb animal could have done what they did to you. A thinking creature, causes that sort of mutilation. Your injuries were deliberate, and done by something much stronger than the regular big game you hunt. That much was obvious to me."

Mitch struggled to push himself up into a sitting position with his remaining hand. Robin saw what he was trying to do and helped move him into a more upright position. He nodded his thanks and looked at her with a stern expression. "and what did they tell you it was?"

The pale brunette looked around the room wearily and lowered her voice. "Werewolves."

Mitch nodded. "and… you believe them? You believe me?"

Robin nodded. "I suppose I had to. I had no other explanation about what had happened to you from aside from what the girls told me. So, I had to trust them. Besides, I didn't think they'd try to scare me, considering what happened."

The slender brunette looked at him, worriedly. "So, it's true then? You came back to hunt… werewolves?"

"Robin, you and I know better than anyone that something was never right with those woods." Mitch murmured gently. "That's why we left in the first place, remember? Too many deaths happened around the woods. It wasn't just random killing either – it always happened around a certain time of the month if you can remember."

"I know but… werewolves? I thought they were just stories." Robin muttered as a veil of hair fell in front of her face. "So, did I, but you know my family business: we deal with the strange and unnatural. The people of Townsville called me there to find out what the problem was and boy oh boy did I find out…" Mitch trailed off, shaking his head disbelievingly as a flood of memories came back to him.

"But…" Robin furrowed her brow. "I thought that werewolves are cursed people?"

Mitch froze. Oh no. That they were. And he now that he knew who the culprits were – he had no idea about how he was going to deal with them.

"They… are." Mitch confirmed hesitantly. "I found out who's responsible for all of the attacks… and you won't like who it is… or rather, who they are."

"You mean there's more than one?" Robin sputtered. Mitch nodded slowly, feeling his throat dry up.

"There's three… Hun… it's the Jojo's."

Robin's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. "All… all three of them?" Mitch nodded painfully. "They put me in this bed. They lured me away under the promise that they would help me hunt the wolves. They tried to kill me in that abandoned Insane Asylum on the outskirts of town, but I was able to escape… but not before Butch managed to rip my hand off." He glowered at his bandaged stump. "I'll have to return the favour when I get the chance."

"Are you insane? You can't go anywhere." Robin protested as she stood up abruptly. "Certainly not back there! I won't allow it!"

"Hun, I need to get back to Townsville." Mitch argued. "I need to at least tell the people what I know – I can't let them kill again. I won't. They're too dangerous to let them to run free any longer."

"But the full moon just past." Robin pointed out the window to the slowly shrinking moon in the night sky. "If they're werewolves, then they've already transformed for the month and won't again-"

"Then that's all the more reason to go back and warn the town." Mitch agreed abruptly. "They won't be able to get the upper hand this time. They'll be weaker in their human forms. It's the perfect opportunity to stop them!"

Brick's sneering face appeared in his minds eye and he glowered at the image of the red-eyed man. "-Our poor, poor girls are going to be so heartbroken – they'll need someone to turn to and comfort them – and we'll be there to do so." Brick's visage changed and a vicious snarl spread across his face as he changed from a man to a beast. "-and if you think that we'll let someone like you take away what is rightfully ours, we will destroy you and everything you love!"

"There's another reason why I need to go back." The man winced as a fresh bolt of pain jolted from his stump up to his arm. "The Utoinum's are in danger."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked as she squeezed his hand, her voice raising in panic. "They were fine last time I saw them. They were safe-"

"Not for much longer." Mitch shook his head. "The boys have taken an interest in them. I don't know for what for, but I have the feeling they're going to try something… something horrible."

"An interest?" Robin moaned. "Do they want to kill them or-"

"No, not kill. They want them. For what, I don't know. They didn't elaborate. But they made it clear that they desire them… like they're goddamn trophies." Mitch spat in disgust. "and as far as I know, I'm the only one who knows about their true intentions for them. I need to stop them before it's too late."

Mitch narrowed his eyes. "We have to get back to Townsville immediately. I have to try and warn the town of what's coming. If nothing else, I have to warn the girls. Their lives are in grave danger."

"Do you think we can help them? Can you even stand? What if we're too late?" Robin pestered him, rushing to help boost him up as Mitch struggled to prop himself up into a more upright position.

The question made him hesitate, but only for a moment. Could he save the girls from the beasts who had so cruelly murdered countless of people and had left him for dead, barely clinging to life? Truthfully, he wasn't sure. His silver bullets were gone and he remembered that the boys had trashed his armory before moving onto him-

But then the thought of the girls, and how they were almost powerless to do anything against them. He wasn't sure what kind of horrid plans they had in store for them, but he would be damned if he didn't at least try and keep them safe.

And it wasn't just them back in Townsville who needed his help: it was his Grandmother and his soon to be wife who needed him now more then ever. With no artillery and a missing arm, he would fight until the very end to protect them. Even if he knew the chances of him surviving were slim to none.

So, when he looked up at Robin and reached over with his remaining arm to pull her into a hug, he told her truthfully, "I don't know, but we're going to try."

It wasn't the reassurance that he knew she was looking for, but it was all he had for the time being, and he would be damned if he let the boys run free for another day.

Authors note: Can someone say lore? Because I can and this chapter was full of it.

The boys secret is out and now you and the girls know what they truly are. Congratulations to those of you who figured it out early! This was a surprise secret that was years in the making and now I finally get to share it!

Also, the Punks and the Ruff's are related! Talk about some family drama there – they finally got cornered into airing out all their dirty laundry, but is it too late? Will the girls be able to stop the boys even with them confirming all that was said about them? It is to be decided.

Brick was such a bastard in this chapter, I'm sorry. He's becoming more and more feral with each chapter. Honestly, you think Buttercup's had enough, but so has he.

Everyone seems to have something going on in this chapter too, my god. Mitch is awake and ready for some revenge, the Professor has made a break for it, and Kingston has his own prerogative for the boys, but Ace and his gang have some pretty awful plans for the girls. Will any of them succeed with their goals? Next chapter will tell… but if both the boys and the girls want to get out alive, they might have to do the unthinkable and… work together.

There is one undisputed fact that is for certain however:

HIM is coming. And when he gets here… all hell will break lose.

We'll see you in Chapter 17: Unleash the Beast

Much love,

Miss. RoseGold xoxoxoxox