Chapter 1

"Do you think Blossom will come home during the summer?"

Buttercup shrugged "I guess. She was babbling about visiting Washington with her new friends from university" she said the last words as if they were venom "Whatever. She's probably going to be the nerd of a group of rabid frat girls and-"

A big explosion on the video game screen showed as the words GAME OVER flashed over it.

The brunette groaned in frustration "Motherf-"

"Blossom and frat girls?" Bubbles giggled, sitting down by her sister "Do you really believe that, BC?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders "Anything's possible, y'know. We haven't seen her for ages since she went away. She could be doing crack for all we know."

"Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted, eyes wide at her sister.

The blonde sighed "Nevermind. She's our Bloss, she's totally coming" she took a deep breath, as if to assure herself of something "I'll just, have to call her and schedule the best date to the dinner and, and everything's gonna be fine."

Buttercup snickered at that "Yeah, right. Because that's such a great idea."

"It is!"

She shot Bubbles a look "Come on. All of us… Together… at a dinner table?"

"But I really want to-"

"Blossom's face!" Buttercup bursted out laughing "Her face is gonna be so priceless! When she come downstairs and meet right with-"

"That's past!" Bubbles cut her off "It's all in the past. Everybody moved along."

At this point, Buttercup just smirked at her. Bubbles frowned.

"…right?"

Blossom had been a year ahead of Buttercup and Bubbles when the girls entered high school and this added an extra weight to the pressure of being the best role model she could manage and such pressure only weighted as the redhead graduated and started university.

Of course she had to leave Townsville but after all, it wasn't a long trip, specially when you could fly. The leader was a call away from the other two PowerPuffs, anyway.

As the end of the university year approached, the attentive leader started to find a few problems and mishaps with herself, as the year passed by, she had started to become forgetful. It'd started off by losing objects such as the dorm keys and occasionally forgetting facts or events ("what university Professor went to", "when is Robyn's birthday?").

At first, Blossom thought it was stress, but the little voice in the back of her head started nagging the redhead. She'd been stressed since the very first days of her life, by being ridiculed along with her sisters, by having to fight off Mojo's very first attack and so on. Childhood and teenage years were only a time to learn to cope with the high levels of anxiety and stress, even when crime rates in Townsville subdued throughout the time.

Still, the girl was biologically designed to have a lot of focus, attention, a great memory… all thanks to dear Chemical X. Losing things or forgetting about things were. just. not. Blossom.

As finals week passed the girl decided to look for a doctor, realizing her forgetfulness had gotten worse.

Whether it was a natural coping mechanism or something more serious, it wouldn't hurt to know.

University colleagues bursted out laughing when she told them (something Blossom immediately regretted) but she still persisted on the decision, even if it felt tiny silly or overreactive.

Of course Blossom's university colleagues wouldn't understand. She was a Powerpuff Girl, the leader! She couldn't give herself the luxury to lose short-term memories or have memory lapses. They didn't understand but one slip could cost the lives of citizens, her family or her own life.

Medical exams were ran on monday (brain scans and whatnot) and the doctor called a few days later, telling Blossom to come back next week, saying he wanted to make more exams with another doctor - a neurologist.

"Oh come on," Ferdinand, her closest friend rolled his eyes "He probably just wants to profit off you. He sees you're a massive worrier so he wants to cash in your paranoia. Pharmacy industry for you, baby."

Blossom half-agreed with him, though she'd made her mind she'd go on the next appointment.

"What did your father say about it?" he asked.

"I didn't tell him" Blossom shrugged "I don't want to worry him."

"He's your creator, though" Ferdinand said, raising his brows "He probably understands more about your peculiar health than any other doctor."

Her friend had a point but how could Professor see Blossom as a grown, independent woman if she kept running for him at every little thing that worried her? What if it turned out to be nothing? She'd look like the biggest baby.

"I, I am a woman" Blossom said, clearing throat "I think I can handle myself."

Ferdinand smirked "…a seventeen-years old woman?"

"Shut up, Ferdinand."

He rolled his deep brown eyes "You do know there's a reason guys in campus keep themselves miles away from you, right?"

"Except for you" Blossom grinned smugly, to which he responded with a wink.

Blossom walked into her second appointment looking the most adult she, blazer, high heels, hair in a bun, and all that jazz.

Dr. Schepherd called her in and presented her to the neurologist, a beautiful hispanic woman called Ms. Velasquez, who seemed to be in her forties. Giving Blossom a pearly smile that contracted with her dark olive skin, she politely asked the girl to take a seat.

The appointment must've took over an hour, though it felt like way more than that.

By the end of it, Mr. Schepherd asked if she had any questions.

Blossom nodded, a polite smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Schepherd… I am sorry I didn't ask it before, but… what exactly is the objective for this second appointment…?" her eyes fell on Ms. Veasquez.

Dr. Schepherd glanced at Dr. Velasquez, who just smiled "Don't worry, dear" she said "We just mean to deliver you the most accurate results."

Blossom wondered over pushing further on the matter, but decided not to.

"What about the costs?"

Ms. Velasquez shook her head "I'm a researcher at Harvard. This appointment and tests will be covered by my research department."

Now that was the response that caught her off guard - Blossom couldn't put her finger on it but, what the woman had said, was it a good thing?

A few days later, Dr. Schepherd's called again, in the early morning.

"Sorry, Blossom" he said in the other end of the line "Did I wake you up?"

The girl cleared her throat "No, Dr. Schepherd! Of course not. I have just got up" she assured him glancing at the clock beside her bed. 7:00.

"Oh well, that's a relief" he sighed "Can you get an appointment for today?"

Blossom felt her voice disappear at his request.

"Blossom? Are you there?"

"I, I'm sorry, Dr. Schepherd" she shook her head, coming back to her senses "I, I guess I do. Probably in the afternoon, if that's good with you-"

"Oh, it's fantastic. As long as you can come" he sighed again "I'll be bringing Dr. Velasquez along again, okay?"

"Dr. Velasquez?"

"Yes" he answered "It's about yesterday's exams."

Blossom instinctively grimaced at the phone, as if he could hear her facial expression "Dr. Schepherd, the exams results are ready?"

The doctor assured so and the girl questioned it - she'd left his office in the afternoon the night before.

"Yes… yes, but…" Dr. Schepherd trailed off for a moment "I just wanted to have them sorted out as soon as possible."

Blossom nodded at that, once again, as if the doctor could see her.

"Dr. Schepherd?"

"Yes, Blossom?"

"Is everything okay?" the teenager asked, feeling her throat go dry.

The doctor sighed again "Blossom… Just make sure you make it today, okay?"

"Bubbles, we are having breakfast. Put that shit down."

Bubbles scowled at Buttercup "I'm busy! I need to sort the preparations for our dinner."

Buttercup grimaced "On your freaking tablet?" she spoke, mouthful of cereals and milk.

The blonde sighed as she flipped the screen at her sister "It's my Pinterest account! I am collecting ideas for my dinner board."

Uninterested, Buttercup run her fingers through the skin, scrowling down. Dinner preparations… How to how a dinner party… Dinner with family… Dishes that will impress your guests…

Buttercup scoffed, rolling her eyes "This looks exhausting. Fuck, just hand us some burgers and root beers! We will be fine!"

Bubbles rose a stiff finger at that "No. No dinner party of mine will serve dead animals! And root beer is gross."

Buttercup rolled her eyes "You never even tried!"

"Don't need to!" Bubbles retorted, crossing her arms.

"Baby."

"Meanie."

"Carrot-eater."

"Animal murderer!"

"Are you gonna get it?"

"No! I will not!" the blonde paused "Wait, what? Get what"

"Your phone, dummy!" Buttercup shouted pointing at Bubbles' ringing cell phone.

"Oops!" Bubbles giggled "Sorry!" she picked it up "Hello…?"

"Bubbles… hi."

"Blossom! Hi!" the blonde greeted, excited. Her sister's voice sounded a bit, husky? Maybe she'd just woke up "How are you? How's things? How's, how's uni?"

A short silence followed before Blossom's answer "It's been great! Huh, finals are over."

"Oh that's great!" Bubbles giggled "You're seriously the most smartest girl ever, I bet you got the maximum grade in all of them!"

Another silence followed. An uncharacteristic one, at that. Weren't Blossom going to brag about being smart? That was her thing!

"Uh, thank you! I, I think I did ok."

Bubbles wetted her lips. Blossom's voice still sounded weird. Did she have a cold?

"Well, that's great!" the blonde tried to keep her cheerful tone over the phone "So, you're heading to Washington right-"

"Actually," Blossom cut her off "Hm. I changed my mind. You guys aren't going to be out of Townsville, are you?"

"Oh, no. Of course, not silly. Townsville's the top destination for spending summer vacations, silly! Why would we-"

"I think I'll just go home for the summer."

A silence followed, this time, from Bubbles.

"…Really!?"

"Yes... I want to be with my family."

At that, Bubbles felt she could explode, out of excitement "Oh my God! Gosh that's awesome! Ohmy God! Oh my God! When will-"

"I'm leaving friday."

"Friday…? This Friday?"

"Precisely."

Shit. Now, that was a little bit too early. She'd just started preparing for the dinner and of course, she still had to gently lay the news to Professor and Blossom before the dinner, not to mention…

"…Is that ok?"

Oh God. Her voice still sounded husky. It sounded sad. Had she been crying?

"I… I guess I can postpone it, if-"

"No!" Bubbles cut her off "It's ok! It's all ok."

"Are you sure?"

Dinners could be postponed anytime. A sad sister? Bubbles' sad sister? No way.

"I promise!"