AN:

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a great year since I've last talked to you guys! It has been ridiculously crazy for me, like more so than any other of the years I've lived.

To keep it short, I've moved, changed jobs, found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, become a step parent, and as cheesy as it sounds: found myself. There have been many ups and many downs. Many fights with people, friends lost, true friends gained, and more. It's taken me most of the year to deal with things and start feeling like myself again.

Unfortunately this all comes with a consequence, that being…Convictions isn't ready to post.

I KNOW! I can hear the maddened yells and curses being thrown my way, but it's the truth. I didn't have the opportunity to work on it until October of this year and since then it just hasn't come together. I could post what I have but it isn't a quality I stand behind. The truth is I haven't really become inspired and been able to dedicate the time and effort into this story like I did with Misconceptions.

Turns out, life's a lot busier with a spouse to be and kid in the picture than it is when I was single. I'm truly am sorry about this. I wish I could go back in time and kick myself to get at it. Instead I have to offer you a compromise.

Give me six months. That's all I need to get this thing on the right track. I'll trash everything I have that I hate and I'll do it better. I promise you. I'd rather do this right than go on for a few months before dropping the story because of lost interest. And I really do want to give you guys a successor to Misconceptions that was worth the wait.

So please have a little bit more patience and I can guarantee you a story worth the wait. Thank you all. You are an amazing readership and I love you guys. I hope you all have a Happy New Year! Thanks guys

-Sandstorm3D

And also because I don't want this chapter to get booted for being just an AN, here's a little something something for the New Year.

-New Year's Eve Year 3-

Buttercup's POV

"You never
let me do anything!" Buttercup Utonium yelled at her father.

Her voice echoed around the small lab. The hum of machines did nothing to drowned it out or contain it. The Professor arose from his chair and turned to face, giving her a stern look.

"Buttercup, we've had this talk already. The answer is no."

"But they're going out again! Without me!" She waved a hand at the window. Several squads of soldiers were lined up outside. All of them were dressed in battle garb and grim faces. General Martin stood before them, his booming voice muffled by the panes of glass that separated Buttercup from her compatriots.

"Come on
Professor! I'm thirteen, I'm not a little girl anymore. Let me fight!"

"No."

The simple rejection was enough to make her blood boil.

Who was he to stop her from doing her part? Yes, he was her father but that was beside the point! She was a fighter! And she wasn't fighting! This was ridiculous! She could be doing so much good!

Buttercup gritted her teeth and glared up at the Professor. "Plenty of others are out there fighting and they're the same age as me! Mitch is doing it!"

"Mitch." Her dad replied. "Is an aid to General Stern, not a solider. Not yet. You know the rules Buttercup. You can't enlist until you're fifteen."

"But that's another two years away! I've already been out of the game for three! That's not fair."

"Life's not
fair. You should know that by now." He favoured her with a sour look as he
grabbed a print out from the printer and sat back down at his desk, his back
turned towards here.

"Well you could help balance that out by letting me get out there and do my part!" She growled

"No."

Again that word set her gnashing together.

How could he do this to her? Why was he being such a jerk? She had been patient damn it! She was bloody sick of it! Enough was enough!

"I'm going out there with them." The Green Puff stated resolutely, folding her arms across her chest.

"You most certainly are not." The Professor responded, not turning away from his work.

"Oh yes I am."

"Buttercu-"

"No!" She cut him off mid-sentence. "Don't Buttercup me dad! You didn't have a problem with me fighting when I was five! Why won't you let me go out now?! I have all the training down! I'm better than men twice my age! I could help! I know I could!"

A loud crack resounded through the tiny room as the Professor brought both his hands down upon the desk and heaved himself up from his chair. The noise was so loud and unexpected that Buttercup actually jumped from it.

The Professor glared down at her, anger flashing in his eyes. It was in that moment that Buttercup knew she had crossed the line.

This would not end well.

"Buttercup Utonium." Her father's voice boomed. "You march yourself out of this building and into your bunkroom right this instant. This is the last time we're having this discussion. You bring this up again and I'm shipping you to up to Siberia with General Davis. You want action? You can get your fill shovelling snow and setting up outposts in the middle of nowhere. Do you understand?"

The Professor's threat stopped the brunette cold.

She had heard him mad before. She had even been told there would consequences should she continue to press the issue, but never had he outright threatened to send her away like that.

By the look in his eyes, he meant every word of it too.

"March." He commanded, throwing a finger towards the door.

There was nothing the brunette could do but hunch her should and slink off towards the exit. His harsh gaze followed her as she left. Banished again, like some child.

She wasn't a child dammit! But that adamant belief didn't make her retreat any less humiliating however.

The air hit her like a furnace as she stepped outside. The Sahara Dessert was hot most days and downright boiling the rest of the time. She had gotten fairly used it in the last two years but it still sucked and the sting of shame that followed her made it all the more unbearable.

She stomped across the sandy roads, ignoring glare of the sun as it began its descent. The night would arrive soon and when it fully came those squads of men and women would leave on their mission.

They'd leave her behind.

Again.

For the millionth time.

It was so freaking lame. So stupid! Why couldn't she go!? She was qualified! This wasn't fair! Ugh!

Instead of fighting for world freedom like she was supposed to be doing, she was going to be stuck in her bunkroom being useless. What a great Powerpuff Girl she was!

And the worst part? There wasn't a dang thing she could do about it!

Her inner rant had seen her across the small base and into the living quarters section. She shuffled towards her bunkroom and stomped up the stairs. With an aggravated shake of her head, Buttercup threw open the door and stormed inside.

There before her was her 'glorious' bunkroom. Tin walls, two rows of bunks, and a footlocker a piece. Oh so amazing. Psh. Right. More like a poorly planned prison cell.

"Buttercup! You're back!" A shrill voice from above cried.

A blonde head popped into view from the top most bunk and a bright smile came with it. Bubbles was still cute as button and she had a high pitched voice to match. Sometimes it even got on Buttercup's nerves.

Now was definitely one of those times.

The Green Puff didn't respond to her sister's greeting as she threw herself onto her bed and buried her head into her arms.

"Hey are you okay BC? I thought you went to talk to the Professor about something?" Bubbles asked, hanging more so off the bed to get a look at her.

"She did Bubbles, and she got denied…again." Blossom's voice came from the other side of the cabin.

The self-assured tone made Buttercup grit her teeth and bury her head even further into her arms. She didn't want to talk to anyone and she most certainly didn't want a lecture from Bossy Blossy.

"Honestly Buttercup, I don't get why you keep trying. It's always the same you know." Blossom chimed again.

"Shut up."

A high speed pillow smacked Buttercup right in the back of the head, causing the Puff to whirl around and scowl at the perpetrator.

Blossom sat back by the far wall among her stack of precious books. A superior glint lit her eyes as she favoured her sister with a reproachful gaze.

"I don't see why you expected this time to be any different. He didn't let you go out fighting last time you asked and that was three months ago. Face it Buttercup, you're just going to have to wait."

Buttercup picked up the pillow and chucked it back at its owner. She dodged it with much to brunette's frustration.

"Wait, you wanted to go out fighting? Tonight? On New Year's Eve? But you're supposed to spend it with us! It's tradition." Bubbles whined as she hung upside down.

Her face was scrunched up into a hurt expression and Buttercup couldn't help but roll her eyes as she looked up at the blonde.

"Well I'm stuck here now so it's not like I'm breaking any tradition yet." She turned and kicked at the bedpost. "It's so stupid. I'm old enough to fight!"

"And yet you're throwing a tantrum like a two year old." Blossom chirped.

The Green Puff tried her hardest to keep her tongue. It involved a heaping of self-control to not let loose on the know it all but somehow she was managing it.

Stupid Blossom, always having to show how smart and mature she was! She just thought she was so much better than them because she was the Field Marshal's protégée! Tsch, more like glorified coffee grabber.

What a joke.

Buttercup gnashed her teeth together and sent her older sister a glare that could have melted ice. The redhead either didn't notice or didn't care. She calmly turned the page on her latest nerd book and read on.

That of course only made Buttercup more annoyed. And as such any self-control went right out the window.

"Stop acting like such a snob Bloss. You don't know as much as you think you do." She spat, stalking towards the redhead.

That got her attention. The Pink Puff snapped her book shut with a loud crack and fixed her sharp, pink gaze on Buttercup.

Heh, that was always the quickest way to get underneath the redhead's skin. Insult her knowledge. See? Not grownup at all if simple jabs still got a rise from her.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Bossy."

She hated that nickname too, which was why Buttercup always used it when they fought.

"Um guys?" Bubbles squeaked as the two of them faced off in the middle of the bunkroom.

"You take that back Buttercup." Blossom growled.

"Make me."

"Maybe I will."

"Psh, right. I'd like to see you try."

"Buttercup..."

The two were nose to nose, glaring at one another. Blossom's bow practically bristled with anger and Buttercup knew it would only take a little more to push her over the edge. Some small part of her brain was telling her to knock it off, that she was only egging the redhead on because she was frustrated at being left behind.

The much larger part of her brain was itching for a fight and she was about to get one.

"You couldn't if you tri-"

"Stop it!" A small hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her back.

Bubbles stepped in between the two angered Puffs with tears in her eyes. "Just stop it you two! This is New Year's! We're supposed to be having fun!"

"Fun?" Buttercup asked incredulously. "Fun? How the heck can we have fun in a abandoned dump like this? We're in the middle of a freaking desert Bubbles! Hiding from an army that wants to kill us! How are we supposed to have fun?"

The blonde shrunk back from her harsh tone and the tears finally broke free. They tumbled down her cheeks as she stared meekly at the brunette. The sight of it tugged at Buttercup's heart but she pushed the guilt aside. She was still too angry to stop.

"We haven't had any fun for three years Bubbles! Not since that stupid chimp took over. We've been hiding! Cowering in fear! Is that what you call fun? Huh?"

Bubbles didn't respond. She just kept looking at her as she cried.

Blossom had no such reaction however.

"Buttercup. Enough."

"No Blossom! This is bull and you know it! We've done nothing for three years! We haven't been able to fight back at all! We've just been sitting around on our butts while that jerk continues to kill and conquer! I'm sick of it!"

"And you think we aren't?!" Her sister hollered back. "You think we're fine with this too? You think we don't want to fight?"

Her words caught Buttercup by surprise. This was the first time the brunette had ever heard her sister say anything like this. Blossom usually just meekly accepted whatever was told to her and tried to be a good little secretary to the Field Marshal.

To hear anything contrary to that was shocking. Like really freaking shocking.

"...You do?" She asked confused.

"Of course we do Buttercup! Just because Bubbles and I don't take every opportunity to demand that we be allowed to fight doesn't mean we don't want to! We want to fight, we want to dethrone Mojo. You know we do!"

The Green Puff took a step back at the fire in her sister's voice. She hadn't heard her this worked up in a long time. Perhaps she shouldn't have pushed so hard.

"We're Powerpuff Girls too. We want the world back to the way it was just as much as you do. So don't give me this whole 'You don't want to fight' tripe. We hate Mojo too and we want to do something about it."

Buttercup stood there stunned. She hadn't heard anything like this from Blossom before. The Pink Puff had always gone along with what she was told. Buttercup had no idea that there was an urge to fight against Mojo like that inside her older sister.

Seeing Buttercup's dumbfounded look, Blossom's tone lost some of it's bite. She came close and laid a hand down on her sister's shoulder.

"We want to fight too, but we have to wait for the right time Buttercup."

"And when is that? When we're fifteen?" She replied bitterly.

"Probably, yeah." Blossom nodded. "Maybe earlier if you would stop pestering the Professor every three months about it."

That drew a sour grimace across her face.

"Believe me Buttercup, we want to fight. We just need to wait and prove that we can be mature, that we can handle the battlefield."

"But that could take forever!"

Blossom gave her a deadpan look. "It's only two years Buttercup. You've already waited three."

"Yeah, and that felt like forever!"

"Buttercup." Bubbles's voice interrupted. "I know you really want to fight. I do too. But think of it like this… if we were fighting right now, we wouldn't be here together."

The blonde wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. "We probably wouldn't see each other very much. I'd miss you guys, like really bad. And I just, I just want to enjoy the time I have left with you both before that happens."

Bubbles wiped at her eyes again and Buttercup felt the last of her rebellious fires fade away. That mushy sentiment crap always got to her in the end. Bubbles was way too good at intentional guilt tripping. The only consolation prize was that Bubbles hadn't used the puppy dog eyes on her.

Buttercup heaved a sigh and rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Bubbles I-" She started before the Blue Puff interrupted her.

"It's okay BC, I get it. I really do." Bubbles sniffled a bit as she too laid a hand on her sister's shoulder.

There they stood, in a tight knit triangle. Three broken Puffs, powerless and without answers…

But they had each other.

"Ah geez, now I feel like a jerk."

"Well that's because you were." Blossom replied oh so helpfully much to Buttercup chagrin.

"But that's okay." Bubbles added with a small smile. "Cause we know that you're just frustrated and you don't really mean it. Right Blossom?"

The Pink leader nodded with a grin. "Of course. You wouldn't be you without the tantrums."

"Hey."

Blossom's grin grew wider at Buttercup's affronted reply. "Oh come on BC, its New Year's Eve. Sit down and have some fun while we still have the opportunity."

The brunette drew in a deep breath and let it out, releasing all her pent up anger with it. It didn't do her any good to hang onto it. As much as she loathed to admit, Blossom was right about getting mad. It didn't really accomplish anything in the long run. Too bad she could never remember that enough to prevent her temper tantrums. Maybe that could be a New Year's resolution for her this year?

That wasn't a bad idea actually. Maybe start being more mature and stuff? Seemed a little silly but her current course of action wasn't helping her any. Ah what the heck. It was worth a shot, especially if it got her into the fighting quicker.

"Alright, alright. What are we playing this year Bubbles?" Buttercup said with a smirk as she looked at her two sisters.

Both of them grinned back at her and they shared a brief moment before Bubbles squealed happily.

"Monopoly!"

The Green Puff groaned. "Great, we'll be here not only the rest of this year but all of next year too!"

The sound of giggles filled the bunkroom and perhaps even beyond. Buttercup might not have been out fighting like she wanted, but she was right where she needed to be: with her sisters.

There would be time to fight in the future, for now she was going to enjoy the present.

AN: See you guys in six months. Love you!